joatsaint

Fear of negative comments was a major reason I didn't want to tell anyone I was having surgery. If I could have, I'd have done the whole process without anyone ever finding out. But I was surprised that my parent's first reaction was one of support when I told them. But I believe some people make negative comments and want to hold you back because they don't want to be left behind. If you don't succeed, then they can feel better about their own failures. Now that I'm more than a year post-surgery, I don't feel any twinge of regret and telling people is no big deal. I've never had a negative comment about my surgery, but if I do get a negative comment, I'm just going to tell them that I needed surgery because I couldn't lose the weight on my own. I was waaaay past fixing my weight problem by switching to diet Coke! And if they feel they can lose the weight through diet and exercise, then good for them.

Fortunately I only had to to a 1 week diet, but it was tough to lose weight - it was even tougher to stay on the diet.

Welcome to the board Faye. Don't feel alone, pretty much all of us had the same doubts and fears going into this process (I refuse to use the word "journey"!) If you have any questions feel free to post them, but your best source of information is going to be your doctor. Don't feel hesitant to ask him questions. He is in the best position to tell you what's best for your situation. He's getting a ton of money to make sure you have the best outcome possible. But you can PM me and I'll be happy to share anything I've gone through. Or you can read my blog or watch the videos I've made documenting my experiences. Both links are in my signature. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018-gastric-sleeve-surgery-an-unexpected-journey/ http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13986484244507&key=6e4c13d9eae219a579d0623ec3e20905&libId=fc18e8f0-a96c-4273-9488-8d220a1efd5b&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bariatricpal.com%2Ftopic%2F305797-been-around-for-a-while%2F%23entry3453033&v=1&out=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fchannel%2FUCaOsuR2p6f49ptPSPoNav1Q%2Fvideos&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bariatricpal.com%2Fforum%2F3-gastric-sleeve-surgery-forum%2F&title=Been%20around%20for%20a%20while%20-%20Tell%20Your%20Gastric%20Sleeve%20Surgery%20Story%20-%20BariatricPal&txt=Frankensleeve Wishing you much success.

I remember feeling worse the day after surgery. I was on a morphine drip right after surgery, but they took me off of it several hours before I was released. I was hurting pretty good after that. I remember my first sips of Water after my leak test, after drinking about a tablespoon full of water, I threw up. As far as drinking goes, I wasn't drinking much of anything the 1st few days. I got my fluids mainly from eating sugar free popsicles. I was eating less than 1 popsicle per day and sipping on Crystal Light. I wasn't real worried about eating or drinking enough right after surgery. I figured as long as I felt okay and gradually increased my intake that I would be fine.

I was right where you are. The 1st 10 days post-op, I only ate sugar free popsicles, for about the next 3 weeks, I was eating about 3/4 of a can of mushroom Soup per day. Things will get better and you will be able to eat more as your new stomach heals. It was over a month before I was eating over 600 calories a day. I stayed focused on getting enough fluids. I figured I had enough fat stored on my body to keep me alive for about 6 months! http://youtu.be/Sxojaqrc2ZY

Here's a brief synopsis of what I experienced - 500 questionnaire covering my outlook on life, how I viewed the people around me, my feelings about drugs/alcohol and how much I used them. Many of the questions were asked multiple times, but in different ways. Then I had a 20 minute interview with the psychologist. Basically he wanted to find out if I was fully informed about the surgery, if I had realistic expectations, and if I was committed to this new eating/lifestyle - because the Sleeve is not a magic pill, you still have to have the discipline to eat right and exercise post-surgery.

I'm not sure how soon after surgery I started drinking regular coffee again, but currently I drink 4 to 6 cups a day with no problems.

Walmart/Sam's Club - Premier Protein chocolate. Once I found Premier, I quit drinking any other brand. And they're cheap too, they cost about $1.50 per shake.

It will be a few months, but you will get adjusted to the new normal. It was 6 months before "most" foods stopped making Frankensleeve complain, at 9 I could eat anything I wanted. I think it took me months to get used to not drinking with meals and learn to eat slowly. But now it's just a built in habit. I can fill my plate or bowl and know, without measuring, if I have too much for Frankensleeve to hold. I have learned how many big swallows of water are safe to drink. It all becomes a habit eventually. Hang in there it will get better.

You might examine the things your eating. Are you sticking with Protein and vegetables? I know that if I eat carbs from starch, sugar or fruit, I get and stay hungry. I've noticed that I get hungrier as I eat things like Pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar or chips. I stay full for about 2 hours then come crashing down and feel hungry all over again. I have to limit my intake of those items. Now I try eating protein first when I get a craving for sweets - doesn't always work , but it leaves less room in my stomach for the thing I'm craving.

Congrats on the loss. (sounds kinda morbid doesn't it - congratulating someone on a loss???? ) I too have been stalled for the past few months but Frankensleeve gave in this week and I hit a new low tonight.

Good luck, got my fingers crossed for you too.

I've done it to, 2 or 3 times. Definitely not a good feeling. It will pass eventually.

Thanks for the tip, they sound pretty good.

My doc never got that specific. I've always just followed the 30 minute rule - no drinking 30 minutes before or after eating anything. The 30 minute rule is meant to keep food in your stomach longer. You might experiment and see how long you stay satisfied after a snack with and without drinking.

I've only tried the chocolate flavor, but I highly recommend the Premier Protein shakes at Wal-Mart and Sam's club. EAS carb control chocolate comes in a close 2nd. Both cost about $ 1.50 per shake.

I know how disheartening it can be when you work hard and then have someone disapprove and tell you that you didn't do good enough. I had to learn to set my own goals and as long as I'm happy with my progress, the rest of the world can go jump off a bridge! It's tough to stop wanting the approval of others, but it's something I had to teach myself after being used once too often. So what if your doc isn't happy? What's he gonna do? Put your old stomach back in?

My taste buds were screwy for about a month post-op. I pretty much lived on refried beans, Cream of Mushroom soup, creamy peanut butter, sugar free popsicles and Crystal Light Lemonade.

Congrats, keep working at it. You only fail when you stop trying.

I agree with Maltese gal, check those jars for the carb count and read the ingredients list to see if there is any added High Fructose/ regular sugar added. You're going to be eating such small portions that you have to get the most nutrition you can per bite. Any added sugars are going to have little nutrition value.

I have a few rules I follow when I have the overwhelming urge to eat bad stuff. We have lots of birthdays and conferences in my office, so there are almost always leftover cake, donuts, kolaches.... 1. I always eat whatever I've brought for my meals first. 2. If I still have to have a piece of whatever, I use a small coffee cup (6 oz cup, no cheating using a Starbucks Grande cup! :-P) as a measuring device. I let myself have 1/2 coffee cup of whatever the goodie is. Those 2 rules have done me well when it comes to snacking on things I can't resist.

I had surgery on 12-27-13 and I was experiencing fatigue long before that. I too though that my energy levels would increase as I lost the weight. But it's still the same. I have waves of energy then come crashing down. I've been taking Vitamins, Calcium and B12 - I'll feel really good for a few hours afterwards, but then lose all my energy. I guess I need to go and have my blood tested, but I keep putting it off. The only way I've found to keep my energy levels kinda even is to drink coffee with a little real sugar in it. I think the combination of caffeine and sugar being slowly released into my system stabilizes my energy levels.

I've dropped 145lbs and I started at 372lbs. The one thing you have to remember is, the Sleeve doesn't stop working at a certain point. It is a tool to help you control your eating habits, the same as with the D.S.. And you'll have to make healthy eating choices even with your new smaller stomach for the rest of your life. During the 1st year post-op, the weight will seem to fall off on its own, but eventually the body is going to become acclimated to the new caloric intake. And there are going to be some factors that will slow your weight loss - you won't need as many calories to maintain your new weight, you're not burning as many calories because you weigh less and the body will adjust the metabolism down unless you exercise. So you can lose as much weight as you'd like, it will take some effort on your part once the, "Honeymoon" period is over. Good luck.

Glad to hear you are okay. But I have to say, that's the most extreme thing I've ever heard someone do to brake a stall! I've changed up my eating and exercise, but never thought to try scaring the crap out of myself to kick-start my weight loss.

I'm 16 months post-op and I was eating some chicken fajitas tonight and could feel it all the way down! Not painful or anything. Depending on how "tough" the food is, I can sometimes feel it sliding down or feel air bubbles working their way around the food in my stomach.