1dennis3

Im 18 months post op and I have recently discovered how I can drink beer. I found that if I pour it and create the biggest head I can. that gets rid of enough of the carbonation that I can drink it.

You dont have to give up your favorite foods. You can eat anything you want, you just wont be able to eat very much of anything. I havent found anything yet that I cant eat,

I went on a 7 day cruise about 6 weeks after my sleeve. No problems at all.

I have the same problem and I'm 18 months out. I graze all day long (I have a desk job) pretzels, chips, Snacks, I tend to eat something salty and then want something sweet. This goes on all day. I have lost about 100 lbs but I want to eat all the time. Granted I cant eat much at one time but when I am full it only last for an hour or so and I want to eat again. I know its mental hunger, that Im not really hungry, But I have never had any will power, thats why I got the surgery to force me to stop eating so much. That part worked, but the mental part is still with me. I would hit plateaus and stay at the same weight for a couple of months, then it would drop 10 or 15 lbs then plateau again, it was very frustrating. But then t I am the model of what NOT to do as a WLS patient. I didn't change my eating habits other than the amount I ate and I do absolutely no exercise at all. But I have still managed to lose 100 lbs.

I had my surgery on Wednesday and went back to work on the following Monday with no problems at all.

I held off on drinking anything carbonated for 18 months, but I dearly missed my beer. I tried taking sips of beer but the carbonation really made me feel bloated. I tried flat beer (gross) so then I tried pouring it with as much head as possible. Surprise, it worked, I can drink it with no problems. I found that over the course of a few hours I could put down a 12 pack and it didn't bother me. (other than being tipsy) Of course I dont make a habit of this, I'll usually have a couple a few times a week.

I've gotten really tired of protein shakes and rarely drink them anymore. I know I don’t get nearly enough protein in each day and struggle to eat as much as I need to, to get enough protein. But I have found a new protein that has helped me. It’s called Nectar and instead of the regular chocolate and vanilla flavors they have all kinds of fruit juice flavors and even a Lemon Tea flavor. All of these are great mixed with water. 23 Grams of Protein per serving! With zero carbs and zero fat! If you like the refreshing taste of fruit juice, you'll love Nectar™! With its mouthwatering fruit juice flavors, Nectar™ is truly a protein drink you will look forward to drinking each and every day. Whether it be Apple Ecstasy, Twisted Cherry, Caribbean Cooler, Strawberry Kiwi, Fuzzy Navel, Roadside Lemonade, Crystal Sky or Lemon Tea, Nectar will keep you coming back for more. Its available at BJs Bariatrics at www.bjsbariatrics.com Use Promotion code DB435 Available Flavors: · Apple Ecstasy · Crystal Sky · Caribbean Cooler · Double Stuffed Cookie – best with milk · Fuzzy Navel · Lemon Tea · Pink Grapefruit · Roadside Lemonade · Strawberry Kiwi · Latte Cappuccino · Chocolate Truffle · Strawberry Mousse · Vanilla Bean Torte · Twisted Cherry BONUS - You can buy a variety pack of 11 single serve packages for $14.95 to try several of the different flavors to see what you like. Use Promotion code DB435 and get FREE shipping on orders of $50.00 or more

My wife started a program called from couch to 5k. Its an 8 week program that supposedly will get you up to the level of running a 5K in 8 weeks. She is on week 6 and is doing great, Of course too, she is not overweight which helps I'm sure. But I tried it Monday night and was able to do the first session, Mine consisted of walking briskly instead of running, I'm going to try it again tonight and again on Friday. I have to start doing something.

Thanks, I think I am going to look into getting one of these. Basically, I'm very lazy and dont do any kind of exercise at all. I work on computers all day trouble shooting problems and when I get home each evening I am mentally tired and just vegetate in front of the TV. At least with an exercise ball maybe I could sit on it while I watch TV and get a little bit of exercise. Thank you

What do you do on a ball to help strengthen the core muscles?

I went to the Obesity Control Center with Dr Ortiz. I was nothing like what we here in the states are used to as a hospital, but it was functional. My experience was nothing like what has been described here. Like others, I did a lot of research on the proceedure, the doctor and the facility before I went. I did look at the Juresulem hospital but when I couldnt find any pictures of it anywhere on the internet, it sounded fishy to me so I avoided them. . The "hospital" for the Obesity Control Center was nice and it was clean. Dr Ortiz only does 4 surgerys a day, so it wasnt rushed or anythining. He was rated as one of the 15 top bariatric surgeons in the world by NewsWeek. Here is my story; I arrived on Tuesday afternoon in the San Diego airport about 3:00pm. Soon after I arrived, the driver sent me a text me to let me know he was held up at the border and would be about 45 minutes late. It took about an hour but he did arrive to pick me up. He was very informative in telling me what to expect and what to do during our ride to the hotel. It was about a 45 minute ride to the hotel. When I arrived at the hotel, The Marriott, it was a Very fancy hotel. I Checked in and went to my room. The first thing I did was ordered chicken broth and water from room service. OCC guest are given 3 bowls of chicken broth and 2 bottles of water per day as well as popsicles. They did not have any popsicles the whole time I was there but I was told that I didn’t miss anything, they weren’t very good. I was told to be in the lobby at 6:40 the next morning to be picked up and taken to the clinic. You just go to the front desk and tell them you need a ride to OCC and they will send for a van. I got to the clinic and registered. They have you fill out some paperwork and then ask you to wait. The lobby was nice and was clean. I was the second person on the schedule for the day. Dr. Ortiz does 3 to 4 surgery’s a day. I didn’t have to wait very long before they called me. They took me back to the pre-surgery room where they took blood for the blood work and started my IV. The nurse was very good and was as painless as an IV can be. Then back to the waiting room. I was then called back to talk to Dr. Miranda the nutritionist. Then back to the waiting room. They then called me to have my EKG . Shortly after that I was taken to my room. It was a small private room with nice furniture with a comfortable chair, a couch and a TV. They ask me to strip down and put on a gown and some paper underwear. (One size does NOT fit all). After I was “dressed” the nurse returned and started a drip in my IV and injected several syringes of medications into it. All painless. Then she administered a shot to my thigh which was also painless. Dr. Ortiz came in to see me. He was not what I had expected. He is young and not a trace of Spanish accent. He was like an old friend stopping by to visit me in the hospital. Very personable and down to earth. He ask if I had any questions or concerns and then just visited for a few minutes like we were old friends. After a few minutes the nurses came back and ask if I was ready. She walked me into the OR. I walked in and there were 4 men in the room in scrubs all speaking Spanish. Up until now everyone had been speaking English around me. They ask me to lie down on the table and one of them put a mask on me. The next thing I knew I woke up back in my room. I didn’t have any pain at all, I just felt bloated from the gas they injected. I slept off and on throughout the day and night. I did get up once and set up my CPAP so I could sleep more comfortably and a couple of other times just to walk around a bit to help get rid of the gas that was causing the bloated feeling. The nurse came in the next morning (Thursday) and gave me a small bottle of water and a couple of pills. You will learn VERY quickly to take small sips. The nurse checked my drain said that anytime I was ready I could get dressed and return to the hotel. I got dressed and was taken to the waiting room. I was given my prescriptions, 1 bottle of an antibiotic, 1 box of pain pills, 2 boxes of anti-nausea tablets and 1 box of antacid. “Given” is a misnomer here, they charge you $125.00 for these medications that you have to pay for right then. Then I was transported back to the hotel. You have to check in again at the hotel front desk. They told me to come back to the clinic at 10:00 the next day. I pretty much stayed in my room napping off and on and reading. Took a couple of walks around the halls but mostly stayed in my room. I thought I was hungry so I ordered 2 bowls of chicken broth. I could only eat about 5 or 6 spoonful’s and was full. A first in my life! Again, you learn very quickly to take small sips, If you try to eat the broth or drink like your used to, it hurts, it feels like a large gas bubble in the gut, very uncomfortable. When you go down to the lobby the next morning, remember to let them know at the front desk that you need a ride to OCC. I was taken back to OCC and the drain was checked and bandage changed. Still feeling bloated but other than that I felt fine. Very short stay at the clinic and then taken back to the hotel. I was told to return at 8:00 the next morning to have the drain removed. I returned the next morning and waited briefly in the waiting room. They called me and I went back to the X-ray room where they did the barium check for leaks. I ask the technician to show me my “new” stomach on the screen, so I did the barium swallow a few more times trying to make out the blob on the screen. I only had to take small sips of the barium and it didn’t taste too bad so I didn’t mind doing it a few times. He showed me my “new” stomach but it just looked like a wadded up rag to me. Anyway, the tests were all good with no leakage. The X-ray tech then took me into the surgery prep room and removed the drain, which was also painless. I was then driven to the airport and flew home. I had the bloated feeling for a day or so after returning home but it passed. I still have trouble remembering to take small sips but my new stomach quickly reminds me. I do not have any pain and never did. I did feel hungry though,for several days afterward, but then I am used to always feeling hungry which I was told is most likely mental hunger and not actual hunger pains. All in all it went pretty much as everyone said it would. I had chatted with a lot of people that had been through the procedure before me and had a good idea what to expect. I had watched several videos on the actual procedure so I pretty well knew exactly what they were going to do inside me. I have 5 small incisions where they inserted the tools and they are all healing fine with no issues. They have internal stitches and glue on the surface. They told me just to keep them clean with soap and water and they would dissolve on their own. All in All it was a nice experience and I am now on my way to a new me. Eating small portions, something I was never able to do on my own after many years of trying.

I did a 401k loan for my surgery in Mexico. It was very quick and easy. There were no questions ask as to what I was going to do with the money. Everything was done online and the money was in my bank within 4 days after my application.

This is a big issue for me as well. I have always drank while I eat. I am only 11 days post-op and I have drank while eating my liquids with no problems. While sitting here on the PC reading the forums, I had about 10 to 15 cheese puff balls and drank 16 oz of water. I kind of surprised myself when I realized how many cheese puffs I had ate and how much water I had drank. I didn't know I was able to have that much?? Why was I able to have that much? Why don't I feel stuffed?