Chris R

I started soft foods yesterday. I had a brainstorm for dinner that may sound gross, but it tasted delicious. I beat an egg with 1/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese and a teaspoon of cold water, fried in in butter-flavored cooking spray and seasoned with a touch of salt and pepper- yummy!

I had my surgery 2 weeks ago on my 50th birthday, and 2 days before Valentines Day, so I was in the hospital for both. The way I look at it, it was the first day of a new life for me - and since I had the surgery, I didn't even miss or even want the cake and candy!

My surgeon told me to let my stomach be my guide. Eat until I feel satisfied, NOT full, and he specifically said then do NOT just wait a while until that feeling subsides and then finish it. He said if a few hours later I felt hungry, then eat again. I'm only just under 2 weeks post-op, but so fsr his advice is serving me well.

I finally got to eat an egg and some cottage cheese today! I never thought I'd be excited about that pre-op! I have to say, after reading about some people's difficulties adapting back to foods, that I seem to be very lucky. I haven't had any difficulty with any foods so far, and no trouble getting all my water down. I have been having about 800 calories a day, with 70-80g of protein. I had my surgery on my 50th birthday, February 12, not yet 2 weeks ago. I gained 10 pounds of water weight from the IVs, but I've lost that plus another 6 since coming home on Valentines Day

You'd better ask your surgeon about that. I personally agree with you on that. However, if you have to do the Protein Bars, there are several with 10g or more of Protein that are still under 200 calories. Special K has protein meal bars that are 10g and 190 calories, and Nature Valley also has a protein bar now.

I didn't use any belly bands, though I think it might have helped a little with some of the pulling sensation inside on one of my incisions from the stitches. The meds I took pre-op were all things I'd been taking for diabetes, blood pressure, and arthritis. I didn't have to take anything special before the surgery. The meds my surgeon prescribed for me post-op were a liquid antacid (Ranitidine) and a liquid pain killer (Roxicet). The Pepcid is an antacid - what I have the Ranitidine for. He said I have to take the antacid for one month - I can't wait to be off of it, because it tastes NASTY! The pain killer I'm using more for my severely arthritic knees, at least until it runs out. I used to be on meloxicam for it, but my surgeon said I shouldn't take it after surgery, at least for several months (Nsaid), and the Tramadol my regular doctor prescribed to use in place of it wasn't doing the job. My surgeon told me not to start my multi-Vitamin (chewable) until Monday (2 weeks post-op). It contains calcium citrate too - hopefully enough that, with diet, I shouldn't need an additional supplement. (I got the Bariatric Advantage fusion - the dietitian told me to take 3 a day with the sleeve surgery.) I also take Cymbalta for my arthritis pain. I know that it is also used as an antidepressant for some people. Although the instructions with the meds said do NOT crush or open the capsules, my surgeon told me that many of their patients have without a problem, so I open the capsule and mix the contents with a small spoonful of sugar-free, fat-free pudding. Sugar-free Jello works OK before you get to the full liquid phase. Hope this helps!

My surgeon gave me a prescription for a liquid form of the antacid- (Ranitidine) and pain meds (Roxicet). He also took me off all my diabetes meds (I was on 2000g of metformin XR and 45 mg of piaglitazone daily) because my blood sugars were fine, and one of my blood pressure meds (HCTZ). I've been monitoring my blood sugar daily, and my fasting sugars have run between 95 and 125, and the surgeon is very pleased with that. Check with your Dr- maybe you can come off some of them.

Wow, it's been a while since my C-section - but I'd say the pain was a lot less from the sleeve than from the C-section. I also had my gall bladder removed laproscopically - I'd say the sleeve surgery was more painful than that, but I had a very little pain with the gall bladder surgery.

I'm 10 days out too, and I have the same thing, but in the largest incision in the middle of my stomach. I saw my surgeon for a follow-up yesterday, and he said it was normal - one of the internal sutures pulling - and that it should go away in 2 - 3 weeks when the sutures dissolve. He said one day I might feel a "pop" as it gave out, and the pain would end instantly.

I'm Chris. I'm 50 years old. I had my vertical sleeve gastrectomy last Tuesday, February 12, on my 50th birthday - my present to myself lol! Here's my story. I've been overweight all my life, and have dieted 'successfully' several times, losing up to 83 pounds at a time. But each time, I'd eventually fall off the wagon and gain back everything I lost, and then some. I never even considered surgery for a moment - after all, I knew I was able to diet successfully, I just had to find a way to stick to it. I have two children, both of whom are also overweight. When I realized last Spring that my 18-year-old son now outweighed me (I was 450 lbs!) I knew something had to change. He was thinking about surgery, and although I did't relish the idea of his body being irreversibly altered at such a young age, I also didn't want him to suffer through the physical, psychological, and emotional pain that I have had to live through. We talked, and decided that we would look into the surgical option together. We went to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH - about an hour from where we live. Their Obesity Treatment Center is rated as a Bariatric Center of Excellence. They have a very comprehensive program. You are required to attend an informational session and two support group sessions, a lifestyle changes class (6 monday evenings or two Saturday mornings), two visits with an exercise physiologist, two with a dietitian (one to advise on the pre-surgery weight loss, and one to go over the 2-week pre-surgery liver-shrinking diet, the 1-day pre-surgery clear liquid diet, and the first two phases of the post-surgery diet), and and lose 8% of your body weight before you can schedule your surgery. They do lap band, sleeve, or roux en y bypass. After surgery they do several follow-ups, including two more visits with a dietitian to educate you on the post-surgery diet phases and one more with the exercise physiologist, as well as follow-ups with the surgeon, and they follow you up annually for the rest of your life. We started early last May. I had a lot more success with the 8% weight loss that my son. He's still got about 12 lbs to go. I lost 57 lbs before my surgery over 9 months. I think it's harder for a teenager to make the kind of changes in diet - but he's working toward it slowly. He hopes to be ready for surgery by the beginning of the summer, after he finishes his freshman year of college. I used myfitnesspal.com to help me with the pre-surgery weight loss. I can't get him to record what he eats, and I think it would really help him. I don't think he actually realizes how much he eats, especially when he stays up late at night gaming. As for me, so far, so good! My surgery went smoothly. My incisions are healing nicely - just a very uncomfortable pulling sensation on the largest incision when I walk for very long, which my surgeon said will magically disappear as soon as the internal sutures fully dissolve. I'm still on phase 2 - full liquids. I've been eating a lot of cream Soups, but I'm really craving something I can actually CHEW! I get to start phase 3 on Monday - soft solids, including cottage cheese, tofu, mashed potatoes, pureed poultry, fish, and veggies. Just give me some FLAVOR and TEXTURE! I haven't had any problems with sliming or vomiting. My surgeon told me let my sleeve be my guide - just eat until I feel satisfied - and don't drag out a meal by eating until you're full, then waiting a while for that feeling to subside and eat more. He said if you feel hungry a couple hours after a meal, then eat again. I've been eating about 800 calories a day since I've been on the full liquids. Usually one to two Protein shakes made with milk, one greek yogurt, and some cream Soup made with milk for lunch and/or dinner, I use myfitnesspal.com to record what I eat - it tracks not only calories, but Protein, carbs, fat, Vitamins - very handy. I gained about 10 lbs in Fluid from being on the IVs while I was in the hospital after my surgery - I've lost all that, plus 3.2 more lbs since then, 10 days post-op. Just 230 more lbs to go! LOL!

I was told 2 weeks. I'm a teacher. I planned my surgery around one of the school vacations, so I only had to miss one week of classes. However, my surgeon told me I can't lift anything heavier than 10 lbs for several weeks - so as a nurse, as someone above said, if you have to be lifting/rolling patients, maybe you can get light duty...

My post-op diet only had me on clear liquids for 2 days - then full liquids for 2 weeks, which includes sugar-free, fat-free pudding - which I find mixes with crushed meds very nicely.

What king of pre-op diet do they have you on? For how long? Are you talking long-term pre-surgery, or immediately pre-surgery? I had to lose 8% of my body weight before I could even see the surgeon, but I was on 1000 calories a day for 2 weeks prior to the surgery, then Clear liquids only the day before surgery. It's really important to stick to it, as it helps burn the fat off your liver. That's the first place your body holds onto it, but it's also the first place it will burn it from. It will make the surgeon's job a lot easier, since he needs to be working behind your liver. The clear liquids only the day before is even MORE important - you could risk infection or worse if they cut into a stomach that's not empty! Remember your goal - it's only a short period of time!