Lissa

I agree with dogzz about not drinking with meals. Yes, it is forever. However, there are some other things you can do to compensate. Egg Face (check out her blog if you haven't already seen it) says that the key to eating dry foods is having some kind of dipping sauce for them. She makes tons of different, WLS friendly, dips for her food. She also is good about using alternatives to breads, Pasta, etc. I loved cucumbers pre-op and Egg Face uses them as crackers. I've tried it and really like a nice juicy cucumber along with a slice of cheese and deli meat. Many veggies can puree to make a nice dip for a drier cut of meat, and anything dairy will cut the heat of spicy food. I personally can't do much dairy and my sleeve doesn't like spicy food, but it worked for me pre-op. Instead of sour cream, try some yogurt or cottage cheese along with the spicy stuff. It cuts the heat and gives you a little extra Protein. Unfortunately, we can't drink with meals, but there are alternatives that will help us to get in our protein without having to give up our favorite foods!

Count your lucky stars!!! As long as you aren't having problems going to the bathroom and you have had a BM, you should be okay. You must be doing exactly what you're supposed to do, walking, sipping, and generally healing fine! Good job! My surgeon warms the CO2 he uses to help minimize the gas pain, perhaps yours does as well. Good luck and welcome to the loser's bench!!!

I'm happy-dancing for you as well!! I think I might even have a celebratory Protein bar in your honor!!! Congrats!!! I'll be there soon!!

My drain didn't hurt, but I'm starting to realize I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm very sorry that you had to go back to the ER already. I'd take the advice of the doctor who actually saw me and leave the drain alone. Mine was stitched in as well, and I was a little worried that I would pull it out accidently. It stayed just fine, though. I wonder, does your doctor have you "stripping" your drain when you empty it? Mine specifically said not to do that, but the folks who seem to have bad pain from the line seem to have been told TO do it. I wonder if that makes it more painful for them. Good luck!! Welcome to the loser's bench and this part will be over soon!

I'm another one that VSG saved my life. I'm not totally out of the woods yet, but I am making fast progress! I can walk now, which I could barely do before. Old me couldn't walk from the car to the front door without wheezing and sweating. New me goes and walks around in the mall without a second thought. I don't mind trying on clothes now, where before I would buy stuff I thought was big enough, bring it home and, if it didn't fit, I'd just pass it along to someone else. I was ashamed to return clothes! Now, if it doesn't fit, I go back and get a SMALLER size! Yay!! In general, I'm happier and I'm more assertive than I was before. That's def a side effect of the surgery. Pre-op, if someone hurt my feelings or was nasty to me, I'd go buy a bag of chips or candy and sneak off to eat it. Now, I can't do that, so I've had to learn to say "You cannot talk to me that way." It's very freeing. I'm not talking about being rude, just being able to hold my head up and say "I deserve better". Good luck to us all!

I'd love to, but I don't Skype, nor do I have a camera attached to any of my computers. It sounds like a great idea and another level of support, though!

(((doglover))) I totally understand where you're coming from! Most of us don't know anyone IRL who has had this procedure unless we're really outgoing in support groups!! This will get better and you'll get past the "buyer's remorse" stage. It will happen fast, too! I'm amazed that you're able to get in all your Water AND three Protein shakes. That's phenomenal for this early post-op!!! Are you taking any Vitamins and/or acid reducers? Many people find that taking the acid reducer stops the hungry feeling. I know that it did for me. It's sad that your surgeon has bad manners around his patients. You should never feel that you have to beg him for info or answers. I suggest that you write down your list of questions and let him and his nurse know that you have lots of questions at your next visit. But, please do call them and ask about the acid reducer if you're not on one already. Welcome to the loser's bench! Good luck on your journey!!

LOL, Afro Cyster!!! I'm doing very basic arm exercises (and I still have flaps, btw). I do two sets of 15 reps MWF and I do bicep curls, skull crushers, straight arm lifts, and triceps curls. I googled exercises for obese beginners and came up with a couple of good youtube videos that helped me get my form right. I'm using baby weights, 3 pounds, because I want to firm and tone, so more sets of higher reps rather than increasing the weight. I'm probably still gonna end up looking like a flying squirrel, but I'll have some muscle in my arms.

Amanda, You're in the right place to get lots of support. Perhaps you could take some of the info here back to your doctors and it will help the next 1,000 patients they sleeve! GNC will take back any product that you don't like, FYI. Even if you've opened it. I take a Centrum chewable every day (two while I was on liquids and mushies). I buy mine at the Walgreens here because they have B1G1 sales regularly. Good luck on your journey!!

Bcole, it's definitely normal to have second (and third and fourth) thoughts before doing this surgery, or any surgery for that matter! I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I'm sure you've done your research and have talked this over with those that matter to you, parents, siblings, and you have talked it all over with your surgeon. I agree with the other posters that doing this while you're young and don't have co-morbidities is the way to go! I was extremely "healthy but fat" until May of 2011, then pneumonia kicked my butt over the moon and back again. I'm twice your age and then some, but it only took one round of pneumonia to change my entire life expectancy. I certainly wish the sleeve had been an option for me way back when. Good luck, whatever you decide, but we're keeping a spot on the loser's bench warm for you!!

Just said a prayer for you ladies! I am looking forward to seeing both of you progress quickly on this journey!!!

I try not to eat high fat foods, but I don't worry about the amount in cheese. I probably eat 2-3 ounces of cheese per day. I avoid fried foods, "cream of" Soups (unless it's clam chowder, yum) and I avoid milk because it doesn't like me right now. I know nothing about vegetarian eating except that I'm not sure how I'd get complete Proteins in my body that way. Good luck!! I'm reading this section to see what other alternatives there are for Protein.

Most of us don't really start feeling "full" until we start solid foods again. Despite being on mushies, they don't really stay in the tummy for long. However, it is very easy to hit that one bite too full spot and be either in pain or sliming! I wasn't looking for "full" because I am not sure I ever felt that before surgery, or if I did, I had eaten so much I should have rolled away from the table. After surgery, my enough signal is a burp. When I burp while I'm eating, I know to put down the fork and push away the plate. I don't care if I've eaten 1 bite or 10, that burp says "No more!" If I don't stop right then, I'm in for a painful hour or so after the meal. Most of the long-timers who have hit goal say they don't eat until they are full, they eat until they are satisfied. Good luck!! You will get there!!

I took my own robe, my iPhone, my Bipap machine, a book, my nook reader, and a brush. I didn't pick up the Nook, fought the bi-pap all night long, so didn't really use it, never opened the book. I used the hospital's gown, my phone and my robe. I also took a cape because I was always cold anyway, and it worked better for me than the hospital blankets. I was ticked at myself that I had to lug all that stuff back home. I spent my first day in pain and not quite with it, quit taking pain meds that night, and spent most of the next day doing laps in the hospital. I don't remember turning on the television, although it was on most of the time I was there. I didn't watch it, though.

I started regular food at 5 weeks out, but the nut does caution that we should start slowly and try softer foods before graduating to harder to digest foods like salad and steak. I know 8 weeks seems like a longgg lonnnnggggg time, but once your'e through it, you will forget most of the hassles that were associated with mushies and clear/full liquids. It's kind of like childbirth, otherwise no one would ever have a second child! Good luck with your journey!!

It really sounds like you might be over-filling your sleeve, but gas might cause the same feeling. Are you taking a PPI (Nexium, Prilosec)? If not, a call to your doctor's office will tell you which one they want you to take and it will help with the icky feeling. But, like the others said, you should be sure you are being very careful to chew your food to applesauce consistency and that you are not drinking to soon after you eat. Technically, I get full very fast if I don't stop drinking liquids about 30 minutes before I eat as well. Good luck!!

I'm taking the 5,000 mcg Biotin I bought at Walgreens B1G1. My friend the hairdresser said my hair is thinning, but when I went for a trim yesterday, the hairdress said she doesn't see any. I even told her the tip wouldn't increase just cause she lied to me! LOL So, I don't know if the biotin is working or if I just haven't hit the full hair loss stage yet. We shall see.

Vickie, are you drinking milk or eating dairy products? I had diarrhea issues really bad until I figured out my tummy can't handle milk right now. My doc's office told me to add cheese to my diet when I had a bad round of it two weeks ago, but I used Beans and bananas instead. I do eat cheese and it doesn't bother Rex (my sleeve), but I don't push it with milk when my tummy is upset. Good luck!!

Amber, I'm on coumadin FOR blood clots. My surgeon didn't give me any guidelines for walking except "walk as much as you can". However, at 5 weeks post-op I drove 3,000 miles for a trip to Kentucky and South Carolina. My pulmonary doc told me to stop and walk once every hour, even if all I did was walk around my car and get back inside it. So, I try to walk a little bit every hour, even now. His other guideline is that I MUST get 30 minutes of cardio exercise in every day, on top of the tiny walks every hour. It's not hard to do 30 minutes in spells. If I walk to the car for something, I walk around my building while I'm doing it. That takes two or three minutes. If I'm taking trash to the dumpster, then I walk the long way around. I also have access to a treadmill so I try to walk 30 minutes on that 3 times a week. I don't know if that all lines up with what your doc wants, but it should be sufficient. BTW, even while I was on my trip, my pulmonologist did NOT require me to get up while I was sleeping to walk. That's an interesting instruction to me. Do you have blood clot problems already? Good luck on your journey!!

I definitely sympathize! I just bought two bras today at Lame Bryant. They have a 50% off everything sale going (except spanx, darn it) and I needed new bras desperately. I had them fit me, then I tried on bras until I found two that worked for me. Surprisingly to me, I'm only down 1 band size from what I was wearing, and my cup size actually went up to DDD. @@ I guess those arm exercises are doing some good! LOL

coffee always seems to work pretty quickly when I'm not going well. I don't know about adding it to yogurt and vinegar, though. I'm sorry you're feeling so bad! Let us know how it goes. I'm wincing in pain just thinking about how you must feel right now!!!

I hope no one minds if I post this. I've gotten 2 or 3 questions in private messages about Coumadin and it's effects on VSG surgery. I thought I'd post this so others can find the topic if they have questions. If you are on Coumadin before VSG surgery, you definitely need to talk to your cardiologist as soon as possible. There are a couple of ways they can handle the coumadin. If you are near the time that you are supposed to come off the coumadin (usually they have you on it three months at a time), then the cardio may be able to take you off the coumadin before surgery. If not, you need to talk to your surgeon, asap. What they do from there on in will depend on why you are on coumadin. I am on it because I developed Deep Vein Thrombosis in my leg in June, 2011. That threw two clots into my lungs, or pulmonary embolisms. MY surgeon had a filter installed before my surgery to keep any clots from floating into my heart and lungs. I'll give details if you tell me you're on coumadin for the same reason. And, I had the filter removed after my VSG. I had to stop taking the coumadin a few days before the filter installation surgery, maybe 3 or 4? IIRC, I started giving myself shots of Lovenox on Monday, had the filter installed Friday (no shots on Friday), gave myself shots on Sat, Sun, Mon morning, nothing on Tuesday (VSG surgery day), and then continued to take the shots until Thursday morning and started taking coumadin again Thursday night. I didn't have to take Lovenox before the filter removal three weeks later because my pulmonary doc took me off coumadin in between there. I had a d-dimer blood test after a month with no coumadin, which showed I was still at risk for clots, so I'm back on coumadin until at least January 2012. My blood clot delayed my surgery from August 12 to August 30 because I had to be more than 3 months past the date the clot formed for safe surgery. If you have a choice between waiting until you are off the coumadin and taking the shots, wait. Lovenox injections WITH insurance cost me over $1000 for the days I was on them. My VSG surgeon did offer to have his nurse give me heparin shots instead of the Lovenox, but they couldn't let me inject myself and that would have meant two trips per day driving 1 hour north of where I live. DO inform your surgeon about the reasons you are on coumadin. A blood clot can be very serious, even fatal. Your surgeon may wish to place a filter or stent before or during surgery. My vein doctor wanted the filter instead of a permanent stent because I'm only 45 and he felt the risk to leave it in was more than the risk to take it out. BTW, if your surgeon acts like your being on coumadin is no big deal, please look for another doctor. IMO, blood clots are one of the quickest killers after any surgery and your doc should follow up on why you're on this med. In case you didn't know, most VSG/WLS surgeons do give their patients a shot of either lovenox or heparin during the surgery to help reduce the risk of clots. That's why I didn't take my shots the day of surgery. If your doc does decide a filter/stent is necessary, feel free to message me for more info. It sounds intimidating because the filter install and removal are both surgical procedures. That means I had THREE surgeries to get my sleeve. However, I don't regret one second of it and it was totally worth it to me! Good luck!!

LOL, SK!! I think they could save a ton of money if they bought Spanx. I have a couple of lower body shapers, but haven't been wearing them much. I need to start. Someone here posted about a shirt they wear which helps with the arm flaps. I need to find one of those shirts. I have a question about sizing. Do you order the size you're currently wearing or go one size up from that? I need to purchase bras. I need regular, day to day bras. I am in the bad habit of wearing my sports bras daily, but I'm starting to see some waist definition and think I'd look better if I featured my assets rather than smushing them. Anyone have suggestions about where to get measured? I do have a Lane Bryant, but their people don't seem to be well-trained to get the proper measurements.

I sometimes order from the kid's menu or the senior menu. Denny's has an awesome grilled tilapia on their senior menu! Sonny's BBQ has a rib dinner on the kid's menu which has 3 ribs and a side of veggies which is almost the perfect size for me. I sometimes order ala carte, also. I'll order a chicken breast prepared as I like it (grilled, but not cooked to death) and a veggie and ask the wait person to charge me for the items separately. It is usually cheaper than the meals on the menu. I have a card from my surgeon that explains I can't eat much, which helps. Sometimes I also order a regular meal and a box, then just divide up the food as soon as it comes to the table. I can usually get three meals out of a regular dinner at a restaurant. I've also just ordered soup and salad a couple of times. That works especially well at places like Ruby Tuesdays where you make your own salad from the salad bar. I'll put a small amount of salad greens on the plate, then add eggs, cheese, sunflower seeds, edamame and some diced ham to the salad. It's high Protein and it doesn't take a lot to fill me up. I am still mad at Red Lobster where I was charged over $6 for mashed potatoes! I was still in the mushy stage and took my son there for a birthday dinner. There was a $3 fee because I ordered the mashed without ordering a meal! Good luck with eating out. There are tons of ways to make it friendly to our new diets!

Don't be sorry for a random post. I love the fact that people ask all kinds of questions around here! I've never heard of anyone not being able to burp, but perhaps your doc could answer that question for you. Are you on an acid reducer? That might help with the flatulence. Otherwise, I'm stumped as to what to suggest. Good luck!!