SerendipityHappens

Being constipated was quite a shock to me.. I've never EVER in my entire adult life been constipated until after my sleeve surgery..I went from being a 3 a day girl to not moving for nearly a week... it was quite the rude awakening! I'm now 7 weeks out and fortunate enough to be tolerating all foods. My movements are MUCH more regular now that I'm eating veggies and including 2 Tablespoons of chia seeds in my afternoon lemon Water. I don't go three times a day anymore, but I go almost every day without discomfort.

OMG GRINDERS.. not girders! and Drinking fountains are properly called Bubblers..... And clam chowder must never EVER EVER have tomatoes in it... Are you writing this down?

I did three and a half months of an 800 calorie 80 grams of Protein VLCD and lost 45 pounds before surgery. I also ate a very anti-inflammatory diet. The effectiveness of this is controversial but I believed it helped me. I did not eat any grain products. I ate a lot of leafy greens and on most days I enjoyed a kale/ginger/lemon juice which is SUPER anti-inflammatory... I did this for more than three months leading up to my surgery. The day after my surgery I had a problem with my IV and the nurses could not get a decent vein. I had just passed my leak test so I asked my doctor if I could just try drinking all my fluids and maybe we could skip the IV.. he didn't think it was possible since I had already started to become dehydrated due to my IV drip stopping during the night, but he agreed to let me try and he was SHOCKED that I drank 80 ounces of Water that first day and I swallowed my pills easily too. On the day of my discharge from the hospital, the doctor checked my incisions and was surprised that they were healed enough to not require covering. My discharge instructions said to keep them covered with clean bandages for a few more days.. but he crossed that out and said since they're already healed that I only needed to cover the one where he had just removed the drain. Like I said, maybe it was just luck and I'm just a fast healer, but I like to believe that my preop preparation had something to do with it. Then again, there are people who do no preop diet at all and heal super fast too so what do I know!

Unless you're from New England and over the age of 40, then it's called "tonic"

I'm only seven weeks out and I could definitely eat enough of the wrong foods even this early on to gain weight if I wasn't careful to use my sleeve in the way it was intended.

For many people the preop is the hardest part.. I didn't cheat on my preop BUT I was fortunate to have had a LOT of experience with liquid diets, juice fasting, etc so this kind of diet was nothing new to me.. for many people, this is a completely new experience and it takes PRACTICE.. nobody gets sleeved because they have perfect mastery over their diets. My favorite quote is by Samuel Beckett "ever tried. ever failed. try again. fail again. fail better. " I think this is really how most of us deal with this journey in reality. We WILL fail at some point.. either in the preop or at sometime later.. but we need to keep trying and keep planning how we will fail better next time.. as long as you do that, in the end you WILL succeed.

I was bordering on euphoric after surgery... but at certain times during my preop... I was soooo hangry that chubby babies and fluffy kittens annoyed me. I guess it hits us at different times!

Nah... I still eat the black widow infested grapes.. I'm just not dedicated enough to give them up yet.

I'm talking about the ones who preach that NONE of us must ever drink soda ever again and if you do, you're somehow not dedicated to the process or you are somehow automatically backsliding into emotional eating or binging. I think it's fantastic if an individual chooses to avoid certain foods that are a problem for him/her... but what I'm saying is that these foods are not the same for all people and you should not be measuring others by your own yard stick. Soda is legitimately a big problem for some people and they can't have "just a little" so YAY for them for giving it up completely! If you don't want to drink it anymore because of chemicals then great. We should all give up soda, artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners, wheat, commercial meat, deli meats with nitrates, excess sodium, imported grapes with black widow spiders in them, all refined grains, brominated bread etc.. But the truth is that 99.99% of us are not going to do that.. I've given up a lot of these things but I'm choosing my battles and for me, soda consumed in moderation (which for ME moderation means about two sodas a month) is something that I will choose to do if I want it... while other things are definitely on the "no go" list for me!

I've posted at two different weights there and will post my pic again in another 10 pounds. I love to try to get an idea of what I'll look like at the different weights!

I was told six weeks for soda. I was told that the bubbles in it will most certainly NOT stretch my sleeve. I was told that the bubbles MAY make me feel discomfort in which case I should not drink it. I haven't had any interest in having any yet, but when I do, I'll have some.. Pre-surgery I'd have maybe a 20 ounce soda a couple times a month which I don't see as excessive. If soda was a "trigger food" for me then I'd want to avoid it, but for me it's just a nice happy beverage option that I'd like to enjoy on occasion in the future. I do not understand the "anti-soda" contingent. Personally I feel quite strongly that wheat products are the devil for ME and why would I ever want to put them in my body again. Because for ME they act as trigger foods and they kinda make me feel icky.... but I do recognize that for others this may not be the case. There is no one size fits all approach here.

I 100% agree that it's a major surgery and we should be thinking of ALL the possible risks and complications prior to doing it. So many lives have been changed because of it. Still, I'm going to call it a "tool". Just like obtaining regular exercise is a "tool". Just like obtaining counseling will give you some mental "tools" to employ to help you make better food choices and avoid emotional eating. The point of calling it a tool is to drive home the point that it IS NOT a magic pill... and it WILL NOT lose the weight for you..... It is still only a tool that we can choose to use or not to use.... and getting the sleeve is only ONE part of the equation. Granted, it's a tool that we have risked our lives to obtain.... it's a tool that if used properly can add many years of health to our lives... but it's still a tool... and to me to hear it called that in no way detracts from the gravity of the surgery. It's all about context.. if someone is saying.. "it's just a tool.. no big deal" when they're contemplating surgery.. then yeah.. they definitely are looking at it wrong.. but when you've got people saying "Remember, this surgery won't FIX you.. it's only one tool that will help you on the journey"... that's a completely different context.

Sitting was really uncomfortable regardless of what I wore. For me it had nothing to do with the pressure of clothing on me, it was just the incision sites which were far above my waistband that would hurt after a short time sitting... If I sat with a slight recline I was fine. Standing was fine too.. but sitting did bother me. If you work at a decent company, you may be able to get an adjustable desk that you can raise up and use from the standing position when you're feeling uncomfortable from sitting.. The company I used to work for had a few that they could set up for you if you had a medical need. Talk to HR.. can't hurt.

I ordered some protein powder from vitacost and just added a shaker bottle with my order.. I never use it anymore though.. My two protein powders of choice, Jay Robb and Isopure mix well with just using a spoon

Five days. My incisions were all above my belly button and I had absolutely no discomfort or pain in my lower abdomen.

Nope not at all..but one day at about two and a half weeks out I forgot I was sleeved and popped five pills (two multi Vitamin, two calcium, and my acid reducer) all at once and had kind of an OSM as they were going down.. but nothing happened, I didn't even feel them. The biggest pills are the calcium citrate.. I take the "petite" size which are only petite, when compared to the regular size "horse pill" calcium supplements. The Multivitamin capsules from Bariatric Advantage are smaller than my acid reducer or the antibiotic capsule I was prescribed after surgery.

Sending you lots and LOTS of positive and happy thoughts! I am 7 weeks out and am SO HAPPY with my decision to be sleeved. I was sleeved on 3/13/13 in Tijuana, Mexico. I had a beautifully easy recovery and transitioned through all stages of my post op diet with ease. The month of April I had a slow loss of only 3 pounds.. but that was because I lost SOOOOO much in March.. AND I had been on 800 calories since December! My body was ready for a stall!.. And already in May I've lost two pounds.. You just have to be patient and trust the process.

$13.95

I needed to lose a LOT of weight before surgery in order to get my BMI down to under 49.. I started an 800 calorie a day, low carb diet on December 1st and my surgery was not until March 13th. I'm so glad I did because it really helped me get used to eating small portions and I got a nice jump start on losing weight. Most preop diets are 2 weeks.. some are four weeks, some are 1 week... some people don't have any preop diet at all... it all depends on your doctor, your BMI, and if you have any indicators in your blood work that you may have a fatty liver.

boiling bone-in chicken leg quarters in salted Water with some garlic cloves thrown in until they are fall-off the bone tender remove meat from the bones and store the meat covered in broth you cooked it in. So yummy.. Also think spices.. I suddenly love frank's red hot sauce.. I take some chicken, dip it in some franks and in some "bleu cheese" dressing (actually it's greek yogurt with a little bit of gorgonzola cheese mixed in but soooo yummy) and OMG tastes like buffalo wings. Also keep trying things that may not have worked in the past.. what makes you sick one week, may be perfectly fine the next week once you have a bit more healing under your belt. One of my favorite meals was lentils and vegetables cooked until very soft and then I'd add some of the chicken thigh pieces.. SO YUMMY.. I like to start with some nice ginger, garlic, curry spice and fresh cilantro for seasoning and also top it all off with a dollop of greek yogurt. Notice I mentioned the yogurt a few times.. this just really helped me keep things a bit moist without resorting to "liquids" Also a bit of mashed up avocado helps too.

If a chewable tastes good, then there's a good chance they've left something out! I'm loving my bariatric advantage capsules. They're small and the cost is about $12.00 per month if you take the full dose... but some argue that VSG patients don't need the full dose, so you can take fewer capsules. The dose is 6 small capsules a day. I take 4 capsules. (2 capsules, twice daily with a meal.. which is easy to remember to do because I have to take my calcium citrate tablets at this time as well)

Your trip driving is shorter than my trip was (drive to the airport+flying) I would think it would be more comfortable to drive than fly as long as you're not the one doing the driving.

After surgery I enjoyed a lot of curried dals... I would put spinach or greens with them and then puree them and eat with a little yogurt.. It was delicious. As far as the liquid portion goes.. you just get a Protein powder and mix it with the liquid of your choice. If you like, you can even get an unflavored Protein Powder and mix it with some lasse.. (the salty kind not the SWEET lasse with fruit in it) If you look at the diet your doctor gave you, you can see many vegetarian foods that you can cook into a healthy curry. As a vegetarian, you may find it more challenging to get in your protein at first, so you may need to supplement with powders for longer until your stomach can tolerate enough food for you to get sufficient protein from your vegetables/dairy/legumes. Talk to your nutritionist, she/he should be able to help you with some suggestions too.

I shop the SALES... I went to Lane Bryant during one of their clearance sales and bought I think 14 items for $80.00... which is about thrift store price! I got everything in size 14/16 or 18/20 which was a size smaller than what I was at the time. I also frequent the thrift store and if I find something super cute I buy it as long as it's anywhere from a size 14-20. I'm not purchasing a TON of stuff, I'm just keeping my eyes open.. and the clothes I have I'm definitely wearing out quickly because I'm wearing them so much, but that's OK, hopefully I'll shrink out of them before they become thread bare!

I was swallowing capsules in the hospital.. My doctor told me to wait two weeks to start taking the larger calcium citrate tablets, but I was cleared to swallow everything else on Day 2, including my small synthroid which is in tablet form, my acid reducer which was a capsule, capsule antibiotic and capsule multivitamin. If your doctor allows you to take capsules, but your meds only come in tablets, you can buy empty capsules, crush your tablets and then fill the capsules with the powder from your crushed tablets. I know it's a PITA, but it beats having to taste it.