TexasT

My mother-in-law is also "fat-biased", but not so obvious about it. She never said anything to me before I lost weight, but her daughter is obese and she is very vocal about it with her. I feel so sorry for my sister-in-law. The two of them recently visited us and we all went shopping. My MIL stayed by my side the whole time telling me how cute this and that looked on me and completely ignored her own daughter. We were trying on hats and all she said to her daughter was "hats make your face look even rounder", while she told me "hats look amazing on you! You can't leave here without buying one." Then she grabbed hat after hat for me to try on until I got a couple. My SIL just walked off looking dejected. I went after her and took her to the jewelry area, which she has always had a passion for, and tried to tell her how great things looked on her when she tried them on. I invited her to come back to town by herself sometime (without the judgemental mom), so hopefully she can shop and have fun (she's from a small town and loves to come to Dallas to shop). I know what that feels like to be completely ignored and feel invisible because of how people treat you when you're overweight. No one deserves that.

I think I also waited about 3 months. My surgery was in January and in May I traveled to Italy where I drank a glass of wine at least once a day with no problems. Now I drink whatever I want and can tell no difference from before the VSG.

I eat a cup of Activia cherry yogurt with some hot tea. Then I snack on a 30gram protein bar until lunch.

Good luck on your upcoming revision surgery. You're making a fantastic choice with the VSG and I'm sure you'll love life with the sleeve as most of us do. I did not have an EGD before my revision. I probably should have as I had a hiatal hernia that we didn't know about until they got in there. But my doc added it to the list of procedures and fixed me right up (I also had my gall bladder removed at the same time). Now when I see one of those "example lapbands" that docs have in their offices I can't believe I actually had that much plastic inside my body. They look huge to me now! I certainly don't miss that dang port poking out of my skin or getting caught under my ribs. SO GLAD it's not in there anymore!!!!

I know it's easy for us to say since we're at goal weight, but I also don't see any reason to deprive yourself of a small treat every now and then. I keep some of the Hershey's dark chocolate kisses in the house and eat one or two if I get that chocolate craving. I store them in a plastic container in the top shelf of my pantry so they're not that easy to get to. Then I'll take 2 out and put the container back. I also keep a box of fudge pops in the freezer. They are low fat and have no added sugar and are much better for me than a bowl of ice cream. As long as you can control your portion size and how often you eat them, treats can help make life a little more fun.

Dr. Barker also uses this hospital and I agree with everything said above. The rooms are HUGE, the nurses and techs were super responsive, and it was overall a great experience. If your pain level is above a 2 they bring you pain meds immediately. They work really hard to make sure you are kept comfortable and don't let your pain get out of control. My husband was my "hallway Nazi" making sure I walked every 2 hours during the day, so I never had anyone say a word to me about walking...

Have you tried refried black beans? I ate the heck out of them with a nice dollop of queso blanco on top. They have a tiny bit more protein than the pinto beans. I also ate Cream of Wheat, Deviled Ham (high in salt and fat, but has protein and tastes good - and you're not eating much of it), lots of yogurt and pureed and strained soups, chili w/o beans. I thought eggs sounded good, but had a hard time with them.

I had my revision done on January 8, 2010 and am elated to NOT have the horrible piece of plastic in my body anymore. Because my surgeon had sewn my port in VERY well, it was an ordeal to take out and left a large opening inside that filled with blood (a hematoma). This is perfectly normal and the blood usually re-absorbs into your body over time. Unfortunately, mine opened up via the incision above it and blood went everywhere. It was a bit scary when it happened. I went to the hospital, my surgeon was there and he cleaned and packed the wound for it to heal from the inside out. Once an incision like that comes open, they can't close it back up due to the possibility of infection. So for the next couple of months I cleaned and packed the wound daily until it healed. I also had an undiagnosed hiatal hernia, but if you've had an uppper GI and it didn't show up, you should be good to go on that front. Other than that, expect to live a happier and more carefree life once you have the band out. I'm at goal weight and feel great now.

CONGRATS!!!!! WAY TO GO!

If you have a Vitamin Shoppe near you, they will let you return anything you buy that you don't like (Protein shakes, etc.). That was really nice to help find something I liked and not having to worry about losing money from keeping something I didn't. I didn't do a pre-op diet because I was switching from band to sleeve. Just did liquids for a couple of days before to "clean everything out." Also, keeping up with the liquids post-op is not usually too hard. You're not going to be very hungry anyway post-op, so liquids is not a big deal for a first few weeks. I actually was very slow going from mushies to harder foods, making sure each new food was tolerated. You think now that you'll want to eat everything in sight, but it won't be that way. You'll be amazed how your relationship with food will change. Best wishes and good luck!

As someone that's had a lap-band and sleeve, I can say that I was constantly hungry with the band, but not so much now with the sleeve. My doc explained that ghrelin is produced in the whole stomach, but the larger number of the "pumps" are in the portion of the stomach that is cut out. Ghrelin is also produced in the pancreas, so you will always have some no matter what surgery you have.

I also have lost about 1/2 the fullness in my hair - started about 5-6 months post-op for me. Luckily I had tons of hair to start with, so it's not noticeable to others. But it feels really strange when it's wet in the shower or when I put it in a ponytail and have such a small amount in my hand. I tried Biotin for a few months and couldn't see a difference so I stopped it. I've also been using Nutri-Ox shampoo/conditioner/serum for thinning hair from Sally Beauty, but I don't know if it's really doing anything. I have long hair, so it will probably be a year or two before I can tell a difference. I do see some short hairs growing back in, but I'm also still losing hair - albeit a little slower than a few months ago.

Mine said whenever I felt up to it - no specific time.

When I was on mushies I found that if I amped up the spice in my foods it helped make it a little more appetizing and I was able to eat more. My favorite thing was refried black Beans with a spicy cheese melted on top. And if I wanted extra salt on things, then I put it on there and didn't worry about sodium. Your taste buds can change after this surgery so don't get discouraged. At the beginning of summer I started eating fresh grapes again (couldn't get them down with my band), and I became absolutely obsessed with them! They tasted SO GOOD - like I was eating the sweetest, freshest food on earth. I had to have some EVERY day. Then I moved on to cantalope. It tasted amazing! My hubby would be eating his after-dinner ice cream and I'd be there next to him with my tiny bowl of fruit oohing and ahhing about how wonderful it was. All this to say that the "food blahs" that you have now WILL pass - it might just take a few months for your body to adjust.

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama and they don't cover bariatric surgery of any kind - so no - I was self pay both surgeries. My insurance paid for the hospital stay, OR, etc. for my revision surgery though because I had my gall bladder removed at the same time, which they covered. My doc gave me a quote for the band removal and VSG, and the rest they filed under my insurance.

Sweetie, thanks for the compliment! I really appreciate it. If I hold my head JUST RIGHT the turkey neck is kept at bay - ha! I don't know the conversion from pounds to stone, but I started out at 220/lbs before I had the lapband. I lost some with it, but was able to get to my goal weight of 140/lbs with the sleeve. I vary between 137 - 140/lbs right now. So I'm down 80+ lbs from my highest weight.

I've had 2 C-sections and a hysterectomy, along with band surgery. I would say my experience with the sleeve was as easy as the band surgery, and much easier than the lower abdominal surgeries. Anytime you have a laproscopic procedure vs. an open one, recovery and pain are usually much less.

I also had a hiatal hernia repaired during my sleeve surgery that I was not aware of before hand. Not a problem. I'm almost 50 yrs old myself, and now that I've lost all my weight I definately do see a difference with my skin sagging much more. My neck is the worst area, but it's not horrible. I also notice it in the crook of my elbows and my upper arms on the underside near my arm pits. I'm sure if I tried to gain more muscle in my arms it might fill out a bit. My cheeks are getting a little saggy also and I'm starting to look like those "before" pictures of the people that get fillers injected into their faces. Unfortunately this comes with the territory with weight loss at our age. I may do something about it in the next few years if I get the money to do so. But I'll take this problem over being overweight any day!

Glad you're on the "other side" now - getting it over with really is a relief, huh? Best of luck with the liquid/mushie stages and the rest of your recovery!

I had a little reflux with the band, but no problems with the sleeve. I still take a daily acid reducer though.

My surgeon has a clothing swap every so often at his office. I think that's a great idea. It's an hour drive for me to get there, so I just donated mine to a local charity. I have a few pair of nice jeans that I'm going to pay to take to the tailor. I guess all that money we're saving on food has to go to pay for new clothes, huh? But I'll take that problem any day!

I've had 2 C-Sections, and even with my laundry list of things they did during my surgery (lapband removal, sleeve, hiatal hernia repair, gallbladder removal, and adhesion removal) the sleeve surgery was much easier. The smaller incisions heal so much faster and are less painful.

Every day I eat at least one Premier Protein bar (I buy them at costco and I know Sam's Club also has them). They have 30grams of protein, 7grams of fat and 280 calories. I tried a bunch of Protein Bars and these are my favorite with the highest amount of protein. You don't buy it on-line, but I make my own hummus to eat with Wheat Thins. You can flavor it a lot of ways (extra garlic, hot sauce, chives, etc.). It provides protein and Fiber.

I had a lapband and was unhappy with all the horrible things you have to put up with when you have one. My surgeon told me about the sleeve and I decided to do it the same time I had my gall bladder removed. I was able to lose the rest of my excess weight and am now at goal. Having a sleeve is easy in my opinion. It forces you to make better decisions about eating. My tummy doesn't feel right if I eat fat or things that are too sweet, so I prefer to eat my Protein then fruits and veggies. Plus of course, I'm only able to eat small portions and feel much less hunger than before. Good luck with your research - you've come to the right place!

April, I used to have sleep apnea also. I HATED sleeping with a C-PAP machine - SOO SEXY, huh?? I was able to get off of it after getting a lapband and losing around 40/lbs. No more meds for high triglycerides or depression either. Losing this excess weight is the best thing you can do for your health, and WLS is a great tool. Wish the sleeve had been around when I had the band, but I'm happy now that the band is gone and I can live life fully again. Tell your hubby you'll be a "cheap date" once this is all said and done and eating such small portions - ha! Good luck with your insurance!