joatsaint

My doc had me on 75% Protein, 25% carbs (from vegetables, no processed carbs like pasta). I was on an 800 - 1000 calorie diet. So between 200 to 250 calories a day were from low glycemic carbs. I got most of my carbs from Beans and lentils.

For weeks post-op, almost everything caused my sleeve to feel like I was being stabbed. Only Cream of Mushroom soup was well tolerated by Frankensleeve. The pain faded over time as my sleeve healed and retrained itself to digest food again. But even 2 years out, Taco Bell taco sauce still gives Frankensleeve fits for some reason. It's his only Kryptonite.

At 3 weeks, I was still eating Cream of Mushroom Soup. Frankensleeve was still too tender for spicy or difficult to digest foods. And boudin qualifies as both! If you are going to try boudin, use my tried and true Frankensleeve taste test. Eat a bite, about 1/2 teaspoon size. Wait 5 minutes Eat a 2nd bite, about 1/2 teaspoon size. Wait 5 minutes. If after that time, Frankensleeve had not had a bad reaction, it was safe for me to eat. Keep on making those small steps in the right direction. Add good habits to your day, and you'll save time, lose inches, and dramatically boost your energy. Stay Strong and Keep Pushing On.

I had Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. I met their pre-qualification for WLS, being diagnosed with sleep Apnea a few years earlier. So I was not required to do a 6 month doctor supervised diet or meet any other qualifications. I made my 1st doc appointment on Dec. 7th, 2012 and was sleeved and released from the hospital on Dec. 28th, 2012. I was done in less than 30 days. So it is possible, but it takes quite a bit of creative scheduling to complete all the pre-op tests, blood work, EDG, NUT visits and the psychological evaluation.

My 1st month post-op, I wasn't able to get in 60 grams of Protein per day. During the 1st 2 weeks, I barely ate 1/2 sugar free Popsicle per day. Starting the 3rd week, I was able to eat about 1/2 can of Soup per day. I took my doctors recommended intake of Water and protein as a goal to shoot for, not something I had to do starting from the 1st day post-op. I didn't think it was realistic given how much I was hurting and the way Frankensleeve reacted with every sip or bite of food. I was only concerned about hydration. I just sipped, sipped, sipped. As long as I felt okay, I wasn't worried.

Stalls used to freak me out, but I "kinda" got used to them, they were just part of my process for losing weight. During my 1st year post-op, I went through a stall almost monthly, usually lasting about a week. I never did find a sure fire way to break the stall. But I did get more comfortable and accepted them as part of the process. I learned that if I stuck with my diet and exercise routine... what worked before would start working again. And it's held true for over 2 years. I've lost and kept off 170lbs. If you are going to experiment, only change one thing at a time, like how much you exercise or how many carbs you're eating. Don't switch up multiple items at the same time, or you'll have a difficult time trying to figure out which changes were beneficial and which ones didn't help.

In 2012, when I had surgery, it only took 5 business days to get approval. But, I had a co-morbidity - sleep apnea - that prequalified me for VSG. The person I spoke with at BCBS had had VSG surgery and said BCBS was very bariatric friendly.

Yep your burps are normal, I had cramping as a bonus every time I took a sip. I found that icy cold Crystal Light lemonade was the drink I could tolerate the easiest. I don't remember my doc setting a fluid goal each day, but I did sip as much as I could and kept a 32oz mug on my desk. And I took a sip every time I looked at it. I figured as long as I felt okay, I was getting in enough fluids. I think your doc's or NUT's recommended fluid intake is a goal to shoot for and build up to. It's very tough to get in fluid or food for the 1st couple of weeks post-op.

I went through the "can't sleep comfortably" period - it lasted about a month. For the 1st 2 weeks post-op, the only comfortable position I could find was sitting in my computer chair. sleeping on either side was impossible for about a month. I would feel a pulling sensation inside when I tried to lay on either side. I had to sleep propped up, like in the hospital bed, and on my back. I promise it does get better and it is worth every minute of discomfort I went through. Life on the other side is sooo much better and in 6 months, you'll be wondering why you put off having surgery for so long!

I used my CPAP for almost a year post-op. I never felt like my sleeve was stretched. I stopped using my CPAP when I was sleeping as well without it as I did with it... about 11 months post-op. I have since tried sleeping with the CPAP several times in the past year, only to wake up burping and passing so much gas, I couldn't sleep! So, no, I don't think it's possible to stretch your sleeve using a CPAP. There are 2 easy escape routes for the extra air!

Every NUT and doc has their own set of guidelines. And every patient has different tolerances to food and drink. I was told to stay away from caffeine for the 1st month, as it can irritate the sleeve staple line. When I did start drinking coffee again, I took it very slow. My 1st cup, I took a sip - about a teaspoon full, waited 5 minutes and took another teaspoon sized sip, waited 5 minutes. I know from experience that if I'm going to have a negative reaction to food or drink, it's going to happen in that 10 minute window.

I felt the gas pains in my shoulder, on and off for about 7 days. The pains gradually faded.

Mine was several hours, because there were several hundred questions. Then I had a 20 minute interview with the psychologist. Mainly I was asked questions about how I looked at life, was I prepared for the changes I'd need to make and if I had realistic expectations of how much weight I could expect to lose.

Mine was several hours, because there were several hundred questions. Then I had a 20 minute interview with the psychologist. Mainly I was asked questions about how I looked at life, was I prepared for the changes I'd need to make and if I had realistic expectations of how much weight I could expect to lose.

I got a lot of cravings for fruits in the 1st few months post-op. I had gone so long without eating any pure sugar that I think it was my brain trying to trick me into eating carbs. But I did eat some fruit, it was literally one 3/4 inch square of pineapple. And Frankensleeve had a fit. It felt like he was trying to roll himself into a ball. It was a good 6 months before I could tolerate any kind of fruit - apples, grapes, and pineapple. And even after 6 months, I wasn't able to hold more than a slice or 2 of an apple or eat 1 or 2 pieces of pineapple per hour. Frankensleeve was so picky that he guaranteed that I stuck to my recommended diet - 75% lean Protein and 25% low glycemic carbs (Beans, lentils, squashes, cauliflower..).

Miss Mac, I right there with you on the toenail cutting! The two things I find the most amazing since the weight loss is: 1) being able to get up off the floor without having a chair or desk nearby to lever myself up. 2) being able to "step into" my car. I used to have to sit down backwards into my car seat and then pull my legs in.

I'm 2 years post-op and still only go about once every 4 days. I don't have any constipation problems anymore, but I do eat quite a bit of Fiber in the form of cauliflower, re-fried Beans, and brussell sprouts. Only twice have I had to resort to Milk of Magnesia to get things moving. I took almost a double dose and drank 16+ ounces of Water in the hours that followed. Drinking all that water seemed to do the trick. I used to get freaked out, being so long between bathroom breaks, but I figure my system had 40 years of having to deal with 3500+ calories of food a day and the measly amounts of food I eat now don't take up much room.

My doc encouraged me to get my protein from real food, not shakes. The shakes made a good source for protein when I wasn't able to eat enough real food, but he said protein shakes are missing many of the trace minerals and nutrients you get from eating real food.

Well, you definitely are not alone. I was just as worried as you are about life after the sleeve. Even before I started losing a significant amount of weight, I was anxious. I had been overweight for 40 years. I knew how to be fat. Now I had to learn to be thin. I don't know how to be thin!!!!!!! But I'm working on it. Plus, after being overweight for so long, losing weight was a dream I had given up on. So for the longest time, I kept expecting something to go wrong and I'd gain the weight back. I'm 48 and over 2 years post-op. Life is very normal, pretty much the same as it was pre-op. The major change is that I have control over my eating. I don't have food cravings that are out of control anymore, there's nothing I CAN'T eat (it's just in smaller portions) and I can still drink alcohol (but I get drunk much quicker). It took me many months to embrace the idea that my weight was finally under my control and I was finally at a normal weight. Take it a day at a time and eventually the dream will become reality.

I was only sent home with liquid pain meds, nothing else.

When I'm feeling blah about my job and really don't want to be there, I try (but don't always succeed) to think about making my client's day a little better by doing the best job I can. Or if that doesn't work for me, I try to think of it as.... my boss paying me to train for my next job! Seriously! Please don't think I'm always successful at either trains of thought, sometimes they work, other times they don't.

I didn't want to tell anyone, only because I was afraid they'd see me fail at another attempt to lose weight. So I only told the 3 people that had to know... my best friend, my mom and dad. Anyone that noticed my weight loss and asked about it, I would tell them the truth; I had drastically cut back on my eating and was walking more. I just left it at that. After I lost the weight, it no longer mattered to me if anyone knew.

The liquid diet was the hardest part of this adventure. Mainly because I really didn't believe that WLS would work for me. I'd been chasing the dream of being normal sized for too many years and believing all the marketing hype for the newest diet or pill that would "magically" fix me. If I had known back then what I know now.... well, you know. Every minute of the liquid diet was worth it. And so was everything I had to go through to be approved for surgery, all the tests, and the multiple 4 hour drives to my doctor's office and the hospital. It was all worth it. I know until you go through this adventure, you will have your doubts. So all I can say is hang in there, do what your doctor and NUT advise. And have faith that it's all worth the effort. Live every day with purpose. Live every day according to your mission and your plan. Have a vision for what you want to accomplish, and act in congruence with it. Focus on what matters in YOUR life and never, ever, EVER give up on what is important to you. Stay strong. I believe in you. And I know that you can do it.

I was put under 2 different times. The 1st was for the pre-op EDG test. They gave me the sleep drug that Micheal Jackson used - propofol. They told me it might feel a little warm at the IV site, when they injected the drug. It literally felt like I blinked my eyes..... and the EDG test was over. One second I was blinking my eyes closed.... and when they opened, it was over and they were ready to roll me out of the OR. For the WLS operation, they used a different type of anesthesia. But it was virtually the same experience. I was very very nervous, so when I felt a little sleepy, I just went with the feeling. Next thing I knew, they were rolling me down the hall and back to my room. Nothing too it, either time.

I too am dealing with "wanting" to eat vs real hunger, on a daily basis. I find that most of this drive to eat happens when I eat processed foods or high carb foods... especially when I eat Pasta or cake. My only method to combat those desires is to eat Protein. If I'm eating for no real reason other than I just want to eat, I fill up on protein - chicken or pork loin are my choices - to the point where I'm completely full. And then, if I still have to eat something sugary, I eat it, but usually I can only hold a bite or 2. That seems to take care of the food cravings and head hunger. I really have to watch out for processed foods; like frozen dinners, lunch meats, or even sausage. They will cause my cravings to flare up the same way sugar and pasta effect me. My best advice is to stick to lean protein sources and stay away from processed foods as much as possible, that includes processed foods like Protein Bars.