One of my issues was not getting in my protein shakes in between my meal. During yesterday's visit to my doctor's I admitted that I just couldn't do it. It was smell and taste that would make me gag! And I tried quite a few different types. The only one that doesn't bother me as bad is chocolate flavored ones, which is funny because before the surgery, I could drink chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc. I even made shakes with oj and lemonade...for example if you mix vanilla powder with oj it tasted like a creamsicle...or strawberry powder with lemonade....yummy then....yucky now. So all your pre-surgery folks...be prepared...what you like now you may not like after.

I have noticed that my hair is falling out more so than normal. The nurse explained that this is normal for two reasons...(1) the shock of surgery and the sudden drop in calories will cause this to occur and (2) not getting enough protein also causes hair loss. Good news is that is only last between 3-6 months and it can be corrected. Sooooo my goal is to ensure that I drink a protein shake twice a day as directed. My hair loss is really not that big a deal for me because I have A LOT and I mean A LOT of hair and my hair is very thick and coarse so I don't think losing a few strands is going to break the bank but I will say that my girlfriend who had bypass loss her hair and it did not look good. She looked like she was balding. She was not getting her protein in at all. Today, she looks normal but she also gained back 50+ pounds. I am happy to report that I am able to drink a full 8 ozs of a protein shake at this point in one sitting but it does take an hour.

The other issue I have been having lately is diarrhea. It's not all the time but very random and quite sudden. Since I have not been tracking what I have been eating everyday (which you should be doing by the way), I have no idea what was triggering it. The nurse said that it is not uncommon to become lactose intolerant after surgery and that milk can cause diarrhea. Or sugar is the problem...I know what you are thinking...you had gastric sleeve not bypass...well guess what...you can get dumping syndrome in a gastric sleeve as with bypass but without the horrible cramps as with bypass. She explained that when you introduce large amounts of sugar into the system this will cause your body to “dump” water into your intestinal track to flush it out causing diarrhea. I asked about fiber sups to help. She said she would not have an issue with that but I have to get in at least 64 oz of water in a day and I am not there yet. If you take fiber sups. without adequate water you will be constipation. SOOOOOo…I am trying Silk instead of milk. Read the labels because Almond Silk only has 1 gram of protein and regular Silk has 6 grams. Also, I was admitted that I had a tall skinny caramel macchiato which has 24 grams of sugar!!!!! (the light came on). NOT TO CONFUSE PRE-SURGERY READERS but you are only supposed to have 6 grams of sugar per meal…that’s added sugar…naturally occurring sugar is ok like in fruit.

Anyways, it time for lunch…