Kindle

Think of eating and your dietary requirements and your Vitamin supplements as a prescription. If you had a bad infection you would take the prescribed antibiotics. If you had diabetes you would take your insulin. If you had high blood pressure you would take your medications. No one "wants" to take Meds, but proper nutrition is the "medication" you need for this surgery to work. There have already been good suggestions on how to make that happen. If I Waited to eat until I actually had an appetite I wouldn't have put a single thing in my mouth for about 6-8 months. Instead, I followed my prescription and forced myself to meet Protein and Fluid goals every single day. If you want to lose weight and remain healthy, you need to make nutrition a priority whether you are hungry or not.

Because he's going through the exact same thing as the rest of us are in our struggle to lose weight and keep it off. He's just doing it without having most of his stomach removed, so kudos to him! The benefit of this forum's emotional support and diet guidelines and suggestions and camaraderie and encouragement is just as helpful to a non surgical patient trying to overcome obesity.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have found very mixed reactions when it comes to Wellbutrin both here and googling it. I definitely plan on low dosing it for awhile. So many mentioned the short term negative side effects, so I'd like to minimize those. @@CowgirlJane you mentioned the impulse control thing and I remember experiencing that with Prozac like 8-9 years ago. I was taking it because of anger issues. Everyone and everything pissed me off and I was on the verge of going postal every day. Well the Prozac fixed that....it made me not care about ANYTHING, Including the urge to drive off the road into a tree. I pretty much thought...."Hey, that would be cool!" Not really wanting to kill myself, just not caring if I did. This time around is totally different. I am feeling anger, but mostly because of my obligations and responsibilities to my pets and friends and family and job. I resent having to function normally when I just want to curl up and shut out the whole world. My depression is getting overwhelming and I'm spending more and more time in "the bad place". Last weekend I actually took my guns over to a friend's house because I didn't trust what my impulses might lead to. which then, of course led to an "emergency" session with the counselor and subsequent Wellbutrin recommendation. @@Valentina hang in there. These anniversaries are so much harder than I anticipated. And thanks everyone for the cyber hugs. It is appreciated. Anyways, one day at a time......

Clear liquids....day 1-3 Full Liquids...day 4-18 pureed food...day 19-28 Soft Food...day 29-42 Most anything after day 42 except nuts, seeds, skins and other crunchy stuff they wanted us to wait 3 months. The first couple months are about healing, not weight loss. Weight loss.... Lost 22 pounds on 2 week preop. 11 days postop = no loss 6 weeks = down 17 pounds 13 weeks = down 25 pounds ....I didn't step on the scale very often (which is what I HIGHLY recommend because too many people get hung up on the stupid numbers). But Not only did I lose over 100% of my excess weight, I am 27 months out and have kept it off.....and I don't even own a scale! Your rate of loss those first few months have nothing to do with your long term success, so that's why I say stay off the scale and concentrate on healthy eating and creating new habits and coping mechanisms. THOSE are your secret to success, not the numbers on the scale.

@@moejoe27 which Dr. Ortiz? Ariel or Elias? Because Ariel Ortiz does provide lifetime support. He has a dietician on staff available via email and phone. In fact his entire staff has always been available for postop support. Even two years out they send emails, keeping tabs on me. What kind of issues did you friend experience? I hope everything is OK with her. I'm glad you found the perfect fit for you and that things are going well.

Not to mention you are 25. You are going to change regardless of what you weigh. I am certainly not the same person I was at 25, no matter if I'm fat or thin. Friends come and go. Very few stay a lifetime. Life changes a person, you can't blame it on a surgery.

First week.... Friday -surgery day. Woke up with no pain or nausea. I was very excited because I'd never woken up from anesthesia not nauseous before. This anesthesiologist obviously knew his stuff! Saturday - discharged at 9am. Walked 2 mikes, went shopping for decaf tea bags and Isopure. The tea was awesome. The isopure was the worst thing I ever tasted. Sipped on tea, pedialyte and chicken broth all day. Watched a movie and napped. Sunday - went shopping and sightseeing in TJ. More sipping and napping. Still no pain. Just a little cramping from the drain and felt like I'd done a hundred sit-ups. Monday - had drain removed, flouroscopy performed and flew back to the States (long day) stayed in a hotel that night because it was a blizzard outside and not safe to drive. Picked up some drinkable yogurt at Walmart and that was tasty! Tuesday - drove home 5 hours and plowed the driveway when I got here....had a friend shovel the walk, doorways and a path to the barn. Wishing I was back in sunny Mexico! Wednesday - Christmas Day. Went to grandmas for dinner and sat on the couch sipping Protein shakes most of the day. The first day I could actually relax since surgery. Thursday - got my nails done, got a hair cut and worked from home in the afternoon. Friday- back to work full time Needless to say I had a very easy recovery....never needed any pain Meds and I was meeting protein and Fluid goals by Day 5......Good luck to you!

You can actually get the "Rx strength" OTC, too. The Prilosec on the shelf is 20mg. The Rx version is the same thing, just 40mg, I was on 40mg daily for 2 months....it's mandatory for my surgeon because it helps with healing. Didn't need it after that except when I drink too much coffee or alcohol or when I have to take NSAIDS. Some people do better with nexium or protonix but Prilosec is an easy place to start. Just be aware you don't want to take PPIs long term if you don't absolutely have to since they have their own set of negative side effects.

I had surgery at 3 pm Friday and went home 9am Saturday. So even though it was less than 24 hours it was overnight. I never actually slept though. Just watched TV, Facetimed with friends, emailed, texted and walked the halls. I can never sleep after anesthesia. I had no pain or nausea and was sipping fluids. After being discharged I walked 2 miles, went shopping, took a nap, then watched a movie before going out to dinner with my sister. I sipped chicken broth and watched her eat enchiladas and sip her margarita.

As for surgeons that your FSA may work with, try checking out Obesity Control Center. I paid my deposit with PayPal And it showed up as "paypalDrOrtiz" on my cc statement. I paid the balance of the surgery with a cashiers check made out to Dr. Ortiz's California based corporation that has a San Diego address.

Go back to basics. Do a mini preop/liquid/puree/soft food over the next week or two. This will not only help you clean all the crap out of your system, it will stop your cravings, maybe tighten up your restriction a bit, and give you a mental reset back to when this journey began. Find pictures of yourself preop. Do you want to go there again? What motivated you to have surgery in the first place? Find that old motivation And the best way to accomplish these things and get your head back in the game is to get help. You had a surgeon "fix" your stomach, now you need a mental health professional to help you "fix" your head. The latter is a much harder task than the former, and most people can't do it on their own.

It's called a stall. It's normal. It won't be your last. Here's what you do.... 1) throw the scale away 2) get more Protein....60-80g or more should be your goal 3) you didn't mention Water intake....it should be 64oz MINIMUM. 80+ would be better 4) go to the "Don't Sweat the Stall Stuff" subforum and read EMBRACE THE STALL thread and every other thread in there. 5) did I mention throw the scale away? You said it yourself, the inches are coming off. Who cares what the numbers on the stupid scale say?

Got a call at 4am this morning from a client who's dog was having problems whelping. We kind of expected it as X-rays taken earlier this week showed only 1 pup. ( 1 pup = big pup = c section ). So we went and picked up the dog and took her to surgery. My vet got the pup out and I went to work on him while she proceeded to spay the mother (She's six and owner decided not to breed her anymore) Unfortunately he wasn't breathing but I found a slow, faint heartbeat. I kept stimulating him, swung him upside down to clear his airway, even did a little mouth to mouth. His muzzle, nose, tongue and pads were totally blue. After a few minutes he finally took a breath. Then nothing. More stimulation, more mouth to mouth. Heartbeat became a little stronger. He'd take one gasping breath about once every 1-2 minutes, his tongue would pink up for a couple seconds then go blue again. Finally, after 20 minutes he started breathing more regularly and his tongue and muzzle and pads slowly turned a nice pink. It was another 20 minutes before he started crying and moving around. By the time mom was out of surgery and waking up, he was acting like a normal puppy. He nuzzled into her belly, looking for food and as groggy as she was, mom licked and licked and licked him. We were able to take them home by 8am, I ran home to feed my dog and horses and headed back to start our regular appointments. Not a bad way to begin the day.

You're right. But really, putting them down is harder on us and the owners than it is on them. When they get to that point, euthanizing them is the kindest, most humane thing we can do for them. It's actually a peaceful feeling to know I am able to help ease their suffering.

[BariatricPal App And I recall seeing other people happy and almost becoming pissed about it. Grief is an ugly, for sure... BariatricPal App Man oh man I hear that. It's like life and all things good and happy have come to an end, so how DARE anyone else act like it hasn't. It's been a year since my last loss and I still walk around in my haze of disbelief and all those other "stages" of grief. So sorry about your father.

I have no doubt her grief is still a major driving force of her actions and thoughts. Unfortunately there's really no "getting over" a major loss like hers. Grief can certainly change a person and yes, you are right for trying to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. She's struggling with her own stuff and that makes it hard for her to be there for you. I sure hope you both can get through your own struggles and come out friends on the other side.

It's awful early for you to be eating solids like chicken and salmon. I was on liquids for three weeks and then gradually transitioned to pureed foods (cottage cheese, refried Beans, Greek yogurt, pureed soups) and eventually soft foods. I only ate 2-3 tablespoons at a time for the first couple months. It was 6 weeks before I was eating solid fish and chicken and even longer than that before I even attempted to eat 4 ounces of anything. I think you are just trying to advance too quickly, but if the vomitting with solids continues, you should contact your surgeon. A stricture can cause your symptoms,

You all need new friends. I would never keep non supportive people in my life and I would not consider people that treat me that way as "friends". I'm worthy of more than that and they aren't worth my time. If you are going to change anything, I hope you change the company you keep.

Yes. I went home with mine. Surgery on Friday afternoon. Went home Saturday morning. Went back to the clinic on Sunday so they could check the drainage and change the bandage. Went in Monday to have it removed.

I had a drain for 3 days. It's serves to drain the Fluid that accumulates near the staple line of your sleeve. It can alert you to any internal bleeding and to leaks, based on what the fluid coming out looks like. Having the drain was more of an annoyance than anything. I wore sweats with pockets so I had someplace to put the drain bulb, and I had to pin it to the front of my PJs at night so I wouldn't roll over onto it. I never had any pain postop, but turns out the slight cramping feeling I'd had was from the drain cause it went away when they pulled it. A friend who had bypass had 3 drains in for 2 weeks, but that procedure is much more extensive than VSG.

Whether or not you are hungry or have an appetite should not play a role in whether or not you eat. I ate because my body needed the nutrition and I didn't want to screw up my metabolism by restricting calories for any extended period of time. Every bite I took was a chore for the first 4 months and if I had waited to eat until I had an appetite I wouldn't have eaten for at least 6-8 months. You should follow your surgeon's meal plan like any other prescription. You took your methylprednisolone as prescribed and you should now be eating/drinking as prescribed. And like cowgirljane mentioned, consuming huge quantities of water without adequate nutrient and electrolytes can certainly cause problems. You definitely need to share your concerns and what you are eating/drinking with your surgeon and nut. You are only harming yourself by not doing do.

My restriction varies throughout the day. I can hardly eat more than a couple tablespoons in the morning, but I can eat a truck load in the evening. I'd say I get 70% of my daily calories after 5pm. Because of this, whenever I need to drop a pound or two, I don't give myself restrictions like "don't eat this" or "only eat this much". I simply implement a "don't eat after 8pm" rule and the rest takes care of itself.

Where is this locatedSent from my 0PAJ5 using the BariatricPal App Tijuana.

I lost 22 pounds on my two week preop diet. Then it took 3 months to lose another 17 pounds after surgery. But Unlike so many others that whine about being "slow losers", I was thrilled. I'd lost 39 pounds for sh it's sake! How was that not awesome?! You really need to embrace this as an entire new lifetime of weight loss/maintenance. You shouldn't have any time-related deadlines. Just keep on plan, listen to your body, make adjustments to your nutrition as needed, and enjoy the NSVs. If you need numbers to concentrate on, make those numbers your Protein and Fluid goals. take your Vitamins. Use the next few months to learn new eating habits and coping mechanisms that will carry you through a lifetime of hardships to come. Don't worry what the scale says or especially what other people's scales say.

Like others asked, exactly how much are you eating per meal/snack? 1 cup? 1/2 cup? 2 cups? And what are you eating? How many calories? How much Protein? How many fluids? How many carbs? It's normal for your stomach to loosen and have less restriction over time without it being considered "stretched". I could eat way more at 6 months than 3 months and again,way more at 12 months than 6 months. And this was without ever overeating. I reached my max capacity around 14-16 months postop and I could easily regain at this point if I simply relied on how much fit in my sleeve. Basically long term success comes down to what and how much you choose to eat, not how much you CAN eat. Give us some food log details and we'll try our best to suggest a way to move forward (and downward) from here.