BizTraveller

I use a TAP3 dental appliance for my sleep apnea. It is FDA approved a food proven effective in some cases of severe apnea. It is likely to be all you need for mild apnea. I brought my unused CPAP to surgery, but the they never made me use it because I had another medical device. The TAP 3 is a lifesaver but not cheap. You have to go to a dentist that treats sleep apnea. MUCH easier to use than a CPAP. Sent from my iPad using VST

Thanks for all of the responses, and the reassurances. My wife has fought her weight for years and it makes her really crazy when I lose weight easily. That is another reason I posted here. I have been running 600 to 800 calories since day 4 post op. I never had any significant pain, heartburn or nasea. When they said "drink 64 oz of water" I just drank 64 oz of water. Same with the protein. I have been compared to the Honey Badger if anybody is familiar with that YouTube. My menus are not really complicated. I am going with two or three protein shakes a day, a couple of servings of V8 (with lots of tabasco), and a couple of soups here and there (I have puireed some home-made black bean and white bean soups). I go to soft foods tomorrow, so I will start getting more real food my system, but the V8 has been a big help until now. I expect that is when things will start shifting into slow gear. A little stall will be fine with me. I wouldn't want to lose a lb+ a day indefinately.

Sleeved July 11 5' 10" Starting Weight: 276 Surgery Weight: 256 Weight Today: 244 Goal: 190 by anniversary date Sent from my iPad using VST

I am surprisingly hungry a week out. But the again I am only taking in 700 or 800 calories. Sent from my iPad using VST

I was sleeved on July 11. I have been on full liquids a few days now. I am hitting my Protein and Water goals. Zero pain, nausea or acid reflux since day 2. I saw the Doc yesterday. Approved to drive and exert myself more. I had a container of Greek Yogurt yesterday and that was nice. Beyond that, I am still doing shakes. I feel pretty close to 100 percent, but I am going to stay home from work until Monday. I started The process at 276. After two weeks Pre-op diet and one week of sleeve I am at 248. Guys seem to lose weight kinda quick. Sent from my iPad using VST

I am 6 days post-op. I take a supplement for Low-T, so I am sensitive to what you are saying. But...I think those symptoms are really typical of what I hear post-op, and that probably has more to do with the rapid weight loss and lack of Protein than anything hormonal. Fire up a little adult entertainment and see what happens. You might just need to get your mind right. You have been getting your ass seriously kicked. Sent from my iPad using VST

Let me qualify this a bit. My wife had bypass 10 years ago. She lost 60 percent of her goal and gained 30 percent back. You can screw this up. However, if she had not had the surgery she would probably gained another 100 lbs since then. So I figure it still saved her life. Everybody who gets the surgery starts with the assumption that they would not gain any more weight if they did not. That is just about universally wrong. So are you guaranteed to hit your goal? No. You will still have to work at it. Will the surgery dramatically reduce what would otherwise weigh the rest of your life? Absolutely. Sent from my iPad using VST

If you have never been to Africa, please be extremely careful of the food and Water. South Africa is the best part of the continent, but I still wouldn't want to go through food or water-borne illness with a fresh sleeve. I never leave home without a supply of Cipro. It is a miracle drug for that. Your Doctor should write a prescription for you if they know anything about travel in the developing world. I hope you get to Cape Town. One of the most beautiful places on earth. Sent from my iPad using VST

I didn't have the gall bladder or hernia repair, but my surgery was last week was no big deal. It took two days to be able to pass gas. That was uncomfortable and frustrating. Beyond that, I can't say I had much of anything I would call pain. I had zero nausea. I am at day. I am laying around home bored looking for stuff to do. What I have been through wasn't as bad as bad case of the flu. It doesn't all have to go wrong and probably will not. Have confidence in your decision. With the list of things that you are dealing with, it doesn't sound like this was a borderline decision. Even a couple crappy weeks don't mean anything in the context of a lifetime. Sent from my iPad using VST

I have not had any pain since day 2 and that was really minor. I have one of those new "pain ball pumps" filled with local pain killers so that may explain some of that. But many people experience very little pain. The Lovenox injections are very easy. The needle is so tiny you can barely feel anything. It is really state-of-the-art treatment. TSA will let pretty much any Doctor-precribed treatment as long as you put them out separately in a plastic bag at the inspection station. Have a Doctor's prescription handy as a back-up. Even better, just check a bag. You are going to do this in flight anyway, and you will need something to hall your shakes. Sent from my iPad using VST

Newark non-stop to Singapore. It is the longest non-stop in history. It is only fun when you do it all the time. I am scheduled for 94,000 miles in the next 3 months. Sent from my iPad using VST

Oops I see that was 7.5 weeks not days. Good job anyway! Sent from my iPad using VST

I am really glad to hear you pulled this off 7 days after surgery. I am really preoccupied with life on the road post sleeve (hence my handle). I really don't know how I am going to function. People tend to that forget this isn't just about making good food choices, it is also about accomplishing what your company sent you there to do (sometimes at a cost of $20K). Sitting in a corner licking a spoonful of hummus with a glass of Water really isn't going to get it done. Sitting in a hotel room mixing shakes doesn't deliver the goods either. I managed to schedule 5 weeks at home post-surgery before heading to Asia. Then I do London twice, Dubai, and Jordan. That gets me to October when things pick up. Please share any tips you pick up. 6 months out I can see myself fluffing my way through a dinner meeting, or speaking at a formal Chinese banquet. . Until that time I am really nervous. Glad to see someone else facing similar challenges. Sent from my iPad using VST

I am going on 4 days post-op. I got one of those pain-pump balls and it is great. The only thing I had that resembled pain was gas. I had a little IV pain med the first 24 hours, but it really wasn't necessary. Then again pain perception is really personal. Your mileage will vary. But the pain ball Rocks! Sent from my iPad using VST

I thought I was going to die until I figured out everything with aspertame was making me hungrier. Probably much of the reason I gained the weight in the first place. I did Te last 3 days without the sugar-free Jello, the Popsicles and the Crystal Light. I felt far better. It was still tough. Post-surgery is a walk in the park. Sent from my iPad using VST

Taco Bell Pintos and cheese. About 99 cents I think. Sent from my iPad using VST

I just had my surgery this week. In 5 weeks I get on the longest non-stop flight in commercial aviation, 18 hours and 45 minutes gate to gate. It is an all business class flight with lay-down beds, but I have to take it seriously. I am going to talk to my Doc about getting a couple Lovenox self-injecting syringes. I am using them post-op. My daughter is an RN at a trauma center. Says these things are all the rage for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis Normally an aspirin helps, but that is a bad idea for sleeves. Hydration, support hose, and movement all improve the odds. Sent from my iPad using VST

I have no idea if this is helpful, but it is meant to be.... I just has my surgery 4 days ago. I am a very decisive guy (I worked as a pilot and air traffic controller), but this decision had me really second-guessing myselself for one of the few times in my life. There is clearly a lot of emotion tied up with this for everyone. But there are times when emotions can't rule you're life. I decided this was one of those moments, so I just checked the reasons I decided to do this in the first place. They were valid, it was the right thing to do, so I just told the voice in my head to shut-up and plowed through it. It was no big deal. A crappy couple days, but I have had worse cases of the flu. The pain was nil. Not a moment of regret since. The post-op diet is way easier than Pre-op. In two months I will be settled into a "new normal" life. In 7 years I will be retired and will be helping relief agencies fly supplies into war zones and disasters. I will be eating little portions with heroes in some of the toughest places in the world. None of that would ever happen if I listened to the nagging voices in my head. I had to decide to listen to the new ones. I am sure you had good reasons to come this far. Let them speak this time.

I have to agree that sleep apnea is turning into a big industry. I had to have a study Pre-op. I knew I had apnea from another study 5 years before. I had it managed with a TAP3 dental appliance, and by sleeping on my side. The sleep study place could care less. They slapped a CPAP on me, sent me home with it and billed my insurance company. I had no intention of using it and they didn't care. The appliance I am using is FDA approved and proven effective in the treatment of some severe OSA, but they refused to do the study with it. It was obvious they make their money billing CPAPs to insurance companies. I had another surgery 6 months ago that made a sleeve look like a walk in the park. The surgeon knew I had sleep apnea and no one worried about whether I had a CPAP. I just had my sleeve Wednesday, and I was ultimately able to just use my dental appliance.

Anybody ever try the broth from Vietnamese Pho? I loved that when I could eat. I get served tomorrow, and I was hoping to be sipping that next week.

I am on day 11. It got better around day 4 or 5, but it still isn't easy. If get sleep and stay busy I feel great. If I have a bad night and sit around the house I go insane. I had one cheat that was out of real desperation. We are having a tough period at work and I had a blinding headache from hunger and lack-of-sleep. I had a Slim Jim and a Diet Coke and I was able to make it through. 100 degree heat and a two-day power-failure didn't help either. One other thing this has taught me is that aspertame is my enemy. I have easy days when I stay off artificially sweetened drinks. Down 15 lbs in 11 days. It is a start.

Thanks for the confidence. I wish I had another month. Singapore is an old friend and one of the best food cities in the world. It is going be strange hunkered down in the hotel with protein shakes. September will bring two trips to London and one to Spain. I hope I heal fast.

I have to say I am getting worried. I get my sleeve on July 11 and then on August 18 I head to Singapore for 10 days. I really hope I can eat regular food by then. There is no way to pack enough pre-mixed shakes.

I am a few days from surgery and have the same worries. I love good food. I have eaten countless meals in exotic places in every corner of the world and hope to do it all again (in small bites). I could be a producer for Anthony Bourdain. If it wasnt' for the sleeve procedure I wouldn't have considered bariatric surgery. My wife had a bypass 10 years ago and I would not have opted for that will all the dumping and such. I am banking on the idea that this surgery will get me to a better place and help me maintain a new balance for the rest of my life. As for my preceding existance....It was a Hell of a ride. Every pound has a story. Time to turn the page. We are going to be OK