makemyownluck

*raises hand* me, me, me!! First couple of days I sipped. Partly because of my sore throat from surgery, partly because it had been beaten into my head from everyone along the way to sip and go slow after surgery. So I did. but about day 3 or 4, when I was home, I got up one morning and poured a glass of Water and drank it normally. I didn't guzzle or gulp. But like two normal drinks. Went down fine. I realized after that first drink that I didn't sip and was worried that I would regret that mistake... but nothing happened. Had a lil baby burp to help it go down, but no problem. And ever since, I've had no issues with drinking! Yay us! We should start a group. non-sippers unite, sip-less sleevers or something like that, lol.

I have heard that drinking a little apple juice every day gets it moving - or prune juice if you can handle it. My MD gave me Colace and said I should take it if I go 2 days without a BM. Take 2x day until I have a BM (usually happens the same day). I haven't had an impaction, but I have had a couple rounds of constipation, where you feel like you have to go and nothing is happening... or it won't come completely out - so uncomfortable!! In those cases, Milk of Magnesia works well for me. I think everyone should keep a BM diary after surgery until they feel regular again. When you're on a high protein/low carb diet for a long time, constipation is a very common side effect. Aside from impaction, you could also develop hemorrhoids or a fissure. Even if you're having loose stool, that's not normal either - and you should discuss what's going on with your MD so that medication can be used if needed! I hope you're feeling better soon!!

Where is the rash? Are you sure it's from the b12? I take that much b12 everyday and haven't had any rashes... Sorry you're experiencing it, tho. Try some hydrocortisone to help clear it up!

Good luck to you Kim!! I was at 406 day before surgery and was so hoping to get to the 300s before surgery, but it just didn't happen. Felt awesome get here, tho - I know when I get to the 200s, I'll be numb from excitement! Good luck to you, too - how long do you have left? Do you have a surgery date?

actually, now that I'm thinking of it, lately I'm really enjoying a banana split in half with peanut butter on it. You could easily smash that to puree consistency! Bananas are good for wound healing, too. And get some natural pb - it has a lot of protein in it. Yes, carbs too, but if you get natural pb, it's not as bad. Plus, you're not eating that much now, so I don't think carb counting is really all that important when you can eat so very little of anything - it has protein, go for it!

I mostly ate Soup that I pureed. I make my own Soups and then just blended them up. Veggie soup, minestrone soup - whatever it is that you like. I'll be honest and say I kinda skipped the puree stage. I mean, I had yogurt and cottage cheese, the blended soup, but after a few days, I started testing the waters on soft solids - I had a bit of overcooked peas, some deli meat - just made sure that I chewed it down a lot before swallowing. I haven't had any issues. I'm DEFINITELY NOT advising you go against your NUT's plan, I'm just saying that puree stage was tough for me too, because I didn't really know what to eat. Pretty much anything you want, but pureed is what my NUT told me, but it just didn't seem practical. The pureed veggie soup was good, tho - just got pretty boring! Good luck, I hope you get some good suggestions!

Sounds like you are doing great!! I couldn't really handle anything they gave me in the hospital. The Jello wasn't sugar free, the broth was too salty, they gave me coffee and orange juice (2 big no-nos, IDK why they even gave me that!), and so all I had was Water, ice and some tea that I brought from home. Anyway, you sound good - 2 days post op, I mostly just wanted to sleep! I'm 17 days out now and feeling great - so just know that any pain/discomfort you're having does go away quicker than you think! Good luck! Congrats on coming over to 'the other side'!!

good luck with your rheumatology visit. I would say that losing that much could cause those symptoms. Your body doesn't need as much of the medication now that you've lost the weight. I lost a little over 50 during pre-op, and 1 wk before my surgery started having lightheaded feelings, I almost felt like I was going to pass out one day. I went to see my PCP and my bp was really low... I was still 200lbs overweight, but that 50lb loss was enough to take me off my bp meds. And my bp has been great ever since! So, I hope your MD has good new for you and that as you lose more weight, you can get off your meds completely. I'm okay with taking Vitamins for the rest of my life -- because being off bp meds is a great feeling! Good luck to you!!

awesome, girl!! Keep it up!

It's interesting how this surgery affects people so differently. Yes, a hot dog probably wasn't the best choice, but honestly, you could have had this reaction to anything you ate. I was on clear liquids ONLY for the first week, and when I had my first protein shake WOAH - it gave me serious gas, weird indigestion gurgling sounds and mild pain in my stomach. And that was something that was liquid! I'd say part of what you're going through is just your stomach saying "WHAT IS THIS!??!?" because it's been on the liquids for so long and is getting used to digesting what it's had so far. Then you over eat this dense food and your tummy is just letting you know it's not ready for all that! What helped me were gas-x strips - really helps with the gas, and fast! Also, walking around helps too. Drinking too much water on top if the full tummy sounds good in theory, but it doesn't always work like that. With how small your stomach is, the water could really 'over fill' your tummy and make it more painful. Try to get moving if you can! I hope it works itself out soon. I'm 17 days post op and I'm eating lots of stuff. I don't know if I have one of those sleeves of steel, but I haven't been sick once. No nausea, vomiting or pains - aside from the protein shakes, which still give me some gas, but not pain like the first time - and I'm having deli meats, low carb flat bread, yogurt, cheeses, cottage cheese... lots of stuff. I plan to try some fish this week, and canned chicken, then in a few weeks I'll try some veggies (coincidentally, my local farmers market will be open then, yay!) I certainly didn't have this surgery to be on a diet for the rest of my life. I like hot dogs every once in a while and plan to have them when I'm ready for it... so I'm not shaming you there. But considering we only get so little in us in the beginning, I'm trying to make it as good as possible. Deli meat isn't something I would normally have that often because of the salt and nitrates, but because it's something that I can tolerate now, I'm having it. While I am able to eat all these things, I can't eat much of it, and that's the key for me. So what if I had deli meat, it was ONE SLICE! I never thought I'd be completely full on just 1 banana for breakfast. The shakes are saving me with protein intake, because I really don't eat much. But when I DO eat, I can handle everything I've tried so far... I guess that's just lucky on my part. I definitely hope this passes for you soon!

I didn't have a drain tube. I asked my surgeon before hand and he said "I don't anticipate that" but I don't really know what that means... not sure why some people have them and others don't. best to ask your surgeon to see what he does.

Hi Patti! There's definitely support here, and there's a place to post specifically for support for the amount of weight you have to lose. I see a lot of these "lightweights" around here and wonder if they could possibly understand where I'm coming from. We're all in the same boat, tho, and I've found a lot of support from people on all different parts of this journey! My heaviest was 11/12 @ 459. I had surgery 5/2/13 @ 406. I finally made it to the 300s now and I'm looking forward to the scale moving lower and lower. I don't have a support group I go to, I just pop on here when I have a question or feel like being with 'my people'. I would definitely tell your surgeon about the support you get online, and definitely let this be a resource. It's funny, I didn't know a family friend had surgery in the past until I started talking to my mom about wanting surgery. It seems people come out of the woodwork when they know someone else is considering surgery... even though she had a different surgery, she told me to not think twice about doing it. She said it's still the best decision she ever made and has never been happier. I'm doing great post op, wish I was losing more and faster, but I realize it's not a race and that a loss is a loss, no matter how long it takes to get it. As long as the scale isn't moving up, I'm happy! :) Good luck to you! You have support here when you need it!

No, they won't cancel! I COMPLETELY understand the fear, tho. I had a sinus infection 1 wk before surgery and thought FOR SURE they would cancel, but thankfully they didn't. A nurse should call you the day before to confirm surgery time and go over a list of questions with you, which will include asking if you're on your period or your last menstrual period date. You can't wear a tampon or cup, you have to have on a pad. If you don't normally use pads, I would buy some now - the ones at the hospital aren't always the best, and not always designed for a heavy flow (which, you never know if the surgery/anesthesia will alter your normal flow for better or worse). It sucks to have that going on at the same time, but it shouldn't affect your surgery at all. Good luck!!

I am doing really well! I don't know why I didn't see these tags I got from this thread til now - but I'm 17 days post op and feeling fine. The only thing I can't quite do yet is sleep in my side. I'm still sleeping upright also. I can sleep in my back, but it makes me back ache (which is why I'm usually a side sleeper), so I still sleep inclined. Can't wait to get comfy in my bed like before... I think I'll be ready in a week or so. I also get a little ache in my upper left incision (the big one, where the stomach came out) when I stretch, cough or sneeze. Not painful, just a dull ache for a second or two. I think that's gonna be the last one to heal up. Otherwise, I'm okay with bending over, sitting, standing, crouching... as far as diet, I'm on soft foods. I've tolerated everything fine! No nausea, vomiting, or pain when eating. I'm getting about 1000 calories a day and 90g of protein.

GRAPE NUTS!!! omg, i love grape nuts. I'm still gonna try the wheat germ because that sounds tasty, but I think some grape nuts will have to come back into my life when I'm cleared for stuff like that. Thank you so much for the suggestions! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT ALL ABOUT GRAPE NUTS! lol

I'm wondering how to up my Fiber intake while still limiting my carbs. I know some people count their carbs by subtracting the dietary fiber from it, but I don't understand how that works. I love it in theory, because then I could enjoy some carbs with much less guilt, but I need to know why this is a 'thing' and how it works... if anyone can clearly explain it or knows of a site that would be helpful, I'd appreciate it. Also, how do you get your fiber in? I tried supplements pre and post op and they haven't helped. The only thing I can seem to do to stay regular is take Colace or Milk of Magnesia, and I'd really like to figure out a balance so I don't have to rely on medications to be healthy. Right now I'm on soft foods, transitioning to solids slowly. I'm not quite ready for raw fruits/veggies or dense Protein like chicken/beef, but I'm doing deli meats, fish, soft fruits/veggies, etc.

I might try the benefiber. I haven't tried any drink fibers, but I have tried a couple chewable and one gummy fiber supplement, and it really didn't do anything. I will keep the wheat germ in mind. Where do you find that? Is it in a grocery store? I'm already doing bananas and pb a few times a week, so that idea sounds great for me, when I'm cleared for it. I assume you don't need much so that carbs aren't as big of a concern?

My BMI is wayyy higher, but I wish I had done this 10 years ago when I was lighter. My body is going to be a wreck (most likely - I'm talking a cosmetic wreck with loose skin) when I lose the weight and I'll most likely have to have more painful surgery down the line -- all worth it in the long run -- but I see no reason to wait until you're literally at a breaking point like I was/am until you do something about it. Many people will say "You're not big enough for that" or something along those lines, but those people don't know what it feels like to be you. Just because your START BMI would be a dream GOAL BMI for someone like me doesn't mean you don't deserve to take back your health, too. We all have a different path to go through with this. I can say it hurts a little bit to me when I tell people about my surgery and they are all for it! Though no one has dared say this, it sort of feels like people in my life are just glad I'm finally doing something about my obvious significant weight problem. For a lot of us, whether we want to admit it or not, there's a little shame involved with having to go to these measures. It's an emotion that I'm sure will pass the more time goes by/results I see. Honestly, I don't know if I'd be considering this if I was your size, but I don't know that for sure, either. 10 years ago I didn't do surgery because I was healthy - but if I had other health problems related to my weight, I'd totally go for it. There's NO REASON TO SUFFER. I don't know why anyone would think their opinion matters on who "deserves" or "has the right" to have this surgery. It's ELECTIVE for everyone!! Anyway, we're from two different perspectives here, thought I'd share mine. I applaud anyone who is willing to face their fears, who is willing to be proactive and make a change in their life by having this surgery. I wish you the best of luck and hope we all have the opportunities to meet our goals, regardless of where we start!

My Fitness Pal. You can even scan UPCs of your foods. I love it.

Well my NUT told me that the reason TO have this surgery (as opposed to bypass) is that you don't have to have weird diets in the long term. Basically, you do the work pre-op to clean up your diet, you work through the post op stages, then you make good choices but can incorporate anything you want into your diet. You just have to be mindful of Protein for strength/muscle and all your vitamins/minerals. I'm doing my post op plan and already getting about 900-1000 cals per day. I think I'll eventually be up to 1200 or so, but I want that to be from actual food. Right now, my protein shakes are making up a lot of calories, so getting through the stages, I hope to replace the shakes with real food and then work on getting my calories right. I do agree with limiting the carbs, especially in the beginning due to digestive issues. But to each their own. Personally, I didn't have this surgery to be on a whack diet like that for the rest of my life. I did this so I could have a 'normal' relationship with food. I hope your referral to the new NUT goes better. good luck!!

*sigh* So, I lost 55lbs pre-op, from November 2012 til May 2013. During my pre-op liquid diet (2 wks), I lost 17lbs. having surgery put 12lbs back on me with the fluids/swelling/etc. I'm 2 wks post op. Week 1, I lost about 17lbs. That was Water weight, mostly. Week 2, I've lost 2lbs. 8*( I don't want to get frustrated. It's better than gaining 2lbs, I get it. I don't LIKE it, but I get it. I know this will work. Or at least, I HOPE it will. Eventually. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I'm just bummed out because I felt like I was doing AWESOME and now I've hit the brakes. I feel like this should be the time where it's easier since I've got my sleeve now, and yet it's not. I wasn't expecting any miracles. But 2lbs my 2nd week out is really disappointing. I ain't gonna lie. :\

That's so awesome, Laura!! I'm so happy that you're able to do the fun things your Superman husband wants to do - and what a pretty area you live in, too!! Can't wait til I can go on birdwatching hikes with my best friend. He's had this hobby for a few years now and goes on 2-3 hour hikes ALMOST EVERY DAY. I would love to be able to join him for one (tho I'd probably drive him nuts due to my inability to shut the hell up). What a wonderful day for you!

try almond milk. Soy milk has more protein, but also more calories and has more of an aftertaste to is. You can get Almond milk, unsweetened, vanilla flavor that has only 30 calories per serving. And you won't be able to taste it with the shake. It will blend in flavor-wise like milk does.

I'm 15 days out and already on soft foods. I was cleared to move on to mushy food after a week and have since started introducing other things back into my diet. I didn't have a problem drinking after the first 3 days or so. But shakes took some getting used to after surgery - it's really the only thing that has given me gas post-op! I mean, I may have a little burp here or there on some things, but shakes consistently give me gas and my tummy will start grumbling the whole time it's digesting it. I'm doing fine on my soft foods - lots of yogurt, soft cheeses, even cheese sticks, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, Soups... I tried deli meat for the first time yesterday and it was fine. All I can offer is my experience, which is that it does get easier. I can't help but think it's harder the longer you're on liquids, though, because your body is used to digesting those. So when you DO add in more, go slowly, and have some gas-x on hand! Good luck. I think you may find "real food" easier.

Off topic: But unfortunately, looking like an Oompa Loompa doesn't stop ENOUGH people from using self-tanner! lol!