Tiffykins

Dehydration is a big one. As much as protein is important for recovery, water is more important. Even mild dehydration can cause nausea which leads to not wanting to eat, or drink more because it seems like a never-ending cycle.

Not true for all sleeve patients, and Ghrelin(hunger hormone) is still produced in other parts of the body. But, I'm 2 years post-VSG, and still never experience physical hunger. My stomach never growls nor does it make obnoxious noises. I've gone about 14-16 hours without eating, and the only thing that signals me that I need to eat is that I get super grouchy around 12 hour mark. As for appetite, and the "want" to eat, I only lost that temporarily, and it was during my losing stage when food just wasn't appealing, and eating was a chore. To this day, I tell people that I still have a "fat girl's" appetite. I still love food dearly, and I still get cravings. Cravings are mental, and I've learned how to manage them. I do not deprive myself of something now that I'm in maintenance. If I want a Snickers bar, I have a couple of miniatures instead of a king size bar. For me, moderation helps me manage my cravings and old fat habits. I also keep "sleeve friendly" foods around me to avoid snacking on junk food. For months, I carried beef Jerky in my vehicle if I was out and about and forgot to eat. I try to avoid a lot of fast food places, but I cave in a few times a month.

There's other brands outside of UnderArmour that are considered compression shirts. I'll dig around and see what I can find for you.

Prilosec is time released, and it takes time to build up in our systems to work fully. It might not take the full time to kick back in, but I'd take some Gaviscon to help soothe the stomach. I'd steer clear of Tums or Rolaids due to the calcium carbonate. I was out with friends and had some breakthrough reflux. A friend offered me some Tums, I chewed them up because I was so miserable. It helped for about 30 minutes, then the burning was about 10 times more intense. I knew that calcium carbonate could cause rebound reflux, I just was in an unexpected situation and needed some relief before I could get home. The tingly/weird speech stuff is kind of weird. The vomiting not so weird since you've been off the Prilosec a couple of days. Stick with bland foods for a couple of days, get some yogurt in your system in the event you're having some bacteria imbalance going on with the increased acid and vomiting. Stay hydrated too.

Gaviscon works wonders for rebound reflux. The Prilosec can take up to 10-14 days to fully kick in and make sure you're taking it on an empty stomach, and waiting at least an hour before eating. Also, with tums or rolaids, the calcium carbonate can cause rebound reflux.

There are no medication restrictions with VSG. NSAIDS needs are a huge factor in many people winning appeals to insurance coverage once they had been denied. I've been taking Aleve, Ibuprofen and all other NSAIDS since being around 6 weeks out without any problems. I just take it with a little something on my stomach be it a few crackers or some yogurt. Due to my clotting disorder, they've prescribed me 81mg of aspirin every day for the rest of my life. The no NSAID rule applies to pouches of RNY patients because the tablet/caplet can sit in the pouch and ulcerate. We have a normal functioning stomach just smaller in size so the same rules apply when it comes to taking meds post-VSG.

Being 2 years out, it's the one thing that rings true for my life everyday. I'm still never physically hungry, but I still love food. I still have a fat girl's appetite, and I can eat all day, every day, practically every hour on the hour if I CHOOSE to do it. The big thing is that I choose to NOT do this anymore. I do eat Snacks and completely different than it was during my losing phase. I worked really hard at changing my relationship with food, changing how I looked at food, and changed how I ate food during that time. When people say 'they operated on our stomach, not our brains' it refers to the mindless, eating just to eat habit that a lot of obese people experience. I was a volume eater. I would just eat huge amounts of food because I loved food. I didn't have any compulsive tendencies meaning I didn't get out of bed to just eat, or hide food. I wasn't really en emotional eater either, I just ate because I could, and because I really did/do love food. I did like that super full Thanksgiving day stuffed feeling that came with overeating, and I totally hate it now. BUT, that's because I recognized that overeating/getting stuffed was a behavior I had to change. I admit that I have fallen back into an old "fat habit" since early this year. I like a snack before bedtime, and even though it's not a horrible food, or junk food, it's still a habit that is one of my behaviors associated to my obesity. So, I had to nip it in the bud again. Surgery, any weight loss surgery, only alters your physical capability with food to an extent. I could still suck down a huge milkshake without physical issues, but I choose to not do it. Overall, it takes a physical, mental and emotional commitment for long term success with any WLS. Some days, some months are better, and I have found that replacing better habits over the old habits/behaviors that got me fat really helped me succeed with VSG.

I was the same way about not wanting to get pregnant while being obese. It's just so dangerous for mom and baby. Not to mention being miserable carrying even more weight. VSG hasn't really affected being pregnant now that I'm far enough out to eat enough calories and Protein. My labs are still stellar, and the baby actually weighs 2ounces more than most 18 week old babies so there's no doubt that Sprout is thriving even with VSG. Best wishes ! ! !

I just saw this, but I highly advise against Depo. That shot was the beginning of my nightmarish weight gain, horrible periods, and other side-effects. Plus, I've seen way too many women go on it after WLS and A) their weight loss stopped They gained weight so I'm absolutely against Depo. As for what I would do if we hadn't been TTC, I would have gone with the non-hormonal IUD. I'm kind of weird about having stuff in my body after the band, but at the same time, my husband nor I are huge fans of hormonal birth control. We were a strict condom couple until I was cleared for TTC, and while I know it kills the mood, makes it so unfun, I wasn't willing to put my body through something else. We also used the spermicidal inserts, and those worked really nicely until he developed some sort of sensitivity to them. So, back to condoms we went. Again, I know it's a hassle, takes away from the experience, but pregnancy and having a baby before we were ready would have been very traumatic for us LOL.

I really hope you get your approval. The sleeve is so superior to the band, and it's really great to not have all the band issues. Fingers crossed and keep us posted ! ! !

I just had a week of low carb/high Protein and the night before surgery I could have anything I wanted for dinner and I loaded up. I didn't lose any weight, and the first month out I dropped around 30-35 pounds the first 4-6 weeks post-op. And, I never had a true stall of 14 days with no loss on the scale, never stalled until I was about 7lbs from goal and I didn't lose any pounds for 10 days, but was dropping inches so it wasn't considered a stall. Starting weight morning of the revision was 263lbs, came home weighing around 20lbs heavier because of the fluids they pumped me with during my complications then I was on TPN at 1800 calories a day for over 2 weeks then I was able to start on clears and progress through the diet slowly.

I've done a lot of research on how the body adjusts and adapts. I knew that I would not ever be "dieting" for life, but a lot of that has to do with me recognizing my weaknesses. I can also say that I had a couple of major driving forces behind me getting to goal quick, and then figuring out maintenance once I got there. 1) with the complications I had, my husband was deployed and I had to "get better", I cared about my weight loss numbers, but my main goal was to be healthy upon his return 2) We wanted a baby 3) I had the band, and it failed miserably even though I worked the crap out of that thing so failing with the sleeve was not even an option nor did I allow those thoughts to enter my mind. Rum/cokes are my arch nemesis, and I did see a true gain over the holidays because of copious partying, alcoholic beverages and every type of party food you can imagine. BUT, I didn't go back to dieting or even low carbing after my 3 month long binge, I just went back to my normal eating routines, and BAM lost those pounds pretty quickly.

I'm super short LOL 5'2" on a good day.

I like her too ! ! !

I agree with you 100% on the bolded selection! ! ! I added up the weight I had lost and gained over a decade of dieting. Everything from PhenFen, Weight Watchers, Atkins, SlimFast, fastings and cleanses, and it added up to me losing and regaining the 400lbs ! ! ! I'm a pro-dieter, I could lose weight, but keeping it off was my nemesis. I only "dieted" through my losing phase, but it didn't feel like dieting. I can't explain it other than I seriously didn't have room for other stuff, Protein was such a heavy focus that I just didn't get room for extra foods. And, I promise I don't consider myself an expert by any means. I'm just an expert at what worked/works wonderfully for my body. I'm praying that after Sprout's arrival, I have the same success with getting the pregnancy weight off by low carbing it.

600-800 calories, no more than 30-40gr of carbs, and 60+ grams of protein per day. 4 meals a day, each meal consisting of a minimum of 15gr of protein, no snacks. I was 5'2", starting VSG weight was 263, and my maintenance weight was 125-130lbs so I assure you it can be done. I dropped the first 115lbs in 6.5 months to get me to goal weight of 150lbs, and dropped another 23-25lbs over another 4 months. I also want to add that I didn't work out at all for the first 4 months, and I only worked out for 4 months up to 8 months post-op until I had my gallbladder removed and was put on restricted activity.

3 months- 60ish pound 6.5 - 115lbs lost (hit goal) 1 year- 138-140lbs ( dropped about 23-25lbs below goal getting into maintenance and maintained that loss for a year before pregnancy weight hit)

Google : Positional or postural othostatic hypotension. I know you said your BP is normal, but it can drop quickly with changes in positions from sitting or reclining positions to standing, or bending at the waist. Your BP will return to normal rather quickly. The receptors for BP are in our neck so when we move too quickly especially after rapid weight loss, or bodies have trouble adjusting. I was diagnosed with it last February, and still have episodes. Increased fluids, increased sodium, and increased activity is the typical recommendation. If it continued, I was on my way to the cardiologist

Some people find them useful. I personally never weighed my food consistently. The only reason is because my stomach holds food by volume (measuring cups) and not weight in ounces or grams. Some food has different weight vs. volume, and it does come down to some guestimations.

Followed it to a "T" during my entire losing stage 100%. For me, cheating, giving myself an excuse on a weekend was just that an excuse. You know the old saying, "masturbation and justification are the same; in the end, you're just screwing yourself." and I live by that thought process. I had a goal, and I wasn't going to even chance not getting there. I do believe that everyone has to choose how they want to lose weight, maintain, and be successful. I know my triggers, my habits, and my behaviors, if I allowed any "cheats" that would lead to more "cheats", and how had that worked out for me in the past? I don't halfass anything, and I sure as hell wasn't going to do with this life-changing surgery. As for maintenance, I live an extreme life of moderation. I drink soda, I eat white carbs, but moderation is the key to my success. I don't diet, but make the best choice 85-95% of the time. I still eat Protein first for most meals, but some days I just a slice of pizza with a side salad so that's what I eat. I really had to evaluate, and retrain my thought process on food. I had to fuel my body, and believe me, my body rewards me when I make the best choice. I feel amazing, and am ready to take on the world. I have found on those days when I really stray from healthy options, I feel like crap, listless, and blah. My body tells me exactly what I'm doing to it. I've learned to listen and be respectful. I abused, and beat my body up for years by shoveling food in, yo-yo dieting, and having cheat days. For me, surgery was a last resort situation, and I wasn't going to torture my body or mind anymore.

Maidenform and Izod bras have been my best bra buys. I went from a 40/42 D/DD depending on the bra to a tiny 32B, and that was only because of the skin bags. As for where I've found them, Ross, TJMaxx, and Beall's Outlet have been my go-to places to purchase bras. The demi-bra seems to be the very best option to give my boobs the lift and appearance under clothing that I prefer.

I had chubby ankles as well, and while I lost the fat and flubber, I still have huge ankle joints. My 6ft tall husband(he has big hands) can not wrap his hand around my ankle completely, and while they are not fat/swollen, they are still huge. I still have big, flat feet too. I only wear a size 7-7.5 and can wear most normal width shoes, but those slinky heels with the super narrow bottoms are not for me. My feet hang over the side of at the arch and at the corner of my feet where my toes end (if that makes sense). I wear tons of wedges, and other heels, but those slinky shoes are out for the most part. My surgeon said my bones grew more dense to accommodate my fatness all of those years, and I have big elbows, knees, and ankle joints.

VSG is not responsible for it. The fact that you are losing weight rapidly is the culprit, and while Ghrelin is responsible for some of the stress and issues, remember Ghrelin is made in other parts of the body as well. The easiest way to explain it is that our fat stores estrogen. We're burning fat, losing weight, and all of that estrogen is dumped into our systems to be processed. Essentially, your hormones are out of whack because of the weight loss. Some don't experience the extremes, but I did. I wasn't necessarily "depressed or down" more like I was a raging B*tch on a mission right before my period would start. It regulated out as my weight loss stabilized, and I only noticed that my ovulation week was emotional. It's a temporary side effect just like all the other stuff. Any of the WLS surgeries can experience it, and again VSG is not responsible for it. Rapid weight loss is the culprit.

That is pretty ridiculous, but try to see it as a time to mentally and emotionally prepare for your new life. You can start establishing those really great habits that will carry you through the post-op. Evaluate all the ups and downs you'll go through. I promise it'll all be worth it.