kellyw74

You definatley rocked your sleeve!!! GOOD JOB!! KELLY

My plan called for 3 full days on clears, 2 weeks on full liquids, 2 weeks on purees, 8weeks on soft foods, and then modified regular diet. No protein drinks!!! Kelly

That is AWESOME!! Good for you! Kelly

The whole reason for the pre-op diet is to lose weight and ultimatley to shrink your liver. When we are extreamly heavy, our livers are huge!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes it really hard on the surgeon when our liver is big and it gets in the way. They have to put camers in there and long things with stapler's on them and grabby things (they all have names, but I dont know what they are LOL). Anyway, when we lose weight, our liver shrinks! That is the reason behind it. If you have lost some weight, I am sure you have shrunk your liver some, how much?? I don't know. Try to be better for the next few days until your surgery and you will be o.k., I am sure!! You need to think of the reason you wanted this in the first place. Do you really want to start all over and have to wait again? I think not and we all have been there and scared! I am sure you will be fine. Don't worry. KElly

The first few days are hard, but remember you just had MAJOR surgery!! My case manager said next to heart surgery, this surgery is next in line! People fail to realize it because they don't really feel that bad, but it is MAJOR!! They remove part of your organ!! Of course you will feel poorly!! I didn't really feel bad, just tired and sore. Everyday is an improvement. Hang in there!!! Kelly

I think they like to do bypass on people with really high BMI's. People with BMI's under 50 are usually suggested the sleeve. I think it is because with the bypass you tend to lose faster. However, with the bypass it seems people can gain back easier than we can. We can gain, but not as easily. It is ultimatley up to you, if you don't want a bypass, then say NO WAY!! I told my surgeon in the beginning I didn't want that, eventhough he never wanted to do it, I made it clear I wasn't doing it. It is your body and if you don't want to do it, you don't have to! Good luck to you!! Kelly

That is a great NSV and made me smile!! good job! Kelly

The good thing about the sleeve is nothing is really "off limits". If you can tolerate it, you can have it. I personally have not had rice, but others do and are fine with it. It is just really carby and takes up a lot of room because it swells. They do make rice-less sushi, could you try that? The only things that people say you shouldn't eat is celery and coconut because it doesn't digest well with our new tummy, but many still eat it. Good luck! Kelly

Congrats on your sleeve!! Yes, it does get better, hang in there!! SIP SIP SIP!! Just little sips, not drinks!! I was supposed to sip 1oz every 15 minutes for the first week and did not really have any trouble drinking. Lots do tho, just sip, sip, sip all day if you have to. It sucks, but you don't want to get dehydrated. Keep us posted on how you are doing! Hugs, KElly

WOOP WOOP!!!! Kelly

That is so awesome!! good for you. Kelly

AMEN!! Kelly

For the first 4 weeks you should be on chewable Vitamins, including the calcium. Bariatric Advantage has calcium chews that are soooo yummy. bariatricadvantage.com and Calcet makes some that taste like cake. The chocolate, lemon and carmel from BA are the BOMB!! Also Calcet's lemon and chocolate are good too. After 4 weeks you can take Citracal and Centrum. That is what I take now, but wasn't allowed to until 4 weeks out. I still do the chewable calcium and Calcet once in a while just because I like them. Good luck to you! Kelly

YAY for you!! congrats on your sleeve. for some reason, i thought you were already sleeved!! i was really bruised on my left side for a few weeks and looked like someone beat me with a ballbat!! it was freaky! everyday gets better, hang in there. i can't believe that you are on mushies already. i did not get to do that until week 4. I also gained 12lbs after surgery. It did go away fast too. take it slow, you will do great! Hugs, Kelly

I am just speaking from my own experience but I want to tell you this: I was sleeved on May 9th of this year. I prayed and prayed that my hunger would go away after surgery because I was always hungry before surgery and could literally and did eat all damn day!! After my surgery, I still was hungry. I was sad!! I thought for sure, I would always feel this way. I have taken Nexium since 2004 when I was diagnosed with GERD! I read and read on here about "false hunger" from acid. I asked my dr. about it and he told me it was bologna!! I couldn't stop thinking that maybe, just maybe there was something to it. I would eat, even with my sleeve and an hour later be hungry again!! My dr. swore I was eating the wrong things, but I knew what I was putting in my mouth!! I took it upon myself to get some Prilosec OTC at Walmart and took the 14 day trail. In about 10 days, I noticed a HUGE difference in my hunger! Now, I still get hungry, but I am not hungry all damn day like I was before on Nexium! I bypassed my surgeon and got my PCP to write me a script for the Prilosec and I now take it daily all the time and don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it! Ask your dr. to switch your PPI. It could just make all the difference in the world. It sure did for me! Kelly

I don't super low carb, but I keep mine between 40-60 daily. If I want something I have it and don't pay attention to the carbs. I don't eat that much for it to make a difference anyway!! I get most of my carbs from fruit and veggies because I do follow the protein first rule. I have a protein bar usually as a snack and mine have anywhere between 18-20 carbs each. When I super low carb, I don't loose. That is why I don't do it. Kelly

I took liquid Tylenol a couple of times for a headache didn't want to take the Lortab i was given. Kelly

I ordered the book too. I don't have issues with my butt. I have issues with my arms. Hopefully, the book will help with those! Kelly

I was scared to do this stage too. It was the first real food that we have since surgery and I think we are afraid of failure. Just take it slow and don't eat too fast. Chew it to liquid and wait a minute or two in between bites and you will know by that time if it will be alright to take another. After a few meals, you will get over your fears and branch out to try other things. I am glad that chicken salad worked for you on your first try. I could not eat it until 4 weeks out. I was too swollen.!! Try some thinned refried beans with a little melted cheese. YUMMY!! KElly

WOW!!! You look awesome!! GOOD JOB! Kelly

You MUST remember that simply not going does NOT mean that you are constipated. Constipation is needing to go, but can't, bloating, cramping, pain, pressure and sometimes bleeding. You should not be taking laxatives simply because you have not gone in a few days. I use to be a 2-3 time a day type person and now I MIGHT have a bm once a week. That is NOT constipation. That is because I don't eat anything to get rid of. Everything I am eating is being used by my body. It is hard to wrap your head around at first, but if you start taking laxatives when it is not necessary, you are hurting your body in the long run. Kelly

I like the ones from Pure Protein, they are yummy. They are all high in protein and low sugar! The carb count is usually 18-20g, but I don't super low carb so they work for me. Kelly

That is exactly why my nut and dr. do not advise or want us to do ANY protein drinks at all!! They discourge us from drinking them for this very reason and say to stay away from them. They were not even allowed on the liquid phase for me. I did drink some anyway, but liquid calories are not part of my plan for that reason. I feel hungry within an hour of drinking them. But, if I eat my protein, I am good for hours! If I am short on calories for the day, I might have one just to get in some extra calories, but I rarely drink them. Kelly

My first couple of weeks were rough. I became anemic and was SOOOO tired. I went back to work after day 7 because I did not have any pain, but I was really tired for about 2-3 weeks. Then I felt awesome about week 3. Hang in there it does get better everyday! Kelly

You look awesome!! Good job! Kelly