Hi Everyone,

I had my Two week checkup today. It was great! I've lost 12 pounds post-op. It was only 2 pounds of muscle that I lost, the rest was all fat. I love getting weighed at the office because they have a machine that breaks it all down. I've been cleared for exercise, so hopefully next month I won't have lost any muscle.

Dr. duperier, the wonderful doc that he is, spent time with me, as always, to answer some questions:

Stretching Your Sleeve: it is possible to stretch your sleeve, but you have to work hard to do that. One or two meals that are too big won't stretch it out. Constantly overpacking it for months will stretch it.

Gaining Weight or 'Cheating': The Sleeve will fail if you drink sugary liquids. He has seen it happen and it saddens him. That is why counseling is such an important part of this equation.

Losing Weight & low carbs: I thought once I was sleeved that I will always have to eat low carb. Not true. Once I'm at goal weight, I can eat freely, within reason, and Protein always first.

No food For 3 Weeks: The reason is because the stomach needs to heal and not strain itself by processing food. So I was wrong. I thought if any food was pureed, I could eat/drink it. Not so. It has to be full liquids with nothing the stomach sees as 'food.'. So my pureed oatmeal, pureed Soups (other than creamy & broth) are no-no's. There is no such stage as 'pureed stage!'.

It was a very interesting visit. They did my leak test in the office and he spent time letting me drink & watching my sleeve fill up. I even got to see what happens when I overfill my sleeve. I am a renegade! I asked him if I could and he said 'sure.'. It was really cool. No wonder it is uncomfortable.

I hope other August sleevers (and everyone else!) are getting good news from

their docs!

Judy

Gosh, that really sounds awful and I've heard of that reaction before. Hopefully each day you'll get better!

Gosh' date=' that really sounds awful and I've heard of that reaction before. Hopefully each day you'll get better![/quote']

Thanks, I think I am well on my way! Plus, it's hard to be down for too long over it when I am already losing weight after only 3 days. That makes everything seem worth it!

I hope my leak test is the same!!! I'll find out next week. Sounds pretty neat(:

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna ask for a leak test like the one you had when I go to see the doc on 10/24.

Definitely speak up! My surgoen is excited that I am so curious and ask questions. As soon as he saw that I was really into seeing & understanding the leak test, he glowed. He broke it all down in laymans terms so I could understand everything. Do docs & surgeons have a tendancy to become drones & forget we are humans? Absolutely! I think it's up to us to bring them back to the 'real' world & make them talk to us. I've had many docs w all my auto-immune issues, and I've had both knees replaced. I won't tolerate a doctor who acts like he's God. This is my body, and if you are messing with it, you are darn well gonna tell me what you are doing with it! :-).

So yes! Speak up! Ask to see what he's doing & explain it to you.

:-)

That's some great information. I hope everyone reads it and takes it to heart. It would answer a lot of the questions that get asked around here.

That's some great information. I hope everyone reads it and takes it to heart. It would answer a lot of the questions that get asked around here.

Thanks! I've learned so much about WLS in just a few short months and i'm thrilled to be able to help others through my experience. I remember how confused, concerned & kinda lost when I first started looking into WLS. There is just so much confusion because everyone's protocol is different. I feel that if you've picked your surgeon wisely and have done your research, then post-surgery you need to trust your surgeon and follow what he/she has set up for your program. Here at the forum we can help guide, support & encourage by sharing our experiences. That does not mean that someone should igore their docs advice and do something that someone else is doing.

OK....stepping off my soapbox now. :-)

Great info.. thank you

PLEASE do not take any offense to this comparison!!

A good way to look at stretching the sleeve is comparing it to the practice of creating holes in ones earlobe. You need to start with a small circle, and then slowly move to a bigger size as the earlobe stretches. If anyone knows the correct terminology and process for this, please let me know. Thanks!

I lived in the Amazon as a child and the Indians native to that area would stretch out their bottom lip. They start with a small one as a child and over time would put in bigger ones until the lip

is fully extended. So, it does take a lot of work to stretch the sleeve. It IS doable, but you'd be pretty darn uncomfortable for a long time! Dr. Duperier said empahatically that he has seen very few people actually stretch it so that the size stops being a tool. When it doesn't work it's always been because of poor diet choices, and snacking continually.

Hope this helps!!

I have stretched ear lobes and I call it gauging, so we would be gauging out our stomachs instead of our ears