chmood

Sleeved on 3 apr and things went well with a few minor glitches. Eating mushies and struggling. Issues: 1) I Am hungry all the time. That was the one aspect of the sleeve that was so attractive. With the g receptors removed, it was going to be easier to moderate. My surgeon told me a had about a 5 oz stomach left, he removes a little less on lightweights. What if there are too many receptors left? What if I can't control this hunger? Grazing all the time is going to lead to alot of calories. Did I go through all this to end up with a faulty tool? I feel full after 2-4 spoonfuls (I just had 1/4 c cottage cheese with 1.5 strawberries) but nowhere near satisfied. Then, soon after, I'll feel hungry again. I have alot of "mouth hunger", for lack of a better phrase, and crave intense flavors. 2) This should be a little thing, but is so difficult for me to do: not drinking with meals. I feel like I'm stranded in a desert, like I'm parched if I don't drink while eating. I resist for as long as I can, but mostly I fail. It is a lifelong habit I'm going to have to struggle to overcome. To me, it actually feels uncomfortable (in my mouth). I know 2 can lead to 1 because it flushes the food from my stomach faster and therefore the full feeling doesn't last as long. Anyone else have problems with this? Any tips? 3) just my protein shakes are 2-300 each. 3 meals plus 2 shakes is going to be 1000 cals easy? Any sample diets for this stage? Hard for me to see how to stick to 4-600. That's quite a bit, but it felt good to get it off my chest. Thanks.

Tiff, why do you prefer Prilosec over Nexium?

I look over the various postop eating plans out there and see oatmeal, flax, grits on the menu, but not rice - not even blended. I had oatmeal 2-3 days ago and it actually went down very well. Same thing with grits - made with chicken stock, it was very tasty. Both have the potential for sitting and expanding in your stomach, but things went well. So... why the ban on rice early on? Rice is my preferred starch over all of the above and even bread and potatoes. It's just what I grew up eating and my preference. The chewy brown rice at P.F. Chang is my favorite. Anyone out there eating rice? When did you re-introduce it? Adjusting mindset and bad habits of a lifetime so that I can make the most effective use of my tool.

Oh my gosh! I can totally relate. I'm just 10 days out. I just posted today and one of the things I posted about was missing drinking while eating. Missing is such an inadequate word. I CRAVE something to drink when I'm eating, I YEARN... you get the picture. I have to concentrate on not drinking anything and often I'm not successful. Pre-sleeve, I would drink 20-40 oz of water with a meal - easy. I would love to hear anyone who has a tip to deal with this. Is it just something to which you have to get accustomed? Sigh.... Deb 45 lbs. -- that's tremendous. Good job.

Playing devil's advocate: Accepting this statement as proof positive that he has had no leaks is akin to asking the fox, "are you the best one to guard the henhouse?". Not the perfect metaphor, but you hopefully you get my drift. In a US hospital, numerous statistics are kept, to include complication rates. These would be reported in some form of M&M (morbidity and mortality) report and retrievable for review at the departmental or hospital level. This is required at the hospital level as well as by the accrediting body, JCAHO. I don't believe the surgeons in Mexico are held to the JCAHO standard for reporting. That said, there's nothing that says they don't keep very good records. It's just not data that patients can obtain from an objective source. Personally, I've learned alot on these boards. The numerous testimonials of patients who have had successful, uncomplicated surgeries far outweigh any that have suffered complications. That's been enough for me to go ahead and schedule my surgery, in Mexico, for early April. Of course I experience moments of sheer terror now and again, imagining all of the worst case scenarios. Just my odd 2 cents

Rose, It is inspiring to hear stories such as yours. Thanks for sharing. I've been hanging around this site for a couple of days now and yours is the only post I've seen with someone who mentioned being bipolar. I'm bipolar - on Lithium and Depakote and fairly stable if you consider being depressed more than 50% of the time stable. Safe, though, and no mania, so that's good. How well was your bipolar controlled prior to your surgery? Did losing weight make a big difference in your mood? What meds were you taking? Did you take your pills immediately after surgery (night of?). Did you have to make any adjustments in your meds after your surgery? It's a lot of questions. If anyone else is out there with bipolar, I'd be interested in hearing from you too. Thanks to all for sharing.

Newbie to site. Surgery scheduled early Apr 10. Very excited. Have learned a lot on this and other forums. Question: I take 3 medications every evening that are non-negotiable. I take 5 capsules, 4 enteric-coated tablets, and 2 regular tablets. I can spread them out, but I have to take them. I get levels checked regularly and switching to power/liquid form, crushing, etc. is not an option because the dosing and levels are so sensitive. I am able to take all of the pills with a couple of swallows of Water, probably less than 2 oz. Can anyone comment on taking pills postop? What do they give you for pain postop? Wouldn't it be pills. This is my biggest concern about the procedure right now. Thank you in advance.

I like your sign in name. Makes me think. I've always been heavy. I can remember being teased in first grade because my fat belly was hanging out between my shirt and waistband. I, too, hope to be thin one day.Where did you have your surgery? Who was your doc? Reading the posts, there seems to be a spectrum of what surgeons recommend and no one "right way" to do things. That seems very reasonable to me. I'm fixating on this pill/medication thing for some reason, but I'm sure I'll be fine as you say. 11 pills are going to be a lot, though. I'll have to spread them out. I gave it a pseudo-trial run tonight and was able to take them with 1.5oz of water. If I tried harder, I could probably do it with 1oz. I even used a little measuring cup to get exact amounts. I had to laugh at myself. Thanks again for the response.

Talk about insant gratification. I love this board. The site was nifty enough to provide "similar threads" when I looked at my post. Very savvy. Looked at other posts and saw a range of responses which were vey helpful. Oakley: How soon postop did you start taking your capsule again? Tiffykins: Do you know specifically why time/extended release meds aren't recommended immediately postop? I suppose it's because they don't dissolve as quickly. But wouldn't they just pass into the duodenum and finished being absorbed there? What do you think? Were you able to take pills that were smaller than a reg M&M immediately postop op? Lee: I sent a message to the pt coordinator with questions for the surgeon. I just want to be prepared. Not taking these meds is not an option and I want to be prepared. Recovering from the surgery itself will be hard enough without having to worry about toxicity or insufficient dosing of my usual meds.LAN2k: Thanks for the congrats. Honestly, it's still a bit surreal.Anyone out there who took their meds, even an extended-release med on the day of surgery or the very next day?Thanks for the responses.