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One more week til liquid diet starts! It's starting to get real...

Scheduled for a DS on September 11. Counting down the days and running through the gambit of emotions. I didn't come into my surgery prep thinking that I'd be getting a WLS from the surgeon in an effort to fix a failing nissen fundoplication (GERD surgery, 2005). He just told me at the first appointment that it was my only real viable option for a repair and return to somewhat normal function. I'm eating reasonably now, I just have to remember to eat breakfast, which I usually don't but I've been trying to divide up my calories more thru the day instead of them all at the end of the day. I usually don't eat during work hours. Making sure I'm drinking plenty of no-calorie fluids and my care team recommends Liquid IV, so I've been making sure to drink at least one a day, although when I start my 2-week pre-op diet it'll go up to two each day. I think I'm ready, not 100%, still scared witless that I'm going to regret it but at the same time I know I can do this and that this is going to be my best shot at being able to enjoy life again.

For some reason I'm not able to edit the size of the pictures anymore since a while. Weird.

@hills&valleys hit the nail on the proverbial head about adjusting eating techniques. Eating slowly, taking small bites, watching portion sizes, avoiding food that is too dry or coarse, etc. is very important. otherwise discomfort or the foamies may occur. And yes your tummy may not tolerate certain foods, textures or flavours for a little while longer so food choices can be a little more challenging in the beginning. Difficulty with eggs, chicken breast, steak, etc, in these early weeks aren’t unusual. Six weeks is still pretty early out really. While able to eat soft foods then too, I could only manage my recommended 1/4 - 1/3 cup portion. Often that would be the protein only & it would usually take at least 20 - 30 minutes to eat. It does get easier & eating does become enjoyable again but you do have to learn the eating strategies that work best for you & your tummy. My tummy is a bit quirky & fussy but it was before surgery too. I still eat slowly taking 30 - 45+ minutes to eat what of course is a much larger portion size now, and take smaller bites. If I don’t because I’m distracted or not focussed on my eating behaviours, yep, discomfort & the foamies will occur.

Sleeve patients need to adjust their eating "technique". We need to take smaller bites, chew to "mush" consistency and take longer pauses between bites. Making those adjustments should help the food go down easier. Keep in mind that our new smaller stomach pouches can be finicky, especially in the early post-op months....foods that we have never found disagreeable now could cause issues. I have only had pain and spasms when I have eaten one bite too much. Rather than fighting the urge to throw up, I give in and hug the porcelain alter ridding myself of the "foamies" and the one bite too much......instant relief! You will soon learn your food volume limits.

could be water retention from your period or it could also be the infamous "three-week stall" that most of us experience (it's not always the third week - it could be week 2 or 4 or 5 - but most of us have our first stall pretty early after surgery. It usually lasts 1-3 weeks. Best thing to do is stick to your program and stay off the scale for awhile...it'll break and you'll be on your way again...)

I doubt that that the surgeon means get up every hour for the time that you are sleeping but maybe best to put that question to your team. Walking for 5 minutes every hour doesnt mean you have to go any where. Put a five minute song on and walk on the spot. Just getting your body moving will help your body get the circulation going to deal with any possible clots and help your lymphatic system to deal with any nasties. As for any nosy neighbors - Who cares what they think? You have started on this journey for your own physical well being. Be true to yourself. Walk in the sunshine and get some vitamin D in. 😀

Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 19/6 (Australian date format lol). My experience was no smooth sailing and I developed severe complications despite seeing the best surgeon at the best hospital. I’ve felt really scared, alone and isolated so I am delighted to find this forum. my weight was only 92 pre op and I guess I was considered a healthy young woman. 5 days post op I developed a severe burning pain deep inside my stomach. After numerous emergency visits and tests, it was determine I did not have a gastric leak. I had to be re admitted to hospital to manage the most severe pain of my life, for another 5 days and they still didn’t know what was wrong. Long story short, I had to self refer myself to a gastroenterologist who immediately knew what was wrong. I had developed bile reflux from my bowel into my freshly cut stomach which was causing the searing pain, severe inflammatory gastritis of my stomach lining, which then caused pancreatitis and severe spasms of my actual stomach. Because of all of this I could not even get water down and my throat was burning and mouth dried up from bile damage. He put me on a bunch of new intense meds and nearly 6 weeks post op now I am starting to feel normal. It’s been a really scary rough ride and emotional and I haven’t known if I’ve made the right decision. I can eat about 1/4 cup soft foods now which I am grateful for. Anyway I wanted to share my story in case you ever come across someone with these symptoms and doctors don’t believe them / don’t know what is wrong. Great to meet you all! Thanks for sharing your journeys!

Hi everyone! It has been a while since I logged in to this forum. My journey started about three years ago. It has many ups and downs. Started at 284 and I got as low as 183. Over the past two years, I got lazy and stopped following my program which ballooned up to 230. So it's time to get serious and get back to what I'm supposed to do. I really don't want to lose all the progress I made. Some of the bad habits I need to kick- eating junk food, especially late at night. Also eating too many "slider" foods that are easy to go down, which happen to be ice cream, chips, crackers... all the stuff that I don't need. I still walk 4-5 miles a day but have skipped a few more days than I should. I decided to log back in here for accountability and to remind myself how far I have come. Last week, I started counting the calories of everything I'm eating and trying to keep it under 1300 calories a day. I have gone from 230 to 218 in a week. My goal was always 200 lbs, so that's where I want to get to. I have my 3-year checkup with my bariatric surgeon on 9/21, and I hope to get to my goal by then. I appreciate any advice or encouragement here. And I will try to go back and catch up on all of the wonderful stories I have missed over the past year.

I know what the problem is. With my restriction, I still have trouble eating full meals of "real" food. So, I have lapsed into grazing throughout the day, eating "pieces" of food that are quick and easy to digest. I lived on fast food pre-op, and this feels like slipping back into a "grab and go" fast food sort of pattern (without the fast food). What I eat is generally healthy (too many sliders, though), but because I'm grazing, portion control is more difficult. I need to get back to eating full meals and taking time to allow my baby stomach to process.