Chimera

I just started feeling better this week and I was sleeved on Monday May 21st. It took about a week and a half before I could get a normal swallow in without foamy-gurgly ick, and I too have a heck of a time with the Protein drinks - everyhing that tasted good pre-surgery now tastes terrible, including everything with aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, even my favorite herbal tea no longer tastes good - the protein chicken Soup mix is saving my life right now. I started having a cup of lowfat milk here and there and that still tastes good - only now I think I may have become lactose intolerant (in a way this is a good thing because I can just have a little milk rather than disgusting Milk of Magnesia if I need to get the bowels to wakeup lol.) On tuesday I have my 3 week check up so hopefully I will be advanced to mushies and I will have a wider range of protein choices. I too wondered if I would ever feel good again, and every day is a bit better. Hang in there, hopefully soon all of us new sleevers will have boundless energy and no pain any longer

My nutritionist says that that the Ensure drinks are far too high in sugar/carbs for us. She recommends the Premier protein RTD shakes - you can get them at Costco ($24 for a case of 18) - they come in a nice paper container and the chocolate flavor are 160 cal., 30 g protein, 5 carbs, 3 g fat. - the vanilla is 3 g of carbs. They are a good choice if you like the taste.

What a great idea - it would be great if more places offered WLS friendly meals - I love it "nutitrient dense, sugar free, protein-infused."

Are you also taking your Iron and B50? those are two really important ones. I am just over two weeks out and have the energy of a dishrag lol. I am getting my Vitamins down, but the Protein is a challenge - everything tastes terrible. Hang in there - hopefully we will all be bursting with energy soon

Sleeved 5/21 - just over two weeks out. Finally starting to get some energy back after a complicated surgery week with multiple blood transfusions - and another week at home of profuse bleeding from an incision (which was blood I had already bled - Dr. assured me not to worry after a trip back to the hospital). 14 days ago I stepped on the scale during one of my walking circuits at the hospital and was up 20 more lbs than my surgery day (294 up from 274) - this morning the scale at home read 260 Kinda crazy to see it 34 lbs. less - but ahh how much blood and fluid weighs - I was like a plump tick as my husband likes to say haha. I think I am one of those slow healers for sure.

I hear ya - I am two weeks out and I can barely choke my Protein down - I have tried sooo many brands, they all taste terrible after surgery, on ice, diluted, no matter what I do. I knew I would struggle because I do not like sweet things, and I swear everything is sweet - Vitamins, protein, etc. I have been limping along with protein Soup, fortified low-fat milk, and my Clear Liquids - so fatigued by the taste of aspartame it isnt even funny. Everything tastes like chemicals - so my little cup of milk and its 9 g of protein is like heaven. I know it has more carbs than I probably should have but I have barely been getting 100-200 cals a day in - so until next week when I am advanced, it will have to do. Thank goodness for protein chicken soup mix - saving my life lol. If there was a Chicken broth flavored Premier Protein I would be doing a very happy dance lol.

I too am a great lover of the bean - I have waxed poetically many a time here about having to give up my coffee - mainly because of my fierce addiction to it. I quit a couple of weeks prior to surgery so as not to have to deal with the caffiene withdrawls during surgery/recovery. Now afer surgery I cannot even fathom drinking it - I look at 20 oz of anything now as Everest lol. Things just might change post surgery Desert - the certainly have for me, and the coffee thing is something I actually cried over (i think my husband thinks I am a loon lol.)

Eleven days out from my surgery - I am still pretty exhausted, with the added pain of suddenly having insomnia and being up every few hours at night now. I am happy that I am starting to regain some vigor - albeit slowly. One of my biggest challenges is that everything tastes like chemicals - with the exception of my Protein Soup broth. Even the smell of the plastic cups we have is putting me off - I have become even more hypersensitive than before. I had my first little cup of lactose free milk this afternoon and it is so sweet it is like drinking a milkshake lol. I swear that little bit more carb perked this wilted flower right up I think PDXman is on the right track with needed a bit more carbs right now.

Surgery was 5/21 - had severe complications and was up 20 lbs 2 days after my vsg. Thank goodness that Fluid and blood has gone on its way - I am technicially now down 8 - but the scale is showing 28 lbs less than it did last thursday morning lol. Very topsy turvy for me I am hoping to shoot for 20 lbs down by my 3 week check in - gonna work hard to try and get to the point I can get some excersize in - my recovery has been very challenging.

Congratulations Tiff - hang in there. I so know how nasty Prednisone can be - ugh.

Did a lower fat version of Atkins induction with under 20g of carbs a day, even though I did have a bit more sharp cheddar than I think they many have wanted me to eat. I had just under 2 weeks with the way my scheduling went, felt great and dropped about 14 lbs - I guess my liver was teeeny-tiny on surgery day.

My husband has been telling those facts to evryone at work since we saw it - it really is astounding, I too thank goodness that we have our new sleeves to help.

Glue here - first big hunk is about to come off yay.

Our surgeons have rules for a reason - I think it is good advice to comply with your post surgical protocol for safety and sucess. See I can't be trusted around food - that is a known issue lol.

I think most of us have done every diet known to man - I know I have. Drinking liquids for a few months in order to lose many pounds is not the be-all-end-all - hello good old Optifast. At Optifast the idea was to start to get ones body mass down as quickly as possible - so more movement and greater health would hopefully result in success. Indeed it does - but I know I will be working on my food issues for te rest of my life. If one's BMI is over 40 - the mortality statistics are pretty scary. At first I did not mind the idea of doing just shakes and artificial forms of Protein - now that I am post surgical - I really want to transistion to normal foods as soon as I possibly can. My tastes have changed so drastically that all I can taste is chemicals. I am very much looking forward to using my new sleeve tool as a way to be healthy and make smart choices. A lifetime of crappy carbs, yo-yo dieting, and inactivity got me to 318 lbs - Here's hoping that simple good choices, daily exercize, mindful eating and hanging with like minded pals will have me in a much better place soon.

Congratulations! So good to hear that your surgery went well and you are on the mend Everyday gets a little better.

Thanks very much I am doing my best to get my liquids in - I have yet to make it to the full 64 oz. but each day seems to get a little bit better. Hubby is a gem - he is also a goof - tomorrow is his 3 week check in and he is already in the kitchen rattling around pots and pans making Eggface's baked ricotta recipe. He had an egg today and it took him about 40 minutes to eat - realizing he could not drink anything for another 45 minutes he took a nap lol. I am super glad we are doing this together as well. I feel very chill about losses or gains right now - I dont actually see how one has much of a choice but to lose weight if you follow dr's orders and the great advice always found here.

Those have too many carbs for what my surgeon wants pre-op. He has us do low fat Atkins-esque, under 20 g of carbs a day - which I found I could eat up 1/2 to 2/3 of my teeny carb allowance on Fiber gummies and chewable Vitamins. I asked how my liver looked and he said it was utterly tiny - and I ate more regular cheese than I should. I found that the lower the carbs went, the less I wanted them which is always nice.

Six days out from surgery and I am thrilled that I can finally take a small mouthful of liquid without agony and slimes. Good to know about the 6-8 week period - with the way I feel now,m I figured it would be that sort of time frame.

Thinking about you and hope you feel better very soon = My first night home after 4 days and I am very much in that "wth have I done to myself phase. Just trying to get through the days until things start feeling better.

Just got home and just woke from a tiny little nap to find my sweatshirt bloody It doersnt hurt, smell, not do I have fever or anything like that. Like I sprung a bit of a leak = I cleaned it and put a big band-aid on it and will keep an eye on it. Anyone else with this experience? I would prefer to handle this at home than go back to the hospital, seeing as I just got back home lol.

Well my day has finally arrived after a loooong preliminary journey. We leave for the hospital in about 45 minutes, everything is ready to go, just need to have my second "Silkwood" shower. Wish me luck - I am so excited, and nervous too - I can't believe it is finally here /waves

Woo I am finally back. Unfortunately I had some complications that had me in the hospital longer than I had planned. I had some internal bleeding that neccesitated two blood tranfusions - which take time to see if they are woking. Very tired, very trped of being poked and proded, and looking forward to getting some home rest - hosital rest - eve 4 days of it isnt like getting much rest.

My surgeon's numbers are that patients can be expected to lose 50% of their excess weight over the first 6 months, another 25% in the following 6 months - and the final 25% over the second year. I was originally planning on a RNY and my surgeon talked me into the vsg. He was thrilled that my insurance covers the vsg - it seems like it is a sugery that he really thinks works well for his patients. At my support groups the vsg patients that are more than a year out - which are a just a handful, as it is fairly new have lost a staggering amount of weight - all of them have hit goal = 100%+ of excess weight gone. Surgery the day after tomorrow with a big old mess of lbs to lose

Our instructions are to make sure sheets and bedding are freshly laundered the night you go to sleep before surgery, use only freshly laundered towels and clothing. And the two showers with the soap of course As for the new go to drinks - which replaced beloved coffee with milk and sugar and diet coke - herbal teas, occasionally with a bit of Truvia, and crystal lite - pink lemonade is my favorite. Wow Mina your doc is strict - my husband had his vsg last week and is going batty with the liquids. Our surgeon lets us have full liquids - mainly Protein drinks and not much else. At three weeks is when they advance to mushy.