Bufflehead

I'm sure missing your family will be tough, but you'll also have those two days to focus just on you and what you need to do to heal and gain strength. And they'll be over before you know it! You may want to ask your husband to keep a firm grip on your toddler's hand in the hospital hallways. Not only can wandering children hurt themselves, they can hurt other people. I know it wasn't fun for me when a running three year old (my best guess) went crashing into my IV pole and pulled the IV needle and tubing right out of my arm as I was doing my laps around the nursing station -- but I think his parents felt worse than I did! It was nice to see all the parents on my floor -- specialized floor just for bariatric surgery patients -- getting visits from their children.

Yeah, pre-op diets are all over the place. Mine was high protein and low carb for two weeks pre-op but not a liquid diet at all. My recommendation would be to try to eat healthy for the last couple of weeks before surgery -- meat, fish, dairy, green veggies, fruit, tree nuts, olive oil. Skip stuff like sweets, trans fats, deep fried foods, and highly processed foods. I wouldn't restrict calories necessarily, at least not to an extreme degree. This can keep you healthy, strong, free of carb and sugar cravings, and at least not gaining weight as you head into surgery. I think practicing post-surgery behavior is more important than practicing post-surgery eating, though it is a good idea to wean yourself from caffeine and carbonation, as others have mentioned. Using a kitchen scale and measuring cups religiously, tracking your food in myfitnesspal or another similar app, not drinking with or immediately after eating, setting aside time to walk or do other exercise -- these are great habits to build up so that you can get right back in the swing of things post-op. Good luck to you!

I was only on clears for a day, but I started that day with protein shakes that are clear liquid: Syntrax Nectar mixed with water. I was also offered Isopure (aka Isopuke), another clear protein drink, but it was revolting and I stuck with my Syntrax. That was only for the 24 hours after surgery though, after that I moved on to full liquids.

Refried beans with a little melted cheee & salsa, cottage cheese with salad dressing or salsa or other savory mix-ins (PB2 works well too), Greek yogurt with PB2 stirred in, poached eggs, Shelly's Ricotta Bake. I would also take some meat, puree it with a flavorful sauce, and then heat it up in the microwave with a little shredded cheese on top. I know what you are thinking . . . pureed meat, gross! But when you add something tasty in the food processor and heat it up, it tastes just like a casserole, only without the carby stuff you don't need like rice or noodles. Some of my favorite combos were (just to give you some ideas): ranch-flavor tuna with ranch dressing, sriracha sauce, and pepper jack cheese Shrimp with buffalo wing sauce and bleu cheese Chicken breast with marinara sauce & mozzarella cheese Turkey breast with peanut satay sauce & jack cheese Ground bison with low carb bbq sauce and cheddar cheese Chicken with tikka masala sauce and Swiss cheese Good luck!

My surgeon doesn't do the lap band on people as obese as I was since he says the success rate is very low overall, and especially bad for people who have a lot of weight to lose. He won't do the lap band even on lower BMI folks unless they insist and absolutely refuse any other kind of bariatric surgery. He says the complications and lack of success for many people with the band make it hard for him to want to do it for anyone. I never wanted the band because I knew I needed something permanent and with more of a success record since I had been obese all of my life, but that was what he explained to me as we went over all the options. I know there are some people who have great success with the band (including the founder of this forum) but I also knew it was not the right choice for me, and my surgeon agreed. I am sure your surgeon will help you make your decision to and provide lots of great information for you. Good luck!

Get a kitchen scale and start weighing your portions. If you haven't, sign up for a MFP account (or similar) and start tracking your food intake. I think it's fine to try out shakes and bars, but honestly I would focus on healthy, low carb, unprocessed foods pre-op. Shakes and bars tend to be high carb, high calorie, overly processed and easily consumed in huge but unsatisfying amounts. People need them immediately post-op, but long term do better with things like chicken breast, broccoli, Greek yogurt, almonds, etc. rather than the glorified candy bars called protein bars, IMO. eta: another "eating habit" that you may want to start practicing is not drinking with your meals, or for 30 minutes after. Good luck to you!

Skip the pouch test, try the 5 Day Meat Test instead. Much more satisfying and in my experience a lot more effective! https://fivedaymeattest.wordpress.com/ Be sure to explore the "Instructions" and "Sample Menu" tabs at the top of the linked home page for the Meat Test as well.

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@@Blue1213 one of my favorite books this year was Rainbow Rowell's Carry On -- if you haven't read it, check it out! It's very purposely built on a Potter-like universe with Potter-like main characters, and it's really wonderful. Rowell is a terrific writer.

Yes, I'm on Goodreads and read a lot! My primary reading areas are "literary" fiction (hate the term but it's useful), history, nonfiction current events/social issues, popular books on science and medicine (i.e., stuff written for non-scientists), psychological thrillers, and memoirs. I also read a fair amount of historical fiction, "women's" fiction, and light fantasy/sci fi/dystopian fiction. Right now I'm listening to two audiobooks -- I Am Malala by Malala Yousufzai and Slade House by David Mitchell. Both are excellent! Slade House is horror, which is not usually on my reading menu, but I really love it. I just finished reading The Good Soldiers, which is nonfiction following a regiment in Iraq. And I have a library book waiting for me for my next read: Louise Erdrich's new novel, LaRose.

I told my work about four weeks in advance. I didn't have a date yet, but I had been approved and knew that it would be some time in the latter half of June, so I told them as much as I knew, and then promised I would get the exact dates of my leave as soon as it was firmed up. I think it is fine to wait until you have an actual date. That had been my initial plan, but then some other people at my work started scheduling blocks of time off around the same time, so in a fit of conscience I went ahead with incomplete info so my higher-ups could have more time to plan.

1. Are you planning to puree the cracker? 2. Are you allowed to eat nutrition-free, high carb, high calorie foods like crackers, the kinds of foods that made you obese in the first place, in your puree phase? If you can answer both questions a confident YES, then go ahead. If not, seek guidance from your bariatric team.

Protein shakes, ginger miso broth, beef broth, chai tea, low carb/high protein milk (CarbMaster or Fair Life brand), V-8, SF popsicles, diet cranberry juice -- that was about it for me.

I don't chew anything to death or eat particularly slowly. That ended when I felt healed.

There are places online you can buy samples for a reasonable price, but I'm not aware of any place to get them for free. Doesn't mean they don't exist, but the only times I have heard about free samples is on special occasions where the manufacturer is running a limited-time program, and you have to call the manufacturer to request rather than order it from a website. I'm not aware of anything currently going on like that, but if I see anything I'll be sure to post back. If you are interested in buying samples, try nashuanutrition.com, the store here, mybariatricpantry.com for different brands. You can also buy directly from some manufacturers' websites, including Unjury, Chike, Jay Robb, and About Time. Good luck!

You need to get the requirements directly from your insurance company. My insurance plan required that I be on a supervised weight loss program for six months pre-op and that I FAIL in my weight loss attempts. If I lost more than 10% of my excess weight I would have been denied. But other insurance plans require that you succeed in losing weight. So no one here can really tell you what your insurance says -- check with yours and be sure to get their answer in writing. Good luck!

Usually that is caused by eating too much or too fast -- if this only happens after you've eaten a meal, as opposed to the first time you swallow even a bit of food, try eating less and eating slower. If it happens every time you even take one swallow of anything, you probably want to check in with your surgeon or PCP just to make sure everything is healing correctly. The weird reactions like a runny nose from eating too much (or at all) are due to your vagus nerve being traumatized during surgery and then irritated by food or drink after it. It runs along the top of your stomach so food pressing on it can set it off. This sort of reaction generally clears up for most people, gradually over time. Good luck!

I had my sleeve surgery on 4/13/16. So I'm almost 2 mo. out. Glad to finally make it to eating almost all foods. Here are some things that have caused slight problems. anyone else experience this. Hard to get these to move through stomach: --swallowing pills (even after cutting in half) --Fiber foods like cereals (raisin bran, Kashi) --whole grain oatmeal --crackers When you say "move through the stomach" what do you mean? Do you throw them up? Do they make you feel sick? How do you know they are "not moving through the stomach"? If you have a serious condition like gastroparesis, you should consult a doctor. Side note, I never touched cereals of any kind, or crackers, or any other thing with grain until I hit my goal weight. That stuff will not help you lose weight IMO. Also my weight loss has slowed. What helps most: exercise drinking lots of Water eating less, and only eating Protein and frozen veg eating NO sweets or Desserts The last two. Exercise is not terribly helpful when it comes to losing weight. As they say, the battle for weight loss is won in the kitchen, not in the gym. http://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories Focus on eating protein, green veggies, and healthy fats such as small amounts of nuts, olive oil, grass fed butter, etc. High carb foods like fruit and dairy should be in moderation and IMO stay away from sweets, grains, and high carb veggies such as potatoes. I try to eat yogurt with fruit when i want something sweet. Be careful about amounts and types of fruit and yogurt -- stick with Greek yogurt without much added sugar and lower carb fruits like berries and peaches (tropical fruits such as bananas and mangoes have tons of carbs and sugars). Also I have resumed drinking coffee in a.m. but not sure how to do it since you can't eat and drink at same time. So is it best to have a cup of coffee and wait 1 hr before Breakfast. Or to eat something first thing like an egg cooked, then wait an hr before having coffee? My plan doesn't call for waiting an hour before and after food for drinking, only waiting for 30 minutes after food for drinking. I love my coffee too much to wait! If I had to follow your plan, I would drink my coffee first, wait, then eat. But I think whatever works better for you is fine. Good luck!

I had a small hiatal hernia repaired during sleeve surgery. No noticeable pain or symptoms from the repair itself but I never suffered from reflux again! I'm so glad it was found and fixed!

I wasn't allowed any raw veggies for six months post-op. I lived Seriously, the real estate available in your stomach is tiny and traumatized and what it needs is protein and healthy fats, not a bunch of roughage right now. Hang in there!

I was 47 when I had my surgery. No complications, a relatively easy recovery, and successful weight loss. I think I was tired for longer than I would have been if I had this surgery in my 20's, but not a big deal. As you age, and especially after menopause, you need fewer and fewer calories to maintain your weight and thus of course fewer calories to lose weight, just due to loss of muscle mass. So eventually we will all need to be even more vigilant and committed to our eating and exercise plans as we age, but that doesn't mean we can't all be successful. Just don't go comparing yourself to a 25 year old, 6'2 man and expect to lose at the same rate, unfortunately On the other hand, no offense to our younger members here, but having been around the block a few times does give us a bit more perspective and tools to deal with changes and setbacks IMO, so in some ways we have an advantage. And there are plenty of people here significantly older than us who have had tons of success!

My surgeon's instructions were to swallow any pills or capsules that would fit through a standard size wedding ring starting the day of surgery. I did swallow some pills just a couple hours after surgery and had no problems. For pills bigger than that, we had to visit the pharmacist and make a specific plan as to whether to get a liquid replacement, alternate drug, or cut or crush the drug. Not every drug can be crushed or cut -- if you crush or cut the wrong drug you can actually endanger your life! So it was important that we go over each drug with a licensed pharmacist and come up with a plan for it. So, I would definitely say a call to your surgeon is in order to see what his/her orders are for you. Good luck!

For most people hair loss lasts between 3 & 6 months duration.

I have seen prices quoted everywhere from $4,000 (Mexico) to $30,000 (high priced cities & practices). You can find cheaper options in the $10-14K range in some lower priced cities and locations like Las Vegas and Florida. Good luck!

You can't hurt your stomach by jostling it. You can, however, hurt your incisions by putting too much stress on them. You want to ask your surgeon for specific guidance on exercise.