Tiffykins

Have you had any labs to check and see if you are metabolically challenged i.e. insulin resistant, or thyroid issues? How does your body feel such as inches/pant sizes lost? How tall are you and how close to goal are you?

Thanks chickee ! ! ! I'm still a belt-a-phobe LOL. . . I avoided them at all costs when I was fat, and now I can't wrap my head around wearing one. I've tried them on, and I think this is the only part of my brain that has not caught up with my body. I still see a huge wine barrel cinched in the middle when I wear a belt. It's cute in theory, but my brain won't allow me to wear one confidently.

I wore an 8-8.5W pre-op and now I wear a 7-7.5 normal width. I only had to buy a longer size to accommodate the width and crazy instep that I have.

You betcha, Protein drinks made me puke because I developed lactose intolerance shortly after surgery. I even tried soy protein, but those tasted so disgusting that I couldn't manage to get them down.

I drink regular soda and have for over a year without issue. I don't like diet soda so I have one here and there. I kicked the habit for about a week, and now only have one a couple times a week. It hasn't changed my sleeve capacity at all.

Hey Trish, I ate 4 meals a day. Breakfast consisted a greek yogurt (about 2-5oz) or a poached egg with a wedge of laughing cow cheese lunch deli meat with cream cheese, or small amount of chicken/tuna salad mixed with greek yogurt mid afternoon lunch/dinner repeat from the earlier dinner - meat and veggies 2-3oz of meat a few bites of veggies I really didn't have room for much else when I was trying to get my fluids in as well as all my protein/calories. My menu was pretty boring for the 3-5 months post op stage. I wasn't very adventurous, and stuck to what I knew would work. I ate refried Beans with greek yogurt and cheese, beef Jerky steak bites, lots of chunk cheese.

I am still never hungry, and some days I don't want to eat so I know how that feels, but I haven't had the acid issues. Are you taking the Nexium on an empty stomach, and waiting at least 30 minutes before eating? Have you tried taking it twice a day; morning before Breakfast then 2 hours after dinner before bedtime? Did you have a hernia repair at the same time? Have you had a scope performed to see if you possibly have a slight stricture or hernia? I can rarely eat spaghetti and if I do, it has to be angel hair Pasta with tons of sauce for it to go down smoothly. I can not eat more dense pasta noodles like penne, rigatoni, ziti, they all get kind of stuck and just don't work well with me. I still eat small portions, but I'm not in the single, dating world and all my friends know that I've had surgery so I can't help you with that aspect. I know Prevacid labeling says it can take 3-7 days to kick in, if you're switching between the 2 drugs, it may not be able to give you maximum relief. I'm just trying to throw out some ideas. I hope you can get some resolution.

You are correct. It's nearly impossible to truly stretch out the sleeve. The tissue (if the surgery is performed correctly) that remains is the least stretchy part of the stomach. I've been eating the same quantities for a year now, and have little change in restriction. Now with all that being said, I can cheat the sleeve. It's not difficult to do at all. I can drink warm fluids or a glass of wine before a meal and eat more. I can stretch my meal out over 40-60 minutes and eat more. I can take breaks in between eating, and eat more. I don't do it that often, but I can cheat the sleeve and make it easier to consume more per meal. If I stick to the rules, Protein first, meals to last no more than 30 minutes, then I have amazing restriction.

I adhered to the no more than 30 minute meal rule through the losing phase. I only stretched it once I needed to get in more calories to slow down my weight loss and get into maintenance. It is tough to adhere to all the rules, plus get in fluids, but I managed. I was allowed to 4 meals per day with each meal consisting of 15gr of Protein. I think you have to do what you have to do to get in your food. That is a big reason I stuck to mushy foods for so long. There is no way I could have stuck to the guidelines, and met certain goals by eating solid meats.

The search box at the top of the forum is a useful tool especially for FAQ's. For instance, if you type in hair LOSS it will pop up an entire page full of topics that have been discussed. There are also PINNED discussions at the top of popular forums. If you go to the Protein drink forum, you'll find a couple of important topics that have been "pinned" for quick reference.

I can hold about 4-6oz of white fish. I'm not a fan of salmon so I can't say how much of I could possibly eat. It's more than what I could eat, but that doesn't mean you stretched anything out. Like BBJ wrote, you might be taller, you might have chewed the heck out of your food, did you eat super slow, all of these play a small role in capacity.

PPI - Proton Pump Inhibitor Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec, Prevacid Pepcid and Zantac are h2 Blockers and work differently than PPIs.

I don't know technically how long anesthesia stays in the body. I'm sure it's different for every person. You can find Biotin at most retailers that have a pharmacy section such as WalMart, Walgreens, etc etc.

Yes, you should prepare for it. It typically happens around 3-6 months out and can last for 3-12 months. There is NOTHING that will stop it. Unfortunately, it's a combination of anesthesia, crazy dietary changes, and trauma to the body. You can take Biotin or other hair/nail supplements to help with the regrowth, but there is no magic cure that will keep you from losing some hair. No amount of Protein will keep your hair from falling out if it's going to happen. Here are 2 articles that explain it in more detail. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1071566-overview http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/telogen_effluvium.html I lost half of my hair in volume. It started around 3.5 months post VSG, and lasted for a solid 3 months. I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped. I never took Biotin on a regular basis, and used Folicure extra care shampoo which just strips your scalp so the new growth can come in. I had my gallbladder removed at 8 months post op, and started losing hair again about 2 months after that surgery as well, but it was not as traumatic.

You've done amazingly well ! ! ! I eat 4-5 times a day, but I'm also in maintenance so it's different for me. I have to eat that many times per day to get in enough food. When I was losing, I adhered to the 4 meals a day rule, no snacking. It's just what worked for me. As for the PPI, I'm still taking it at 19 months out, and have zero plans to go off of it. With my recent pains, my PCM switched me over to Nexium 40mg once daily from Prilosec 20mg once daily. I can tell the Nexium has already kicked in, and I'm elated with being on it. I know I've said I would wean off of it, but I'm not willing to deal with acid, or chance getting Barrett's esophagus by not having it and treating the symptoms of acid reflux when I can prevent it completely.

None of the surgeries fix our brains. It just won't happen, grant it, when I had surgery I rarely wanted to eat and felt like I was force feeding myself early out. The further out I got, the easier eating became. Now, at 19 months out, it's way easier to eat mindlessly, grazing is a slippery slope, and it's really up to ME to make the best choice possible. If I eat all the time, make poor food choices, I can see a gain. VSG is not a magic bullet, and it's not going to magically wipe out all the food demons we have to live with mentally. It might not be what you want to hear, but go in knowing that it will take work on your part. Like I said early out, I didn't want to just eat to eat because I didn't have room, I had to focus on calories and Protein grams to ensure I was getting the proper nutrition. But, now in maintenance is where the challenge lies. I can eat 2-3 times the amount I could at 2-3 months out, and I can eat a lot of junk food. So, if I want to maintain, and continue being healthy, I have to make the best choice. I don't always make the best choice, I do eat junk food, I love food just the same as I did pre-op, I still have cravings, but VSG keeps my portions smaller, and I'm able to have more self-control. If you divert the energy to eating only protein, and getting a schedule down it will help you tremendously. Working closely with a mental health professional that deals with bariatric patients will also help. Essentially, I had to find a new outlet, drop a bad habit, and pick up a new one. It's coping mechanisms that really help, and if you don't have a solid game plan then you might struggle more. Have you ever checked out Overeater's anonymous groups in your area? Best wishes.

Thank you all sooooooooooooooooooooo very much ! ! !

My deepest condolences on the loss of your brother. I can only imagine how difficult this time must be for you. I'll keep you and your family in my thoughts. Please take care of yourself. I know it's difficult in the wake of devastating news, but you can not endanger yourself during this time. If you need anything, feel free to contact me. Do not give up, keep sipping your fluids, and rest when needed.

YAY YAY lady ! ! ! I'm so proud of you, and all you're accomplishing. Many cheers to you and rockin' your sleeve.

Are you still on a PPI like Nexium, Prilosec, or Prevacid? It sounds like acid especially if the Pepcid is helping. The risk for marginal ulcers is very rare with VSG unless you had them before VSG, or are doing things that could promote ulcer formation. Not blaming you, just giving you some information. Do you have your gallbladder still?

Okay, thought I would toss this out there for anyone that is interested in joining us ! ! ! Myself and Vinny Mac from OH are trying to plan a lunch date for us VSG'ers in the area. We plan on meeting in Pensacola for lunch. Plan on it being a long lunch, and maybe some shopping while we're down there. He'll be driving in from Mobile, and I'll be coming from Navarre so I can pick up a couple on the way. He's not a member over here to my knowledge, but we can all correspond via email, or phone if you want to join us. We're trying to pick a decent place that can accommodate everyone regardless of which food stage they might be on. I think Mexican food is the easiest because Beans, cheese and soft meats are available. So, if you're out here in our neck of the woods, and would like to get together with fellow VSG'ers, please either reply to this post, or shoot me a message so I can get invites out, and at least get a decent head count. Even if you haven't talked to me directly, DO NOT BE SHY LOL ! ! ! I don't bite (not hard anyways), and we're just going to get together to enjoy each other's company, and meet each other. We have NOT chosen a specific date as we're waiting to hear from a couple of others. It will definitely be in January, and I'm thinking on a Saturday or Sunday. I look forward to seeing everyone ! ! !

I haven't heard back from Vinny, so I'll message him again this weekend and see if we can get the date sorted. I have plans the last weekend of this month, and the first weekend in February is our 3rd year marriage anniversary so I'll be spending that with my husband.

My PCM didn't call Friday with my lab reports, but I'm happy to report that I'm able to eat without pain. I'm not sure what's going on, but with the Nexium being on board for these 5 days, it seems things are getting better. I am still burping up food, but not nearly as bad as I was. I'm just grateful that I'm not hurting anymore. I even forgot to take the Carafate for the last 2 days, and was able to eat real food again without discomfort. I'm still going to follow my PCM's advice when it comes to my labs and possibly go in for an endoscopy with my surgeon. But, I am happy to report that I'm not in pain anymore.

I order a lot of soup and salad. Luckily, I don't have to worry about sharing because my husband shares, or the kiddo and I split an entree with 2 sides. I also order ala carte. I've ordered just a 6oz ribeye, or sirloin steak or a chicken breast with a side salad. Chilis, Friday, Logans steakhouse, and most locally owned little restaurants never refuse to serve me just a piece of meat. They typically just charge me for the meat, and salad. Like with Logan's they have an entree with 2 sides that's $12.99, I just order the steak and salad, I paid $8.00 for the steak and the salad was $1.99. When I go to Breakfast every Friday morning with my girlfriends, I order a country fried steak with gravy. They charge me whole whopping $3.59 for the whole meal. It's a small CFS, but it's perfect size for me.