HetKF

OK......I am having the same problem. Hungry every 2-3 hours. I am already on sub-lingual prevacid so why would adding Gaviscon help your hunger??? I would also love to know the name of that book too.

Thanks HetKF, referred pain is one I've heard mentioned before, but it never occurred to me that that could be the cause. Now I feel a bit happier and not so concerned about it.

No problem I was pretty freaked out about it too at the time. It's just weird how we all seem to be having similar issues. This is a good website because it saves our Surgeon's office from a lot of phone calls!!

I had something similar 2 weeks ago....my Surgeon stated it was "referred pain" from an internal incision. Most likely, I over did it and It stayed for a good 1.5 weeks but now it's gone. I just kept taking my pain meds when that sharp pain got bad enough. i just saw him before Christmas and he felt around and said there was nothing to worry about. He said it would eventually go away and that it's pretty normal for a lot of people. I have 6 incisions and my belly button never once bothered me until everything else didn't....go figure!

Yup, I agree...everyone goes through it. After surgery it's another 2 weeks of more liquids and it doesn't get any better until you get on the different stages of texture etc.... You will get through it We all have and it wasn't easy but we did it. I actually chewed up a piece of pizza and spit it out....so I totally know what you are going through. Good luck to you!!

It is the BEST decision you will ever make for yourself. I would do it again given the choice. I was scared too and did not want to go through surgery BUT I couldn't live how I was living anymore. This is a wonderful site and you can get all of your info from all of us. Happy 2011 to you and our new lives

That's wonderful! You'll do great!!!

YAY Becca!!!!! SOOOOOO happy for you it's finally done. Your right, the pain is pretty awful so make sure they keep up on your meds and when you go home. They usually put people on liquid Lortab/Vicodin but I couldn't take it so I had to crush my Percocet. YUCK...is about it. I was taking it about every 3.5 to 4 hours just to be able to be somewhat comfortable enough to walk around my house. I had a drain in for 11 days and it was more annoying than anything. Just going to warn you when they do take it out....it burns pretty bad so prepare yourself and take a big deep breath before they pull it. That was my experience anyway. It does feel better when it's gone too. I wondered if some of my pain was from that being in there? You will do fine....just remember the first 2 weeks are the hardest and then it's gravy! BIG HUGS TO YOU!!!!

My Husband was supportive prior to surgery. Post-op he has been an ass. One minute he's nice the next...not so much. My BF suggested he may be jealous and insecure of my surgery/weight loss. Anything is possible....I just know if he keeps this up he will become a single man.

The blue raspberry and the grape are the best as far as Isopure. You don't have to buy the large 40 gm Protein bottles. They do sell the smaller 20's but go to their website to find out what stores are closest to you. There is an aftertaste but it's not too bad. I can't say enough about Unjury unflavored. Can mix it with just about anything. Good Luck to you!!!

The same thing has happened to me. I was never really addicted to anything else but food. It numbed everything..... I was living in my protective shell for 23 years. Part of this is removing the food from your system. It's almost like we all detox while we go through the stages post op. Then our brains sort of go through this thing where we now realize we physically can not intake that kind of food anymore. It effects you in a huge mental way. I can honestly say, though I have lost almost 30 lbs. so far......my whole life has changed in the way i am with my kid's etc... No one is more shocked than me. I am FINALLY living in the present. It is a high like no other I see a Psychiatrist who specializes in food addiction. I've been seeing her 4 months prior to my surgery and I plan on seeing her as long as I feel I need to. She told me this one thing " Up until now, you have had negative coping mechanisms. After surgery you will need and be forced to learn a different way to positively cope with things in your life." That was all it took. It was like one of those Oprah moments....lol. She was right and I need to relearn how to handle stress, boredom, loneliness, etc..

I was told not until after your 30 days out OR 6-8 weeks for strength training. Walking is really the only SAFE type of exercise you can do post op. It is so you do not put yourself at risk for hernias etc.... Just because your incisions externally are looking good......sometimes your internal incisions take a little longer as I was told by my Surgeon. Better to be safe than sorry

Hi Keshia and Mary from AZ.

I have also just started my journey. I had an assessment done on Monday, and their insurance specialist said I qualified and should be approved with no problem. I started out very very positively Sleeve, but in reading the packet I got at the doctor's office I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing. Here's what I'm thinking:

Gastric Bypass--The weight would drop rapidly, but I really am scared of the dumping syndrome and I know I could stretch the stomach back out again

Lapband--I don't like the fact that there would be a foreign object in me at all times and a port for adjustments.

Sleeve--I like that it has fewer complications post-op, but I'm worried about feeling nauseous all the time

After January 1, when they reassess my insurance, I will go to see the surgeon, have my meeting with the nutritionist and exercise physiologist and my psych eval. I also have to get a clearance from my cardiologist (I have a congenital bicuspid aortic valve) and a letter from my PCP validating my weight and co-morbidities. Another two months of meetings, support groups, appointments, and I should be ready to have my stuff submitted to the insurance company by April 1. Then I guess the waiting game starts.

I'm both excited and terrified! But I am so sick of being this size and being limited by it.

Good luck to both of you! Let's keep in touch as the process continues.

Hello, I just happened to read your post. I was sleeved on 11/29 and I have not had any nausea. Nor do most people. The only reason you would experience that is if you had a leak. That is what they tell you pre-op and post op. It is hard at first....but after you get through the 1st two weeks...your golden. Sure, some people have issues but it's surgery.....and things happen regardless of which type you have. I will tell you....you can still experience dumping syndrome with a sleeve. Again, not everyone does but I have experienced it when I attempted to ingest something with a high fat/sugar content. Fifteen minutes later, I was running toi the bathroom....not nausea...the other end. All 3 of these surgeries are a complete lifestyle change. You will all do fine Just keep reading posts on here from everyone and you'll learn the ropes pretty quickly. Good Luck to you all!!

My Doc put me on Omeprazole 40 mg...and he said the reflux will usually subside after 3-4 months. BUT I am on this for now because I haven't had this since I was pregnant! Not fun.... Watch when you eat that you drink 30 minutes later because that causes it to happen. I learned that on here...and it holds very true. I am on soft foods and there is no difference from when I was on liquids. he said it actually gets worse with more dense food.< /p>

I am on soft foods and that still happens to me. If I'm getting in my water/fluid inbetween it helps.

I was like you in the beginning. Then it just stalled as soon as I started pureed food. Now, I've picked up momentum again and have lost 2 lbs. I live in MI and we are snowy and cold. So, I use my Wii Fit and do exercises on that like the steps etc... since I can't do any kind of weights yet. Hang in there

My group states 30 before and 30 after. I do sip Water while I am eating if something feels like it's not settling well. Yes, it will sometimes give me reflux. It's a hard habit to break when pre-surgery I drank before/during/after meals.

I am a little over 3 wks out and I never had any issues with loose stool. As the my diet has changed t/o the weeks I had a few episodes but nothing major. I am on soft foods now and am finding myseIlf to be on the Constipation side of things. Pre-surgery I was a regular girl....now it's like 5 days b4 I have any kind of a BM. I see my MD tomorrow and I am going to ask him and the Nutritionist. Sorry you are going through all of this.

AWESOME NEWS!!!!! Yeah, I haven't been in the 240's since I had my twin's in 2002. It's truly the best high on Earth So happy for you. You don't have that much more to go!!!

I will be 3 weeks out tomorrow. I just started using my Wii Fit yesterday. I have been doing the steps for now. I did 800 yesterday and 1700 today. It's good because it gets you moving without hurting yourself this early on. I heard from my friend who is a Zumba instructor that the Wii game is quite the workout.....but the classes are more fun.

I am an emotional eater. Have been since I was a kid. I used to sit with a jar of Peanut Butter and a spoon and go to town. Over the years, it developed into somewhat of an addiction because it brings comfort and numbs what you don't want to deal with/fils the void. It becomes your coping mechanism..a negative one at that. I don't think about it constantly either but this behavior has caused me to gain the weight I have over the last 23 years. I started seeing a psychiatrist who specializes with eating disorders prior to my surgery on 11/29. Yes........ emotional eating is an eating disorder. I will see her until I learn how to cope with my emotions and not look to food to help me feel better. Mind you, with this sleeve I do not have much choice now.

I am also stalled, but I am still noticing my clothes fitting much differently and better, and I can see the changes in the mirror, so this will be enough for me until the scales move again.

Interesting....the same thing is happening to me. My loss has stalled but I can literally see myself and feel myself thinner. I have no explanation for it. Pants I wore 5 days ago at the same weight ar loose. What sense does this make?

To THINONEDAY (soon), I don't know the size bougie used on me, but it's pretty clear it was larger than the ones used on most everyone else. Either that, or my stomach had greater elasticity. I have a followup next week and I'll ask.

I do find, as TijuanaPlication suggested, that "soft foods" and liquids go down easier and may be consumed in larger quantities than solid food. Now that I eat foods like fish, I can't consume as much as before without feeling really full. I suspect the quantity tolerance also is much less for foods with lots of fat in them. My diet is really low in fat (and no breads). SO I can eat more. (The preceding doesn't explain why Dansha is challenged even by cottage cheese, though. Is it non-fat, Dansha?)

To answer the question about my diet instructions, it was basically 10 days on liquids, a week on baby foods or Soups, then a week on soft foods. That 3-4 week period is supposed to take care of my regimented diet and limited exercise phase. After that, I'm supposed to just "be careful" and stop when I feel uncomfortable.

I've seen a lot of different dietary instructions for sleeve patients - much more variability than seems necessary - but I've also seen a wide range of patient tolerance, from those that are eating "normally" after little more than 2 weeks to those that are still restricted after several months.

Also, I've seen some widely different limits placed on activity. My instructions were to keep it light (except lots of walking) until 4 weeks, then proceed with more rigorous exercise, even free weights and the stairmaster, as my body permits. I follow the spirit of the instructions and just listen to my body, which has kept me out of trouble so far.

Thanks for the good comments.

My group put us on clears, full liquid, pureed, soft, and then regular food. He said they added pureed bcuz he was seeing too many people end up over doing it and leaking. So, in essence he wants the staple line to heal a little bit longer. I have no problem with that. Sure it sucks, but he's the Surgeon.

I live in Michigan.....8 inches of snow and 12 degrees outside right now. Not conducive for walking. I do not own a treadmill nor do I belong to a gym. I have belonged to several gyms in my past fat 23 years....even when I weighed a lot less that I do now. I never enjoyed the environment. Waste of my time and waste of lots of money. I'll be honest, I feel like I weigh less than what the scale is telling me. I avoided the scale for about 3 years prior to this....so now that I have gone through a VSG, it keeps me on track. I am following everything they are telling me. It gets frustrating sometimes when we all have different Doctor's with soooooo many different ideas. MY Nutritionist states fruit is ok.....plus some starch as long as it is measured. Like I said, I will be going back on the 23rd and I have a lot of questions to ask them. Thanks for your input.

I was sleeved on 11/29 too. I have lost 26 lbs. so far and Monday will begin soft foods on week 3. I have also stalled with losing weight. Seems like when I started pureed food it slowed things down. I think it's your body readjusting to your caloric intake. Excuse the TMI but bowel movements have once again begun as well. So, hopefully it will begin again. I have an appt. with my MD this coming Thursday so I will ask them then. I can't wait to get back on my AeroPilates machine in another 3-4 weeks. Then it will melt off.

To HetKF:

That's an amazing result. However, weight loss that fast sounds like muscle loss and dehydration as well as fat loss. I lost a huge amount in the 10 days around surgery when I was hardly able to move, but I don't think it was all that healthy. I felt weak and my face looked gaunt. So when I started on soft food, I tried to eat as many pureed vegetables as I could along with the Protein. When I was able to go back to the gym, my suspicions were confirmed that I was much weaker than before. So I focused on getting back up to my previous exercise level (weights and aerobics) even though that nullified some of the weight loss from calorie restriction. My waist did get smaller even though I didn't lose weight for almost two weeks.

I read about people that are in the soft food phase eating cheese and drinking apple juice or other sweet drink. That just can't be good. And by the way, I was told that you need 100 gm of Protein, especially right after the surgery, for tissue repair. If you aren't getting enough protein, that could lead to muscle loss and a slow recovery.

Your surgeon's comment has me worried for you. Telling you that you should lose 21% (about 50 lbs) in a month is setting you up for disappointment and might induce you to do something unhealthy. I heard that the most you can expect to lose is about 4 lbs per week if you do everything right. If you lose 15 or 20 pounds in a month (and don't lose muscle or get dehydrated), you should be thrilled and pat yourself on the back.

If anyone has better knowledge of how much we should be able to lose in a month, please add your comments.

Thank you for your response. Thing is, I am not weak at all. I have a lot of energy. So much in fact, I over did it recently and ended up paying for it around the spot where he took my drain out last week. I am doing everything they are telling me to do but within the last 4 days nothing has budged at 248. Literally since I started pureed food. I don't understand it? Not sure what to do and I see him again next Thursday. I initially was having issues getting my fluids in and my protein. Everything was disgusting and just did not go down very well. Within the last week I have been doing a lot better since I add that true lemon to my Water. The unflavored unjury is helping immensely!!! I was only told between 60-75 gms of protein a day. I know every Doctor is different. I appear and feel to be healing quite well. My incisions are almost completely healed. I am just in the itching stage at the moment. What vegetables were you able to puree that did not taste gross? I was told to stay away from broccoli and cauliflower etc...I welcome any suggestions. So, healthy is 4 lbs a week? Would be nice if it would do it..lol. I have not gained back any weight at all...and I'm thinking if it were dehydration....and now my Fluid levels are better wouldn't I??? Prior to surgery I did not drink enough EVER and was chronically dehydrated. I was a Diet Pepsi addict. I'm doing much better now.