Tiffykins

Once again, Janet, you've turned this around to being all about you. There isn't any drama until you decide to make it personal. It seems to be your standard approach to every post by myself or someone else that doesn't agree with your "advice" that goes against other surgeon's recommendations. I have posted 2 guidelines with the same statement to follow your own surgeon's program to avoid issues as they are the trained medical professionals and have been doing these surgeries with more experience than anyone on these forums. As for your personal jabs against me, and "my group", you are simply making this forum a drama fest with your juvenile antics.

Hmmmm, get over yourself Janet. You aren't the only one that advanced their diet early without issue, but that doesn't mean others out there have been as "lucky". I've also posted with those guidelines that patients need to adhere to their surgeon's recommendations, and to use these guidelines for other food options/ideas when all they know is broth, Water and crystal light. Some people don't even get a post-op diet and are just kind of left out in the cold, so at least some sort of guidelines with food suggestions will help them. I believe I've stated on here more than a few hundred times for members to follow their own surgeon/nutritionist recommendations to avoid problems.

I started my period right around my revision. I was on my 2nd or 3rd day the day of surgery. I advised the OR nurse, and orderlies that were going to wheel me back and help me move over to the OR bed. I was super embarrassed, and the nurses made me comfortable, and told me "honey you aren't the first and won't be the last woman that we have seen go through this". They were really awesome, and didn't make a big deal out of it. I had to be naked under the gown. The OR nurse gave me this industrial size monsterous maxi pad, she told me to slap it between my legs and tuck it under my toosh. I did just that, and when I woke up and went to the bathroom, they gave me these kind of cool, super stretchy panty things and I was able to use my own pads. They didn't want me using tampons, and that wasn't a problem because I wasn't having a heavy day.

I'll just ditto to what they had to say. It's just not worth it. Whatever your surgeon guidelines are, please stick to them. They have way more experience with these surgeries than any one member on this forum. Just because some other guideline is out there doesn't mean it's okay to follow it. We trusted the surgeons to remove 75-85% of our stomachs, trust them with their post-op diet recommendation. Hang in there, it gets easier.

I didn't use Protein drinks. I hated milkshakes before surgery so I knew that I would not be able tolerate smoothie/shakes made with protein post-op. It's a texture thing for me. So, I never even bothered investing in a magic bullet or anything of that nature. I already had a blender, and the only time it ever gets pulled out from under the cabinet is frozen margarita night LOL. The one I grabbed at Wal-Mart is made by Hamilton Beach. It looks just like this. I have used it a couple of times in the last few months for dicing up onions, olives, and various peppers. So, it does come in handy if I need it. I will say that it is quick to assemble, and easy clean up.

I couldn't justify the cost of a big food processor when the mushy stage doesn't last that long. I went to Wal-Mart picked up this mini-food processor, and it worked fabulously. I think I paid $8-$10 for it, and now it's sitting under my cabinet, and hasn't been used in almost 7-8 months. My mother-in-law gave me her food processor, and it's sitting in a "junk" cabinet. I've never used it.

I've shared my band nightmare so I won't repeat it here. I'll stick with the 2 issues your mom is wondering. 1) She's right, if something does go wrong with the band, you can have it removed. But, what about any damage it may cause while it's in there? The risks of the band causing permanent damage are on the rise. Just because the band can be removed doesn't mean that the damage it may cause is reversible. The damage that was done to my stomach was not reversible. I lost stomach tissue because of it, and was chronic, daily pain until I got it out of my body. The scar tissue and adhesions alone caused major issues not only around my stomach, but in my abdominal cavity with the port and tubing. 2) Those pictures she viewed are very telling. But, the day of surgery, after dissecting and excising a major organ, there is going to be extreme swelling. It takes several weeks to months sometimes for the sleeve to relax especially after sometimes 6 weeks on a liquid-full liquid diet between the pre/post diets. It takes several weeks for the stomach to even relax enough to be able to eat dense Protein. So, within 4 years, the stomach has obviously relaxed and has been accustomed to the patient eating. I can obviously eat a lot more today than I could at even 3-4 months out. But, I still have amazing restriction. The stomach tissue that is left (as long as your surgeon fully dissects the entire fundus) is the muscular portion of the stomach. The best way I've heard it described is comparing it to a man's leather wallet. When you first buy the wallet, it's thin, and not used to carrying all the money, credit cards, id cards etc. After a few months, the wallet does give a little to the items in there. But, at some point, there is no more "give" for even another credit card, and we have to trash all the receipts and crap that takes up room. I know that seems stupid, but for me, it gave me a visual because that's how my husband leather wallet is right now. He couldn't fit another receipt in there if he needed to do so. My surgeon told me that my sleeve was probably at maximum capacity at this point. I can eat more today, and have learned little tricks that allow me to eat more so I can maintain my current weight. If I stick to the "sleeve losing rules" I easily lose weight. I've had both the band, and now the sleeve. I can tell you that my quality of life with the sleeve is exponentially better than my life with the band. Here are the most recent information released by the lapband manufacturer. The highlighted portions are the ones that are the main points.

I have a 32fr, and there is very minimal difference between a 32 and 40. Once you get over 40, there is a bigger difference. The biggest contributing factor to final sleeve size is surgeon technique. A surgeon can use a small bougie, but not get super close to it with the stapler. Also, remember all of our anatomy is different. I can eat more than some people with a 36 or 38, and I have 32fr. There's a lot of factors with sleeve capacity. I wouldn't want any bigger than a 40fr personally just from the research numbers out on sleeves made with the bigger bougie saw a higher incidence of regain around 2-3 years. I hope he reconsiders.

I'm sorry to hear of your denial. I've compiled a bunch of other people's appeal letters. The great thing about these letters is that the research and references are already cited for you. So you can read, copy/paste which parts all pertain to your specific needs. Best wishes on your appeal. Here are some links of appeal letters and stories to help guide you in getting your appeal letter together. One common thing that a lot of appeals are won on is the fact that we can take NSAIDS. RNY patients can not due to the ulcer issue. These appeal letters already have all the research links and articles cited within them. So you may have to copy and paste, change the wording around to fit your specific needs, but these are some pretty awesome letters. Some of these patients have won some of them have not been able to. The Diary of a Fat Woman: Deny Deny Deny! Unapproved for Sleeve - Ready to CRY vsgappeal: Appeal Letter My appeal draft w/references ObesityHelp.com - Insurance trouble Here is the most recent updated statement from the ASMBS on the VSG. http://www.asmbs.org/Newsite07/resou...astrectomy.pdf Page 5 has some amazing articles for further research to help you with your appeal letter. I personally did not have to deal with this, but I try to give people dealing with appeals the information I've gathered over the last year or so.

Lounge pants, a front closure/snap loose sports bra, heating pad, I like having my own fleece blanket it's for personal comfort not because they don't give us plenty of blankies. The front closure sports bra was so wonderful. I really hate walking around a bunch of strangers especially other patients and possibly their visitors without a bra. It's typically cold in the hospital, and for me it's just embarrassing to bebop down the hall with my boobs bouncing around, nipples poking through the gown or my t-shirt.

Stalling out can be several things. Do you have a structured meal plan? Dietary guidelines from your surgeon or nutritionist? How many calories are getting in daily? How much exercise are you getting in? Are you on a PPI such as Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid? Answers to most of these will help us help you get the scale moving again. Relax, breathe, and know that you can WIN. Get rid of the negativity, and focus on the positive. Try not to stress because that can keep the body from letting of going pounds as well.

The sleeve is fabulous, and if you had success with a restrictive band, then the sleeve is a good choice. Don't get me wrong, you can eat around the sleeve just like you can with the band, but it sounds like you did good with the band. I had it, it worked until the complications started and I revised to the sleeve. RNY, DS was not an option for me. I posted a lot of my story for others looking at band to sleeve, and you can read some of previous threads in this forum to see all of the band to revisions progress.

Measure your food. Initially, measure with a 1-2 ounce over the counter medicine dispensing cup. You'll most likely use them in the hospital to sip out of, bring one home. Once you get to full liquids, you should be able to measure with regular measuring cups 1/8-1/2 cup were the ones I used consistently. There is no sense in weighing your food because our stomachs hold food by volume not weight.

There is zero scientific evidence to prove that the body can only absorb 20 grams of Protein at one time. You can google "protein absorption myth" and get loads of articles. But, there is absolutely zero scientific evidence that they body can only absorb a set amount of protein. The protein is distributed throughout our entire body. hair, nails, immune system, circulatory system all use some form of Proteins, and it's not just for muscle building. My nutritionist laughed when I brought this up, and told me that it's the biggest myth that floats around the "protein world".

Guess what you can have that glass of vino when your surgeon releases you for alcohol. You just have to count it in your calories for the day ! ! ! I figured, oh well 1 out of 7 days to be over by 150 calories isn't going to sabotage me. I was a volume eater, and not really a snacker. Believe me, I love food, and loved it all the way up to 270lbs. Now, the sleeve has totally helped reinvent my relationship with foods. I admit, I still eat stuff that probably shouldn't be consumed very often, but I'm not going to diet my way back up the BMI chart. It's all about moderation. I have become obsessed with new recipes, and I find it mentally challenging (which I thrive on that feeling) to figure out how I can make recipes more "sleeve appropriate". Then, when we eat my new "finds" and my husband and son rave about it, I get a huge sense of accomplishment and success. It makes me feel "good" to provide them something that not only tastes great, but something that I know exactly what is in there, and that I shaved off 300-800 calories by making some changes. Sorry for the ramble, but I truly can't even express how fabulous life is once you get further out. It actually took me a couple of months to wrap my head around being able to have "treats" and little indulgences without feeling this huge sense of guilt. Then something just clicked, and now I feel like I'm living the very best life imaginable.

Pouches stretch. With the band you get a pouch, so even if you have restriction, you can stretch your pouch, and eat more food. With the sleeve, the portion of the stomach that remains (if your surgeon dissects the fundus completely), is mainly muscle so stretching is very minimal with the sleeve. There is not any of the stretchy, flabby part of the stomach left behind like with the old stomach stapling, and even gastric bypass. Your stomach will function just like it does now only with a smaller capacity. I can honestly tell you that I would not recommend a band to my worse enemy because of the stats that are rolling out for regain, reoperations, revisions, and overall complications from the last 4 years on the band. Well, and the other fact that the band screwed me royally, and destroyed my stomach tissue. So, I'm pretty biased towards the sleeve since I've lived with both.

A M A Z I N G ! ! ! Keep it up. . .

Something really clicked for me around the 6-7 month mark. I was finally able to really enjoy food. I think a lot of had to do with the fact that I was trying to figure out maintenance and technically done losing. I quit fretting over certain things, and just focused on living as normal as I could. Hang in there, it does get better. Your portions will get bigger, and you'll be more satisfied, I promise

Rob, I'm elated to see an update from you. Keep sipping, walking, resting, and let us know how you are doing in a couple days.

Absolutely amazing DeeDee ! ! ! I can't even tell you how much you have meant to me over this almost year now. Seriously, you're amazing, and truly an inspiration.

To add to what ourobourus shared, foamies can also be once you get to heavy foods, you take a bite too fast, or don't chew enough, and it takes longer to go down or for your new stomach to accept, then you can dry heave, and get this disgusting foamy, thick saliva stuff coming up from your esophagus because you ate too fast or didn't chew well enough. It's typically a quickly learned lesson. It isn't horrific, but I experienced it A LOT with the band, and knew instantly when it was going to happen with the sleeve. It was only a couple of episodes early out so I haven't done it in months.

I watched that video in amazement because she and I had our surgeries one day apart, and she can consume two to three times as much as I can especially of the big portions of meat and some of those other items. There is absolutely no way I could get that much in during one meal even if I ate for an hour or so. Today was a good sleeve day. I woke up had a bagel thin (1/2 bagel thin sandwich) with 2 pieces of deli meat and some cream cheese. lunch, I went out with a girlfriend, and ordered cream of potato Soup, had 3/4 cup of the soup and drank a bit of tea waited about 15 minutes, and was only able to eat 4 of these tiny teriyaki chicken wings with the skin peeled off. I immediately got the hiccups, and knew right then I was done. The soup was not chunky and it was actually pretty runny for a cream of soup. I came home 3 hours later and ate 1 crescent roll filled with some pizza sauce, ham pieces, and shredded cheese. I'll have to eat at least 3 more times tonight just to hit my calorie goal for the day.

It is a huge change, and I have had one big episode of buyer's remorse with not being able to eat huge amounts of really fabulous food. It was Thanksgiving, and I ate my tiny little portions of just about everything. And, that means, about 1-2 bites of all the different stuff. I was finished, and I sat there and watched my in-laws, my husband, and other friends just eat all this yummy goodness, and I was furious. I excused myself from the table, and went outside to pout. I was out there, walking around, literally kicking rocks in the driveway, telling myself how absolutely stupid I was to do this to myself. My husband came out after I had been out there a bit, and he was so confused. He wanted to know what was wrong, so I told him. His response" you know you can have more later." But it didn't matter, I wanted it right there. I told him to let me be, and he went back inside. I stayed outside for awhile, and when I went in, I saw everyone in their food induced comas, some of them changed in to stretchy pants, and I actually felt been good physically. It was right then that I realized missing that huge portion of my stomach, and not having the physical capabilities to do that to myself and my body was actually pretty liberating. I finally felt in control, it was one of the biggest "ah ha" moments I've ever had throughout this journey. I can honestly tell you that if you follow the program, and stay positive you'll lose weight and keep it off. You'll be able to change the way you look at food. You may have to not eat certain things for awhile. I had to cut carbs way down, and now I can have them without issue because now it's just food to get me through the day. I don't obsess about my next meal anymore. Removing that hunger really helped as well. I can't convince you this is the "right" thing to do, but I can tell you that it does work. I've only had a couple episodes of the foamies, and it's totally preventable by paying attention to your body. I've not read of anyone that is nutritional deprived with the sleeve. Even the research I did on gastrectomies for cancer and ulcer patients, as long they weren't undergoing other treatment, most were living very healthy, fulfilling lives. If your program offers any type of support group or counseling, take full advantage of it. You will be able to find people that battle the same thoughts, and be able to find new coping skills that will distract you from the obsession of food. Best wishes, but don't sell yourself short on this one. It's the best thing I could have ever done for myself.

Totally depends on what I'm eating. I can eat 1cup of yogurt, chili, mashed potatoes, etc and then I can eat 30-40 minutes later if I want to. Not to say that I'm actually hungry, but those are slider foods, and don't stay long. Same goes for chips, cheese, crackers, pretzels, Cookies, etc. Rice and Pasta are pretty close to slider foods for me now as well. When it comes to meat, dense Protein such as chicken breast, ribeye steak, rib meat, I max out about 3-5 ounces depending on how it's cooked, and if I use some sort of condiment with it. Protein stays with me it seems like for a couple of hours. Meaning, I can't really eat again for 2-4 hours. I might be able to squeeze in a couple bites of veggies with 3-4oz of super tender, A1 steak sauce covered, ribeye steak. My restriction also varies. Yesterday I couldn't really get down a lot of dense foods. So, I stuck to things that I knew would go down, and keep me satisfied. I'm over 11 months out, and that's been my experience. It took me over 3 months to be able to eat more than 2-3oz of chicken salad. Dense protein and me didn't get along all that great in the beginning.