VSG AJH

I was sleeved Dec. 03, and I've been dreaming of a sandwich since the recovery room. I *hope* we're normal!

I wore the hospital gown and my own pajama pants so I wouldn't flash anyone while walking. My clothes did not get soiled. I came out of surgery pretty clean, and was put in an abdominal binder in recovery. That has a bit of iodine (?) staining, but my clothes were fine.

Oh, I wouldn't crush Tylenol. That's make me throw up! I found adult strength liquid Acetaminophen (store brand Tylenol) at Wal-Mart.

YES! They put it on me in the OR recovery bay, and it was instant comfort. I'm 9 days post-op, and I still prefer to sleep in it. It kind of holds all my parts where they belong so that I can sleep in my side without any tugging on that largest incision. Highly recommend!

You look beautiful! You have such a lovely figure.

Oh wow, congratulations!! What an accomplishment in such a short time!

Andrew -- have you tried warm drinks? Cold stuff made my new sleeve cramp up, but warm broth and warm tea went down with no problem. I think it might've helped with internal swelling, too, because in no time I've been able to get in cold water, etc. without trouble.

Congrats on the weight loss, and hooray for diet progression!! I cannot WAIT to move to soft foods.

The RNY is not exactly the same as the sleeve.

I was sleeved 12/03, and warm certainly worked better for me as well. No trouble taking in warm broth and warm tea straight out of surgery.

Hey Ashley -- My surgeon recommended taking a Benadryl for the abdominal spasms. He said it sounds weird, but they've found it works and it doesn't interact with any other prescribed meds. I didn't need it personally, but if you struggle for long, you might ask your do if he/she has heard of that trick.

I'm 8 days out and on full liquids. A sandwich sounds really important right now.

Is it gas, or is it the Diet Snapple that's making you hurt? My freshly sleeved stomach cramped up when I tried sugar free Popsicle and sugar free jello, but it did great with warm broth and warm decaf tea. Maybe try something warm?

To mix the protein powder you already have with broth, reserve a bit of the cool or room temp broth (4T.- 1/4c.) before heating the rest you're going to eat. Mix your protein powder into the cool broth, whisking with a small whisk or fork until the protein powder is moist and paste-like and not clumpy. Warm the remaining broth, but no more than 140 degrees. Combine the protein powder paste and warm broth, whisking while combining. Enjoy!

I use this protein powder. I use a fork to whisk it into a paste with a little room temp chicken broth, then whisk in some slightly warmed chicken broth. Very few clumps, and very tasty when mixed with broth.

My post-op instructions are full liquids beginning Day 1, meaning first day home from the hospital. This includes protein shakes, all the clear liquids, SF jello, yogurt, pudding, etc. I'm one week post-op now, and I've had zero trouble taking in all of my water and required protein. I don't have a check-up until 2 weeks post-op. Beginning week 3, move to puréed and soft foods for 9 weeks (according to provided list of idea foods, but no specific instructions on how to progress through the foods).

I was sleeved a week ago on 12/03, and I feel great. I'm having no trouble taking in all of my Water and Protein. I've also not had any stomach spasms, but my surgeon recommended Benadryl if I do. He said it sounds weird, but they've found that it works, and it doesn't interact with any of the other meds you go home on. I haven't had to use it, but interesting information I thought.

I had to use those wipes, too. Once the night before surgery, once the day of. So strange.

I'm a Dec. 3 sleever and an at-home homeschooling mom to 6 kids, so I went back to "work" Dec. 4. Haha! Seriously, though, by 4 days post-op, I felt so well, I could have gone back to an office if what was what I did for work. My husband returned to the office yesterday, so I've been full-time on my own with the kids again. Two days of grocery shopping, appointments, errands, in and out of car seats, potty training, piano recitals, and I'm tired now here at the end of the day, but no more tired than I normally am. I did have to add back some liquid Tylenol because 4 of my 6 kids are age 4 and under, and that's a lot of bending at the waist, but I'm otherwise fine. I weighed this morning, and I've lost 10.4 pounds since surgery. Hooray! HW: 276 Surgical Consult Weight: 267.2 SW: 250.4 CW: 239.0

Always an inspiration, Lynda! You are an excellent example to all of us just getting started on our journey. Thanks for posting, and good luck getting to goal!

I was sleeved 12/03/13, and I feel hunger. I'm also mistakenly identifying other things as hunger (like pain and gas), so I'm having to be really mindful of that. Hoping everything soon settles down internally.

I've been using the Syntrax Nectar unflavored mixed into water with Crystal Lite flavor packets. Same idea, but just investing in one tub plus cheap flavor packets instead of many different tubs.

I take Celebrate Multi-Complete. They're a chewable complete multi-Vitamin designed for the VSG patient, and they're delicious! I like the Forest berry flavor, but I LOVE the orange flavor. I suck on them like a lozenge or hard candy, then chew them up once they start to crumble on their own. They really are like a treat! I find them at a good price on Amazon, and get them fast with Prime shipping. My NUT said no to gummy Multivitamins because they're lacking, but I've heard good things about the gummy Calcium and Fiber chews.

Hi Carol -- welcome! You'll find lots of us Sleevers over in the Gastric Sleeve threads. Come poke around over there. My name is Amanda, and I just had my sleeve done on Tuesday. I've been looking into bariatric surgery for 14 years, but it was never covered by our insurance. Close to two years ago, I decided I was just going to cash pay for the sleeve, and as we began checking to see if our insurance would cover pre-op testing and post-op care, we discovered that the WLS exclusion had been lifted from our insurance. I connected with a local surgeon at that point, but then fell pregnant with our sixth child, so I put WLS on hold. I reconnected with the surgeon in August, and after completing all of my insurance requirements for surgery, I was sleeved this week on 12/03/13. I feel great, I've had no trouble taking in fluids, I've been meeting my Protein numbers, and I'm thrilled with the decision I made. My husband was also reluctant for me to have the surgery, but after he began doing research on his own and watching YouTube videos of sleevers, he grew more comfortable with the idea. He knew I'd reached the point that nothing was working for me to lose weight on my own, and I was being overcome by the chronic effects of morbid obesity. By surgery time, he was on my side, and now that I'm through the actual operation and feeling/doing well, he's thrilled. I think his resistance was entirely based in fear, but he understood and respected my fear in doing nothing at all. Hopefully your guy will come around. In the meantime, find support and encouragement here on these threads. Best of luck to you!

Awesome!