JoiaRox

With the hell that I went through?! You betcha! Where can I sign up?!?!

It's a medical fact that smoking messes with your healing process - with such a major trauma to your stomach, doctors will either highly recommend or require that you quit smoking prior to your surgery (I've seen the statistic of a month out). Regarding that, though, I was a pack a day smoker until a few months ago. I talked to my doctor about switching to vaping (e-cigarettes) and he was fully on board. He even enjoys seeing what new paraphernalia I've bought to go with my new habit! I completely gave up smoking the moment I picked up my first e-cig and am a happy vape-r ever since! In fact, I vaped IN my hospital recovery room! Essentially, my doctor feels that nicotine will ultimately be proven to be as safe as caffeine - it's the 4,000+ toxins/tar/tobacco in cigarettes that are the real barrier to healing. Consult with your doctor - mine is now recommending vaping nicotine as an alternative to his smoking patients. Yours may do the same!

I've never tried the chewable version, but many people here swear by the dissolvable strips! Since those are okay post-op (and widely used), I'd guess the chemical composition of the chewable version is okay! Then again, I'm not your doctor .

If that's wrong, I don't want to be right! I've been "having fun" with my protein shakes as well and my doctor has no complaints. My doctor could care less how many calories I consume (or not) - he's all about making sure I get 70g of protein, 64oz fluids and all my vitamins in per day. I end up with about 1,000 calories, on average, per day. I wouldn't necessarily use this website as a source of nutritional information - we're all different, and all of our surgeons have different "ideals" for our journey.

Not in Westminster, but work in Rockville! Although I live in VA at the moment, I'm moving up to Montgomery County this summer .

The pre-op diet exists to shrink your liver so that the doc can access your stomach more easily; while my doctor said I'd inevitably lose weight on the pre-op diet (I lost 10 pounds in the 10 days I was required to do it), the lost weight wasn't the priority. Before everyone else jumps on to it, think about why you ate the sweet bread - was the taste really worth the feeling afterwards? You can kick food's butt, and the sleeve will be a useful tool to help you do that, but you've got to remember that only YOU are ultimately accountable to YOU. Brush yourself off and make a promise to yourself that you'll do/be better.

While I can't address the first part, the leak test to which you refer is, I believe, what was done the day after my surgery before I could be released from the hospital. Essentially, it's a fluoroscopy. I had to drink gastric thinner followed by barium while standing in an x-ray machine - they watched the liquid go through my new sleeve to see if there was any bubbling in spots and to ensure the liquid went entirely through my digestive tract. They do this to make sure there are no leaks in the newly stapled stomach line before they can release you - part liability, part safety of the patient .

Sounds to me like you're already AT goal. Why does a number on the scale have to define that? If you're happy & healthy, that's all that matters! I have a goal in my signature below that's somewhat arbitrary - I don't intend on reaching 169 exactly, but I may go above or below it depending on how I feel when I'm in the area!

I like to refer to the sleeve as my "forced behavior modification." I can deal with head hunger, but when legitimately hungry will choose not-so-healthy foods...and eat a truckload of them. Ergo...fat. That's changing now Keep your chin up - it will be here before you know it!

Yikes! I'm so glad my doctor doesn't do this!! I had a shot before surgery and one post-op while in the hospital...that was it! Eeeeek!

I am on Day 2 of mushies after 2 weeks of "full liquids" - and OMG - Taco Bell's Pintos n' Cheese tasted like gold to me (it was the first thing I ate). Right now, I just sat down with a bowl of Hormel Turkey Chili w/beans - added 1 serving of cheddar cheese, blended it into a puree and heated it up! Just got home from grocery shopping and stocked up on soups (other than "cream of" because I'm sick of them), tuna, greek yogurt etc. - anything that can be blended into yumminess in my "Magic Bullet!"

The Unjury chicken soup powder is not only DELISH, but is relatively thin. Should be great for you!

Check with your surgeon, too, as carbonation isn't "outlawed" for everyone post-op.

I gained a little less than 30 pounds between my LapBand being removed and my sleeve being put in (I had to wait 11 weeks) - lost 10 of that on my pre-op sleeve diet. While not happy with that, I also had to recognize that I'd been starved for 2+ years with a BADLY slipped band - my body had survived on high calorie drinks. When I could eat again? I did. My doctor knew I'd gain weight and had no problem with my weight. Luckily, I didn't have to buy new clothes, but I sure was tight in mah pants by the time I started my pre-op sleeve diet! Bottom line is...I agree with the poster above . Don't beat yourself up over the gain. If your clothes aren't fitting and you don't want to buy new ones (which, I'd agree with - they won't last long once you start losing again!), you've got to deal with this head on! Alternatively, check out thrift/consignment stores for cheaper summer clothes - it won't be too long!

I'm only a couple of weeks post-op, so I know I won't be drinking for awhile - but, I've read that many people warn against alcohol on here post-op. Apparently, the smaller stomach allows the alcohol to be processed much more quickly making you a "lightweight" - so go slow with whatever you choose! Pre-op, back in my wilder 20's, Diet Coke & rum was a fave of mine - Diet Coke mixes well with many different alcohols. Alcohol, by nature, is relatively packed with sugar. You'll be hard pressed to find one that's "good" for you. If you want some extra Vitamins, go with a screwdriver - Orange juice & Vodka. Pre-op for my LapBand removal, I was on a very strict low carb diet (no more than 50g/day). Prior to going to a St. Patrick's Day party at a bar with friends, I researched the carb counts of various beers - ultimately, I decided that even the low carb beers weren't worth my time. I think the lowest I found (that was carried at the bar) was somewhere around 17g carbs per bottle. Sorry, I'd rather expend my carbs on something I can EAT!

I sometimes get amazed at the lower weights people "start" and "end" with in their signatures - I take a step back and have to remember that I'm relatively tall (5'9") and that my weights are okay for who I am . While I do have a "goal" in mind, I've also never been close to it as an adult (goal is 169, lowest adult weight was 216) - so I have no idea how I'll look/feel when I get closer! Who knows, I may love 180! We shall see!

Although I was still a little sleepy, I felt "regular" about a week post-op. On Day 8 I drove 3+ hours to a retirement party for my former boss (drank water the whole time) after looking at houses in a neighboring state that morning. I went back to work on Day 10 and now, Day 14, I'm finishing up my first work week feeling fine!

Dumb question (maybe) - have you tried GasX strips? They work WONDERS for a lot of people!

I became really good at the "sleep, sip, walk, sip, sleep, sip, walk, sip, sleep..." routine post-op!

Two words: do it. I had my "Revision" done in two steps (band removal in March, sleeved 2 weeks ago) because my doctor prefers that a patient's stomach heals before dissecting it - then again, I had a crap load of trauma done to my stomach after 2+ years of a horribly slipped band.

Piece of cake for me! Nausea was my enemy in the hospital, but I stayed - as scheduled - overnight and the nausea was whipped into submission by the awesome staff. My only "recovery" problem was lack of energy...but, then again, not consuming much in the way of calories (energy) justifies it! I'm 2 weeks post-op tomorrow and have been back at work all week (3+ hours of commuting each day). This surgery was definitely a piece of cake!

Comments from the ignorant never sting

Being on the Vertical Sleeve Talk forums, I'm sure you're aware that you're going to hear primarily from "pro-sleevers." Personally, I had a LapBand put in January 2010 and it began to slip a year out. While I lost 130 pounds with the band, the slip continued further and further until it was at the bottom of my stomach (my new doctor has no idea how it got that far). Long story short, I moved states/careers after getting the surgery and found a terrific doctor (my current doc) - but my insurance wouldn't cover removal no matter what. My slip was life threatening (one stuck episode could cause a trip to the ER for emergency removal - insurance made it clear they wouldn't cover that either). I lived with a severely and irreparably slipped band for 2+ years and slowly ate/threw up/drank (high sugar drinks) nearly 100 of the pounds I had lost - we call that pity/depression and "soft food syndrome" - eating/drinking anything that has a chance of going down...FYI? Frapuccinos are not good for weight loss . Cut to December 2012 - I was laid off from the job I had moved cross country for and, luckily, was re-employed in a new state in late January 2013. This job's insurance COVERS WLS - I got the band removed in March 2013 (had to wait for my new insurance to kick in) and, after my stomach had a chance to heal, was sleeved 2 weeks ago. Initially, I had a lot of the same thoughts posted above - I chose the band because I didn't want to permanently alter myself, was worried about complications, etc. The statistics today, though, are what they are - much more in favor of the sleeve for long term and permanent weight loss, much safer, etc. The band, on the other hand, has decreased in both effectiveness and safety since I had it done in 2010. Knowing what I know now? Even without having experienced the hell I endured? I'd choose the sleeve over the band. And? I'm stoked to be a new sleever . Do the research and come to your own, informed conclusion - it's the only way you'll be at peace with your decision! Horror stories are what they are - some live through them, some don't. The way I see it? Obesity isn't a disease I want to live with for the rest of my life, and I certainly don't want the complications that are bound to come my way as an aging obese person (I'm 32 now, but co-morbidities run rampant in my obese family). WLS is my forced behavior modification - my tool - to help me conquer this lifelong battle.

I mix my chocolate protein powder with 2T of PB2 - low fat and YUMMMMY!

Have you tried Greek yogurt? Fascinating amount of protein in such a lil' container - I've found it to be helpful in my "full liquids" stage (ONE MORE DAY THANK GOD!). Luckily, yogurt is on my list of approved foods at the moment. I'm not a fan of the plain yogurt, but the flavored ones are divine!