Jay1234

Surgery date march 6th Starting 330 lbs Surgery date 306 lbs Current 250 lbs Total lost 80lbs.

I did progreso split pea soup (pureed) during my purée stage and I tolerated it very well. I also did ne clam chowder (minus the solids) and that went down well too.

I did a same day surgery and wrote a detailed post. Feel free to check it out. Good luck! http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/71617-jay1234s-thread/

ok... i lied... i just tried it. I had to go to a restaurant for lunch for someone's birthday. I sipped about 4 ounces of iced tea while waiting for the food to arrive. When my soup arrived (I got French Onion soup) I just ate the broth and a few onions. No pain at all. I stayed away from the cheese and the small pieces of beef in there.

I wish I found this earlier... this puts everything into perspective. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/4458217/The-Pyloric-Valve-How-it-works-with-the-VSG/ It talks about the pyloric valve and how it operates regarding food/drink. I'm no doctor, but it looks like drinking Water (not sure about thicker liquids) BEFORE a meal is not a total deal breaker. I'm too early out to experiment, but in a few weeks, I'll try to drink some set amounts of water 5-15 minutes prior to eating to see if it causes any discomfort. I suspect as long as you're sipping, it won't effect eating at all. Of course, this is BEFORE you start eating, after that valve closes, it's a completely different story according to that link.

I've been eating pureed Soups. Progresso Mushroom Soup goes down the easiest. I tried chicken and corn chowder the other day (pureed of course) and the sleeve didn't like that. I got about three small bites in and I was done. You guys have me in the mood for mashed potatoes, so I'm going to try some thinned out this week.

Sunshine, I think seeing the 2nd leak test gave an insight. When I sipped that liquid I could see it go into the stomach and empty into the intestines within a second or two. I assume it happens the same way with Water. I used to be a chugger. Now I just fill my mouth with water and split it into two gulps. I have a 22oz container and I can typically get about 1.5 in during work on top of the 6-8 oz of Protein shake in the morning.

I ate sitting down yesterday and it was awesome! HA! Dennis is feeling great. I was so jealous of him during the trip. He had his one day prior to ours and his recovery seemed to be going so much quicker than mine.

Jesser. Duh I never really answered your question. Absolutely I would still go with dr Garcia. His team was great. I would have possibly made a different choice in venue if it was an option.

Jesser... I'm a little happier every day. I'm still having a few sharp pains here and there, I have to eat standing up at the moment and I'm getting some unpleasant surprises the past few mornings at 5 am in the form of acid reflux. I didn't expect to feel perfect one week after surgery. I know it will take time. One real positive is that I've lost 10 lbs in the past week.

They had two different operating rooms, but they were right next to each other. The best way I could describe it is... you walk into the OR/Recovery area, make a left and right at the end of the short hallway are the two operating rooms... one to the right and one to the left. If your room is on the same floor, they make you walk to the OR. If you are staying on another floor, they bring you down in your bed. It is my understanding that a few doctors work out of this facility.

Thanks for the nice words Kristina. I just wanted to answer the questions that I had going into this so the next person would feel a little more prepared than I felt.

The Docs recommended isopure for your Protein post op. I wasn't aware of this pre-op, so I asked my wife to get it for me before I returned. Apparently there is a "flavor-free" version that you can mix in with everything to get your total protein requirements for each day. They only had chocolate at the store near our home, so I'm planning on trying chocolate chicken broth later tonight. (just kidding) As for the dressing changes, Dr. Luna recommended a spray antiseptic, so my wife got me some bactine and more steri-strips... after I got home and shaved my belly, they stuck a lot better than the ones placed by the Dr.

The thing I'll never understand about this process is the unlimited number of pre-op diet variations... Some doctors do 2 weeks, some do 3 days (I know this can be based on BMI). But some also put you on a two week pre-op diet then they give you one last pig-out dinner right before surgery. I'm sure every doctor goes with their diet because that's what has worked for them in the past, but it's strange how there can be such a vast difference in practices.

Good luck!