Kindle

Ouch. I hate when that happens. I actually just watched a Ken McNabb video on training your horse for mounted shooting. I really ought to do that since we ride in bear country and I always carry a gun. My horse has been around gunfire at hunt camp, but I've never shot off of her, so shooting at a bear would probably land me on my arse. I came off my horse last weekend, too, but no bruising for me. We were bush whacking and I was leading. We were trying to cross a boggy area and we were only sinking 6-10 inches. Then, all of a sudden my horse sunk to her belly and my feet were touching the ground! So I just stepped off. The bog was thick enough for me that my boots didn't even get muddy! I led her back to solid ground, climbed on, and kept going. But now it looked like I was riding a bay instead of a sorrel Hope you're feeling better soon, and good luck with the mounted shooting.

I eat anything I want. But heavy on the meats, dairy, fruits and veggies. Light on the rice, pasta, bread and desserts.

Mmmmmm....jack and coke....sigh...drool....

I wonder if that is a direct link to the sugars in soda, the possible stretching of the sleeve from the carbonation, or is it that the patients willing to indulge in the biggest no-no of all are also the ones not following a lot of the other rules and eating off plan? Hmmmm....interesting.

I asked Carolyn when I had my surgery in December. She said over 10,000 bariatric surgeries which includes bypass, Lapband, sleeves, plication, and conversions. Of those, both Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez had done about 1200 sleeves. I think they average about 20 surgeries/week, so you can probably add a couple hundred sleeves to December's total.

That's great that you can get these tests paid for. Does that mean your insurance does cover WLS? And also great your PCP is on board with your decision. Unfortunately my insurance (Blueshield) excludes WLS, including any type of weight Loss treatment, counseling or complications of WLS, so any reference to it on claim submissions would result in the claim being denied. I went through the same thing with my fecal transplant, too. Since they wouldn't cover the fecal transplant itself (because they consider it experimental) they also wouldn't cover the bloodwork, stool tests, or colonoscopy that were required before the transplant. These things would have been paid for if they were done for an "approved" procedure. Hope you get all A's!

You look fabulous. Congrats!

I needed IV fluids 3 times between weeks 6 and 10. I had severe diarrhea from a Clostridial infection and I just couldn't drink enough to keep up. I was never hospitalized, though. I gave myself fluids 2 times, but the third time none of my EMT friends could hit a vein because I was so severely dehydrated. I ended up going to my PCP's office and they got a line in me after 4 tries. My BP finally came back up after 3 liters and I could go home. That was the only day of work I missed. My only advice is to drink drink drink, no matter what. You really should be fine. I only got dehydrated because of the diarrhea.

I was on liquids for 18 days, but once I was on puréed, I could only eat 2 tbls of yogurt or cottage cheese or refried Beans, etc. once or twice/day. I'm at 5 months out now and I couldn't eat a whole can of beans....even a 1/2 can would stuff me. I would talk to your surgeon to find out how much you should be eating at each meal, because this seems like an awful lot to me.

Just curious, but doesn't your insurance company require a REASON for having all those tests before they will approve to pay for them? Doctors have to submit billing and diagnostic codes to the insurance company. I ask because only some of my routine post op bloodwork will be covered by insurance. My PCP can submit certain tests under a wellness check, but he can't really explain the specialty vitamin deficiency tests without mentioning the surgery or flat out lying about a differential.

I was a "normal" kid and teen...maybe one of the bigger ones, but very muscular and fit. Hell, I ran cross country! I was a "big" girl in college and through my twenties, but still fit...canoed, backpacked, river guide, ski instructor, etc. The pounds started piling on in my 30's (25 pounds between 30 and 33). Then even more after I turned 40 to max out around 240. My mom was the same way....an 18" waist when she was married, but at 72 is still struggling with her weight and has been dieting for decades. That was a big part of my motivation to have this surgery.

I used to love my custom fountain drink made of powerade mixed with sprite. It was so refreshing and thirst quenching for me. Last week (5 months out) I was getting gas and they had a "free fountain drink with 10 gallon fill up" special. So I went for it. Used lots of ice and let it sit 10 minutes to defizz a little. I took 2 sips and it tasted great, but then I realized how stupid it would be to drink...all those worthless sugars and chemicals. So I dumped it out and drank a bottle of water instead. Didn't really have enough to assess the effects of the carbonation.

Preop I pretty much lived on this and two other forums, reading every single post for months. I read books and asked questions of others who'd had WLS. I felt very prepared...mentally, emotionally and physically. And there hasn't really been any big surprises. I had the can't drink Water, coffee upset my tummy, lactose intolerance things, but generally a smooth recovery. I've had stalls, I still get hungry and I still have cravings. I have to make good choices everyday. But after all I read I figured pretty much anything could happen. There seem to be more exceptions to the "rules" than there are actual rules. I didn't read about anyone else getting a C. diff infection and needing a fecal transplant, but it happened to me, so expect anything.

Thanks PDXMan for the added info. That was one of the articles I read. Like I said, I am NO expert on this since I only just learned about the digestion rate issue 2 days ago. I'm also a total non tracker when it comes to protein, calories, carbs, etc. too much like being on a "diet" for me. I sometimes drink that 40g shake in an hour, So I decided to break it up into 2 20g shakes just for peace of mind.

Depends on the protein source of your protein powder and how it is processed (high heat will denature, thus reducing the effectiveness of the protein...of course cooking your meat and eggs will do the same thing). A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine stated that "whey protein isolates are the purest protein source available". The Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score was highest for whey protein, casein, eggs, soy protein and milk. Beef, black beans, and peanuts scored lower. wheat gluten scored lowest.

I am no expert as I just became aware of this today. From this particular article, it sounds like no more than 8-10g of whey Protein can be absorbed in an hour. Different types of protein (egg, casein, soy, pea, sprouted seeds, etc) will be absorbed at different rates. But of course more solid, dense Proteins like meat, Beans, cheese, etc. will stay in our stomachs longer and be slowly released into our intestines where all the absorption takes place. This further complicates figuring absorption. And our bodies use some of the protein consumed to meet immediate energy requirements. I think the absorption refered to in this article is the actual amino acids absorbed and used for building muscle. Anything more than that is used for energy or stored as fat. Google "protein absorption" and you will find a lot better explanations. As for solid foods, I saw several recommendations of eating small, frequent meals of no more than 10-15g/protein. In any case, my 40g shake over an hour is definitely a waste of money. So I am changing to 20g shakes drank several hours apart. (Of course I'll have a snack and/or meal in between)

Yeah, your surgeon sounds like a badass! I wanted to take 2 weeks, but being self employed, I could only afford 1 week and I was OK. I'm a vet tech so I had to stick with "light duty" because I wasn't supposed to lift over 20 pounds for 3 weeks. But due to certain other circumstances, I was right back to lifting 60-70 pound dogs by day 18. By contrast, the vet I work with wasn't allowed to lift more than 8 pounds for six weeks after her hysterectomy. Guess removing a uterus and ovaries is more traumatic than 85% of a stomach.

I don't think I could since I have so much restriction and my portions are so tiny. I still have a protein shake everyday and probably always will.

Thanks for starting this thread! What I found out will totally change how I've been consuming my Protein. This is just one of the many articles that I found ....most of them support these same stats Protein Absorption Rate in Humans July 6, 2007 According to this study, A Review of Issues of Dietary Protein Intake in Humans,written by Shane Bilsborough and Neil Mann, it states… Absorption rates of amino acids from the gut can vary from 1.4 g/h for raw egg white to 8 to 10 g/h for whey protein isolate. Slowly absorbed amino acids suchas casein (~ 6 g/h) and repeated small doses of whey protein (2.9 g per 20 min, totaling ~ 7 g/h) promote leucine balance, a marker of protein balance, superior tothat of a single dose of 30 g of whey protein or free amino acids which are both rapidly absorbed (8 to 10 g/h), and enhance amino acid oxidation. Quite interesting. It drives home the point that eating smaller portioned meals of less than 15-10 grams of protein is optimal. It also tells us that ingesting 40 grams of protein whey for post-workout drink is not only a waste of money as it gets excreted or is converted into carbs and then stored as body fat, among other things.

I had a lot of blended split pea soup and bean soup. They have a good amount of protein and was a great savory break from the shakes. I added Unjury unflavored protein for even more.

Protein shakes? unjury unflavored powder, Unjury Protein cheese sauce mix, Unjury chicken Soup and strawberry shake powder, Syntrax Matrix vanilla, Muscle Milk, Garden of a Life Raw Protein original and vanilla, Premier Protein chocolate and vanilla, Syntrax nectar various flavors, and PB2 Vitamins? Garden of life Raw Vitamin Code for Women Calcium B12 sublingual Foods? Drinkable yogurt (Siggi's and kefir were the lowest carbs) Broths... Chicken, beef, Swansons Tortilla soup broth base, Swansons Chineese hot and sour soup broth base Cream soups....chicken, mushroom, celery, asparagus, shrimp, lobster bisque, potato leek, tomato, etc. I diluted and strained the cream soups and added Unjury unflavored powder to soups and broth. The Unjury protein cheese powder was especially yummy mixed in chicken broth and tortilla soup base. Liquids? Mio and Dasani Water flavor drops, crystal light packets, K2O packets, organic juice, pedialyte, vitamin water, Lifewater, decaf herbal tea Medications? My surgeon sent me home with Omeprazole 40mg, antibiotics, GI motility meds, and sublingual pain meds (never needed them) Other misc? GasX strips, Maaloxx, Blender Bottle for mixing shakes and soups This got me through the first 18 days while I was on clear and full liquids.

Kittychick, so have you tried eating what you are craving? I know some people have true physiological sugar and carb addictions so eating just a little will cause you to crave it even more. If this is you, I wouldn't recommend going there. Fortunately, this doesn't happen to me, so I can indulge in treats when I crave them. Like snowchick, a couple bites satisfy my craving and I move on. And this only happens 2-3 times/month. The rest of the time I'm totally on plan. So I guess if it doesn't sabotage you, I say indulge in a cupcake. I had 1/2 cupcake with buttercream frosting tonight at a birthday party and was thinking of you... Knew you would have enjoyed the other half.

I totally agree with Kate. Walking always helped "move things through" and warm decaf tea was very soothing on my stressed out little sleeve. I got in the habit of drinking a cup of Sleepytine at bedtime and I still do that even 5 months out. Not that my tummy needs it anymore, but I've always been a bedtime snacker, so the tea is a much better alternative.

Sorry you are having such a hard time, and I can't imagine who told you this surgery would control your cravings. The surgery was on our stomachs, not our brains. All I was ever told or read about was that this was a "tool" only and that all the mental stuff was still up to us. I knew this would be a head game for the rest of my life. Like lilprincess said, WE have to CHOOSE to control our cravings. I get still hungry and have to eat every 3-4. I just choose to eat Protein or healthy Snacks. But I also don't completely deny myself a non nutritional treat if I want it. I've had wine, Desserts, ice cream and just yesterday a street taco, tortilla and all. I just had to find what works for me and so do you. Success requires commitment to a lifestyle change, this isn't a magic bullet. The book "The emotional first aid Kit - a practical guide to life after bariatric surgery" by Cynthia Alexander was very helpful in helping me know what to expect and how to deal with the emotional and mental aspect of VSG. Good luck.

I actually had a fecal transplant back in April. I had to have it for treatment of C. diff and it worked like a charm! 2 months of antibiotics didn't cure me, but a 20 minute fecal transplant was an instant cure. The bonus part is my donor is super skinny, so between my new poo and VSG, I've had a double dose of obesity treatment! I have definitely assumed her BM schedule and consistency, so hopefully the "thin" bacteria made the trip, too. My gastroenterologist didn't care about the being a relative part, but we both had to go through a series of tests for infectious diseases (hepatitis, syphilis, HIV, H. Pylori, giardia and other GI parasites)