Tiffykins

YOu look absolutely fabulous ! ! !

Totally Water weight from the gb surgery. I came out from gb removal in February and had gained 7-9lbs. I lost all of it within 10ish days or so, and I didn't even fret over it. Don't stress or you're body will just continue to hang onto the weight.

Dave, I really don't understand why whoever you spoke with at Madigan told you all of that because I know that hasn't been the case with other sleeve patients there. You know my experience, opinion on the band, and while I do wish you the very best, I would urge you to really look at the stats on the band. Revisions are not fun, they are more expensive than regular sleeves, and most importantly, it's not the surgery you really want. I do understand that you really have to do what is right for your life. But think long term, not the "right now". The band is a good tool for some, but the stats do not lie. Please talk to a couple of the ladies and other members that have shared their experience with Madigan before you go with the band. You know how people can be at an MTF, and I know you want surgery now. My concern is that you want the sleeve, but you're settling on the band. Check out the complications forum on lapbandtalk.com and obesityhelp.com really look at the band to sleeve revision forum here. Think twice, cut once. I do not regret my band decision because the sleeve was not an option for me from the beginning with Tricare. BUT, if I could have avoided the pain and suffering that I endured with my band, I surely would have chosen to do without all that drama in my life.

I had 3 abscesses festering in my abdominal and pelvic cavity 6 weeks after my leak repair, and my WBC was slightly elevated, but nothing to cause major alarm. I'm not disagreeing with you completely, but if it's an abscess of some sort, and the infection hasn't spread, labs won't always reveal elevated WBC. I was actually diagnosed with a UTI, and sent home with antibiotics. Then when the pain and off and on fever didn't subside, the abscesses were detected after a CT scan with contrast. I was just throwing out that it's better to be safe than sorry. There are isolated cases of pinhole leaks going undiagnosed for a few months post-op. I've shared the links on here before, and hoping for you that the fever breaks and you feel better soon. From the title of the topic, and your original post, it sounded as if you were concerned about a possible leak. Best wishes.

You might be suffering from a virus of some sorts, but it's never a bad idea to have a contrast study performed to ensure that your staple line is safely healing. Most leaks come with excruciating pain, nausea, and vomiting, but some pinhole leaks might not cause all the "normal" symptoms.

YAY YAY that's great news ! ! !

Hey Jay congrats on making the decision to have the sleeve. I can't comment on the insurance stuff because we have a completely different type of insurance protocol than most. As for how much weight you will lose, it's really difficult to state. I can tell you that I lost around 140lbs in 10.5 months with the sleeve. I lost 115lbs within the first 6.5 months with the VSG, and adhering to my post-op dietary guidelines to the "letter". Everyone loses at a different rate, and you are able to adjust your eating to accommodate your specific needs. I personally wanted to lose weight quickly, get to goal, and then worry about maintenance. Others choose to not do it the same way and that's what has worked for them.

I was scoped during my gallbladder surgery this past February. They've been performing gastrectomies for peptic ulcers for decades upon decades, and the sleeve would be a better option for you over RNY or the Band. The risk of ulcer with a "pouch" is much higher than with the sleeve. You might have a different post-op acid reducer medication regimen to control acid production, and you might have to have a different dietary guideline due to the pre-existing condition of peptic ulcers. I recommend checking out some of the ulcer forums for more information regarding gastrectomies for ulcerative conditions so you can get some firsthand experience from other patients who have already had partial gastrectomies. Keep us posted on your progress and let us how things go for you after your scope appointment.

I hope with each passing day your recovery improves. Nausea is absolutely horrible. I suffered from extreme nausea and the only drug that truly worked was Zofran. I also went to drinking regular Gatorade for the electrolytes, and sugar content for a couple of weeks because water/crystal light/broth just wasn't cutting it. I really struggled with getting in protein so my recovery time was extensive. The fatigue really took a toll on me, and I napped a lot. I also had complications so I can't really say that it was a "normal" recovery. I really hope you feel better soon chickee! ! !

You won't be a failure unless you choose to fail. My advice is to nix the negative, refuse to accept failure, and choose SUCCESS. If you can, identify your trigger foods, and kick them to the curb. Carbs are evil little boogers through the losing phase. I can tell you that the further out you get, the more difficult making the "best" decision gets. BUT, if you can put yourself FIRST, you can make the best choice when it comes to what you put in your mouth. Your halfway to goal, look at far you've come, Celebrate that success and stay the course. With all of our past failures, it's difficult to believe that we can actually achieve our goal. The sleeve is going to work for you. If you want to get back on track with food choices, go back to the basics. Stock your pantry/purse with healthy/protein packed choices to avoid the temptation to grab a slider food, or carby monster. Schedule your meals, drink more fluids, stay the course and don't give up on yourself! ! !

Along with possible acid causing false hunger, remember that your stomach isn't going to be "full" on liquids because of the liquids in, liquids out theory. Plus, 3-4 hours between "eating" something is pretty standard. The hunger hormone, ghrelin, is still in your system so you might experience hunger for a few weeks as your stomach heals. Don't fret that something is wrong with your sleeve. Just focus on recovering and getting in your fluids.

Hi there, I wasn't on blood thinners, but I have a clotting disorder similar to von Willebrand's disease. Unfortunately, they have diagnosed me with an "idiopathic clotting disorder" because they can't find the cause or the specific Protein factor that is causing me to have a slow clotting time. I was given DDAVP the day before surgery, and a slow iv drip of the same drug to help prevent bleeding. It was kind of confusing because they gave me Lovenox on top of the DDAVP which was recommended by my oncologist. Best wishes with your consult, and I'm sure they'll be able to take care of you.

I only lost 7lbs with my band. The rest of my weight loss is all with the sleeve. I have 100 times more restriction with my sleeve than I ever had with the band so I'm not sure where that information is coming from. The sleeve works like the band is advertised to work but fails miserably in most cases. The only way you wouldn't have restriction with your sleeve after the band is if your surgeon doesn't dissect the fundus completely or uses a huge bougie to guide the staples. So, really it has nothing to do with having a band before, it's about surgical technique. I had my revision done all in one surgery.

For my program, I could mix any protein powder with water and it counted as a clear. Protein bullets were considered a clear. When I couldn't get in any protein, I had to use the bullets even though they are not the "best" form of protein. Some protein is better than none per my nutritionist. After surgery, the shots tasted horrible so I had to mix them in sugar free gatorade to dilute them out some. The diet stages can be confusing especially if you don't have specific guidelines. If I'm slow to reply, shoot me a message because sometimes my replies get lost in the mix on the forum. I'm having some issues getting used to the new forum, and I might miss a question or a post, so if I don't reply shoot me a message, and I'll be able to get back to you. Hope this helps!

eggs are mushies so whenever you're cleared for mushies or purees, you should be able to add those foods. Applesauce is a full liquid. I wasn't ever able to eat eggs even now at 16 months scrambled eggs cause some discomfort/heavy feeling. Don't push mushies, if you're having trouble getting in liquids, mushies won't help because the consistency is much heavier. I'm not sure if cottage cheese would be a full liquid or mushy because I hate cottage cheese so I never ate/eat it. Logically, if sugar-free pudding, and yogurts are full liquids then cottage cheese would fall in that same category. Just chew up the curbs to mush.

How frustrating! ! ! I hope they get it straightened out for you, and keep us posted.

Because my husband is military, I have fallen in love with Air Force issued cold weather gear. I wear his thermals (they are thinner than regular thermals to accommodate their uniforms), and I swear those little boogers keep you super toasty. That being said, if you have an army/military surplus store near you, I would go and check out the cold weather gear. Most of the time they buy outdated, and unregulated gear and then sell it at a reasonable price. He gets more gear issued to him than he could ever use, and every year things become outdated and unregulated so we're stuck with a bunch of leftover crap. I told him to start getting smaller sizes so I could wear the stuff because we can't turn it back into the AF. We live in Florida for goodness sakes, and he gets gear that is issued for those stationed in Greenland, and Minot, ND. I agree with layers, layers, and more layers. The military issues the best thermal/wool socks as well. The stuff isn't fashion-forward, but it'll keep you warm.

Congrats chickee ! ! ! Way to go, and you'll make goal in no time! ! !

Tricare only covers the sleeve at military treatment facilities and hospitals. It's not a covered service with Tricare standard nor with a civilian surgeon/program on Tricare prime (such as how I am enrolled with Tricare prime). It's not a covered procedure by Medicare, and it won't be until Medicare fully covers it. So, getting sleeve approval is not an issue if you are seeking a sleeve at a military hospital. If a patient is looking for a civilian surgeon, Tricare is NOT going to cover it. I've been round and round with Tricare in all 4 regions of coverage. Appeals are useless, and even congressional complaints and filings are disregarded.

Love, love the sleeve! ! ! It's really amazing, and I wish you and your husband the very best.

Ask the ignorant ones: " If I had a lump in my breast that was cancerous, would I be taking the easy way out by having it surgically removed?" They would surely answer no. Everyone thinks it's easy, or cheating, but honestly, this has been an unrelenting emotional journey for me. I lost weight fast and easy, but that doesn't mean that the journey has been easy. I tell anyone interested because it's been a positive experience for me. I didn't "come out" about pre-op, but once people started noticing, I revealed "the big secret". I've had a couple of people go shamefully say "Ohhhh, I see" which translated means " you cheated". That's when I say "it's not been easy, but it's been worth it." I have lost long term friendships over my choice to have WLS. Sadly, they were real friends in reality.

So glad to hear things continue to look up ! ! !