Veda

Camomile tea, hot, does the trick for me. A stronger fix is catnip tea, which is sold in health food stores. The only thing is that the catnip tea should not be used when driving and it makes me tired in the morning so I rarely use it, but it does work fast!

I am getting frustrated at the slow weight loss. I do all the things I am supposed to so that's not it. I'm excercising some, but do need to do more than twice a week. I lost 15 pounds preop, then 5 pounds one week out, then 3 pounds, then 2 pounds, and last week a big 1 pound. This is my fifth week out and there's been no loss so I now understand what a stall feels like. It really helps to read the other posts! Patience is not my best virtue.

When I was 5 days out, I could drink - not sip - about 1/8 of a cup followed in a couple of minutes by another 1/8 to 1/4 cup of liquid. I am 4 weeks out and have problems with not wanting food or liquids. This has been going on for 3 days. When I was at your stage, I wondered if the doctor took any of my stomach out! LOL. It was easier for me to get my Protein in then than it is now. Within the first 4 weeks, I've gone throuh a few stages and none of them seemed very difficult until now when I'm really feeling full after a couple of bites or taking a long time to get a Protein shake down. I hope this helps. You will feel full soon enough. Concentrate on getting you protein and other liquids each day.

Any of the mint flavored Orbit gum works for hours. It doesn't lose it's flavor and keeps my breath in decent shape.

My PCP works out and believes the key to being healthy is eating right and exercise each day so who doesn't - right? I have been nervous for years every time before seeing him because he always told me I needed to lose the weight I gained over the last 10 years. Well, when I told him I was thinking of WLS and the sleeve in particular, he jumped right in and said there was no reason for me to not do it. He has been a big encouragement all the way! Now, I don't think of cancelling my appointments because I've gained weight since my last appointment with him. What a relief!

Prilosec works for me - once a day, but since I had a hernia repair, my surgeon thinks I can stop taking a ppi after about 3 months out from being sleeved. I have taken Prilosec for many years. It works best for me if taken in the morning 30 mins. to 1 hr. prior to eating and I don't lay down after I take it. The med has to hit the stomach before it works to prevent reflux. I hope this helps.

Fun topic! I am TRYING to get to know my sleeve. So far, it doesn't like cottage cheese or sweets. I tried sweets again tonight just to make sure - yep, it really doesn't like them. Also, it hates Soups that are too rich. sugar-free "sweets" are not its friend either. My sleeve loves ice Water, which made me sick before, and hot liquids.

If your doctor has a nut in his/her office, I would call that person and ask if there is something else you can have. Cream of Tomato Soup saved me a couple of days. Other cream based soups were too rich, but this one was yummy. Also, I try to drink liquids as soon as I wake up, otherwise I tend not to get in all the liquids I should. Hope you feel better and the days go by quickly until you get to eat what you want!

Premier is the best I can find. Bariatric Advantage is what my surgeon required, but it made me sick to my stomach and it doesn't have as much Protein as Premier. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese have helped me up my protein, especially when I make my own Protein shakes using the greek yogurt.

My surgeon REQUIRES a purchase of Bariatric Advantage, a pre-op and post-op Protein shake, supplements, Vitamins, Protein Bars, etc. package at just under $500.00. They will NOT allow any refunds or exchanges on unopened products. They also refused to credit me or make an adjustment for what they forgot to include in my package - a $40.00 value. I told the nutritionist that this is unbelievable, especially since I was a self-pay patient. For $14,000 (outpatient cost) one would think asking for protein bars instead of calcuim should be a no-brainer. I think it is ridiculous that a surgeon has a vested interest in selling products. This smacks of a conflict of interest since this is a money maker for the medical firm. It makes me frustrated to have such a choice taken away from the patients. It also is bothersome when Bariatric Advantage makes me very sick to my stomach and I have discussed this with the surgeon's office. Arrrrh! So glad to be able to rant a bit about this. Has anyone else been required to purchase like this? If anyone likes this stuff, let me know and I will gladly mail you my unopened products (about 2 weeks worth) AND I will pay the shipping!

Kathy and Lisa, Search for Updating Ticker on the forums section - there's lots of ticker info on this site. For mine, I go to the the website and click on the My Ticker section and it automatically appears with the option to edit. Hope this helps.

Hi Lisa, I have taken Prilosec OTC every morning for years and have since being sleeved. I just started mushies 2 days ago and am learning what my new stomach will handle and what it won't. For me, being on the 2 week liquid post-op diet is much easier than it has been trying to learn the limits of actual food consumption. The sleeve restriction has now kicked in for sure! I do feel bloated, burpy (not a word, I know) and sick to my stomach. One thing I've noticed is that if I go too long between eating times, I feel much worse when I actually do have food. Sometimes I feel like I have something stuck in my throat or chest. My first day back to work was today and I got so busy that I forgot to eat or drink. Tonight, I ate what I thought was a small portion of cottage cheese and tuna salad AND boy have I felt bad ever since. I will try to do better tomorrow and hopefully eating and drinking on schedule will make it better. Please update us so we can learn from you too. Thanks for your post! I actually got on here to see if anyone else was feeling like this.

Escape_Pod, I will gladly give you what I have. There is a large sealed bag, never been opened, of vanilla shake powder that can be mixed with Water or milk. I also have plastic bottles that have different flavors of the Protein shake powder, which is meant as a convenient way to take the product with you to work or wherever. I think this is at least 2 weeks worth. If you private message me with your address, my husband will mail you the products right away. I gave the chewable supplements to my stepson who likes them a lot. Funny how we are all so different! I'm kind of sorry that I vented because my surgeon is great at his technique. I did go to the office the other day and told them that their product does not agree with me. Regardless, I do like to be given reasonable choices in life - just sayin'. Thanks all for your comments - at least I know I'm not alone in my thoughts on the subject.

I was fortunate to speak to a friend who had success with the sleeve. I researched many hours for safe places to go and after that, I went to a general information day at the surgeons' office - there are 3 surgeons there who only do WLS. They answered all my questions. I booked my surgery date right then and there! The medical tests took a while due to things that had to be addressed before surgery - another bonus is finding out more than I ever knew about my health! From start to finish it was 2 to 2.5 months. Finding the right surgeon for me was so comforting. When I needed addtional encouragement, I found it through a local meet-up group and with people on this forum. I am 11 days out and have had a super easy time of it. My life now has room in it to think about something besides food or losing weight. I am finally free!!! The best to you!

Hi Fellow banana Babes! (love that name) I was sleeved on Friday morning. I had so much stress from work that the surgery wasn't the uppermost thing on my mind and that probably helped me. Although not everyone has it as easy as I am, this surgery has been the oddest thing because I feel like nothing happened. My stomach has the scars, but I just feel like I've done too many sit-ups. I can sleep on my side, don't feel dizzy, can take care of all my own needs, and have no nausea. I wish I had done this years ago so my health would not have been compromised by waiting and hoping counting points would work if I tried it for the 20th time! It is so odd to me to have major surgery with so little discomfort - I hope my surgeon really did take out some of my stomach - LOL! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that my surgery took place at 8:45am and I was home by 3:00 as an outpatient. Is having this type of experience normal? I wish everyone could have it this easy, but I haven't heard of anyone going through this and wondering how can this be so simple? Simple might not be the right word, but you get the idea. Would love to hear if anyone else is like me.

Don't you all just love this forum! All the support is great! Some of your comments were so funny that I read them to my hubby (first time I've done that!). OK, here's the update - I have done great, but did have to go to the ER for pain in my left side. It is getting better now. I guess I pulled a muscle and this was my warning to SLOW down. I finally did realize that restriction does exist in this body. Now, I do have to pace myself and work at getting all the Protein and Water in, but so far so good. I'm trying not to focus on the scale too much. I've only lost 5 pounds since surgery, but it took a while to put it on so it will take a while to take off... The worse part of all of this is the Bariatric Advantage products (protein, Vitamins, Iron supplements, etc.) that my surgeon requires all his patients to purchase. I think they are awful. It is great for us all to be on this journey together through this forum! Don'tchathink?

I am 9 days post-op and can feel tension rising the past 2 days. I have enjoyed being at home and having some flexible time. My job is extremely stressful so having surgery was a break from being all things to all people - or at least this is how I was feeling before surgery. I find myself dreading (and resenting) the return to work on Thursday, the same way I do most Sundays before the start of the work week on Mondays. Going through the process of being sleeved has given me an opportunity to reassess the journey that led to where I am at now. For me, I will work to make changes that allow me to have more of myself. This may mean trading in a high paying job for one that is less stressful. I'm not sure if this resonates with you at all, but it seems that stressful jobs is something we have in common.

Oh my gosh, you are all wonderful to respond with such encouragement! The Vitamins my surgeon insists that his patients take do not agree with me at all. I just took another type tonight and already feel better. I think I minimized the importance of them, which I should have started a few days ago and then they made me sick so I quit 'em. I have an appointment with my surgeon tomorrow so I should have all the vitamins and supplements I need by tomorrow night when I discuss making the change to new ones. Thanks a million for your replies! If you know anyone who wants some unopened Bariatric Advantage Protein powder and chewable Iron, let me know and I will give them away - I'll even pay the shipping!

I was sleeved on 11/18 with extraordinarily great recoup time. Initially, I had more engergy - lost 15 pounds on pre-op diet and another 5 since surgery. I am on liquids - 3 Protein shakes a day with 80g of protein which I do consume daily. I also drink 64oz of total liquids. The challenge is the past couple of days I've gone from having plenty of energy to having close to none. I have taken long naps and can hardly do anything. I've now become a couch potato! I do get in my walks, but they are more difficult now. I'm concerned about how I'm going to be able to work effectively. Please help by telling me if you experienced this too and how long was it until you regained your energy. Thank you!

I was sleeved on 11/18 and have had an extraordinarily easy recovery, until last Wednesday when I had a pain too on the left, lower center area of my ribs. This pain sent me to the ER where another patient was beside me with the same exact symptoms. Pain upon deep breathing, coughing, laughing, or sneezing makes it much worse. Here's what my doctor said: * There are no major body parts behind the area that was painful to me so I shouldn't worry too much * I may have pulled a muscle * The pain could not be due to the gas the body is filled with in order to do the surgery * The majority of the surgical procedure - pulling the excess prtion of the stomach out of the body - happens on the left side I'm still in pain, but it is now much better. I am taking it easy as it is super easy to over extend myself. Now I get to wait for the ER bill - ouch! I hope you feel better soon!

Great topic! I told my husband who was very upset at the thought of me having elective surgery. His cousin died from the old fashioned stomach stapling 30 years ago. His sister and niece did have bypass and their results are dramatically positive. This made it possible for my hubby to turn his mind around and be supportive AND for me to be open with his family. They are all supportive - EASY. In fact, my mother-in-law teared up when my husband told her today that I'm down 20 pounds. They are my cheerleaders now. If either of my parents were still living, I would not have told them because they would never have understood and I don't like the feeling of banging my head against a wall. My best gal friend was told and she was not supportive at all, which was surprising. She and I have started and stopped counting points so many times that I've lost count. Now she makes comments about her needing to lose weight or my loss will out perform hers. It's odd how people react, but now I know her limits and love her regardless. I opted to even tell my boss who then told me that she wished I had discussed this with her earlier so she could talk me out of it and that I was not heavy enough to have WLS. I guess that was a compliment??? I've personally gotten to the point in life that I want to own the shoes I stand in and am unwilling to sllow anyone to have a vote regarding decisions I have the right and responsibility to make for myself. I'm not wearing a sign that says, "Hi, I've Been Sleeved," but I'm not avoiding the subject either. To each his/her own. I think the best we can hope for is peace of mind with whatever it is we decide to do. The best to you!

I was sleeved on 11/18. I lost 15 pounds with the 2 week pre-op Protein shakes and have lost 5 pounds since the 18th. A couple of days ago I went from drinking my liquids, and getting what I wanted to comsume down with no problem, to now sipping and it taking all day to finish 3 Protein Shakes, 30grams each. I now feel sick if I drink too quickly or too much. From what I've heard, restriction really starts once the liquid phase of post-op is finished. I'm trying not to focus on what the scale reads because all the research shows that people lose their weight at different rates. It sounds to me like your weight loss has been excellent since your surgery!

My surgeon says we can have dumping, but it is not nearly as common as it is with bypass patients. I found out the hard way tonight that sugar triggered my first trouble with this. Carbs doesn't do it to me at all. Sugar won't look so great from now on - I love LilMissDiva's attitude!

I had the same problem and tried the fix "Alex" suggests. It worked like a charm! Of course, those of you who still have the trouble reading the posts will probably not be able to read this one. I could not read the solution until I clicked on the button to reply and then scrolled down and I could read all the posts. Good luck and I hope you can read how to fix this - ahhh, less frustration is always a good thing!

My doctor said anything I can drink through a straw is ok for the 2 week, phase 1, post-op diet. I am 6 days out today, Thanksgiving, so I decided that I would take the filling part of a small piece of pumpkin pie and mix it with 1/2 cup of milk. The good news is that it tasted great - so yummy. The bad news is now I know that sugar causes me to have dumping syndrome. A lot of people who are sleeved don't have it, but I guess I do. Bummer.