Pennie

A lot of surgeons allow puddings in "full liquid" stage. To the OP... be cautious and eat very slowly. You are probably still pretty number so you might not realize that you are over-filling your sleeve. Stick to whatever serving size guidelines your surgeon gave you and measure everything. Having said that, pudding and any other "full liquid" isn't necessarily a good gauge for the size of your sleeve. They pass through the pyloric valve quickly, much like other liquids like Water. Some sleevers can feel restriction with liquids, others can't. Once you are on regular foods, you'll really be able to feel your restriction. So don't worry about it right now... but do measure things and take it slow. Congrats on your sleeve!

Definitely normal. Your are recovering from major surgery PLUS you aren't eating much of anything. Those two put together = mega fatigue! Just rest as much as you can - keep sipping and walking too - and know that things get much better!!

Definitely ask your surgeon's office. I wasn't allowed any type of bar. My pre-op diet as just 2 specific types of protein shakes, broth, sugar-free gelatin, and a short list of vegetables... that was it.

Gallbladder is a good thing to check out. Also liver - I used to get liver pains there (this was before surgery, though). I don't know why it would go away when you push it in. Are they going to do any sort of imaging to check it out?

I'm so sorry, I can't imagine how you must feel. You'll be back in the game soon!

It'll be the best investment you've ever made! Congratulations!!!

Great post! You are well on your way to your new healthy life!!

I've never heard of low calories effecting your immune system. I have read reports that lower calorie intake is associated with longer life expectancy. Since dehydration seemed to be a major issue in your illness, eating low calories is associated with dehydration. You aren't getting as much hydration from food. So we are more prone to dehydration than non-sleevies - and when we get sick, the risk of dehydration is magnified. Having said that, you may want to experiment a bit. Up your calories and see if you feel better. Just be mindful of the scale. I hopy you are feeling better! Sounds like a terrible experience.

I take a multi-Vitamin (adult Centrum chewables) plus and additional Iron supplement. (plus some other vites too) Hopefully everyone is getting regular bloodwork, so someone taking a gummy vitamin would learn if their ferritin was too low. Maybe they have a diet high in iron? I'm a vegetarian and borderline anemic, my diet tends to be low in iron anyway - which is why I always supplement (and have since before the sleeve surgery).

Yeaaaah!!! Good for you in braving another surgery to get the "right" surgery done! I'm friends with a band to sleeve convert. She said the restriction with the sleeve is like how she thought the band was going to be, but never was. Plus, much less pain and less drama. Best thing she ever did was to get the band taken out and get sleeved! I bet there are going to be more and more band-to-sleeve converts as time goes on (and the bands, almost inevitably, start giving patients problems). Congrats on your success!!

I hear you! More than once the NUTs have told me to try to increase my calories. They have me eating 3 meals plus 2 Snacks a day, which really does feel like I'm eating all day! Maintenance is even harder - you gotta eat MORE food to stop losing weight! LOL! (Although, it isn't a bad problem to have compared to where I was before sleeve surgery!) I'd worry less about the Protein totals and focus more on getting that protein in. Are you doing a shake a day to supplement? To this day, I still have protein hot chocolate every day just to make sure I keep my protein numbers up.

Welcome! Sending you best wishes as you start this exciting journey. And, by the way... a BMI of 43 is NOT horrific. I know it's hard to not be down on yourself when you are feeling that you are at point of desperation. We've all been there for sure. But try to not attach negative labels like "horrific" to yourself or your body. You are a wife, a mother, and I'd be willing to bet that your kids think you are the most beautiful woman in the world. You are going to do great - and it's awesome that you have another sleever in your family for inspiration and support!! Congrats on taking the first steps to a healthier you!

What a great question - I can't wait to see all the responses. My kids are all too young to talk about it right now (under 5) and I'm also in maintenace mode at this point. But, I have often wondered about if and when I'll tell them that I had this surgery. Right now, they know that mommy eats less than most people, and I've even told them a few times that it was because I have a "small stomach" which is the truth! There is no universal answer to this question. It's really needs to be considered on a child-by-child basis. Some will want to know every single details, others would get overly worried or scared if they knew what you were going to do. I think a lot of 9-year-olds could handle and understand "Mom is having an operation to help her get healthy." I always try to emphasize "healthy" and not skinny or weight loss. I don't want my kids to equate fat with bad and skinny with good. But, again, mine are all under 5 which is a totally different ballgame than dealing with a 9 or 10 year old. So it's easy for me to say that now!

Great post! You put it really well. Enjoy each moment! You'll be sleeved and losing weight before you know it, after all.

I know - it's really hard when it seems like everyone else gets to go to regular foods so much faster! As for being hungry... are you having any acid or acid reflux issues? I know when I was about a month out I really started to notice some extra acid, which was making me feel a bit hungry (even though I wasn't really hungry). My surgeon put me on a PPI and it totally took care of my feelings of hunger! Can you call your NUT and ask for some ideas that fall within your surgeon's guidelines? Sometimes they have some creative ideas (if you are lucky enough to have a really good NUT, that is!). Hang in there!!!

I was still on full liquids at three weeks post-op. I still had some stuff that I ate on the clear liquid stage (like sugar free popsicles, broth, jello) but also added strained cream Soups. As a treat, I also a sugar free fudgsicle every day. Not much to it nutritionally, but my surgeon's plan allowed it so I indulged. I was kind of sick of sweet stuff at this point so I like to make a strained cream of mushroom Soup, and I added a scoop of unjury chicken broth Protein powder for extra protein (as a word of warning, though, this is pretty high in sodium... so if you are sensitive to sodium, it may not be a good recipe!) I also had ricotta cheese mixed with mariana sauce (chunk free, of course). I nuked that in the microwave and it was pretty good. Different doctors allow different things at this point in the game. Your surgeon may allow a bit more than mine did. If you haven't already seen the website, check out "The World According to Eggface" and you'll see that she has a ton of recipes for different stages of post weight loss surgery healing. It may help to give you some ideas. If you are allowed pureed foods (which I was not at 3 weeks, but your surgeon might allow it) check out this page: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html Once you get on regular foods, everything will seem much easier. Just hang in there and make sure you are protein and Water levels are what they should be. You'll be on to the next stage before you know it!

The dietician will probably be the one to help you with a diet plan. It sounds like your surgeon's office is working with your insurance company to make sure you meet the requirements of the 6 month diet - which is a good thing! Congratulations on starting this journey!! Remember, any weight you can lose pre-op is weight you don't have to lose post-op!

You'll feel better and stronger every day! Just take it easy. And once you are cleared, be sure to sip/walk/rest! Congratulations!!!!

I would review your insurance requirements and just make sure this will satisfy their criteria. Some insurance programs require more than just monthly weigh-ins... they require evidence of nutritional counseling, support, etc. Have you been working with your surgeon's office on getting your insurance approved? Many surgeon's offices have an insurance specialist that can help make sure you will meet the criteria of your insurance plan. I'd hate for you to go through these 6 months and then get denied because you missed something! What you are doing might work, but without knowing your insurance plan or being an insurance expert myself, I can't say for sure. Now is the time to make sure!

Saying a prayer for you... you are going to do just great! (((HUGS)))

I'm 5'6 and I've lost over 100 pounds (don't know the exact number because I don't know exactly what my highest weight was). I have bat wings in the worst way. But I had really fat upper arms. I don't know why, but I just seemed to pack on the weight there! I do have some extra skin on my stomach, but I can deal with it. It's really my arms that I am self-conscious about. I am considering an arm lift, but I'm not sure when or if I'll do it. Having extra skin removed is rarely necessary... unless you are getting a lot of rashes. People that carry a lot of weight in their stomach are more likely to have the overhang of skin that might be prone to rashes and even infections. But I know several people with those big overhangs of skin that just put powder and even diaper cream under them to keep the skin in good shape. They don't want to have another surgery to have it removed. (I also know several people that choose to have the tummy tuck or other skin removal surgery). It's a highly personal decision.

The Protein breath will eventually get better, don't worry! I like the listerine strips - they are pretty powerful! I also second the suggestion to brush your tounge. Tic-tacs are probably OK -- but 1 1/2 calories a pop can add up if you eat hundreds of them. LOL!

Good job getting you before photos and measurements done! You will definitely love getting to refer back to that. Waiting for an afternoon surgery is tough! I hope you can keep yourself distracted so you don't just wear a hole in the floor pacing around. LOL! You are going to do great! Congratulations on your big day!

It took me about 2 weeks to get to a point where I really didn't have any pain or discomfort and it was easy to forget I had surgery.

You should be fine with fruit! Some tougher fruits, you'll need to wait until you are fully healed. I couldn't eat a raw apple with getting a stomachache until I was about 5 or 6 months out. But there is no reason you can't eat fruit with the sleeve as far as dumping goes -- that's just for RNYers. You will need to eat a high protein diet, which can make it tough to "fit" fruit into your daily diet. But as long as you are hitting your protein numbers and you have room for it, enjoy your fresh fruit! Going vegan might be tough due to the protein requirements. I am a vegetarian - and I was long before the sleeve surgery. I have no problem getting my protein in because I can use cheese, whey-based protein shakes, and lots of yummy vegetarian products (like morningstar patties - yum!). A vegan could do it too, but would just have more limited options. I'd recommend starting with being a vegetarian, and then once you are fully healed from surgery you can try to get all the egg and milk products out of your diet. I wouldn't go straight to vegan right away. You'd really be limiting your options for protein when you are healing. That's JMHO, though...