JerseyGirl68

Deb, Glad your surgery went well!! Congratulations!!!

It does seem daunting, but you can do it. You'll be getting yourself in the best possible condition for surgery and that's huge. It's hard but try and think of it as an opportunity on your terms to steer your focus from food. There is a great thread on here about just that. If you haven't read it and you are struggling give it a read http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/78443-the-pre-op-diet-is-not-a-punishment-its-an-opportunity/ I liked to try my shakes different ways, blending them with a ton of ice till it was almost frozen, warm like hot cocoa... adding some sugar free syrups to change the flavor a bit. You got this, and we are here to remind you just how strong you are and how much it is all worth it!

Glad it went well and that the hernia wound up helping you out! Good luck!!

Best of luck to you Mel!!

I looked into this too, and purchased a brush on amazon. What the hell, it cant hurt and anything that stimulates better circulation can't be a bad thing. You do feel all tingly after. lol

Congratulations!!

I've also found water to be "harder" to get it all in. I stock up on Vitamin water zero or Powerade zero. A few carbs, but I count them. Thankfully, I'm able to average about 80oz. a day. But I am also able to have a drink in front of me all day at work. I try and stay diligent with it for a number of reasons... to aid in my weight loss (of course) keep my skin hydrated (gravity and age already have a jump on me) I don't take in a ton of fiber, so I want help keep things moving across the board. I did nto keep track of my fluid intake before surgery, but I can say honestly, that my skin has never been better overall, the loose skin from the loss is going to be an issue, but I can only do my best at that.

It can almost be a full time job trying to get all the fluid in post-op. I try and keep a drink with me at all times, and in the beginning as soon as I woke up I made sure to get in as much as I can before I "started" my day. Good luck, it will get easier as time goes on.

I agree with Pdx. Putting the fork down and retraining yourself is a great step in the right direction. I started out using small utensils. They definitely limited what I could take in each bite, the pace was up to me.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a great feeling!

O You spaced your drinking out, which is smart this early out. I came out of the hospital with the instructions to drink 1oz. every 15 minutes. You may not feel a full sensation for a little bit, you're numb and swollen so just follow your directions and you should be golden. Congratulations on your surgery!! Good luck through your recovery.

Nothing like making a hard situation even harder by not really having docs you are fond of. I can absolutely understand what a hard and personal decision surgery was. I felt the same. I was very lucky to get a great support system with my NUT and surgeon... and here. Soooo much information. Unjury, Bariwise and American Bariatrics all have a ton of products to help through all the stages. We have Whole Foods near me ( a good quality super market) that makes their own soups, so much better and I would just strain out the liquid early on. Even Panera soups are a good and tasty option. I always try to get the most bang for my buck with what I consume. We take in so little, I like it to matter. One of my favorite things when I first had surgery was mixing my chocolate protein powder with warm milk and a little sugar free peppermint syrup. Hot peppermint cocoa. The warm liquid helped early on. You'll find a boat load of info and support from so many here, the Vets were and still are priceless to me. Where else could you go at 2 in the morning when you are stressing and get some tips from someone who went through the same thing. Good luck progressing your diet, it will get much easier as you can add things.

Congratulations!

Hey Carol: Check out the Vet's forum, there are various posts about getting back on track, maintaining, etc. more geared to those further out in this process. I'm sure they have a unique perspective and advise. Good luck and be well.

So happy for you! STUNNING!!!

Ugh, you're right. it is hard to plan for that. I've seen some really beautiful dresses on igigi.com an a few have sashes that tie around the waist or can be belted, this might help out to pick a close size and allow for showing off the new figure as you get smaller. Good luck and Congratulations on your surgery!

Hey there Natalie, I think the point Laura (not meaning to speak for you) was trying to make was that breaking down something other than full liquids, which includes cream Soups, could be hard for and harmful to your new sleeve. I'm not judging, trust me, this is your path go go down, but I also took your post to mean that you made a bad/potentially harmful choice and knew it , or to put it another way "fell of the wagon". This forum IS about support and it comes from many voices. Yes, you do need your Protein to keep your energy up, and you are absolutely right to be concerned that you are not getting enough. Have you tried some of the protein soups from unjury or Bari Wise? I've had the Unjury chicken, it is good tasting and 15gm of protein per 8 ounces. I found the warm liquids went down much easier for the first few weeks. Best of luck going forward.

A fine day for a sleeve! Good luck!

I'm going to echo the sentiments above, go get yourself checked out. Keep us posted. Good luck.

I had the same issue initially. It just didnt' go as smooth as other drinks. I substituted Vitamin water Zero and was able to get all my fluid in much easier. Any decaf, zero calorie drink is good as long as you're getting in your liquids.

Awesome!!

Best of luck to you today and for a smooth recovery!

I'm with you Gamegirl. I'm looking forward to getting on board from the beginning next time! I didn't get my bike until mid September, but have tried to get in as much as I can. I've been closely following this thread and should get over my 50 mile mark tonight.

BariWise makes an Orangeade that was good, and easy for me to drink. It was a good diversion from the thicker shakes. Also I'm a big fan of the unjury chicken Soup. Good luck!

If the pain is being caused by infection, then the antibiotics should keep it at bay for a few weeks. I had my gall bladder removed before getting sleeved, but my intermittent pain was from the stones, not infection. If your doctor doesn't think you are at risk for a rupture and OKs a delay, then go enjoy! You just don't want to have to go in for emergency surgery. The recovery from Gall bladder surgery was very similar to the sleeve, I was in the hospital one night and back to work 5 days later. The surgeon might want the infection under control prior to surgery anyway. Good luck!