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I bought a 5# bag of matrix vanilla back before surgery and it has been my go to staple protein all through pre and post op. I used it as "creamer" in my coffee everyday preop. I've mixed it with water and skim milk and liked it both ways. I have at least one shake made with it everyday and vary it by adding other flavors.... PB2, Mio and Dasani liquid drops, propel zero powders, puréed fruit, etc. I'm drinking a 22 oz shake right now with skim milk, water, matrix powder and cherry pomegranate Dasani. I never get sick of it and the protein blend has never bothered my sleeve at any stage. I'm still on the same 5 pound bag after 6 weeks and I'll probably have to order another one in about a week.

Maybe talk to a plastic surgeon and a tattoo artist so you can compare notes and find out what parts and how much they may be altered.

Congrats! My very first NSV was that my rings and bracelets fit again. Haven't gotten to the falling off my fingers stage yet, though.

5 days before I went after VSG. Had neck surgery 5 years ago and it was a week before I went. Pain Meds can constipated you. Fortunately I didn't have to take any after VSG. I've had diarrhea and soft stool since surgery. Seems to be getting a little better as I progress through food stages.

Congrats! And the appreciation is mutual.

Have you tried unflavored protein powder? You can add it to most anything liquid or even mushy...soups, mashed potatoes, refried beans, yogurt, chicken salad, hummus, etc. to try and up your protein intake. I've been using it pre and post op so I've never had to completely rely on shakes for my protein. Unjury also makes a high protein cheese sauce that I put in soups (chicken, mushroom, tortilla) that is pretty yummy. You could also pour it on top of soft veggies if you are allowed them at this stage.

At 3 1/2 weeks out, I lost 28 pounds, but only 6 since surgery.

That's so weird....on day 9 I was feeling super fatigued and crampy and achy. Almost like I was getting the flu. Still felt off the morning of day 10, but went to work and was feeling normal by the afternoon. Not to say you shouldn't seek help, but it's ironic that was the same day I felt that way.

So glad you are doing well! Have a safe trip home.

Obesity Control Center. Here is a thread on this forum with lots of personal stories from patients... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/261806-dr-ariel-ortiz-and-obesity-control-center/page-46?hl=%2Bortiz#entry3318175 And here is their website... www.obesitycontrolcenter.com Definitely worth a look. I was sleeved by Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez on 12/20 and couldn't be more pleased with the care and personal attention I received before, during and after my surgery. PM me if you have any questions and good luck with your decision.

I had my sleeve in Mexico.... Yes to the blood thinners while in the hospital, no to being sent home with any. Had compression stockings on before, during and overnight while in the hospital. Also advised to wear them on my plane ride home. Given ice chips and then Water to sip overnight. Popsicles, chicken broth and water provided as desired over next 3 days. Yes, sent home with all my Meds... sublingual NSAID for pain (only used 3 days - never needed narcotics), 5 days antibiotics, 2 weeks anti ulcer/anti nausea medication, 2 months PPI. Was given a lot of preop and postop instructions prior to arrival. Sat down with nut while there to go over all the postop stuff. Was given paper panties to wear that didn't even come close to fitting so went commando. I was told no acrylic nails (due yo interference with pulse ox), but nail Polish wasn't mentioned.

Hey, Nolagirl! Just wanted to check in and see how you are doing. Probably still preop, but hoping things are going a little better this morning. I actually just read a post on another WLS about a gal having surgery through A Lighter Me that was waiting for her driver at the airport for 1 1/2 hours yesterday because he was stuck at the border, too. Bad day to be flying in I guess. Anyways, keep us posted and sending you prayers for a successful surgery and smooth sailing.

First of all, I'd like to send out prayers and hugs to those of you that have had to deal with a leak after surgery. I can't imagine the strength it takes to get through the physical pain and emotional stress that you have to. I am 9 days out and have been doing great. I've never had nausea and very minimal pain. I've gotten in all my fluids and Protein since day 4 and I have plenty of energy. I'm on full liquids until day 18 when I can start puréed. However, I've always got that little voice in my head that says "you're not out of the woods yet". I haven't been able to find any good stats on how far out a leak can happen. So I was just wondering what your experiences have been. How far out before your leak was discovered? Did you feel good in the beginning and then get sick, or were things "not quite right" from the start? Thanks for any responses. I truly do feel blessed at this point, but am looking for a general timeframe when I can relax over the fear of a leak..... Just "Waiting to exhale"

Sorry your experience is starting off badly, but you will be well taken care of at OCC. The entire staff is very helpful, as is everyone at the Marriott. The others are right about the border crossing. You never know if it will be 20 minutes or 2 hours. And sometimes they will close it for many hours for no particular reason. But you're right, having to wait 2 hours while going to another country for a scary surgery must have been very stressful on you. Ironically, my return trip with Joel (the OCC driver) was exactly opposite. There was one person in the group (my sister, actually) whose flight was a lot earlier than the rest of us. We would have never made it on time if there had been any delays at the border. So while we were doing our final checkup with Dr. So, Joel ran out and obtained a medical pass which let us skip the border lines and get through in 15 minutes. In fact, we were so early that I was able to get on another flight and get home 2 hours sooner than normal. In addition, another companion forgot his leather jacket in the lobby so Joel returned to OCC after dropping us off at the airport and brought it back to him before his flight left. Anyways, try to get a good night's sleep and Good luck tomorrow!

I'm not surprised you are having issues. Your food stages seem awfully advanced. I was on liquids only for 17 days post op. I'm now 23 days out and can barely eat 1/4 cup of puréed anything no more than 2x day. Still getting most of my protein from shakes. Nibbling on beans or even applesauce would have been out of the question for me at 6 days out. Maybe give yourself a little more time. Including my preop diet, I was on liquids only (shakes, broth, cream soups, etc.) for 33 days, so you can do it! Hang in there.

I lived on broths and diluted, strained cream soups with protein powder added all through my liquid stage and am continuing them into the puréed stage. I specifically asked my nut about the cream soups because of the higher fat content. She said it wouldn't be an issue at this stage because I'm taking in so few calories anyways. She also recommended oatmeal or cream of wheat with added protein powder. And puréed, cooked soft veggies like cauliflower and carrots as long as we got our protein in first. Again, these are all complex carbs, but we are taking in so few calories it's OK at this stage.

Read this on another WLS forum.... Slider Foods Spell Weight Regain For Weight Loss Surgery Patients By Kaye Bailey For most people eating sliders is a good thing. Popularized by the American food chain, White Castle, a slider (originally slyder) is a miniature grilled hamburger or cheeseburger on a steamed bun often served with onions and dill pickle and other condiments. They originally sold for a nickel a piece in the 1940s making it affordable to add a side of fries for just pennies. By all accounts this is a good kind of "slider" food. To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery. The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker Snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free Cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of Protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain. Kaye Bailey 2010 - All Rights Reserved

I'm really full, too after just a 1/4 cup of anything puréed. Makes it hard to get all my fluids in. I started making my puree's almost like full liquids by blending extra good or adding a little extra Water or milk. Seriously, I could probably drink my mashed potatoes through a straw. The only exception is my tuna purée, but I only eat a tablespoon of that. New thing this morning.... Plain Greek yogurt with puréed canned peaches stirred in. Hang in there, ally!

Alrighty then! Back to the subject matter.... A friend came into town unexpectedly and we have a favorite local restaurant she wanted to go to. Of course they have amazing BBQ which I can't eat, but they also have an amazing French onion soup. I just asked them to bring me the broth....no onions, no bread, no cheese . But it was still really good and we had a nice visit. Of course she had the BBQ and ate it in front of me without remorse, just as I would have done!

scrambled eggs with salmon and Havarti OMG!!

I think it's good that you are hearing the reality of what the sleeve does and doesn't do for you in the long term. You need to know what lies ahead in order to be successful. The fact is you WILL be able to eat whatever you want (just smaller portions) and you need to be mentally prepared to make the right choices for the rest of your life. The sleeve will not stop you from eating a burger, or chips, or ice cream, or donuts, etc. I personally welcome the advice of veterans because they know how to make their sleeve work in real life. If this reality is scary and unsettling for you, perhaps you need to think more about your decision. I am reading "Emergency First Aid Kit - Life after Bariatric Surgery" and it's helped me get in the right mindset for all the struggles that lie ahead for me.

My sister and I laughed our heads off at the panties. My gown was 3x too big but those panties weren't even close commando for me, too!

The clothes I wore (sweats), the crocs I wore, extra underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, phone, ipad and chargers.

I didn't have any comorbidities, either. It wouldn't have mattered, because my insurance doesn't pay for WLS in any way shape or form, no matter what obesity complications you have. The hiatal hernia repair should definitely swing your surgery into the medically necessary category. I am, by no means, a tax expert, though, so maybe a call to a free tax consultant would make you feel better.

Hi Under1star- You stated that your possible pulmonary embolism may have been a result of traveling too soon. Can you talk more about that? How many days after surgery did you fly, and how long was your flight? I will be flying from Tijuana to Ohio and am concerned about being in a plane for that long immediately after surgery. Butterfly - I had surgery in TJ on a Friday and flew home on Monday. I was given blood thinners before surgery and wore compression stockings. I was actually surprised that I wasn't sent home with blood thinners. My return flight was only 2 hours, but my surgeon advised wearing the compression stockings and to get up and walk the aisles if the flight was very long. Everyone is different, though, so I would discuss your travel plans with your surgeon. As for the dehydration, it's pretty common postop because you can only drink a teeny bit at a time. Just remember to never stop sipping. it's truly a full time job.