Lyra

Before I got the sleeve I had a ever so slight (more like OMG I can't help myself more more more!) addiction to anything peanut butter flavored. My favorite cookie? Peanut Butter chocolate chip. And yeah, there couldn't be just one. I loved peanut butter. Fast forward 2 weeks and I'm struggling to get down protein drinks. My sleeve, The Sheriff, is very stern and very strict. He loathes lactose and anything sweet which means I've barely been able to stomach anything thats not watered down crystal light. My dad, however, decided to change up the protein mix for me and used soy milk and some reduced fat peanut butter. Which scared the crap out of me because what if I suddenly found myself launching through the space/time continuum in search of my favorite peanut butter choc chip cookie? So, hesitantly I took a sip...then another sip...and guess what?!? Yeah, I could eat it because peanut butter no longer tastes sweet to me. It's okay, and kinda chalky, but it's nothing that I would write home about! I would rather eat something crisp and fresh tasting instead! Isn't this awesome! I'm totally uninterested in tracking down the nearest PB confection like a blood hound! YIPPPEEEE! I LOVE The Sheriff!

Good luck to you! I'm glad that you found a surgeon that you feel comfortable with, as it's really important! The moment that I met my surgeon I knew that he was on his 'A game'. I felt absolutely no hesitation in letting him do the surgery. The time will pass quickly and before you know it you'll be on the Loser's Bench with all of us!

I was on Topomax for years because of my migraines. During the month long 'getting up to full strength' incremental dosage increase I developed a severe stutter (thank god it only lasted for a few weeks), memory loss (that's never fully come back, btw), and my taste buds totally changed. Soda tasted flat, apple juice tasted like what I imagine pine sol to taste like, etc. My family actually called it being TopoStupid because I would forget what I was in the middle of saying. Unfortunately it was the only drug that made my migraines go away. I finally decided that I would rather be in pain then continue to take it. Oh, and I never lost any weight on it.

Okay, first, take some Gas X and then some Milk of Magnesia. My doctor told me its not unusual for your BMs to go from regular to once every 3 or 4 days, so don't freak out. Take some pain killers and relax (I assumed you were prescribed some). You had major surgery not to long ago and your body is still healing, it'll be okay. As for moving too fast to the puree stage, think about it this way: it seems everybody here is on a different diet. Some people seem to move to full chewable foods while my doctor still has me sipping my food. There is some relative give and take in the diet. If you're super concerned call your doctor and check, but as long as you don't get a fever or start throwing up I think you'll be okay.

Yeah, I know what you mean about being over the liquid diet. If I don't get something to chew soon then I'm going to turn into a raving you-know-what!! Luckily I see the doctor tomorrow and hopefully I'll be 'advanced' to the next stage! *grin*. As for over-eating, you'll know. I made the mistake once and, to me, it felt like my stomach had a stretchy feeling before it went all "DEF-CON ONE" on me! Ouch!

I had a 7 day liquid diet where I couldn't go over 20g protein and could have chicken broth, sugar/fat free pudding, sf popsicles, and strained condensed soup. All told I lost about 12 pounds during that week. It was an interesting experience!

I was just sleeved last week so I haven't been in this situation yet, but I imagine you can order a la carte, ask to share, or just order whatever you want to eat and doggie bag the left overs. If somebody comments on how much you've eaten there's always the 'I had a late lunch' or 'I haven't felt well lately' or 'I'm on a diet and am cutting down on portion sizes'.

Heck, when I woke up from anesthesia I went a bit nuts. For the one thing, they had tied me down during surgery (I don't like being tied down) and I was only half awake and couldn't understand why all these people were touching me and why I hurt so badly. The term "wild woman" was used! As for when I was fully aware of myself, I halfheartedly regretted my decision until they gave me the pain pump medicine. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I did when I can't get anything down but crystal light Water but then I step on the scale and realize that I've already broken through a barrier that I've been struggling with for years. In the end I think all of us will look back on these first few weeks and think 'what a breeze' they were, and will be happy with our choice! At least, I hope so!

I woke up today not feeling so hot. I definitely didn't get enough water yesterday and today I am paying the price. Nothing too bad, but I'm listless and feel like I was run over by a runaway camel. I'm also not able to tolerate any chicken broth or the protein drink that I was able to drink just the other day. So today I've been concentrating on getting my water in and I'm half way to the mark. Also, I couldn't tolerate the liquid Vicodin that the doctor prescribed so I've been moved to a different pain killer. Which is awesome since the one big incision that the doctor did to pull out my stomach has a good four inch bruise around in. Yeah, its sore. So, working on the water and I went for a 'walk' outside. Basically I walked to the end of the street and back. It's not much but the movement helped. I stepped on the scale today and was down 6 pounds from my surgery day weight for a total of 18 pounds!!! I guess I should work on getting a ticker set up.... My mom, who is concerned that I've barely been able to get water in went and found some greek yogurt that is low sugar and high in protein. I've never been a plain yogurt sort of girl, but this stuff is amazing! It goes down easily and my stomach isn't cramping and gurgling. Yeah, success! The food has helped clear my head a little bit, which has helped the general lethargy. It's really easy to forget to eat and forget to drink, which is a big no-no. It's odd to not feel hungry and to be uninterested in food. Still not regretting my choice, but I can't wait for the initial after surgery healing to be over with!

Yeah, runaway camels would be epic! The yogurt is Total 0%. It has something like 23g protein and 8g sugar per serving. It's easy on the stomach, as its about the only thing I can stand to eat right now!

Honestly, I wouldn't break the bank on anything. Before surgery I loved the sf pudding/Popsicles, chicken broth, protein drinks, etc. Now after surgery I can't tolerate any of that without feeling sick. Your taste buds will change, so don't be surprised.

Yeah, I have 6 incisions all over the place so my stomach is looking really weird and ultra-flabby lately! Except in the one point where the cut is about 1.5 inches long (where they pulled the stomach out). That's the one point where my stomach kinda weirdly dimples in. Luckily my dad had the same surgeon 3 months ago and he said that my stomach would equalize out.

So for the last few years I've gone up and down the same 10-15 pounds. The lowest I've been is 260 and that's when I've dieted until life had no joy, but if I so much as looked at a piece of bacon I immediately jumped to 270-275ish. And, man, you can really feel a difference in your body at that weight! Yet today I jumped on the scale and it read 257.4!! It might not be onederland, but I'm just as happy! Go Lyra! *happy dance*

Yeah, I'm feeling your pain! My problem, though, is that I can't tolerate most yogurt, pudding, or broth right now because it makes me sick. Luckily I realized some of it was a lactose issue. Have you tried brushing your teeth? It wont help with the texture, but it'll help the hunger pains. Also try the crystal light sugar free hard candies. I crunch down on them so at least I feel like I'm chewing something...

They put a pain pump that worked every 10 minutes on me. I hit that bad boy and passed out, only to briefly awaken when the nurses came every 3 hours to take my vitals. Apparently I also spoke to people who weren't there. Fun times.

Well, when you had surgery they punctured your abdominal muscles and those take awhile to heal and come back. That fact alone could be effecting 'the muffin' and it will take care of itself as your body continues to heal.

I have a physically demanding job and the worst problem that I had was a bit of lightheadedness. Just keep your water consumption up and you'll be fine.

You can try taking a measurement of your waist and then google it to see what size you would be in different brands.

I'm currently 4 days post-op and this has been one wild ride! Does anybody else have a problem knowing whether or not you're hungry? My stomach is making growling noises, but when I have one of my doctor approved 'meals' (ie- yogurt) my stomach revolts! It reminds me of a 2 year old who is stubbornly holding her mouth shut and refusing to eat! I feel like I should be making airplane noises with the spoon to tempt it.... Also, did anybody else find that sweet things like sugar/fat free pudding are now absolutely disgusting? I can literally feel my stomach twitching and contorting when I try and have some. Yeah, this should make my job rather interesting...(I'm a cake decorator). So, do ya'll have any interesting food 'issues' now post surgery?

Yeah, I'm currently enduring that 'adventure'. It seems to be slowing down though, and my doctor said that it can sometimes be a reaction to all the painkillers and drugs they pump you full of during surgery and your hospital stay.

I'm glad that I could help! The first days after surgery are hard because we've spent a lifetime gaining eating habits that you now have to monitor on a minute-by-minute basis. Things that were tasty one day are now not so great, but everyday is better and better. Also, you should look at the blogs/topics from people who are 6 months, 1 year, and more out of surgery. All of them seem happy with their choice and are living healthier and more full lives. I basically look at the couple of weeks after surgery as 'payment' for having years of fun and adventure ahead of me. Also, on the plus side I've lost 18 pounds in the past 12 days (that's including my pre-op diet). You just gotta keep your mind on the goal and take what life throws you. Good luck and feel free to message me if you ever want to talk!

Well, I definitely learned my lesson today! What I think is eating slow and what The Sheriff thinks is eating slow are two totally separate things. Basically I ate too fast and my stomach went from "Yeah, we're good" to "DEF-CON 1 ABORT ABORT!" in about .01 seconds. Needless to say the pain that I felt from that is gonna make sure that I don't do that again! It's hard getting my liquid in, but I'm working on it... Overall things have been good since surgery last Wednesday. My stomach is still swollen and my back and breastbone area are killing me from trapped gas. I'm exhausted a lot (I still can't believe that I needed a nap after taking a shower!) and I'm really glad that I ended up taking a full 2 weeks off of my physically demanding job! I am not regretting my choice, but I think I'll be a lot happier once the weight starts coming off and I don't feel like somebody shoved a hot poker into my side! I'm also going to start researching how to change over some of my favorite recipes to be sleeve approved. Life is going to be good, I just think it'll take a few days to get there! Hope ya'll are well! ~Lyra

Thank you! The last few days have been a bit rough, but I have hope, and a good amount of stubborn bullheadedness, that things will turn out well!

So yesterday was my surgery and it seems everything is going well. Granted I kinda freaked out when coming out of anesthesia because I was cold, shaking, nauseaus, and tied down to the table. I loathe being tied down and apparently when I was still half out I started thrashing around like a "wild woma ". Luckily I did of hurt myself or them. Shew! So my question : I can't have liquids or Jello until my leak test tomorrow and my stomach is making weird noises and is sore. I can feel gas moving around inside, but I'm also feeling weird hunger pains. Do y'all think it's just the gas gurgling makin me think I'm hungry? Honestly I was hoping I would have disinterest in food. I w got Ll these fears now that maybe it wont work or something. Stupid, I know, but I could definitely use some words of advice right now....

So I'm here at the hospital in one of their 'hotel-style' rooms. Very comfy. My check-in is at 7am for a 10am surgery and I know that this is right for me. My feet are on the right path and my head is in the right place. I don't know whats going to happen after surgery and what life will be like, but I have faith that everything will work out. I am calm. I am ready. Bring on the scapel, Doc, and let's do this. Tomorrow is the day, thank you to everyone who has been with me so far on this journey and I'll keep ya'll posted. See ya on the flip side! ~Lyra PS: A Note To My Stomach Dear Stomach- We've been together through thick and thin, literally. We've had good times, great times, and "how many tequila shots and burritos did I actually eat" times. Looking back on it, we've had a good run over the last 29 years. Granted, you were always a little bit finicky about lactose, and good at making epically loud grumbly noises that were better suited for the soundtrack of Star Wars (the part where the Death Star exploded, to be exact) but overall our relationship has been just a bit too good. For whatever reason you didn't have any boundaries, and I was a champion at crossing mine. So, in all due respect for services rendered...I want a divorce. Don't worry, though, my dear stomach, part of you will live on inside of me. We will still have a relationship, albeit a much healthier one. Remember the humiliation I felt when I couldn't get on the rides at the state fair? Yeah. I'm not saying it was all you, I definitely had a hand in it, but we're just not good together. You're just too much stomach for me to handle. Please don't look at this 'divorce' as a forever goodbye. We will still enjoy food, just in smaller and much healthier amounts. Overall my happiness and future will be brighter because of this decision. Together we will strive for a better future. Together we will succeed, and together we will ROCK OUR SLEEVE! So, goodbye dear stomach. In the morning we will go to sleep and when I awake I will no longer have a demanding and lazy stomach. Instead The Sheriff will be born, and a new sheriff will indeed be in town. With love for the last 29 years of overly dedicated service, and with hope and faith for the future- ~Lyra