Snufflegus

Ocala here! Sleeved in Orlando

I packed very simple; phone charger, pillow (mainly for the ride home), toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant, and some snack bars and magazines for my hubby. The hospital required me to wear their no slip socks and I requested an extra gown to wear as a robe so I didn't have to worry about my own. I was only there overnight. I know somewhere there is a sticky note with a huge list of what people thought was needed.

Even at 17 weeks out one day I may be able to eat 3/4 a cup and other days it might only be a 1/2 a cup. My NUT said the swelling can fluctuate for up to 6 months so the changing in restriction could change each day. Just stop when you feel full and you will be perfectly fine!

We try to eat close to plan but find ourselves going to restaurants and either splitting a dish or expecting leftovers. Up until month 3 my portion sizes were about 2/3 of my hubby's and he is almost 4 weeks behind me. Just the differences in how sleeves tolerate similar foods. Now I am up to 2.5 to 3 ounces of lean Protein and I haven't found much that I don't tolerate, same thing with the hubs. chicken fills me up quicker than steak or pork and I naturally eat more chicken. Just take time and before long you can make the choices of what you want to put in your mouth. My "rule" is to avoid extra carbs when I am at home no bread or Pasta etc. but when we go out if I want to taste the bread that one bite will be okay, I just make sure I am good calorie wise for the day! Good luck on your adventure together I will tell you the month between my sleeve and my husbands he couldn't relate and now it is a common topic for us.

I'm 17 weeks out now, but after week 1 the soreness went away until week 3 and it was more of a muscle soreness. I could sleep easier on my left side than right side at this point. Just take it easy and if anything is more than a dull soreness or pain call your dr ASAP! Before long this will all be behind you! Except for the burps...well maybe, I still have issues with burps.

I was scared of us getting a crazy phone bill just in case he wasn't in the correct spot, those phone companies can't be trusted. Went to Canada right across the boarder got the message from verizon stating we were out of area and immediately turned off the phones. No other data/phone/text were sent and they ended up charging us $20 for their reminder text. They gave it back but ha to prove we didn't do anything. As soon as they pulled up to the boarder my hubby turned his data and signal off so his phone essentially became an iPod, then we utilized tango and skype and the wifi. We could still text through tango as well as call and FaceTime. Just took all of the risk away because the phone was off, only using wifi. Have a safe trip and see you on the losers bench!

At the Marriott my husband had trouble getting a strong enough wifi signal to face chat for us checking in just IN HIS ROOM, but if he went to the lobby or other public access points it was perfectly fine. Just wanted to let folks know that if this was part of your plan for communicating, it really worried him the first day, but we got it figured out and was smooth sailing!

When my husband went to Mexico I called the airline and requested a wheelchair and made then aware he would need help lifting his carry on. He flew alone and with Delta and they were very accommodating. He just had to walk from drop off to the check in desk to request his wheelchair, which at LAX he was happy to have! Safe flight!

Rest and relaxation! I had several things planned to get accomplished after surgery and I will tell you netflix and making sure I had plenty of Popsicles and yogurt was really all I cared about! I was sleeping a few hours every 2-3 hours and did so even through the night, I couldn't lay flat or in bed so my living room recliner and couch helped a lot. It was hard at times to remember I just had major surgery but that few minutes of over doing it was a quick reminder! Just be supportive and helpful, it frustrated my husband when I sat at the edge of the recliner for 10 minutes getting prepared to stand up and that I wouldn't take his help, he learned that sometimes I just had to do it myself. After his sleeve though, he took advantage of the help....guess everyone is different Good luck!

I also found on Walmart online some that went up to 5x and they were comfy more of a "jogging" type pant than yoga, but I have gotten yoga pants from Walmart as well. I lived in these for about 2 months for fear of my incisions.

My doctor had me out until 4 weeks before I could start slowly working into weight lifting and a gym routine. I would start cardio now and then ease into the true gym routine.

Also try switching up your Protein, there is one I was using the whole first week of my preop diet and had crazy bad headaches, I have been off caffeine for years....actually ran out of the protein and used something else and the headaches were gone. I tried that protein one more time as everyone raves about it post op and it gave me the same exact headache. For those of you thirst post op try Popsicles I found they helped "quench" my thirst.

Mine falls out in strands all day not clumps....so thy is unlikely. Hubby hasn't said anything...all will be good!

My surgery weight was 470 and I lost 21lbs in my first week. So that is a very possible number! My numbers haven't been quite as impressive in following weeks but have logged some type of loss each week ranging from 0.4-12! Keep up the great work! I'm down 75 lbs in 16 weeks, I'm happy with my steady pace

They make me feel yucky and give me a terrible headache...I bought a case from SAMs and ended giving them to my neighbor . Muscle Milk powder has been my go to as the best tasting an easiest in my tummy!

I gave up sodas about 8 years ago, at first I switched to the Walmart brand flavored waters (for the carbonation) about a month after that those were making me sick and I switched to diet lemonade, unsweetened teas, etc. to this day (pre surgery of course) I would take a sip of my hubby's soda to take a pill or it was the only thing in the car (during drives) and it would upset my stomach....so of course after surgery I don't even look at it!

Barb78. I have to tell you this, my very protective husband didn't want me going to Mexico and we decided on self pay in the us and to just bite the bullet with the price. During my process he decided he wanted to be sleeved and after my procedure and research on his own, 1 week after my surgery he picked dr. Ortiz and the OCC. 3 weeks after I was sleeved he was. He loved his decision and is doing very well, now his response is, well if I knew it was going to be like that in TJ I wouldn't have minded you going. I hope this helps ease your mind. Dr. Ortiz did talk with my husband as they started talking cars and such but dr. Martinez made sure he was comfortable medically with all of the information, as he had to travel alone.

I know it's crazy but the one thing that made my thirst go away was sugar free Popsicles. I don't know why but it worked...may be worth a shot

I was allowed fruit as long as they were fresh and puréed well. My nut said to shy away from any veggies unless cooked for the first 3-6 months because they are harder for the tummy to break down.

You can get their gladiator smoothie which is the protein smoothie and add whatever 2 fruits you want. I don't think it has any sugar and maybe just 1 carb. It's a good alternative for me on days when I am very restricted an cant tolerate eating real food.

Every plan is different I didn't start soft foods until 28 days or 4 weeks post op, and I could only eat about 2 ounces of Beans or deli meat. So I was about in the same place you are, I only had 1 shake a day and got everything I needed. Just stick with it, if your body isn't ready go back to the previous phase. I promise sooner than you think you will be chewing food and enjoying days without needing a Protein shake!

I used water or milk as a base in my shakes until I developed slight lactose intolerance early out. When cleared for full liquids my NUT said I could put Fresh fruit (preferably without seeds) into my shakes as long a I blended them up real good. I didn't add a whole lot extra because the texture of my shakes straight sat very well in my tummy and was afraid to get them thicker.