Elisabethsew

I think transitioning to solids will take quite some time for me. Most of the people who had the band achieved restriction so they were experienced with restriction. That was never the case for me so this is a real learning curve. NOT cleaning the plate has become the norm for me... and it's a small plate. LOL. Not craving sweets and junk food is sweet (pun intended). LOL.

Congratulations on your upcoming revision. I know WASA sent you the pre-op diet but I think it only applies if your BMI is greater than 40. If you're having specific problems with the band (like Susan did) you might be placed on a liquid diet instead of the 30g carb/day diet.

I think a lot of the surgeons drum into their patients' head that they are in control of their bands and it's up to them to make them work correctly. The post you referred to sounds like a person who took that to heart and can only believe the person harmed the band by doing something wrong. She's probably scared to death to accept that you can do everything right and still have complications... something many of us know from experience.

Please don't think that you caused the slip. Obviously, you were doing everything right since you lost a significant amount of weight. The fact is, slips and erosions do occur for no reason and the band simply is not for everyone. I lived in misery with mine for 3 years and just revised to the VSG on 4/1. I suffered from constant heart burn, acid reflux, and could no longer sleep in bed despite not eating or drinking a thing for 6 hours or more before going to bed. I followed the rules and tried the acid blocking drugs and could no longer deal with the quality of life the band afforded me. Sometimes, the band fails the person... not the other way around. I hope you feel better soon and keep us updated on your outcomes.

I honestly believe that the bad promotes unhealthy eating. When I ate fresh fruits, I had immediate heart burn. The symptoms govern what foods you eat and that's not healthy. I'm enjoying the soft phase of the diet but am truly amazed at the fact that I don't ever feel hungry and that, when I do eat, just a small amount fills me. THIS is what I expected from the band and never got. It's also a pleasure not to have to worry about heart burn and acid reflux. It's all about choosing whatever healthy food I can have on the soft diet, enjoying it, and stopping when the full feeling hits.

I brought my Synthroid with me and took the dose that I was supposed to take the day of surgery at 10 PM with the antibiotic you're given to take. You also get Ativan for sleep but I did not take that because I was awake for over 36 hours by the time I finally went to bed and did not need it. The day of surgery you get nothing to eat or drink. The day after surgery I drank the apple juice with the blue dye and took the synthroid. Until I was able to take a full Fluid diet, I only ate the chewable Multivitamins (one in AM and one in PM), took the synthroid, and dissolved the nexium mups as directed. Since being on full fluids, I take all the vitamins and Rx medications that I took prior to surgery. Maybe you could talk with your MD about which meds you need to take and see if him/her could substitute different meds? Remember to pack essential medications to take with you. The staff will crush whatever you ask them to.

WOW! I am really shocked at your response. I'm an RN and I've been through 2 weight loss surgeries and I was expressing REAL concern over your question. The fact is, Wasa is correct, you CAN lose your life if you cheat on the VSG post-op diet and it's not an easy one to adhere to. The answer you want is, "heck, it's no big deal, a Greek salad (feta cheese, olives, dressing, etc) and a half of a peanut butter sandwich will bypass your liver" but I mistakenly thought you wanted more than validation for breaking the diet. Your were told to do a post-op diet for 3-5 days. Now you have Sat and Sun... 2 days. I truly do wish you success during and after your surgery. I will refrain from responding to your posts in the future.

I'm now 24 days post-op, went back to work (RN) in a week, started working with a personal trainer this week, and have no side-effects.

Congratulations to the soon to be sleeved ladies. You'll do great and I look forward to hearing your progress. I can't imagine eating even a small bag of french fries. I go to a regular diet on May 2 but am still working on getting soft foods down. Tuna (2.5 oz) mixed with 2 teaspoons of mayo is becoming a favorite. I get in some decent protein and can nurse the portion slowly until I get to the end. I know that candy and chocolate and icecream go down real easy so I have not brought any of that stuff into the house. I seem to crave healthy foods... a trend I hope never ends. LOL.

I'd be a bit concerned that you cheated on a pre-op diet that was only required 3-5 days pre-op. That's a very short period of time and I wonder if you'll be able to adhere to the post-op diet or give into cheating. The pre-op diet serves to limit carbs for the purpose of shrinking your liver. This makes doing the surgical procedure easier for the surgeon and the recovery easier for you. If you're going to have the sleeve, the post-op diet MUST be adhered to or you risk causing a leak to the suture line. This can be a serious complication. Depending on your current weight and fat distribution, you might want to contact the coordinator and let her know what you ate. You should also discuss any concerns you might have about sticking to a pre-op diet.

I agree, there is no way I would risk NOT going to a real hospital. Having surgery and recovering in a clinic is not safe... here or abroad.

I don't think VSG converts you to being lactose intolerant. If you're having problems with your gallbladder, it's more likely that the fat in milk products is causing the problem.

Good luck with the new surgeon on Monday.

Do you work for a surgeon that is unable to do the VSG procedure and is losing money to surgeons who can? What are your qualifications? Have you had any kind of weight loss surgery? For a first post, I can't see any value in the information you've presented here. Would you like to answer the questions posed of you? I early await your reply.

I find this all quite interesting. coffee still does not smell or taste "right" to me and I've noticed this with several other foods. For example, I make a graham cracker crust for cheesecake which includes adding melted butter to the crackers. It used to smell and taste wonderful but now the taste is "off" and so is the smell. You're an experienced sleeve patient at goal so I guess this taste/smell thing must be a life change. What turned you off about the indian food?

Amy, Congratulations on your success. You're well on your way to your goal!

Susan, how are you doing? Give us an update when you're able to.

I'm not sure who you're asking but mine was Dr. Geiss for the band and Dr. Aceves for the VSG revision.

Just out of curiousity, did you revise to a sleeve?

I prepared some homemade lasagna tonight and cut a piece that was about 4" square to have for dinner. It was about 2" high and I was only able to eat about 2/3 of the portion. I am learning to listen to my body telling me I am full. Since I never had restriction with the band, this is a whole new learning curve for me. Taking "one more bite" would have resulted in an over stuffed and uncomfortable feeling. My "normal" way of eating would have been to consume a piece double the sizee I cut and go back for more. It's new, but nice, to "feel" full after a reasonable amount of food intake.

As Dr. Aceves tells patients, and as experienced sleevesters will tell you, you CAN eat more than you should with the sleeve. I could easily take in 500 cal at one sitting if I sat here with a pint of ice-cream. Soft foods go down easier than hard Proteins (which I have yet to advance to). If that woman wanted to pig out on calories, she could. I love cooking, have a passion for baking, and often entertain in my home as well as join friends out for dinner. I can't relate to that lady you met. I savor the laughs, the relaxing, and the being with people.

I was very dehydrated from the long plane trip and working the night before I traveled. My IV blew less than 24 hours post-op and that did not help the dehydration. After I was home for 2 days, I stood up and passed out. I emailed the post-op coordinator and, because I was getting no protein in (can't do the protein drinks), I got the OK to use Soy Slender drinks. That got me through the clear liquids and full fluids and it's often my breakfast now. I don't like cottage cheese or yogurt but I do love the ricotta cheese. Bumble Bee makes a little tuna salad packet. It's less than 100 calories for the canned salad and 8 g of protein. I tossed the crackers and just ate the tuna salad for lunch today... not bad as far as prepared foods go.

it just seems very strange to me that an obese person is sad and depressed that she can't pig out at food fests. Heck, if I were 2 years post-op and at goal and could only eat proper portions of food, I'd be doing the happy dance daily. LOL.

I think weight loss surgery increases fertility and any OB/GYN will tell you the more weight you lose, the easier the pregnancy for mom and baby. The fast that a pregnant woman's blood viscosity increases 50% is reason enough to lose weight, stay active, and decrease the chance of emboli.

I never had heart burn or reflux and then I got banded and all the trouble started. It's the main reason I got rid of it and yes, the surgeons did tell me to for a bypass and not the sleeve. Well, I had a revision to a sleeve and the heart burn and reflux are history. I am now on a soft diet and still remain "cured" and sleeping flat on one pillow in bed is heaven.