Tiffykins

1) I'm a year out, and take fairly normal sized bites and have been for a few months. I still chew well, but do not have to chew things to a mush. 2) I was released for alcohol at 3 months. I was advised to steer clear of red wines. I steered clear of it during my heavy losing because #1, it's wasted calories, #2 our livers are working double time when we are losing quickly, no reason to task our livers anymore by having to break down alcohol (I avoided Tylenol and a lot of other meds during that time as well for the same reasons). I would recommend drinking at home first so you can see how your body will react. When I first started having a glass of wine here and there, it hit me hard and fast. Now, my tolerance is the same as it was pre-op. I'm a social drinker only, and really only go out once maybe twice a month. I can catch a decent buzz and maintain it if I just kind of nurse my drinks. If I'm drinking heavy, I do get drunk. 3) Once I was released for regular food, the experimenting began. Some things worked, some things didn't, it really is trial and error. If you try something and it doesn't work. Log it, and try it again in a few weeks. I still stuck to my guidelines of Protein first, watched my carbs, and measured my food. I didn't start adding in extra calories/carbs until my surgeon advised me to do so to slow my loss down because I was losing so fast. Once you start adding stuff in, you'll see a difference in how you lose (at least that is my experience). I was able to get my loss to completely stop by adding carbs, and going from 600-800 calories to 1500-1800 calories per day.

Hollywood/media are all just so incredibly insensitive. They can brag about Heidi Montag's 10 plastic surgeries in one day, and while they may say she is obsessed and crazy, no one is telling her "she cheated". It reminds me of the Star Jones situation. She just didn't want to talk about her personal, medical issues. People were still horrible to her. I'd like to slap the sass right off Jillian's mouth. Her approach is fine for some obviously, but quite frankly, she's just about as fake with her "you need to love yourself, have more self-worth" speeches after she breaks the fat kid in half or the 300lbs girl runs herself right off the treadmill and into a wall *Yeah that's the safe and effective way of training a morbidly obese person* (insert sarcasm). The whoring out of products really makes me sick because if you look at what she is selling, really it's no better than Metabolife with the exception of the Protein powders. All the other crap is just that, crap that all the people will buy and line her pockets. I'll rant with you on this one chickee ! ! !

I've had to take antibiotics, and I made sure I took them with yogurt and took extra Probiotics to help prevent "sterile gut". I still get nauseated when on certain antibiotics, but not as bad as early out. As for the inhaler, I have a nebulizer, and have used it on occasion without issue over the last year for my allergy induced asthma symptoms. My best advice is to talk to your pharmacist. Tell him/her exactly what and when you take it to make sure they won't interfere with each other.

Have you gotten approval with Prime for VSG with a civilian? Because as of last week, I called Tri-West, Tri-North and Tri-South, to confirm that even with Prime VSG is not a covered procedure. I have 2 friends in Cali that have fought to have it with civi surgeons, one took it to the Congressional level was still denied. The other did all the pre-op stuff after being told it would be covered, they submitted all her paperwork, she qualified for bariatric surgery, but was denied for VSG. Last I heard, Tricare will not cover VSG until Medicare fully covers it as a stand alone procedure. It's been this way for over a year. I fought, cried, begged, pleaded, and fought some more to have a civilian do my revision from band to sleeve. They would do band to RNY with a civilian, but a big fat NO to band to VSG. Anyway, if you get approval with Prime, I would like to find out what you did to get it covered. It's only an approved procedure at military treatment facilities that offer the procedure. I know the Naval hospital in San Diego is offering it. Ok, ok, sorry for the rant, it's just I've fought and stayed on top of Tricare stuff and am interested to find out when they'll actually cover it with civi surgeons.

I wasn't allowed salads or other raw veggies/fruits or nuts until 3 months post op. I eat them pretty regularly now without issue.

I have a friend who is vegan, and I went to her because I am having trouble #1 getting in my Protein, #2 tolerating a lot of meat. My body right now does not like cheese or eggs, so my options for protein from food sources has been cut in half practically. Anyways, she shared with me a lot of options that are chalked full of protein. About 20 grams per 3-4 oz. She told me that this tempeh and seitan are both easily digested, and taste great. There are millions of recipes out there to add variety, and I'm excited to try some. She has been vegan for years, and has this stuff down to a science practically. She even converted her Army "meat/potato" husband to vegan by using these recipes. I haven't personally tried any of these because I have to go to Whole Foods which is an hour away. I'm hoping to go tomorrow with my list of necessities for some of these recipes. Beans, rinsed 1 cup broth 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp soy sauce 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced 1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp dried oregano a few dashes of black pepper Before mixing ingredients get steaming apparatus ready and start bringing Water to boil. Have four sheets of tinfoil ready. In a large bowl, mash the beans until there are no whole pieces left. Throw the other ingredients together, in the order listed, and mix with a fork. Divide the dough into 4 even parts. Place one part of dough onto tin foil and mold into a 5 inch log. Wrap the dough in the tin foil, like a Tootsie Roll (don't worry about it being shaped perfectly, it'll shape itself while steaming). Placed wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes. You can eat immediately, refrigerate, or freeze. They can be sliced and sauteed or even grilled whole. There are two variations of this: Cherry Sage add 1 tsp liquid smoke (easy to find at a regular grocery store) instead of the spices listed above (from fennel to the pepper) use 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp dry rubbed sage, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp cloves, fresh pepper and 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries. Chorizo sub navy beans with pinto beans add 2 Tbsp tomato paste and 2 tsp lemon zest instead of the spices listed above (from fennel to the pepper) use 1 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 Tbsp dry rubbed sage, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional) The cooking directions are the same for all. The nutrition information for the Italian Feast Sausage is for 1/2 a sausage: Calories135.3 Total Fat2.2 g Saturated Fat0.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat0.2 g Monounsaturated Fat1.4 g Cholesterol0.0 mg Sodium423.7 mg Potassium164.3 mg Total Carbohydrate11.9 g Dietary Fiber4.3 g Sugars0.3 g Protein19.9 g A blog whose recipes I have made in the past posted this recipe the other day, that would easily use store-bought seitan: chicken style seitan to "veal" and "pork chops". Still, some recipes you may like: Breakfast sausages and canadian bacon. I think you should look into tempeh too. The brand that I buy is about 20g of protein for 4oz. I know that is the max that you can eat, but you could always just have three ounces, and then something else for the extra ounce? Anyway, something like this might work well: Maple Grilled Tempeh Recipe - 101 Cookbooks

YAY YAY, I'm so happy for you. You're gonna rock. **scooted over for ya on the loser's bench** it's a great place to be.

Congrats on getting your sleeve, and it's great that you had a wonderful experience. During the first couple of weeks, don't fret over carbs. Protein and staying hydrated. I didn't even have to worry about protein the first couple of weeks, but it'll be wonderful if you can get it in. Best wishes on a continued recovery. Sip, walk, rest and repeat.

Protein preferences are so varied. Ones that I liked others hated and vice versa. Ordering samples of several different brands and flavors is your best bet to find one you like without breaking the bank. Also, your tastes might change, a lot of us go through that, post-op. So don't stock up on big buckets because you might not like them after surgery. Here is a link that lists several different places that you can order different Proteins. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/protein-drinks-powders/1325-places-get-liquid-protein-samples.html Isopure is a clear whey protein that counts as a clear and has 40gr of protein per 20oz. I couldn't tolerate it, but others could. A lot of people mix the unflavored variety into their pudding, yogurts, Soups through the full liquid stage. At mushy stage, I was getting all my protein from food sources and I never used Protein drinks. I tried over 20 brands and varieties. Unfortunately, none of them worked for me. I would find one that I could tolerate taste/texture/smell, but then it would make me hurl. Jay Robb Lean Dessert Muscle Millk Light Ready to drink Atkins Protein Ready to drink unjury Syntrax Nectars Those are some of the ones that a lot of people mention liking, and using pretty consistently. Others will chime in as well, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

If you're lactose intolerant, the whey protein will probably make you sick. I couldn't tolerate them either for that reason. Plus, let's be honest, they taste/smell horrific or have a disgusting texture. Isopure would work if it wasn't whey protein. You can find soy, or egg base Proteins at GNC and online at various sites. I found soy protein to taste worse than whey. Can you have pureed meats yet? At the mushy stage (which is what you are describing from my guidelines with the Beans and eggs), I could have chicken, egg, tuna salad. You can mix it with some nonfat greek yogurt and a couple teaspoons of the dry ranch dip packets to sub for mayo or miracle whip. I did use miracle whip as well. I ate a lot of the salads because of the protein counts, and they were all easily digested.

I never and still do not experience any hunger. I just eat because I know I have to. I rarely got shaky, or totally weak. Especially once I got to mushies and was hitting my Protein goals almost every day. I survived on 600-800 calories very easily. I drink sometimes once a week, 4oz of Riesling or a German called Eisswein wine. I did refrain for several months because alcohol is just wasted calories. When we go out to a bar, or I go out with my girlfriends, I do rum/cokes, occasionally white russians, and various shots. I have zero issues with alcohol.

Amen, I pretty much said the same thing before she even went through with the surgery. Jillian- I know you said you've done counseling before, and it didn't work. Obviously, stapling off and completely excising 80%+ of your stomach isn't going to fix these issues either. Please, if you truly want to be healthy, get the proper medical and professional help that the behaviors you've shared indicate you may need to overcome these issues.

Many congrats ! ! !

I really suck at exercising at this point. I was gung ho for several months, but fell off the bandwagon in February, and just can't get going again. As for the eating, I think I ate when I was bored as well. To me, that sounds like what you are describing. I can say the first few months after surgery I didn't have room for just any extra food. Now, at a year out, it's different. I've caught myself one time eating a slice of cold pizza at 9:30. Why? I have no idea other than it sounded good, and it tasted good when I had my 1 slice for dinner at 6:30pm. I am never hungry so I can't use that excuse. Now, when I find myself hovering (this is what I call it when I blankly stare into the pantry or fridge) I try to replace that habit with something else. Even if that means going and cleaning my bathroom or sweeping my kitchen floor. I just find something to occupy that head space for those few minutes and the desire to put something useless in my mouth goes away. I learned through this entire process that food is fuel. My body tells me when I need to eat. I don't need all that crap, and I have to remind myself of that little fact. Wanting and needing are 2 very different things. It's being able to fight the wants and feed the need only that proves difficult sometimes.

During my losing stage, I kept my carbs to 30grams or less. I honestly didn't have enough room for carbs by following the Protein first rule. The majority of my carbs came from the yogurt, cheese, and the few veggies I ate during that time. I did this for the first 4 months, then started slowing adding in more carbs and it slowed my loss down. I dropped 80lbs the first 4 months so my surgeon and I wanted to slow it down a bit. The losing did slow down a little, but not much until I really added more carbs in around 8 months out. I'm currently maintaining. Now that I'm in maintenance. It's a different ball game, and I don't count all that much anymore. Some days I'm really good with carbs, other days I eat junk and I'm not so good on carbs.

Since about 7-8 months out, I've been eating what I consider normal meals. I think what everyone considers normal maybe different. I can tell you what I ate today at a year out, and maybe that will give you idea of what I consider normal. Breakfast: 1 soft poached egg with a chunk of sharp cheddar cheese Snack: 1/2 sandwich - made with 1 slice of whole grain bread, mustard, 1 slice of deli turkey, and 3 Cool Rand dorito chips crushed up into the sandwich, minus the crust. Lunch: 3 or 4 (I can't remember exactly) tiny pepperoni and cheese bagel bites with Ranch dressing, and 3 baby carrots Snack - 3 saltine crackers with 1 Kosher dill stacker pickles (you know the thin ones you put on sandwiches, but they are long in length) and 1 chunk of sharp cheddar cheese. About 3-4oz of Sweet and Hot beef Jerky. This snack lasted a long time, I was kind of grazing before I did a bunch of yardwork. It's 92 degrees today, with 90% + humidity and our heat index was at 105. I knew that I would need to eat a decent snack before I went to work outside this afternoon. Dinner: I made a chicken enchilada mexican stack. Out of it, I ate 3oz of chicken breast with the homemade enchilada cheese/salsa sauce, 1/4 of a flour tortilla, 1/4 cup of homemade Mexican rice with queso mixed in along with corn, red and green peppers. 3 jalepeno slices chopped up and thrown over my entire plate. I will probably not have a snack tonight because dinner ran late due to my husband having to stay an hour late. I've had 8ounces of coffee with french vanilla creamer, 12 ounces of strawberry lemonade, about 8 ounces of Juicy juice grape juice, and 60oz of Water. Oh yeah, and I had 1 Heath miniature, and 5 pink Starburst at random times throughout the day. I'm ovulating, what else can I say? Ha ha ha. Tomorrow, I have a feeling I'm going to want a bunch of veggies. So, I'll probably have one meal, and one snack that consists of just veggies and cheese. My body pretty much tells me what it wants/needs. It wanted some carrots today, and I don't even really like carrots, but they tasted good and I felt good after I ate them. Some mornings I don't eat Breakfast food at all. I eat leftovers, or I'll roll up some deli meat with the flavored cream cheese. I might have about 1/2 cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal with a little milk if I have a hankering for cereal. I'm not a big fan of breakfast food, but I feel like I eat normal meals, normal foods. Nothing is off limits for me at this point. Everything is in moderation at this point. Hope this helps just kind of give you an idea how I live day in and day out further out.

I can't remember what Dr. Barker charges, but TexasT on here used him. When I was researching last year for Texas surgeons, I looked into Dr. David Kim, and Dr. Nick Nicholson pretty heavily while trying to figure out if my insurance would cover my revision. I don't remember the costs that they quoted me last year. I know Annak on here used Nicholson for her revision. You may want to contact both of them via the private message system if you don't get a lot of responses here. Best wishes ! ! !

Some of the psychs that were on the "approved" list charged the patient $350-$400, and then made us file the claim for reimbursement. Our insurance covers 100%, but I found a psych who had an office manager that was familiar with Tricare claims processing, and I didn't have to pay upfront. I know that doesn't help. I would find out how much of the visit is covered by your plan, and if you can get reimbursed for some of the out-of-pocket expense.

I'm not sure .I know that for tonuge piercing or mouth piercings most everyone I know has had to remove them completely. It's because of the trach tube, and the fear of it coming loose during surgery/intubation. I had a bad tooth that needed a root canal, and they almost made me have it done before surgery. But, I had my dentist talk to my surgeon, and the dentist ensured him that my tooth wasn't going to fall out. I had my surgery at a military hospital, and they are strictly regulated. I had to take off my acrylic nails, toenail polish, and was not allowed to apply any type of deodorant/antiperspirant the morning of surgery.

Absolutely fabulous ! ! ! Congrats to you both.

The plication and super sleeve are two different procedures. Plication involves pleating or folding the excess stomach tissue onto itself, and suturing it together. It does not involve any stapling, or removing of any of the stomach tissue. The Super Sleeve is being advertised/marketed as a super tight sleeve where the sleeve is made smaller. The stomach tissue is stapled off, excised and removed from the body. I've seen the plication called the "sleeve killer", but the super sleeve is not plication as it's being called. This article explains both procedures. ProMedica Bariatric surgery consulting - Bariatric research

I use myfitnesspal.com to track my food intake. This way I was able to ensure that I was hitting my protein/calorie goals and keeping my carbs in check. There is also a free application for smartphones available from myfitnesspal.com that I used. I have quit tracking since I'm in maintenance, and just mentally record what I'm consuming. Some days I use it still just to do a checks and balance on myself to ensure I'm staying on track. Here are several guidelines with information on how much protein is in certain foods. These are just guidelines and definitely stick to whatever your specific surgeon or nutritionist recommends when it comes to the post-op diet and calorie/protein/carb intake because every program is different. http://www.iabsobesitysurgery.com/Media/Forms/SleeveDietGuide.pdf http://www.cornellweightlosssurgery.org/pdf/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf http://www.asmbs.org/Newsite07/resources/bgs_final.pdf http://www.hopkinsbayview.org/bin/c/a/nutrition_sleeve.pdf http://www.pamtremble.com/uploads/-Protein_Book_updated_10_09.pdf These all have different information, and suggestions. But, you can scroll through and find interesting tidbits that will help you along the way. I love the charts that break down the amount of protein that is in certain foods. I also like to check out the glycemic index to help choose veggies and fruits that have the lowest glycemic loads. This helped me keep carbs low while still eating a balanced diet. Glycemic Index Chart - Glycemic Index