Tiffykins

Thank you so very much Val. . . We are together this year, and all the goodies are cooking quietly in the kitchen while the guys play video games. I hope you have a great holiday as well. Best news is that with the sleeve, you can eat a good size piece of fluffy cake if you want to. I just did 2 weeks ago at a baby shower. I paid for it dearly because of all the carbs, I just wanted to sleep the day away, but it tasted divine ! ! ! It wasn't a huge pre-sleeve slice, but it was at least 3 inches wide at the base, and double layered with buttercream icing and raspberry filling, oh and a fondant cake at that with buttercream holding on the fondant! ! ! I love being able to still have the extra yummies, and fitting into a restaurant booth with plenty of room between me and the table is best feeling in the world! ! ! Thanks again, and have a blessed holiday!

They smell horrific, I tried to get passed the smell, but it never failed, I would end up gagging over the smell. I was told rinsing them over and over and over would help with the smell, but it never helped me any. I stick to dreamfields pasta or spaghetti squash during my losing stage.

ERNY (extended RNY)is where they go in and remove more or bypass more intestine so the body starts malabsorbing again. Remember only 30% of RNY patients dump on sugar, and even though you might initially, your body can adapt and stop dumping so you've got to really consider if your willing to change your eating habits to make those positive changes in your food choices. Any of the surgeries can be cheated. Thanks for the sweet comments. I lost 115lbs in 6.5 months to get me to goal, and then lost about 23-25lbs over the next 4 months to get below goal but still in a healthy weight range for my height.

Hey Kindra, and welcome to VST. Making this type of decision is extremely personal, and I can only tell you what led me to make the best decision of my life by choosing VSG for my revision from the band. 1) The pouch with the band sucks, and the RNY gives the same pouch. 2) Malabsorption of calories/fat only lasts 2 years, but you get a lifetime of vitamin/nutrient malabsorption with RNY, doesn't seem like a fair trade off. 3) The regain stats and long term complications that I have witnessed with real life friends (plus the information on internet forums, and long term data presented) was downright scary. I can give you the detailed list of complications, but the main ones are major Vitamin deficiencies, pouch or stoma dilation, bowel obstructions and intestinal strictures. 4) The number of patients seeking revisions 3-7 years out from RNY to either DS or ERNY really scared me. This was going to be my 2nd and FINAL WLS. 5) I loved the fact that I would keep my pyloric valve, with RNY you lose it. 6) I have a normal, fully functioning stomach, just smaller than what God gave me, no rerouting, no pouch 7) No blind stomach left behind that can still develop ulcers or cancers, yet can be very difficult to diagnose and scope 8) The rate of loss for VSG is neck and neck vs. RNY without all the long term complications 9) No food or medication restrictions. I can take NSAIDS and I don't dump on sugar like 30% of RNY patients experience. Plus, this whole idea of needing to be sick, fatigued, have massive diarrhea and gas pains after eating a cookie seems a little ridiculous. Sorry, but I want to live as normal as a life as possible, and naturally thin people enjoy a cookie or a piece of pie here and there. Those are my top reasons. Honestly, if VSG would have not been an option for me to revise from the band, I would have had my band removed and stayed fat. I know this sounds harsh, but you couldn't pay me to have RNY. I know it's a fabulous surgery for some, but for me, my lifestyle and my personality, I knew the VSG was the very best option. I would have DS before having RNY, and you couldn't pay me a million bucks to have DS, but if it came down to it, I'd pick DS over RNY. Best wishes in your research, if you have questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for sharing this information since we've been TTC for months now. I'll be eliminating Aleve. I have 800mg Ibuprofen for cramps, and rarely take Aleve but now it'll be removed from my medicine cabinet.

I think his concern is bleeding since anti-coagulants are given for general surgery. Not all surgeons require this one, but several do recommend going off BC for their own comfort level with their patients. Here's some information from Dr. Cirangle and Dr. Jossart regarding VSG. I know every surgeon has a different protocol, but considering the number of sleeves these 2 surgeons have performed between RNY and VSG, plus their recognized as pioneers of VSG as a stand alone procedure. This is their information on NSAIDS.

Many congrats Patti ! ! !

Extreme abdominal pain, fever, extreme nausea, rapid heart rate

As for your BC pills, talk to your surgeon. My surgeon recommends going off them pre-op, and then using a backup method because of the crazy hormone flux during the rapid weight loss phase. On the NSAIDS (motrin/advil/aleve), check with your surgeon. But, with VSG there are no medication restrictions. I've taken Aleve since 2 months out, and have never had any issues. We don't have a pouch for the pills to sit in like with RNY. Many appeals have been won for patients wanting VSG vs. RNY because they have to take NSAIDS. I always took NSAIDS with something on my stomach pre-op, and I do the same now. Either I pop the pill and eat some cheese or yogurt, or I eat something light, pop the Aleve with a tiny sip of Water.

Today is a tough day emotionally for me. I'm just blah, I'm having a horrible period, cramps, bloating, just uncomfortable. Didn't sleep worth a crap, and I'm moody and emotional as hell. I have a bunch of "to-dos", but I have no desire to do any of it. I just want to curl up in bed, read or vege out all day in front of the television.

I hit consignment shops and thrift stores. I didn't buy a lot of clothes in any particular size, and wouldn't recommend loading up when you're in a stall. You could easily skip sizes. I skipped several sizes while going down. Just buy wardrobe staples if you need work clothes, and don't buy brand new if you can avoid it. Clearance racks at Old Navy were major lifesavers for me.

That's just horrible! ! ! I was on heavy duty antibiotics, cipro, metronidazole, and levaquin due to complications, and yep I had to take all of those at the same time, so I kind of know how you felt. The nausea was the worse. I never puked, and took all my meds with loads of yogurt on my stomach and after taking the pills. I think Zofran was my only saving grace LOL.

For the first solid 12 months post-op (6 months at goal), I didn't recognize the reflection in store windows, or if I walked passed a mirror quickly, I'd do a double take. Now, at almost 18 months out, I see the "real me", I no longer reach for larger size clothes, I'm always challenging myself to fit into the next smaller size which is a 0 in most stores. Some stores I can easily slide into the 2, but the 0's aren't going on to save my life. I don't see my imperfections as harshly as I did 3-4 months ago. I've pretty come to accept that this is how I'm going to look without plastics. I will be going for a consult with a plastic surgeon (3-4 actually) within the next few months because I do want some work done on my breasts, and I want either a tummy tuck or a full lower body lift plus a TT. It just kind of depends on what I can get insurance to cover. I feel amazing when I look in the mirror. Staring at my naked, deflated body can be a bit much some days, but those days are few and far between the days where I look in the mirror, seeing all my scars, stretch marks and wrinkly skin honestly make me smile because I feel like I've finally arrived. I may look like a wilted prune to anyone else, but I think I look pretty phenomenal after what my body has endured the last 2 years. I don't think I'll every be fully content just like I wasn't fully happy with my fat rolls, and enormous size pre-op, but I have accepted that this is what I will look like, and that until I can get surgical intervention, I'm not going to beat myself up over my little flaws. I love looking down when I sit in an airplane seat and see major inches of seat on both sides of my thighs. I love looking down and realizing "Hot damn, I have a lap now". I love being to lay flat in bed, and look down the entire length of my body and see my toes without raising my head to look over my stomach.

I'll just ditto what Julie shared as well. I can tell you it works because it has worked in more ways than one for me. I've changed my relationship with food, I am skinny, I'm more active, I'm positive I'll never get back to where I was pre-op(not just physically, but mentally/emotionally as well). I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'll never regain any substantial amount of my weight back. I might see a 10lb regain, big whoopity do, that puts me at 135-137, and I can live with that number. Right now being in maintenance is a lot different than being in the losing stage. I still have to be mindful of what I eat, but I'm not dieting. I'm not depriving myself, and I am living a normal life. Do not allow nay-sayers to sway you, or change your mind. Do this for you and you alone. At the end of the day, you are the only one that has to wake up with the co-morbidities, and disappointments that come with obesity! ! !

Feel free to contact me with any questions, if you prefer texting, or phone calls, let me know. I've shared my contact information with many, and shoot from the hip with everything. I'm a Christian, but do not attend services on a regular basis because I do not believe my relationship with God is not based on how many times I darken the door of a church. I'm just about 2 weeks shy of being 18 months post-sleeve, and have been maintaining my loss for over 10 months at this point.

Feel free to share information, but there is no need to imply that because we agree with someone that disagrees with you, and have information to back it up, are ignorant. Support comes in many forms, and not always agreeing is okay. The sheep mentality is what gets people in trouble, and I, for one, am not going to blame MSG for my deplorable pre-op eating habits. Several things can be considered dangerous in large amounts. The big Aspartame conspiracy is one that comes to mind stating that aspartame causes cancer, and other malignancies. I'm not ignorant by any means, but I'm not going to sit back and take every article about "what we shouldn't eat" to heart. We're all independently intelligent humans, and are able to read the article your shared. Like I said, a small amount of MSG is not going to make me fat, and didn't contribute to me shoveling in linebacker size portions of foods that did not have any additional MSG added to it. Being ignorant is "not knowing, or not being informed", I'm informed, and know that MSG poses no immediate danger to my health in small quantities and from naturally occurring ingredients found in some foods that I might eat on a once to twice weekly basis. Calling people ignorant, or suggesting we read your information slower, isn't going to get you any points or support. It only makes you look petty, and indicates that you can't handle the fact that we do not agree with you, or your findings. Foods are labeled (broths specifically) NO MSG ADDED, but in tiny, fine print, it goes on to state that glutamate is a naturally occurring ingredient in some foods. Again, moderation is the key, and I'm pretty sure we're all intelligent enough to know not to siphon MSG straight from the packages, just like we're intelligent enough not to suck on a car's exhaust pipe while the engine is running. Part of the information you posted even stated that some might not have any adverse reactions, so it must not be as dangerous to our health as the article or your own personal experiences are leading people to believe. On your rant about the money trail, who do you think is funding the studies to push all the organic, non-additive laden foods to the population? I'm sure that money trail talk can run both ways, and it should be up to each individual to decide what is best for their own personal health.

Change, any type of major change, for most humans is kind of scary. It sounds like he is more worried about you than anything, and doesn't know how to communicate his concerns other than projecting it onto you and questioning your compliancy level. You might be surprised that he is super supportive after surgery, and the best thing you can do is prove him wrong. My husband was extremely supportive of my decision to have the band, but that man cried(no one better ever mention I shared that) as they wheeled me back to the OR. He was my biggest cheerleader even though he would say things like " honey, why don't you just eat less and workout mor before you let someone cut on you?". Which did nothing but ruffle my feathers, and piss me off because he knew of my past "diet" attempts and failures. My husband is a "fixer", and he couldn't fix this for me, and felt helpless. He was deployed during my revision, and while he was supportive, he was still not super happy about me having another surgery when the band failed me so miserably. I would have gone through with the surgery even if he didn't support me because ultimately, it's my body, it's my future health, and he doesn't have any say as to what I do with my body. Believe me, we have the same conversation about me getting another tattoo or coloring my hair. He'd like me to stay the "same" forever" because change makes him uncomfortable. Continue to talk to him, be open and tell him that you NEED him, if he can't be your support, find a local support group, pair up with someone with a surgery date close to yours on this forum, and open communication with them. Find a buddy, be someone's cheerleader and let them be yours. I could not have survived my revision without this forum last year, and the few friends that I've made here are cherished friends because they literally got me through some very difficult times.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've shared. You said everything I wanted to say much more eloquently than I could have typed it. I'm all for eating nutrient dense, healthy foods, and I'm pretty sure eating 1/2 cup of Soup or even an entire cup of food with a hint of MSG isn't going to kill me . It's the 3lbs of beef broccoli with fried rice and 4 eggrolls that I could put away pre-op that would have surely killed me.

So very sorry to hear that you are having to go through this experience. I've been there and done it with a leak, and I hope you have a speedy recovery. Take care of yourself, rest, and keep us posted on your progress.

Once I dropped the first 80lbs, I did incorporate nuts, Peanut Butter, avocados into my diet because I was losing so fast. I stuck with refried and pinto Beans, and it was such a small amount after my meats, I didn't fret over the carbs in those foods. I had the same mindset as you do when it comes to taking things off the menu until I was close to goal. I just did it because I had to do it because like you, I'm a mile (plus 10) taker, and I wasn't willing to give in during my losing stage. My only words of caution is to watch out for the nut grazing that I got wrapped up in. I would grab the jar, have a few nuts, and then kind of grave and before I knew it 1/4 of the container was gone. Those little buggers slid right on through without restriction, without issue, and they were yummy. A whopping 300 calories, tons of fat grams later, I freaked out and then measured my "allowed" portion for the day and put the container in the pantry. I would mainly do this grazing thing while doing housework like laundry folding, or during a sappy movie. Totally mindless eating.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my inner ninja is 10 shades of fired up ! ! ! My foot would be planted so far up his ass, his eyes would cross. Men, I swear, we can't live with them, and we can fit their body parts down the garbage disposal! ! !

Seriously, the most difficult thing I will have to overcome this Thanksgiving is grazing. Now that I can eat twice as much as I could last Thanksgiving, I'll have to be good about not snacking all day. I'm cooking a small Thanksgiving day meal for just the 3 of us, and I know we'll have leftovers. Afterall, I did buy a 12lb brown sugar glazed ham because my husband decided he wanted to have a ham this year. The most difficult challenge food-wise will be not eating all the yolks out of the deviled eggs before they hit the table, and not eating all the sweet potato casserole. I'm not making any of my normal sleeve-friendly alterations to our food this year, it's gonna be full on fat, carbs, and pure yumminess. I just want one day where I can splurge, plus I need the extra calories and carbs for 3AM Black Friday shopping adventures ! ! ! I already told my husband once the big meal is served. Everything is to be packed up, sealed off, and not opened until the next day. I know myself well enough to know if I leave it out, or if it's easily accessible, I'll be grazing all day.

Yeppers, totally fair assessment at least in my experience.

Go, no RUN, and kiss that surgeon. I can tell you firsthand that your surgeon just did you a huge favor. The sleeve is far superior to the band not just with weight loss stats, but with far less complications, and minimal follow-up and maintenance like you'd have with the band. I've had both, and can tell you that the sleeve is amazing ! ! ! Pre-op advice: Stop eating and drinking at the same time now so you can break this habit before the sleeve. Sit your eating utensil down in between bites so you can slow down your meals Start eating your meat first, and make your meal last 20-30 minutes Prepare mentally for the changes, if you have food issues i.e. emotional eating, reward eating, tackle those issues now, don't want for the sleeve to do it for you because you'll be disappointed when you realize that they've operated on your stomach, not your brain, and it takes time for your brain to catch up Do not compare yourself to other people. You are an individual, your body is different than everyone else, and you might not lose at the same rate as others, BUT you will lose Get Protein samples (check out the Protein Drink forum for places to order samples and do not buy in bulk, your taste might change, and you might not like or be able to tolerate that huge tub of protein that you loved pre-op) Take measurements of your body, neck, breast, waist, hips, thighs and calves Take before pictures Prepare yourself mentally for stalls, and weeks where you may only lose 1 pound, but Celebrate that 1 pound as it's 1 less pound you have to lose to get to goal Come here often, read, read, read and reach out for support and questions Post-op advice Use common sense and stick to your post-op diet (your stomach has just been cut, sliced, stapled off and removed from your body) don't put food in there too early Do not eat and drink at the same time Take your Vitamins Walk, walk, walk, walk Sip, Sip, Sip, Sip Set a schedule, make a menu, be prepared Come here often, read, read, read, reach out to us and questions Edit to add: You're starting off with similar pre-op stats that I had. I'm 5'2" and started with the sleeve at 263. Got to goal in 6.5 months with 115lbs lost, and then continued to lose another 23-25lbs over 4 months which got me to my current weight of 123-125lbs on any given day. I bounce up and down on a regular basis, and have gained up to 131lbs (which did NOT freak me out because I knew what caused it, DAMN that Halloween candy, parties, and several mixed drinks LOL), and I went back to eating my normal foods, and dropped 8lbs in less than a week. So, don't get discouraged because you are starting off with a high BMI. If I can lose all my excess weight so can you, and I did it by sticking to the rules, and listening to my body. I went from a size 22/24W pant, 3-4XL top, to a size 0/2/4 jean(depending on where I buy them, but I wear 0 at the Gap, 0 and 2 at Old Navy, and Levis are mostly 3-4s), and an xsmall to small tops ! ! !

What a fabulous post ! ! ! I can "see" you smiling through this post, and thanks for sharing. You're a major inspiration to all ! ! !