PdxMan

I had my surgery in Vegas (Baby!) and the next day I walked over 5 miles in and around the casinos and streets. It was July ... in Vegas ... yeah. So, like SoS says, as long as you have a place to sit, you'll be fine. Do you have one of those collapsible camping chairs? *** Not flaming here, but just FYI, you did not delete your first post on this topic ... or your second ... or your third. We have to be careful, especially on mobile devices, to not re-submit our posts. They went through ... your display may not have received them yet.

Yes, this is something that needs monitored. Just because you are taking it, doesn't necessarily mean your levels are good. I was pretty good at taking my B12 sublingual each week as directed. First tests came back with B12 low, so they moved me to every other day. Tested again ... low. Daily dose ... low. So, now I get injections and my numbers have stabilized. Long story short, you gotta get tested. GenerationCurseChanger, since you are pre-op, your stomach is still wholly intact and able to absorb B12 normally. So, unless you have had B12 issues or have been directed to take B12, you may want to read THIS article about excess B12. Have you had your levels checked lately? I just know a lot of pre-op people get excited for the surgery and want to everything right so they begin the regimen early, but it may not be what your body needs right now.

I had done what you described several times in my life. I successfully lost 30 pounds only to gain back 40. Lost 40 pounds to gain back 50. My last go at it, I dropped 45 pounds and gained 50 back. I said, "Enough is enough! If I keep doing this to myself I am going to DIE!" I needed a more permanent solution and the sleeve has been the perfect tool for me. I have lost 130 pounds and not gained back 1 pound in the 20 months since my surgery. I weighed once a month so as not to get discouraged by the inevitable stall. I eat what I want, when I want ... just far smaller quantities. There was a period of mourning food shortly after the sleeve, but it changes into rejoicing that I no longer have to be a slave to food. I no longer have to beat myself up for failing yet another diet. The sleeve was the best decision for me. You have to decide your own path. Good luck

Oh, no. Have no fear. We're all good. A lot of times, surgeons aren't going to know the answers to your questions. They have no idea when you can eat a cheeseburger again. When can I have coffee? Is it OK if I drink my Protein shake with my yogurt? They have no idea nor the time to answer these questions. What size bougie ... yes, when will I weigh 175 pounds ... uh ...

I met with my surgeon the day before the procedure during the NUT's seminar. Before that, I spoke to his assistant. They were able to answer all the questions I had. Same thing with my last surgeries on my spine. I first met with their PA and he did initial screening and answered all the "basic" questions, I then met with the actual surgeon a couple days prior to the surgery. I had researched the surgeon and knew he was top dog in town. That is all I cared about. I don't think this is all that uncommon. You may not like it, but I think a lot of surgeons spend their time doing surgeries, researching new information/techniques and dealing with difficults cases/complications. Surgeons are more about the procedure, not the person. As cold as that may seem, that is why they have PAs. So they can focus on the procedure. It isn't easy stuff their dealing with here. They are operating on morbidly obese people which, in and of itself, has its own complications. Ask the folks who went to Mexico how much time they got to spend with the surgeon. Most likely, they met with them when they arrived or maybe had a 20 minute phone conversation with him prior. If you are the type of person who needs a warm, fuzzy loving surgeon, then perhaps you need to shop around a bit more.

You have to remember the medical bariatric community regard RnY as "The Gold Standard". It is because it is what they have been familiar with. Have you ever been apprehensive at work when somebody asks you about something new that you have no experience with? How do you react? "Uh, I would just go with this other thing because this is what we have been doing ..." Obviously she is just uninformed. The reason people don't follow up is because a vast majority never have complications. Myself, included. I am 20 months post and haven't talked to my surgeon once. Don't need to. Lost 130 pounds in 7 months. 100% of my excess body fat. Why would I go back? 20 months post and I have excellent restriction. If I were to gain, I have no doubt I could drop it immediately by falling back to the basic principles of sleeve eating. You can do it to. It's all good.

When you are doing the liquids, remember the pyloric valve will open and empty the stomach often. No, you won't be able to drink the 10oz container like you would have before, but you will be able to get it in. By the time you are on your third drink, the first drink is already moving out of the stomach.

Hey all, sorry I am late to the party. I haven't read all the posts, but I thought I would share some of what has worked for me. I, too, use the energy gels or squares for runs over 45 minutes. I've tried GU, Roctane, Cliff, Hammer ... they all have pretty much the same effect on me and that is to keep me from bonking, something which was common before I used them. I thought it was cheating, but I discovered it helped me have better, more rigorous workouts. We are already challenged nutritionally, so we need every bit we can get. As I was running almost daily with runs in excess of 15 miles on the weekends, I started searching for a way to make my own gels: Blackstrap molasses (half Tbs) Honey (half Tbs) Brown Rice syrup (1 Tbs) Salt (couple shakes) Yes, it is sweet, but it does the trick. Have a bottle of Gatorade handy to shoot it down. On race days, I would crush a caffeine pill in, too. It opens the blood vessles for better circulation. Nope, it's not cheating, either. Look at all the other racers with their Starbucks in hand ... I talk about clothing on my blog under the Equipment section. I still think the information is relevant any time of year. I would caution against running without a shirt as the moisture remains on the skin. Stay away from cotton, too, (Shirt, socks, shorts, underwear) as it doesn't wick the moisture away as well the performance-wear. I hope to get back to running in the next couple months as I recover from my second back surgery in 3 months. (Ruptured disk) I get so jealous when I pass other runners on the road. I have been able to maintain my weight, though, through it all by falling back to the basic guidelines of sleeve eating. Remember to do active stretching before running and static stretching after. Roll your IT Bands and wear proper footwear, clothing and reflective gear ... even in the day. Don't run at the same pace for every run. Muscle memory is a bad thing for runners. Mix it up. Get training guides online. If you're not sure ... ask.

MOM is what worked for me, too. And just because things start moving doesn't mean you should stop taking it. I was on it for at least a week.

Yes, you are being paranoid. There are risks in every surgery, but hopefully you have done your research on your Dr. It is your job to ensure they do their research on you. You must be forthright in all of your information regarding your medical history. Holding something back because you are embarrassed can only do you harm. There are complications associated with this surgery, so be sure to ask your Dr what their track records is. How many leaks have their patients had? What do they do for follow-up to check for leaks? You're going to wake up, don't worry.

You just had major surgery. Your stomach tissues are still WAY swollen. Once the swelling goes down, you will be able to drink the liquid and get the nutrition you need. It just takes time, but it will get better. Even for those with major complications, over time, it does get better.

Well ... stalls happen ... they are a necessary part of the journey. This is not going to happen according to your calendar, so pitch the scale. It measures weight, not fat, which is what I was looking to lose. When you are doing Zumba, are you the sweatiest person in the room? If not, you should be. If you are, good job. Keep it up. The weight will come off, trust me. It took a while to put it on and it will take a while to take it off. Breathe.

I guess I would wonder why you are doing a pouch test at 4.5 months out? I don't understand why any sleever, for that matter, would do a pouch test. As I understand it, it is designed for bypass patients who have stretched out their pouch a bit. Their pouch is made out of the fundus which is still part of the stretchy part of the stomach. Taking in liquids and other foods that quickly move through their pouch so it can shrink back a bit and they can feel more restriction. Since our sleeves don't really stretch that much, in no way near what a bypass pouch does, we are not going to get the benefit of doing this. My guess is you are currently frustrated by a stall. Correct? Just follow the guidelines laid out by your Dr and it will break. Don't drink before, during or immediately after eating, eat your lean Proteins first and exercise. When you exercise, don't just go through the motions ... get a sweat going. The weight will come off if you follow these guidelines.

Mango cabbage slaw/spinach salad and tri-tip chili

I'll be 20 months out Friday and just finished my chocolate Premier protein shake. It is a great breakfast for on the go. And they taste good, too!

Just keep breathing, just keep breathing ... Woo Hoo! My best advice would be to ask to walk as soon as you remotely feel up to it. That is the quickest way to start the gas absorption and get the anesthesia moving out of your system, too.

I see this has been here for an hour since posted with no comments from the ladies, so I thought I would throw my 2 cents in. Of course, I did not have a hysterectomy, but we all have our reasons for getting the surgery. Weight gain after any surgery is just one of them. Does it really matter if it was after hysterectomy, knee replacement, spinal fusion, _____ ... fill in the blank. I would guess, like me, the surgery for 99% of us has been a fabulous, life saving procedure. If you have tried conventional methods (notice plural) of losing weight and have struggled, it doesn't really matter. I can come up with about 6 reasons why I was morbidly obese, but it all circles back to my poor relationship with food. Good luck with your research and keep coming back!

You sound exactly like me at this stage. I did this until about the 6 week mark as I had a lot of fear about progressing to the next stage. Any time I tried even the smallest of bites of "regular" food, it did not feel comfortable. My stomach had gotten so used to not performing its mechanical function, that anytime I introduced something other than puree, it just wasn't comfortable. Bottom line, I had to get over my fears and take baby steps re-introducing "real" food. I started with cottage cheese, then did the baby bell cheese. Added tuna SEVERELY mixed with ranch and then lessened the amount of ranch daily. Doing this got me through this initial phase and I was able to progress from there. Good luck!

I told my mother a few days before surgery. "Just thought I would let you know, I am having a bariatric surgery this Friday. Not looking for any dialog on this, but I know you would be upset if I told you about it after." She had no choice but to accept it. If she were more extreme, as it may appear to be in your case, I probably would have waited and told her the first time I saw her, which would have been 3 months later with significant loss. She would have had no option but to see the results and be happy for me. Sounds like you are in a no win situation. Get yelled at for having the surgery or get yelled at for not telling her about the surgery. Any way you look at it, you're going to get yelled at, so, I would prefer post-surgery b!tch session.

And I quite love the woman I married. There is a reason why the divorce rate for WLS patients is so ridiculously high. I don't want to be on that side of the statistics. Leading a selfish, ego-centric life was taking me there fast. Entitled thinking is for sports stars ... and everybody who thinks they have been wronged in life ... Right? Yeah. Uh huh.

Nope, not insinuation that whatsoever. Furthest thing from it, actually. Just because I am seeking attention from the opposite (or same, depending on the team you play for) sex doesn't mean I want to have an affair with them. It usually stems from something missing from your relationship or something within yourself. Self-esteem issues or things like that. It could be a number of reasons which I am not going to iterate here. Only one of those reasons would be to have an affair. In my previous post, I was not motivated to have an affair for my behaviors. It was something far deeper.

SummersGirl, being true to ourselves is the best we can hope for. I have failed in this department more than once, for sure. But as long as I am able to be honest with myself and make corrective actions to my character defects, I will have no reason to be concerned about what other people think. Even my spouse. I know, personally though this journey, it is easy to get sucked in to the attention from others. I had always been the fat kid never being noticed by anyone. Women never approached me, I had to gain their attention by other means, which worked somewhat. We all try to use our assets as best as possible to be validated in this world. I didn't have boobs, so ... When I started losing weight, I started getting attention from people, including women, at a level I had never experienced. It was intoxicating, I have to admit, if I am being honest with myself. I wanted more. This led me down a path of ego-centric behaviors which could have easily destroyed my relationship with my spouse. It was only when I reflected honestly on my motivations for doing what I was doing that the root cause was revealed. I don't think I am a unique case in this community. I'm guessing a few folks may have experienced the same thing or will be soon. Being honest with ourselves and looking at what motivates us in our behaviors is critical. If the answer is innocuous, fabulous, but if it isn't, then do the right thing. That's all I have been trying to say here. Good luck to all