kulita

I laid in a recliner for the first 2 weeks. My left side was sore and tender. Then I moved to the bed with me propped up with pillows. I am almost 3 weeks out now, and it is getting a lot easier. My left side is still a ta tender but no where near what it was.

Travel.... like in flying? If that is the case you may want to err on the side of caution and not fly for a month afterwards to reduce the possibility of blood clots forming.

What a journey you have been on! I am glad that the stents are put in and you are doing much better. Things are going to get a lot easier from here on out.

Ok Don't laugh, but I take 5000mg daily. I know that seems a lot but I was assured that it was ok.

Getting dehydrated was one of my biggest fears and in fact was part of my reason for not leaving the hospital. I had a 4 day stay. I told them that I would not leave until I knew for certain that I would not dehydrate when I went home. The 1st day of surgery I was sleeved at 0800. By 1000 I was in recovery and I was on orders to take nothing by mouth for 1 whole day. Day 2, I could barely get in 4 oz per hour... thank you IV!! Day 3 I could get in around 4 oz per hour. Day 4 I was getting 6 oz per hour. Fast Forward to almost 3 weeks and I can get in about 4 oz in about 5 minutes!! and about 17-10 oz in an hour. I NEVER thought that was going to happen when I was in the hospital. In fact I remember thinking "What have I done to myself?" It really does get better. Don't worry until you have to worry. {{{hugs}}}

Ooo I almost forgot to tell you that while I was on liquids I did have a lot of tomato soup with shredded cheddar in it. That seems to be my fallback on this stage too.

For me my puree stage is mixed with soft foods like scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, and such. These foods are so soft that after I have chewed it 15 times it is basically pulverized in my mouth. Remember you need 3 parts to make it "Soft foods" = Soft, Moist, and Tender. Is your puree mixed with soft foods? Here is what I ate today. BF- Cottage cheese Lunch- Smoked salmon (lox) with cream cheese & capers Dinner- Grilled artichokes & hollandaise

for soft foods, I personally would wait on the PB and bread, however if you want try it, make sure it is in a very small bite and wait like 5 minutes to make sure it isn't giving you a heavy feeling.

Some people really... and I mean REALLY like it. From my experience (both personal and with others) many go with unjury or to vitacost for Syntrax's nectar. I wasn't too fond of the Nectar juices but I will try them again now, that I am post op. I do still enjoy the Nectar chocolate Truffle, vanilla bean torte, and strawberry mousse

For it to be a true stall/plateau it has to have lasted for at least 3-4 weeks. I know it can seem discouraging to not see the scale move, but you are better off not even using it. In my profile blog I have something about the science of using avocados to move stalls along. Eat some avocado with every meal for 1 week and the scale should move.

I was told no massages for 1 month to reduce the incident of breaking off any blood clots that could have formed... even though I had like 9 doses of heparin with my hospital stay.

Jaynasean, are you ok now? Did you get your questions answered?

You can stretch it out but it will NEVER be the size it once was~ This came directly from the Dr. Cirangle with is attributed to developing the vertical sleeve and it's improvements. Also, I have been unable to actual find medical literature to prove that this does exist. In my blog I actually have a video that shows both a new sleeve and a sleeve that is a few years old. You can see that it is bigger but it is nowhere near the size that it used to be. http://www.verticals...ur-new-stomach/

I was just advanced to soft foods and the first thing I ate was greens and baked mac & cheese! To me they are soft... not like steak, and I was able to tolerate it. For me, food is a social thing. I love not only the good food, but the good company of friends and family. During gatherings or picnics there is nothing wrong with taking a small sample. Also, if you really want to avoid it you could up your protein a bit and go with your own meals already packed... but my family would see this as an insult, and if my mom were still alive she would tell me to save what I brought and eat her food, and I would gladly oblige. Does everyone in your family know about your surgery?

He ya go, enjoy the video and info. http://www.verticals...ur-new-stomach/

^ me too. In fact I am not so sure that I want all of my butt to go. I like the cushioning and so does my hubby

^ those Protein shots are not made of quality protein. They are made with collagen and not whey. Your body does not process collagen the same way as whey isolate and will flush it through. Don't waste your money. Go with unjury (unjury.com) or Syntrax's nectar sweets (vitacost.com or vitaminshoppe) they are smooth and palatable and easy to mix with yogurts, cottage cheese, Water, milk, kefir, pudding...

Don't laugh.... I thought the W meant "wide".. I always got this size because of my big ol' booty and they seemed to fit better.

My NUT said to eat 3 oz of protein first, then 3 oz green/red veggies, then any starches last. If I try it this way I will be less likely to eat the carbs as I should be full on the protein and veggies, however, if I do have room it may be for 1 bite of starches. A lot of people on here do limit their carbs to maximize weight loss, but they don't completely eliminate them. Chances are high that these people are getting their carbs from milk, veggies, and fruits.

If you eat to your hearts content then you may make it difficult for the surgeon to maneuver around with an enlarged liver. This could result in an OPEN surgery or worse complications. I have heard of Dr's canceling the surgery and postponing it until patients dropped a few pounds mainly so that the liver can be a little lighter. I do understand you feeling this way though. A lot of people do think like this. I know I did with almost every food. My thinking was GOD help me if can't have dragonfruit or a cheese & sausage plate in a month. I was/am a HUGE foodie. I LOVE food- GOOD FOOD. See, my problem was not eating bad/junk food. I just ate Waay too much of good food. I mean I mostly shop at Whole Foods and farmers markets. I enjoyed the company of my friends while eating too, so, food was my social friend. What I can say is this, eventually you will be able to eat most if not all of it again, just in smaller bites. Take this time now to think of how you came to the stage where you needed this surgery to begin with. I know you had your lap band removed for various reasons ... but why did you get that one? THOSE are the reasons why you should be thinking of helping your body along to do it's best for a successful surgery and recovery. Remember food can still be your friend just not your lover. If you can survive with the lapband, I know you will do GREAT with the sleeve. I wish you lots of luck with your upcoming surgery. PM me if you need to chat.

The only thing that has given me a sick feeling is the Crystal lite fruit punch. Eck! For some reason I have had a low tolerance of many foods with lots of coloring. This drink has lots of red dye #40.

I love Hot and Sour soup.... Um... I had Tom Yum the other day and it was de-lish. Very similar to Hot and Sour but more brothy.. Get it from a REALLY good Thai place. I hope I can still have hot and sour soup..

I wish I knew how to sip before hand. I must have looked like a dog drinking Water before the surgery, LOL! I know this seems silly but I have to sip like a lady now, with my lips actually touching the liquid before I can open my mouth. If I open my mouth any sooner then I swallow a bunch of air and I get gassy. Right after the operation it was hard to burp it out and it caused me some minor pain. I am over 2 weeks out now, and it is a little better but I still sip out of fear that I will get gassy again.

You look fantastic!