Rena's got this

If you have had any past surgeries, you can compare your recovery to those. I had a few surgeries in the past with no complications, and this one was the same... no complications. Good luck to you!

Have you had your thyroid checked? That can stall anyone's weight loss. I gained quite a bit of weight before the doctor finally did a thyroid function check and discovered that my thyroid wasn't functioning well. After getting on thyroid medicine, I no longer felt exhausted, and was able to hold my weight without gaining more. I just couldn't lose any however. After the sleeve surgery, I'm on my way down to what I consider my normal weight! Can't wait to get there!!

Great post beautiful. People need to know the good and the bad. I am one of those lucky ones that had no complications, but like you say, everyone is different and reactions to surgery are personal. I had a couple of surgeries previously with no problems, so I didn't expect problems with this one either. Yesterday, I caught a tummy bug and spent the day in the bathroom vomiting, and with a bad case of the runs. I now know what it feels like to vomit with the sleeve. I have a much greater appreciation for what those people went through that were nauseous from the beginning. It ain't fun at all (understatement!). I'm glad you are doing better. Keep up the good work and the good attitude. I was sleeved a day before you were, and feel like a new era of my life is beginning.

I put a tablespoon of PB2 in one of my Premier Protein drinks. I couldn't drink it, it tasted really bad to me. So now, I have this almost new can of PB2 and I won't be using it unless I can come up with something else to put it in.

I was sleeved on Feb 25, and had a very easy recovery. No nausea or gas pain, and very little incision pain. So now, 5 weeks out, I catch some kind of stomach bug. Vomited 4 times, low grade fever, and major runs. I've lost 6 pounds overnight in Fluid alone. I already have trouble getting all my fluid in, so I don't need to become dehydrated. Any ideas on how to re-hydrate myself without getting nauseated again? Sipping Water now, but it isn't going to be enough. Forget about eating anything...not gonna happen today.

Gateorade helped. I tried the G2 Frost which tasted good. Haven't liked Gateorade in the past. I managed about 25 oz of liquid yesterday, no food. I feel better today, but weak.

Wow...I'm glad you posted about this. Prepare for TMI. I am 5 weeks out and for the past two weeks have had a lot of itching. The itching is only in my pubic area though. There is absolutely no itching within, only on the outer skin. I've tried putting powder on it, using benadryl cream, using hydrocortisone cream...even very hot water, which always worked whenever I've had poison ivy. All of these will work for about 8 hours, then the itching starts up again. I am going to bring it up with my surgeon when I go in in a week. When I had my wisdom teeth out, the doc warned me about the anesthesia. He said I would feel intense itching in my pubic area just before I went unconscious. He was right. It was a strong itch, and it is in the same area that I'm itching now, so I'm also wondering if it is a delayed reaction to the anesthesia like someone else posted. This is not an area you want to scratch in public...lol.

My sister in law had bypass surgery last April (2013). She gave me all her large clothes, and I found a lot of good items among the ton of clothes she gave me. She is shorter than me, so all of them won't fit. I'm torn between just donating them to goodwill or trying to sell or swap them online. I'm rather lazy, lol. I have a boxfull that I need to get rid of, but all of a sudden, I'm dropping sizes, so I know I will be adding to the box in the next few weeks. She has dropped so much weight...she is now 114, and is 5'2". I worry that she has lost too much, not because of her new slender size, but because she looks so weary and fragile. She looks like she has lost a lot of hair, and what is remaining is rather fly-away and damaged. I don't want to look like that when I lose. I'm only 2 years younger than her. I told her about Premier Protein drinks, and I know she drinks at least two of these a day now, but still....wow!

I no longer have PMS thankfully, but stress and boredom are killers for me. Last night I was so hangry that I took a bag of Doritos and licked the seasoning off of them before tossing them in the trash. How embarrassing to have to resort to that. I am pretty sure it was due to loneliness. I live alone most of the time, and all my friends are married with children, so I just can't just go off and visit. Even though I am an introvert, and have no problems with staying by myself, there are times I wish I had a significant other just to spend time with. I have a few internet friends, but it just isn't the same. Hopefully those days are few and far between.

You are right...it is a scary step, but you know that it is the right thing for you to do. You are taking charge of your health and your life. You may not get all positive feedback from your family, but just look past it, they may be worried and concerned that something may happen. When it is all over and done with and you are in your nice new slender size, and your major health issues are now minor or even nonexistent, I'll bet they will all have positive things to say! Many hugs to you!

Highest weight: 248 Surgery weight: 238 Current weight: 224 My surgery date was Feb 25th. Total weight loss = 24 lbs. Weight loss since surgery: 14 lbs.

AMEN! There is one related subject that I won't be posting about anymore because I perceived some responses to be harsh. I was already down in the dumps and made a post asking for advice regarding food choices. Some of the responses made me feel like I was having my hand slapped due to my choices, and I understood their point, but I came out feeling a lot more depressed. Thanks Alex....we are all in this to support each other.

I was an avid breadaholic before my surgery. Recently I tried a slice of buttered toast, and to my dismay, I loved it, and it didn't bother me in the least. I was soooo hoping I'd be one of those people who would decide they didn't like bread afterwards. I'm going to have to consciously avoid breads because I don't think my sleeve will do it for me.

Maybe you ARE getting enough liquids. Even though you only seem to get 20 oz of water, remember that the liquid from your soup also counts for water. You are probably getting more than you realize.

The radish did you in!! LOL. I am one month out from my surgery and nothing has bothered me. I am on soft foods at this point. I tried an experiment with a couple of fried shrimp and french fries..... didn't bother me, but it just didn't taste good. Too fatty I suppose. I'll have to find another favorite food. Right now it is refried Beans with melted cheese.

I didn't have my gall bladder out with my surgery. I kind of wanted to, because both my mother and my sister had to have their gall bladders out in their 30s. Neither was overweight at the time. I spoke about this to my surgeon, and after the surgery he gave me some medication to take for the next six months which will help prevent gallstones. From what I understand, rapid weight loss may cause gallstones for some.

I only had one week of pre-op diet. My BMI was a little over 40. As to going back to work....I had the surgery on a Tuesday (Feb 25th), and went back to work the following Monday. I could only make it a half day on Monday, a full day on Tuesday, a half day on Wednesday. The main reason I didn't do all full days was because I was exhausted. When you don't eat a lot after major surgery, you need to baby yourself a little I think. I had a very smooth surgery with no problems very little pain, no nausea or gas.

I love me some Premier Protein drinks! I'm nearly a month out and I'm drinking one now. They come pre-mixed, so you don't have to worry about mixing powders or anything with them. My favorite is the chocolate. Tastes just like chocolate milk to me. Sometimes they can get a little thick. I had a 4 pack that was listed to expire in June 2014, and I noticed they were exceptionally thick, to the point of clumping. I contacted the company to ask if they were still good to drink. They told me that yes, because they have such a high protein contact, that sometimes clumping will happen. You just have to make sure you shake them up really good. They said they would send me a replacement pack anyway. When I got the replacement pack, I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of the 4 pack I was expecting, they sent me an 18 pack (11 oz, 30 grams protein). Now THAT is customer service!!!

I've heard that for the first month, most people have regrets, and that afterwards, most people are glad that they did it. I didn't really have any regrets. For some reason I was one of the really lucky ones who had very little pain, no nausea, no gas problems, and wounds healing up with no problems. I find myself fighting that head hunger monster a lot. I'm only one month post op. I also find myself talking to my sleeve a lot, especially when it is burbling and grumbling. Goes something like "awww shush....you were fed, now settle down and do your job!" I also talk to my head...."yeah, just look at that donut....so full of fat and carbs...it will not make sleevie happy at all so forget about it!"

I am 3 weeks out and by the time I get home around 5pm, I am exhausted. I've been taking a sublingual B-12 Vitamin along with my regular Multivitamin, but it hasn't helped that much.

If you've been cleared for Tilapia I don't see why you couldn't have something like Cream of Wheat or Refried Beans with melted cheese and chicken broth to make it more watery. Both are delicious.

I want to eat real food so bad.... I'm 2 weeks and 5 days out and am supposed to be on pureed foods starting at 2 weeks. I actually have been eating pureed foods much earlier, and have had a small amount of barbecued chicken at least 3 times (not the skin). I have had no nausea, no heartburn, and no problems eating at all, except for perhaps...burping a lot. I can't wait until 4 weeks for "soft" foods....that horse has left the barn already. I feel the restriction and have to limit amounts, but I feel like I have the sleeve of steel and want to go ahead and start eating regular foods. Does anyone think this is dangerous? I'm being very careful and chewing everything to a pulp. Guess I'll call my nutritionist and 'fess up to see what she thinks. I did experiment with one of my pre-op favorite foods, and discovered that it is no longer going to be a favorite. I had a couple of fried shrimp with about 5 french fries. Chewed to a pulp of course... but it didn't really taste good to me. I think it just tasted too fatty/greasy. On the other hand, refried Beans with cheese is absolutely delicious. Think I might also have a small case of the blues, and I want my old friend food back in my life.

I've thought about grumble tum or gurgley myrtle...due to all the noises it is now capable of, but generally I don't call it anything.

I waited until the last minute then told my ex. We share joint custody of teens, and he needed to know. I asked him not to share it with anyone, but true to form, it became a topic he felt compelled to talk about. I get a phone call from his sister's husband and it goes something like...."I heard you just did something really drastic...what the he..ll were you thinking. You could have done it through Weight Watchers or something." Yes, I was disappointed and bummed....but you can't change a leopard's spots. I kinda knew the Beans would get spilled.

Twice a day....once at night before I go to bed, and once in the morning. It is when I never weighed myself that I tended to gain weight in the past.