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Hello, I'm new here. I had the sleeve on July 5th. I was out of the hospital in two days. Shortly thereafter, I got a fungus infection in my mouth and on tongue. I ended up going to Urgent Care to get treatment. I was then giving a prescription for post-op fungal infection. I was not given antibiotics upon leaving the hospital. I cannot find out what is proper. The hospital will not answer my queries. Are there any laws in Nevada to require post-op surgery patients to get antibiotics? What is proper. Zia

Thanks to everyone to my query! It's funny to be this age and think you know everything and you don't! HA Loving growing up! K:)

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I agree that the more solid the food the better, which was why I queried the frittata. I suppose it depends what is added to the frittata that makes the difference. I also think that soup is a good choice if it is homemade, full of veggies and blended to a thick consistency.

What was quite interesting was that about a year ago I contacted Allergan with this exact query. I asked how long it took for the food to pass through and why if it was passing through so quickly one could not drink soon after eating. They actually phoned me which I was quite shocked about as they are in the USA and I am in Aus. They could not give me an answer to the question. They did not seem to believe that the food passed through quickly and said that it took a while but could not put a time to that. Quite strange when the manufacturer does not know how it's product works. Yes Helen is a highly regarded dietician and works with one of our most highly regarded bariatric surgeons. However for me the info still does not give all the answers. Cocoa I imagine that with the test they only watched a few bites and presumably because it was test conditions you were not eating the way you would do normally. Even if unintentionally you were probably more aware of how you were chewing. I think that to come up with a definitive answer they would need to test a large number of people and watch as they ate an entire meal. The difficulty would be to get people to relax and eat the way that they normally do when at home.

Search the forum and you'll see this has been queried and answered many, many times. Make sure you supplement some sources of fiber (Benefiber, Metamucil - unflavored powders), drink lots and lots of fluids and walk/exercise!

I was sleeved last week. I plan to answer that query with "a lot." My weight is no one's business just as the fact that I had bariatric surgery. When people ask how I lost my weight, I plan to answer, "diet and exercise." In each case, I am telling the truth, but preserving my privacy.

Hi there everybody! I'd like to introduce myself here and then follow up my introduction with a great big thank you. My username here is MovingTowardNormal. I am a 40 year old school teacher in Sacramento. I was "sleeved" on February 21st, 2012 - Ironically that was Fat Tuesday! I have been over weight most of my life. I was also always an avid athlete. It's a pretty weird combination but it seemed to work. I have been considering bariatric surgery for perhaps a decade because that combo really wasn't working... In that decade, I have gotten a masters, degree, traveled around extensively, got married and lost and gained about 300 or more lbs. In November 2011, I visited a friend who lost 180 lbs with the DS 10 years ago and my decision was finally made. People who I told (I only told a handful of folks) asked why I wanted to do this. My answer to their query was always the same, "I want to be free." I love food. I love to cook. I love a good game of tennis. But I painfully craved freedom...Freedom from my breasts falling into my neck as I posed in downward dog; freedom from the horrors of an airplane seat; freedom from inner thigh chafe and so on. I first sought support at OH and while I'm sure it's a useful platform for others, it wasn't exactly right for me. So here I am! And so far, so go. My experience here has been outstanding! At the beginning of this this I said I was going to give a thank you...Thank you, all you VSGer's who are here. Here to support each other with the same goal and the same procedure. We likely have the same struggles and similar outlooks on things. I feel safe here. Thanks! I have a blogspot called Moving Toward Normal (http://movingtowardnormal.blogspot.com/). Come and visit me over there sometime!

Hi there everybody! I'd like to introduce myself here and then follow up my introduction with a great big thank you. My username here is MovingTowardNormal. I am a 40 year old school teacher in Sacramento. I was "sleeved" on February 21st, 2012 - Ironically that was Fat Tuesday! I have been over weight most of my life. I was also always an avid athlete. It's a pretty weird combination but it seemed to work. I have been considering bariatric surgery for perhaps a decade because that combo really wasn't working... In that decade, I have gotten a masters, degree, traveled around extensively, got married and lost and gained about 300 or more lbs. In November 2011, I visited a friend who lost 180 lbs with the DS 10 years ago and my decision was finally made. People who I told (I only told a handful of folks) asked why I wanted to do this. My answer to their query was always the same, "I want to be free." I love food. I love to cook. I love a good game of tennis. But I painfully craved freedom...Freedom from my breasts falling into my neck as I posed in downward dog; freedom from the horrors of an airplane seat; freedom from inner thigh chafe and so on. I first sought support at OH and while I'm sure it's a useful platform for others, it wasn't exactly right for me. So here I am! And so far, so go. My experience here has been outstanding! At the beginning of this this I said I was going to give a thank you...Thank you, all you VSGer's who are here. Here to support each other with the same goal and the same procedure. We likely have the same struggles and similar outlooks on things. I feel safe here. Thanks! I have a blogspot called Moving Toward Normal (http://movingtowardnormal.blogspot.com/). Come and visit me over there sometime!

Hiya. I had this the morning after surgery and did query it with the nurse. I looked flushed but there were sort of spots within the colouring( went up to my forehead). The nurse said it was probably down to being in the hospital environment with temperature etc. Even pointing out that I worked in a hospital didn't warrant any further checks. It did pass as the day wore on tho:) x

Hi Everyone, Things are still going well for me. I am so grateful for that, believe me. When I have read of others problems on here I cannot believe my luck. Long may it continue. Now the water weight has gone I did a proper weekly weigh in and am one pound down on before surgery. (However, you could call that 8lbs as that would include the iv fluid weight gain that has gone too) but still one more pound to take off my ticker. Hooray. Went out and about again today, saw someone I hadn't seen in three weeks and they actually said and I quote "Wow, you have lost weight in your face" Thank you thank you thank you. This is the first time someone other than me and my hubby has noticed! I do have one small problem, no, that is overstating it. It isn't a problem, just a little query I am hoping someone can help me with. On one of my incisions sites I have what looks like a piece of clear plastic wire/gut/fishing line???? sticking out. It appears to be attached inside me. Do I a) cut it off close to the skin and forget it? or need to get my doctor to take a look at it? The incision itself is healing nicely and there is no pain around it, and is not puffy or red or anything. So Ladies help me out here, what do I do next? Don't you just love the fact that we can call on each other whenever we need a helping hand. I am as I have stated before, a bit of a luddite when it comes to technology, but here I am asking help from people I have never met who may be half way around the world. Not only that, I am pretty certain that I will get a response too. So thank you in advance if you do respond, and thank goodness for technology too. Best wishes all Phoenix

It's strange isn't it. Until I joined this forum I hadn't heard of another lady with PCOS and I've lived with it for 12 years (I'm 28 now). Did you find that doctors were unhelpful? Everytime I queried my weight they just said exercise and diet (the usual) which is so frustrating as it's like catch 22. It's really difficult losing weight with PCOS, but then PCOS causes you to be overweight! Anyways hopefully this cycle will stop going round in circles for us shortly! xx

I didnt answer your main query - i eventually hit a permanent plateau after a couple of months long ones. The last ten pounds took me a year to lose, i wasnt a driven dieter with a weekly weight loss goal. My body just stopped at a bmi of around 21

We have them at our local grocery store. If they don't have them, ask if they know where nearby. Check Craigslist: http://orlando.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=canning&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

No this is new to me. Although I have heard of diets where you are expected to eat a small piece of Protein every 15minutes. This supposedly increase your metabolism so that you burn fat quicker. Maybe this is what your Dr is trying to achieve. As to whether or not it is scientifically sound I have no idea. But if you can't do what your Dr is telling you to do then the person to query it with is him.

I have just sent Frederik an email because I am at the end of my tether and need a solution. Here's the message: I have a couple of queries that are, I feel, now at the stage of urgent. I am booked for an appointment on Thursday this week in London. Are you doing the clinic this Thursday? I have been for the last couple of months (of and on) having a little difficulty with acid reflux. I have 6ml in my band and am below my target weight but now very concerned because I have good days and bad days but by no means am I able to eat a proper small meal. Although saying that I have been able to eat seeded bread with cheese (soft) as and when. I have also over the past few weeks managed a couple of pieces of pasta (x 2) and small bits of chicken (approx 1/2 inch in size) and not been sick. I have survived mainly on soup since December 2010 and I have to be honest I am fed up with eating just liquids. I am so exhausted as I am finding it difficult to get the right amount of protein etc and my energy levels have plummetted over the last few weeks where I have to take a nap in the day (when I am not at work) beacuse I am so exhausted. I also have this horrible burning sensation and find that milk helps but amvery worried. So do you think it would be a good idea to have a slight defill? Any thoughts anyone? Thanks Claire x

Hi Julie, Thanks for your emails of support over the last weeks they have been great. I had the jitters last night and thought about changing my date but spent an hour on the phone to Bridget and she talked me through the whole process again (she has the patience of a saint) and I feel really positive now and have paid my deposit, booked my trains and now my adventure is about to start. I have to agree calling Europe Surgery was the best thing I have done they have organised everything for me and literally been on call 24/7 to answer all me queries. I have now spoken to lots of Bridgets past patients and they have all made me feel very relaxed and have helped me confirm that I am making the right decision. Having some one in the UK to help me do all this has just made my life easier and I am now looking forward to the brand new me appearing in about 6 - 12 months. Thanks to everyone for all their support and a big thank you to Bridget and her team. Anyone who wants to ask me an questions about my experience so far just inbox me and I will reply. Big Daddy D over and out

Hi Blackanese, I'm impressed with your credentials. Would u google amazing meal Protein powder and give me your opinion? Its 110 calories but we aren't counting that. I wonder how my doc would've replied to your query. But he's very authoritarian and doesn't brook challenging questions. He has a scientific response to everything...even jokes. I happened to meet him in the hosp cafeteria where he was buying a small bottle of regular coke. "That's not on the list," I teased him. He grinned. But when we met in his office he launched into a tirade about how the media burns certain "facts" about products into our brains that we accept without question because everyone says it. And then justified his drinking the coke as nutritionally as good as orange juice. I can't win with him. And since I had the protein shakes 3 days in a row, my wt is frozen in place. Gah. Off to swim

I don't think my opinion is more valuable than yours but what I do try to do is present facts in a balanced manner without scaring the crap out of people.If you read the original post I made on this thread you should be able to see that that is what I have tried to do. On the other hand whenever I get an email notification with the name formerlyfluffy I know before I even read it that it will be some kind of antiband rant. It is obvious that you have had a bad experience with the band, however that should not mean that you try to turn everyone off having a band. Bands have been very successfull for many people. My father had a very bad experience with hip replacement surgery. So bad that he was reoperated on many times and came close to dying. Does that mean that I should now advise people against having hip replacement surgery as they may be the unlucky person that has something go wrong? You are also keen to promote the sleeve yet it appears that you don't yet have one.Maybe you should hesitate to sing it's praises until you know for sure that it is as wonderful as you think it is. When it comes to statistics one also has to be very careful of the source. It is a well known fact that the same set of statistics can be manipulated in such a way as to prove whatever the person using the stats wants to prove.When searching on the internet lots of different stats can come up for the same query. There are also far fewer people on the VSG board than on the band board. And you would probably be pushed to find any other than Tiffykins that has been banded for more than 2 years. So yes some have been through both surgeries and have found the sleeve more to their satisfaction, but the question is will they still be happy in 2 or 3 years time? It has frequently been said that there is no one size suits all surgery. It is important for each person to look at themselves and evaluate what they are and aren't prepared to do in order to achieve success.This decision combined with the advice of the Dr should be the best guide. Sometimes however mistakes are made. people with bands discover they need the malabsorption from a bypass, people with bypasses discover how to eat around it and decide to get a band over bypass etc. There is no one size suits all absolute solution. But the best way to make an informed decision is with solid facts rather than scaremongering.

Hey guys! I'm new here and soon to be sleeved on the 20th of November! I came across this forum through a google search and it was exactly what I was looking for. I've been reading a lot of helpful stuff here the past few days and it's really been like a good friend that understands me and helps me get through my pre-op liquid diet and all other queries I have. A big thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and providing such a vast amount of information. I'm 24 years old, currently based in Dubai, UAE, where a majority of the population is either over weight or obese. I myself am morbidly obese weighing 447 lbs last I checked at my doctors consultation. However, I'm blessed with a good height so I don't think its too obvious visually. I've always been over weight for my age since the time I was born. However, over the past 6-8 years i've gained weight at a scary rate. I've attempted going on diets, joining the gym, paying for personal trainers but all of that only worked temporarily. I've lost 30-40 pounds previously when I've tried hard but then maintaining a strict diet on a long term basis never worked out. But now the weight has started taking a serious toll on my health and work. I've started experiencing leg and back pains, breathlessness, sleep apnea, extreme laziness etc. So to put it in a nutshell, the past 2 years haven't been very pleasant...mentally or physically. I've been contemplating to go for bariatric surgery for the past 2 years and now i've finally gotten to it. In Dubai, no insurance covers this sort of procedure so it all comes out of our own pockets. Hence its taken a while for me to take this step. I'm currently 3 days into my pre-op liquid diet and it's just been terrible for me. I get extremely tempted since i'm surrounded by hotels and restaurants where I live. And i've never denied myself completely of food before, ever. I have 2 glasses of the Isopure Dutch chocolate Protein shake daily which doesn't taste too bad, but it felt really sickening today. No clue how i'm going to last for another 13 days! I'm just trying to stay focused on the prize. I've become really moody so its hard to talk to a lot of people, but isolation isn't helping either. So i'm really glad i found this forum. It really helps me just going through success stories and other people's journies. I'll try to keep posting updates. I'm really looking forward to the next few months. Although my doc has warned me that i'll be regretting my decision for the next 6 months . Is it really that hard?? I have an idea of what to expect but I hope it isn't too rough. From what I've read, each persons journey is unique in its own. Here's hoping for a 'not too unpleasant' one for myself. Godbless!

I was in a similar situation to you whereby my whole family lives far away (Europe!) and I did not feel comfortable advertising to the whole world that I'm having lap band surgery. i actually went to the hospital and came home by myself. I've been told that 99% of people recover incredibly quickly (you even surprise yourself!) so I'm sure you'll be fine as well. I would strongly suggest staying in hospital overnight as having nurses and doctors around you would give you some reassurance that if something goes wrong they are there to assist. Once you are past 24hr (i.e. 24hrs post surgery) you'll probably feel no worse then when you are recovering from a cold. By 3rd day you can pretty much do your usual things (go to shop, go for a walk, have a shower, clean your house, etc.) but you might get tired quicker then usual and that shoulder pain might still bother you. In my personal experience having moral support for the the first 12-24hrs would really help. I had my surgery on Sat afternoon @ 1pm and stayed at hospital until tomorrow morning 10am. The day of the surgery was horrible - pain, discomfort, incisions hurt, unbearable shoulder pain (from gasses pumped into you during surgery) grogginess from anesthesia, and in my case a major dose of self-pity why/how did I allow myself to get to this point, why am I inflicting myself so much pain, I want all of this to disappear, etc. Luckily you start feeling much better 6-9 hours post surgery so these thoughts disappear. Woman next door had a friend with her most of the time who provided moral support throughout the evening and that really helped. Even listening (really eavesdropping) on their conversation helped me. By 9-10pm, I was off IVs and started feeling generally better. I started walking a few steps around 9pm and by 11pm I was doing laps around the hospital ward. No major problems sleeping, particularly if you get painkiller for shoulder pain. By 9am tomorrow morning I was itching to go home. I live in New York City so @ 10am I was already in taxi on the way home. Once at home I went for @ 2hrs nap and then for 2hrs slow walk along the Central Park. Interestingly enough you feel minor pain around your incisions (particularly when you stretch or when you are getting in and out of bed) but you don't feel pain of the band, no pain walking around the town, etc. They don't recommend lifting anything >10lb (even if you feel you can do it easily like I did). I stocked up on protein shakes but forgot water and multivitamins so I had to go out and buy some. I carried about a gallon of water and 2-3lb of various multivitamins home with no issues. Having friends stop by or call for moral support worked wonders. On Monday afternoon (surgery was on Saturday) I went back to hospital to pick up liquid painkiller and on a way back found myself in a subway station with 6 long flights of stairs to climb in order to get out (escalators broke down). While I was able to get to the top OK I felt a real shortness of breath when I got to the top but no pain. (Anesthesia and hospital stay really affect how much you can breath in the days after surgery!) Once I recover my breath (I had to sit down for 3-4 min) I realized that I climbed equivalent of 5-6th building floors 48hrs after the surgery. From that point I new I'd be good as long as I take it easy and do what I can. Hope this helps. Any queries just let me know. Good luck! PS. All my self-doubt and despair about the surgery disappeared within 24hrs. While the day of the surgery was horrible I would still recommend it to anyone needing it.

I understand your query and can relate. Weight Watchers really does work, and it's so SANE... if you can stick with it and really commit to counting points. Unfortunately, I never could stick long enough to make a BIG dent in my excess weight. I was able to lose about 30lbs (of the 75 lbs overage) in 5 months a few years ago (and I've been a member on and off since - 1973!!!!).... But no matter how much I lose I always gain it back plus some. At this point, I've spent all of my life (except 2 years in my early 20s) 10 - 100 lbs overweight. Usually about +/- 40lbs. The last few years, I've really packed it on, going from 210 to 265 in roughly 8 years. I'm now menopausal, which only makes it harder for me to lose weight. And we're now talking about 40 years of using food to cope with my emotions (to one extent or another). Being obese (ugh, what a word!) negatively impacted my self-esteem, and consquently it has negatively effected every aspect of my life, my personal relationships, my professional aspirations, my health, and my finances (I spend and have spent a tremendous amount of money on food for myself and personal trainers, and weightloss program memberships, etc.). Needless to say, a large portion (no pun) of my life has been centered on food. My mother and sisters have struggled iwth their weight, and my best friends have always been heavy, even my preference in male companionship has been based on "who won't mind that I'm fat..." or "who will like to eat as much as I do???". I've been a binge eater and I've been bulimic (no longer). Eating is THE MOST enjoyable thing I do, with singing and watching old movies tied as second. It's also the one activity that has caused me to feel shame and deep disappointment with myself. Throw some guilt in there, too.... for good measure. People (or is it me?) think that WLS is an easy way out. Well, at this point, I've failed so miserably at "getting control of my overeating" and feel so ashamed, WLS is the greatest act of compassion I can show myself. My hope is that once I start seeing consistent weightloss, and once I can STOP fighting my hunger/appetite, even for a few months, I can FINALLY establish the habits that I know will help me maintain the weightloss. I guess I just need some outside help...

I am someone who only wants to be 200lbs and at minimum 190 and people would still call this overweight also so I know what you mean about the ideal weight being relative to the individual and more power to ya for that! I personally think some "ideal weights" are too skinny for certain people- they just dont look right IMO, no offense to anyone.Offering a little insight for your query though, I would think the reason that your doctor had no problem operating on your knee when you were even heavier is because it was a medical necessity- not cosmetic. Big difference! Plus the weight tends to be a factor in having knee replacement unless of course you're injured in an accident- in which case again the benefit of surgery would outweigh any risks your weight could cause. I also understand that one reason PSurgeons dont want to touch someone who is still overweight/obese is because for one they have their stats and having an unsuccessful surgery looks bad on them- that is if A- something were to happen during surgery because as an overweight person we are still considered high risk medically, even if we love the way we look. and B- your outcome would not be the ideal since you're not within the ideal weight range- thats simply not the before & after a PSurgeon wants to show, their profession is about perfection after all. And most importantly because of something you actually proved the point on-- you said that you loosened your band because of reflux and you started to gain weight so you were going back for a fill. So with the doctor's point in mind that would say that not only are you not at an ideal goal but you are not at a stable weight. We all have the band to learn better eating habits but the habits have to be maintained by us or else the band can't work and certainly neither will PS. Doctors like to see that you have maintained your weight loss before doing PS because if you gain it all back and stetch the skin out again whats the point? Its their job to choose good condidates as well as it is to to do a good job. He probably could have explained his position a little more but Im guessing that was what would give him pause about working with someone not at his ideal weight nor at even their own stablized goal weight. It makes sense since you see so many people have to go through several different weight loss surgeries and do PS more than once because their weight is not stable which is condusive to their habits not yet being stable, a conciocunses doctor would definitely have a stand on these issues for whats in the best interest of you as the patient and of course himself as a provider. But there's always going to be a doctor out there who will do what others won't. But I would wonder if he has your best interest at heart or is it just looking for a paycheck? Get several opinions and find a doctor you can develop a good understanding with who has the same vision for your body that you do! Best of luck!

They were not queries, they were attacks. Its one thing to say "I have the following questions" vs. "This sounds like a scam and you sound like a dishonest person, so tell me this........" So you are going to take Water and put it in bottles and charge people for it? Hmmm that sounds suspicious. So let me get this straight, you are going to open a store and charge people $5 for a cup of coffee? That sounds dishonest. So people are going to write for you about the Lap-Band and you are going to pay them? Hmmm that's not Kosher. You can all be as skeptical as you like, that does not mean I have to do a public disclosure of my business plan, the bottom line is this, get over it, I sent out payments to three people this morning, like I have done for the last 3 weeks, they are working, making money and you are on the "beating a dead horse" team. I needed talent, found it, paying for it and you can cry foul until the cows come home, if it was a scam the people working for me would be here telling you so, they are not and as a matter of fact one of them posted exactly to the contrary. The show is over, nothing left to see here, move along.

Wow! Joe, you are not very bright and you are a bigot. Anyone with a legitimate business would never, I repeat Never, respond to honest queries in the manner that you have. I wouldn't trust your motives for any amount of money. Sincerely, Arlene