SeaLegs

It's a process, that's for sure. A whole scrambled egg would have been too much for me at first and a little too dense. I found applesauce comfortable to eat. A bite of banana. For me, it is similar to my band...I can really only eat a little in the morning, then larger amounts later on in the day. I had loose stools early on, which resolved. Foods you don't tolerate early on are OK later. Listen to your body...if one or two tablespoons feels like enough, stop. (that's what I had to do, maybe it was swelling?) I think if you want to transition by mixing liquid and mushy in a day, it's fine. I can't tell you anything about the gallbladder...I still have mine.

C'mon. Don't beat yourself up! Just get back with the program and congratulate yourself on how well you've done so far. BTW, I always found that "badness" shows up on the scale 2-3 days later, so if that happens to you, hang in there!

Congratulations! Listen, I heard all sorts of things about how much to walk, but really there will be plenty of walking and working out up the road for you when you are feeling better. Listen to your body. I had to have my gastric band port "excavated" and was trying, but had abdominal pain for quite awhile. The doc laughed at my 2 week visit and said he did not really expect me to be exercising, or losing much weight until a month out. Use your pain medication, splint when you cough (hold a small pillow against the area). Your weight loss is amazing! Everyone here is so eager to have their weight plunge, but really, you have to heal first, and some bodies hang on to weight in healing mode. If you are tired by 6-7pm, it's a sign that you need rest. And isn't it a full time job to get all that water, protein, supplements in?

I am mainly following Weston A. Price/Primitive diet, which has similarities to Paleo. I knew in my heart that artificial sweeteners as dictated by my bariatric practice are poisons, as are some of the other things they advocated, as are almost everything I see on TV, so I had to find my own way. I also knew that low/artificial/processed fat was not good and healthy fats are really important. I did some reading, consulted with an amazing naturopath who I have known and trusted for years, and it has really helped. I have tolerated it really well and feel fine. I ate homemade chopped liver, scrambled eggs (I have chickens), homemade applesauce, banana, sweet potato, kale pesto, and I made fish balls. I am 5 weeks out from surgery and can eat sushi, seaweed salad, smoked salmon, ground meat-based things, cucumber, steamed string Beans, grapefruit, for example. I don't think you will have any problem at all. Same principals: don't eat too fast, stop when your body says, get your fluids in, etc. Glad I am not the only one!

Tracy, how did it go with your surgeon?

Tracy, I'm so sorry you're having all this trouble. Don't worry about the weight loss now, your job is to get stabilized. Even though you are seeing the surgeon tomorrow, please have a very low threshold for calling him or her for some guidance. BTW, how long have you been on the iron....some people don't tolerate it.

Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on the good work!

So, there's no getting away from the IV, that's a given. Be sure to let them know how you feel, and ask for what you need (someone to hold your hand, cover the site with gauze, etc.) Yes, they do hurt initially, then you don't feel them anymore, and remember it is not a metal needle in your vein but a pliable tube. As for the pain med, mine was IV Dilaudid, and not just at night. You should not have to receive IM (intramuscular) injections for pain if you have an IV in place and you are needle phobic. Pain Management is a specialty and there are options. You or your family may need to negotiate this. Believe me, I am a nurse, and you are not the only person afraid of needles! How much a shot hurts depends on a lot of things, and the shoulder is not the only place where it can be given. Good luck, and think beyond the needles to the future that is in store for you!

My first walk was way too far, down the street to the park. Then I had to come back! How about backing off on the distance and doing it more frequently? Keep up the good work!

GG, have you tried other Omega supplements besides EPO? Just curious. It seems to me that we are on such fat restricted diets, that we run the risk of impairing a lot of metabolic, hormonal, and brain functions (which I really want to hang onto!). I use fermented cod liver oil and coconut oil...

Keep up the good work, scootergirl!

Nevermore, one of the other members mentioned a cruise by the WLFSA, and when I checked the site, this organization provides grants. Here's the link: http://www.wlsfa.org/about/ I am happy to hear you will have a health care advocate! I'm glad you're not offended. I'm a nurse who went in it for the hands-on bedside patient care and helping people to heal, and I hate the way health care is corporate and insurance-company driven. The point of good bedside care has now become to earn Press-Ganey points so the insurance companies pay the hospital, not because we care about patients. I know you're exhausted. I'm so sorry about that; I have an inkling from my own experiences. If I could offer one more suggestion for your tool belt: Ask your endocrinologist to contact your surgeon directly and personally. While there is a possibility that your endo might not want to get involved, there is also a possibility that they know each other, have heard of each other, have kids in the same private school etc, and while little old you may not have a big impact on a bari practice, referrals from an endocrinology practice after your surgery has been successful would be a feather in that surgeon's cap! I'll be following your story and wishing you the best!

Welcome to the site. I think you'll find it helpful as you continue this difficult journey. It seems to me that your insurance company should cover this under the circumstances. Getting coverage requires a lot of expertise from the doctor's office. Are they really good at it? Have they gone as far as they can go in getting you coverage? Does the hospital have any funds to help out people with hardships? I'm not asking to upset you, I'm outraged that you have to put up so much money for something so necessary.

Hey, I'm in the "three strikes" group, too! Just had this discussion with my therapist and endocrinology APRN. Most of the nutritional research is on young men, and the guidelines are handed to us even though our bodies are different... Despite your three strikes, you have done phenomenally well. If you compare yourself to others based on a single number, you are looking for reasons to consider yourself a failure...please don't get caught in that trap! One of my favorite menopause experts, Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, advocates weight training for us 'three strikers". Not Arnold Shwarzenegger weights, but something you can learn from a trainer and do at home. She says "I pick it up, I put it down. I pick it up, I put it down. I pick it up...." And she looks better and better! BTW, I think I have a fourth strike...I am a band to sleever...

Well, white bread is pretty much pure carb. Do you have a gluten or yeast issue? Maybe this is emotional? You paint a picture of community...

Hang in there, it will get better. Keep sipping, taking little walks, resting and use your pain meds!

Try a cold pack.

I agree with RJ. Is there something in particular you are craving? Maybe your body needs something nutritionally. I think the "science" of nutrition is informed by the interests of corporations, so I try to filter it with my own research and good sense. A lot of the nutritional guidelines they give us are really bizarre to me. For instance, I take 1 tsp each of coconut oil and fermented cod liver oil daily, plus really good quality Vitamins. I stay away from artificial sweeteners, which induce the same cravings in me as if I ate pure sugar.

Do you think we will be having this same discussion about the sleeve in 5, 10, 15 years? After all, the sleeve is also a fairly young procedure.

Please let us know what your surgeon says!

It sounds like you might still have swelling, which is constricting your stomach passage. Maybe you need to back off a little, thin down your shakes and/or start with 2 oz at a time. My practice doesn't advance us to the puree stuff tilI day 10-14 and at that point the most I could take in of anything was 3 oz. Everybody heals at a different rate, so you have to advance at a pace that suits your body.

Don't you have an IV? If so, that will hydrate you for now. Pain medication? If it is not helping enough, ask for something for "breakthrough" (that is the hospital lingo, as in "Can you ask the doctor for an order for breakthrough pain?"). It will get better. Best wishes.

Sorry about the hub. I hope as he sees you going through this process, he'll see how positive and committed you are. Beware that there are emotional ups and downs in the preop period. So use this site. A couple notes: be sure you are clear about the effects of WSL on Type 1 diabetes, while it tends to be curative for Type 2, I'm not seeing much info on Type 1, and it might be a little rocky in those first weeks. Second, I was perfectly happy to go to and from my endo by cab, but the hospital would not release me to a regular cab afterwards, I needed to find a person, which is difficult when your friends all work! You might want to check on that. Hang in there!

Good for you for identifying the problem, putting it out there and seeking solutions. I am just a baby in this process, 2 weeks postop, but I know when I go back to work, my issues are going to raise their ugly heads. My plan is to make an appt with the bari shrink when/if that happens. Are there any triggers you can identify going on? Do you need something you are not getting? Today I am doing what I am thinking of as a "reset routine". Going back to my shake and Water for the day, trying to center myself.

Just think that your body is smart enough to hang on to fluid and nutrients for metabolism and repair. Keep doing what you are doing and don't worry! This is not a drive-thru, it's a long term thing.