cajun

It is the paler orange line that extends diagonally along the bottom of the sleeve, starting at the lower left hand of the picture, going up toward the upper right hand of the picture.

This sounds yummy. Could use ground venison, or buffalo, or any meat...mmmm.

Thanks for all the feedback, y'all.

I had an EGD (where they look inside your stomache with a camera) this week. I asked the doc to take a picture of my healed suture line, because I've always been curious as to what it looks like. It is neatly healed up, running along the bottom of the photo...a pale line in the sleeve.

Margo, I highly recommend that you get a primary care physician. There are many reasons this makes your life easier and especially after surgery, you may need one for various reasons. Are you having surgery in the US or elsewhere?

Surgeons differ in their procedures. I recommend always following your surgeon's advice on medications, diet, etc. You can always contact your surgeon's office and ask what he/she recommends if you are not sure.

This is a great resource, Alex. Thanks for putting it together.

I spent a couple of months on line doing research to find a surgeon that I trusted, then after I contacted his office, I was sleeved within about a month. My insurance does not cover VSG, and I was glad in a way because I did not want to jump through all the hoops that insurance requires. The long wait time would have driven me bananas. And I was physically really getting impaired by all that extra weight. I needed to get it off so I could get on with my life. Am so glad it worked out the way it did.

I could eat 1/2 rack of ribs before my VSG. Now I can eat 2 ribs...had some yesterday and plan to have some more during the Saints game today. Yep. Still like 'em. But I love my weight loss more...the best of both worlds!

Sobe life water has a lot of vitamins in it. No sugar. It helped me make it through and is still my main fluid intake. Target puts it on sale frequently, two 20 oz bottles for 1 buck. Lots of flavors. I love it.

I only told one family member and my two best friends who were very supportive. I did not want to have to deal with "naysayers". Since I have lost almost 80 lbs and it shows, now people are starting to ask, and if they ask I tell them. You can't argue with results! And I don't care if they don't agree with what I did anyway at this point...I can see it works and they can too.

Chancie, When you stopped it, did you taper off or just stop"cold turkey"? Did you have increased acid reflux the first few days or week? If so, how did you manage it?

Marci, Welcome home! We are glad to have you on the loser's bench! The first week is the hardest, just keep sipping and burping and walking, and you will make it through. Then the fun starts as the pounds melt away! Let us know if you need support . We are cheering for you!

It is difficult to describe. It is not the same as being "full" pre surgery. Before the meal I have a sensation that my sleeve is just a teensy bit "churning", some might call it a teensy nausea sensation. Then after 4-5 bites of food, it settles and it just feels calm. That is my signal. So it is more like a lack of churning that I feel. It may be different from others. I have always been able to stop eating at that signal, and have never once had sliming or vomiting after a meal. The one thing I have had is pain in my back between my shoulder blades after eating certain solids, such as chicken breast. Softer foods, even dark meat chicken, do not cause this. It goes away after about an hour. I try to avoid foods that cause it. Once or twice it was so bad I had to take a tylenol. Usually it is not that bad.

Every medicine has possible side effects, so although they are necessary sometimes, I just want to get off anything that I don't need to be taking as soon as I possibly can. In the research lab when these drugs were being developed, they caused cancer sometimes in the mice or rats (not sure which) they were tested on, after HUGE dosages. That does NOT mean that they will cause it in humans. We are not rats and we don't take the kind of huge doses they were given. But I am not a person to take chances. I want the normal stomach processes to work normally. PPI's are essential right after the VSG. Once things are healed up, the process of stopping them is not easy because the cells that were prevented from secreting acid go wild, and start producing huge amounts because they are "turned back on". This period of time is hard to get through because of the symptoms it causes, but lots of people do make it through successfully. I'm hoping to get tips from people who have done it.

I'd appreciate hearing tips from those of you who have successfully tapered off nexium or prilosec. It usually causes a rebound increase in acid production by the stomach, so I'm trying to get all the info I can to see how to prevent problems when I start tapering off. Please share what worked for you to keep from having worse GERD or stomach pain during this process. Thanks a bunch!

FYI, I have noted that there are a number of lawsuits now over patients who had psyciatric disturbances and some suicides after starting Chantix. It is a relatively new drug and I am leery of "new" drugs until they are well tested over time. In my opinion, people who take "new" drugs on the market are "doing the research", like guinea pigs. Since Wellbutrin is an older drug and there has been more experience, and less negative outcomes with it, perhaps it is a safer choice. Good idea to talk with your doctor about this.

Just a friendly FYI. Research demonstrates that once a surgeon has performed over 300 VSG's, their complication rate goes way down. In my opinion, experience is the most important factor in choosing a safe surgeon. Good luck in your research!

Shanda, Wow, you are so beautiful...I know that you will be an awesome bride. Best of luck to you and your fiance! Looking forward to wedding pictures!

Travel as light as you can. You don't want to be lugging a heavy suitcase, to cause a hernia. I checked my luggage going home, so I would not have to pick it up and put it in the overhead bin.

Congrats Kai! You'll do great!

Tiff, A nother vote for A. You Go Girl!

I agree that it is extremely important to follow the recommended slow advancement of the diet as Dr Aceves recommends. If you advance faster, you could develop a leak, and end up back in the hospital (or worse). It's not easy, and I know what you are experiencing..I had my hiatal hernia repaired also and had the esophageal spasms at first, then back pain when I started mushie foods. Just think about the perspective...do it right now, and you will have years and years to eat what ever you want. Take it one day at a time, and you will be successful, without complications.

That was just ONE person's opinion. I'll bet Dr Aceves and many other surgeons would have a different opinion. If you need to hear another opinion before making your decision, I'm sure you can get one!

They look sassy, for sure. How do they rate on safety tests?