Tiffykins

Thanks Kelli I'm an insurance agent as well so I have a good, solid grasp of what they want. . .

Don't stress. Your surgeon needs to have you list out what you've done on your own to lose weight my list looked like this: Paid Programs for Weight loss: Weight Watchers - 4 years 99, 2003, 2005, 2007, on all attempts I attended weekly meetings, and weigh ins. Stuck to the program lost anywhere between 30-60lbs, but would gain it back. Nutrisystem in 2006- lost about 20 pounds but the cost of food, and having to prepare a complete meal for my son was far too expensive. Weigh Down Workshop: Faith based weight loss program offered through my church. Lost 50-70lbs over 2 years. Exercise and various physical changes: 1 hour 4 times a week of hip hop abs for 1 year - lost 40lbs, hurt my knee and had to quit working out, a year later joined 24hr fitness and worked out with weights, and isolated core. Lost 20-30lbs, but moved and gained the weight back Behavioral modifications: Park furthest away from the store front when going shopping, ate off a smaller plate to help cut portions, ate slowly and extended my meals over 30 minutes, cut all fried foods out of my diet, cut out soda and alcohol Diet Attempts: Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Atkins (several times), FenPhen, Adipex, herbal weight loss supplements such as Metabolife and Slimquick. I lost weight with all of these attempts, the issue isn't losing, it's keeping my weight off. I added that last little tidbit at the end. My insurance coordinator faxed my sheet in directly to the insurance company. My surgeon signed off on it. I had to do this for both my band and revision.

I'm not a man, but I can understand how she feels. I weighed over 100lbs more than my husband, and he thought I could just do it on my own with him helping me working out. Yeah, that flew over like a brick in a poop poop storm. I was so mad, angry at him that he didn't understand. But, we worked it out, and after 2.5 almost 3 years of seeing me struggle with my weight, he realized that I couldn't do it on my own. It was a struggle at first because he wanted to be the "food police", and that caused a lot of bickering. Lean on us, if you want to use this place as your main support, post away, find a mentor with one of the other guys. Swiftflow on here ROCKS, he's amazing, has a youtube channel on his journey. You can find him through the member search at the top. Also, on obesityhelp.com there is a forum dedicated to spouses of WLS patients. Your wife may find some comfort in talking with other spouses that are experiencing the same emotions. This is definitely not easy, and I don't know your wife, but sometimes spouses try to sabotage our efforts. When my husband thought I had lost enough weight, he started bringing home little Snacks, offering me little bites of his Cookies or a few spoonfuls of his ice cream. . . You'll have to lovingly and gently set some boundaries. She may not even realize she's doing it.

I would recommend getting some of those wet wipes. Also, if you aren't hydrating, your body could be trying to compensate, and your pH is changing. Plus, it could be the anesthesia, and other meds they gave you during and immediately following the op. Focus on fluids, if you aren't staying hydrated it can lead to nausea which will only make you feel worse, and land you back in the hospital. Push Clear liquids, warm herbal teas, broths, get some sugar free gatorade or Powerade for the electrolytes.

Your breath will get better over time while being in ketosis. It'll come out in your sweat also. Get a tongue scraper for the funky tongue fuzz. As for the sweet smell, changes in your pH could be occurring especially if you are on any type of medication. Are you drinking a lot of artificial sweetener drinks? Like Crystal Light, or herbal teas?

YAY YAY ! ! ! I'm so happy. . . I tell my friends here that have these little gains to take a good poo and all will be fine. Protein definitely causes diarrhea. I know a few people that add benefiber to their water/clear fluids and they say that it definitely helps. I drink coffee so I have had zero issues with regularity. During my low carb days, I did have constipation a couple of times, and Miralax with a little grape juice worked wonders. So ecstatic that you hung in there, and saw the loss on the scale ! ! !

What about your thyroid? Are you on any specific medications that could hinder hair growth? You can check with your pharmacist to see if there is anything you're taking that could cause these symptoms.

I'll ditto Stacie's comments. Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone considers this the easy way out. Yes, the surgery makes it easier, but by no means is the entire process easy. The mental aspect alone is a huge feat. Add in the physical changes, and difficult transition to changing our entire relationship with food, how can anyone consider that easy? I had zero issues losing weight before. I could drop 40-50 pounds without issue. Sadly, sh)t happens and I'd gain it back. At least with the sleeve, I've got a fighting chance to keep it off this time. I'm not foolish to think I will escape some regain. History tends to repeat itself, but at least I know that I'll never regain the 145lbs I lost with the sleeve. I'll be okay with a little bounce back, and now the sleeve gives me power to make better choices. I can still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake if I want to. It's the lack of desire that keeps me out of the Sonic drive-thru. Without the sleeve, I'd still be hitting Baskin Robbins for ice cream, or ordering dessert with every meal. Once I decided that I wanted to lose the weight, I never wavered from my decision. When it was time to revise from the band, I was ready for the sleeve. I never saw it as easy, I knew that I'd have to work on more than just the physical. For me, ensuring I was hitting calorie, carb and Protein goals, clear fluids intake and the like was far from easy. I had dieting down to a science, but the lifestyle change is what a lot of people don't take into account when they see WLS as an "easy out" for us fatties. Don't fall into the trap that WLS is the easy answer. If you do, you'll be highly disappointed that you have to work your butt off to get to goal. I won't lie and say I struggled to lose, I never stalled, I never saw a true gain during my losing stage, BUT, I fought to get to goal in 6.5 months. I stuck my nose to the grindstone, followed the rules, and didn't give in when things got tough.

That seriously brought tears to my eyes ! ! ! I had a mental picture of you trying on those pants (not in that creepy seeing you undressed way LOL) ! ! ! Super proud of you, and I can't wait to see your pics! ! !

I had to wait 3 months. My surgeon explained it that stringy, fiberous, high cellulose foods tend to hang out in the sleeve. The first time I ate pickles, I ate a pickle, and then hours later, and after a 2nd meal, I was burping up pickle skins. That was pretty disgusting so I avoided pickles for a few months months. You can read this thread below for personal experience with raw foods. This was a concern my surgeon mentioned, but he was mainly worried that the food would hang out in there, and I wouldn't be able to get in my Protein. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/vsg-complications-support-group/1615-obstructed-bezoar-has-anyone-else-heard.html

WHEW what a year you had, and I am so proud of you for so many reasons ! ! ! You mean so much to me, and I'm sorry I've not been around much ! !! Congrats ! ! !

Me too ! ! !

I imagine it is, but try to hang in there, and know that you are doing everything "right". Don't let this speed bump become a roadblock ! ! ! You'll lose, and you're doing really fabulous. It could be water weight from your muscles repairing. I can give you tons of reasons why it's logical to see a 3/4 of pound gain during this stage, but it's not going to change how you feel about it. Just know that you will lose it PLUS more. That's all I know to say because the reasons behind a tiny gain is not going to make you any less heartbroken.

Don't be blue, as difficult as it is, your body is still adjusting. I'm one of those that believe we need good fat content/counts to lose weight. I never cut my fat, and I never stalled nor did I ever gain an ounce during my losing stage. The losing a pound a day thing definitely stops. I dropped from a pound a day to 3-5 pounds per week, and I weighed daily, multiple times a day on most days. You'll lose that 3/4 of a pound and then some, but your body is going to settle in. Also, a pound is a pound. If you're gaining muscle, you're losing inches, and the scale may not show you the results. The muscle is lean while fat is bulky and bumpy taking up more space in the body, but a pound of fat is the same as a pound of muscle by weight. Take some measurements, are your clothes fitting differently? Having to tighten your duty belt, or are you tugging at it more to keep it up?

I'm pretty open with my hatred for the band, and it's because I lived with that evil thing. Plus, I have friends, and my own mother that have the band. I wouldn't have a malabsorptive procedure if someone paid me, but if RNY and DS were the only 2 WLS options, and I had major co-morbidities, I'd only consider DS. You'll also find that everyone loves their surgery choice the first 6-12 months. After that little honeymoon phase, things change, and reality sits in. I'm open to others having whichever surgery they think is best, but I know which surgery was BEST for me. I've also been able to educate several friends (in real life) about the sleeve, and now they are singing sleeve praises, and so grateful that I educated them rather than just bashing their initial choice. For me, the "proof is in the pudding" (pun intended) for VSG. I'm a walking billboard that it can successful, and that we can live extremely normal, healthy, active lives with zero complications.

Check with your surgeon. It's been documented that the Calcium carbonate in Tums/Rolaids can cause some rebound heartburn. Just meaning, it might work temporarily, but you could get more reflux once the immediate relief wears off. If you aren't on a PPI (Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, or Prevacid), not an H2 Blocker, but a true PPI, talk to your doc about getting on something. Our stomachs aren't used to being so tiny, and it's still producing the same amount of acid for our huge pre-op tummies. Gaviscon works pretty good for immediate relief from what others have shared on here.

It is a habit that needs to be broken. You really won't have room for liquids early out. Over 85% of absorption for nutrients/calories etc etc occur in the intestines, but when we eat, we need the food to stay in our stomachs for as long as possible. Drinking flushes the food through faster, and you may find that you are hungry after drinking with your meals. It might not be true hunger, but you might feel an "empty" feeling. Now with all that being said, I do sip with my meal occasionally. There is a big difference between taking a couple of little sips, and full on drinking with a meal. I only sip if I'm eating something super spicy, or salty and it's just enough to wet my whistle. It's also a way to eat around your sleeve. If you eat, and drink, or don't wait 30 minutes after you eat to resume drinking, you can fit more food in. All of this kind of defeats the purpose of the sleeve. It was a very difficult habit for me to break, but I did it with the band. At least with the sleeve, I can drink right up until I take that first bite. With the band, you have to stop drinking 30 minutes before eating. Also, if you eat and then drink too soon, it can cause discomfort especially within the first couple of months post-op.

I wasn't saying snacking was bad, I was just sharing my experience with making meals out of pork rinds. I was able to stick to 4 meals a day. I completely understand your circumstances, and your nutritional needs are going to be different from most. Heck, I sat on my ass for the first 4 months other than walking so I didn't have to worry about certain restrictions.

Pork rinds aren't really horrible for us. I would get the hot flavor variety, and zap them in the microwave with a little cheese on them. It was kind of like nachos. I didn't snack until maintenance, so they were practically a full meal for me. I didn't do it often, but when I needed salty/crunchy, they served their purpose.

I was actually the opposite. During my recovery, the 2.5 weeks of nothing by mouth was pure hell. I didn't really miss eating, but I missed the experience of food. I threw myself into Food Network and the Travel channel. M v. F, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Iron chef America, and all the others is what I watched day in and day out. I also started scouring websites for recipes, and learned how to tweak them to be more sleeve friendly. I'm weird, I know, but I found comfort in watching all those shows. It was a reminder that I would be able to eat at some point LOL.

shake things up, increase your Fluid intake, add 50-100 calories per day for a few days. Did you take pre-op measurements? You could be losing inches, and the scale won't reflect those changes? Stalls happen, and most of the time your body just needs time to adjust. Our bodies can't continue to lose a pound a day so the weight loss will slow down after the initial post-op period. Hang in there, maybe try weighing once a week. I weighed every day, but it doesn't work for everyone else.

Carrie, I don't think you are anti-sleeve or your sleeve experience is what you are struggling with in all honestly. You were traumatized by a medical professional, and forced into something that you decided that you weren't ready for by your family, and for that none of us can relate. BUT, support doesn't always come in the form of just saying what you want to hear. You know that there are underlying issues which you are making the conscious choice to ignore. I'm sorry, but from all of your posts, it is not hard to decipher what is going on even over the internet. You have been through a hell of an ordeal, none of us have discredited that fact. But, you have to accept that the sleeve is NOT at fault for your issues. You weren't anti-sleeve until your family guilted you into it, you were asking to "feel human" again, you changed your mind, and had every right to do so, but please don't blame for your anger, or that you're having a bad sleeve experience. You have praised Dr. Castro, but you said in a previous post that you are anti-sleeve. There's a lot of confusion, and to be honest a lot of downright contradictions in most of your posts. I hope that you do seek trained medical counseling because this horrific situation has thoroughly traumatized you, and I only want you to be healthy, mentally and physically. We are here to support you, but it wouldn't be real support if we didn't try to help you see that the issues lie deeper than just the sleeve surgery. If we all just poor Carrie, or it's okay to not discuss things with your husband, or play the "woe is Carrie" card constantly, all we're doing is enabling you to continue to not face the obstacles that are standing in the way of your having a wonderful sleeve experience in it's entirety. Not to be snarky, but the ignore feature works both ways. For those of us that you feel are not giving you the support you need or want, ignore works in that scenario as well.

All I take is a high quality adult multi-Vitamin, calcium citrate, and I pop a sublingual b12 every couple of days. My labs have been textbook perfect since surgery so not everyone has to take all of those additional supplements/vitamins/minerals. My multi gives me over 100% of all the main Vitamins and is heavy on many of the additional minerals/vitamins.

If you still have your gallbladder, you might want to have it checked. If you don't, it could be the transit time issue that usually resolves over the next few weeks. I've never heard of dumping on everything someone eats. There might be an underlying issue causing dumping symptoms. You can try Probiotics to see if it'll help with the diarrhea and "gut issues".

Actigall (Ursodiol generic name) is the name of the drug. There are also contraindications for this medication if you have liver issues. My surgeon only has 1/4 of his patients that need their gb out after WLS. I opted to NOT take Actigall. #1 Our livers work double time when losing weight rapidly especially when we're in ketosis. I didn't want to task my liver anymore than necessary. #2 The gb helps break down fat. During my losing stage, I ate full fat foods because light or fat free food had more carbs and sugar counts. #3 I had my GB out at 8 months post-op, and a lot of my food choices were nixed because my body would not process fat the same it did before losing my GB. I struggled with a lot of foods post gb removal. I can't imagine not having my GB during my losing stage. I would have been miserable. It's a hiatal hernia repair, and it is not the "norm". I didn't have one, and I had a band as well. Hiatal hernias often go undiagnosed until surgery, and they are repaired simultaneously as the sleeve surgery. These particular hernias can cause reflux, and repairing them can prolong recovery. The esophagus sometimes has spasms for several weeks to months post repair. It's not related to the sleeve at all. I researched so much that really I had zero surprises. I was a revision, and I walked in knowing my risks, complications, and that recovery would probably be extended. Of course, no amount of research prepared me for my specific complications, extensive recovery, but for the actual sleeve life I was well equipped for the ins and outs of surgery, and life post sleeve. I completely agree with buying samples of Protein, don't get hung up on a flavor because more than likely your tastes will change post-op. Don't buy any tubs, or large quantities of protein mixes/shakes until a couple of weeks post-op. If you do, more than likely, you'll end up with them being dust collectors. I bought only samples, and found one that I loved. But, 2 weeks into drinking it(4 weeks post-op), I started puking. Lovely, lactose intolerance hit me, and hit me hard. All whey Proteins were out for me. The soy and veggie proteins were horrible tasting and textured. I gave the one tub I did purchase away to friend. I never experienced a true stall. I always lost weight, every week. Some weeks I only lost 1-2 pounds, but I never the 2 full weeks without weight loss. BUT, stalls happen, and I would say 98% of WLS patients experience them. Our bodies really can't lose a pound a day forever, and it has to adjust. Start instilling better habits NOW. I had the learning curve with the sleeve pretty much beat because of my band experience. I had already quit drinking with my meals, already ate small bites, and always set my eating utensil down in between bites to help me slow down on eating. If you start these little changes now, as a pre-op, you'll find the transition to eating with the sleeve much easier. Also, eat your protein first, take at least 20 minutes to eat your meals, stop bringing a beverage to the table with you when you eat. Learn to identify your trigger foods, and avoid them, or enjoy them in moderation. Go ahead and start sucking down Clear liquids on a daily basis. If you're not a Water drinker, you might want to learn to start liking water now. If you hate water, find something that you can add to it. Clear liquids are essential in your recovery. Also, try to prepare yourself mentally for all the changes. If you have food issues such as emotional and compulsive eating, tackle those demons now. Don't think the sleeve will resolve these issues alone. They operate on our stomachs not our brains, and conquering the mental aspect of WLS is 75% of the battle. Best wishes, and keep reading, researching, and preparing yourself emotionally, mentally, and physically.