AliveAgain

Just water with the fruitier flavored, and almond, soy or 2% dairy milk with the vanilla, chocolate and cappuccino favors. Though I can do those with water as well. And I always add some Benefiber powder!

I still have some jeans, corduroys, office pants, and even some leisure sets available in sizes 18-22. I need to take pictures of a few more items! Let me know if you're interested!

Have you considered an insulated, soft-sided cooler bag? It looks like a purse or lunch sack, but you can use the frozen blocks that keep your food chilled for hours? Just pre-pack your Snacks the morning before, throw them in the bag with the freezer-blocks should carry you through lunch. I really dig Greek yogurt with berries or cottage cheese with applesauce for my soft snacks, but they do have to stay at minimum chilled.

They gave me a protein drink in the hospital about 6 hours after my surgery, whey protein isolate with water is considered a clear liquid. My doctor had me work to "drinking" up to 60-70g of protein every day immediately after surgery. I used the Unjury and Nectar brands that come in powder form and you mix with water, broth, juice, or milks in a Blender Bottle. He encouraged me to make sugar free jello with the unflavored protein to even get a boost in my snacks!

Usually it's a sign that you may not be chewing your food enough before swallowing or perhaps eating too fast or too much. It happens most often in the first month of introducing solids, but it still happens for me occasionally. Most often if I wait until I'm really hungry or waiting too long to eat, and I do a combo of the above. It gets better with each passing month! Yes, pineapple or papaya enzymes can help due to their bromelaine content (commonly used to tenderize meat) -- but beware of the sugar content!

My doctor had some services that were not covered by insurance, like his support groups, access to his dietician, plus unlimited* visits to see him for the next five years even if my insurance changes, lose a job, etc. That plus my portion of co-pays, deductibles, etc. put me out of pocket about $6K for the surgery. And yes, most hospitals will ask you to pay up front, and will sometimes give you a discount for not having to go on a payment plan.

Paypal has worked well so far, safe, secure for both parties. I'm 5'3" now, gained back 1/2" with the weight loss Most of my pants are a mix of petite and average length, and are marked as such in their descriptions. I wear a lot of heeled-boots in the winter, so I preferred the average myself to not show too much sock!

Shout out to anyone following this topic that everything I have left is going with me to a yard sale this weekend! Can't wait! Not sure what will make it back, but let me know this week if you see anything you like! Thank you to everyone who has bought items from me!

No one other than my husband, my doctors, and one friend know I had this surgery. Recently, a good friend of mine changed nursing jobs from being in the ICCU for extreme critical care hospital patients to the post-op recovery unit. He's working in the hospital where I had my surgery and is now seeing patients coming out of all kinds of surgeries, including weight-loss. He's listened to me struggle with weight loss for years, and himself struggles to lose/gain the same 20-30 extra pounds he needs to lose. He does not know I had the surgery, and is not a fan of the high-protein, low-carb plan I've been following. Yet, I've lost almost 105 pounds in 7.5 months and he's in exactly the same spot on the scale unchanged. He used to tell stories of patients in the ICCU who had heart disease, liver problems, and other critical organ failures, many of them related to unhealthy lifestyles and excess weight. He complained that they didn't do more to prevent those problems. Last week he was talking about some of the new experiences in the recovery unit, and mentioned this "big princess" who was just too much to handle. My ears perked as he said she had gastric-bypass and was "a lot of work" to manage the pain. Like her pain was different from the pain anyone else experiences being cut open for any other reason. I asked if she actually had bypass or another type of WLS (tipping my hand a little too much) and he said, "What's the difference?" He finished it off by saying, "I mean what a princess. Who doesn't have enough self-control to just eat smaller portions and lose weight the real way? Doesn't she know she's ruining herself with lifelong Vitamin deficencies?" At that point, my husband could feel the hairs standing on the back of my neck and directed the conversation in another direction. It just goes to show that even those who work in the medical field aren't always up-to-date on everything, and aren't experts in health. They know what they know to do their job, but outside of that they are just as under- and/or misinformed as anyone else who hasn't done the research. Just shrug it off and move on. Educate when you can, but be proud of taking your health into your own hands.

How fast or slow are you taking them in? Do you see a difference in temperatures? Sometimes warm tea went down better than room temp or cold liquids, sometimes vice versa. Are all the severe pains in the chest/rib area? Usually in the abdomen it's gas or incisional healing. Still if it's with anything you try, I'd call your doctor.

Yes, it can be normal. But to be safe, I'd call your surgeon for advice. I was on liquids for almost two weeks, not sure what foods you're allowed on your plan at day 6? Might be too soon? My doctor gave me a very low dose of Ativan to help with esophageal spasms (anti-anxiety type medication). It helped during the healing phase!

I used to LOVE salads prior to surgery, but now, not so much. It's funny how the minds shifts that way. What I realized I loved what goes ONTO salads more: Tomato, avocado, boiled egg, cucumber, nuts, peppers, etc. So now I focus on having the toppings as "salads" without the lettuce. Nutritionally, it's low in value compared to other vegetables and takes up so much space in the smaller stomach. Space I'd rather give to lean Protein and nutritionally dense vegetables. I've also found that without lettuce, I don't need to heavy dressings as much. A little homemade balsamic-vinegar with herbs, measured on the side is all I need!

Whoo Hoo!

Yes!

Curious if any women had ovarian cystectomy surgery, before or after VSG? My OB/GYN is telling me it's time to remove a large cyst that has been on my right ovary for almost a year. We hoped weight loss would have helped, and it appeared to be getting smaller for a while. Now it's bigger than ever and I'm having some symptoms from it. I'm afriad of being cut open again and what could happen to my weight loss progress. Can anyone tell me what they know about it?

Thanks everyone! How soon after did you feel you could: Go back to work? Start working out again at the gym (lifting things)? Travel or fly in a plane, sitting for hours at a time and carrying bags?

Dresses are pretty much all I have posted in size S/6 right now, mostly from special occasions where I wore the item once and don't really have many occasion to wear them now. I have some shorts that I'm holding onto for next summer, when I hope to be that size again. I may have some styles in there that I'd be willing to part with, if you're interested? Where I live now is a more temperate climate and I may not need that many shorts by then!

Unflavored, non-fat, Greek Yogurt is best. Depending on your doctor's guidelines, you can add your own level of sweetness later with 4-6 blueberries OR raspberries.

No worries! You just may find more solutions that way since not every user sees each topic. Believe me, I didn't know the correct spelling until I got them and did a LOT of Google searches! My biggest tip: Sitz bath!

If you use the search function on the forum for "hemorrhoids" (watch spelling), then you'll see answers that may help you. I've had problems w/them off and on due to constipation which is now under control, but sometimes I over-do it in exercise or long road trips. Unfortunately, once that area gets stretched it can be a long time before simple things don't make them come back.

Yeah, I know. The avocado is "technically" a bit of a no-no b/c of the fat content. And I love his nutritionist, she's very smart and gives wonderful guidance. So this was me straying a little from the plan. But I have two sisters who are Naturopathic doctors and they tout the health benefits of avocado to no end. It's a healthy fat, good source of Fiber (which I needed by a month out). Just be sure to keep it to a small amount, enjoy it for it's flavor and texture. I think out of a 56g Hass avocado, I would eat about 15g tops -- and only every other 1-2 days. It was a treat, not a staple. Cottage Cheese: Homemade salsa (so I could keep the sugar and salt content low), salt & pepper, tomato slices, even w/avocado. Again, measuring everything and tracking it all in MFP to watch carb counts. Even the applesauce was unsweetened or I made with real apples with my blender thingy. I had my surgery at Good Samaritan in San Jose. It went really well with no complications at all, I was very pleased with Dr. Cirangle's work. Again, they try to keep most patients away from fatty and sugary foods (even fruits) b/c it's a slippery slope to getting a taste of something so good, then wanting/adding more or going for other foods like them. It's not that avocado, blueberries, or applesauce are bad for you -- they just want to be sure you only use a small amount (in the beginning) and use it sparingly for some variety to keep you sane. But it requires self-monitoring to keep within the protein/carb/sugar/fat limits they ask of you!

How far out are you? I do remember being quite frustrated with the limited options in weeks 2-4. I looked back at MyFitnessPal journal, though, and realized I really stuck to those items listed in my soft food phase. It did get boring, but I tried to push through it the best I could because I wasn't losing as much as he wanted me to in my first month. The best way I varied things was by having a lot of Soup with Protein added. I pureed French Onion, added Protein powder and extra tofu to Miso Soups, tomato, chicken w/vegetables, roasted cauliflower. Sometimes I would add less than an ounce of very soft things like cooked mushrooms, okra, asparagus to the broths as well. That gave me some texture, but was soft enough that with a lot of chewing was not going to do harm to the healing stomach. I also allowed very small amounts of ripe, soft avocado that would melt in my mouth. Once or twice I cooked a Trader Joe's chicken meatball - literally, one meatball - in a little broth to get it really moist. Then I'd fork it apart until it was mush, add like a teaspoon of marinara sauce (no sugar on ingredient list) and that was a nice treat. I'd still chew like crazy, but it was mush before I swallowed it. Do you have protein Jell-O? I make mine with unflavored unjury powder for a different kind of treat, even now at 7 months. Do you add anything like a tablespoon of applesauce to the cottage cheese? I would stick as closely as you can to the plan. It does work, worked for me. And it will go by faster than you think. I still do all those things in the soft phase now, one of them almost every day. Once you hit solids, the variety comes back and you'll realize this was worth it. If you want to friend me on MFP to look at my old journals from Feb/Mar, then send me your MFP name. I haven't journaled in months b/c I rotate the same meals now and it was becoming monotonous

I had surgery with Dr. Cirangle about 7 months ago. What your question?

Great! I need to get this stuff out of my house before it takes over

Agreed. I was a little foggy for the first few months after surgery, but now I'm sharper than ever. Plus, foggy memory can be related to many things like B12 deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, plus a litany of other ailments. Now that I take Vitamins and supplements regularly, and give refined carbs a reduced role in my diet, I sleep better, think better, and overall feel better.