AJAgwu

I completely understand how you feel. It's tough because our minds aren't changing as quickly as our physical appearance. I just smile and say thank you for noticing. People are just trying to be nice an have no idea how we feel emotionally. I realized I get on average about three comments a day so just smile, thank them and move on.

I have the same trouble but there could be worded problems in life right? I just buy one or two things at a time and shop at Marshall's or Burlington Coat Factory for now. No sense in spending a lot of money on clothes that you won't fit in for that long anyways. I buy things that fit snug so they last longer. When I buy belts I make sure I am on one of the last two holes so that I have room to shrink into it some more. As you mentioned, shirts you can live in a little longer, but let me tell you, it feels great to put on a properly fitting shirt now!

I had to switch surgeons during my preop phase and the first surgeon required an abdominal ultrasound and required your gallbladder to be removed if you have any sort of stones, even if they are not symptomatic. The second surgeon does not order an ultrasound unless you have any existing symptoms. He does require six months of actigall after surgery. I think removing your gallbladder ahead of bariatric surgery is pretty aggressive personally.

Your experience sounds similar to mine. I never experienced the shoulder pain everybody talks about after surgery. I just had some esophageal spasms, but other than that I was up and walking the halls of the hospital with no pain. My high bp disappeared pretty quickly too. Within two weeks my doctor pulled me off my bp meds because my bp actually went too low and I was getting extremely lightheaded. I've heard of diabetics coming off their meds before they leave the hospital. It's the marvel of modern medicine!

It may take some time for your body to heal. I was sleeved in January and now find I sleep so much better. I get a solid 6-8 hours and don't wake up as much as I used to. I am also recalling my dreams which tells me I am hitting all my sleep cycles as well. Give it some time and I'm sure you'll feel better.

Every surgeon has different diet restrictions but fish is one of the first solid proteins I was allowed to add back in. I started eating small amounts of cod and other light flaky fishes about a week after my surgery. Definitely follow whatever your surgeon and nut recommend though.

Everybody is different so it's hard to say where you will be in 12 weeks. I waited until about two weeks before my trip then assessed what fit and didn't fit and ran out to buy a few items that I absolutely needed. I have always been told don't buy things that don't fit (i.e. too small) because by the time it fits you might not like how it sits on your body. So my advice would be wait until closer to your cruise and then buy a few things you end up needing right before. Also, I haven't been buying much in general because some of the new stuff I bought is already too big. I just focus on buying a few things when i actually need them instead of splurging on a new wardrobe. You will learn how to get creative and make clothes work without looking baggy and frumpy...I can't stand that feeling anymore either!

I went to Brazil six weeks post-op. I didn't get to eat the ideal sleeve diet, but by six weeks I was well aware of what I could eat and could tolerate so I made the best decisions in the moment. I still lost weight and never got sick. Just listen to your body and make the better decisions!

I had the same symptoms. Your body is trying to adjust and figure out how to handle the new smaller sleeve. It doesn't realize yet that it requires much less stomach acid to handle the sleeve. Also your body still has to flush all the anesthesia and other drugs you have been given in the hospital, not o mention the swelling you have in your abdomen right now. Take it day by day, things will get much better!

Had my hiatal hernia repair on Tuesday. There was also an out pouch at te top of my sleeve that ad to eremoved as well. The reflux should now go away. In factiavetad any redluxso far post op, just the esophageal spams similar to after the sleeve procedure. I will be on liquids for a few weeks while everything heels but other than that everything should be ok.

I had my sleeve on 1/24. The surgeon did not see a hiatal hernia during surgery an I never had GERD symptoms preop. Every time I try to stop the PPI since surgery I have severely painful reflux within 24hrs and as soon as I start the PPI again it goes away. The surgeon thought it was spasms and not reflux. I went or an Esophogram today and was old I now have a hiatal hernia and that is the cause of the GERD. I don't talk to my surgeon about it until next Tuesday but I have never tea of anybody developing this after surgery? Is this common, preventable, or just cooncidetal timing that I developed tis so soon after surgery?

I have been constipated for several weeks now. I never had this issue pre-op and I know it's most likely due to my diet now having an increase in dairy and a decrease in fruits/vegetables and grains. My Dr said colace twice a day and benefiber or another similar product twice a day. If this doesn't do the trick I should try Milk of Magnesia. It's been several days now and I don't notice a difference (still have to try the milk of mag but dreading the taste). What have other people done to combat this problem?

Turns out I have a para-esophageal hernia that needs surgical attention. There is an extra pouch that developed at the top of my sleeve and is also impacting my diaphragm/esophagus. Once this is repaired the GERD should be resolved. I might feel some additional restriction as well. The recovery effort will be the same as my sleeve I was told.

I can't stand wearing baggy clothes so I check the clearance rack everywhere I go now. Also check out Marshall's and Burlington Coat Factory for some good deals. I don't want to spend a ton of money on transitional sizes but it's definitely a mental boost when actually buy and wear te smaller size!

I am pleased to share my one month results with everybody! My surgery date was 1/24 and I just took updated measurements on March 1st.. Weight -37lbs (314 to 277) Neck -1.5in Chest -2in Waist -5in Hips -5in Thigh -0.5in More important than any measurement, my mental and physical energy levels have increased, I feel happier and I was taken off my bloodpressure medicines 2.5 weeks after surgery!

I had the same problem after surgery. You are full of drugs. I just relaxed and sat on the toilet for awhile. It will get better after a goods night sleep. Hang in there until it passes.

So I had my four week follow up today. I was down 29 lbs from two weeks before surgery to two weeks after. I lost an additional 2 pounds in the last two weeks bringing the total to -31lbs. I was reviewing what I eat and told the surgeon that for a typical lunch/dinner I was weighing out 3oz of lean Protein and then serving myself 1/3c soft vegetables. The surgeon said I should actually be measuring out a 3oz volume of lean protein, NOT weighing it. We then discussed how I know when I am full. I was explaining that I eat the 3oz of lean protein and then veggies until I feel the food "up to the rim" of my stomach. Not an overstuffed feeling, just that I am completely full. The surgeon said that wasn't good and that I may actually be overeating because I shouldn't get that "filled to the rim" feeling. It was suggested that I measure out 3oz of lean protein in volume and then eat it slowly across 20 minutes. Now I am not so concerned about the overeating becuase I only lost 2 pounds in the last two weeks, I am more fearful that I am already on a path to stretching out my sleeve. I have feared this since the day after surgery. How do you know you are eating the right amount of food? I am so confused now and I really want to do the right thing. Anybody have any feedback?

I took two weeks off after surgery and was definitely nervous about returning to work. A few people at work knew I had surgery but for the most part I didn't tell anybody. It ended up not being that big of a deal returning to work. Getting back into my regular day to day routine helped raise my energy level and I just made sure not to get too stressed or overdo it my first week back at work (granted I have a desk job). I packed all my foods and quickly adapted my workday to my new eating routine. The biggest annoyance about returning to work was since I didn't tell people what I was doing for those two weeks everybody assumed I was on a lavish vacation. I just said I stayed home to take care of some personal stuff but enjoyed my time off. After a few days the questions stopped and I am fine.

I think you just have to use your best judgement. When I ate a piece of fish tonight I tried to imagine if I folded it up to the size of my measuring cups how much it would be. It's hard definitely tricky to estimate the volume of a piece of meat. Another visual my Nut told me to use was if I cup my hand would the food fit into the cup without overflowing.

Ok so today I served myself the same portions as I was last week but I slowed my pace way down and paid attention to everything in my body as the food went down. I guess I wasn't paying complete attention last week because now I am having completely different sensations. After two or three bites I feel like a hand is squeezing my stomach with each successive bite. This happened at Breakfast, lunch and dinner and I didn't even finish everything I had served myself. My Nut also happened to call today so I mentioned to her my discussion with the surgeon and she told me that based on what I told her I was eating she thought I was fine (and not overeating) but if I really pay attention as I eat that there might be some merit to what the surgeon told me. I am going to stick to this strategy for the next few days and see what happens. I have support group on Thursday so she told me to check in then with how it's going.

My CVS still has the CVS brand liquid Tylenol, not sure if you tried there yet.

I had my two week follow-up appointment today. I already feel back to myself (except for eating of course)! My appointment went great. The doctor commented that I have had a smooth, above-average recovery. I never had any vomitting and I have been tolerating all of the foods that I have been instructed to eat. In the past four weeks (two weeks of Optifast and two weeks post-op) I have lost 29 lbs! My clothes are already getting baggy, and my blood pressure medicine was decreased today (started feeling light-headed). I was told things could and would change this quickly but I never actually thought they would! I am still getting used to my "new" stomach and the new way of eating. I need to master stopping one bite before getting that tight/uncomfortable feeling instead of one bite after. I was advanced from puree to soft/moist Proteins today with a little bit of vegetables. I am extremely happy with my results and blessed that I have had such a smooth experience to date!

Just thought I would share an update on how I am doing, as I know this post will benefit those who are still preparing for surgery (I was reading everything all over this board leading up to my surgery as well!) I had surgery last Tuesday, Jan 24th at 8:30am. I was in the hospital for one night. My surgeon keeps most patients two nights but I was walking, drinking, passed the leak test and tolerating puree 24 hours after surgery so he gave me the option to stay or leave. I have been on a puree diet for a week now. I eat four times a day. The first meal is a protein shake and then other three are 3-4 oz of low fat pureed protein (chicken, tuna, greek yogurt or cottage cheese). I really don't feel much hunger, and if I do it's usually in my head. Because I have to eat so slowly, sometimes I even forget to finish something and then it becomes a chore to get it done (definitely a different behavior than I am used to). If I eat something too quickly my chest gets tight, so I have slowed down even more. I have been blessed that nothing has made me sick yet. I did have nausea at first, but my surgeon gave me a prescription to control that. The first few days I was also having esophageal spasms and stomach cramps, and I even had to sip my fluids very very slowly. My surgeon said these were normal symptoms and they went away after a few days. I am able to get my fluids in more comfortably now. I did end up with constipation so I had to take some milk of magnesia, but no big deal. I have been walking every day since I got home. The first few days I would have somebody take me to the grocery store with them and I would walk around pushing the cart (it was cold outside!). This week I have been going to my gym everyday and walking slowly on the treadmill for 30min. All in all, it was 4-5 days after surgery until I felt back to "normal" (excluding eating of course). Best wishes to all those who have an upcoming surgery and to those who already had their surgery and started the next chapter of their journey!

I'm day 3 post op and having some of the same concerns. My surgeon puts you on puréed foods starting day 2. I am trying to eat the specified amount to get my protein in but it's really difficult. The tightness in my chest has been happening since I got out of surgery. I guessed that it was a signal of being full and glad to hear that is indeed what it is! I share in the paranoia but I am just going to follow the purée for the next two weeks and see what my first follow up appointment brings me! It is weird though having to learn new signals your body gives you. Anything else us new sleevers should watch out for?

Hang in there I am three days post op and I am in more pain than I anticipated. I am just taking everything they prescribed and getting plenty of rest. The doctor told me don't feel bad about taking pain meds that's why he prescribed them. Still lots of gas and bloating here.