Tiffykins

I had to take mine off, and all nail polish off my toenails. In addition to that, I had to bathe in dial soap, no body spray, no lotion, no wash, shampoo or conditioner, it was all dial soap, no deodorant, I was able to splash alcohol on my underarms. I had my surgery at a military hospital so least to say they're regulations are a little more stringent than others. For my gallbladder surgery 8 months post-vsg, I didn't have to do any of that. Same surgeon too. It could be that gb surgery was short, like 1 hour, and my revision was going to be extensive and pretty lengthy, plus I'm a horrible surgical candidate so the least amount of issues they had monitoring my stats the better.

If he removed the fundus(stretchy part of the stomach), the remaining tissue will have some stretch, BUT there is NOT enough tissue to ever stretch out to pre-op size. It's just not physically possible. I'm 22 months out, and I can eat 1 cup of chili, and that's if I eat slow, chew it to mush, and stretch my meal out about 30-40 minutes. I can just now eat a single packet of instant oatmeal and it took me 35-40 minutes to eat it. So, while my sleeve has relaxed from what it was at 2-3 months out, I'm eating the same amounts that I was eating a year ago. The sleeve does mature over time, residual swelling subsides, and your capacity will change and that's completely normal and expected. 1/2 cup of food is what I eat if I just eat dense Protein. 1/2 cup is 4oz, 1/4 cup is 2oz so those measurements are on par to what I was eating. I was nearly 4 months out before I get in more than 2 ounces of dense protein per meal. It depends on what type of food you eat. I agree that you need to eat measured portions, and be diligent with your intake. But, the focus should be on the type of food your putting in there to give you longest satiety, and most protein per meal. At least that was my focus during my losing stage. To stretch the sleeve to any extent early out, you would have to be shoveling huge amounts of food in there, and that would more than likely lead to vomiting and discomfort.

I had it, and it's completely gone. It was almost gone with the first 50-70lbs lost. Actually, my spine shows through my skin now when I hunch over so it's really weird to see bone where my little "fat pad" used to be.

Ehhhh I've been drinking soda for well over a year with zero change to my sleeve capacity. I drink caffeine free sodas most of the time, usually gingerale or Fanta soda. Sometimes I drink diet sometimes I don't. Early out it causes discomfort because of the residual swelling, but I can drink soda just like I can with Water. Soda does leach the Calcium from our bones so make sure you're taking your calcium citrate. Some report the sweet cravings with soda, but I don't get them. liquids in, liquids out, just like with water, tea, coffee, whatever other liquids we drink. It's not like soda sits in there brewing for hours on end blowing out our sleeves. I also know tons of RNY patients that drink soda without issue. But, I'm not advocating going off your surgeon's plan, but I'm not a believer that soda has all this phenomenal power over our sleeves.

It would be really difficult for me to not say something to him. I would walk up and say something totally bitchy, off the cuff, snarky, in his language, and add "Hey assclown, you're a douchebag, and a cum dumpster example of a human being." Okay so some of that might be influenced by my raging pregnancy hormones, but this post has me riled up ! ! !

Why does your surgeon feel this is the best option considering your medical history? What are his reasons? Personally, I would find another surgeon that would support my decision on what parts of my body he gets to cut on. I can give you my standard reply for why I chose VSG over RNY.

It's Water weight, and you are at the inevitable 3 week stall. In the search box up top on the forum page type in STALL, and see how many other 1000s of posts state the same thing. It is not fat, you aren't really gaining weight. It's just water weight. Even at 22 months, after maintaining for a year guess what I BOUNCE on the scale up and down on any given a whole whopping 5lbs, do you really think it's possible for me to gain 5lbs of fat on 1500-1800 calories a day. It's not at all, nor is it physically possible. Keep the scale hidden, increase your water intake, and let your body recover.

You can actually have your new doctor request a copy of your medical records with your signature on the medical release form. It's also a HIPAA violation if they refuse to give you your complete medical record. So, either you can go down there and request a copy of your records, or have your new surgeon request them through their office procedures.

Hey Courtney welcome to the forum. You can expect a different healing period than the band. Usually a more strict post-op diet than what you had with the band, but it depends on your surgeon. My husband was deployed during my revision as well. I dropped 80lbs in 4 months, but losing is individualized, and try not to compare yourself to others. In addition to not comparing, losing will depend on how much you have to lose, and what type of post-op guideline you follow. I low carbed it, high Protein, never snacked, and lost steadily and hit goal within 6.5 months post-op. Read as much as you can about people's different experiences, and realize that your recovery might be more difficult especially since you are a revision patient, or it might be easier. The band failed me miserably. I worked the shit out of that band, and did everything right. At some point, you have to believe that the sleeve will work. I don't think you failed the band if you've had complications. If you've sat around eating bon bons and hos hos the entire time, then yeah, the sleeve won't work either. Follow the post-op guidelines, measuring your portions, and following your program can ensure success. None of the WLS are bulletproof, but you can be successful if you choose that path ! ! ! Best wishes with your revision.

I seriously LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dr. Michel and Dr. Riley ! ! ! At my last appointment, Dr. M said he was moving away from doing the band, and it put a huge smile on my face because when I went for my revision consult, he initially only wanted to do a port revision. Of course, I refused, and got VSG. Stay in touch, and let me know if you need anything, I'm literally here for ya ! ! !

The pain I had with my leak was undeniably excruciating, and have an immensely high pain tolerance. I'm talking doubled over, sweating, nearly passing out from pain. It's nothing like the gas pain you experience after a lap procedure. Fever, rapid heart rate, vomiting, and excruciating upper abdominal pain are all indicators for a leak.

It isn't a decision I would have made considering all the protein based foods I could make/eat/choose on the full liquids and mushy diet.

Isolated light weight lifting really helps increase muscle tone. The skin takes time to rebound and reabsorb, but you can build muscle to fill up the loose, saggy skin. My favorite for legs is a using a weighted ball (4 and 8lb balls) held in between my ankles, lay on the floor and do leg lifts on my back and then on my side. For triceps, skull crushers work really great to tone up the batwing area. Bicep curls for biceps. If you go to the gym, they usually have floor managers/staff that can assist you with the machines. I did 3-4 days of lifting and focusing a specific body area on each day.

I don't put much stock into a scale that "weighs" body fat. Those scales can not take bone density or skin weight into account, and I agree with the above poster that it can change every day. Early out, we're dropping a lot of Water weight. So, things are going to change. If the scale is correct, 28% does sound low, but again the truth in those scales can be skewed. A better gauge on hydration is color of urine, dry/moist skin, etc etc.

Pre-op diets exist to simply shrink or reduce the amount of slimy fat that is on obese patient's livers. However, my pre-op diet simply required low carb/high Protein and my liver was stellar. I wouldn't move to real food that soon considering there is a healing staple line on the inside of my stomach, but if this is her experience, her program I guess that's what you'd follow. I wasn't even allowed real food with my band for 3 weeks post-op so I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't be putting solid foods in my body that early. I've read way too many times on here and obesityehlp that people struggle with mushies too early out, then they get frustrated, and can't eat. But, if you're taking dime-sized bites, and chewing it to mush, it's still mush, you might not be able to eat much that soon.

I would rate it in this order: 2 1 4 3 My leak was a combination of 3 and 4. My stomach tissue was destroyed by the band. I can't blame my surgeon for trying to repair what the band had done. And, I was my surgeon's first and only leak. Luck of the draw I guess LOL.

Hey HOOCH ! ! ! Good to see ya round, I never heard you had died LOL, nor never thought you did. I pretty figured, she's young, single, and out living life. Glad everything is going great for you.

One of the topics will probably be deleted because in the Forum rules it does state to NOT double post as it's confusing, and crowds the boards. It takes time to get replies, and in the meantime, you can read through the forum and use the "search" feature to help find other replies to your topic because these questions have been posed and replied to 100s of times. So, a lot of people don't want to repeat information, or they're out living life and your post will get replies when everyone logs on. To answer your questions: These are based on my experience, and yours could be ultimately different since we are different people, have different post-op programs, and needs. Will this surgery help me NOT have hunger? I am never physically hungry even at 22 months, my stomach never growls. I never feel hunger, but that doesn't mean that I do not have an appetite. Nothing, none of the surgeries turn off the brain to saying "Hey, that cookie looks good, eat it". So, while I have zero physical hunger, I do still love food, and have to make the best choice on what goes in my mouth. Some VSG patients report true physical hunger, but they also share that they are satisfied with their portions, and the hunger is not the ravenous hunger they experienced pre-op. There's no guarantee you won't be hungry. Physical hunger and head hunger are 2 different things. You'll have to figure out the difference between the 2 and work on those issues. Will this surgery reduce my constant need for sugar? You don't need sugar. You want sugar. And, NO the sleeve will not take away your want for sugar. Will the VSG leave little to zero room for junk food if you make the best food choice first(eat Protein first), yes. That's how the sleeve works. My recommendation especially if self-pay is to start seeing a nutritionist, have a set menu, and be disciplined. If you have food issues, there is absolutely zero surgical option that will keep you from eating crap food. I personally love junk food, but it makes me feel like crap so I don't eat a lot of it. I indulge here and there. BUT, the key here is that I do not want to gain weight therefore I have to make the best choices. I can still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake. The big thing is that I have zero desire to have a milkshake. I do eat ice cream, chocolate, and other sugary goodnesses, but I keep them in moderation. Instead of having a milkshake or hot caramel sundae, I have a kid's scoop of sorbet or no sugar added ice cream. Also, working with a counselor/therapist that has experience with bariatric patients can help you work through food issues. Will this surgery help me at all if I can't stick to a "diet" now? I never felt as if I was dieting. Even when I was doing low carb, I didn't have room for junk food when I wanted to focus on getting in protein. I do not diet now and eat a very balanced, nutrient dense diet every day. You have to make the choice to eat the best foods to fuel your body, and lose weight. Ultimately, the decision is up to you on how successful you will be. Surgery is NOT a quick fix, nor will it keep you from making not so great choices. BUT, it will keep your portions smaller, if you want to get in your protein, you'll follow the guidelines and be successful. Self-sabotage is a big issue with WLS, and it happens a lot. I never had an issue dieting, I could lose weight, but keeping it off was my challenge. The sleeve did give me the best of both worlds being that I have constant/immediate restriction, and I'm not hungry. Best wishes in your research.

This is kind of where my thought process on guidelines are just guidelines comes in, and honestly, if I kept my calories under 1000, I'd still be losing. I have to eat a minimum of 1500 calories a day or I drop weight. Take away the pregnancy, but I had to consume more to stop my losing. I know this is NOT your issue, but there is sometimes when guidelines have to be tweaked, and honestly, WLS is NOT a cookie cutter world. This situation reminds me of the old saying "doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results". You've followed the guidelines to a T yet you've been in an 8 month stall. Obviously, this guideline is not working. I'm not suggesting adding 800 calories a day, but 200 calories with an additional 20-30gr of Protein could be all your body needs to get the scale moving again. Have you ever calculated your BMR(basal metabolic rate)? If you'd like to consider putting some science behind this query, do some google searches on BMR, and actual caloric needs for weight loss, maintenance, and your own metabolic needs.

My son is a few years older (12 now) was 10 when I had my revision, and only 9 when I had my band. Just because of the relationship we have, I was okay with telling him. Plus, we've always had a rule in this house that "what transpires, is said, is shared, in this house, stays in this house". He knows better than to broadcast our private lives, our private medical issues, and he's never been the type to share sensitive information. He was scared and nervous, but I also told him that I had to do something other dieting to lose weight. He had witnessed "mommy dieting" for years. Hell, he went to WW meetings with me so he knew that mommy was fat, and had struggled to lose weight. When it was time for my band surgery, he was fine with it. When it came time to revise, he was admittedly freaked out, but he also witnessed me puke in restaurants, slime at home, have food get stuck, and the pain from my port had gotten so bad, I couldn't even change out the laundry from the washer to the dryer without almost crying. He was having to stand on a stool and help me transfer laundry. My husband was deployed during the revision so he took on "big helper", and was wonderful. He is kind of a gross kid, and wanted to see the surgery on youtube. He felt more relaxed knowing exactly what was going on with the surgery. For me, being open was the best option. I had major complications post-revision, and he was a trooper. It was a very difficult time for all of us, but because he knew exactly what the surgery entailed, he knew what had happened with my complications. He was amazingly helpful with reminding me to eat, and sip my fluids. My surgery brought us closer, and he's an awesome kid that hasn't told anyone about my surgery. He's never blurted out "My mommy was fat and had her tummy cut out", he's shared his opinion on it, he's shared some of the scary stuff he saw while I was recovering, but only in private conversations with friends that I had already opened up to in previous conversations. I think keeping the conversation age and maturity level appropriate is key. I knew my son could handle the "technical" aspects of surgery along with the changes that would be necessary post-op. Keep it simple, and let them know that this information is not theirs to share or discuss. I started the "what happens here, stays here" when he was a toddler after he revealed that I walked around the house wrapped in a beach towel with a big red towel on my head at a family gathering. He was only 3 or 4, and I was chastised by some uber conservative family members telling me that it was inappropriate to walk around the house "half naked" wrapped in a towel. Of course, I don't see a towel any different than a robe except there's no sleeves. Anyway, that rule started and it's stuck for years.

I'm so sorry to read of the permanent damage you're left with after the band. It's stories like yours that never get out to other people, and are always just brushed under the rugs. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and hope you can revise to the sleeve in the future.

WHEW that's a hell of a band story, I've been there too. I can honestly tell you that I never doubted the sleeve. I had the band knowing the complications and had hoped to beat the stats. Well, no such luck, it only lasted 8 months before I revised. The one thing I reminded myself is that before the complications really started kicking in is that I did lose weight with the band. Grant it, I gained 3/4 of it back waiting on my revision, but I was successful initially. So, for me, I knew the sleeve would be the solution, and I would make damn sure that I worked it until I was at goal and maintaining. I was extremely optimistic about my revision, and my life moving forward. I was prepared mentally for the increased risk of complications. Believed that I would WIN and WIN BIG. Best wishes on your revision, and believe me, the sleeve is absolutely fabulous ! ! !

I've never did it, but have 3 friends that did it religiously for a year. Lost shitpots of weight, gained it all back. 2 have had RNY, one is content being fat and doing the next fad diet.

You very well may need more calories. Also, how many inches have you lost? how are your clothes fitting? Are you strength training? A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. YES, muscle is lean/takes up less space, but a pound weighs a pound regardless of it's volume. How much Protein are you getting in each day? I know men are supposed to eat more protein than us ladies, and most of the guys who have had really great success are getting in 90-120gr daily in protein. If you're on obesityhelp.com I would recommend you contacting Frisco and Jimbo on the VSG forum. They are both very successful sleeve patients, Jimbo has a 300lbs loss, and I think Frisco has dropped 140+.