joatsaint

eggs were one of the toughtest foods for Frankesleeve to readjust to. Scrambled eggs seem to be a slider food for me, but hard boiled eggs are filling and I'm not able to eat as much. I didn't realize it at first, but chicken was one of the toughest things for me to digest. Congrats on your NSV and doing so well.

Congrats on such a great recovery. Welcome to the Loser's Bench.

My feet shrank after surgery. They look like they're ready for a bodybuilding competition - all the muscles and tendons can be seen rippling under the skin. Now if only I could get that look in my abs!

At 6 weeks, I was eating 1/2 cup of food per meal, 6 - 7 times a day. My food was pretty boring - I ate almost the same thing every meal - my concoction of refried Beans, turkey hamburger and salsa. Here's the recipe: http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/ There would be some variation in my diet. At my office, there would always be some leftovers from meetings and I would eat a few pieces of fresh fruit or 1/4 - 1/2 of a sandwich for lunch. But Frankensleeve really didn't like it, so I primarily stuck with the refried beans. I roughly estimated that I was eating 800 - 1000 calries a day. Being stuck at a certain weight for a week or two was normal for me. Eventually I learned that if I just stuck to my diet plan and kept up my walking, the weight would start dropping again. I did learn real quick that eating fruit would slow my weight loss, so I stuck to low glycemic vegetables and lean Protein as much as possible.

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Congrats on doing so well. Passing on the cake is a grest NSV! Don't worry about stalls, it's just your body's way of adjusting to the weight loss. I found that if I just stuck to my food and calorie goals, the weight would start dropping again. I've gone through at least 1 stall about every 6 weeks during the 1st year, including the dreaded 3rd week stall - right after surgery. During a stall, I tried to keep in mind that, pre-surgery, I would have been sooooo happy just to lose ANY amount of weight on a consistant basis - as long as I saw the scale moving down, instead of up.

Thanks for posting your story. When I was researching WLS, I wanted to hear the good and the bad - so I could go into it with my eyes wide open. Although I have to admit that I only wanted to hear the success stories and wanted to be one of those people that claimed they were back at work after 3 days and lost 100lbs in 6 months.

I have found that a banana a day keeps me regular. It took a long time to figure that one out. It was almost 9 months before I could eat a single bite of banana without Frankensleeve throwing a fit.

My doc wanted me walking for at least 30 minutes a day from my first day home. At the end of 1 month, I was released to do weight exercies.

Congrats on joining the loser's bench. I can still remember all the growling and churning Frankensleeve did that 1st week post-op. It does go away... slowly.

I'm still happy with the sleeve. Pre-surgery and still today, I don't like the idea of having part of my intestines cut loose and rerouted. I worked with 3 ladies that all had the bypass, and they are all happy with their results. But even after a year, they still had to be VERY careful of what foods they ate to avoid dumping syndrome. I can eat any food with no problem... other than some minor complaints from Frankensleeve.

I was released to eat full foods after 1 month. But I have heard of other doctors that wait a few weeks longer before releasing their patients. Can you contact your doctor or dietician to find out?

Congrats and good luck with your surgery.

Gas pains in my shoulder left at the end of the 1st week post-op. The kind of gas that comes out the other end was incredibly bad for months. Gas production slowed the rest of the year, but I still have it on a daily basis. I AM THE SHAOLIN MASTER OF THE ONE CHEEK SNEAK!!! I didn't sn*tch the pebble from my master's hand... I made such a stinky he gagged and dropped the pebble. Congrats on making it through surgery and having a good recovery.

My stomach gave me problems for over 6 months before it settled down. About the only food that didn't cause pains, bubbles or cramps was refried Beans and finely ground turkey hamburger. Plain Water was one of the hardest things on my stomach. The pain in your shoulder is probably left over gas. I don't remember exactly how long I felt shoulder pain, but it did come and go for weeks post-op. But the safest thing to do is call your doc, he's in the best position to give you advice.

Knowing what I know now, I would do it in a heartbeat. My life is sooooo much better since surgery. It gave the 2nd chance I needed.

By day 9 or 10 post-op, all the discomfort I was feeling went away. It took a few more weeks before I could lay falt on the bed or lay on my side without feeling a pulling sensation inside. I think I was back to my normal self by the end of a month. The liquid pain meds I was given tasted so disgusting that I went without. My stomach was rolling and complaining all day, every day for that first 10 days. But everything quieted down after that.

I've never experienced either one, but I would try eating slower to see if that gives you more time to notice the 1st warning signs that slimies are about to start. During my 2nd week post-op, a meal for me would be 1 or 2 tablespoons of Soup. My 1st 10 days, I literally ate nothing, I was hurting too much and a bite of anything would send my sleeve into spasms.

It was upwards of 6 months before I could eat more than 1/2 cup of food per meal. And I had to eat it slowly, 1 teaspoon at a time. I tried to take advantage of that time, to limit my calories and establish better eating habits. I'm 22 months out now and can eat up to 2 cups of food, if it's Beans or vegetables - pretty much anything that is mushy and is primarily Water. I'm still limited to about 6oz of any kind of meat or chicken.

I was scared as Hell when I made my 1st attempt to begin the WLS process. I even backed out right before I scheduled my 1st doctor's appointment and put it off for another month. But here's how I finally made the decision: I asked myself 2 questions - 1. Do I want to be in this same situation this time next year? 2. What am I willing to do to make the change? Those are the same 2 questions I ask myself whenever I make a life changing decision.

Congrats on having such great success long term. Thanks for sharing your success and keeping us motivated.

When I was on full liquids, my doc's only restriction was that it couldn't contain any particles or chunks. If it would go through a strainer, then it was fine. It took a lot of persistence, but I finally got that piece of prime rib through the strainer!!!!! :-P

My doc told me to bring my CPAP (I have the full face mask too) with me to the hospital. And I used it on and off during my 2 day stay. I used it every day since surgery for the 1st year. Sometime around month 11 post-op (I was over 100lbs lost), I started waking up because I was filling up with air. And I was burping and farting so much it was waking me up. I tried putting tape across the air outlet to reduce the air flow, but it didn't help. I started experimenting with sleeping without the CPAP. After a few weeks, I noticed I was sleeping just as well without the mask as I did with it. I haven't used my CPAP in about a year.

I was never worried about getting in enough Protein or calories at the beginning. Frankensleeve would not tolerate ANY foods my 1st 10 days. I literally ate 1/2 sugar free popsicle per day that 1st week. And then I was only eating 3/4 can of Soup per day for weeks and weeks. I figured I had plenty of calories stored in my fat to keep me alive for 6+ months! :-P I did the best I could to get in enough Water, then protein. Just do the best you can in the beginning, and as your new stomach heals, increase the amount of water and protein you're eating. P.S. My hair thinned considerably around 6 months, but it came back with a vengeance a few months later. :-P It's been 22 months post-op, last week I went in for a haircut and notice my barber using the hair thinning scissors on me for the 1st time since surgery - NSV!!!!!

For a few weeks post-op, my sense of taste was really dulled. Only really strong flavors didn't taste flat and bland. It wasn't long before everything returned to normal. I don't know if it was the surgery or if it was my taste buds getting used to not having sugar in my diet that caused the temporary change.