Bufflehead

You should ask your surgeon and/or your pharmacist. They will be able to help you work out a plan. Good luck!

My surgeon required powder, liquid, or chewable for the first several weeks. I stuck with liquid. There was no way I could have swallowed those big vitamin pills and kept them down. YMMV may vary though.

Lots of issues considered to be cosmetic affect people mentally and emotionally. I'm embarrassed and humiliated by my large breasts, does that mean I get insurance coverage for a breast reduction even though they are not physically causing me problems? What about someone with a big and misshapen nose? Ears that stick out and lead to teasing? Just about any cosmetic surgery could be covered if the only criterion was that it affects you emotionally. eta: I can see how Kaiser's lack of coverage would be in violation of the California state statute, which requires them to pay for reconstructive surgery needed to return a patient's appearance to normal after trauma or disease. Surgery = trauma and obesity = disease so they may indeed have a good case against Kaiser.

It took me a few weeks to be able to sleep comfortably in any position and be able to move around in bed without pain. If you are worried there is something seriously wrong, you should get in touch with your surgeon. Good luck to you!

Mine went up for about three days after surgery, then after that fell right into the normal range. Prior to surgery my blood pressure had been very high and hard to control even with lots of meds. My surgeon told me it is common for people with high blood pressure to have it resolve within a week of surgery and be able to go off meds completely. I did and never looked back!

My plan at that stage called for between 30 and 60 grams of carbs per day. Each plan is different though!

My surgeon doesn't forbid drinking from a straw. Just a few hours after surgery I was given a tray of several different kinds of drinks and I was offered straws if I wanted them. I turned them down because I have always hated straws, but my surgeon has no problem with them!

Sounds like you found a great surgical practice and have a great PCP. Glad your wife is supporting you too! The next six months will fly by, even though it may seem like it is taking forever sometimes. Good luck!

I had a drain for a day. It wasn't a big deal.

I took zinc and it didn't help me at all. Neither did biotin or getting all my protein every single day starting with the day after surgery. IMO hair loss really is caused by telogen effluvium and nothing is going to prevent it or help it.

I tended to do better with warm protein than cold -- so I used Unjury chicken soup protein, or took my own broth and added a little unflavored protein. I also used the hot chocolate protein shakes you can get from Nashua Nutrition and mixed them with water rather than anything like milk. Good luck to you!

Your surgeon wants you to have 60 ounces of protein shakes a day? Or 60 ounces of fluid? 60 ounces of protein shakes sounds crazy. I've heard of 60 ounces of fluid, I've heard of 60 grams of protein, but 60 ounces of protein shakes seems really excessive IMO. That would be something like 165 grams of protein which is way more than I have ever heard required. If you aren't absolutely positive about 60 ounces of protein shakes, I would clarify with your surgeon's office.

It's the "c" foods for me (other than chicken): cookies, crackers, cake, candy, chocolate, chips

Struggle how? I don't drink them. I used to be a big Diet Coke drinker prior to surgery, but I gave them up cold turkey and haven't gone back. Surprisingly, it has not been hard for me.

To all the VSG vets out there..I am curious about your daily routines. What is a typical breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I eat Protein first. My meals are about 2-3 ounces of protein and a couple ounces of green veggies. I don't eat typical (western ideas of typical anyway) breakfast foods and that is fine. I don't miss them. Breakfast today will be a spinach and London Broil salad with sesame ginger dressing. Lunch is chicken breast and asparagus. Dinner will probably be tuna salad with a poached egg and broccoli. I'll have an apple as an afternoon snack and some almonds and beef Jerky at some point too. How many "drinks" did you have on New Year's? I don't Celebrate on New Year's, or ever drink more than about a glass of wine on a very special occasion, maybe twice per year. That's exactly the same as before the sleeve, so that isn't a change for me. What did you eat at your best friend's baby shower, Christmas, or Thanksgiving? I allow myself three special occasions per year where I eat whatever I want: Christmas, Thanksgiving, and a family birthday. And yes, my birthday counts as a "family birthday." Special occasion creep is dangerous for me. My best friend's baby shower is the sort of occasion where I would help myself to a healthy snack if it were offered (nuts, cocktail shrimp) but would not eat anything that isn't on my usual plan, such as crackers or cake. For Christmas, I had a couple of bites of everything that looked appetizing. I stayed away from bread and salad because they tend to fill me up very quickly and I didn't want to waste space on them! I had roast beef, brussels sprouts, Yorkshire pudding, green Beans, and pecan pie and ice cream -- but just a little of each. My eating is very different from before my sleeve. I stay low carb. I am not someone who can "eat anything in moderation." If I start eating the "c" foods: chips, Cookies, crackers, cakes, etc., then I just crave more and more of them. So I stick with eating mostly lean meats and green veggies. The difference is that for the most part, I am happy and satisfied this way. It never would have worked for me before the sleeve. I feel great. I don't have any sort of digestive issues. I have tons of energy and focus more on what I can do with my life rather than what I am going to eat next. It's a wonderful way to live.

My plan also called for eating 3 tablespoons max or "until satisfied" if that amount was less than 3 tablespoons. I talked about this with my dietician and she pointed out that eating "until satisfied" is different from eating "until full." Most people, especially morbidly obese people, will eat until full - until you get the sensation of "I can't eat another bite!" -- but what we should be aiming for is until satisfied. That is when you ask yourself, am I still hungry? Would I be okay with stopping eating now and walking away from this meal? If so, you are satisfied. You should not aim for "full" -- that way will lead to overeating and possibly stretching your sleeved stomach. But especially during the puree phase, your primary guide should be a measured amount, not some sensation from your stomach. Your stomach is still healing and can't properly tell you whether you have had enough (or too much) food.

I got my food scale for about $25 from Amazon and I couldn't live without it. I weigh at least one thing in almost every meal and snack.

I used Wellesse liquid multi-vitamins for the first four weeks after surgery. I took a double dose to meet ASMBS standards. After that, I switched to Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi's. For the first year after surgery I took a double dose, then switched to a single dose as I was able to get more nutrition from food. Trader Joe's are lower calorie, lower carb, and cheaper than every bariatric specialty mutli-vitamin I have checked out. I have had my labs drawn regularly throughout this process and they have always been great.

Before surgery I told my work that I was "having surgery" on x date and needed a couple weeks off. My co-workers are hyper-aware of the law (most of them are lawyers!) and knew better than to ask beyond that. I told my very closest friends and immediate family that I was having surgery, and the type of surgery, only a week before. I didn't want to give people time to get nervous or negative! Everyone was great and very supportive. After surgery, when people ask me how I am losing weight, I tell them I am eating high protein and low carb, journaling everything on MFP, and that I had weight loss surgery, specifically the sleeve. I am a private person too, and it is hard for me to talk about, but I kind of want people to be aware of this option and to help dispel the myths about weight loss surgery. So I grit my teeth and force myself to talk about it! So far virtually everyone has been positive and interested in a good way. I had one person tell me that I "cheated" but I expected it from her - she's a bitch who is always saying mean things to me and others. So I rolled my eyes and moved on.

How many calories are you eating per day? As you lose weight, you need fewer calories to either maintain or lose, so if your calories stay the same, you may stop losing weight. And I know it's an old saw, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should. IMO it's critical to stick with carefully planning your food intake and weighing or measuring everything so that you know exactly what you are getting. I know when I do that I have much more success. Good luck to you!

Is she using ready to drink or powders? If she has only tried one of those types, she may want to try the other.

Usually no but it depends on the insurance as to what their requirements are.

I have used Thredup. They have great deals and excellent customer service. My one complaint is that the pictures on their website don't show very well, and then they don't provide a lot of details about their clothing items. For example, do these pants have pockets? Stuff like that. But overall I've been really pleased -- it's especially good for more high-end stuff appropriate for work or an evening out. I tend to use EBay for more casual stuff.

Agree with above that you should at least investigate/consider bypass. Don't make medical decisions based on "that weirds me out" or "that scares me." I think if you can, it would be great to go to a couple of surgical support groups and meet people who have had bypass and talk to them. I see people with bypass all the time at my support group -- and my niece had it -- and they are all happy, healthy, perfectly normal and fine. They have all done great with their weight loss. I really think that if you get more familiar with the surgery and with people who have had it, it will seem like a more viable option for you. Good luck!

You should speak to your surgeon about your symptoms. It sounds like you might need a PPI (or a higher dose or a stronger PPI) for the heartburn/reflux. A sore throat and difficulty swallowing is pretty normal, both due to the surgery on your stomach and the tube they put down your throat, but again, your surgeon can check you out and let you know if there is anything abnormal going on. Good luck!