Bufflehead

If you have a recliner, you may end up sleeping in it, so make sure it is clean and in a place you can sleep comfortably. If you don't have a recliner, consider renting one. I wish I had! If no recliner, then consider a body pillow or something like that. I was required to have a functioning home blood pressure monitor and thermometer. I also made lots of use of a heating pad. Every time you lift something 10 lbs or more (bags of kitty litter, small children, large cats, etc.) remember you won't be able to do that for a while after surgery and come up with an alternate means of accomplishing whatever you need to do. Don't put too much stuff in your bedroom -- the key to a quick recovery is walking and moving as much as possible. If you are picturing yourself propped up in bed with a remote control and a book, re-think. You should be as up and active as you can and only in your bed (or recliner) to nap when you need to. Good luck!

Hint that it's something personal and embarrassing. "If I told you we'd both be mortified." "Trust me, you don't want the gory details any more than I want to give them to you." Or be even more general, which can get the message across without actually saying it. For example: Him: What kind of surgery are you having? You: It's nothing immediately life-threatening, I promise. Him: What are you having this surgery for? You: Stuff I need to get taken care of. Don't worry though, I will be fine! ETA definitely don't lie and say something it isn't (gall bladder, hernia repair, etc.). People will eventually figure out what kind of surgery you had and you don't want to look shady at work!

@@jessjames myfitnesspal has a recipe builder, you only have to enter all your ingredients and pick your serving size once, then you save it as one of your foods and you can go back to it again and again without having to re-enter anything. If you got your original recipe from the web, you can also just import the recipe by giving MFP the URL. You can adjust the serving sizes after you import it.

I had GERD to some extent pre-op. It was caused by a hiatal hernia which my surgeon repaired at the same time as my sleeve surgery, and I've not had any GERD since then. If I had GERD pre-op and it was not caused by a hernia, I would not have had sleeve surgery and would have gone with bypass instead.

Agree that it sounds like it may be orthostatic hypotension. This is a very common problem post-wls. Are you monitoring your blood pressure (if not, get a home blood pressure cuff and start). If you are on blood pressure meds, they may need to be adjusted or stopped. Try to remember to pump your legs like you are riding a bicycle for about 30 seconds before standing up. This will get the blood flowing and for most people end the dizziness/fainting on sitting/standing up.

I get a 90 day supply of chewable high potency multi-vitamins for $8 from Trader Joe's. The other supplements I take: vitamin D, B12, folic acid, and iron, I all took pre-surgery as well. Not sure how much they cost but I get either the generic version from my supermarket or CVS, or buy at Trader Joe's, and they are all very cheap.

Re eating beans or mashed potatoes -- beans were allowed in small quantities in my puree phase. No potatoes -- too starchy without enough protein to counterbalance. And my program didn't allow us to take high carb food like potatoes or oatmeal or pudding and add protein powder to make them "better" -- but your program probably has its own rules you need to follow. With respect to the magic bullet, I wouldn't take it unless I was okay with knowing that I might end up having to chuck it in the trash because the TSA agent wouldn't allow it.

Hi there, I was not a law student when I was sleeved but I was on the other side of the podium and I have also had law students in my classes deal with bariatric surgery and other medical issues. Here are my tips -- I think you'll be fine for classes after a week. Make sure you have all your Protein drinks and other hydration aids. You may want to scope out a good place to nap during the day (couches in the student center or library are a good bet). Be open with your professors and with your Dean of Students. Let them know a couple of weeks in advance that you are scheduled for surgery (you don't have to say what kind of surgery if you are not comfortable sharing that) and anticipate being out for a week. Ask if there is anything you can do to work/read ahead. Make arrangements with friends in your classes to take notes and share them with you (alternatively, ask your professors for help in designating someone to take notes for you). You can even check into recording your missed classes on audio/video, but you definitely need faculty permission to do that if it is not a standard part of your law school. I know at my school we will do this for students if they request in advance, the faculty member agrees, and we have tech support personnel available to take care of it. Courtesy and communication go a long way -- you may event want to email all your profs (and the Dean of Students) a couple days after your surgery and just say something like, "I just wanted to let you all know that my surgery went well and I am out of the hospital. I anticipate returning to classes on [x date] as planned. Thank you all so much for being willing to work with me. etc etc" (Believe it or not, if your faculty and dean know you are having surgery, they will be concerned for you and glad to hear that you are recovering well.) I imagine your school is like mine and that the vast, vast majority of faculty and staff really do care very deeply about their students and want them to succeed in all aspects of their lives, so they will support you. Good luck! ETA: depending on how your school handles things, you may want to start with your Dean of Students before approaching any faculty members. I know at my school typically students go directly to the Dean of Students, who then handles any communication with the faculty, in situations like this. I am not sure how common that is, though.

Honestly, the more closely you follow your guidelines, the less hungry you will feel, at least in terms of the type of food you choose to eat and the macros you reach. The more carbs/sugar you put in your body, the hungrier you will feel. So, aim for lots of lean protein and green veggies, with judicious amounts of healthy fats (olive oil, grass fed butter). I find chicken breast and turkey breast the most filling, Fibrous green veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and artichoke hearts (frozen or canned in water/brine, not oil, or fresh) are also very filling and will help you meet your goals. Fish is excellent but IMO not quite as filling. Beef is very filling but tends to have more calories. If you can get your hands on game meats such as bison, elk, or venison, they would serve you well. Drink A LOT! Not just cold drinks -- hot drinks tend to be more satisfying and filling. Broth is also an excellent choice for maximum filling with minimum calories. Good luck!

Try some broth or hot tea. Often hot drinks are easier on the stomach than cold. If you continue to throw up, call your surgeon.

For the first several weeks after surgery I used Wellesse liquid multi-vitamins. I did a double dose, one in the morning, one in the evening. Wellesse tasted fine to me but if you don't like the taste, it is okay to dilute it with water or GS or diet fruit juice. It tastes best if you keep it in the fridge. You can buy it on Amazon as well as in some brick and mortar stores (Target, CVS I think, places like that). They also have liquid iron and calcium. My labs were great throughout. After several weeks I switched to Trader Joe's High Potency chewable, since it was so much cheaper. I like these because they are many fewer calories and carbs than bariatric specialty vitamins (ironically enough) and again, WAY cheaper. My labs have continued to be great.

Are you on a PPI like omeprazole (Prilosec), nexxium, or Protonix? Many sleevers develop acid reflux post op and they need a strong PPI to prevent it (more than Tums). You should get in touch with your surgeon's office and see if that is what they recommend.

Many people seek ketosis out as a good thing as it seems to cause faster weight loss. That's one reason many surgeons prescribe a very low carb diet both pre-op and post-op.

My plan during weight loss mode called for 3 small meals per day, supplemented by protein shakes (no other snacks) to meet my protein goals.

2 ounces might be too much so early on. Try one ounce and see if that works better. If not, maybe try more protein-rich foods that might be easier to digest, like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, and refried beans. Personally I would stay away from foods like crackers and chips -- those are the types of food that made most of us obese in the first place. And I would only eat fruit if accompanied by high protein food, like berries in your yogurt or peaches with cottage cheese. I am not a fan of protein bars, nutritionally speaking (glorified candy bars IMO) but I realize mine is a minority opinion there!

I don't see my surgeon every year, but he's not the only physician in town who can order and read blood work. My PCP knows I had a sleeve gastrectomy so as part of my regular annual physical, she includes orders to check my vitamin and iron levels. I do think it is wise to keep seeing your bariatric team until you have successfully reached goal and maintained it for a year. Also, if you start any sort of re-gain they should be the first people you contact.

If I were in your situation, I would get the insurance funded lapband removal, wait 6 - 8 weeks, then head to Mexico for my sleeve. You can get sleeved by a reputable Mexican surgeon for $4500 - 6000. I do think it's shady that your surgeon isn't giving any discount on the surgery. I've never heard of that before. If you don't want to go to Mexico, maybe shop around with local bariatric surgeons who take your insurance and see if you can get a better deal with someone you are comfortable with.

I've been logging for 3+ years, down over 200 lbs and I think my accountability and keeping track of things on myfitnesspal is a big part of that.

Find a surgeon and bariatric team that you can trust, then trust them. Don't substitute your (or the Internet's) judgment for theirs.

Is your husband a bariatric surgeon or registered dietitian with a specialty in bariatric practice? No? Then he can stfu.

1. Stay off the scale for a while 2. You are doing just fine in your weight loss. Lower your expectations (or try to get rid of them completely). 3. It isn't a race to solid foods. I wasn't even allowed to try purees for four weeks post op. If your body isn't ready for them, then stick with your liquids for another week or so then try again. It won't hurt you to wait. 4. It is completely normal to be exhausted for weeks (multiple weeks!) after major surgery like this. Give yourself a break and treat yourself kindly. 5. Yes, your stomach will eventually be able to handle all textures of food and you will get your energy back. But this is major, traumatic surgery! You need to give yourself time and not expect everything to be back to "normal" right away. But you will get there, I promise.

Stay off the scale. Most people retain fluids from surgery for at least a week, more like two weeks.

The creators of Genepro live in an alternate physical universe from the one I live in . . . in my universe, a gram is a standard physical measurement of weight, and you can't get 30 grams of protein from 20 or so grams of mysterious powder. Genepro must come from somewhere with some sort of alternate quantum physics? But I live in my universe, so Genepro isn't going to make sense for me here.

No, sleeve gastrectomy has been done for well over a hundred years on stomach cancer and ulcer patients and it is very safe. And if something bad does happen in 30-40 years, at least I will be alive and able to try to deal with it (unless I get hit by a truck tomorrow or something). If I were still over 350 lbs, I probably wouldn't make it 10-20 years, let alone 30-40.

I'm early post-op, too, and despite having "high carb" foods (mainly things like milkshakes and ice cream because as I said, I just am not eating much at all and I think of it as higher in Protein to counteract) Crackers, milkshakes, and ice cream? I have to say, your post-op plan is one of the most liberal I have seen!