Tiffykins

Once you're cleared for regular food, you can truly eat whatever you want. Now, that doesn't mean your body will tolerate it. I eat an occasional small bowl of cereal, frosted mini wheats are my favorite, and I can eat about 10-12 little mini wheats. I never drink the milk.

No catheter for me either. I had to urinate right before they wheeled me back. I was also having my period during surgery. They slapped an industrial sized maxi pad between my legs, and when I woke up, I had on these lovely little net panties holding a different industrial sized maxi pad in place. I was bringing sexy back that day LOL ! ! !

I was 31 for my band and 32 for my VSG revision.

Sally's Beauty Supply is where I purchased my Folicure extra care shampoo. You can also find it on amazon.com and I believe drugstore.com The Nexxus Dualiste I picked up at WalMart.

Over time, I've learned a great deal from some other WLS patients. They know their stuff, I've independently researched their findings, and I trust them. I'm not buying products from them, I'm endorsing them, but I am saying that if you want some good information, you can check them out. www.vitalady.com (Michelle will answer any all questions you might have, just hit the Contact Us link) http://wlsvitagarten.com/2010/12/06/b12-and-folate-deficiencies-in-vsg/ Andrea is absolutely amazing ! ! ! Just thought I'd share some more information that I've gathered over the couple of years that I've been on this roller coaster.

I'm back to having a soda every other day because gingerale has been able to calm my stomach somewhat so I have a gingerale here and there. I'm dealing with other issues right now, and will have my labs back tomorrow. Check out my post about my gallbladder from a couple of days ago, I went into more details there.

I follow the same routine as BBJ and Diva on this one. I drink (NOT sip), I mean seriously drink like an entire cup or two of coffee or half a glass of tea, right up until the first bite is taken, and I take tiny sips throughout my meal, but because it's what I like to do. I never get more hungry any sooner, or feel empty or anything by doing so. I do not drink or take big drinks for about 20-30 minutes after my meals. It's a habit, and it's what works for me. My biggest pet peeve with this "rule" is that it's so we digest food and absorb nutrients in the stomach longer at least this is the line that was fed to me by not 1, but 2 different nutritionist. To their surprise, I asked the right questions, and had a little diagram, least to say, they didn't like that, and pretty much said "it's actually so you don't eat more". Well guess what, there is little absorption/digestion that actually occurs in the stomach. Nearly 85-90% of absorption occurs in the small intestine. I hate being lied to by medical professionals, and even more I hate the "sheep" mentality, like I should believe everything they say just because they have cute little initials behind their name. The biggest reason for weight regain after WLS can be contributed to 2 things. Pouch/Stoma failure with RNY and the band White carbs, poor food choices, complacency and grazing after any of the WLS options.

I follow her on Facebook, she's doing great. Started new hobbies, and a few other adventures with her husband ! ! !

You aren't alone in you concerns, but I can tell you firsthand that the band sucks. Talk about psychological issues: food gets stuck, you can't eat, you puke unannounced, pain with eating, having to eat junk food because good food won't go down, fills with huge ass needles being dug into your body hoping you'll find the elusive spot for restriction. Slowest and lowest weight loss. Most long term mechanical complications. Well, with the sleeve you get none of that crap. It maybe permanent, but at least you can eat, and not have to worry about being part of that 1 in 4 band patients that needs another surgery within the first 5 years. Read here more, and decide which best suits you. I can tell you that at 19 months post sleeve, I do not miss that big stretchy part of the stomach.

Sounds like you need another team of medical professionals. I'm sorry you are struggling. If you'd like my help, feel free to contact me. If you need to vent, cry, scream, I'll listen and try to help the best I can. I agree that sometimes the guidelines are just that "guidelines", and we have to find what works for each of us, individually. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Hey chickee, contact Vitalady.com she has the dry form of Vitamin D, and that stuff works wonders. The RX D pretty much sucks, and your numbers might go slowly, but if you talk to vitalady, she won't steer you wrong. I promise. . . The RX D isn't as readily absorbed as the dry form. Michelle (vitalady) is amazingly helpful, and even it's not RX, I swear that Vit D Dry form is what all the DS'ers and RNY'ers use when their D drops too low. Also, taking a calcium citrate with magnesium and vitamind d definitely helps.

Message LilMissDiva, OregonDaisy, and see if they can give you their band to sleeve story. Also, check some of these links: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/14-vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy-surgery-vsg-success-stories/

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh how I know that feeling, but even at 19 months out, I still never experience hunger, and I rarely eat anything before 10:00a.m. I do go to Breakfast every Friday morning, and I order the breakfast size country fried steak with gravy. I usually eat that between 9:30 and 10am with my girlfriends, and my feet typically hit the floor around 6:30-6:45am. I never experience true acid reflux either either, and early out that was cause of this funky twinge, "empty" feeling that I would get about an hour after eating. Going on Prilosec solved that issue, and I never felt it again. Now, the one true sign that I get to tell me to eat is I get super cranky, and irritable. I don't get headaches, I don't get fainty feeling, I don't get shaky and my stomach only makes noises when I initially wake up and I start drinking coffee.

Bread has become a slider for me. So, if you're a bread lover, try to cut it now while you're losing because once you get further out, and can eat 2-3 times as much as you can right now (AND YES it's normal to be able to eat more around 6-9 months out), just know that bread can be sneaky, and the scale can creep up. It's these little monsters that got us fat, and it's way easier to eat a big fattening grilled cheese sandwich on Texas Toast than it is to eat 4oz of steak. Because let's be honest with one another, grilled cheeses are yummy, and filling and warm, and cozy and remind us of our loving childhood, and well steak is steak. Or chicken is chicken, and sometimes we just want a grilled cheese. I could not eat a grilled cheese to save my life for almost a year, and GUESS WHAT? ? ? I can eat an grilled cheese sandwich minus all the crust. Just a little tidbit from someone that's further out and maintaining, but it's not always an easy thing when foods that once were eaten in tiny quantities all of a sudden become foods that slide right down, and don't really stay with us very long.

I don't see anyone getting worked up. People can take what they choose. I happen to choose what is scientifically proven to be the very best option for my needs. If other people choose to take something else, that's on them. I simply shared information that might help someone if they are self-pay, have little to zero nutritional support, or are in the research phase.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I see people taking Tums for Calcium. Calcium carbonate is much cheaper, and it's not readily absorbed in a neutral pH tummy. This happens when we are on proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix and some H2 blockers such as Pepcid/Zantac. Here's a great article that explains it: Please consider getting on a good quality calcium citrate supplement to prevent bone density loss, fractures and osteoporosis. Of course, please discuss this with your specific medical professionals, but next to taking kid's Vitamins that are formulated for children bodies, people being told that Tums is sufficient just irks me to NO end. cheese, fortified OJ, fortified soy, some greens, cabbage and tofu. It is important to note that some foods that seem to have high calcium content are also not readily absorbed. So while they look good on paper, less than 5% of that calcium may actually make it into the body. I take a calcium supplement derived from calcium citrate. While calcium carbonate is cheaper it becomes relatively insoluble in neutral pH and requires stomach acid to be utilized. Calcium citrate on the other hand is much more soluble and does not require stomach acid to be absorbed. If it causes stomach upset you can try taking it with meals. Many experts also recommend including Vitamin D and magnesium to this regimen. I participate in weight bearing exercise at least 5 days per week. If you can't make it five days per week start out smaller and work your way up. Some examples include: walking, low impact aerobics or any exercise where your bones are supporting your body weight. (Yes mom, gardening counts!). Things like swimming, which does not require your bones to support your weight, does not have the same positive affect on bone density. Last but NOT least: Discuss your concerns with your doctor!! Please do not make any changes to your current treatment plan, supplements or exercise regimen with out your doctor's consent.

Your hair is growing back in, you just can't see it yet. I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped so everyone is different. But, I still have new growth coming in and it's been a year since my shedding stopped.

Thanks everyone ! ! ! I went to my PCM yesterday, and he's pulling lab work. Once we get the results back, we have two options. 1) If lab work looks good, off to my surgeon I go for an endoscopy. 2) If my liver or pancreas enzymes are off, he wants me to go to an internal medicine doctor for more diagnostics. He is concerned about nerve damage from my band being removed and scar tissue healing over something in turn causing the pain. Not a lot they can do for it. Unless, it's a mild stricture from scar tissue pinching down on a stomach nerve. Even then, my PCM is kind of at a loss as to what to do. The other concern is the common bile duct blockage. He's put me on Carafate in the event it is something with my stomach, and switched me over to Nexium instead of Prilosec for 90 days since I'm burping up food 2-3 hours after I eat and it tastes horrible. I declined taking Actigall because of some liver contraindications that can be seen with that drug. Due to the rapid weight loss phase, and my own personal medical history, I did not want my liver tasked even more with more drugs. With the 25% risk of gallstones post major weight loss, I did not feel that the Actigall was a good option for me. I was willing to take the 25% risk of gallstones over the stress on my liver with the Actigall. Unfortunately, the labs had to be fasting and I couldn't get in to see my PCM until 3pm so I had already eaten for the day. I'm heading out this morning to get my labs pulled this morning. The pain comes and goes. I was finally able to sleep peacefully last night, and didn't wake up to any issues this morning. It's definitely not gas, it's just weird and kind of difficult to explain. When my PCM palpated my abdomen, it's definitely in the upper abdomen. Pain on both sides of my stomach in between my ribs right below my sternum, along the ridges of my ribcage. I'll keep everyone updated. So far, I haven't had any vomiting, diarrhea or fever so I'm just hoping that my labs come back okay, and I can go see my surgeon. Our insurance is a little cantankerous so I have to follow a few procedures to see my surgeon, and it'll be good to have my labs already pulled.

I've not had any issues with pineapple. The post I think you might be referring to is about the fresh, raw coconut that was eaten around 6 months out and it turned into a bezoar? ? ?

Time is the best healer of skin. But, genetics, race, and how long you've been obese all play a role in how your skin react. I'm 34 yrs old, I was obese to morbidly obese for over a decade, and my skin doesn't look horrific, but it's flabby and wrinkly on my stomach, inner thighs and upper arms. For me, I'll take the loose, wrinkly skin over the fat rolls and back fat I had at 270lbs. Working out building muscle to fill up the skin helps, but there is no way to determine what will happen to your skin specifically. My skin is rebounding nicely, but there's only so much it will rebound. Moisturizing helps tremendously. Some people swear by those body wraps. I'm an old married lady with a husband that worships the ground I walk on so I really don't worry about the skin and wouldn't be if I were single. It's just one of the small side effects that I traded in for a size 2 jean ! ! ! I would not allow a little bit of wrinkly, excess skin keep me from having surgery and having this amazing life post VSG.

I've had both the band and now the sleeve. I can tell you from my personal experience that the band is by far inferior to the sleeve. I have tons of research links in my blog on here if you'd like to peruse the information for more details. The initial risks with the sleeve are a bit higher with leaks, but the long term risks of the band far outweigh the initial risks with the sleeve. The risks of a leak should be 1% or less with an experienced surgeon. Risks with a band are 25% with another surgery needed. Some things to consider with the band, do you have time to get fills/unfills, will you have a co-pay or a partial pay for these visits? Are you okay with the stats of 1 in 4 band patients will have to have another surgery to either repair, reposition, replace or remove the band within 3-5 years? Are you prepared to diet, feel hunger, deal with not having restriction and trying to find the elusive "sweet spot" of restriction that many struggle to find? Are you prepared for the food intolerances and complications that come with eating from the band? Here's the link to my blog: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/blog/4-just-another-day/ Scroll down to the 4th entry, I have information there on stats from the makers of the band. I've added you to my friend's list so you can view my blog. I could go on and on regarding how horrible my life was with the band, but I'd rather give you statistical data, and research information so you can make an informed decision.

There's a lot of articles out there on the BMR and starvation mode myth. I've read both that it's true and false. During my losing stage, I rarely got in over 800 calories, but for maintenance, I need that amount of calories or I lose weight again and I'm comfy with my 5-7lb bounce around that I seem to be going through for the last few months. Here's an article I found that has some other studies involved that explains starvation mode, BMR and why obese people on calorie restriction burn fat instead of lean muscle mass. http://caloriecount.about.com/truth-starvation-mode-ft28742

Check out my blog on here. . . I have a huge list of questions saved in a blog post.