joatsaint

I know the feeling of whether to tell anyone about it or not. I think my problem is that I feel like a failure at losing weight on my own. If I had surgery to correct a heart valve or had treatment for smoking/drugs/alcohol, then there would be an outpouring of sympathy. So I really don't understand some peoples hostility when they hear about WLS. I only told those that needed to know because once you've told someone, you can't untell them.

I had the same thing for 3 or 4 days post-op. I had to take tiny tiny sips. I could feel bubbles rolling through my stomach all the time. If I tilted my head back and tensed my stomach muscles a little I could force a burp out.

Not to drink anything after the operation - until I had the leak test. Fortunately my nurse caught me before I took a swallow and said that if I'd had drank anything and had a leak, I'd be in ICU. They said ice chips were fine to eat, it was just any kind of Fluid was dangerous until the leak test. I had been lurking here on the forum for a few days, and with so many questions being posted daily, there wasn't a anything else that I didn't know about. The one thing you can't learn here on the board is how long you need for recovery. Some are up and going in a couple of days, others need a week or so before feeling better. Everybody is different. I probably could have returned to work after 7 days, but it would have been miserable. I was back at work and feeling OK on day 10. But I have a desk job, a more physical job would have required more recover time. So prepare for the worst and expect to be off work for up to 2 weeks.

I got the Eatsmart Precision scale because I needed something that would weigh up to 400 lbs. I also like that over 1,000 reviews have been posted about it. I don't like to buy anything that doesn't have at least 50 reviews. You can check it out on Amazon. It's less than $60 http://goo.gl/AIh2M

Dana, I have to agree with laura. One of the big points about having this surgery is to get away from having to take the "miracle cures". It took me a long time to learn an important lesson - all the diet pill/metabolism boosters are a scam. They are just preying on peoples hopes for a solution. And they all have the same testimonials. Dr. Oz is getting paid to endorse a new weight loss solution every week. Last time, I heard it was Raspberry Ketones. I don't watch his show, but anytime I see a product on the web that says, "As seen on the Dr. Oz show", I move on.

I'm on my 5th week as well. I've been hovering around the same weight for about 8 days. Until today. I had to do some extra walking and got in an extra 1.5 miles. Got home and I weighed 3/4 lbs less than when I went to work this morning. So maybe the extra exercise shook up my metabolism. I'll see what I weigh in the morning and see if the weight loss sticks. Don't over analyze your plateau, just keep doing the right things and the weight will start falling again. I still haven't really felt hunger, but my stomach gets pretty painful when I go too long without eating.

Let me join the welcome wagon. Welcome to the board and I hope you have a very easy journey.

I am 5 weeks out, and fortunately, I haven't been depressed. But for the 1st week post-op, I was pissed at the world. Don't know why but I really wanted to fight somebody.

I think it is incredibly cheap post-op. Pre-op, I probably spent $10 - $15 a day on food. Now I spend about $4 - $6 a day on food and vitamins.

I am not getting taller, just narrower! :-P

On my 5th week post-op, down 21 lbs.

Va Va Voom! You're looking great. Just two questions. Are you married? Wanna be?

Congratulations on such an incredible success story. I hope you are enjoying all the good things that come along with the weight loss.

Don't worry, the belching goes away. It took about 4 days to get it out of my system. Just be happy it's not coming out that end. For about a week I was waking up around 1:30am every morning with the gas coming out the other end. The amount was quite impressive. I'm just glad it happened at home and not at work.

I'm 5 weeks out and have been drinking Crystal Light lemonade the whole time. By the 2nd week I was able to eat cream of mushroom and cream of chicken Soup. From the 3rd week on I was able to eat refried Beans with finely chopped chicken and mild picante sauce. That's about it for me, I am lucky in that I can eat the same thing over and over without getting tired of it. You might be able to eat sugar free Jell-O or sugar free popsicles as well. I tried them, but my stomach didn't like'em.

My first few days, I was not eating or drinking anything. My stomach hurt too much. I was probably taking in less than 10oz. a day. But it got easier towards the end of the week. It will get better. Hang in there.

It' tough finding out what your stomach will tolerate, even if it is on the approved food list. I was hurting pretty good after eating sugar free Jell-O or sugar free popsicles. But I had no problem with Protein drinks, cream of chicken or cream of mushroom Soup by the end of the 5th or 6th day. But I wasn't eating much of anything the 1st 4 or 5 days, I was hurting too much. Every once in a while I would take a nibble of a popsicle. And stick my head in the freezer. The cold air seemed to help a lot. I developed my own stomach testing system. Eat 1/4 teaspoon of the food and wait 5 minutes, no problems, eat 1/2 teaspoon, wait another 5 minutes. If I've had no stomach upset at that point, I know I can tolerate the food.

I tried them, got the linguini version. They do smell, but if you wash them according to the package directions, the smell goes away. They were very very chewy, like a real tough gummy bear. But I couldn't take the slimy feel of the noodles. Many have been happy with the angle hair version, maybe the smaller noodles wouldn't feel so slimy.

That is wonderful, and just think of all the money and hassel you'll save by not taking all those meds

JP69, I run all my meat through a food processor - beef and chicken. I wouldn't call it pureed, just thoroughly beaten up.

That was the case for me as well. I could only take tiny sips for the 1st few days and everything hurt. It does get better.

Sorry, but from what I've read on here, is is consider a bio-hazard and have to dispose of it accordingly. But ask away, especially if you are going to Mexico for the surgery. They may have different rules, it'll probably be given to you in a jar of tequila with a worm.

Man, you are so weird! Why can't you be like the rest and want your stomach in a jar as a keepsake?

I didn't feel like 2 days in the hospital were enough either. My doctor wasn't worried about blood clots after I was released. He mainly wanted me to get up and walk several times a day to reduce the chances of a blood clot. So I wasn't worried about them. I was hurting for about 6 days and then things started feeling better. I was back at work on day 10 with no pain, just felt very tired all the time. I wouldn't worry about getting blood clots while sleeping. Just keep moving and things should work out fine. As far as your diet and Vitamins, every doctor has their own program and I would follow his instructions. One thing that helped me with the gas pains was taking tiny sips of Water. I'd take a sip, swallow and tilt my head back and contract my stomach muscles just a little. That would help me burp. And when I was eating, I'd only take about 1/4 teaspoon size bites and wait a minute between bites or swallows to see how my stomach felt.

When I was making my decision, my main though was, "It's been 36 years of trying to diet on my own. Are things getting better or worse?" And, "Do I want to be this fat or fatter this time next year?" I could only see things deteriorating from here on out. I was scared, nervous and completely unsure. It doesn't mater how many video testimonials or posts from happy sleevers I saw, it was still hard to believe it would work for me. I realized a long time ago that there was no magic formula, pill or exercise program that was going to work for me. All those empty promises on late night weight loss infomercials had me burnt out and jaded. They are all selling the same thing, HOPE. If weight loss was so easy, then half the US population would not be overweight and the diet industry wouldn't be raking in billions each year selling us pills, eating plans, hypnosis tapes, and workout DVDs. At 34 days out, I am very happy with my sleeve and I would do it all over again if I had to.