Bufflehead

I didn't have a pre-op liquid diet, just very high protein and low carb. That said, did your surgeon not provide instructions as to what he or she allows? I am sure if you call the office they can provide more guidance if what they told you isn't clear. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask your surgical team questions when they arise! My surgery went smoothly, but I can't say if it would have been more or less smooth without the low carb diet, since I can't run a controlled experiment and go back and eat off plan and see how that surgery would turn out. I just know that I decided to follow all of my doctor's instructions to the very best of my ability and my surgery went great. Good luck to you, I am sure you will do great too!

I was allowed to drink directly after surgery -- well, I had to wait until I got out of recovery and back to my hospital room, they don't want you drinking when you aren't awake enough not to choke! I know some surgeons make you wait for an additional leak test, but mine does not. And if your surgeon does make you wait, keep in mind, it's just 24 hours, max. You can get through just about anything for 24 hours. Keep your focus on the big picture

Drives me nuts. There is a rule against cross-posting here and I really wish the mods would actually enforce it. I do think a fair amount is some sort of technical hiccup that could be addressed via the methods @@JamieLogical suggests.

You are only a couple weeks out and you are eating crackers and chicken salad? That seems awfully early to me. But if it's on your plan and you are tolerating it well . . . My guess is that the 2 lbs you went up is water weight, normal fluctuation, or something like poop. I don't see how you can be gaining fat at this point. You have dropped a lot of weight since surgery, so don't stress about that. Follow your plan and don't pay as much attention to minor fluctuations, which are normal. It's also completely normal to stall between weeks 2 and 4 after surgery, so it sounds like you are right on track with that. I do wonder how much protein you are getting. Most chicken salad is very fatty and not so much actual chicken. Are you getting your minimum 60 grams of protein every day?

No, they are nutritionally worthless if not actively damaging to your health . . . plus anything carbonated makes me feel uncomfortable. The only time I have carbonation is once a year -- a small glass of champagne at Christmas.

@@rfriend82 it depends on your program's requirements. My program's rule was that soft food had to be soft enough that you could easily cut it with a fork. Quest bars don't meet that criterion so I wouldn't have been able to eat them on soft foods. I wasn't allowed them anyway since we also aren't allowed grains or starchy, high carb items on soft foods!

If I were in your place, I would probably lean towards a bypass rather than a sleeve, due to the GERD issue. For pain relief, I would discuss prescription meds such as Tramadol. And as other posters have noted, not every surgeon says that you can't have NSAIDS after the sleeve in any event. I have never felt anything "stuck" after being sleeved. I haven't vomited or come close even once. I know a lot of people who are post-sleeve and they are all pretty much the same way. I am not restricted from eating any healthy (or unhealthy) foods. I choose not to eat bread made with yeast since it makes me uncomfortable. I also steer clear of anything carbonated for the same reason. Neither one is a big deal IMO. I don't have any other restrictions. My sleeve tolerates everything and my doctor hasn't placed any restrictions on me either. I am not sure what foods you are referring to that you say people can't eat after being sleeved. PS - I am not in your age group, I hope it is okay for me to post here!

I'm so sorry you are miserable. And periods suck! If I were you, I would stay away from the scale. Bodies do what they want, on their own schedules, and we can't really control them -- at least not in the short term. I am sure the pound you gained was water and tissue due to your period. There is no way you actually gained a pound of fat eating the way you are. That weight will come off, I promise, but I can't tell you when! So the scale is going to drive you nuts. The pre-op diet, generally speaking, is to help shrink your liver so that your surgery will be safe. It isn't to lose weight, so don't measure how "well" you are doing by the scale. How well you are doing will be assessed by your surgeon when he or she opens you up! And as long as you stay on track, I can't imagine your surgery will be canceled. Doctors understand that sometimes bodies do weird things -- especially in conjunction with hormonal changes and periods. Hang in there

Too many carbs, I carry Ostrim jerky sticks instead.

Congrats on your surgery! Just a few quick thoughts: So I was wondering what were your hospital stay must haves? Chapstick and an extra long cord for my phone charger. Don't overpack! The hospital will have what you need. Make sure that whoever is driving you home brings a pillow that you can put between your tummy and the seatbelt. Wear clothes to the hospital that are comfy and loose-fitting, and just wear them home. You won't need a change of clothes with you that way. And have a bra that is a soft, cotton, leisure-type bra that closes in front. Most surgeons will use an incision that hits right at your bra line, and something like an underwire right there will hurt! Any tips to deal with the pain and food temptations? Your surgeon will prescribe pain medications. Do not be a hero and try to refuse to take them. Take them as scheduled. Immediately after surgery, when they wheel you back to your room after recovery, ask to be placed sitting up in the easy chair or on the sofa in the room. That will make it easier and less painful to get up and down for your walking, trips to the bathroom, etc. And being upright (sitting, not lying down) will help with gas pains, as will walking as much as you can, as soon as you can, after surgery. The gas is from the CO2 the surgeon uses to inflate your abdomen and see properly for your surgery, and really the only way to get it out is to not lie around -- sit up, stand up, walk! Food temptations -- many people find these vanish after surgery. I know I did. Still, some people do have them. Discuss with your surgeon a prescription for a PPI to help keep stomach acid under control. Make sure you drink a minimum of 64 oz per day -- you need it, and it will help with any lingering hunger. Can anyone give me an idea of how long I will be out of school and gym? That is up to your surgeon and you should discuss it with him or her. My educated guess is maybe 2 weeks out of school and then an additional 2 weeks out of gym, but that's just a guess. Also, I babysit for a 3 month old, one year old, and 3.5 year old after school... How long do you think I should take off? Again, discuss with your surgeon. You'll definitely need a few weeks to rest, and probably will be restricted on how much you can lift for anywhere 2 - 6 weeks after that. Since babysitting usually involves lifting the kiddos, you may be medically unable to babysit for several weeks, but your surgeon will determine how long. Good luck to you!

Get one of those platters of cocktail shrimp. Everyone loves shrimp, right?

Well, none of us can give you medical advice here. I can tell you that my surgeon will not do sleeve gastrectomy on a patient with Barrett's, and if you Google it you will see that seems to be a pretty common approach. My surgeon recommends bypass for patients with Barrett's. I know a few in my support group who had bypass when they had initially wanted the sleeve, due to a diagnosis of Barrett's. They are both doing great! No complications, look very healthy and are losing weight quickly.

That is essentially what I said to my higher-ups at work and they had no problem with it. They had both enough tact and enough HR/legal knowledge to thank me for the information, ask if I needed anything for support, and keep their mouths shut about exactly what kind of surgery I was having. Smart of them . . . how would they have felt if they asked someone who then felt compelled to tell them she has having anal fissure repair, or hemorrhoidectomy, or pelvic floor restoration to fix incontinence issues?

Personally I would get some protein powder in addition to Genepro, if you can't find what you need in Sweden. I don't trust that stuff, it seems very shady to me. Also, I am not sure you can buy Genepro in brick and mortar stores, it may be only online. Cream of Wheat -- do you really want this? It's empty carbs. Why not stick with eating high protein foods? Chewable vitamins -- if your husband is near a Trader Joe's, their chewable High Potency multi-vitamins are great and very inexpensive! Any chewable calcium should be calcium citrate. Viactiv is calcium carbonate, which most bariatric surgeons say should be avoided as post-sleeve patients don't absorb it well. You may also want to look into liquid calcium citrate, which may be easier to find. I think Wellesse brand liquid calcium citrate is available at GNC, Kroger, Walmart, and some other stores. Do you like peanut butter? If so, maybe have your husband pick up some PB2 if you can't get it in Sweden. It's good to mix into shakes, yogurt, and cottage cheese for some extra flavor, protein, and fiber. Can you get sugar free fiber powder in Sweden? If not, that might be something to consider having him get as well. Good luck! I am sure you will do great.

While I was in the hospital, just their gowns. I wore an extra one facing backwards when I left my room to walk, to avoid accidentally flashing people. For the drive home and several days after, I stuck with loose, empire waist dresses and soft cotton "leisure" bras (no underwire!) that fasten in front. It depends on your surgeon's technique but it's very possible you end up with an incision right at the bra line and that HURTS with anything like an underwire.

I had his partner Dr. Williams. They are both great doctors and they have a terrific team of dieticians, nurses, office staff, insurance wranglers, etc. They use an extremely strict and conservative after-surgery eating plan, which is exactly what I needed. Their practice is a bariatric Center of Excellence. The hospital they use is great -- the entire 4th floor is just for bariatric surgery patients, and all the nurses and support staff there are experts in that area. The only negative things I have to say about the practice is that (1) I think their support groups are kind of a mess and (2) they try to scare patients into buying the Vitamins they sell in-house, as if you need those vitamins or you'll die -- which I think is a total crock. I never used them and I did great. But overall I definitely recommend their practice -- both surgeons are terrific. Their leak and other complication rates are amazingly low, and the support they provide is fantastic. Lots of dedicated, on-the-ball, positive people working in the practice to help patients out with any issues that come up.

Not sure what surgery you had, but if you had the gastric sleeve or DS, you may be having excess stomach acid rather than true hunger.* Excess acid, which happens to many people after being sleeved, often presents as hunger. If you are not on a PPI, you may want to talk this over with your surgeon. If you are on a PPI, you may need a higher or more frequent dose, or a stronger PPI. I second the recommendation for the Eat Slower app -- it was a great help to me in the initial months after surgery. *this may also be true for bypass or lapband patients, I just don't know anything about those situations so I can't really say.

You should follow YOUR surgeon's plan. If you feel ready to advance to the next stage, call your surgeon's office and ask to speak to the dietician, nurse, whoever he or she has in charge of post-surgery eating. Discuss it with them and see if they will either give you permission to advance, or possibly find other ways of addressing hunger (you may need a PPI, or to drink more protein shakes, something like that). IMO, don't start eating off your doctor's plan just because other people on the internet are eating stuff you aren't.

To the extent that most people feel restriction with liquids, it is because their new stomach is so bruised and swollen. The fact that you are able to drink relatively normally is a testament to your surgeon's excellent technique and your body's speedy healing. Don't push things by chugging or gulping -- but because you don't want to hurt or inflame things or learn "the hard way" what is too much too fast - not for fear of rupturing your staples. Being gentle with yourself and not pushing limits is a good habit to build up! Drink like you have been and don't look a gift horse in the mouth You will feel restriction when you move on to soft foods, I promise!

Do more investigating before deciding against roux-en-y. I know lots of people who have had this surgery and been very successful with it. There are several at my WLS support group meetings and they are all doing fantastic. There's a reason it's considered the "gold standard" weight loss surgery! See if you can go to some support group meetings and talk with some post-op patients. They may help put any fears you have to rest.

See if your surgeon's office has another surgeon they can refer you to as a back-up. If not, get in touch with your primary care doc. If your primary care doc can't help or you don't have one, you might consider an ER visit -- if you can, choose an ER with a hospital that has a bariatric surgery practice. Your surgeon's office really ought to be able to help you with possible post-op complications. "The surgeon's away for several days, sorry, we got nothing" is not an acceptable response IMO. At the very least they ought to have an NP on staff who could check you out. Now, I am not saying that you *do* have a complication -- pain and a lump at an incision site seems to be relatively normal -- but my surgeon definitely wanted me to get seen if anything was getting worse rather than better.

30 lbs is great. Keep following your plan and try to stress less about the scale.

No, in fact my teeth are better than they have ever been. I think cutting out most dairy, grains, and refined sugar has probably been great for my teeth! I am not malnourished. I just had a check up with my dentist yesterday and he said my teeth look great Rotten teeth was never mentioned to me as a potential side effect by anyone on my bariatric team. I go to support group meetings and no one (patients or professional group leaders) has ever mentioned dental problems.

As others have said, pre-op diets vary a lot, and there isn't too much to be gained by torturing yourself with it more than is necessary. I would suggest making some gradual diet changes and adopting some behavioral changes that may be helpful to you after surgery. Things like: eliminate soda and liquid calories cut back on coffee/caffeine practice eating mindfully: only eat while you are sitting down, no looking at or listening to a lighted screen while eating (tv, computer, phone, tablet), eat slowly no drinking with your meal or for 30 minutes after get a Myfitnesspal account and log everything you eat. Weigh/measure your food so you know exactly how much you are eating.

I took liquid vitamins, calcium, and iron for the first four weeks after surgery. That worked great for me.