MyGastricSleeveLife

That's one thing I hate about MyFitnessPal because it doesn't give you the option & just adds in exercise calories. I normally do not eat them, but sometimes I will eat some, like if I burn 400 I might eat 50 into that or something. If you eat all your exercise calories you're kind of defeating the purpose of the exercise because you're decreasing your overall deficit between what you burn just living & what you're consuming.

I had one that had a bunch of holes & access points in it that was more like a paper gown for the actual surgery. Then, I had a regular cloth hospital gown that opened in the back after surgery. They gave me another one to put around me like a robe when I wanted to walk around the halls. Then, I'd take the second one off again before getting back in bed after my walk around the hallways. I had bought a nightgown, but didn't even end up using it until I was home.

Yes, it's normal. Yes, it does get better. It does take a while though. My B12 & iron levels were low before surgery, so I take them daily & the B12 really helps. However, it will normally take at least a week or two for most people that I've seen to be able to do more without being tired. It took me about a week to be able to do showers & stuff like that without being tired, and longer to do other things. I'm 5 weeks out today & still take one nap usually, but there was a time I was taking 2 naps and going to bed early. You need to remember that you just had major surgery and your body is going to need time to heal and adjust to everything! Hang in there! It does get better. Just try to get your fluids & protein in & take supplements as needed too. I can tell a difference if I forget my B12 for a day or two now!

Personally, I was perfectly fine with the hospital gown they provided.

I agree with the others - those are just averages of ALL the sleeve surgeries done & sometimes I even think they don't have accurate statistics for some of them! I have seen a bunch of people on here and other forums who have lost ALL their excess weight or very close to all of it & kept it off. Don't stress about what some stupid statistic says. Rejoice in your own success & just keep going. I remember when I met with my surgeon for the consultation & he put one number down which was what I technically should be with height/weight charts & stuff. Then he put another number down & he said if I got to that second number it would be 67% of my excess weight, which was the statistical figure he was going by. Then he said, "but you don't have to stop there!" I was like, "of course!" especially since it was still 30 lbs above where I personally want to be! He explained he just HAD to put that on the paperwork though.

If you look at the "Fitness" section, there is an "official" MFP thread & you can find lots of names there too. Mine is mygastricsleevelife. I just went to add you & realized I already have you added. :-)

I think you're doing fine. I didn't have much pain at all & feel my recovery has been great. Once I started on pureed foods, I get full fast and feel restriction, but it's completely different when you're just on liquids!

The scale normally goes up for anywhere from a few days to almost 2 weeks after surgery from what I've seen because of the extra fluids and swelling from surgery. Hang in there. Just keep following your plan & try to get all your fluids & protein in and the scale will move!! Also, do your measurements! I've had some times where the scale is the same for 4 days or so, but when I do measurements each week I've lost inches! Please don't stress about it because stressing makes us hold on to weight too. Just relax and focus on recovering!!

http://mygastricsleevelife.blogspot.com/2012/06/week-5-pictures-measurements-and-weight.html

I guess it depends on how you do your Protein drinks. I actually dilute my Protein Drinks in a full 28-ounce Water bottle to make it last longer and get more fluids in. I usually have Breakfast & then do a Protein Drink that way between breakfast & lunch & then do a water bottle filled with crystal light between lunch & dinner. I sometimes do 2 protein drinks a day like that. I believe that since I'm drinking it diluted and slowly I'm fine with absorption. However, if you tried to drink your protein drink quickly, then I'd agree with the others that said to wait before adding water.

Have you looked into the ThinkThin bars? I know they're gluten free. I'm not sure about nuts though. I was doing a monthly order of them through Amazon, but stopped it until August since I'm not on regular food again yet. I would make sure no matter what you do that you chew thoroughly and make sure you don't overdo it.

My doctor said everyone should take B12 at least weekly. However, my levels were really low on my pre-op blood work for my B12 and my iron, so I take both daily. I'll be 5 weeks out tomorrow. I still tend to go to bed early and take one nap a day, but I find that I'm more "with it" and have energy when I'm awake now. I would either try B12 or call the doctor & see if they can check your levels first.

Ditto to what LadyIvy said. I had mine & although it wasn't great to deal with, it was fine as far as the hospital was concerned. You just can't use tampons in the hospital or wear one to the hospital when you go in for surgery.

I know it's hard, but you need to stop comparing to others & just compare you to you. Look at how far you've come. I'm 5 weeks out now & have lost 19.6 lbs since surgery (32.2 lbs in 7 weeks with pre-op). I have never before lost that much in 5 or 7 weeks!! I've also lost 15+ inches (haven't measured for this week yet). I also focus on all my non-scale victories. There are so many things I'm enjoying more now that I was 30 lbs ago! If you check out my blog - http://mygastricsleevelife.blogspot.com/ - you can check out a post I did about "my new four-letter word 'compare'" & other posts about NSVs & the scale. I'm sure you get a workout with your kids & are more active than you think too! Please just focus on your own successes! I'm not saying you can't be supportive to others, but don't make other people's successes get you down!! You have your own successes to rejoice in!

http://mygastricsleevelife.blogspot.com/2012/06/week-4-weight-pictures-and-measurements.html

I can honestly say I have not had any issues with anything I've eaten since surgery. I'll be 5 weeks out on Monday. I'm still on pureeds though. I did have a few creamy soups that went right through me and I've had a few things that have made me a little queasy or have not sat quite as well with me after surgery as before (like cottage cheese). However, I haven't thrown up at all and have really had no major issues with anything I've tried so far. Again, I'm not on regular food yet because my surgeon has a fairly slow progression back to regular food, but I don't think it's weird to be fine with anything you eat. I think I've had a fairly easy recovery so far & I hope it stays that way!

yes, it is amazing the differences that surgeons have in progression of food. They all follow what they feel is right. Although I know some people progress faster, I picked my surgeon so I want to follow what he says & believe others should do the same. Progressing without doctor's approval could lead to issues even when others have progressed faster with other doctors. They all do what they feel is best and what they have the most experience with doing.

Some doctors require a pre-op diet. Mine was supposed to be 650 calories with at least 70 g Protein, less than 60 g carbs & around 15 g of fat per day for 2 weeks before surgery. Different doctors have different plans & some don't have any pre-op plan. Depending on what your calories are now, I'd suggest lowering your calories somewhat and trying to eat healthier (increase protein) before surgery. Even if your surgeon doesn't have a pre-op diet, it can't hurt to do one. I've seen many people here that have done their own all-liquid or limited pre-op diet even though they weren't required to do one. Good luck on your journey! I'm almost 5 weeks out now & couldn't be happier with my decision!

http://mygastricsleevelife.blogspot.com/2012/06/one-month-mark.html

happycat - also, in case you didn't know, if you go to http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/blogs/page__type__all__filter__external__sort_key__blog_last_edate you can see other external blogs people have listed here on VST.

according to everything I've read and what my surgeon said, they end up having to put in a feeding tube into the intestines (I think) and basically you can't eat or drink anything until the leak heals on its own (the tissue closes up and heals).

Mine is My Gastric Sleeve Life - I usually post a few times a week & do weekly pictures & measurements.

Honestly, I'd get approval from your doctor first. I had to do 2 weeks of clears, but was getting really sick of them & had my first post-op visit at 9 days out. My surgeon said I could start using regular protein drinks instead of just clears if I wanted to, but not to start anything else on the full liquid list until 14 days out. He said the risk of a leak is the highest in the first 2 weeks & if there were to be a leak they wouldn't want the heavier stuff to leak out. Please get approval before moving on though!

Probably a week or so. I did much better if I held my stomach up when walking around. I wore capris that had elastic around the waist if I had to go out & just wore my nightgown around the house. Some people have talked about an abdominal binder that they got at the hospital or bought that helped. One friend asked if I would do better with one of those pregnancy belts that holds your tummy more, but I didn't bother. I just put pressure on my tummy when walking around & held it up some so it didn't pull the incisions as much.

Mine said I could only do walking for the first 4 weeks. He did say I could get in the pool after 2-3 weeks after my incisions were healed/not scabby. I've been swimming since about 2-1/2 weeks out. I'll be 5 weeks on Monday & am going to start at the gym again then & play it by ear as far as I feel. I have been to the gym a few times just to use the treadmill & recumbent bike & went much slower than before surgery & just listened to my body to not overdo it.