Eureka-C

Yup I had a 10 day stall, up and down the same 3 pounds for 10 days. I also gain one or two days every month. I am beginning to think it's ovulation, and I get way hungry for crap for2 days before my period and have lost only one pound the week before. I am only twelve weeks out and a little obsessed with the scale, 2-3 times a day, so time will tell. Just keep eating Protein, getting fluids, and exercising. Btw, antihistamines make me retain Water too.

At 12 weeks I still have one shake three or four times a week. I just don't like eating Breakfast, and it helps me get in my fluids. I would say do it until you can eat enough other foods to get in 60-80 grams of Protein. Everyone heals differently, and our sleeves are different sizes. I can eat way more than many at 12 weeks. I was getting 40-60 grams of protein from food at 6 weeks. I don't like when docs/nuts/good intentioned friends try to make me fit in their boxes. I listen and then do what is right for me.

All that ground meat bits just feel nasty in my mouth now that I chew so much. No problem to the sleeve though.

I sneeze and my nose starts running and my eyes Water. I try to pay closer attention, but I am really bad about one more nibble.

I would wonder who he did his residency with and who his supervising surgeon was. Did he learn from someone or some great facility?

That's awesome.

Try some unflavored Protein. Just be warned, it doesn't heat well. I wouldn't put it in Water, but others might have recommendation. I used Vitamin water zero and lemon juice concentrate to add to the fruit flavors and cut the sweet. I can't stand the chocolate or the thickness of most Protein Drinks, but finally settled on cherry syntax protein, extra water, lemon juice or crystal light lemonade mixed together. By the way by 2 1/2 - 3 weeks I could swallow bigger sips and didn't feel like I was drowning myself sipping constantly. This too shall pass. Just focus, and keep it up.

I would say look for samples. I personally like syntax nectar brand. I also do special k Protein Drink for an extra 10 g of Protein on low days. Personally, I have a hard time with the choc/vanilla ones and prefer the fruity ones. At 3 months out, I rarely do a Protein Shake anymore and get all of my protein from food. I also don't worry too much about the carbs. If I eat the amount of protein 60-80 g recommended, there is little room for anything else anyway. I am not sure who ships to your side of the world. Let us know how it goes.

I've had 600 calories today at 6 weeks out and I stretched out a meal over 50 minutes today. It's the first and last time I'm going to do this, as I normally have a meal within 20 minutes but today, I took my tuna (one can) It's the small can- not a mini one but the small one, I think around 4oz of tuna. I took the oil out and ate it on it's own on my little baby plate lol.

I ate what I could and left the plate for 10 minutes and went back to it, finishing it in 50 minutes.

Well, I know I'm paranoid, but reading what other people can eat I feel it might be too much! But then I thought, maybe it's because I didn't do my normal thing of setting a time limit.

I can not eat chicken in this way so I suspect it's the fact that it's soft Protein, that enables me to eat a little more of it.

I'm nervous my sleeve has stretched but logically I'm thinking, how has it stretched? It's just I compare myself to so many others with what they can and can't eat. I know I sound SO paranoid but I'm scared to ruin my sleeve. Anyone else get this fear?

Saying that, I have to try and get to 600 calories a day, or I would comfortably stop at 300. I've always been more of a volume eater than a grazer and nowadays, I get bored with eating my meals. The portions are so tiny I have to have 6 meals to get to at least 600 calories so I guess today I put the tuna on my plate and thought I would eat it slowly. Lesson learned! back to 20 minute little meals! It made me feel a bit too full for what I would aim for and probably went over with a spoon or two extra.

The sleeve volume will change over time, but as far as I am aware, it is due to healing, and reduced swelling. I have heard tiffykins say that she could eat more each month for a while (i cant remember the exact time frame) then she just stabalized and has been eating the same amounts for months now. Personally, I am a little jealous. I could eat 4 oz of tuna easily at 6 weeks out. Now at 12 weeks, I can eat that and some lettuce/tomato etc. 6 - 20 minute meals sounds like a good plan, and it sounds like it was working for you. Keep up the good work.

I like some crystal lights options but I love love love sugar free koolaid... aside from the risk that my taste buds will change and I"ll hate it... are there any issues with drinking sugar free Koolaid?

my husband swears the sugar free koolaide is sweeter and tastes better. Personally, I like them all. I did start mixing the lemonaide with my cherry Syntrax Protein b/c the sweet was getting to me.

Thanks everyone! The anti-nausea medical comes right back up (pill or liquid form). Doc knows and after tests says I have no leaks or anything...just tells me to keep at trying to get my Protein shakes in as much as I can as well as my Vitamin suppliments (Multi, B, D)...I'm doing a LITTLE better just (like you all said) taking baby steps! Again, thanks everyone for your input and words of encouragement!!!!

They also make anti-nausea medicine in a supposotory.

I know I missed your two hour deadline, but I went out several times early out and wanted to post just in case for next time or others.

In a mexican food restaurant, the tortilla Soup often has a stock that they pour over the ingredients. My hubbie and I both ordered a cup, and I asked them to let me pour the stock (it came out in a cute little Creamer pitcher). I gave my hubbie the extra ingredients in the cup and just poured myself some stock. Kids and hubby shared the double ingredients (chicken, avacado, tortilla strips etc) with a little stock. My son used it as a dip for the chips.

In other restaurants, I have ordered a chunky soup. I could then scoop out spoonfulls of broth easily, took the rest home and blended/strained it for later.

I found the creamy Soups and chilis too chunky to scoop out spoonfuls of cream without chunks so after one attempt, I just avoided them at the restaurant. That one attempt, I finally used a fork to damn back the chunks and let a spoonfull of just the creamy soup on my spoon.

Miso soup at a japanese restaurant is great.

Once my husband ordered a sandwich au jou and gave me the au jou. I just ate it like soup.

Friendlies is definitely not the place to be. I looked at the menu. I would probably get the chicken noodle soup and just sip at the broth. Or you could bring a scoop of Protein powder and mix with a small shake.

The surgeon & RN suggested I go ahead and replace two meals with shakes, keep one high protein/low carb meal, and 1-2 Snacks high Protein when I went for my consult in June. Due to insurance problems, I didn't have surgery until 11/22. I didn't always stick to it (I kept the high protein, but often ate too much) but worked hard at the beginning and once insurance finally approved me. At my consult, my liver was large and mushy, but it looked great in the pics of my surgery. Small and firm.

Have you called your surgeon? This seems extreme for 3 weeks out. I would also wonder about a stricture?

I was terrified of throwing up and causing damage. I told the nurse, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and they all made sure I got meds to prevent nausea. Btw, narcotic pain meds always make me nauseous, and several people have said dehydration can make you nauseous, so no matter how hard it is, once you can start drinking, keep sipping constantly. Best of luck to you.

How far out are you? Right after I started mushies, this was the case for me as well, now at 11 weeks out, I easily go hours without being hungry. In fact at times I want to eat, but have no hunger, everything just sounds blech. Although, i have found that the week before my TOM, I still want to eat constantly and obsess about food like I always did before surgery. Only now I can't eat too much. My worst day, I ate almost 1200 calories, whereas before surgery, I could eat 5000 or more on bad days.

As for stretching, I think that is least likely to occur with several small meals. I worry about stretching because I have the urge to eat until feeling overstuffed, just one more bite. I am working really hard not to do this.

I understand your concern. My husband has had several surgeries and he always hates the catheter. He always asks them to take it out before he wakes up. Usually this is good, but last time (appendix removed), the anesthetic lingered and his bladder got too full, preventing him from peeing and causing severe pain. They had to reinsert the catheter (by this time he was begging for it) to relieve some pressure and allow him to pee. He says next time he will let them keep it in to never have to go through that again. I tell you this because some types of anasthesia don't allow the body to work like it's supposed to and the catheter is required to prevent problems like this. My husband says all the times he has had one, there is no pain, no bleeding, no scarring. The last time they had to reinsert it when he was swollen inside caused a bit of uncomfortableness, but he was in so much pain by this time, the relief of releasing his bladder far outweighed that. As for my surgery, my surgeon uses general and a local as well, and does not require a catheter. Have a talk with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist and maybe you can work something out. In the end, no matter how uncomfortable the idea of the catheter, isn't it worth a few hours of annoyance to lose the weight?

Only iv. Nothing else

Having someone at least come and check on you a few times is nice. If not, make sure you have a comfy chair. Recliners are awesome. Have a tv tray or small table where you can easily reach. Buy everything before you go in the hospital. Get your pain meds pre-filled. My doc did this on request. I personally wouldn't plan on going upstairs the first day home.

Royse city (near Dallas)

I would just leave it as-is until your scale catches up with your ticker.

Well, ups and downs again!

Week 5, and I am having my second stall/gain! I'm back down to having lost 23lb, but still can't work out why this is happening, I had good weight loss for 2 weeks post op, gained 1lb week three, was ill and due to illness lost 7lb (although until I got a vomiting bug I was stalling at 18lb lost), after getting well again I stayed the same for a few days, but have now gained 2lb.

I'm somewhere between mush and food, and have largely been eating chicken breast, omlette or Soups the weight of what I'm eating is less than 2lb, so I just don't get why my body is doing this!

Please tell me this isn't just me, and I'm not shaping up to be the first person to fail on the sleeve!

Thanks

I am noticing patterns in my weight. It goes something like this

weigh morning 241.6

weigh mid morning 240.9

weight night 244.4

Weigh morning 242.2

weigh night 243.6

weigh morning 240.4

weight night 244.2

weigh morning 241.0

weigh night 242.6

weigh morning 239.4

weigh night 241.9

weigh morning 240.6

and on and on and on...

I am losing only one pound a week some weeks, others (like this week) I lose up to 4 pounds. Even though my weight fluctuates greatly daily, and even throughout the day, there is a weekly pattern of losing. My lowest weights occur about 2 hours after I get up. I like knowing what my body is doing, so I weigh a lot. Sometimes I just get on the scale and stare at it, because it has been soooooo long since I have seen it this low. I pay attention to the lows, not the highs. My goal each time is to get lower than my last lowest, which happens about every 3 to 4 days, sometimes by only a fraction of a pound. It works for me. Point is, for me anyway, weight fluctuates tremendously. BTW, the day before my TOM, I gained four pounds.

Take a look at the following article.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53304

Or just do a search about cortisol and weight.

At first I had to eat chicken with something or it was too dry, mayo, or gravy, or ketchup. Also it is true that it only takes a few bites or solid Protein at first to fill you up even when it is not dry.

Are any of those Chili's Soups ALL liquid? Or do I need to wait until mushy phase to try them out?

When I was on liquids I finally started blending soups and chilis then straining them just to get a different flavor.