Tiffykins

I haven't shared any topless pics, but I think that would get me banned. I know several of the other male members shared their topless photos in the photo album sections. I've thought about posting really candid pics of my wrinkly skin, but can't bring myself to do it since the internet is so vast. Plus, another member on here told me that she ran across a couple of WLS youtube videos and she saw my pictures. Funny thing is that I never authorized them to use me in any of it. That creeped me out.

Try opening it in another window or tab. Or, reboot. Sometimes, I have to log out of VST, log back in, and it lets me in.

I thought I'd chat for a bit tonight. . .

I agree that you have to research as much as possible, but in all honesty, the difference between a 32 and 40 is so minimal. What I mean by "depends on the patient" is strictly about each individual patient's anatomy. Taller patients may have a longer stomach, shorter patients may have a shorter stomach, meaning a lot more goes into determining actual sleeve capacity than just the boughie size. I have a 32fr size stomach, and even more of the top part of my stomach had to be removed due to a leak. My surgeon said mine is one of the shortest sleeves he's ever had to make. I still have amazing restriction, but I know that I can eat more of certain foods than some other patients on this board that have bigger sleeves. It's how my body tolerates food, it's how well I chew, it's that I take my time when eating, and take small bites. My point is that the boughie size is not going to determine your overall success. It's a tiny part of the equation. I also agree with the others out here that have stated they have a bigger sleeve have experienced no nausea, no dehydration issues. I had horrific nausea and had to be put on Zofran (which is a drug they give chemo patients for nausea) for quite some time. I had already been on phenegran and reglan.

A-FRICKEN-MEN ! ! ! I honestly believe that the mourning of not pigging out ever again is a fleeting moment. Once you lose weight, start seeing some of the benefits from the surgery, being in control of your life, and not letting food rule over you like some tyrant, those thoughts of "I'll never get to eat half a pizza again" will be in the distant past. I've had one episode of "what the heck was I thinking". It lasted about 20 minutes, then I saw my skinny a$$ in the reflection of the screen door and thought, "screw food, nothing tastes as good as being thin feels"! ! !

Trust your surgeon. The difference between a 32 and 40 is like comparing your pinky finger to your ring finger in diameter. It's so minimal. I know I can consume more food per meal than some that have a 34-36fr boughies. Does that mean anything to my results or theirs, NO. Everyone is different, every surgeon's technique is tweeked for their preference. Size is only part of the equation. Everyone's anatomy is different. The diameter is determined by the measuring tool, and technique. But, the length (which contributes to capacity of the sleeve) is strictly determined by each individual patient. Willingness to recognize that the boughie size will not determine your overall success will serve you well on this journey. Each person has to make lifestyle changes, better food choices, and realize that it's more than just getting the tiniest tummy possible.

I thought I'd chat for a bit tonight.

I'm so glad you got into your GP. I hope everything goes smoothly for you here on out. I didn't get to the post office today so I'll run by there on Monday and get out those probiotics to you.

Every program is different. There are so many guides out there for sleeve patients, but it seems the standard is: 60-70 grams of Protein ( once you get off the post-op diet, it's extremely easy to get 60-70gr of protein from food sources) 64ounces of clear fluids a day keep your carbs low (I did no more than 30grams during my losing stage some do more) I take 2 multi-vitamins a day, 1 B12 every other day, 3 calcium citrate, 2 Omega 3s. My program said 1 multi-vitamin that provides 100% of the DV. I just started taking the Omega3s for other reasons not related to the sleeve. I eat sugar now, and have for a few months. I started adding more carbs, and higher calorie foods around the 4 month post-op mark. I wanted to lose as much as I could during my "honeymoon phase" and wasn't willing to sabotage my efforts. Everyone's journey is a little different. In my opinion, the sleeve dietary guidelines are far more lenient than RNY or Band.

Congrats Shauna and welcome to the loser's bench! !

Lee, I'm so happy that you are feeling good, and up moving around. Cheers for you and your continued recovery.

I think it would be determined by what type of medications a patient has to take with Fibromyalgia. With RNY or the Band, you can't take NSAIDs. With the sleeve, you can take any medication because the stomach is a normal, but smaller, fully-functioning stomach.

I spend $12 bucks on my multi-vitamin for a 45 day supply. I just picked up some Omega 3s with DHA and EPA and Calcium Citrate Plus. The Omega 3s were $21.99 for a 120 day supply. The calcium citrate is $9.49 for a 125 day supply. My sublingual B12 is $5 for a 60 day supply. I take 1 every other day now. The ground Flax seed I purchased for Fiber, more Omega 3s, and other benefits of Flax seed. I got for $4.57 for a 30 day supply, but it will actually last me at least 60 days because I am only going to do a half dose every day which is one tablespoon sprinkled in yogurt or cooked in our meals. I order my Omega3s, calcium citrate, and the flax seed from www.vitacost.com. Flat rate $4.99 shipping with a money back guarantee. I get my multi from GNC on base because with our free Gold card, and no tax on base, I get them super cheap. I am considering switching to a multi from vitacost because it has zinc and selenium whereas my current multi does not have those minerals/supplements. They have them at vitacost for a 180 day supply for $17.99. My current multi is chewable, and I'm pretty spoiled to them, but I may change. Here is an awesome Vitamin comparison chart that you can see the most popular bariatric and non-bariatric Vitamins. It will show exactly what you are getting with 1 dose. Then you can do some comparitive shopping for prices. VitsComparison.xlsx - Windows Live You do not have to sign up or sign in to access the excel spreadsheet. A member on OH took the time to compile this comparison chart. My multi is the last one listed GNC solotron chewable with bioavailable Iron. My 7 month labs were perfect with zero deficiencies so that's one reason I'm sticking with my current instead of switching. But, I'm on the fence. So, I spend way less that $30 per month for high quality supplements and vitamins. If you want links to what I take, just let me know. I know a few more things than what was recommended, but I want to maximize my new found health.

Scrambled eggs were and still are way to difficult for me to eat. I just bought an egg poacher, and looking forward to having them. Hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs, egg salad all work perfectly for me. I've tried scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, laughing cow cheese, low-fat cream cheese, with salsa, with meats, everything under the sun you can imagine I tried with scrambled eggs, and every time I was left absolutely frustrated. Even eating scrambled eggs out at like IHOP, or other places, and I get the same effect. I thought maybe my husband was just being super nice to me about my scrambled eggs tasting fabulous. I honestly thought I wasn't making them right.

I have a 32fr, and honestly there is minimal difference between 32, 34, 36, and 40. If the surgeon was using a 52 or 60fr, then I'd be looking for different surgeon. My sleeve is also shorter than some patients. #1 because of my height #2 because the band destroyed the top tissue of my stomach, my surgeon had to remove more of the stomach tissue than he normally would. I'm 8.5 months out, have dropped 128lbs, and can only consume 4ounces of dense Protein with maybe a couple of bites of veggies or salad. I can eat about 1cup/8ounces of mushies over 30-40 minutes. I'm still losing sporadically, but trying my best to maintain my current loss.

You can do it. Just focus, pray for strength, and know that you can do it.

I think my opinion about the sleeve is "anything is possible if you're willing to put in the work". Stalls are typically inevitable, but if you put your mind to it, you will succeed with the sleeve. Men typically lose a little faster than women. Exercising obviously helps by building lean muscle, you'll burn fat faster. Post-op, expect a few bumps here and there, because most people have them. liquid post-op diet for a couple of weeks, slowly progress to the next food stage. You'll get out of the sleeve, what you put into it. I always remind myself that "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels". I haven't been this weight since junior high school. Living life thin is fabulous, and eating with the sleeve after the post-op diet, healing time is pretty effortless.

I've only had one chest cold, and I'm still dealing it. It's also that "season" for colds/viruses. I've heard a lot of people taking Echinacea, and extra Vit C and zinc to help ward off germies.

Hmmm, I would cut dairy out for a couple of days, maybe pick up some Probiotics? Actually, I have some extra high quality probiotics, shoot me a message with your address, I'll ship them to you, they are tasteless dissolvable little crystals. And, they work great.

Sorry, forget to mention, if you're having pain with mushies do not progress to regular food. Maybe even go back to full liquids for a day and see if that helps any. Have you noticed if it's happening when you eat or drink dairy? Like after your Protein shake made with milk? You could be lactose intolerant. I dealt with that post-op, and could only really eat yogurt. No milk, whey protein supplements made me nauseated, so could that be a culprit?

I think they have sugar-free peppermints that still have natural peppermint oil. I also bought ginger root from the produce department, and took a tiny slicy, and let it dissolve in hot herbal tea. That helped tons. That is definitely not normal, that's what happened when I was having gallbladder issues. I hope you can find another surgeon to take you on. If all else fails, hit up an urgent care, or even the ER, and ask to get a CT of your sleeve. Maybe that'll wake up your surgeon? You may need to get scoped if they can't find anything on CT.