Tiffykins

Due to my research, and having friends that had surgery (RNY or Band) that I've known for years, I can pretty much be spot on with people that have had WLS. I think there are little signs that give away that I've had weight loss surgery, like the little skin on my neck, and the wrinkly skin on my upper arms, those are dead giveaways on WLS. Plus, when I see women in swimsuits, I can spot the scars, and the little tell tale signs that are pretty obvious to those of us that have had WLS. That guy was rude, and obviously had zero tact. I would be willing to put money on it that he had surgery himself, and knows what to look for in other people. It was wrong, and disrespectful. Since I'm a smart-ass, I have been known to say "maybe, but you definitely need to have the DBGR procedure" Typically, they look puzzled and I say " you know the douchebag gene removal, yeah that would be perfect for you."

Check this topic for suggestions. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/protein-drinks-powders/1325-places-get-liquid-protein-samples.html

Jonathan Rhys Meyer was my "boyfriend"during the deployment, and secretly, I still wanna hump his brains out ha ha ha ! ! ! And then there was Henry Cavill, ohhh how I miss the Tudors ! ! ! I cried when the series ended, and I wasn't sure if it was because the show ended, or because I knew that I'd only be able to watch them on reruns through On Demand programming. *all images found through google image search*

I'll tell you the truth 100%. For me, the revision was way easier pain-wise than the band surgery. My revision took over 3 hours, I had loads, and I mean tons of scar tissue and adhesions that had to be taken down just to get to the port. I was up and walking way quicker with my revision than I was with my band surgery. I can't really compare my recovery to others because I did have complications, but the first 2 days post-op were great. By day 2 I was laughing, talking, power walking the halls, and ready to go. I firmly believe going into the OR with positive, calm mindset, your recovery will be smoother. If you need to, ask for a pre-op iv cocktail. I prefer a little valium before being wheeled back. I get anxious for any surgery, and I cry, and literally weep. I tell the anesthesiologist that I need something, and every time they are very accommodating to my needs. I'll keep you in my thoughts Carrie, and just know that you're going to do great.

Get a massaging showerhead ! ! ! I told everyone that I had a better relationship with my showerhead than I did with my husband during his deployment. :wink1:

I scored a $50.00 Gap card for just $25 so I ventured into the store apprehensive that I'd find anything that looked good on me. After trying on 12 pairs, yes you read that right 12 pairs of jeans, I found a "cut/style" that fit perfectly. The sales clerk said "here try these on, those other ones you've picked out are huge, and you're so tiny you will fit in these" She handed me what looked like a tiny size. The best part is they are a size 25(European)/Size 0 YES, a size zero, me in a size 0 Gap jeans? Someone pinch me because I must be dreaming ! ! !They are the "boyfriend" cut which are a little bigger in the waist than the other styles, but the size 2's in all their other styles were too big in the butt and thighs ! ! ! Well, the size 2 were too big, and the 0's fit like a glove. Seriously, what an amazing feeling.

I am so sorry to hear of your complications. You will be more sore than most sleeve patients because of having 2 surgeries. I had a leak, and the recovery is very draining. Your body has been through a lot, and you'll need to just rest, walk when you can, and try to get in all of your fluids. Staying hydrated is the most important aspect right now. You'll lose weight, but I'm thinking they've pumped you full of fluids, and with all the trauma your body will hold onto weight for awhile. I had a horrific recovery that lasted 3 months, I'm not saying it will take you that long, but I do not regret this surgery one bit, and would endure my complications to live the life I have today. Hang in there, if you need anything, please contact me.

HI, and welcome to estrogen overload. Our fat cells store estrogen, when we lose fat so fast, it all releases into our system. YAY for sex drive, BOO for location and situational constraints on getting it on! ! ! It doesn't let up for several months. When John came home from Afghanistan (you know that lovely transitional stage due to time zone changes, work hours, etc etc), he told me "this is more exhausting than being in the desert". Grant it, I went 6 months with NO humping. I was making up for lost time, and the surge in sex drive was a lethal combo for my poor husband ha ha ha.

I am an above average "home cook", by no means a chef, but I would consider my talents around interemediate to high level of cooking. I used to taste, and season, taste and season, then realized, I wasn't actually eating. Over the course of an hour prep time, a nibble here, a shake of spice there, and more nibbles, I would get satisfied and wouldn't eat an actual meal. During my losing stage, it was grazing, and that really just set me up to graze more, and not sit down and eat a complete meal. I had to nip that in the bud super quick because I wasn't hitting my Protein and calorie goals, and before I knew it, I was down to 119lbs in my maintenance stage. It wouldn't have negatively affected me if I would have eaten a meal with all the tasting, but I just wasn't "hungry" for the meal once I was done cooking. I had mentally satisfied my "hunger", and didn't want to eat more. I cook every night for my family, and on the weekends, I cook 2-3 meals per day. It kind of depends on what all we have going on. I considered it grazing, and that totally sabotaged me in both the losing and maintenance stage.

Yeppers, that is head hunger. Totally stress-induced, and frustration ridden head hunger. You can beat it, and it's gonna creep in here and there. But, you can distract yourself and it won't win if you don't let it. I beat a lot of my head hunger with the band so I feel like I had the learning curve beat with the sleeve. I can tell you from my band experience that it does improve, and just keep healthy alternative Snacks at hand if you just absolutely have to have something.

I've slept with a body pillow for 13 years now, and because I was so round, and had such a huge belly. I could NOT sleep on my side for a couple of weeks. The gravity pain from my belly was just too much. I slept in my recliner for 2-3 weeks just because it was easier. Now with that being said, I did have a lot going on in my abdomen because I was a revision, plus a leak repair, so my tummy was put through a lot more trauma than other sleeve patients.

Could we get this thread "Sticky'd" ? ? ? It'd make it a lot easier to find.

It should be okay as long as you as you don't have sodium issues like hypertension, and you watch your salt/sodium intake on the rest of your food throughout your day. I would recommend you checking out the protein forum for the thread that has all the places you can get samples from, order samples, and then after surgery you can try them out to find one you can tolerate. If you are drinking this particular drink in addition to your 64oz of Clear liquids, the sodium won't hurt you. Here is the topic that has all the different places to get samples of protein, and a lot of people have reviewed their brand preference. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/protein-drinks-powders/1325-places-get-liquid-protein-samples.html Of course, discuss with your surgeon and nutritionist on anything before consuming it post-op.

You best give Ryan a big ole' Texas girl hug from me ! ! ! I'm so elated for y'all, and many congrats on the engagement. You are gonna have to start a thread or something so we can all watch the wedding planning progress ! ! ! Eeeeeekkkk I'm doing the happy dance for you ! ! !

Your body is in ketosis, and halitosis is a common side effect of it. It will subside some once you introduce other foods, but if you're low carbing it, get a tongue scraper, those new Wisp thingies, and lots of brushing help at least make your mouth feel better. But, it's our actual breathe, not funky dragon mouth causing the problem. It gets better. If you break a major sweat in the next few days, to couple of weeks, you'll notice that your sweat smells horrific as well. Welcome to burning fat, and building muscle. It's totally worth it ! ! !

It's the preservative factor of sodium since it's pre-mixed. That's why the sodium is so high. It helps "stay" longer. It's still okay. I mean it's a lot, and it's meant to help those recovery after major muscle workouts, and anabolic recovery. I had to edit my post like 3 times because it wouldn't post the other link of the pre-mixed drinks. I just wanted to make sure I was reading the correct information before commenting. This one has a mix of whey Protein isolate, and hydrolyzed protein. Watch out for constipation especially post-op with that much protein just to give a little warning about whey protein products.

I looked up the nutritional facts from the GNC website. Is this the same stuff? GNC Pro Performance? AMP Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60™ - Fruit Punch - GNC PRO PERFORMANCE - GNC The stats you posted looked good considering you're drinking 24 ounces of Fluid. I'm assuming this is something pre-mixed because the links I found had different stats. The recommended DV for sodium is between 1500-2400mg per day. If you're watching your sodium elsewhere this should be okay. It's a lot, and this particular Protein used for a recovery and pre-workout protein. My husband used it with his intense weight training protein. Your tastebuds might change post-op. A lot of us go through it, and some of us develop lactose intolerance. So, if you like it now, there is no guarantee you'll like it or be able to tolerate it post-op.

Carrie, it took months for me to get a full signal. I mean like 3-4 months. I had to measure my food religiously or I'd end up puking up that one last bite. Now, I get the hiccups and just recognized a little sniffle as a full signal. If I take another couple of small bites, it's an uncomfortable full feeling. I don't puke or anything, or get pain, it's just uncomfy.

I'll send you a friend request, and you can read my blog. I have lots of information in there not only about my personal journey from band to sleeve, but what the new stats are that have rolled out on the band. It's all documented with references, and cited articles. I would type it all out here, but it's a lot.

Awww Carrie, we'll be here for you ! ! ! Hugs, and hang in there. Soon the band nightmare will be over, and you'll find that eating with the sleeve is so much easier.

3 months out for raw fruits and veggies. I burped up pickle skin several hours after eating a pickle so that was pretty gross. I peeled all the fruit I ate, and didn't eat anything stringy like celery until well past 6 months out. As for meats, I could not eat dense Protein until I was well past 2-3 months. I stayed on soft foods for a long time because it was easier to get in my protein with things like chicken and tuna salad. 3 bites of steak just wasn't cutting it. By 6 months, I could literally eat anything, and meats worked much better. I never eat burgers, the bread fills me up, if I want to "experience" the burger thing, I order sliders, peel off the top bun, and I can eat 1 to 1.5 sliders before becoming stuffed. I eat steak weekly, ribs, and chicken all work well.

With liquids, are they carby liquids? And with the "food lube" are you talking condiments, gravies etc? The only reason I ask is because those are just calorie dense, nutritionally lacking foods. Once you get to more solids, you'll be able to eat more Protein dense foods. I had a lot of problem foods with the band that are now easily eaten and digested. I can finally eat steak without issue and without drowning it in A1 or barbque sauce. I don't think you'll have to worry about eating solids/normal foods and gaining. You'll be able to protein load, and really have a varied diet because the sleeve gives us that option.

HOLY CRAP ! ! ! Look at those sexy collarbones ! ! ! You rock Nikki! ! !