grannyk

Awesome, Patrick. And you are so handsome, too. Happy trails to you and your wife. Kathe

Your net calories are extremely low. Your body is in starvation mode trying to hold on to everything it can to exist. Give it a break. It has just gone through a huge transition. If you are going to use that many calories exercising, you need to up your caloric intake. Do a little research to learn how your body uses food and also on nutrition. You are setting yourself up for problems in the future. Please understand, this is life long journey, and don't compare your situation to anyone else's. Good luck...K

You are fine. At this stage you are only putting in liquids. I didn't poop for over a week. Remember, it has to go in to come out. Relax. You will only irritate your bowels if you put a lot of stuff in that doesn't need to be there. K

Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, MX. $8,750. Best experience imaginable considering it was vacation in a hospital!!! Highly recommended...K

My daughter and I have both used straws since being sleeved and have had no problems. Not sure what all the hoopla is about straws. We avoided them during the healing stage, but after we went to regular food, we having been straw sipping all the time...K

Yes, you will need a driver because they give you conscious sedation and you should not drive after the procedure. And yes, you should take the day off for the same reason. I am a registered nurse, and one thing we always emphasize for our patients after any procedure like this is to have a driver, no ifs, ands or buts!!! K

I am really sorry that your health has been compromised by having the sleeve, but at least you are aware you are to blame by not getting Protein and nutritional supplements in. It is never too late to start. You didn't do it because you thought you couldn't stomach it. We you will just have to stomach it and now you are coming from behind instead of keeping up. I know it may not be pleasant to drink the shakes and take all the supplements, but obviously it is necessary. Please find a Protein powder you can tolerate. GNC sells whey isolate that is really yummy, especially if you doctor it up with your favorite flavors. I use DaVinci syrups and add hazelnut, french vanilla or amaretto to vanilla and S/F choc syrup to the chocolate. Try noshing on a few peanuts with the chocolate shake and you have something similar to Reeses, And you simply must get your supplements. Even with all I take, I am still Vit D deficient. And without Vit D you will literally fall apart. You can't absorb Calcium and your bones will thin. You are too young to let this slide. You need to hydrate and nutrify (if that is even a word). I wish you Godspeed in turning this situation around. Just do it!!!!! K

There is no reason why you can't get dressed and go out. Don't let that drain dictate your life. It should be coming out anyway. There are some people who have worse things than that drain to deal with and they are permanent things. Get on with it!!!! K

Ibuprofen and all other NSAID's are hard on the stomach and put you at risk for ulcers. Try to use something else unless you are willing to take the risk...K

Seven working days. Sleeved on a Thursday and back to work the second Monday after. I started full liquids my first day back. No problems at all. I probably could have gone back earlier but I had taken the time off and treated myself...K

The pain could actually be from the drain itself. I could feel mine until it came out. Wait until it comes out and see if the pain is not much better. That will be the test...K

Sounds like you are doing well. I had no complications, very little pain and no trouble getting in fluids, protein, etc. Great beginning to the journey of a lifetime...keep it up!! K

Still a drain after 5 days? The drain itself can cause pain. How much drainage do you have? I think the drain needs to come out, especially if it hurts with suction. Talk to you surgeon soon.

Finallysleeved...bahahahhahaha!!!!!!

WOW!!! My guess is this was a vagal response maybe from the pressure in your abdomen from the CO2 inflation. The next time they may just proceed more cautiously. This is always a risk with any surgery, not just VSG. That's why we have to sign the consent form (which I bet nobody really reads). Step back and take some deep breaths. And pray a lot if you are so inclined. Prayers and best wishes for you...Kathe

JUST DO IT!!!!! You won't be sorry...K

Look for something like kosher dogs or I believe Oscar Mayer has a healthy dog. All processed meats are relatively bad for us because of the preservatives (nitrites). Read your labels.

Please clarify: What is double cream and what is "gas mark 5 ans oil"?

As a nurse, you should know that we can tolerate a lot more "stuff" than the average bear. I doubt there are many people who really want to see their insides pulled out. To say nothing of the needle-phobic people. What do you think they would do with a trochar coming at them? Even I would rather just sleep through it and wake up on the other side...of the surgery, that is...Kathe

There is something about this surgery that changes your natural temp control mechanism. Pre-surgery I could not tolerate the heat...sweating, feeling listless and angry!! Now I definitely do not sweat as much, I am on the cooler side instead of uncomfortably hot wherever I am, and I don't think I am going to die walking from work to my car, even though it was 107 today!! I still hate summer in the South and hot weather still makes me mad...but my body tolerates it much better. One more of the many unexpected benefits of my wonderful sleeve...Kathe

The CO2 gas pain should be long gone by now. You should be looking for other causes at this point. Call your doctor...Kathe

I crushed and dissolved the meds that I could at first, but at about 2-3 weeks I started with small pills like JD7176. I just kept adding them one or two at a time and had no problems. Now I swallow 12 pills in the morning in one gulp and four at night. That includes huge calcium tablets, a vitamin and several supplements in additional to my prescription meds. Not everyone can swallow a huge handful of pills at one time. I have it down to an art. The point is...you should be able to tolerate your meds just fine if you could before the sleeve. Kathe

Perfectly normal. That is what we call restriction, which is why we got the sleeve...so we can't eat so much. It is really shocking at first to realize just how little we can consume at one sitting. You will get used to it...I promise. Part of the mental reconditioning we have to go through. At 4 weeks, you are still in the healing process. You're doing great...Kathe

We shouldn't take any medications that can cause gastric irritation like NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Advil, Motrin, aspirin, etc are NSAID's. I am not aware of any sinus meds that have potential for that. Kathe

I will never forget when I was taking phentermine years ago, I thought it was like being let out of food prison. I thought that must be what normal people were like, people who didn't think about food all the time and planning what they would eat next even before finishing what they are eating now. That is kind of the way I feel after the sleeve. I still enjoy food, but it is not all consuming because I just can't hold as much. There is no way to eat the volume I used to stuff in. I enjoy not being controlled by food anymore. Eating to live, not living to eat. Kathe