slimthickens

Hi Suzanne, the tumbler sounds like the perfect once I've been looking for...do you have the name or web address where I can find it?

Oh and forgot to mention that the pain meds they give you are usually the source of all the constipation.

It might be too much to take now after all the other stuff you just took but call your surgeon's office and ask him to prescribe you a heavy duty stool softener.

Sooo true about that darn gas, Arj!! I enjoy the smells as well and am so stoked that I can be satissfied with just that.

I'm 4 days post-op as well and the only time I have felt any hunger is when I've been hit by head hunger. I know this to be the case because I sat with my hubby while he ate bratwurst, chips, soda etc. for dinner night before last and I could have cared less about his food. I did feel a little head hunger today at the grocery store though because I was completely SURROUNDED by rows and rows of things I could not have and it was only then that I felt hungry and I immediately made the connection to head hunger. Even today I asked my hubby to drive me around to get a few necessities and treated him to Carls Jr. as a thank you. He ate a double bacon cheeseburger, large fry, and soda all right in front of me and it didn't even phase me. It smelled good and I just enjoyed the yumminess of the smells instead. He didn't want to eat it front of me but I made him do it so that I could test my abilitly to distinguish real hunger from head hunger and it worked. Just be sure to have a good variety of things on your clear liquid diet so that you can look forward to changing things up a bit. Also try to remember that it will only last a few weeks and you'll be enjoying food again in a healthy way again. Three weeks is going to pass whether or not you stick to the plan so you might as well go with it. I hope it gets easier for you girl.

What's posted in the title is exactly what my sleeve starts yelling at me .2 seconds after I sip anything! All the gurgling and churgling, cramping and twisting WTH!! It all just feels so violent going down...is this normal for being 3 days post op? It doesn't quite hurt but it does get very uncomfortable until it reaches the bottom. What gives?

Yup! Chards of glass sounds about right in my neck of the woods too...lol Glad to hear you are getting better with each day buddy! <3

It's amazing that what I've heard all along about not being hungry post-op is sooo true! I'm 3 days post-op and I could care less about food or eating right now. My hubby is sitting right here eating a bratwurst sandwhich, chips, and soda and it is not bothering me in the least. I looked at the sandwich and thought "Oh that looks good" but then moved on in my mind to something else with no real difficulty. Now there's a side affect of the surgery that I can live with! lol

Hi and welcome aboard! This site is a tremendous source of support and information for me and I know you'll feel the same.

I've heard that it's good to have a plan in place pre-op for when those post-op food cravings and head hunger strike so I've drafted a master plan *rubs hands together fiendeshly* I am a crafter, scrapbooker, card maker and journaler so I have compiled and arsenal of pens, paper, markers, and a brand new hard bound journal to begin art journaling as soon as the first head hunger attack starts. I plan to journal the feelings the second they strike and then paint and emblellish each page in hopes of finding therapuetic relief to get past the head hunger. I've always found paper crafting to be a soothing and comforting hobby so I am hopeful that this plan will work for me. If nothing else I will have some great documentation to remember my journey with. Anyone else plan to get involved with a hobby for that reason?

This is something you can totally do with no problem IF you do it in stages. I was a HUGE diet coke nut and it made me sad to know that I wouldn't be able to enjoy that crisp bite of a newly popped can on a hot day so I approached it in stages. Instead of dropping it all at once, start by ordering water instead when you eat out. Before long you'll notice that you are not odering a diet coke on auto pilot everytime you go out. Next, switch to the caffeine free kind and only drink that at home. Just doing those 2 things will have lessened your dependence on it as you get closer to the day of your surgery and then you can quit altogether. I ordered a diet coke at my "Last Hurrah Meal'' and I had gotten so used to not having it that it didn't taste right anymore so I didn't finish it. I am now 3 days post-op and the thought of all those bubbles gurgling painfully in my new tummy is enough to deter me for the long run...lol Take it slow and you'll be just fine.

Thanks Odee. Getting to this point was crazy but I'm seeing that the recovery will be much easier than I expected. I hope your entire experience will be great.

Oh and don't forget that Olive Garden sells that awesome dressing they use in their salads at the restraunt too! I always pick up a bottle to take home when we eat there.

I just got home from the hospital today and my surgery was on 4/12. I'm not gonna lie to you, my experience with pain was pretty darn bad. When I first woke up in recovery I was in agony and I couldn't understand WHY the nurse wouldn't give me something for the pain. She kept saying I had to get to my room first and then went back to looking at the chart in her hand! Next thing I knew I was in a room and they were giving me pain meds through IV. I hated that I was at the mercy of the nurses to get pain meds. My doc prescribed them to be given every 3 hours on the dot but they would refuse to give them to me even 5 minutes early and then would be 10 minutes LATE in getting them to me. This was unacceptable and my doctor threw a huge fit and made them set up a pain pump for me instead. After I go the pain pump the pain was so much more manageable. He said that he too was extremely irritated with the hospital and wishes that he could have done the surgery in the one he preffered. After the pain meds incident he visited me 3 times each day to see if I was doing ok and I think he shook things up around there for the better I hope. I'm home now and hoping to put all of that drama behind me and start my new life. I'm sure your experience will be much better than mine...IT HAS TO BE!!

I was sleeved on the 12th as well and am having a very hard time getting in all my fluids because it hurts so dang bad when I drink. It feels like someone is wringing my stomach out like a dish towel with every other sip...arghh! Also, trying to sleep is next to impossible because I can't lay on my side without feeling my insides flopping around...lol sooo not cool at this phase. I'm guessing things will slowly improve for us though.

Good Lawd was that tough! I had hoped to have one of the more easy experiences that I have read about others having but alas it was not meant to be. I remember being wheeled into the OR around 12pm and being surprised by how simple the room looked. They even had music playing. The anesthesiologist told me to think about going on vacation somewhere and before I could even pick my destinaiton BAM! i was out..lol The very next thing I knew was waking in recovery to some pretty awful and severe pain in my mid-section. I could only mouth the works PAIN over and over. They must have given me something cause the next thing I knew I was waking up in a room and still in pain. The one thing I didn't realize is that no matter how much pain medicine they give you, the gas is not affected by it at all. The gas was stuck right up under my diaphram and was excruciating (just being honest) and nothing I did other than walking and burping helped it. Even today, on day two the pain is at times more than I can handle but I am thinking of it like childbirth in that you just have to go through it to get the goal on the other side. My advice is to walk, walk, walk, as that is the only real relief from the gas. Everything considered I would still do it over in a heartbeat because the rewards will far outweigh the temporary pain.

Many thanks for all the kind words, everyone. They just gave me a pain pump so as not to have to wait on nurses and now i am a bit more comfy.

Thank you so much for the wells wishes. Keeping my eyes on the prize and the wonderful people here on the forum like you arre helping me tremendously. Big hugs out to you girl.

I plan to ask my surgeon about this as well but I'd like to pick you post-op's brains as well. I am hearing that so many of you are not able to tolerate your vitamins and often end up throwing them up. I wondered if it would be ok to postpone the vitamins until the sleeve is much more healed, say around week 5 or 6? Most of our protein drinks already contain some amount of vitamins without having to stomach a pill or chewable while the sleeve is so raw. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks for the advice Afro Cyster! I'll have two cups then, one to dip my paint brush in and one to sip water from...lol

Well wishes for your surgery too! I go in at 12noon and am so ready.

Congrats to you for fighting for your right to have the medical treatment that you deserve after paying into their inflated costs of healthcare. I've always said that health insurance is the biggest racket this country has going and its no wonder people seek help from other countries like Mexico. Best wishes on your journey.

Thanks so much for sharing this infor with me. I'll be picking up a box for my recovery for sure! I too have always used ginger tea when feeling nauseous but have always drank the Yogi brand. I'm relieved to know that It most likely will not hurt my new tummy....thanks again!

You are soooo right! I love your profile pic! It's very inspiring!

I can so TOTALLY relate! I've been trying to stay busy getting organized for when I come home and that seems to be helping. Sending you hugs and well wishes!!