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Please call your surgeon right now if you have not done so yet. Blood (fresh or old) is not normal coming from your stomach or in your vomit. It may be nothing, but anytime there is blood it is better to be safe than to be sorry. I had a lot of internal bleeding after my surgery and I was throwing up several times a day, but I never had blood in my vomit. Remember that NO TWO people are ever alike in these things, so Please contact your health care provider. Brightest Blessings, Char

Hi Zuby [[[HUGS]]] to you! Bravo and good for you on your efforts thus far. Please try not to stress yourself out so much. I know how frustrating the hair loss can be. Before I started this journey my hair was so thick I could barely get a regular hairband around my ponytail twice. Now I can wrap it a good 4 or 5 times. I have had 22 or 23 surgeries and have experienced some hair loss after most of them. The good news is that your hair will continue to grow and that barring any other major issues the lost hair will probably grow back as well. My hair is very long and that makes the loss fairly noticeable. You can try different hair styles that may make you more comfortable. I had issues with throwing up, to be honest I still do quite often. I have found that the over the counter Anti-Nausea liquid works for me most of the time. Walmart has their equate brand in a cherry flavor that tastes better to me than the national brands. If those liquids do not work for you, you can always ask your doctor. Mine also gave me some of the Anti-Nausea suppositories for when it's really bad. I know you will get tons of advice and hopefully all the support you can handle here. Everyone here seems to genuinely care for each other. Just know that you are not alone. I had to eventually switch to Flintstones chewables. Do the best you can to follow your doctor's instructions. If you can't get in touch with the doctor, see if you can talk to the nutritionists who saw you for the consultation/pre-op diet instructions. They can give you excellent advice on what may be of help to you. I know all of this is very general and it's nothing that you do not already know. I suppose sometimes it's just a matter of realizing that we are not alone in the trials that we face every day. We are here to help, when we can. I will keep you in my prayers. Brightest Blessings, Charlene Sleeve Date: Aug. 27, 2010 Dr. Ryan T. Heider, Lake Norman Center for Surgical Weight Loss Lake Norman, North Carolina

Hi there, I ran into those sorts of problems from the beginning myself. I tried about every sort of Protein out there. I found the Syntrax Nectars to be exceptionally palatable. They are whey Protein Isolate - a better form of protein for those in our situations. The flavors available are great. They have several different lines, Matrix 2.0, Matrix 5.0, Syntrax Nectars, Naturals, Sweets. They have about the most flavors available. I really enjoyed their brand for fruity flavors. You can find them at www.syntrax.com I do not work for them or have anything to do with them other than being a customer of theirs. I found large 2lb canisters of the Nectars on eBay very reasonably priced about $28-$32 bucks. ($20 - $40 Less) than from the health stores. If you get tired of the fruity flavors and would like a little bit of warm Soup unjury has a chicken soup flavor that I would eat as a regular person (yes, i think it tastes that good), and their unflavored really does not add a flavor/aftertaste etc. you can find theirs at www.unjury.com I hope these help. Do the best that you can to get your protein in and don't worry too much. The doctors set up the guidelines and diets to help all of us learn to make better choices. Just remember that they are guidelines. Keep up the good work. sleeve date: Aug. 26, 2010 Charlene nectar Flavors: 23grams protein per scoop Apple Ecstasy, Caribbean Cooler, Crystal Sky, Fuzzy Navel, Lemon Tea, Pink Grapefruit, Roadside Lemonade, strawberry Kiwi or Twisted Cherry, Nectar™ Nectar Naturals Flavors: 23grams protein per scoop Nectar™ Naturals contains nothing artificial. This means no artificial colors, no artificial flavors and no artificial sweeteners. It also comes in unique flavors, such as Natural Fruit Punch, Natural Orange and Natural Peach. The Sweets are like deserts, chocolate truffle, strawberry mousse, vanilla bean torte etc. There are many more, these are just a few to give you an idea of what they have. I think the aftertaste of most protein supplements is probably the biggest turn off well that is other than the smell. I am very picky, and I really did try more than 20 different products. Two months before I even started the two week liquid died, I started trying a different product and flavor every day. I hope my being so picky can save you a little bit of time and trouble. I know that si03 (the company that makes the syntrax products) offers a trial package that contains like 12 individual servings of different flavors. I think it was about $14 or so.

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. The good news is that it will get better. think Baby Steps. I'll be honest with you, I've had troubles from day one. I was not able to keep all of my liquids down until just after two months out from surgery. Sometimes warm liquids were easier than cold things. I was in and out of the hospital being dehydrated and constipated. Please push the fluids as much as you can. My surgeon gave me anti-nausea medicine to help me keep from throwing up as much. There are a few over the counter anti-nausea liquid medicines - ask the surgeon first. They did help me at least keep down what I could get down. If you are not able to get enough liquids down you will dehydrate fairly easy and should be very aware of the problem. You do not want to let it go at all. I know you have probably felt like kicking yourself for doing the surgery at all, I think we all have at one time or another, but remember there is a goal, and time is a big factor. It doesn't happen overnight. There are so many helpful people here. You are not alone. Know that we're here to help, listen, and provide a shoulder if need be. I wish you the best and will keep you as well as all of us in my prayers. Brightest Blessings, Sleeve date: Aug. 26, 2010 Dr. Ryan T. Heider, Surgical Center for Weight Loss at Lake Norman Lake Norman, North Carolina Charlene

UPDATE Feb 10, 2011. Wanted to thank everyone for all the help. I'm still having problems keeping food down, but not nearly as bad as before. Unfortunately it is taking longer than I expected for some of the symptoms to subside, however they are and my outlook is getting much better. I was stalled out for quite a few weeks and became very worried that things were getting worse. My absolute best advice is for you to just keep on doing what you are supposed to be doing. It will work, things will get better, you will achieve your goals. Don't give up. Remember, everything is baby steps... they do add up or add down rather <snicker>. Love you all. Charlene

Just wondering if there is anyone else out there that is having the same type of problem? Each Mouthful of Water, broth, juice, Soup, mashed potato, etc. seems to sit in my throat and feels like I am going to throw up. Two or three small sips amounts to the exact same feeling. I have to wait about 15 to 20 minutes before I am able to try again. I have thrown up many times, at least that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Not that it is pleasant, mind you. I have had nothing but problems since my surgery. First off I had internal bleeding, then had the bottom of both lungs to collapse, was hospitalized again. Then when I got out, ended up tearing internal stitches again. I'm worried, irritated, and really having a difficult time maintaining hydration. It seems like that is all that I do... Sip, Sip, Sip, drink, drink, drink. Does anyone else have the feeling of being absolutely stuffed with only one mouthful? How do you deal with it, what have you done to work on it? Thanks in advance for any advice and or related learning's.

Just wanted to thank Everyone who responded. I've read it hundreds of times here and its true. Thank each of you for your kind and supportive words of encouragement, support, and well wishes. I cannot begin to explain how much just knowing that there are other people out there that understand, can be comforting and helpful to me on my healing journey. While I am still struggling, I am taking it one day, bite, sip, step at a time, and will continue to just keep doing what I am doing - what we are all doing. Starting to wonder now if the difficulty breathing, at least on the right side might somehow be gallstones. Only last week they did a cat scan to see if there was problems in that area. Can gallstones form in a week? I just weighed myself this morning and nearly fell out. i've lost 18 lbs so far. I'm worried that 18 lbs in three weeks is way too fast. At that rate, and the fact that my inability to breath normal is keeping me from exercising and sticking to my planned workout activities, my skin and muscle tone are going to be - what's the word for it? UCK - EGads - OMFraggin Grascious - can someone say Marry a plastic surgeon <snicker>. And yes folks, I do believe that Laughter is so very good for the soul. I'm now able to get two teaspoons of broth, soup, pureed Protein powder mix, liquid down at one sitting. Still having trouble breathing but only on the right side now. Back up under the right breast, weird thing is that the pain travels up into my shoulder. Everything I have found makes it sound like gall stones, but they did check last week for that, and i don't know. I just HATE going to the hospital. Too bad my PCP won't just come hook up IV fluids at my house. Oh well, One more Intense attack and I will go, like it or not. I hope all of you are in good health and good spirits. Thanks again for all the lovingly kind thoughts and words. Charlene Sleeve Date: Aug. 26, 2010