SerendipityHappens

Some doctors use a drain some don't. Some doctors use a foley, some don't. My doctor only uses a foley if she thinks the surgery will be extra long. She always uses a drain. The use of drain and foley are two questions I asked when finding surgeons.. I wanted one that didn't use the foley but did use a drain.

NORMAL! I never had actual regret, but I did have some freakout over the fact that the majority of my stomach was rotting in a Mexican bio-dump somewhere. Also when you're not eating for so long, you start to feel like it's never going to end and you can't face another sickening sweet Protein shake.... food is a VERY emotional thing for a lot of us. When someone interferes with my ability to have it, I get extremely emotional.. I cried on more than one occasion during my PRE-OP because I couldn't have what I wanted. I felt so stupid, but this is reality. Also remember that your body has been through a huge physical trauma. Take it easy and cut yourself some slack. You are completely normal and this will pass and you'll be rocking your sleeve in no time.

My doctor practically did cartwheels down the hall when he counted my cups and determined that I drank over 80 ounces my first day after surgery. I could drink about 2-3 ounces every few minutes with no issues. I'm now four weeks out and I can down a 16 ounce bottle of Water in four drinks spaced out over about an hour. (each drink is about four or five consecutive swallows) This is my normal water drinking pace even before being sleeved so I don't feel any desire to be any faster than this and it allows for excellent hydration even when sweating. We are sooooo fortunate that drinking came easy to us. I saw patients in the hospital struggling to drink even a tablespoon of fluid... I felt almost guilty to be pounding back the fluids soo greedily.

I use Myfitnesspal to track my calories and Protein anyway. I add my recipe. Don't forget the spices.. a pinch of oregano might not matter, but a few tablespoons of chili powder adds quite a few calories and glorious fiber! Also, I sometime ALSO enter the recipe into nutritiondata.com also.. I like the way nutritiondata.com breaks down and analyzes the meal for protein completeness and it will tell you ALL the Vitamins in it as well as inflammation factor... which I like to know since I try hard to keep my diet as anti-inflammatory as possible. Also Nutritiondata.com seems more accurate since it doesn't have a bunch of member added stuff which you have to be careful of.. If you already use MFP for tracking calories then I'd suggest you use that database and enter from there just to make it easier, but if you don't like to use MFP, then Nutritiondata.com is definitely superior when it comes to analyzing recipes. Also as with anything the first few times will take FOREVER for you to enter the ingredients in, but once you get used to how the database works and how to enter your amounts, it becomes quite easy and quick.

yes you will continue to lose weight even if you don't get your protein in.. Unfortunately if you continue to skimp on the protein you'll also lose muscle mass.. and hair... and you'll heal slower. Do your best. Don't expect to be perfect. Some people find that the "fruity" thin protein drinks go down better than the heavy milk based ones. I like to mix jay robb tropical dreamcicle flavor with a diet drink like vitamin water and it doesn't give you that heavy feeling. other people say the isopure alpine punch tastes good when mixed with water.. like drinking Hawaiian punch.. but I haven't tried that one.

That sounds like a very long time in the hospital. My BMI was 48. I was sleeved by Dr's Cabrera and Valenzuela at Mi Doctor hospital, Cabrera and Valenzuela are among the many great doctors who were trained by Corvala by the way... I was in the hospital for two nights.. and honestly, I probably didn't even need that second night. I've never heard of a routine 5 day hospital stay for VSG.. I think the Duodenal switch may have a five day stay in some cases, but I've never seen anyone who stayed that long unless they had complications.

I am not celiac but I am wheat intolerant. (it causes painful inflammation of my joints and reflux) To my knowledge it's not the gluten that's causing my problem, but the actual wheat.. so I suppose I could still eat barley and other gluten containing grains.. but I never do. Unlike celiacs who react to even a tiny amount of gluten, I seem to be ok with trace amounts of wheat that might sneak in here and there.. but if I eat something with concentrated amounts like say, even a small piece of bread or few bites of cake, I'm up all night with reflux.. if I eat a slice of bread every day for a few days, I'll feel my joints start to stiffen and inflame and I'll get terribly bloated.

I haven't even been to my PCP yet. I was told to have bloodwork done at 6 months out to check my Vitamin levels.. and to see my PCP if I had any concerns with incisions. I'm sure if I had co-morbidities to manage such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol issues, then I'd have to go sooner in order to make sure the medication levels are right but thankfully this is not something I have to worry about.

I specifically asked my doctor this same question. I can juice fresh vegetable juices and have citrus after six weeks. I'm a huge fan of juicing and prior to surgery enjoyed at least one green juice just about every day. I can have fresh apple or other fruit juices except citrus or pineapple at any time, but I don't believe in straight fruit juice since it's a LOT of sugar so I'm not having any fruit juices and I'm just waiting until I can start with my regular green juices again. BTW, I used about an inch of ginger in my daily juices preop and I had a fabulous recovery and virtually no inflammation in my sleeve. Could just be good luck, or could be that I had drenched my body in ginger and other anti-inflammatory juices for many months prior to surgery. Lastly, I wouldn't rely on juice as a complete substitute for Protein shakes, although you can get a lot of protein from certain vegetables it is HARD to get enough to replace a shake. Even when I did a 30 day juice fast I was only getting around 60 grams of protein a day.. and I was drinking a LOT of juice. Maybe you could make a juice and add half a scoop of Protein powder?

Just over four weeks out here.. Having 1/2 scoop of Protein powder in my morning coffee then eating three meals and two Snacks. Sample meals: Meal 1: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1/2 cup spinach 2T tomato sauce, 1T Parmesan cheese 1/2 ounce low fat mozzarella. Meal 2: 1/4 cup diced chicken, 1/4 cup curried lentils, 1/5 of an avocado. Meal 3: 3 ounces of roast beef 1/2 ounce muenster cheese, 1/5 of an avocado Snack: 1/2 banana and 1/4 cup of PB2 (90calories, 10g protein and 4g fiber) Snack: 1 piece millers spicy hot bologna and I'm disappointed to say that I ate a package of Peanut Butter cups today. Grrr... the sleeve helps, but I'm still a work in progress when it comes to willpower! My total calorie/macro totals for today: 897 calories, 60 carbs, 42 fat, 82 protein. I'm eating between 700-900 calories per day.

It has nothing to do with the sleeve, She's watching her carb intake in order to stay in ketosis. She's taking a ketogenic approach for weight loss.. (think Atkins)

Did you get the idea from reading my MFP diary with that half a banana and quarter cup of PB2? Sorry if I triggered a craving Also I have not researched it fully, but Vitamin Water zero the "Revive" flavor has 25% of the RDA of potassium... Regular multi Vitamins only ever give 3% so to find a non perscription non-caloric source of potassium is not easy to do.

Talk to your doctor and see when you can take capsules. I was cleared to take them as soon as I wanted and I have been taking Bariatric Advantage capsules since one week out. You take six small capsules a day. I can swallow two of them with just my own saliva.. and I just take them throughout the day with my Calcium pills. I can't STAND chewables YUCK.. even as a kid I wouldn't even chew flintstones and insisted on swallowing a "proper" Vitamin. Also usually the swallowable kind generally have more good stuff in it that they can't get into the chewable version due to palatability. I got them on amazon for around 40.00 for a three month supply (540 capsules) ALSO, since we're having the sleeve which provides full absorption, my unprofessional opinion is that we probably don't NEED all six pills each day once we're eating a full diet again. I'm planning on cutting down to four pills a day once I start eating more veggies again.

I like 110 calories per 25 grams of protein. (that's 30 grams of powder usually) JayRobb and Isopure both fit the bill for me.. Isopure actually has 105 calories per 25 grams of protein!

I was a total of four months with the super low carb like this (3.5 months preop and 2 weeks post op) and I did lose a lot of weight (for me) I'm now on regular "low carb" keeping my carbs under 70 and I have to say that even though I have been stalled for the past two weeks, It feels great to give my body a little break from ketosis. I think I'll go like this for another month and then consider returning to the ketogenic approach.

I LOVE the magic bullet.. You are not on pureed for long, but it is a great machine for a healthier lifestyle well beyond the puree stage. If you can afford it, I'd recommend the nutribullet over the magic bullet as it is more powerful, but still the magic bullet is awesome for pureeing foods, chopping veggies and making basic smoothies.. I also use it for frozen coffee Protein shakes. YUM! I did buy a lot of protein because I do like to supplement with a Protein shake daily even before surgery, and I forsee that I will continue to want to. I bought several 24 ounce Jay Robb bags of various flavors and a huge vanilla Isopure. I use the vanilla isopure almost every day 1/2 scoop in my coffee.. and I use the Jay robb here and there, to add to my Vitamin Water or another "fruity" liquid though I get most of my protein through my foods. Once I start juicing again, I'll be putting a scoop of protein in my green juice so I know I'll use what I have and will need to buy more as needed. I made sure I had some jell-o and pudding. I also bought PB2 and torani syrups. I made sure I had everything necessary to care for my incisions as well as gasx strips, colace, laxatives and immodium. I purchased all of my Vitamins in advance too.. I bought a nice new set of measuring cups with round bottoms to make it easier to scoop food with. I made sure I had some compression stockings since I had to fly home from my surgery.

The Mexico doctors I spoke with specifically asked about smoking too.. Even though I had checked "no" on the questionnaire, I was still asked again by the doctor at the hospital and warned not to smoke post surgery.

Smoking inhibits blood flow and healing. Before any elective surgery the doctor will require quitting smoking for a period before and after the surgery until you are fully healed.

Waking up from anesthesia was hard for me. Once I was fully aware of my surroundings and what was going on it was much better. My surgery was in the morning. By early afternoon I was walking. I had small bouts of nausea, mostly when I'd walk, but I didn't vomit. The first few days I'd have spasms in my stomach... felt like period cramps but in my stomach instead of uterus! The spasms were not constant and not unbearable, but if I was walking when I got one it was enough to stop me in my tracks until it subsided. The day after surgery I had my IV removed because my veins weren't cooperating. I had my leak test and was cleared to drink. Drinking was no problem for me and I was able to get myself hydrated. Once I didn't have my IV anymore, I had to take my medications orally. No problem swallowing pills at all. I didn't get any more pain medicine except for a sublingual NSAID that I could take as needed. I took some on the day after surgery and the third day and after that no more pain meds. On the third day, I had my drain removed.. I felt a little pinch when he was cutting the sutures around it and then he had me take a deep breath and blow out.. Didn't feel a thing as he removed the drain. Recovery from this surgery went WAY better than I expected. Several years ago I had my gallbladder removed and I felt like I was run over by a truck. Any time I moved I felt like all my organs were going to fall out of my vagina. It was horrible... With the Sleeve surgery, I didn't feel any of that. Yeah, I felt some tenderness and I couldn't sleep on my side and there was some pulling where the incisions were but it was all quite mild compared to my gallbladder surgery.

Meh, I've been so fortunate as to be able to tolerate EVERYTHING I've put in my belly.... I drank 80 ounces of Water the day after surgery and at 4 weeks out I am eating generous portions (1/2 cup satisfies me.. I definitely could eat more but I feel satisfied with 1/2 cup so that's how much I measure for myself) The only things I haven't had yet are hard fruits, Breads, seeds and citrus. The breads, I'm not going to eat because I don't eat wheat and wheat free alternatives are loaded with high glycemic junk and the seeds and citrus are listed for introduction week 6 so I'm waiting for that. I recognize that I've been very fortunate in my recovery and my tolerance. I've always had an Iron stomach, so I guess I also have an iron sleeve! I never had much inflammation and I've never slimed or thrown up since surgery. I'm THRILLED that I've been fortunate but I DEFINITELY understand that not everyone is so fortunate. There are some who struggle to even take in water early on. There are some who become lactose intolerant. There are some who just have a sensitive sleeve that won't tolerate certain things until months and months later. We're all different and going to have different recoveries.

Super hero type? No thanks.. I've always had a thing for Jimmy Stewart....

Staying away from home cooked foods???? I just enter my recipe into MFP and it gives me an accurate calorie count.

I am four weeks out and I am averaging 700-900 calories per day. Yesterday I had 849 calories, 64 carbs, 33 fat and 75 Protein. I'm not even trying hard to be low calorie right now.. If I wanted to work at it.. I could get 70-80 grams of protein with just 600 calories but I want to see what my body can do in the 700-900 calorie range. If you want to consume fewer calories you definitely can do that and still hit your protein goals.. Here's an example of my breakfast 1/2 cup cottage cheese 80 calories 13 grams of protein -vs- your honey yogurt 190 calories 12 grams of protein. Or take my dinner 1/4 cup chicken and 1/4 cup green beans- 67 calories and 12 grams of protein. -vs- two spring rolls with 173 calories and 8 grams of protein.

Happy Birthday! I celebrated my birthday on liquids too! Best present I ever gave myself!

I was at Mi and I didn't have the third test where I drink the blue stuff, but the doctors ordered that test for other patients. I even asked the nurses about it and they checked my charts and said "oh no, you don't need to do that one". So it seems it can vary from doctor to doctor and even from patient to patient. I suspect they didn't give me the test because I was off the IV the day after surgery and getting all my hydration from drinking my liquids... I drank 80 ounces that first day.. I guess if I had a leak something would have shown up in my drain!