Holly5.3

I'm wondering if anyone else 6 months or more post-op (sleeve) have had to undergo an endoscopy to see why their sleeve is so restrictive (or narrow). Now at over 7 months, I try to eat the foods I should be eating (chicken, fruits and veggies, whole grains), but still can't tolerate more than 3-4 bites - much less than 1/4 cup of food or 6 oz. of protein! I am now afraid to even try certain foods (Pasta, rice, bread as I have felt so ill after trying a small bite). I have an endoscopy schedled for Fri. 5/31. If there is a build-up of excess scar tissue causing the extreme narrowness of the sleeve, does anyone know how this gets repaired. As far as my weight loss, it has certainly stalled, I gained 2.5 pounds from April to May!! I realized since I couldn't eat enough Protein or "real food", I was reverting to my old pre-surgery ways of eating processed foods (some things, like graham crackers and cheese doodles go down my sleeve just fine, unfortunately!). So I'm back on at least one shake for Breakfast or lunch and feel a lot better already! Thanks!

You know, I appologize for my ignorance about ounces, etc. I don't weigh my food at all and go mostly by what fits in a tiny 1/3 cup bowl. I would say that I can eat less than the size of my thumb of any protein - shredded, chewed, what-have-you. I can eat an egg omlette w/ cheese (about 5-6 bites-one egg, one slice of cheese), but only 2-3 bites of a scrambled egg with cheese. It's the texture that's getting food stuck. Meats and veggies in soups are fine, I just am sick to death of them! I love being restricted, as this is the only way I am ever going to meet my goal, but I want to eat healthy foods. Cheese doodles should not be in my diet at all, but I gave in to cravings a lot easier when I wasn't meeting my protein needs. Like I said, I'm back to having at least one protein shake a day and feel a lot better. (I said to my husband, "Imagine if all this time, my stomach is too small!" and he replied, "So, what are you going to do about it?" I said, "Nothing ... I guess. Just be mad!" And we laughed. Oh well, this too shall pass! Thanks for the posts everyone.

Good look today! Please let me know what you find out. I thought that that scar tissue could be laproscopically lazored or froze off - totally uninformed myself! I still can't eat poultry, tuna, ground meats, most raw veggies - I finally realized its the texture that is getting to me. I chew, I don't drink before/after meals...I serve myself in a tiny, little 1/4 cup bowl, and if something so much as a chewed piece of lettuce gets stuck in the top portion of my sleeve, I literally push the tiny bowl away saying, "I'm done." For the first few months - I thought this was cute, I could never push away food, ever. But when I started filling up on "treats" (Special K thin crisps--fav!) because I'm not getting enough calories, I stopped losing weight and feeling not so hot. I'm glad my husband used my WL surgeon for hernia repair, otherwise I always went to my MD visits alone. My husband spoke to him privately and then the endoscopy was scheduled. Good luck!

I'm exactly the same as you. Tried both pasta ONCE and rice ONCE. I had my 7 month post-op last week. My husband explained to my surgeon that I truly CAN'T eat. (He said that I wasn't articulating my problems accurately.) I am schedled for an endoscopy on May 31st. My doctor said I shouldn't be this constricted at 7 months. We're thinking that scar tissue from a staple is narrowing my stomach where an item as small as a piece of rice lies sideways and I am done eating. I've been eating too many processed foods (at least they go down fine and I don't feel sick afterwards) so I haven't lost any weight in a month. Went back on my Shakes at least one a day and have lost already 2 pounds this week alone. Good luck, check with your doctor, you may need an endoscopy as well.

I guess my slider would be crunchy baked cheese doodles! I Can't eat more than a few bites of chicken, fish, beef, salad. Still no bread, oatmeal, pasta or rice. I'm glad I can eat some refined carbs (Special K thin crisps) or I would be wasting away. (I think my sleeve is too small, but I'm not too small myself yet, so I'm not going to worry. I just hope it gets better with the passage of time. I'm almost 7 months post-op). Funny, still can't eat popcorn either...good thing, I guess!

I am now at the between 14-16 milestone - yaaa! I refuse to shop at LB any more, she's received enough of my hard-earned money over the years! (plus, I'm still paying off my LB credit card!) I've had pretty good luck with Target for work-out clothes, T-shirts (size XL) and for fancier fare, Macy's or Kohl's. Only when there's a sale and I have coupons! I don't buy a lot of clothes now since I'm still losing (and really have to grow out of pieces that are new that I love...problems, problems!--I'll take this one any day!) LOL

Hey October 2012 sleevers! I'm curious to see how we fared on our first 6 month journey. I weigh-in tomorrow (I only weigh myself once a month on my surgery date, the 11th) so tomorrow morning I'll wake up with a drum-roll until I step on the scale and see the numbers. I feel my clothes getting looser, but I also know the loss has slowed down considerably since January. I see my surgeon on Friday and had blood work done. My major problem is my addiction to food. The over-eating part, wanting to just stuff myself sometimes and I can't -- it's not easy. Physically, I feel terrific - no more apnea, my back and feet aren't killing me-- lots of energy. But I also feel a little sadness inside, like I lost a friend (I know - I'm pathetic!) Can anyone relate?

I was sleeved on 10/11/12. I agree with the above poster as well...we took diet pills, ate crazy foods (cabbage Soup, lemon/hot sauce, etc....) so we are willing to suffer for "beauty" as it were - but only for a temporary time. Diligence and stick-to-it-ness is a great feeling (after having surgery, we really don't have a choice but to make the best of it) - I am embracing my strength to get through the tough days (I want to eat a cow -- or a bag of Cheetos, whatever). I look at it as a way for me to get back the self-respect I lost through self-destructive behaviors, food and others....

I too struggle with speed-eating. I find that if I make sure to have a small snack, this helps me to not gavone like I've never eaten a meal before, but this has nothing to do with hunger! Especially when going out to a restaurant. It doesn't take long to eat 1/2 cup of food while everyone is having appetizers and gigantic portions of entrees and sides (and desert and coffee). So, last week I have tried having a little wine when we dined out. I'ld have a teeny tiny sip, just to whet my lips and this seemed to help me eat my meal slower. Am I "supposed" to drink wine? No. Am I "supposed" to drink with my meals? No. But this has helped me with the psychological affects felt when dining out and feeling like a space alien and not feeling "normal" like everyone else! When you eat too fast, it's like getting a pea stuck in a straw....nothing can get past it. I've learned that if I chew better and slow down, I can eat twice as much, which is a good thing!

I love the above quote....cracked me up! Every diet known to man-kind! Silly me, all I needed was to have 75% of my stomach removed---duh!!

I posted here a while back, saying how happy and thrilled I am with my sleeve. After reading page after page of dialogue regarding regrets, depression, marital issues, complications, etc., I realized one thing about myself. This journey is a roller coaster ride. I have had quite a few "bad" days...days I do not come on to VST or seek help, advise, or anything. As a food "addict"-I can say that the weight loss part of this journey is the easy part. Its the addiction to food, the stuffing, the hiding...for whatever reason, that is the hardest part of this journey for those of us who have not experienced any discernible complication (leaks, etc.). If I were to respond on one of the days where I wanted to stuff -- and couldn't -- my response would be so different! Just like in life and in relationships - there are good and bad days. If people who are looking into having WLS don't address the addiction, they are bound to be miserable! Food and worrying about what I was going to eat next took up too much time in my life - now there are gaping holes in my days. Gaps that are allowing me to be outside more, spend more time doing things with my family, spend more time with God.

Remember, "slow and steady wins the race" every time! The turtle is consistant, whereas the hare peters out faster. I've lost weight "fast" in the past, and regained it even faster. WLS puts an end to that yo-yo, roller-coaster ride. Stop reading numbers and tap in to how you feel....Feeling is real, numbers are just symbols.

Good morning. I, too, was obsessed with "how much did I lose compared to X?" "How much should I be losing per week/month/year...?" Now, at 6+ months post-op I've given up the numbers game. It gets discouraging when it shouldn't be. Everyone starts at a different BMI and pre-op diet weight. Not everyone can eat the same foods post-op, so to compare ourselves is kind of comparing apples to oranges. Right after surgery, my monthly average was 12 pounds (Oct-Nov-Dec-Jan). Since January, my monthly average is about 7 pounds, which is cool - I'm not 278 pounds any more, the weight loss should slow down with a lower BMI! Now, I'm happy if I've lost 5 pounds in a month. I don't "exercise", but I am 200% more active than I was a year ago. I just bought a Mommy bike on Sunday and will ride around for leisure. I was never a "gym rat" before, so I don't see joining a gym as something that I would continue with as a life-style. Dancing, walking, gardening, bicycling....all activities I was too heavy to enjoy before. Now my life has fitness built right in - that's a lifestyle change I can maintain!

My only regret is I didn't have this 10 years ago (I don't think it was available 10 years ago!) I love my new life! Is it hard? Yes, but anything worth having in life is hard-trust me!

For me, yesterday I rode my new bike (bicycle - not Harley-that's my husband's territory!) I felt like a little girl again - hair flying free! Oh yea, being "checked out" again by the opposite sex -- priceless!

At almost 7 months, my fiber intake is very limited, so I rely on softeners (Colace) at least once a day. (This was one side-affect after being Sleeved that I was so unprepared for...usually being the opposite of constipation - if you know what I mean!) If I feel "regular", I won't take one. If I feel "too full", I know I need to take one at night before bed and then another in the morning until I feel "lighter" again. When you eat such a little amount of solid food, it goes with the territory! Hope this helps!

105 pounds gone forever- whoooo-hooooooo!! You rock girl! I am always inspired by seeing the results of my "co-losers". Even when the weight loss slows, those numbers still add up to great results! Keep up the good work. Are you close to goal? Have a great "beautiful earth day!"

Wow! You hit the nail on the head, Hippy Uncle! I think the part about being disappointed in myself in not being strong enough to fulfill my dreams and aspirations, definitely caused the self-hatred/abuse cycle in my life. My blessings in life are many and I've gotten used to ignoring them and focusing on the negative! I have been praying for God's help to get through the food addiction, as I've done with other addictions in the past-with great success. I've been struggling for a couple of months now and I stopped visiting this site, rather than ask for help. (1st step-acknowledge the problem. I was ashamed to say I felt like I still want to stuff!) Thank you so much! You made my morning so much brighter. God bless you and your day!

I've only thrown up about 4 times in 6 months. It's usually the texture of the food or eating too fast, or too big a bite. I found it actually hard to vomit, the stomach doesn't constrict like it used to, post-op, to help push the food up and out (gross, sorry!). At Easter Brunch I ate one bite of Eggs Bennedict (never had it before). It wouldn't go down my stomach. (I think it was the English muffin-I haven't had bread yet). I had to literally run across this huge ballroom to get to the ladies room as the food came up on its own (horrible)! (After that, I was afraid to eat solid food again so I had cheesecake for my meal.) That was an expensive Brunch, I can say that!

6 months out tomorrow and I am very restricted with solid proteins. I would say a little less than a 1/2 a cup of solid food is what I can manage. Smooth textures like yogurt, velvety mashed potatoes, pureed fruits and cooked veggies give me more volume. I miss my salad greens and chicken. I can literally eat 3 small bites of a salad. If so much as a piece of lettuce goes down without being totally chewed to oblivion-it makes me feel too full and I can't eat another bite of anything. Its funny, when you learn all you can post-op (I watched hours of videos on U-Tube of sleevers cooking, eating, explaining and describing a post-op diet) but it still doesn't hit you until you are experiencing it yourself, you just can't eat a lot. Period. I look forward to my stomach stretching a bit so I can eat more at mealtime (especially when dining out and you're finished eating when everyone is still on appies!) But I fit into a size 14 today, from a 24, so.....bye-bye salad and chicken (for now at least!).

I am celebrating my 6 month surgerversary tomorrow. Dr. Ahmad, Mather Hospital Port Jefferson.

I'm on puree and really miss my veggies. Has anyone juiced on puree or stage 4? I feel constipated (sorry...tmi) and would rather make a nice juice with leafy greens and apple (I could add my unflavored protein to it- so healthy!) I just don't know if sleeve can tolerate such a high level of minerals at once since puree stage has canned veggies as preferred (besides corn and beans, what else tastes good from a can?)

At almost 6 months (next Thursday) - I still can't tolerate plain water! Just the small amount to take my morning meds. and brush my teeth is all I can stand. (I'm wondering if my sleeve was made too thin! I'm very restricted still: meat, veggies still go down like cannon balls-chewed or not!) Everyone is so different! I miss my plain water. I keep trying it waiting for the day to come that I can drink a nice refreshing 8 oz. without feeling sick!)

New year - new mini-challenge: April 1, 2013 - April Fool's Day! Hey, we're no fools - working our sleeves to the best we can and making goals that inspire us. Encouraging and congrating one anothers accomplishments, taking advise (good and bad!) ... it's a very good thing! Today's weight in (1/1/13) - 209 Goal for 4/1/13 - 179 Total loss -30 pounds. (Lowest weight since had children was 178 - my daughters, 18 & 19, have never seen me under 200 lbs. This will be a very cool year for me, no doubt! My youngest daughter graduates from HS, it will be nice to enjoy the festivities without feeling ashamed of my appearance like I was last year at my eldest daughter's HS graduation.) Good luck everyone!

I'm not sure if this is "scientific evidence" but I accidentally bought calcium carbonate via on-line bariatric surgery website. After enjoying the scruptious chocolate covered caramel chews (3X a day) for about a month, I noticed my hip bones starting to give me trouble (I'm not a spring chicken -- 52, but now I'm the new 32 after my sleeve! But my bones are still 52!) I checked the ingredients to see if maybe they were the "wrong" calcium supplements-- lo and behold they were not calcium citrate! Boo hoo! I am now taking 12 Citricell minis a day (4 with each meal). They are smaller so go down easy, but boy I miss those caramel chews! (They also had 30 calories each, so I think they contributed to my "stall" at that time as well! My hip bone no longer aches, so I think that the calcium absorption may have been affected as well.) Hope this helps!