Chubby, I'm so glad you can start resuming your normal routine. I take it your job is not an overly physical one. I'm glad you could go on that field trip.

Your device was off at that time of night? It has to sleep too?

I wonder why you had no dietary restrictions and citizen did.

The device is on for 13 hours per day. They schedule it for the hours that you are up and active. also, it is goes on and off every 5 minutes. Apparently if it blocks the vagus nerves constantly, the body learns to reroute the signals through other nerves. So basically this device tricks the vagus nerves to not signal enough to block the hunger sensation, and to also keep the body from learning about it and 'fixing' itself.

I'm going to the meeting at the hotel tonight. I have a notebook for notes and a list of all my meds.

What are some of the questions I should ask? I'm asking this based on those of you who have had the procedure and how you are feeling now compared with the info you got before the surgery.

I'm getting nervous and it is only a meeting! LOL.

Good luck, Mare.....if they try to get you to put on a hospital gown....get out of there.

Mare, how did the meeting go?

just a little FYI about the device implantation. Apparently men store their fat inside the abdominal wall and women store their fat outside the abdominal wall. Since the device is implanted outside the wall and under the fat, women probably won't see or feel the device as much as men, since we don't have as much fat in that area to cover it. I didn't know this prior to surgery. My device sticks out right now kind of a lump on my side. A lot of it hopefully is swelling due to the surgery. I hope it goes down in time. It's getting a little less defined under the skin, so we'll see.
Any of you that have the device already notice anything like this?

We will be getting an ID card as well that you can carry around with you. The card will also be useful for getting past the metal detectors in the airports (hopefully)

Mare, how did the meeting go ?

I don't think they are going to pick me.

The meeting was about 1 1/2 hrs. For some reason, they did not bring the device. He said it was about the size of a deck of cards, smaller than some of the cell phones in the room. There was confusion in the room because the dr. said there were 5 small incisions. None of us could figure out how a rigid device of that size could go through a 1" incision. Turns out there are 6 incisions. The 6th is for the device. OK. Now it makes sense.

They are going to choose 10 people. I'm no where near the obesity rate as most of them in the room. In fact, my BMI isn't 35 which is nice for me but not for the study. Also, my A Fib may preclude me. I can't exercise. Don't ever use Icy Hot Patches. They give you a heart condition for life.

I should be getting yet another call today and I should find out. I'll let you know.

Oh, I did mention you 2 (not names) and what you've told me here. The dr said that in the study he is doing, there won't be any dietary restrictions after the surgery. He guessed it had to do with what the dr wanted.

I was surprised to find that the weight loss rate is about half, in the same amount of time, as that of the lap bands, etc. This one has a history of just about 2 lbs/wk, which is a very safe way to lose weight. Also, in the previous study, people who had the device removed, regained their weight.

I want to thank everyone here for answering my questions and not making me feel stupid for asking them. If I'm not chosen, I'll still come in here to check on your progress and cheer you on.

Mare, must be a bit disappointing. I am interested in these things even though I am at goal. I am interested in all things regarding weight. Weight, gain, weight loss, maintaining weight loss, dieting, surgery, I haven't had surgery but I am sure I have done everything else.

I had my post-op visit yesterday and all was well. I also had my first (and hopefully last) bout of reflux/vomiting that lasted almost two hours. Sorry to disgust, but this is my first experience of reflux ever. Most likely my own fault for eating too much to quickly. It was horrible. I was at the clinic for most of the afternoon and should have planned ahead by bringing something small. I will start carrying a granola bar or something for such occasions.

I am going to try to eat more frequent smaller meals which will require more planning on my part. So today, I have had coffee and yogurt for breakfast, and at noon today I ate half a frozen meal and some green beans and am still full at 4 p.m. I don't know yet how I will get 1500 calories a day in. Luckily for me, I have plenty of fat reserves, LOL!

All part of the learning process, I guess.

Yuck! I've never had reflux and I don't think I want to experience it. I absolute detest upchucking. 1500 cals? Have a couple of glasses of wine.

Bargoo, thanks. I'm interested in these things as well.

As expected, I got turned down. It all surrounds around the fact that I can no longer walk for 15 minutes. That is not due to my weight. It is strictly due to the fact that I have A Fib because of those blasted (the word I wanted to use starts with a "d") Icy Hot Patches.

I did tell her about how I learned what I did. You may have someone named Joan in here following you. She's the coordinator for the Stanford study.

Did you know that the people in the previous study have to wear the belt 9 hrs per day? It charges when they sleep. You are lucky in that you only wear it for a half hour a couple of times per week.

I will be here cheering you on. I will be with you in spirit and if you need a cyber hand to hold at any time, grab mine.

Wow! So glad I found this forum. I'm heading down to the University of Minnesota mid November for my Vbloc screening. I think I'm a pretty good candidate, my BMI where they want it to be, and I'm perfectly healthy, just fat! I can't believe the amount of trips they want us to make there. I don't live in the metro area, and it's going to be 7,500 miles total on my car for all the trips there and back. And the Northstar line doesn't connect to the U yet. So, we'll see.

My biggest concern is that with the other device they tested, the results of the active device was no different than the inactive device. Going to have to do lots of 'splaining to convince me that this one is different. Darn it, I understand how to read statistics! lol.

Thought I would follow up now that I am ten days post-implant. I am slowly trying to figure out what and how to eat so as not to suffer GERD. It seems to be helpful to chew everything to mush and eat very slowly. So far apples don't seem to sit well, nor does eating quickly. I must be a food inhaler so I am doing my best to slow it down.

I am on a 1600 calorie goal and so far haven't come close to eating that many calories a day. Just not that hungry. Study staff would like me to drink 64 oz a day and that seems a task as well. In order to get all my calories in, I am going to have to pace myself and eat every couple of hours. I will ask at my next appointment if I should eat the 1600 calories or eat as my hunger dictates, which to date, would be less.

So far the biggest annoyance is the discomfort I have in sleeping. I just can't seem to find the position that doesn't hurt. Back sleeping isn't my thing. Sometimes I find myself a bit sore in the morning.

I know for some of you the trip back and forth to the study site will be an inconvenience. For me, it is walking distance from work, about a mile.

Hope all of you are doing well and what works best for you!

Cheers,
Citizen

Veronica,
All great questions. I never had GERD before. Slowly, I am finding that I need to eat smaller, more frequent meals...and chew, chew, chew! I too was a voracious water drinker, but it feels like my stomach is too full much of the time to take in much liquid. This just has to be a learning process. A typical meal for me is 1/2 a frozn Weight Watchers or Lean Cuisine meal and half a bag of frozen vegetables. That seems to go fine if I don't drink with the meal and really take the time to chew the food to absolute mush. I aim for 20 to 30 chews. Breakfast is either yogurt or a pouch of oatmeal. In between I will try for some small snacks of crackers with a bit of cheese. Frozen snacks go down well, usually fruit bars or low fat ice cream.

The post op visit was close to two hours. The usual vitals and weigh in with setting up the charging device and instruction on that and about a half an hour with the dietician. Thereafter, I would plan on an hour.

As for Thanksgiving, I would not have been up for it one day after surgery. I spent a night in the hospital and really layed around for the next three days without much else. General anesthesia takes its toll on the body. Plus I felt sorta out of it with the device feeling like a small person sitting on top of my stomach! That feeling has subsided, but in any event it is major surgery. One of the incisions is several inches long. And I was tired!

I went back to work exactly one week after the surgery. I am in a professional position with fairly flexible hours and my work is very sedentary. That being said, there were a few afternoons where I could have put my head down on the desk and gone back to sleep. Yesterday, 10 days post op I was able to get a couple of shopping hours in at MOA, so slowly my stamina is coming back. Today I plan to get out and walk for a half an hour or so.

Best of luck to you as you approach your surgery date. Hopefully our paths will cross soon.

citizen