Lissa

I don't know about this hormone, but serotonin is considered a big factor in how happy people feel. That high we get after doing a good workout is from serotonin. Lissa

I love that image!! "Spiritual sandpaper" that's a perfect way to describe what is going on with us!!! Lissa

I just want to say that I respect your religious beliefs, BUT I think you are doing yourself, your kids and your future grand kids a huge disservice. In my own family I am seeing the results of abuse, on into the fourths generation. My grandpa beat and verbally abused his wife. All of his children have lingering problems because of it, from abusive marriages to drug and alcohol addictions. His grandchildren, including me, suffered as children from abusive and neglectful parenting. The great grandchildren, so far, are a mixed.bag. Mine are the oldest and I really tried to break the pattern of abuse, but many of my cousins are addicts and/or in abusive relationships. The Bible says that what a man does will be returned to him even unto the fourth generation. That's certainly true in my family. If you break the cycle of abuse now, perhaps your family won't endure what my family has endured. Lissa

1 week of clears, 1 week of full liquids, 2 weeks of mushies, beginning of 5th week I was allowed to start soft solids. I didn't try salad or nuts until about 3 months out. I've just added (4 months) some fruits, although nothing with small seeds like strawberries. I waited on steak and raw veggies until 3.5 months. .

I have those days, too. I've learned to keep the trigger foods out of the house. I love me some crunchy cheetos and I will eat the whole bag. When I really want some, I go to the gas station and buy a small bag. Then I try to make myself eat them over a few days rather than all at once. Sometimes I'm successful at that! LOL Usually I keep myself from eating trigger foods because they aren't in the house. I still don't believe those foods are "bad", but some foods lead me to want more junk than I want to eat.

Lol, Libbe, I guess I'm following you around today. That's twice we've been posting at the same time!

Make the trip to the ER. If you could drink without pain, I'd say wait until tomorrow, but it sounds like it could be serious. Call your doc's office and let them know what's going on, but you need to make the trip. I'm sure you just needed someone to agree with your own leanings, and I do. Better to explain to the resident than get to make that trip in an ambulance.

Libbe is right! Please call your doctor right away. If the pain is severe, then it needs attention. Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing, but you don't want to let it get worse if it IS something.

Smith, You will have to pay attention to what you're eating after surgery, but it won't be a difficult thing to do. This surgery automatically changes your eating habits because you must follow the recommended diet for optimal healing. As for the kids, you'll definitely need some help, but the aftercare is similar to what you need to do after giving birth. Don't pick up the kids from the floor. The older ones can climb up on the couch to sit next to you and the 10 month old can sit in your lap, possibly with a pillow to protect your tummy. Honestly, though, the incisions aren't super vulnerable as long as you try not to lift more than you're allowed and don't let the kids kick your tummy. Reading your post, I kind of got the feeling that maybe you're trying to talk yourself out of having the surgery. That's normal, especially the closer you get to your surgery date. However, you'll be so thrilled with the results once you start losing that you'll know it was the right thing to do. Imagine being so much healthier and lighter that you feel like taking the kids to the park AND you have the stamina to run around with them! Imagine your hubby's delight when he sees that you are slimmer, healthier and more interested in doing things with him! A couple of crackers aren't going to kick your pre-op diet too badly, but you need to concentrate on being more aware of what you're eating. It's a pain in the tush, but it will be worth it in the end! Good luck on your journey!!!

LGoz, You probably have NOT stretched your sleeve out. As our tummies heal we can eat more than we could initially. As the tummy heals, the swelling inside goes down, which allows us to eat more volume of food. I can eat around six ounces of food now, whereas just after surgery I struggled to get in 2 ounces. That's 3 times the amount of food, but it's nothing compared to what I could eat before surgery. I try to make most of that six ounces Protein and, this is important, if I do eat that much food, I'm uncomfortable and not hungry for hours on end. I've moved my biggest meal of the day to lunch, and I've made a commitment to undereat my sleeve. You are probably healing and able to eat more, which is natural. Just don't stuff yourself and get your protein in first. Good luck!!

I take 5000 mcg of Biotin daily. I'm not sure what the conversion is to milligrams, but my 3rd grade metric class says no, you aren't getting enough biotin. IIRC, and remember 3rd grade was a LONG time ago: 5000 mcg should equal 50 mg (right?), so you'd need to take two of the 30 mg pills a day for the same amount. BTW, my biotin bottle says that it's good not only for hair, skin and nail health, but also for metabolism of carbs, Protein and fat.

From the thread title, I was afraid you weren't doing well. Imagine my surprise when I opened it and read that you've hit a major GOAL!!! I'm thrilled and happy dancing for you!!! Congratulations!!!

NSVs this week: 1. Had to buy new bras because mine were allowing the girls to escape. 2. Had to buy a new pair of jeans. Mine came off without being unbuttoned or unzipped. Unfortunately, the new ones are already looking baggy. 3. Saw a friend's hubby this week for a sad occasion. I don't see him much, but , when I went to hug my friend's hubby, HE commented on how much weight I've lost. 4. Chopped down and cut up four trees in my new yard. Okay, they weren't huge, but still a lot of work I'd have never been able to tackle before surgery. I got a decent work out, but was able to do the job myself instead of waiting on "some man" to come do the job. 5. In the same vein, I've spent a bunch of time rearranging furniture and crawling on the floor to re-route computer, cable, and printer wires. I'd have NEVER been able to do that 81 pounds ago! Overall, I'm very pleased with my progress!!!

I doubt you've stretched your sleeve. Have you tried doing either the 5 day pouch test or Diva's Boot Camp? Both are good ways to reset your hunger feelings and will help you realize again that you do have a very small tummy. Good luck!!

STBMe, Do you eat slowly? If you give yourself about a minute between bites, it will soon become easier to tell when you're full. Even though my surgeon says to concentrate only on eating during a meal, I try to take a bit, then chew while I do something else like read a page of a book, make a post on a message board, or play a game on the phone. For me, this works to keep me from over-filling my sleeve. HTH Oh, and I just realized that you're not even a month out, so you're probably still on mushies! That's a little tougher to figure out. My Nut just said to measure food during the early stages of the diet. I would measure out between 2 and 3 oz of food and that's all I would eat. Usually I couldn't finish "all" of that! Good luck!!

I'm not as far out as you, but I'm re-learning how to cook and how to eat. I keep frozen chicken breasts in the freezer and cook them up either with my little george foreman grill or in a skillet with some low cal italian dressing. I also bought and cooked a small pack of pork chops, then froze them separately. They nuke up in the microwave in a couple of minutes and I add seasoning once they are reheated. Since I'm cooking for one, I will open a can of dense soup, like bean with bacon, and heat up half. The other half goes in a small plastic container in the fridge for another meal. I keep cheese sticks and mini babybel cheeses on hand for Snacks, along with a bag of almonds from Sams. I also have a box of Protein bars in the pantry, for those mornings when I'm running behind and some pre made Protein shakes in the fridge, although they arent my favorite. Good luck!!

I think I was pretty well-informed, but there have been surprises along the way. I thought I had my "head hunger" under control, but I'm fighting it now, again. It's a long battle, but one I'm determined to win. I thought I'd lose more slowly than I have lost weight. THAT is a pleasant surprise! I also thought it would be easier, but I've battled a couple of really big issues in the last 4 months that are not WLS related. I'm surprised at how much I want to comfort myself/bury the problem with food. On the good side, I'm much more energetic than I thought I'd be at this stage, and I'm doing more exercise than I thought I'd be able to accomplish. I think everyone's journey is different, but we all learn from one another. Good luck with your journey!!

I know that the navel is the newest way to do the sleeve. I had mine lap, and I have six incisions, one just under the left breast and 5 around my waistline area. My doc told me it would be lap ahead of time and never mentioned doing it as an open incision. Good luck.

Jewel, I still have some pain when I eat things that Rex (my sleeve) doesn't like. I can't do jalapenos or anything more spicy than pepper, and sometimes even pepper makes him act up! However, I don't have the constant pain, and I only remember having pain when I ate or drank too quickly. It's definitely behavior modification for us!! Good luck!!

I tell anyone who asks about my weight loss how I did it. BUT, I have a different personality than many. I'm not intimidated by many people and I have no problem standing up for myself. At one time, my "level" was sleeve evangelist. I think that's a perfect title for me. I find myself wanting to tell obese strangers about my surgery and success so far!

I had a drain as well, but I was specifically told not to milk the tube. My instructions were to empty the drain morning and evening, collapsing the bottle by rolling it up to force out the air and putting the plug back in before releasing the bottle. It was kind of icky to drain it, but mine wasn't that horrible. Of course, I'm more than 4 months post op, so that may affect my memory of the drain.

Cali, You are rocking that sleeve, girl!!!! I see a HUGE difference in those two pictures. I'm a big fan of taking regular progress pics and comparing them, looking for the changes in our bodies! Great job!!!

When the doc pulled my drain I had that sensation you get on a roller coaster, like your tummy dropping.

You're doing well, despite the scale. Being able to walk further is amazingly wonderful, isn't it? I count shopping time as cardio on MFP! I am rooting for you! There is no way you're going to NOT rock that sleeve! You are going to get to goal, just like me!! Still loving seeing those smiling pics!!

Yay for NSVs!!! You look fantabulous!! No matter what size, you have a million watt smile! I'm so thrilled you're rocking that sleeve! Lissa