Some of y'all know me from elsewhere.

Seems I have three choices in front of me now: a third revision on the band, take it all the way out, or change to something else.

The sleeve sounds good in theory -- but so did the band. Any long-term folks here, or is everyone still in the OMG this is so KEWL stages?

Thanks

Well, back among the living....

Still have some numbness in the fingers, and so far I'm eating little bits of Jello and tea.

I -really- do not want to drink barium again :thumbup:

Well, back among the living....

Still have some numbness in the fingers, and so far I'm eating little bits of Jello and tea.

I -really- do not want to drink barium again

Welcome home! Isn't it great to be in your own bed?

The leak test was not entirely pleasant, I agree! One of those "necessary evils" in life!:thumbup:

I've never heard of numbness in the fingers after VSG...what's that all about?

Just be sure to stay well hydrated...and walk walk walk to prevent blood clots and move the gas out. Not much more I had energy for those first few days. My fingers were'n't numb but I think my brain was!:drool:

Let us know how you get along!

Through the mirror again

I'm on the backside of the surgery and am no longer a band patient. In fact, it's sitting in a jar on my desk right now. It's a pretty small chunk of technology to have given me such success and pain -- or a pretty big chunk of plastic to have inside of me...

In any case, now I have a microstomach thanks to the VSG. A few more days of Jello, tea and hydrocodone, and I can then move to Soups and other full liquids.

I have to give the doc full props. His bedside manner is a bit abrupt, but the guy rocks with a knife, and there's almost no bruising at all.

3 days post op

So here we are three days post-op. The incisions continue to look good, no bruising or other nasty elements happening there. I am back on full liquids, which means soups and fruit juices and such.

So far there's not been a lot of negative side effects. I'm very tired and don't have a lot of stamina, but then again I do have 6 holes in my abdomen. Hydrocodone helps, and hopefully I'll be weaned off of that by Monday. The plan is to return to work on Tuesday.

Edited October 25, 200916 yr by Manatee

I'm glad to hear you're doing well. . .

I have my band too Manatee. It sits on my dresser and every once in awhile I like to look at it and wonder what I was thinking when I agreed to have it wrapped around my stomach.

I hope your recovery continues to go well!

Glad you're well. It must be so different being a WLS patient and not obese. I wonder how quickly full energy and stamina will return and whether it will actually make any difference. You're much fitter now of course.

A week after the surgery

Well, the short version is that I'm doing just fine. Down about 10 lbs, but I expect the rate to slow now that I'm starting to eat non-liquid type foods. (Lunch today is mashed potatoes and butternut squash soup).

The numbness is completely gone from the fingers, and only a trace remains in one cheek. This isn't really a VSG thing, I just react strangely to the knock-out drugs.

The energy is back, mostly, and wounds are healing. All in all, things are good. No pain unless a dog crashlands on my stomach. I have a followup with the surgeon the second week in November. Unless something odd happens I don't expect to post until then.

Just over 2 weeks out

I'm down 20 lbs to 210, and working on soft solid foods. Some works, some doesn't, and I have a real aversion to eating at the moment. Fortunately only one really bad spell thus far.

I have a followup in 2 weeks with the surgeon and staff at the weight loss center.

The incisions are healing fine, no pain, and energy levels are back up. My belly looks like I lost a fight to a shredder, but so be it.

Not transitioning well

So this is a bit of a whine, most of you can skip it...

I've been trying to move from liquids to my "soft foods" category. So far all I've managed to do is regurgitate everything except tilapia fillets.

I've gone in and talked to the WLS coordinator, and the only advice they had was "eat smaller and slower". Heck, it's not like I'm cutting of sides of beef to stuff in my mouth.

I guess I don't understand. I thought that the esophagus->stomach connection was "normal" for lack of better terms, and so any restriction would be in the pouch itself. I don't think that's where this is happening. It feels just like with the band, with food stopping at the bottom of the throat.

So we step back for a few days and try again later this week with the solids. Fun fun -- nothing like creating a food aversion to stimulate weight loss.

Speaking of: this morning, 208.

Month followup

I had my 'two week' followup yesterday -- which actually put it pretty close to a month.

Basically everything is fine. I got fussed at for not getting in enough Protein and Water, as I expected. I'm now cleared to eat pretty much anything I want, as long as I'm careful with introducing new foods.

I'm down 25 lbs, almost back under 200. With luck I'll be back to fighting weight by February.

So far, I like this a LOT better than the band.

Sounds like you are doing really well!

Glad to hear you are adjusting to this procedure nicely and the weight loss is super! Congratulations. Watch out for stalls soon though ~sigh~ they frustrate us all but eventually the weight starts to come off again. Dense meat is hard to get down so do stop after 2 ozs to see if you should put the rest away or not, I love the meats but it is so easy to overeat and feel miserable for anhour afterwards that you can't even sip any liquids. Still haven't thrown up but sometimes wish I could!

good luck on the solids!

Cheers,

Donna

Unexpected side effect

Well, it's the holiday season, and that means one thing: Eggnog is available!

I -love- eggnog and always have. I was very excited to see it in the stores, and picked up some.

Now, I know it's bad for me, but a little can't hurt, right?

As it turns out, even a little was enough to make me very sick to the stomach. That stuff hit like a rock and made me miserable for hours.

I'm still trying to figure it out, because the sugars weren't the issue. Perhaps the stuff was just too rich, or maybe there's some form of lactose intolerance coming into play now.

I suppose it's all for the best, really.

Oh yes, the evil Egg nog. I loved that stuff. My hubby loves the stuff. None of the "lite" version either. THe real stuff. Got some last week. I had 2 sips. Small tiny sips. Y U C K. Triple yuck. I could not throw it away fast enough. I will wait until after Turkeyday and try some in my coffee. I am drinking FF hazelnut in my coffee, soooo egg nog should be ok, right? Why do we fight so hard to keep the things that are so bad for us? I do not want to be "deprived" of anything I guess.

Manatee - I'm with you - I LOVE eggnog and even though I am very lactose intolerant since surgery, I figured a little couldn't hurt -- WRONG -- it didn't hurt my stomach, but man-o-man did my intestines revolt like crazy ... so, another thing off my list!