Lissa

Gman, I LOVE the term "temple maintenance"! I'm going to steal that for myself and I may even start calling exercise that, too!

JsWilbur, I'm sorry. I haven't tried the protein ice cream yet. I've had this pesky thing called work, along with real life, get in the way. I need to put that on my project list for this weekend.

Kenni, where did you get that list? Most of those "snacks" would constitute an entire meal for me at this point, and I'll be 8 months tomorrow. I wasn't allowed apples or strawberries until six months. Is this list aimed more at VSG patients who are farther out? As a matter of fact, a mini babybel cheese is usually a snack for me all by itself.

Congrats to you and to hubby! What an amazing gift you're giving one another... a happier, healthier, better looking spouse! That beats Christmas any day of the week!

Whoot! Whoot!! There's a hottie in da house!

I'd say that bananas would be fine, especially if processed into a protein shake. I eat them before I work out sometimes.

You will be successful! Dump that scale. It has nothing good to tell you when you weigh every day. Yes, TOM does make most of us gain a few pounds, but then we drop them plus some right after. Keep on doing what you know you should do and the weight will come off almost like magic!

Yep. Sugar will hurt you. Avoid it like the plague..It's the pesky carbs in the sugar that cause us problems because they make us feel hungry and want more sugar. Get used to one of the artificial sweeteners or learn to drink it without sugar. I use Protein powder in my coffee instead of creamer and I NOW like it that way. Good luck!!

Sweetby, I'd eliminate the lemon candies. Heaven forbid that you accidently swallow one! That would require an endoscopy to remove the candy, or put you in tremendous pain until it dissolved. Your esophagus is NOT big enough to let it enter your stomach at this point. The opening there is swollen, just like the sleeve is swollen, and you don't want something to get caught! How about trying one of those dissolvable breath strips? Or, brush your teeth, drink some broth, drink some Water, warm tea, decaf coffee or tea... anything to distract you. Liquids would be much better for your sleeve and would help to keep you hydrated. The other thing about candy is that it has carbs from the sugar. Some people have a major problem with carb addiction and MUST avoid them to lose well. Eliminating the sugary candy will help with the head hunger issue as well. I know that, for me, eating carbs is a good way to trigger a hungry thought, even if I'm not hungry. Kapish? Good luck! You will survive this and you'll be here telling other newbies the same thing I'm telling you.

For most people, no it really isn't that bad. I had two c-sections and this was a breeze compared to them, IMO! However, if you have a complication, it can seem like the world is ending. One thing I have noticed is that every time I'm stunned by someone's complaints about pain, nausea, etc, it turns out that person has some kind of complication. The complication rate is very low, but it's sure painful when you're the one who has that complication. The other thing that could be going on is that your friend could have a very low pain tolerance. There are people who can't handle much pain at all without feeling like they are dying. If she's young, has no previous medical procedures, or has never had a child, your friend may truly be feeling as if the pain is overwhelming. I've unofficially noticed that people who are older seem to have less pain with VSG. Maybe that's luck and maybe it's because we've dealt with so much more than the younger folks. Don't let your friend's misery become your misery. Just because she's having a tough time does NOT mean that you will have a tough time if you're considering revision to the sleeve. Oh, and from what I understand, the pain from a tummy tuck is way worse than the pain from the sleeve as well!

Add more Water to your daily routine. Walk more, even if it's 20 feet at a time, it will add up. Make sure you are tracking what you are eating on a site like My Fitness Pal (I'm Lissa912 if you want to add me). Make sure you get your 70 grams of Protein per day, together with your 64 oz of water. I drink a few cups of decaf coffee a week to help with the bathroom issues. Quit stressing over the scale. Your clothes are fitting looser, which is great! Did you take pre-op measurements? Take some now and compare them. Look for the non-scale victories (NSVs) and determine that you are going to enjoy this journey! Good luck!

Pardon my french, but HE#* yes, you're worth it and HE*# no, you shouldn't give up on the idea of having a sex life. You're 47, not 107...and I understand the geriatric set are into sex in a big way, too! I think you have laid out an excellent case for why you want to have surgery. You have busted your butt to lose weight and do what's right for everyone else. If you want to have this done, I say go for it!!!

SF popsicles are my recommendation as well. That gives you the chewing sensation plus some hydration at the same time. Good luck!!

So, you've decided to air brush yourself like they do the pictures of models in magazines? I'm all for it. I mean, us ladies get to wear makeup to cover our imperfections, why shouldn't they have something for the guys!?! Enjoy being a brozed god for a few days! Jergens also makes a lotion that has darkening properties that, IMO, looks more natural than the spray tan stuff. I use it to even out my color. I'm of native american extraction, so I tan really fast, but areas that don't get sun regularly are very pale in comparison without the Jergens lotion.

Yes, eating solids too early can be bad news. IMO, it's not worth pushing forward with the diet because the sleeve needs time to heal. If you're feeling "hungry", you definitely need to talk to your doctor about getting an acid reducer for you. Part of that hungry feeling is head hunger as well. For most of us, that goes away once all of the ghrelin hormone is out of our systems, which can take up to 30 days. Is having solid foods a few days early worth the possible risk that you'll cause a leak and end up in the hospital or on a liquid diet for months instead of a few more days? I don't think so. Instead of sitting there obsessing about what you can't eat, drink some Water, go for a walk, call a friend, or have a nice cup of warm broth. Right now it seems you'll never get to eat solid food again, but it will be a minor blip on the radar in a few weeks. Good luck!

You're not giving up your fun entirely. You'll still be able to cook amazing food and eat it, although you won't be on solids for a few weeks. I was watching the Food Network while I was still on liquids after surgery. For some strange reason, that was soothing to me, lol. Exercise WILL become fun. I was the original non-exerciser before surgery, but now I'm addicted to that endorphin high that I get when I exercise. I think that it's gotten worse/better as I've seen results of the exercise. I walked the mall last night with a friend just because I could. Yoga sounds so relaxing and zen-like. Maybe I should try that!

Welcome to the loser's bench!!

It sounds (to me, and I'm not a doctor) like you're having circulation issues. I recommend NOT crossing your legs or sitting on one leg for a while. I also think you should report these symptoms to a doctor ASAP. Searing pain in your leg could be a blood clot. Couple it with the dizziness and I'm having deja vu to when I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my leg last year. If the doctor rules out a blood clot, then you need to do something to keep your blood pumping well. So, basically 30 minutes of cardio a day. When my pulmonary doc took me off coumadin, he told me that 30 minutes a day of cardio/blood pumping activity was a requirement to prevent future clots. Other preventive measures include not sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time. Get up, stretch, walk around, even if it's only for 10 seconds. Never drive more than an hour without stopping to walk for a minute. I literally will stop, walk a couple of times around my car and get back on the road. I make sure I stay hydrated, which helps keep your blood flowing well, and I try to maintain my eating schedule so that I don't have hypoglycemia issues. Good luck, but please call your doctor. If this is a blood clot, it can kill you fast and with NO warning.

Because I take Tums for Calcium, I bought a pill organizer with 4 slots. It was the only one big enough to hold the Tums. I only use the morning and bed designation boxes, though. I refill it once a week and take my Vitamins and meds as soon as I get up and right before I go to bed. It works very well for me. I bought my pill box at wally world for a few dollars. Find one that has separate lids for each compartment and one that is small enough to keep close to where you eat your morning meal discreetly. Mine is white with see through purple lids, unlike some of the neon colored ones I saw. I use a small basket to corral all of the pill bottles and that sits in a cabinet unless I'm refilling the pill box. Note: Tums is not the generally recommended way to get calcium for VSG patients. I take Tums because other calcium sources interact badly with some prescription meds that I take.

First, WHERE on your right side. Is it up high, down lower, near your kidney/bellybutton area? Have you tried resting some? Are you picking up your son? You really shouldn't pick up anything, even a gallon of milk, until you are about 3 weeks out. If you're picking up your child, then you may be tugging on a muscle. I was told to wait until at least six weeks for weight lifting, so there's definitely a concern about the stitches. I don't think you're being a hypochondriac. This is scary stuff and it's hard to know what's normal and what isn't normal. I do think that maybe another call to the doctor's office is in order before a trip to the ER, though. Ask the medical staff to give you a better idea of how long it should take for this pain to go away. Has the pain subsided at all? If not, are you still doing too much? This is not the time to be Super Woman and keep up with the house, the kids, and your work obligations. Right now you should be sipping, walking, and resting to get your strength back. Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

My drain was in for 8 days and the amount of drainage got progressively less, but the color did vary somewhat from pinkish red to red if I did a lot of activity for the day. I was told to watch that it didn't turn bright red and that the smell of the fluid didn't change. It's still a good idea to call your doctor about this. S/he may want you to go at least have it looked at to make sure you aren't developing an infection and that you haven't popped a stitch somewhere. It's worth the phone call.

Congrats!! I think they made an excellent choice for a spokesperson and I can't wait to see the finished product (ad)!!!

Great job!! I'm impressed with what you've lost! Isn't it a wonderful feeling?

I've found that most places will let me order what I want rather than being forced to order "meals" as described on their menu. I went to Bob Evans tonight with a friend. They have a sirloin steak with portabella mushrooms which I can't stand these days. So, I ordered the steak with a side salad instead of mashed taters. I ate the tomato, cucumber and cheese from the salad, about 2/3 of my plain steak and one blueberry from my date's plate. It was yummy... then I had one of those little chocolates they sell at the register for dessert! When I logged tonight's dinner in MFP, I logged as if I'd eaten the whole meal. I'm STILL under my calorie goal for today.

IIRC, from a stint as a pharmacy tech during college, atenolol isn't a big pill. You should be able to swallow it. If not, ask your pharmacist if you can crush it and take it in applesauce or some other pureed food. I took coumadin, singulair and albuterol with no problems after surgery.