lsereno

I used two extra pillows to prop my upper back and one under my knees to make my bed resemble a hospital bed. It was probably a couple of weeks before I could sleep on my side. Lynda

I'm was sleeved at Kaiser Fremont on 5/17 by Dr. Hahn. He used a 40 and oversewed the staple line. At 7 weeks out, I have restriction on solid Protein of about 1/4 cup. I can eat 1/2 cup of Soup or yogurt. I cannot gulp drinks, even Water. Lynda

Congrats beautiful! And many wishes for a long and happy marriage! Married life will be even better at your new, healthier weight and that healthier weight will ensure you get more time on the planet to enjoy it! Thanks for sharing your photo- it made my day! Lynda

I have several: I felt the bone at the bottom of my sternum- been so long since I could feel ribs, hips, etc through my extra padding that at first if frightened me - what is this strange lump!! I had the same issue with my hip bone a few weeks back. Haha - wonder what bone will scare me next? I rocked an XXL tie-dye tank from Walmart on the 4th and my pants are getting too big. I have one more set of skinny jeans to work through before I have to buy new ones. I tried on one top this week and discovered it had gone from being too small to too big before I wore it. Oops! Lynda

I'm 7 weeks out. So far, I don't have buyer's remorse, but of course I have had a few bad days. My biggest fear is gaining the weight back in years 2 and beyond. Now that would give me buyer's remorse! If could truly control what I eat I would have never needed the sleeve in the first place, so as time goes by, I am afraid I may make bad choices that let weight creep back. I don't miss eating much. For the most part, I am not hungry and find it a major hassle to eat the required amounts. I think part of that is because I am VERY compliant with my Dr's recommendations: low cal Protein first at every meal. I am much happier since my six-week post op when I was cleared for all foods. Unlike many, I have found beef very easy to tolerate. Lynda

Hi, I'm back from a long weekend at Pismo Beach. We rented a two story condo with the dining room and living room upstairs, so got plenty of stair action and lots of walking every day. Pismo has a great beach for walking and the town is fun too. Today, I was back at the gym with my trainer for 30 minutes. Tomorrow it's my walking group for 45 fast minutes through downtown San Jose. I want to add 30 minutes of light cardio to my Mon.-Wed-Fri workouts, but I'm waiting for my knee to heal up. Between the stairs and hopping in and out of the sand chair all day on 4th of July, it has had it with bending for a while. I was hoping my joints and feet would act up less as soon as I dropped some weight, but that hasn't happened yet. I'm at 195 lbs. so maybe when I get closer to goal. Lynda

Hi all, My goal for Labor Day is based on losing 2 lbs. per week, which is what I've been averaging since week 4 post-surgery. The Labor Day Goal also includes reaching three mini-goals: 1. Getting down to the 180s. Haven't seen that weight since around 200. 2. Becoming Overweight, not Obese (185 lbs) 3. Weighing less than my husband: (<182) Labor Day Goal: SW-197...............CW-197...............Labor Day goal-179

Hi Meggie, I've just returned from my own lost weekend, so I feel your pain. In addition, I know my bougie was an oversewn 40, so I have a horror of winding up with a big tummy with lots of weight regain. Honestly, if I could have controlled my eating, I would never have gotten the sleeve to start with, so naturally I am scared about long term weight regain. Good lesson on eating Protein first!! The sad thing for me is that protein often leaves me feeling a little " eh" and those slider foods didn't bother me a bit! I'm with you: Back on track: Protein first, veggies/fruit next. Protein shake at the end of the day. Lynda

Hi all, Congratulations to all who made their 4th of July goal!!! I missed goal by 8 lbs. I set my goal pre-surgery, assuming about 5 lbs. per week in the first six weeks. After the first three weeks, my weight loss is averaging 2 lbs. per week. I have lost 25 lbs. in the seven weeks following surgery. Respectable, but not as much as I thought it might be. SW-223...............CW-206...............July 4th goal-189................July 4th Weight: 197 I'll be setting my goal for Labor Day at 2 lbs. per week. The Labor Day Goal also includes reaching three mini-goals: 1. Getting down to the 180s. Haven't seen that weight since around 200. 2. Becoming Overweight, not Obese (185 lbs) 3. Weighing less than my husband: (<182) Labor Day Goal: SW-197...............CW-197...............Labor Day goal-179

Mid-August works better for me. We have traveled so much for 4th of July with more family visits this week. Also, on Friday, July 8, there is a Kaiser Fremont support group meeting at 6 p.m. Lynda

Hi all, Tomorrow, I'm gonna try this recipe I saw on Simple Recipes: chicken breast in saran wrap and drop it in Water you have brought to a boil. As the water cools, the chicken breast continues to cook. Sounds like an easy way to get some moist chicken meat. I know the crockpot works, but for those of us who are not feeding a family, the crockpot makes way too much. Lynda

I recommend leaving your scale in exactly the same place on a hard level floor. I can gain or lose up to 1.5 lb.s or so by moving mine around a few inches on my hardwood floor (Original wood floor from the 1920s so it probably has a more uneven surface than newer ones). If it's in the same place and you can change your weight more than an ounce or two by simply hopping off and on, maybe it's time for a new scale. And next time you plan to get weighed at the Dr.s, step on the scale before leaving the house. Generally, my scale weighs about 1 lb. heavier than the Dr.s scale. And about the two pound thing: You are right on schedule for the infamous 3 week stall. You'll find lots of chatter about the notorious stall all over VST. If you did only lose two pounds in week 3 or so, you are in good company!! Lynda

If you don't get a reply here, try the Yahoo Group for Nor Cal Kaiser Bariatrics: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/gastric-bypass-support-kaiser-patients/ I don't have an answer for you because I went through Kaiser Fremont. Each bariatric program has its own standards. Lynda

The pressure and contracting after I eat is what I get if something doesn't agree with me. My tummy roils around enough I have to undo my pants. One time I threw up a bunch of slimy stuff for about 15 minutes, but every other time, the discomfort goes away within 10 minutes or so. I felt the sudden "I' gonna heave" feeling twice in the week after surgery, but not since. My tummy feels "a bit off" most of the time anymore. I think it's still healing (surgery May 17 included a small hiatial hernia repair). Lynda

I'm a month ahead of you (sleeved 5/17 at Kaiser Fremont). Are you eating slowly enough? I started with a timer to pace myself. If I am eating out somewhere I don't want to plop my timer, I try to find a clock or sneak a peek at someone's wristwatch ( I don't wear one). Also, at first I ate past the point of feeling full because i was trying to get 2-3 oz. of protein per meal. Now, I aim for anything over 1 oz. Usually I eat between 1.5-2 oz of protein per meal. If you are eating slowly enough and stopping when you get full instead of trying to eat a larger portion, try going back to full liquids for a day. I did that after I got sick from eating 2 oz. of steelhead trout. The next day, I had cream soup, yougurt and protein drinks. It really helped my tummy out. Hope you are feeling better soon! Lynda

Tada! I'm at 199.9 this morning! It's about 5 weeks out from surgery. I've lost 22 lbs from my day before surgery weight and 54 lbs. from my nearly all-time high weight in February when I began the pre-op diet. 1/5 of my weight GONE in 4 months!!!! I've been expecting onderland, but it was still a shock to see that 1 at the beginning of the numbers. I'be only been under 200 once before during this millennial, century. last two decades, and it was a brief visit. Within days, I popped back, up in the 200s. The next twenty pounds will bring me to a weight I haven't seen in nearly twenty years and will deposit me firmly in the land of the overweight, not obese. I think that 20 pounds will be when I can really wrap my head around the fact that this time things are going to different and the weight will stay off. I'm still afraid it will pile back on. I alternate fearing I will be stuck eating low-fat lunch-meat and greek yogurt for the rest of my life, with no room for a veg or piece of fruit and fearing that my stomach is not small enough and I will be 220+ again before I know what hit me. I'm going to Celebrate onderland by buying some new workout pants and heading back to the gym on Friday with my trainer. I realize hooking up with a trainer may not sound like much of a celebration to some, but it's a real splurge for me. I'm counting on her help to speed my weight loss and maintain muscle mass to minimize the deflated balloon look as much as possible. I hired a trainer about three years ago because I knew I needed help losing weight and staying fit. I never lost much with the trainer, but I did get more fit and could feel the difference. I can't wait to experience being a healthy size and fit. It's been so long I can't remember how it felt!!! Next stop: Overweight, not obese!! Last time I got there was around 1999 and I used hypnosis. Lynda

I took my pain meds for the first 8 days. Last couple of days, I didn't take as much, but I still needed them. I slept propped with pillows to make my bed like a hospital bed for the first couple of weeks. After that, I could sleep on my side. After week 3, I could sleep on my stomach again. For the first couple of weeks, I wore a nightie with no undies unless i was going outside. My tummy felt sore and I didn't want anything around it. I wore stretchy pants. til week 4, then I was back in my jeans (the ones I had squirreled away from a previous weight loss!!!). For the first three weeks I had a sore feeling in the lower left quadrant of my tummy, like someone slugged me. Then one day I woke up and it was gone!! Lynda

Congrats! I'm so happy for you. I'm hoping to be following in your footsteps as the weight comes off over the next couple of months. And to lose the cholesterol med too. Go Sleeve!! Lynda

I gained 14 lbs. from IV fluids. It took 8 days to come off, but when it did, I had a rockin few days of weight loss. Rub some lotion into your poor skin -- it's stretched!! Lynda

My biggest incision is on the right and I had pain in my lower right quadrant. Nothing that couldn't be tolerated, but I know they didn't really do anything there so I was concerned. I asked at my face to face support group and they said it's muscle pain. The doc moves stuff around in there while you're out. Mine resolved around week 4. That said, it never hurts to call the Dr's office. That's what they are there for! Lynda

Happy Birthday Meggie! Hope you day was fantabulous! From the looks of your profile pic, you really know how to Celebrate :-) Here's to a great year and looking forward to seeing you at goal weight before your birthday next year!! I'm glad you enjoyed the popcorn! I'm just a few days behind you, so you are almost always my bellwether, although our pre and post-op diets are very different. I've been mostly compliant on my diet, but I did discover that chocolate chips Cookies go down just fine. I baked some for my FIL last week and ate one small one per day for three days running. Thank goodness I didn't have access to them anyomre on day 4!! Lynda

I used a one ounce medicine cup and an 8 oz. measuring cup as my "pitcher" so I didn't have to get up and down all the time. I watched the clock. Every 15 minutes I was awake, I finished 1 oz. of Water. With the swelling of my tummy, I could only take tiny sips, but I just kept taking them. Everyone is different! I prefer liquids cold or hot-not room temperature. And I couldn't stand the artificially sweetened and flavored Jello and Popsicles. I drank water and chicken broth the first day home from the hospital then I added milk (had to switch to soy milk because I developed lactose intolerance) the next day. The chicken flavored unjury Protein was the easiest to tolerate in the first few days. Don't buy too much of any type of drink. Your tastes and tolerances may change after surgery. Lynda

Hi Honey, I attended a face-to-face support group at Kaiser Fremont yesterday and one of the attendees had this issue. She also had a stricture which they had tried unsuccessfully to dilate. She is going to have an RNY conversion. I don't understand how converting to RNY is going to fix a stricture, but apparently it does. I'm not sure if they also removed her spleen or just treated the infartion. Someone familiar with Kaiser staff said that spleen infarcs were mentioned as a complication at a recent bariatric conference. You're right about not hearing anything about this before the operation. Kaiser had an extensive list of possible complications, but a spleen infarc wasn't on the list. My thoughts are with you and I hope you are healing well now. Please let us know how they treated the spleen infarc. Thanks, Lynda

Yes, it's across the street from the Palo Alto Medical Group. The meetings are two hours: 6-8. The group leader is a Kaiser staffer. The first hour is for pre and post ops. Generally during this hour, post-ops answer questions from pre-ops. There is a lot of good info for recent post-ops too. The second hour is for post-ops. Leader asks if anyone needs support and we discuss. Last couple of meetings we've had a homework question that we work on for a couple of minutes and then discuss. This week it was planning for change: come up with one change you want to make, important reasons to make the change, steps to make the change, ways others can help, how to tell plan is working, and what might prevent success. Then everyone discusses what they wrote. There are several regular attendees who have the sleeve. I like that the group is large so you can hear a lot of people's opinions and stories. One regular attendee is 5 years out (he had RNY). They meet the second and fourth Friday of the month, 6-8. Lynda

Hi all, I'll be at tonight's WLS Support Group at Kaiser Fremont from 6-8 p.m. I'd love to see some fellow VSTers there. The meeting is free and is open to all. It's in the Niles Building on the Kaiser Fremont campus at 39400 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont CA 94538. The Support Group meets in a Conference Room in the Niles East building (campus map at http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/facilities/region/gsaa/area_master/locations_directions/FRE-CM.jsp) Lynda