BigToeVSG

That first food you eat, that is not a liquid, is amazing!!!! I think mine was yogurt and I have never tasted anything so good. lol

Checking in on my weigh day. I have stopped looking at the scale every day just like they suggest but some thing I have never done in the past. I lost 4.2 lbs this week and ofcourse I am very happy. I am dreading the day when I wait all the way to my weigh day and don't see any movement. For now I will take the loss and be very happy. Take care!

Test, test and more tests.... The weeks leading up to my surgery were filled with so many tests. I had: - routine blood work - Upper GI study (using a barium swallow) - EKG - Echo Imaging of my heart (basically a ultrasound of your heart) - A nuclear stress test, two day study - and finally a psych veal with included over 500 questions in varying forms. The psych is really there to make sure you don't have any food dependencies that will have a negative impact on your health afterwards. For example, if you really rely on food as a coping mechanism, they might want to give you some other things to use because that mechanism will be gone. My big thing was the number and complexity of the cardiologist. I'm 41 with a strong family history of heart disease and despite the fact that I have no history of heart problems, all those tests were needed for "cardiac clearance." But the nice part about it was that everybody knew the reason for the tests and were very helpful in trying to get me what I needed in time for surgery. In the end people really want to help. Good luck and take care!

I was lucky and able to handle good quantities of liquids several days after surgery. It concerned me that I was going to stretch out my brand new stomach but as identified above, liquids can go right through. My cousin told me to not worry about consuming liquids as long as I observe the rules about not eating during or for 45 minutes after food intake. But remember that drinking sugary or high calorie drinks will also go right through and no matter how big or small your stomach is, those calories will go right to your belly.

Glad you are doing so good and it sounds like you have had relatively few complications which is always a good sign. I am sure your hubby's compliments not only reflect your body changes but also your attitude changes. Losing weight gives us energy and lifts our spirits. Congrats and keep up the great work!

I have five incisions with the smallest being 3/4 of an inch to an 1 1/4 inches in length, none of which are above my sternum (breast bone). Mine itched like crazy too and on top of that, as a guy, I have hair on my chest and stomach and they shaved most of my stomach area. Now I am not "furry" so you can't really tell where they shaved and where they didn't but the hair growing back in was more irritating than the incisions. I was walking around for several weeks scratching my belly like a big bear roaming through the woods. It was very entertaining in my household.

MY 40s ARE GOING TO BE BETTER THAN MY 30s!!!! :biggrin:

Hey all! I'm trying to stay involved at VST and checking out other 40-somethings. I'm 41, Married with two wonderful boys, 11 and 9. I was sleeved on 12/21/2011. I had my first post-op follow up a couple of weeks ago and everything is going great. So far I am one of the lucky ones. I have had little or no issues with surgery, post-op recovery, liquids, mushies and even solids. I feel blessed. I am down 31.8 lbs as of last week and my weigh in is tomorrow. I hoping to see continued success while at the same time trying to temper my expectations. I know I won't lose 5lbs every week.... Take care every one and God bless you!

I am five weeks post-op and getting on average about 850 calories a day. A couple of days I got nearly 1000 but on other days where I get 600-700. However, I am very diligent about getting in my protien and have at least one protien shake a day. I have been on mushies for several weeks and more progressive foods for a week now so that may contribute to more calories. I have searched on this board, as well as, other places about caloric intake and the consenus seems to be less worry about your intake and more focus on what you are eating. At some point we all need to be concerned not only with eating too much like in the past but eating too little. Our metabolism will adjust and slow down with the new life style but we don't want to get into starvation mode where it stalls the weight loss. I don't think that is really a concern at 4 weeks post-op. Hopefully, you have a follow-up with your surgeion and/or nutritionist soon. I see my nutritionist 2/7 to discuss this and other topics.

Hang in there. You're almost there. I'm five weeks post-op and have already gone through the gambit of emotions but no regrets. Right before surgery your emotions are running wild so concentrate on the logical thought process that went into your decision and actions leading up to surgery. There are so many reasons to be healthy. Follow the program and it will work regardless of any thyroid issues. Good luck and prayers!!!

Bcole, are you having problems getting liquids or have you just been lax in getting them in. If you have a problem taking in and keeping down liquids, then you probably can't do anything on your own. Either way a call the surgeon or PCP is easy and they can help you decide the course of action.

I've had this problem too. I was on BP meds before surgery and have continued to take that med after surgery because my BP didn't seem stable after surgery. However, now that I am almost 5 weeks post-op and dropped 30+ pounds, I'm wondering if my BP meds are making me light-headed. Being dehydrated, lowers your BP too (less fluid in the body, lower BP), which could be the problem. Mine happens when I get up/stand up quickly. Good luck. That funny feeling is no fun....

Lyra, has a good point, some people can be judgemental so not sharing your entire life's details isn't necessary. I told most people I work with because I am close to many of them. However, there was one person who even after me having the surgery seems to indicate that I made a mistake and what they are doing is the "way to go." In all, its your decision and as you continue to lose weight tell them its diet and exercise because it IS diet and exercise. The seleve simply helps you with the diet side of the equasion. As for the "what did I do to myself," its a tough one. My kids still have a hard time understanding that dad's portion are much smaller than their own and will be that way forever. That is a normal feeling and like the steri-strips and pain, it will also pass. Take care, congrats and good luck!

If that doesn't make you feel great, I don't know what will!!! That is so very awesome!!!

I was sleeved on 12/21. The hardest part, like most of you, has been seeing food that I really won't be able to have. Most of which I shouldn't have anyway. I have taken the approach, that if I'm only going to a little food in then it better be good for my body. I came home before Christmas and there was lots of "holiday eating" which was tough but my family was very considerate. The best part is losing weight. Down 26lbs in 3 weeks, I'll take it. Clothes are fitting better but I have not started to dig into my smaller sizes yet. I am embarrassed and happy to say my recovery was a breeze. I feel fortunate to have been able to drink fluids, move around and even get to mushies very quickly. Doc cleared me for exercise so I am starting to ramp up my cardio and adding weights. Take care!

I know I had a lot of fatigue because I wasn't sleeping, waking up 4-5 times a night. I still had some abdominal discomfort from the incisions even though they were healing nicely. The only thing I have heard in relation to fatigue is getting your minimum 60g of Protein. Also, make sure your getting your b12 supplement. My doc says it takes up to 2 years to become b12 deficient but it is clearly proven that b12 is essential for energy. I think the number is 2000mcg b12 a week. Hope you get better and have more energy soon.

My surgery was at 3:00pm and I had to arrive at 1:00pm. Surgery went off as scheduled. I don't know when I got to a room where I saw my family. Its a big blurr. I stayed one night in the hospital. They had me up walking and moving very quickly. I was lucky to be able to go to the bathroom and drink very limited fluid via ice chips. I was discharged the very next morning at 9:30am. I do think my visit was best case scenario for most slevees.