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What are they testing for?

I haven't had those dumping symptoms, but I did become a little lactose intolerant postop. Not in a diarrhea kind of way, but milk really hurt my sleeve when I drank it from about 1-4 months out. Same with artificial sweeteners and plain water. They would hurt my tummy. I had to switch to drinking lactaid milk, dilute juices and other things that contained real sugar and find some protein drinks sweetened with stevia. All of this pretty much resolved after 4 months, but I find I really don't like the taste of artificial sweeteners anymore.

Same here. I had NO desire to eat or drink anything. Getting fluids and protein was a huge, unwelcome chore. I just MADE myself eat and drink what I knew I was supposed to. After about 3 months, I started feeling more normal and by 4 months my appetite was totally back and I have enjoyed eating ever since. It will get better!

90% of the time when someone comments or asks about my weight loss I tell them I had surgery. Their next question is bypass or Lapband? I explain about the sleeve gastrectomy and answer any other questions they have. Everyone has been happy and express congratulations with how great I look and feel. A few have even asked for my surgeon's contact info...including my OB/Gyn who wanted to pass it on to other patients. The end result of my openness is a better educated person who can now tell their friends "yeah, I know someone who had weight loss surgery and she looks great!" For me, it's been so much easier than lying and telling half-truths. If anyone is talking negatively behind my back, I don't know about it and wouldn't care anyways. For the 10 % I don't tell about surgery, those are usually clients that I don't particularly like and don't really want to have any sort of non-business related conversation with.

Ugh! I feel for you. I had to do a colon prep for a fecal transplant and it was worse than the preop diet, the surgery recovery, and even the diarrhea I had for 2 months from a Clostridial infection. (That's why I needed the fecal transplant). And they definitely need to adjust the prep directions to account for VSG patients. No WAY could I drink all that nasty liquid in the time frame they were asking. And the "results" kicked in MUCH sooner than they indicated. Not sure what to tell you about the headache. Warm compresses or cold compresses wrapped around your head? Good luck!

Ditto. No time constraints here. Sometimes I don't get home from work until 8-9pm. So I'm eating dinner at 9:30. In bed by 10:30. Even if I eat dinner at a "normal" time, I do have a bedtime snack. Usually cottage cheese and peaches, Greek yogurt, apples and PB, pretzel chips or nuts. Sometimes I 'm a really good girl and just have camomille tea. But at 6 1/2 months I'm 10 pounds under goal and still losing, so I gotta say it hasn't been detrimental for me.

I got sick of the sweet fruity stuff, too. I am now a big fan of decaf herbal tea. So many varieties and good both hot or iced. A nice cold glass of milk hits the spot for me, too. As for diet Pepsi, I wonder if freezing some into a Popsicle would remove the carbonation and maybe satisfy your craving?

I got my appetite back and could eat anything around 3 months. I welcomed the not getting sick from eating whatever I want part! I will get full pretty quick if I eat I eat dense proteins first. However, I can eat things like yogurt, eggs, cheese, fruit, mashed potatoes, nuts, soup, cereal, etc. and not get full at all. (And I'm sure I could down a LOT of chips or ice cream if I wanted to.) But where's the rule that says we have to eat until we're full? If I'm eating something that isn't as filling, I simply stop when I know I've had "enough". Then I wait 45-60 minutes and start drinking. I will be hungry again in about 3 hours and then I eat again. Rarely do I eat until I'm full. The goal should be about getting good nutrition including minimum goals of protein and water. It shouldn't be about feeling full.

Freeze pop, oh, believe me, I took a LOT of probiotics (34 different strains, 100 billion CFU/day plus Saccharomyces boulardii) before, during and after the other treatments. Still didn't work. And no, the metronidazole and vancomycin do not encourage growth of the C. diff, they do kill it (that's why the diarrhea would resolve while I was taking them) but they also kill everything else. After stopping the antibiotics it was like a race to see what would come back first...the C. diff or the good bugs. Despite all the probiotics, the C. diff always won. I am a vet tech, and animals get C. diff as well. Considering my exposure, I've probably been an asymptomatic carrier for years. I can't remember the last time I ever antibiotics, so the Clindamycin likely just tipped my flora balance just enough for the C. diff to proliferate. We treat dogs and cats with metronidazole. We treat horses with probiotics (particularly Saccharomyces boulardii) and sometimes fecal transplants. Foals usually die before we can even treat. Calves will drop dead within a day if they get an infection. This is such an issue, there is a vaccine for cows and goats that protects against 8 different Clostridial strains, and Merck is currently doing studies to try and develop a similar vaccine for people. It's not the Clostridial bug itself that does the damage, it's the toxins they release and that's what the vaccine protects against. As for my transplant, it worked fabulous. My diarrhea cleared up immediately and never came back. That was 3 months ago.

Yes, you read it right! Here's a little background.... I was sleeved on 12/20 everything went great. Then I got a tooth root abscess one week postop and my dentist put me on 10 days of clindamycin. I normally would have passed on the antibiotics and taken a more cautious approach, but we both agreed the possibility of the bacteria from the tooth root traveling to my new stomach incision and setting up an abscess was just too much of a risk. 5 weeks post op I developed bad diarrhea. Based on the recent antibiotic regimen, My PCP immediately suspected Clostridial difficile infection, but the test was negative. Put me on a week of metronidazole until the diarrhea cleared. After another recurrence of diarrhea a week later, resulting in severe dehydrating requiring IV fluids, my doc ran a bunch of tests and this time the C. Diff came back positive. Two weeks on metronidazole (which, by the way made me very sick) cleared the diarrhea. But 8 days later, more diarrhea, more metronidazole, more IV fluids and a trip to a gastroenterologist and infectious disease specialist. The gastro switched me to vancomycin which fortunately, did not make me sick like the metronidazole. The infectious disease doc said they see 10 new cases of C. Diff every week and the are currently doing a study on a new treatment. I decided to give the vancomycin a try and declined the trial study, because what good would it do if I ended up in the control group and only got the placebo. So 8 days after finishing the vanco, the diarrhea came back AGAIN. The gastro is now suggesting a fecal transplant. Even though it's considered "experimental" and insurance won't pay for it, He's seen a 90% cure rate with it. So I recruited a donor (my PCP actually volunteered his wife ) and she has to go through a huge stool and blood screening protocol to make sure she can't give me anything (HIV, syphilis, H. Pylori, giardia, etc.) and next Thursday her poo will become my poo! We will have our own special meaning of BFF (best fecal friends). This isn't exactly a direct VSG complication, but having GI surgery, being on PPI's, and being on antibiotics are all risk factors that probably contributed. Not too mention having a teeny sleeve prevented me from being able to hydrate properly which resulted in having to get IV fluids 3 times. Anyways, I'll keep you posted on my ground-breaking procedure!

I get full on a very small amount of dense Protein, but there are some things that won't fill you up (aka slider foods ).....you can eat ice cream, chips, donuts, chocolate, etc all day long. The surgery simply makes your stomach smaller, but what you put in it and how often is up to you. Surgery doesn't "Fix" cravings and head hunger. For example, you won't be able to eat a whole pizza for one meal, but you could munch all day and end up eating a whole pizza over several hours. After surgery it's up to you to choose what to eat and to not graze all day long. Personally I am hungry and eat every 3 hours or so. But I eat protein, veggies, some fruit and whole grains. Carbs, sweets and alcohol are rare indulgences, but could totally sabotage my weight loss if I ate them regularly. Of course I still like these things, but I have to CHOOSE to not to eat them. If these things are not what you expected, maybe you should step back and take another look at what exactly this surgery can do for you. It really is 10% physical and 90% mental.

Definitely get on a PPI. Acid reflux is very common immediately postop. It may or may not become a long term problem. Most surgeons send you home with a PPI to help decrease stomach acid and promote healing. I had my surgery in Mexico too, and my surgeon REQUIRED a minimum of 2 months of Omeprazole 40mg. Even with that I still needed Rolaids or Maaloxx occasionally. After 2 months I weaned down to the 20mg OTC dose for a couple weeks and then stopped completely. Fortunately I have had no GERD symptoms.

I lost 22 pounds on my 16 day preop. 3 high protein/low carb shakes/day and unlimited leafy and green veggies....kale, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, green Beans, edemame. No butter, no dressing, no sauces. It's just a matter of how bad you want this. And like Bigmommatojacob said, you have to change how you eat after surgery anyways. Believe me, several months out (if not sooner) your hunger will return and it all becomes a head game and making good choices.

You can check out the nutritional info here.... http://media.olivegarden.com/en_us/pdf/olive_garden_nutrition.pdf But pretty sure all of their soups have chunks in them. You could ask them to strain them for you, otherwise you'd have to carefully sip off the liquid part only. Personally I diluted and strained every cream Soup I could find and added unjury unflavored Protein powder during my full liquid stage. I ran them through a blender during mushies.....cream of asparagus, cream of chicken, cream of shrimp, potato leek, tomato, cream of mushroom, lobster bisque' wonton soup broth, hot and sour broth, etc..... I never paid any attention to the fat content. You can eat so little at that stage, and our bodies still need fat for proper cell function and growth.

I'm doing fantastic! I hit surgeon's goal a month ago and my personal goal last week. I started adding more fat (2% instead of skim milk, regular cottage cheese instead of nonfat, 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee, etc) and healthy carbs (whole grain bars, sesame sticks, more fruits) to my diet after hitting surgeons goal and am still losing about 1 pound/week. I take 2 Garden of Life Vitamin Code for women (which is 1/2 the recommended dose) daily, and B12 sublingual and D3 5000iu 3-4 times/ week. I was taking Iron and Calcium, too, but these were both high on my 6 month bloodwork so I eliminated the calcium (I eat a lot of dairy, anyways) and only take the iron 1x/week. The rest of my bloodwork was perfect...PCP was impressed. For the most part, I've had a wonderful postop experience, but here are a few low points... Stalled for a month between weeks 6 and 10. I increased my food and Fluid intake and started losing again. Had a second stall around 5 months but that only lasted 2 weeks. I didn't do anything special for that one. Got a Clostridial infection 2 months out that resulted in almost 2 months of severe diarrhea. I went through 3 rounds of an antibiotic that made me incredibly nauseous and I could barely eat/drink. ( This was, ironically during my month long stall. ) Then another 2 rounds of a different antibiotic that didn't make me sick. But nothing could clear the infection, so I ended up getting a fecal transplant on April 10th. Instant cure and makes for an interesting story... Always a hit at any gathering ! Had a gall bladder attack a few weeks ago. Worst pain EVER. Ultrasound showed no stones but maybe some sludge. I may be needing to get my gallbladder removed, but in the meantime I'm just praying I don't have another attack. I know this all sounds like I've had a rough time, but really it hasn't been that bad. My weight loss, drop in clothes size, and the fabulous way I feel has far outweighed any of the other things. I don't count or track or measure anything. I drink one large Protein smoothie (24-32oz/30-40g protein) everyday. Eat balanced meals of protein and veggies and snack on protein, fruit and whole grains. I do have alcohol, Desserts, Pasta, bread and other no-no's, but these are very occasional and in moderation. Love love love my new life and hope you all do, too.

I started all my vitamins (multi, B12 sublingual, calcium and iron) 7 days postop per surgeon's instructions. Incidentally, I have cut back on both the calcium and iron since they were both high on my 6 month bloodwork. I did add in D3 gel caps at 4 months out, just because my PCP says he sees so many D deficiencies, even in "normal" patients. My B12 and D were perfect on labs.

I've ALWAYS had a big butt...even when I was a fit ski instructor and ran cross country. I had to buy jeans to fit my butt and thighs and the waist was always too big and had to cinch it up with a belt. With this surgery I have lost weight in places I normal never have and I completely lost my butt. Now my pant waist fits pretty good and my butt is loose and saggy. Oh yeah, and the nice, voluptuous DD boobs I've had my whole life ( even before I was obese) are sad, limp, barely B cups. My overall body shape has totally changed, but I guess I'll take it

Go to the main forums page and look for "Don't Sweat the Stall Stuff" under the General Weight Loss Forum.

I'm eating way healthier and even with the Protein powders, etc. my food expenses are WAY down..... This includes grocery bill, alcohol, and restaurant tabs. When I used to get something from the deli I would sometimes get 2 medium containers of whatever and eat it all in one day. Now a small container of whatever lasts me 2-3 meals. At restaurants I either order an appetizer and still have leftovers or an entree and have 2-3 meals worth of leftovers. Preop I would order an appetizer, entree and a drink or two....with no leftovers. My clothes bill, on the other hand......

Pretty sure I had a gall bladder attack this afternoon. Acute onset, excruciating pain under my sternum and right rib cage. Pain radiating to my right shoulder blade. Broke out in a cold sweat, felt nauseous and literally had to crawl to the bathroom. Where I proceeded to curl up on the bath rug and drool. There was no position that helped. I called my doctor, who is also an ER doctor and his wife, but got no answer on either phone. She finally returned my call after I texted her. Luckily they were both home and she handed the phone to my doctor. I explained what was happening (between sobs and trying to breath) and he calmly states it definitely sounds like a gall bladder issue...or an MI. So he sent his wife down to my house with a bottle of dicyclomine to help with the pain. (She's had gall bladder problems, so they had some on hand). Luckily the intense pain only lasted about 45 minutes and then it went away as fast as it came on. Since it resolved so quickly, my doctor thinks it was probably a stone stuck in the bile duct which either passed through or rotated and popped back into my gall bladder. He advised that I do an ultrasound tomorrow at work (I work with a veterinarian) and keep him posted. I have a family history of gall stones, (mom, grandmother, grandfather, aunt...) so I guess it's inevitable that it happens to me. Not to mention the added risk of my weight loss. My mom said it sounded exactly like the pain when she had a stone stuck in her bile duct 44 years ago. Worst pain she ever felt...she said she'd rather give birth a 100 times before going through that again. But her stone was stuck good and she needed emergency surgery. Anyways, it's been an interesting afternoon....

Thanks for posting. It's quite frustrating to try and argue against inaccurate statements that are muddled with fuzzy statistics. They sound so "real" to people that haven't researched the true facts. And Especially to people that want them to be true.

Ok, read the article and it's pretty biased. I would definitely put this in the category of propaganda, or better yet, ignorance. What exactly is the CSWD hoping to accomplish by being anti -WLS? Basically, in taking this stand they are using all of the potential complications (which account for a very small percentage of WLS results) and making it sound like these are what everyone will experience. The funny thing is, they don't even mention GERD, which is probably the most common side effect for VSG anyways. Goes to show they don't have a clue what they are talking about. With very few exceptions, you won't vomit if you eat more than a cup of food, you don't have to camp out in your bathroom forever in case you have diarrhea, "most people" do not regain their weight after 2 years, and most surgeons don't lie to their patients about potential side effects just to get them on the surgery table. The list of inaccuracies goes on.... And as for the commentary they quoted, it is 15 years old and the guy is an idiot. "If a meal of more than 3 ounces is consumed, the patient will vomit." WTF?! He obviously has an agenda and is in no way using facts to support his position

I I really don't have time to debate you on this....if you don't understand propaganda we can't even begin to have balanced dialogue on the subject. Back to our regularly scheduled program.... I don't think she is trying to debate you, just looking for details. You seem very passionate about the topic and mentioned an " enormous anti-Bariatric movement happening right now in this country and there are lots of stories and lies that are out on the media trying to discourage people from using bariatric surgery". What stories? What lies? What media sources? I'm curious as well. For those contemplating surgery, it's always better to know all of the facts and to be able to distinguish them from scare tactics. It would also be helpful to know the sources of these lies so that we can better dis spell the myths we may encounter in the form of negative feedback from others. If we try to defend bariatric surgery by simply making the broad statement that this is all "propaganda" with no supporting facts or examples it doesn't make us look very credible.

Congrats on your progress! I sure hope you get to feeling you can change your member name someday With complications, your body has really been hit hard. May take a little longer to recoup. Are you eating/snacking/drinking enough? I found early on that I had a lot more energy if I added some carbs to my protein smoothies and snack list. I ate more carby proteins like beans, blended bananas or peaches or berries and skim milk with my protein drink, and added oatmeal to my Greek yogurt, etc. Also make sure you are taking your vitamins, including a separate D3 and sublingual (or injectable) B12. Does your doc do 6 month bloodwork to check iron and vitamin levels? These things could definitely make you tired if low.

Thank you jersrose. My post was in response to the title which specifically stated "viral chest infection". As was everyone else's responses. Can't help it that you provided inaccurate information. If you are receiving care from a world renown hospital and doctors you trust, what are you doing on an internet website seeking medical advice from a bunch of strangers? Looks like you know everything anyways.