Finally got The Call!  Surgery in Bathurst on Jan 12!  Happy New Year to me!!!

So another busy weekend is done, and I'm really hoping some of you get that call you have been waiting for!  I'm resigned to the fact that I will not be getting another appointment before Christmas, but anticipate a few trips to Bathurst in the first few months of the new year!  

I bet it was!!

I had the sleeve. I couldn't think how the band wouldn't make me feel hungry all the time, because you still have your full stomach under it...just that the food would go down more slowly. With the sleeve I can feel full and not have the pain that lasts for hours after overeating. Or the nap symptoms you get when having a potluck at Christmas! Lol. Now I feel stuffed with my little amount and then half an hour later I feel good.  I think they tend to do the band with people who are less than 100 lbs overweight. Over 100 Dr Beausoleil recommends the sleeve. At least that's the sense I'm getting. Unless you have reasons why one would be better over another, for example scar tissue from other weight loss surgeries. I did hear about someone who had the band and it slipped and when she went in for a sleeve he said he couldn't do it because skin had grown over the band and there was too much  scar tissue. 

I also didn't want to have to go back and forth to Moncton, a two hour drive for me, with all the adjustments the band has. They put it in, you heal, go back for some fluid, wait to see if it's ok, go back again, see if it's enough, and in the case they overfill, you go again to get it out. Most hospitals are not experienced in the band and so you have to go back to Moncton for any problems. With the sleeve, they take it out, and if everything is ok you only need to go for your follow up appts. 

those were basically my thoughts before my surgery and when I met with Dr b he agreed that the sleeve was what he would recommend.  So I was happy about that. 

I had ordered a caramel chocolate one and another kind of chocolate one. When you have your appt with Monique a month before your surgery, she will give you the order form with the choices. I really liked the caramel one, the other was just ok. I took little tiny bites and made it last. They are just a bit smaller than regular Granola type bars.  It costs a little more to do the diet with the bars, but it was so worth it. Speaking from someone who has gone through the liquid, mixed liquid, puree post-surgery diet...it is really hard to have nothing but the liquid consistency diet.  It is easier looking forward to the bars.   I just don't know if you can still get the caramel bar. Sometimes things are not available.  I also changed the "normal" mealtimes to make the times between meals the same. So I drank a shake at 7 am, had a bar at 10:30 am, another shake at 2:00 pm, bar at 5 pm and the last shake at 8 pm. That way I didn't have to go so long in the evening and to bed without eating.  I didn't really get hungry. I was pleasantly surprised. On regular food I did!