Tiffykins

Absolutely fabulous ! !

Many congrats on getting approval. With the sleeve, I have zero food restrictions. I eat fruits, salads, raw and cooked veggies, I eat all types of meats, and enjoy a very balanced diet with the sleeve. The post-op diet is more strict with the sleeve than the band due to a healing staple line, but it's totally doable, and it's only temporary. As for my plan, I stuck with the rules which were 60+grams of Protein, no more than 30grams of carbs, and 64+oz of Clear liquids daily. I stayed between 600-800 calories per day while in my losing stage. When I hit the 4 months mark, and was still losing very consistently, I never had a stall, my surgeon okay'd me to add more carbs and calories. I still lost weight consistently, and dropped 113lbs in 6.5 months to hit my goal of 150. I've lost 27lbs over the last 4.5 months and it's been very sporadically. I'm maintaining at this point, and that is why I have a very different eating plan that what I had when I was losing. I still love food, but I do not get hungry. I still have to remind myself to eat because I can go until about 2-3pm without eating, and then I kind of feel this empty, running low feeling. I rarely do that, but it does happen. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, post away, or feel free to shoot me a message. Keep us posted on your progress and when you get your date set.

Can you get some echinacea? I never believed that stuff worked until Caysen started intermediate school, and started bringin home big kid germs. I think I dodged a few bullets by taking it. I've got my fingers crossed that you don't have to postpone.

I'm sorry you're going through this. My multi has the daily requirement for Iron so I haven't had any issues. I am glad to hear the iron rich foods have helped. Will you have a follow up to recheck your levels?

Have you lifted anything, or over extended your ab/core area? The only reason I ask is because I twisted weird one day, and on my big incision, I had a lot of pain. It did subside in a few days, but it felt like I pulled a muscle sort of. Plus, I had a lot of "gravity weight" pain. I carried the majority of my weight in my abdomen, and after the swelling from surgery went down, my belly wasn't as "tight", and it pulled on some incisions. I hope you're okay, and let us know what's going on after your appointment.

Many congrats on getting approval. With the sleeve, I have zero food restrictions. I eat fruits, salads, raw and cooked veggies, I eat all types of meats, and enjoy a very balanced diet with the sleeve. The post-op diet is more strict with the sleeve than the band due to a healing staple line, but it's totally doable, and it's only temporary. As for my plan, I stuck with the rules which were 60+grams of Protein, no more than 30grams of carbs, and 64+oz of Clear liquids daily. I stayed between 600-800 calories per day while in my losing stage. When I hit the 4 months mark, and was still losing very consistently, I never had a stall, my surgeon okay'd me to add more carbs and calories. I still lost weight consistently, and dropped 113lbs in 6.5 months to hit my goal of 150. I've lost 27lbs over the last 4.5 months and it's been very sporadically. I'm maintaining at this point, and that is why I have a very different eating plan that what I had when I was losing. I still love food, but I do not get hungry. I still have to remind myself to eat because I can go until about 2-3pm without eating, and then I kind of feel this empty, running low feeling. I rarely do that, but it does happen. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, post away, or feel free to shoot me a message. Keep us posted on your progress and when you get your date set.

Thank you all so very much. The ball is Friday, and y'all know me well enough to know there will tons of pictures ! ! ! I'm so excited, I pick up my tailored dress, and my nail appointment is tomorrow. I am so excited that time is just dragging on.

Early out some experience acid, and most are prescribed a PPI like Nexium, Prilosec for 3-6 months to protect the staple line. Some patients can wean off, some can't. I'm still on my Prilosec, but will probably be weaning off soon once I discuss everything with my surgeon at my 1 year follow up. Some personal experiences I've read on OH state that their reflux was resolved post sleeve. I think it's a very individual experience and no one patient have the same exact acid issue.

Glad to hear all is well, and you're really great. I hope the new meds give you some relief on the acid.

Hey Pattie, I'm sorry to hear about your issues with the band. My surgeon uses a 32fr bougie for all of his sleeve procedures. I had it done in one procedure. My insurance did cover the revision. Best wishes, and keep us posted when you get a date. The sleeve is truly fabulous, and I'm so happy to be rid of my band.

Those things listed were listed on my pureed/mushy/soft solid stage with the exception of the fruit. So, I wouldn't say that it's completely off. I had to stick ground beef and chicken in my mini food processor, but everything else I could eat the same time frame as you. Eating slow takes time to kind of relearn, but hang in there it sounds like you're doing very well.

YAY YAY Stacy ! ! ! Congrats, it's a great feeling to hit this milestone.

Absolutely amazing ! ! ! Cheers to your wonderful progress.

Rachel, I'm keeping you in my thoughts for a smooth, and uneventful surgery and recovery.

Hey Jillian, Here's a PDF file with a couple of different type of esophageal bougies. The most common sizes for a stand alone sleeve procedure are 32fr, 34fr, 36fr, and 40fr. With this manufacturer, it appears the largest is a 60fr. I've not ever looked to see if they make bigger, but you can review the sizes and see the difference. http://www.medovations.com/pdf/Esophageal_Dilatation.pdf Best wishes.

Just a few off the top of my head that were some of my concerns. 1. How many sleeves has surgeon perform? 2. What are his complication, leak and death statistics. 3. What size bougie is used? 4. How long is the hospital stay? 5. Does Dr take an x-ray of the sleeve post-op? 6. How many leak tests are performed and when? 7. Does Dr oversew or use glue on the staple line? 8. What type of aftercare is available to me? Nutritionist, support group, psychiatrist, etc 9. Follow up lab work, when do they pull the labs. 10. Does he have any actual patient testimonials that you could review? Best wishes, and keep us posted.

That is so awesome chickee ! ! ! All those positive vibes with fingers and toes crossed worked LOL. You're gonna love the sleeve.

LOL Sarah, saying and typing y'all is just normal for us Texans. I was really open about my surgery. I worked in a small insurance agency, and we were really close so they were super supportive of my decision. I really didn't catch a lot of flack from anyone. The best reply if someone does give you flack is " myself and my medical professionals know this is the best course of action for my future health, if I was having heart bypass surgery, would you be opposed?" That'll typically shut them up rather quickly. As for the post-op diet, I didn't return to work after my revision. My post-op diet was between me and the walls of my house. Once I did start venturing out, people did notice, and I was open about my surgery. I am glad I was open. A very dear friend of mine that I have gotten very close with over the last 9 months or so had her sleeve surgery today with one of my surgeons and is doing fabulous. I get to see her tomorrow, and I am elated for her. She told me she would have never considered it if I had not been open, and she was able to see that as the months went on, I dropped weight, but was still eating out with her and the other girls every week. Of course I was almost 3.5 months out when we all met, and well into normal foods, but my portions were tiny. She's been a rock for me, and I hope I can do the same for her now that she is on her way with the sleeve. If you aren't comfortable with telling people pre-op, tell them it's personal, and when you return, you'll fill them in on the details. That way you avoid all the questions, and possible negativity.

Over-the-Counter Prilosec - Is Prilosec OTC exactly the same strength and composition as the previous Prilosec available as a prescription-only drug? The only reason I stay on the prescription version is because I get my prescriptions for free with our insurance if I fill the script on base. I figure my husband's career affords us the insurance, I'm not going to buy OTC when I can get the same thing for free. Even if I didn't get it filled on base, the generic co-pay for my scripts is $3 so I could get it filled at Walgreens, but then I wouldn't have an excuse to drive to the pharmacy on base and shop at the mini-mall that is conveniently right next door to the pharmacy.

Excellent news ! ! !

Hey Sarah, and welcome. Post away, and congrats on getting your surgery set up. Keep us posted on your date, and progress ! ! !

Lis, I'm so glad you've got the diagnosis, now here's good thoughts on getting the symptoms under control.

Angie, I'm so glad to see you posting. I hope you get some relief from that gas soon. I had my in-laws here for my surgery, and it was comforting as well. Rest up, and I'm glad the blue test went well.

Hey Lori, and welcome. How very exciting for you to have your consult scheduled and on your way to a healthier, more fulfilling life. We have close to the same pre-op stats, and I was able to get down to a normal, healthy weight in less than a year. So, I know you can do it too. I'm originally from Texas, west of Fort Worth for my childhood, and as an adult moved to Bedford, and I miss it so much. Best wishes on your consult, and keep us posted on your progress. There's a couple of threads for recipes for seitan and tempeh as a Protein option. Just type seitan into the search box at the top, and it'll bring up the threads.