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Ok, question for all you preops and maybe newly sleeved folks....Have ANY of your surgeons or nuts explained to you that you will gain a bunch of weight while you are in the hospital for your surgery? In general, this is from the IV fluids they give you and from all the inflammation and swelling caused by the surgery itself. And have any of you been told that you will likely have a stall at about 3 weeks postop? Did they explain stalls to you at all? The reason I ask is because over half the posts from newbies are about these two subjects. (Those and the ones asking if it's OK that they just ate a cookie or a slice of pizza 2 weeks postop cause their mean family doesn't support them by keeping these things out of the house) Everyone that spends more than an hour on any WLS forum knows about these things. I just don't understand why surgeons aren't preparing their patients for the normal post surgical things that tend to send so many into such a panic. Just curious if anyone is actually being given any helpful instructions prior to WLS, or are you just left to fend for yourself on the Internet?

So yesterday was the 4 year anniversary of my brother's death (just one of many holidays ruined for me). I always find myself soul searching and reaching for hope around this time of year so here's today's random ponderings...... I saw a documentary about Gloria Vanderbilt a couple months ago. I only caught the last 1/2 hour of it, but found it very moving. Despite her amazing success in the business/fashion world, her personal life was really quite tragic. Her first husband physically beat her, her next two marriages ended in divorce and her fourth husband died during a heart bypass surgery. Her son committed suicide in front of her when he was just 23 years old by jumping from her 14th floor apartment. She was standing just a few feet away. Her youngest son is Anderson Cooper, a successful journalist for CNN. He was just two years younger than his brother and was interviewed as part of this documentary. There were two quotes from this show that really struck a chord with me. One was from Gloria...." It's only after you accept that life is a tragedy that you can start to live" and the other from Anderson...."You have to learn to live in the world without knowing the why"......That's the one I am personally working on now. Anyways, I know this isn't directly WLS related, but I find their strength and success in the face of loss and grief to be inspiring and thought I'd share.

For anyone that missed it, my PCP tested my hormone levels awhile back and turns out I had low testosterone (normal is 20-80 and mine was 11) so I started testosterone replacement therapy. A few weeks after starting HRT, I was putting on my "fancy with the bling on the pockets, can't even wear underwear cause they're so tight" jeans to go to a Kentucky Derby party. Surprisingly, they weren't really that tight. And standing in front of the mirror, I noticed my collar bones were a little more prominent and my ribs were pokin out. So the next Monday at work I stepped on the scale and it read 135. The lowest number I've ever seen and that was after a weekend of consuming mass quantities of bourbon and sugar disguised as mint julips along with fried chicken, potatoes, and don't forget about all the cupcakes. Must be a fluke I thought. So for the next few weeks I stepped on the scale each Monday and turns out no, it wasn't a fluke. Apparently my normal weight range has dropped from 140-142 to 135-137. All I can think is its gotta be the testosterone because I'm not dong anything different than I have for the last year. As of last week, my testosterone level was up to 41, and there is a noticeable improvement in my mood and energy level. So between my endometrial ablation that resulted in cessation of menstruation, my complete loss of boobs and butt from WLS, and a boost in testosterone, I guess I've truly let loose my "inner man"..... And he's a much happier, skinnier version of the sad, exhausted woman I was just two months ago.

So here's a novel idea I've been mulling around..... In the beginning we are told to chew chew chew our food. I get this. Our tummies are swollen, our staple line is healing, and we really want to try and slow down our eating and not fill our poor little tummies with big chunks that could cause complications. But what about 1+ years out? Our tummies are healed, our restriction is probably lessened and yet we chew chew chew. Seems to me all this chewing actually allows the food to be digested and pass into the intestines faster. Kind of like how drinking with meals flushes the food out faster and we feel hungry sooner. So wouldn't NOT chewing be beneficial at this point? Fill our sleeves with bigger chunks of food which will take up more room, take longer to digest, and actually make us feel full longer. Hmmmm, Just some "food" for thought......(heehee I crack myself up)

You're right. Being a grownup sucks. I was reminiscing with a college friend several months ago about how much fun we had when we were young and stupid. I remember telling her it's too bad we had to grow up because now I know too much to ever be happy again.

I almost forgot the most important things.....all nuts and nut butters. They are my ultimate slider food and I can't stop eating them. I could finish off a whole jar or a 1000 calories worth of nuts without blinking, so they do not come anywhere near my mouth.

I would have reacted the same as your surgeon. Why should he bother wasting his time if you are not going to do your part? Not to mention risking serious complications by eating bacon 1 week after having your stomach cut open along its entire length!

Bread, pasta, low fat anything (cause that usually means higher carbs), fried foods, aspartame, sucralose.

My surgery was the end of December so I was on my liquid diet through 3 holiday parties, a birthday party, a funeral, Christmas and New Year's Day. I just sipped Water, broth and Protein shakes through all of it. Make your vacation about having fun and spending time with your family, not about the food you can't eat. (Bummer to be around all that chocolate, though )

Have you talked to your surgeon? He may have some suggestions for you. I was never nauseous but did have diarrhea issues starting a month after surgery. I eventually needed Rx meds and he consulted with my PCP to get them to me since my surgery was in Mexico. Like outsidematchinside mentioned, it may turn to constipation at some point but be careful in the meantime. I needed IV fluids for dehydration 3 times in my second month postop because I could not keep up with the fluid loss from the diarrhea.

Thanks for starting this thread. I meant to do it when I posted in the other thread but didn't get around to it. Looking forward to the replies.

I experimented with dozens of different Protein supplements. But since individual tastes are do different, You can get single serve packets from Nashua Nutrition and check em out for yourself. Ones I Really liked were....quest, Syntrax nectar, body fortress, syntha6, muscle milk, unjury and Spirutein Ones that I hated and would never try a second time were....SAN Raw fusion, Bariatric Advantage, Bariatric Fusion, designer whey, SDC Nutrition, and Isopure. Ones that were OK But not my favs were Protizyme, Jay Robb, Click, and javapro And, BTW, I always dilute RTD with milk or Water and use twice as much liquid as instructed to cut the thickness and sweetness. Adding Torani syrups and PB2 to various protein powders gives you nearly unlimited flavor possibilities.....chocolate Peanut Butter, vanilla almond, chocolate banana, strawberry banana, Irish cream, peanut butter cookie, raspberry vanilla, red velvet cake and caramel, chocolate mint, English toffee, hazelnut, vanilla pumpkin pie, gingerbread, Orange dreamsicle, peach mango, cherry lemonade, piña colada, etc...... However, I Do NOT recommend mixing Syntrax Apple and Torani caramel. It does NOT taste like a caramel apple

Telling you not to drink 20/30 min before and after your Protein shake is just stupid. The only reason for that rule is to not flush solids through your sleeve too soon so that you end up eating more than you should. So it really doesnt apply with protein shakes . Fluids are fluids. And even the eating/drinking rule is archaic, carried over from the rules of bypass with no real logic behind it when it comes to VSG because out pyloric valve s still intact. I say do what you've gotta do to get in all your protein and fluids and ignore the stupid rules that don't make sense and actually impede your ability to reach goals. And, BTW, that 64oz is a minimum you should aim for. You should actually shoot for more than that, especially if you are excercising, live in a warm climate, are experiencing a stall, diarrhea or constipation. I actually got dehydrated on 64oz and now get 100oz every day.

]For whatever reason, a doctor should treat a patient if they need it no matter what the circumstances. Their obligations should be to the best welfare of the patient, not their own self interests. The US surgeon who removed my gallbladder had nothing but bad things to say about the fact I went to Mexico for my VSG. Despite the fact I had a completely easy, pain free recovery with no complications and successful weight loss, he was clearly prejudiced against a non-US surgeon. Ironically, he created a hernia during my gallbladder surgery. I've already talked to a different surgeon about repairing that hernia. He doesn't care that he wasn't the one who caused the problem. Another friend had complications from a colonoscopy and a different gastroenterologist readily accepted her as a patient and took care of everything. I realize everyone makes mistakes, but when there are complications, why should someone be forced to go back to the doctor that caused the problem in the first place? I am a vet tech and we don't turn our patients away just because they were previously cared for by another vet. We give second opinions and treat animals with complications from other vets all the time.

Gee, thanks @@CowgirlJane my "strong, confident independent woman" persona can come off as "stubborn, cold hearted b1tch", but I'll take tough cowgirl, too Yes, I answered this post from a physical support aspect. I don't typically think about the emotional/moral support aspect of things (because I'm so cold hearted). In general, I prefer solitude to work things out on my own, but in reality I have a loving supportive family just a phone call away if I ever need them, and friends that would be there in a second.

Did you need a lot of post op care? I haven't lined up any doctors to see me after I get my surgery in Mexico 8/5. Any suggestions?Sent from my Nexus 6 using the BariatricPal App Blood work (chemistry panel, CBC, folate, B12, D3, iron/ferritin, and calcium) at 3, 6, 12 mo this and annually thereafter. @@gina171 it's always a good idea to keep your will updated. I don't have kids, but I do have pets that I need taken care of. As well as a house, property and investments. I've had a will and living will since my mid 20's. It's easy to do and can save your family a lot of problems and heartache if anything happens, surgery or no surgery. Heck, you could be hit by a truck tomorrow. My best friend committed suicide with no will. Believe me, the estate and child support/custody stuff turned into a complete nightmare for his parents, ex wife, and kid. Death and grief bring out the worst in people. It's a lot easier with a will spelling out every detail.

Your surgeon in Mexico should provide you with all the info you need about your postop care. My surgeon in Mexico provided me with a detailed diet plan, General excercise and nutritional info and postop care instructions. He and his nutritionist are always available for questions via phone and email. My PCP takes care of all of the bloodwork recommended by my surgeon. My OB/Gyn also offered to order whatever blood tests I need, too, so that may be another place to look if you don't have a PCP. Other than bloodwork, I didn't need any other followup care, but if I had had any complications, my PCP would have referred me to the appropriate specialist. If you find yourself in that situation and no bariatric surgeon will see you (which is common because so many are arrogant pricks that don't believe there is excellent health care available outside the US) you would end up going to the ER where they have to treat you.

I would certainly like to hear from the veteran veterans about ways to overcome the struggles that come up at those 3 , 4, 5 year marks. i keep getting hints that things are gonna change, so am feeling a little apprehensive as I approach the 3 year mark. I think details about the new challenges and advice from those that have been there done that would be extremely helpful in preparing for the future. I welcome your advice.

My surgeon gave me a list of recommended blood tests to do at 3, 6. 12 months and annually after that. I took it to my PCP and he has taken care of all of that. My OB/Gyn actually offered to do the bloodwork, too. That's the only followup care I ever needed. I have a gastroenterologist that could have stepped in if I'd had any problems or my PCP would have referred me to a bariatric specialist.

I am single and live alone. I travelled to Mexico for surgery. Went shopping the day after surgery, I was on the 6th floor of the Marriot and I purposely walked up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Drove myself home from the airport five hours 3 days postop. Returned to a driveway full of snow, which I plowed with my ATV. I fed and watered my horses, dogs and cats. I went shopping, did laundry, got a haircut, and was back to work within a week. Other than asking a friend to shovel a path to the barn I had no problems taking care of myself and house/ranch chores. Couldnt lift over 20 pounds for 3 weeks, but that was manageable.

I was on liquids for 34 days so I know what you mean. I kept it interesting by experimenting with different Protein powders and Torani syrups to invent new Protein shake flavors. I also added unflavored protein to every broth and pureed/strained cream Soup I could find. I rarely had to eat the same thing more than a couple times unless I really liked to. In fact, even now I still have a protein shake nearly every day. But you'd be surprised, liquids may become your new best friend. I've been maintaining below goal for over 20 months and going back to full liquid Protein diet for a few days here and there is a great way to drop a couple pounds after eating off plan over holidays and vacations. Great tool to have.

I took 7 days off. I have a very active, physical job, too, so had to pull light duty for 3 weeks until I could go back to lifting my usual 40-60 pounds.

When was the last time you gained 8 pounds in a week? Why would you expect to lose it faster than that? You are setting your expectations at the highest, most unattainable levels and will be disappointed. Put your scale away, focus on healing and set yourself up for success by following your plan. The rate at which you lose has absolutely nothing to do with your long term outcome.

You could try and switch to another PPI. Some work better than others for different people. When you have your "hunger" pains try taking Rolaids or maaloxx to see if that helps. Also, are you getting plenty of Water? Thirst can feel like hunger. 64oz is minimum, but if you are in a warm climate, 100oz would be a better goal. How many calories are you getting in? How much Protein? Fat? Carbs? In general, If you aren't getting dizzy or light headed or nauseous and you have plenty of energy and feel good, then you are probably getting enough nutrition. Don't let your stomach dictate how much you eat cause it's just been cut open from top to bottom and isn't nearly healed yet, so the signals it is sending cannot be trusted.

What pills are you taking?