castiel

I was on clear liquids for a week, and I unfortunately couldn't stand the Isopure drinks even with ice and dilution. So I didn't have Protein for a week besides the minimal amounts in broths I stuck with: chicken broth (wonton soup, campbell's and strain it, I also went to a flea market and had mexican soup that had cilantro in it) Vegetable broth French onion soup (just broth) sugar free popsicles sugar free Jello Powerade zero Water crystal light propel water

Is there a drug store open near you on xmas? Children's liquid tylenol might provide some relief until you can visit your doctor

I'm 21 and I think this might be the best decision I've made for myself. I'm still regretting it right now since it's the holidays and I can't eat all the delicious foods bc I'm on liquids, but come next month, I'm going to be more positive. I just can't wait to do all the things I've wanted to do with my body! To be very fit (even though I was before surgery) and finally see my hard work pay off. I can't wait to go clothes shopping a year from now. I'm also a little nervous for the attention and body policing. Especially about the comments about my weight loss. However, I think you'll realize that we made the right choice! I wish you the best of luck and a speedy healthy recovery.

thank you! i've been sleeping a lot and the muscle pain has subsided :] merry christmas xx

I only had gas pains while I was in the hospital, but I walked A LOT. I mean like every two hours, making circles all around the bariatric floor all night and day. I also found that while in the hospital elevating my bed to make me sit up straight and the de-elevating it almost where I was almost flat on my back helped shift the gas around and ease the pain significantly.

My father was very overweight and lost over 100 pounds using weight watchers. He also takes so many vitamins that he has his own drawer for them. His psoriasis on his elbows has completely vanished, and he claims it's the vitamin E pills and the biotin he takes. But I think he might just be a miracle case

Congratulations! Just keep walking and sipping that water. Make sure to get lots of sleep too! I'm officially a week post op today. It does get better. Take care xx

Glad to see you're doing well. I'm doing okay with the liquids, it's just hard with the protein since I just started. I'm only getting about 40-50 grams in. My next appointment is on the 28th. Hopefully the doctor and nut will be happy with my progress.

Holy cow! I'd be so scared of a leak. I did eat a few crumbs of bread and just let them dissolve in my mouth as well as 1/4tbsp of Peanut Butter over the course of 20mins but full on food makes me nervous. Just be careful. Don't want to aggravate the staple lines!

Hi everyone! I'm also a 17th sleever. I'm down 23 pounds (although I didn't have a pre-op liquid stage so I account the loss to that). Some days I feel normal, and other days I feel so tired I want to cry. Showering actually takes a lot of out of me and leaves me dizzy. It's been hard not eating all week. I wouldn't care if I never had chicken broth EVER AGAIN. I'm having serious head hunger, and I admit to chewing and spitting food at least 4x this week. Today is my family holiday gathering and my father is making all these delicious foods that I can't eat, and I have to deal with my entire extended family asking me questions, but I'm prepared to defend myself if I get negative comments! I don't regret this surgery one bit, it's just super hard around the holidays. My nana called it modern day torture haha. I started full liquids yesterday (Monday instead of Tuesday) because I just couldn't wait. I couldn't stand Clear Liquids any longer. But now I know in about 2 days I'll be sick of muscle milk, regular milk, sugar free pudding, and creamy broths. I also stretched my back out in my sleep last night and it pulled on my stomach stitches and holy cow did that burn and wake me up out of a deep sleep! No nausea at all after the first day home. The pain meds have only been used a few times this week after walking around way too much with muscle soreness. I'm glad to see everyone is doing so well!

you could be lactose intolerant. i bought lactaid milk and some lactaid pills this week just in case i was. but luckily when i tried milk for my first time today i didn't get sick. maybe take it easy and try some lactose pills? also are you taking ppis as well as nausea meds?

I often don't think BMI is the best calculator for health. I mean a few years ago they changed the BMI overweight range from 28 to 25, making hundreds of thousands if not millions overweight over night! And some people who are really thin have high cholesterol and BP. it's about how we treat our bodies and what we put into them. This is a tool! I think people just need to find a good weight that works for them.

Just some suggestions but vitamin E gel pills might help. If you can, try rubbing them to help increase blood flow. I've also heard that going tanning can help with the scarring later, but I'm against using tanning beds. maybe in the summer months you can catch some rays on your tummy!

Oh goodness! I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time with full liquids. I start them today and I can't wait to try muscle milk. I also bought myself some Lactaid milk to drink this week in case my attempts with skim milk mixed with powdered milk go bad. It's been hard just sipping broth, jello, powerade zero and water. I also bought sugar free hot cocoa that i plan to mix with milk and chocolate protein powder when it comes in the mail! I still get hungry, but I know what you mean about feeling faint. I felt like that yesterday and I couldn't even go home to sleep. Once I slept though, I felt much much better. Try and stay hydrated and catch some Z's. Best of luck to you.

I messed up my post yesterday, today I'm officially 5 days post op. I'm down another 2 pounds. 253 from 271! I woke up feeling horrible though. I had a sour stomach. I quickly grabbed my pepcid and took it with a swig of water followed by an anti-nausea dissolveable. I then took my first real shower since Sunday night. WOOHOO! However, I felt so weak. My arm muscles started to burn when I was washing my hair. When I got out, it was nice putting on fresh comfy clothes. Being so tired and drained, I slept for another 5-6 hours and I still felt awful when I woke up around 7PM. My sleep is all reversed now. I sleep all day and stay up all night :[ I went for a walk this evening, but it was way too cold and I wasn't properly dressed. (Note to self: Don't walk around with leggings as pants in winter). I definitely hydrated more this evening, and I'm feeling much better. I started getting incision pains, but not the external kind, it's the internal kind. I'M SO PARANOID I'M PUSHING MY SLEEVE TOO HARD WITH ALL THIS PAIN FROM DRINKING. It's not bad pain when I'm drinking, it's only after when I realize I did it too fast. I'm not having an issue drinking and keeping things down at all. I just really don't want a leak or an abscess. I wish Tuesday would come (Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!) so I can start some protein shakes and drink some milk. Maybe I could even try some egg nog (non-alcoholic of course) and water it down with skim milk. I know I could use the fat and protein to help me with energy because right now I'm barely getting any. and still no protein after trying isopure clear drinks this week. I think maybe max a day I'm getting between 5-10grams. WHICH IS HORRIBLE! I'm going to Wal-mart tomorrow to get some vitamins, lactaid, sugar free syrups, powdered milk, and a temporary protein powder until my nectar chocolate truffle comes in the mail. I know by next Thursday, I'm going to be sick of protein shakes!

Yes, I walked soooo much after surgery, but surprisingly no one made me. I just read on here all the time that it is so important to walk. I was deathly afraid of blood clots, because being young doesn't mean I can't get them. I walked so much today at a huge flea market and walmart, and when I came home I needed to lay down and take some pain meds. I'm paying for it now by being super sore in the abdomen, but at least I burned more calories. I'm definitely taking it easy when I can! Best of luck to you and get some rest :]

Just when I didn't think my energy levels could get any lower, today was a true test. I had to stay up all night finishing a paper, and I was going to go to sleep sometime around 11AM. However, my mom and extended family wanted to drag me out shopping. I was in such a foul mood my mom told me to stay home, and I almost did, but then she felt bad and made me go. Needless to say, walking around with no sleep, protein, sugars, carbs in my body made me feel so physically and mentally exhausted I wanted to cry. The mall was crowded and I couldn't stand all the people around. (Normally I'm such a social person and don't mind at all). But today, everything was pushing my buttons. We also went to Costco. MAN, THAT WAS SO DIFFICULT. If any of you know about Costco, Sam's or BJ's, they offer free samples of their food products. Well, almost every isle had something. Cheesecake, crackers, spreads, mozzarella sticks, pizza, cookies, candy. I wanted to scream right in the middle of the store. But I didn't have a single bite of anything and I felt at least a little proud of myself. I think I caught this one guy staring at me as I was eyeballing my grandmother so hard for eating a lovely piece of candy. I felt like he was thinking "Why isn't this fat girl eating all of the samples?" But oh well. LIQUIDS ARE KILLING ME. I picked up some light muscle milk (said not made with milk) and some lactaid milk as well in case I am lactose intolerant. I also have to buy lactaid pills, just in case. However, I hope I can definitely stand milk. I kind of had a NSV today. When I was at the mall I was looking for a holiday outfit. I still bought a dress in a 22, but I probably could've got it in a 20. However, I did try on this lace party dress in a 20, and holy cow, IT FIT! I haven't tried on jeans because they're uncomfortable, but maybe 16 pound weightloss did help me get down to a 20. It's been since high school that I've been in a 20. I've been a 22 for the last 4 years. When I reach a 14, I feel like the world's fashion doors will open to me. Oh, when I came home, I slept for 10 hours o.O Can't say I didn't need it! xx

My fear is a leak too. The only other fears I have is gaining it back and that we don't know the health outcomes of this type of surgery many years down the road. I'm 21 now, but will I have health issues like deficiencies or any other horror stories from gastric bypass patients (even though vsg is different) when I'm 40?

Are you taking any nausea meds? I have a sublingual one and it helps me. I'm glad you're getting the isopure down! I've tried 4 flavors and so far: YUCK!

I had surgery early Monday morning. I stepped on the scale, 5 days later on Friday, also early in the morning. I went from 271 to 255.5 pounds in 5 days. That's almost 16 pounds... in 5 days. Seems like a lot, almost abnormally so. My grandmother seems very excited for me, however, I keep telling her it's probably just my liver shrinking and all the waste leaving my body. Is it bad that I'm being pessimistic? I've had no issues with constipation. Still gassy, but it's making it's way out pretty fast down below and I have no shoulder, side, or chest pains. Walking a few hours after surgery and walking blocks around the surgery ward every 2 hours really did help me, I think. A lot of the nurses were amazed. I didn't see many other bariatric patients walking around until late at night I saw one man walking a little bit from his room until he turned around and went back. I remember the next day after surgery when I did the x-ray test and had to drink that nasty liquid, I ran into a young woman named Monica waiting for it, too. She looked at me and asked "What did you get?" I mentally laughed and then said the vertical sleeve, and she said she had the same. I asked her what he goal weight was and she said 140. I'm going for 150-155. We talked about gas pain, but I told her I was up and walking a few hours after surgery. I know I mentioned the VST forum and asked if she was on it, and she asked me my name, but I thought she meant my username.... obviously the drugs got to me and I gave her my username (Castiel is a name of a character from a TV show) and yeah.... so she didn't know my name until a nurse called it. probably thought I was crazy haha. I didn't see her walking around the floor at all during my stay nor could I find her room til the very very end right before she was leaving :[ I wanted to wish her good luck! Right now, I'm seriously hungry. I'm only on clear liquids, no protein. I can't stand the taste of isopure. It's revolting! I thought it was okay before surgery, but that weird filmy after taste and the smell? no thanks. I know it's bad, but I had a half of a teaspoon of peanut butter over the course of a half hour with water swished in my mouth. I was prepared to get sick, but so far I'm okay. I feel drained of energy, and I just need some good tasting protein shakes (not until monday). These next two weeks of liquids and full liquids can't go fast enough! I'm ready for some mashed potatoes and pureed beans... maybe even with a little sour cream, and a glass of milk! I think the hardest part is getting through this month until I can finally get to soft foods. Head hunger is killing me and I can't wait to have smaller portions of healthy good tasting stuff! I'm also paranoid I have leak already, but I guess I'll find out when I have a fever and more intense pains. I seem to be straining my stitches a lot :[

I was also sleeved on 12/17 and I feel like on x-mas day while everyone is eating delicious foods, I'll be in my room hiding from everyone to avoid from crying or something lol. I chose this time because I needed to heal before heading back to college. I kind of regret it right now, but I know in May when I graduate it'll feel good to be 30+ pounds down! I think it's important to realize you'll be losing weight over the holidays while people may gain, and yeah, it stinks you'll miss out on the food, but it's just 2 days or so! 2 LITTLE DAYS OUT OF THE WHOLE YEAR. We can make it!