quietcougar

I'm in Appleton and my surgery was done in Neenah by Dr. Wasco and Dr. Georgen. Nice to see some fellow Wisconsin sleevers here!

So sorry to hear about this and hope that things work out for you.

I suspect that if you're only draining 8cc's a day that it will be coming out at your appointment. It feels a little weird coming out, though. It's good that all your tests came back fine. Trust me, it really does get better, and you'll feel a ton better.

Have you talked to your Doc about the pain? You're far enough post op now that it may not be gas pain but could be something else. The fact that it's near the drain...hmm. Do you have redness or any unusual drainage (foul smelling, dark, etc.)? My drain was removed 7 days post op and I never had any significant pain.

I have to agree with Jonathan on this one - sounds like there's other issues here. I won't rehash what everyone else already said, but I'll add in my congratulations to you on getting your surgery. I'll support you all the way!

At my support group last month, the topic of water came up and some of the members reported being able to drink only certain kinds of bottled water - one said she could only tolerate Fiji. I don't have that issue - I can drink any kind of bottled water; however, I'm wondering what other people out there like. Do you buy the store brand? I picked up 24 bottles for $2.71 at CVS. Not bad, better than my tap at least.

Sadly, we don't have Kroger's around here, because that sounds like a pretty good deal. We have a local chain called Woodman's that has some decent deals on water - the kind I buy there is Niagara. Dasani isn't bad. Like a lot of us, I add in flavorings (usually) to my water. I like the diet Nestea as well. I haven't tried Mio yet but I love their commercials.

I'm at one month today, and I'm allowed all protine in normal form as long as I chew it up good. I've been eating chicken, beef, fish, pork, cheese, cottage cheese, shaved deli meat, refried beans, milk, etc. In another week I can start some fruits and mashable veggies. My calories average about 600-700/day.

If you're getting that in and not having trouble, that's great. Trust me, it will be very different once you start eating solid foods. You'll certainly notice that you can't eat much at all - a few bites and you'll be full. Liquids sail right through, but solids will bulk up on you.

The thing is, if you're thinking you're going to throw back a plate of pasta or half a pizza that won't ever happen. However, you're still early out yet and your stomach is swollen. Your sleeve will expand slowly - it'll take a few months to heal. You should be, eventually, able to eat most if not all of the foods you used to. That's an advantage of the sleeve over R-n-Y. Good luck!

When I was eating pureed foods, I ate mostly baby food because it was convenient. It was a little weird at first, but if you add in some seasonings, it's not too bad. You can blend almost anything into a puree, but some things just don't work well like that. Smoothies are good if you're allowed to have fruit. If not, use your favorite flavor of powdered protine and skim milk.

You were sleeved a couple of weeks before me - I feel for you. It certainly sounds like something's not right. I would certainly get in touch with your surgeon ASAP, as he can likely figure out what's going on or at least where to start. Keep after them, this isn't normal. Good luck and I hope you recover quickly.

Personally, I use Livestrong.

Hmm...you're only 4 days out, so it's possible it's residual from surgery. I didn't have that problem, but my guess would be that yes, it will go away in a few days. You may want to call your doc's office just to let them know and see if they have any suggestions.

I'm also in a stall ATM. It's been about a week to week and a half after two weeks of basically free fall on the weight. But, as Emily notes, I'm losing inches so I can tell it's still working. Just going to stay the course. I know that there's no way I can eat these tiny portions and *not* lose weight.

As Valerie points out, your sleeve only holds a small amount of food. Liquids go though easily, at least for me, so I have to be careful about making sure I drink mostly water. Solids, though - you'll find that it'll be all you can do to eat one meatball, or a piece of string cheese. As the others have said, it does get better, but you have to watch out for "slider" foods. I've found one of mine and I have to treat it like an enemy.

Oooo...crackers are a no-no on my diet. I can't have peanut butter until 3 months out. However, if I was going to eat it, I'd use a spoon and just eat it off that. Zero extra calories. Good luck!

I'm a little further to the north of you, in Appleton, WI, but I do wander down Skokie way now and again (to pick up the Swift Yellow Line) and visit the botanical gardens. If you want to chat, that's great. If not I'll understand.

I was over 300 when I was sleeved, but basically, what I was told is that the more you have to lose the faster you lose it. Part of the reason for this is calorie restriction done by the sleeve, and it takes a certain amount of calories just to sustain you through the day. Heavier people burn more of these, and if you add in exercise, heavier people burn even more calories, so it seems like the weight just falls off. It sounds like your progress is about where it should be, as most people lose the majority of their excess weight at 6 months to a year from surgery.

Trifactor, I have UMR. It took a bit - I'd say a good 3 weeks to a month - for the approval to go through. But it went through on the first try and everything went really quickly after that. You should easily get your date before August. Hang in there!

DebraLea, it generally goes away within 6 months of surgery. Your smaller stomach makes less acid to break down food. Your stomach produces this mucous like substance to help digest food and move it through your intestines. It can be annoying and make you sick to your stomach to the point you don't want to eat. Warm fluids such as herbal tea or warm lemon Water help to break down this mucous and decrease frothing. If your symptoms persist, let your doctor know. Hope that helps and good luck!

Trust me, it'll work. I agree with MyGastricSleeveLife - you've got a lot of swelling and extra fluids post-op for the first couple of weeks, and that can cause the scale to go in the wrong direction at first; but it's only temporary. Very soon, you'll start losing, and the pounds will just fall off. Hang in there and rest, drink your fluids, and keep your spirits up.

Good luck! You'll do fine.

I'm 3 weeks out - it does get better. However, there are ways to change the taste of things. For example, I found a recipe that makes chicken broth taste like the skin of a piece of original Kentucky Fried Chicken. It only uses spices, so it's first week friendly. Really helps when you want savory and not sweet. Also, if it's texture you're missing, try crunching on something frozen, like ice or a sugar-free popsicle, if you're allowed those. Also, drink, drink, and drink some more - our goal is at least 64oz. of fluid a day, which is a lot. Since you just had surgery, you'll probably only be able to get down 32oz. but keep up with it and drink as much as you can.

It sounds like you had an episode of frothing. Your stomach produces a thick mucous that can sometimes come up; it's more frequent in the first 3 months following surgery and is normal. You can try drinking some warm liquid (Water with lemon works well) to help break it up. Nausea is also very common for VSG patients, and can be caused by a lot of things. You mention that you're having some trouble with meat and the Protein shakes - you'll certainly want to mention this to your nutritionist, who may recommend that you back up your diet progression to foods that are easier to eat. Go to foods for us, as VSG patients - scrambled eggs, Peanut Butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, refried Beans. All of the above should be easy for you to eat. If you're having trouble, definately contact your doctor. Good luck!