God's Grace

Thank y'all so much for all of the encouragement!

Overall I am down 68 pounds (I started dieting in January). Had surgery March 29th and am down 30 pounds in 7 weeks. Since I have been cleared to work out the weight is melting off! I am eating about 800 calories a day.

I am 7 weeks post op and am eating almost all organic when I can. :-). It started with milk because I love it but couldn't drink a gallon or even half gallon before it expired.

P.S. glad you are feeling better!

How does a doctor/ER know that you are dehydrated and need fluids? What other signs/symptoms indicate dehydration other than dark urin and not needing to use the restroom?

I just sent one as well :-)

I am 5.5 weeks. I am getting 500-800 calories a day with about 60 gr/protein. I can usually tolerate almost anything but in super small portions. I'm just now to the point of trying "soft foods" and have been on mushies. In the week I am still planning on drinking Premier protein shakes because they are easy. Lunch this week will be 1 slice of turkey deli meat (1.5) ounces and a cheese stick. Snack will be 1/4 cup sliced peaches. Dinner will be tuna salad and my other snack will be 1/4 cup cottage cheese. :-).

Thank y'all so much! I feel more confident about my choice now. :-). Yes, refried beans are on my "approved" list of foods and they are yummy. :-). I can usually only enjoy about 1 ounce though. I am LOVING my sleeve! :-)

I am 5 weeks PO. I will be meeting a friend at MiCocena tomorrow. I am on "soft foods". Do y'all have any suggestions as to a good choice for me besides beans and tortilla soup. Would it work to get a cheese enchilada and only eat the inside? Thanks for your suggestions. :-)

I was sleeved 3/29 and last week started lifting a 5pound weight while watching tv. Nothing too strenuous. This week I kicked up the reps with the same 5 pound weight and added in some additional arm exercises and I am pretty sure I pulled a stomach muscle. :-(. I was so proud of myself last night for all the reps and then all day I have felt VERY sore on my left side in the muscles. So just be cautious if you choose to do weights at this point.

I am 4 1/2 weeks out and I got a tall, skinny mocha. 80 calories, 8 grams of protein!

I buy the frozen veggies as opposed to fresh post op because they won't spoil in the freezer. Sam's or Costco are much cheaper on certain items if you have enough money up front to pay a larger bill for a larger amount of food. I try and stagger my Sams purchases so I am not buying everything each month but every 2/3 months.

I will be 4 weeks tomorrow. :-). Week3/4 I am on puréed foods. I have a lot of blended soups. (I LOVE this because I get all the flavor but just don't have the chunks). 6 am Breakfast I usually have a very soft scrambled egg with cheese and hot sauce- takes about 39-45 to eat all of it so I nibble while I am getting ready for work) OR a premier shake 10 am Snack - Sargento string cheese reduced fat ( I'm actually not supposed to have cheese until week 5 but I did it for a couple of days by mistake and then realized I had looked at the wrong week! Ooops! Since it worked well I am still including it. :-) OR Greek yogurt or cottage cheese 12:30 ish- ricotta bake from egg face website OR soup (about 3 oz) takes about 30-40 minutes for thicker soups 4 ish- premier protein shake - takes about an hour for 11 ounces 7ish- 1.5 ounces puréed salmon with 1 ounce mashed potatoes On weekends I usually have a snack a little before bed like cottage cheese, greek yogurt or a cheese stick. And of course water. :-). Somedays it is hard to eat at all and will just have the snacks as my meals. It is usually about 600 calories and 60 gr protein or more.

You will live him and his staff! He did my sleeve 3/29. Let me know if you have any questions!

Hello! I was sleeved 3/29 and also had a hernia repair done at the same time. The last 2 weeks I have had a dull pain in my left side. I just assumed it was my large incision that was hurting. this weekend I finally put together that my pain is actually 2-3 inches above the large incision. It feels better when I have pressure on it and I can feel a smallish lump. Do y'all think this is just a typical pain with hernia repairs or could this mean that this is another hernia/ruptured original hernia? I havent lifted anything more that 15 pounds and have been pretty cautious.

Did you blenderize this in the mushy stage? It sounds great!

Eshelden- I looked forward to pudding day too! I actually counted down the days until I could have pudding! I learned though that it became gross if I made the entire packet at once. I couldn't eat the entire package before it became old. If you buy the instant pudding try adding 1-2 ounces of milk in a small bathroom sized cup and then a teaspoon or two of the pudding mix. Stir it up and put it in the fridge for a little bit. That way you can Then try different favors without getting tired of the same one AND not waste a whole package of yummy pudding. :-)

I was on a blood pressure medicine that also contained a diuretic. I don't really need the blood pressure pill any more according to my surgeon. :-) Now that I am not taking that pill I am retaining water. I drank all 64 ounces of water yesterday and only needed to use the restroom once. I felt as though my fingers looked like hot dogs! Is there an OTC water pill that will help with this?

I would say my first 48 hours were HELL. I got up to walk with the nurse 6 hours after surgery and I dry-heaved and vomitted the entire time. The second time I walked was better but I went too far and when I got back I continued to vomit and dry heave endlessly. This lasted about 36 hours. I also had a hernia repaired and do not do well under anesthesia. I haven't had any other complications so I am very thankful for that. I will say everyday has become easier. I returned to work after 12 calendar days. My boss is a huge support and let me take half days this week. I think the thing I wasn't prepared for is how helpless I feel. I feel like I should be able to do More than I can. I feel like I should be able to work an entire day and that is frustrating. It has also been an emotional week as I feel down for no apparent reason frequently. Overall I am doing pretty well though. I do not regret surgery. This surgery is giving me my life back! I am 2 weeks p-o today and am looking forward to the weight loss and healing that each day brings!

I was more nervous about having my staples removed than I was about the surgery! It took less than 5 minutes for the nurse to remove all 36 staples. I did feel it and a few were uncomfortable when she remove them but nothing terrible. In fact when she told me that she was done I was surprised that she had done them all! My plan was to take my pAin meds just before I left for my post-op appointment (my mom was driving) but I ended up forgetting to take them. I did take them when I got home But it was more from being sore from all the activity that day than from the staples. Good luck!

Don't worry, sadness is NORMAL. I spent almost all day crying and feeling sad yesterday. Today is better. I spent a few hours with my best friends today and I thi k just being out of the house helped snap me out of the sad feelings. I have struggled with depression in the past (and am still taking meds for it) and I know that if you are truely depressed getting out of the hour will not "snap you out of it". Talk to your doctor if the sadness lasts more than 2 weeks. Your body just went through a HUGE surgery. I am 10 days post op and k ow that more sad days will come. Hang in there!

Yay!