Intro and Newbie Questions

Hi All,

Seems somewhat strange to be considered a lightweight but my BMI is 38.8 so I guess I fit in this context. I'm considering a sleeve and have some questions I was hoping some folks with experience could answer. A little about me first.  I'm 47, 5'3" and 215lbs.  That puts my BMI about 38.8.  I don't feel well. I'm tired of not feeling well.  My feet hurt, my hips ache if I'm not on glucosamine, and I wake up not feeling well.  My cholesterol is a smidge high but not so bad that I'm medicating.

I think much of the reason I don't feel well is due to not sleeping well and what I eat.  I've tried weigh****chers, Jenny Craig, Atkins (thought I was going to kill someone after 3 days with no pasta) and just keeping portions down.  I can't maintain on any of those.

I'm sure I'll have a bunch of questions but here are a few for starters.

I live in Texas, and work outside on the weekends.  Currently I drink lots of water but not as early or as often as I probably should. I can't imagine not being able to do so.    Does the small sip requirement ease up after a period of time so you can drink lots of water or will it always have to be a constant slow intake? 

Another question is about coffee.  I currently drink a latte made with skim milk every morning, sometimes two. I see on some of the diets that well after the surgery you can have black coffee and skim milk in the protein shakes and such, is there any reason I won't be able to have my coffee down the road?  I'm willing to give up the portion sizes that have gotten me into the pickle I'm in but coffee?   I guess I'll get used to it during the pre and post op diet but still curious.

Edit to add, I found the cancer and obesity forum :) 

This next one may be paranoid and/or crazy, but has anyone experienced a serious illness years after the surgery and not been able to get enough nutrition?  I have seen too many family members fight cancer and with chemo and such nutrition is hard enough to get without having had a surgery to remove most of your stomach, not to mention the challenges of eating anyway.  I know it is crazy to question something that may help my current health for something that hopefully will never happen down the road but the way my brain works. :)

Thanks for any input.

Dawn

I have the sleeve and love it. I love all of the lifestyle changes that I have made to be healthier. WLS does require changing so one needs to accept that. Good luck as you research.

I don't drink coffee so I have no answers. I don't know anything about cancer and WLS.

I had my sleeve done almost 15 months ago and am at goal

I can drink water pretty fast now.  You do have to start out sip sip sipping but believe me you will know if you drink too fast early and will slow down!   I can't really chug water, but I can drink quite a bit in a short period of time.

The coffee restriction depends on your surgeon. I didn't have any caffeine at all for a year.  My nut says it is ok now as long as I get 8 cups in addition to my caffeinated drinks.  Some programs allow caffeine pretty early, some never allow it.

As far as the question about illness and nutrition, I haven't experienced it but I can get quite a few calories in now if I am not careful.. It would be work and I would have to eat some unhealthy foods but I am sure I could get over 2000 calories in if I tried.  Remember some percentage of WLS patients regain, so they have to taking in a lot of calories. 

I don't think your question is paranoid, I actually have thought about it myself.  There are a multitude of protein drinks an supplements to aid in nutrition should it become an issue.  If things were really severe  you could get some nutrition intravenously.  Hopefully that would be a "worse case" scenario.  My feeling is that if I do get a serious illness I am better off going in with a healthy body weight than the way I was before surgery. 

I am totally happy with my sleeve.

Anne

Welcome!!!  I get where you are coming from.  I had surgery because I wanted my life back.  I was tired of being tired and hurting.

I was RNY not sleeve but many of the same things apply.

I can glug water at this point and have been able to for a while.  The sipping is definately an early out thing.  What did and still can slow me down is the temp of the water.  I couldn't do really cold early out and still prefer room temp or warm.

I am still low/no caffiene by choice.  Dr wanted everyone off caff for a good while, don't remember exactly how long.  But I have 2 large cups of decaf with protein as the creamer each morning.  I love having something warm, getting in some protein and don't miss the caff at all.

We can all eat around our surgeries so I don't imagine the surgery would keep you from getting nutrition in if you were sick if you were committeed to doing it.

The only part of your questions that you do need to think about is the part of trying all kinds of diets and not being able to follow through.  With surgery, you have a tool but you don't have a magic bullett.  Most of us have done the yoyo dieting thing and tried lots of different types.  Most of us could lose, only to regain.  But to be successful with this, there has to be a committment to following the program and finding a way of eating that you can maintain for the rest of your life.  I have a friend who had a sleeve about 2 yrs ago and you would never know it.  Same thing with RNY.  If you are not willing to changes your diet, why you eat, what you eat, whatever it is that is keeping you where you are now, surgery may not be the answer.  Surgery give you a fighting chance, but it isn't a magic cure.

 

When it comes to drinking water, I found that after 3-4 weeks I was pretty much able to take normal size drinks again.  Not huge gulps or guzzles by any means, but I didn't do that before either.  But normal drinking.  

I'm not a coffee drinker but my husband is and he just had sleeve surgery on Friday.  Our surgeon doesn't want us doing coffee for the first couple months (acid in the coffee can irritate the stomach) and would prefer that any coffee after that be decaffeinated.  But there's plenty of people on the VSG board who have coffee on a regular basis and seem to do fine with it.  

As for the cancer question, I can't help with that either.  VSG as a stand-alone surgery has only been popular for about the last 7-10 years so I'm doubtful that there's any great research out there.  However, there are some people on the VSG board who have battled cancer and have seemed to do fine in terms of nutrition.  I suggest you go to the VSG board and maybe cross-post some of these questions.  

 

Thank you all for your responses, it helps!  I'm attending a local seminar tomorrow evening so the learning continues.

 

Thanks again,

dawn

I too am RNY not sleeve but the drinking thing for me was back to normal almost immediately after surgery, I say almost because I felt like I could drink as much as I wanted to but waited to see my surgeon at one week follow up,  I said why do I have to sip if I can drink with no pain...he said "you don't! Go for it! I've been getting in a minimum of 64 oz of water since about 4 days after surgery.  I am learning that I am a "freak" though so not sure how much my experience will help.  My pouch had to be made larger due to scar tissue so the tiny portions that others are used to isn't my personal reality. 

I too was willing to give up chocolate, sugar, etc. ect. but the thought of losing my beloved coffee might have been a deal breaker.  I cannot drink decaf, I have tried every single brand I can find and none taste "right".  I drink my coffee black and strong and because I love the taste, not for the caffeine, so there' no hiding an icky taste from me!Luckily my doc only asked me to wait a week before resuming one 12oz cup of coffee a day.  Now I am back to normal (have been for about 4 weeks) to a 20 oz cup in the morning and sometimes a 10 0z cup in the evening. 

As for the illness I feel sure that getting enough calories in won't be an issue.  As Price (I think) said, eating around a surgery is unfortunately all too possible.  It's a mind set and a committment just like any other program. Yes there is the help of a smaller appetite and with RNY in the first few years mal-absorption but  Those that talk about it as the easy way out obviously have never done it!  This is my second WLS so I know of what I  speak.  

Best of luck to you!