Bufflehead

If you are 10 days post-op, you aren't supposed to have energy. You are supposed to be exhausted. That's what happens after major surgery, often for weeks. Stop trying to exercise for 30 minutes and go for 20 minute walks instead. Take some naps and be kind to yourself. The energy will come back but right now your body needs all of its strength to focus on healing.

Not on my plan, too many carbs and calories and too little protein.

@@Sugary Sweetheart I used Wellesse liquid vitamins (double dose, one in the morning and one at night) and did great on them. I bought mine on Amazon.

Hi Amanda, This wasn't an issue for me, but I've seen others here talk about it. Basically, you'll probably want to lower his crib mattress to the lowest possible level, and teach him to climb in and out with the side lowered. Start now so that it's a habit when surgery rolls around. I know other people also teach their toddlers to climb in and out of their car seats rather than being lifted in and out of the car. You'll probably need to brace yourself while you get up and down from the floor, and move very slowly, but it can be done. Surgery is very tiring . . . if your husband can take charge of meals, or at least some meals, for a few weeks, I am sure that would be a great help to you. If you can afford to hire someone to come in and clean for a couple of hours a day, watch the baby while you nap, and maybe fix a light supper for your family, that would also probably be a good option to explore. Good luck!

Hi Pink Ninja, you may find you get more knowledgeable responses if you post your question in the bypass forum rather than the gastric sleeve forum. But, I will go ahead and tell you my experience -- it would have been a real struggle for me to go back to a physical type job after two weeks post-op from the sleeve. My understanding is that bypass surgery typically requires a bit longer of a recovery period. I went back to my desk job two weeks post op from the sleeve and I was exhausted still and could not make it through an entire day for the first couple of days. I probably should have taken three weeks off. That said, recovery period is a really individual thing. I had an easy recovery, no complications, but I was just very tired for a long time. I may be older than you which can also have a bearing on recovery time. Good luck to you!

Many people with ulcers or cancer have their entire stomach removed with an operation called gastrectomy. They go on to lead healthy, normal lives and do not waste away, lose too much weight, or look sickly. They may need to work with a dietitian to make sure they get enough calories and protein but in general that is a minor concern. So do not worry about your stomach being accidentally made too small, you would do just fine even if your surgeon came to the OR drunk and decided to cut your whole stomach out just for laughs.

Honestly, IMO, don't stress too much about this. Find a decent chewable vitamin that you can tolerate. If they are regular, non-bariatric vitamins, take a double dose, one with breakfast and one with dinner. What's important is that you find something you can keep down and take regularly, not that you find the absolutely best vitamin. You'll get labs drawn as you progress and if you need to make adjustments, you will. I took Wellesse liquid vitamins for the first several weeks after surgery, then switched to Trader Joe's High Potency chewable. I guarantee you I spent less money and ingested fewer calories and carbs than anyone who used a specialty bariatric vitamin and my labs were always flawless. I know vitamin companies (and some surgeons and dietitians) like to try to get you to believe that unless you start ingesting their vitamins immediately after surgery, all your hair and teeth will immediately fall out and then you'll die, but I promise that won't happen. You'll do great as long as you find a reasonable vitamin that you can tolerate, take it regularly, and keep on top of your labs.

Having GERD would indicate that medically bypass is something you should strongly consider because it will cure your GERD, while a sleeve very well may make it worse. Definitely discuss it with your surgeon. That said, you can certainly lose 100 lbs with the sleeve. I've lost over 200. With either surgery, you need to be committed to healthy eating for the rest of your life. Without that commitment, you will pretty much certainly fail. With that commitment, you will succeed with either surgery.

I weigh all my food -- except the stuff that comes in single servings like yogurt cups -- on a digital scale, and track everything on myfitnesspal. I know kicking carbs is hard, I struggle with it too! I have found it very useful to go extremely low carb -- under 30 grams of carbs -- for three days to kick the cravings. Those first two days especially are awful but after that it gets easier and the cravings go away. Good luck to you!

Teach your puppy not to jump on you or anyone else . . . your dog needs to learn good manners, now is as good a time as any. If he is jumping on you in bed, look away (no eye contact), don't say anything, pick him up and put him on the floor and then completely ignore him for 30 seconds. If he gets back in bed, again, turn away and ignore him. If what he wants is for you to get out of bed to let him out, or feed him, make a practice of never getting up and out of bed until he has been lying quietly for at least 30 seconds. If he is jumping on you outside of bed, any time he jumps up, cross your arms across your body so that he doesn't touch anything but your crossed arms, look away, do not say anything, turn away quickly, walk away, and pay no attention to him whatsoever for at least 30 seconds. Then the next time you catch him sitting with his butt on the ground and looking at you, praise him effusively, scratch behind his ears (or wherever he likes to be scratched) and just give him lots of love. ven if you don't get him trained perfectly by surgery time, he'll be better. His jumping will not damage you but it might be a little painful! But less painful than have to think up something to tell your grandmother I think it's good to have your pets with you post-op. I know mine were a great comfort and stress relief for me, and my dog absolutely loved all the walks she got every day. My cat (14 lbs of solid muscle) did a kamikaze dive from the top of my headboard onto my stomach while I was napping on my back a couple days after surgery. Ngl, it did hurt -- but no permanent damage and I was still glad to have him around.

Yeah I got all my protein in (75+ grams) starting the day of surgery, ate high protein before surgery, loaded up on vitamins and biotin both pre-op and post-op, and still lost hair like crazy. My surgeon says the hair loss is due to telogen effluvium from the surgery and not caused by any sort of nutritional deficiency or even by the weight loss itself.

You think 17 lbs in two weeks is barely losing? What were you expecting? Couple pieces of advice looking forward: --you are very likely about to hit a stall that will last a couple of weeks. Stay off the scale if that will upset you. --30+ lbs per month (which is what you would be at if your rate of loss stayed the same) is almost unheard of, especially for women. So you should expect your long-term rate of weight loss to slow down significantly. If it doesn't, you can be pleasantly surprised, but in no way should you expect to keep losing at the incredibly fast rate you are losing right now. Enjoy it while you can. --don't look to compare your rate of weight loss to other people's. I know it is tempting but it never ends well. "Comparison is the thief of joy" -- Teddy Roosevelt. Though to be honest I have never heard of a woman losing as fast as you are post op so maybe it would make you happy!

I count actual carbs (not net) on orders from my dietitian.

People take different approaches to their diet in both weight loss and maintenance. In maintenance, I stay grain-free (and carby veggie free and sweets-free) about 95% of the time. I can and do order carne asada burritos but I use a fork and eat the insides, not the tortilla. Same with tacos and any other kind of sandwiches. The inside is generally fine, not whatever is holding it. That's my plan though, other people are more or less strict than I am. You have to find what works for you. I do think it is a good idea to acknowledge that it is at least possible that things like tacos, burritos, sandwiches, pizza, bagels, french fries, cookies, etc. MIGHT have to be off the menu permanently.

I don't understand why a patient would want a reversible procedure or why a surgeon would talk it up as a selling point . . . to me that's like saying yes, please cure my cancer with this surgery but make sure the surgery is reversible just in case I want my cancer back.

You may not be the "norm" but you are not alone. When I was heading up to surgery, people kept asking me if I was (1) super excited and happy or (2) really nervous and freaking out -- it seemed like everyone assumed I was one or the other, and I really wasn't. I was just kind of rolling with it. I explained it at one point as feeling like I had stepped on a train and it wasn't going to be stopping so I was just riding along.

Water won't open your sleeve. Liquids go right through your pyloric valve and don't engage your restriction at all. Some people struggle with getting enough liquid in immediately post-op because of all the swelling and trauma to the stomach, but even then, the worst a liquid is going to do is make you feel uncomfortable.

Ketosis is probably what is making your mouth taste horrible.

I mix mine into complementary flavors of Greek yogurt (chocolate, salted caramel, honey, apple pie, banana, etc.).

@@Ryan TN so true! The only slightly negative feedback I got about my surgery was from someone who is overweight. I just laughed in her face! Every slim person in my life has been so encouraging and supportive and happy for me. And to be honest I have to look back and think there were times in my life, way way pre-op, when I probably would have thought less than kind and supportive things about people getting wls. I never would have SAID those things out loud though! I can put my foot in my mouth sometimes but even I am not that bad.

Protonix (or another PPI) and Reglan are commonly prescribed after vsg. I know a lot of people are also prescribed carafate. These are usually temporary prescriptions, not for the rest of your life. I was prescribed a PPI and Reglan, but only had to take the Reglan if I was feeling nauseated, which I was not. So that one I never took. I had no problem taking my PPI or any other small pills. It really isn't a huge deal. My pain meds were liquid -- liquid lortab. That one was the hardest to take just because it tastes so awful! But overall I had no real issues with taking any meds post-op.

Keep in mind that even though the name is "New Whey" it is mostly collagen protein, not whey. If you are looking for true whey protein, you'll have to keep looking. There is a lot of debate over whether collagen protein can really be effectively absorbed and used.

Keep following your program. It's perfectly normal to stall for a couple of weeks starting at 3 weeks out. Don't give in to head hunger. Eating carbs will only make it harder -- they just make you crave more carbs. If you get hungry, eat more protein. If you aren't hungry enough to eat some chicken breast, you really aren't hungry. Stay off the scale for a couple of weeks and I bet the next time you get on you will find your stall broken. And I'm not kidding when I say it is normal -- use the search function here or even just do a general google search for something like "vsg 3 week stall" or "week three stall" or something like that. I'm not sure there is anything more universally experienced after weight loss surgery!

Next time she says something gross and offensive (try to say it with a straight face): "thanks for your concern and support! It means so much to me!" After that: "aren't YOU sweet to be concerned about ME. Bless your heart." (look surprised and meaningful) Repeat as necessary . . .

No bread made with yeast and nothing carbonated for me. They don't make me throw up or anything but they make me super uncomfortable.