Katcloudshepherd

NuLife4Coy, Sounds like you are doing well. It is great that you aren't retaining Water. If your surgeon gave you a lot of IV fluids during surgery like mine did that could explain it. I had two IVs of saline. If you keep up your Fluid intake you shouldn't have to worry about dehydration. My daily requirement is 64 ounces. I do my best to hit that 64 mark and even go over. What helps is my doctor allows me to count anything that is caffeine and sugar free towards the 64 ounces. EVERY doctor is different in that aspect though. Congratulations on that 13 pound loss! Blessings, Kathleen

Amanda-Lee My husband and neighbor, who is a good friend, were there the day of surgery and my cousin drove me home. I was not able to drive for a week after surgery. I was still on the pain medication and my cousin was driving me around in my vehicle. I was able to get back in the pool to exercise two weeks out and was back to work in three weeks. I work in an office so it isn't a physically demanding job. I hit a period a couple of months out where I tired easily and felt exhausted all the time. I don't know if it was a delayed reaction or what. That was my experience. I wish you well with your surgery and hope you have an easy recovery. Blessings, Kathleen

Welcome to this site and welcome to the bumpy road some travel to get here. I wish you the best with choosing a good surgeon. I went to a Center of Excellence and the staff are all trained to deal with bariatric patients. All they do is Weight Loss Surgery, (WLS). The first surgeon I saw was one who did other abdominal surgeries and was not exclusively a WLS surgeon. I didn't like the attitude of his staff right off the bat. I was told via telephone it would take at least 6 months to schedule the surgery. I found the Center of Excellence and from start to surgery it was a little over 3 months. That was due to my insurance and having spent money on trying to loose weight with prescription drugs BUT my point is--the staff was not trained in dealing exclusively with bariatric patients. Even if you have to spend more money, (if you can afford to) to find a surgeon you will be comfortable with--it will be worth it. Good luck, Kathleen

KimberlyBranco7, I've found that I can eat rice at over 6 months out BUT I choose to eat VERY little. I eat Protein first and foremost because that is what my body needs. The rice fills me up too quickly and I just don't want to use what little space my sleeve has only to be hungry in a very short period of time. Not lion roaring hunger like before the sleeve but that little twinge that says "hey, you need to eat something". I find if I watch the carbs, and that is all rice is--my weight loss is much better. Kathleen

You are looking' good there! I'm VERY happy you are feeling better. Congratulations and blessings, Kathleen

Hello everyone, Has anyone had WLS and is an extremely high risk patient? My husband is on coumadin,(for blood clots), has high blood pressure, diabetes and had blood clots from previous surgeries. He is on oxygen and he had so many surgeries that went through the same incision, he has no stomach muscles--just skin over his abdomen. Has anyone had WLS with severe health problems? What I wouldn't give to get my husband to where I am at. I'd go so far as to say I'd do anything short of selling my soul if I could get him back to better health. Kathleen

Congratulations on your surgery! My husband would be a super high risk patient, hoping to find a surgeon who would preform the sleeve on him. Blessings, Kathleen

LindafromFlorida Thank you for your response. We're going to visit some surgeons and see if there is one who would be willing to do the surgery. Like I told my husband, all they can do is say no and we won't know if we don't try. I'm so happy for you and your husband . Blessings, Kathleen

I titrated myself off of coffee SLOWLY. I drank 3/4 caffeinated for a week, then 1/2 caffeinated for a week and then 1/4 for a week until I was down to plain decaff. It WAS hard because I'm an avid coffee drinker. After I was 3 months out I was allowed caffeine again but every doctor is different. I was so glad I got off the caffeine BEFORE surgery because you don't need to be dealing with headaches or caffeine withdrawal AFTER surgery. Good luck with your surgery. I hope it goes well and you have an easy recovery, Kathleen

Thank you for the website!!! I just took a quick glance and it looks great!

I don't find an aftertaste with Stevia BUT everyone is different. Truvia is Stevia with a chemical stabilizer in it. Kathleen

Jessiegirl30, Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! I'm learning how to eat to live not live to eat. It's a process that everyone that has weight loss surgery must undergo to retain that successful weight loss. Wishing you continued progress and health, Kathleen

peewee40, ​The only thing that got me through until I lost enough weight was Voltarin cream. It's an NSAID that absorbs through your skin. Once I lost enough weight, the pain in my back and knees got to be bearable with tylenol. It is a prescription and not an inexpensive one but worth every dollar for the pain relief. I understand what you are dealing with, the tylenol didn't relieve the inflammation I had, Thankfully the Voltarin did. Let me preface this next statement with what I'm about to say is not advice from a medical professional. I now take several Vitamins and herbs that are anti-inflamatory. Tumeric is a spice that I take twice a day--(should be taken with food, NOT on an empty stomach), Ester C is a Vitamin C that is easier on your stomach and I find it helps my joints. I take a probiotic capsule twice a day to help my constipation and have recently started drinking a Kombacha drink to also aid my digestive health. It is a fermented drink and I have seen the tea but the refrigerated one has the beneficial live organisms and the shelf stable tea does not. I made the mistake of drinking a whole bottle, (there are 2 servings per bottle), and had diarrhea. Too many beneficial Probiotics can be a BAD thing. I drink 1/2 a bottle and voila--no constipation, I go like I should. Since I'm eating mostly Protein, constipation is a problem if I don't get all the Water and get some Fiber in. I think since surgery I'm so much more focused on eating what I should and using vitamins and supplements to help my digestion work as effectively as possible thus helping me to lose weight, absorb nutrients and feel better. Blessings, Kathleen

Hey! You are looking good! Congratulations on your success Blessings, Kathleen

Patoonces, I try to use Stevia as much as I can because it is a plant based sweetener instead of chemicals. I even have Stevia plants growing. I don't know how to process the leaves to produce the sweetener but I'd like to find out. The Stevia plants come from Asia and like heat but don't like cold. They do really well in South Texas if you keep enough Water on them. While the chemical sweeteners may or may not be bad for you, I prefer to use the Stevia even though it is more expensive. I see more and more products using it as a sweetener and I'm grateful for that. Congratulations on your 51 pound weight loss! Blessings, Kathleen

LisaLou30, I agree with SleevedSharon. I don't believe your primary care doctor understands that if you could use pills to lose weight you wouldn't need the surgery for goodness sake! It never ceases to amaze me the ignorance of some of the medical community. IF we could do it without a surgical tool---DUH we wouldn't be seeking the surgical tool! I'll never forget going to a gynecologist about ten years ago for a yearly pap smear and ALL she talked about was how I needed to loose weight. First and LAST time I saw her. I think your husband could definitely benefit from support group meetings, especially seeing other males there that have had WLS. Good luck, Kathleen

Recycled, Thank you for your response. Like I told my husband this morning, all the doctors can say is "No we can't do it." We will never know if we don't ask and pursue it. We had went to a seminar several years ago and he was told he was too high risk. I'm just hoping I can find a surgeon that thinks the risk of surgery isn't too great to attempt it. Kathleen

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You look great! I'm so incredibly happy for you Kathleen

alyce, Right now you need to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Sip, Sip, Sip MY body had PLENTY of reserves of fat to live off of after surgery. Once your swelling goes down it will be easier to get the Protein in. Listen to your body and rest when you need to rest. I had a surge of energy about a week and a half out and then BAM I was dog tired and it took me a couple of weeks to get my energy back. Delayed reaction? Everyone is different. The caffeine withdrawal could be a HUGE factor in your lack of energy. I'm so glad I got off the caffeine weeks before surgery. Hang in there. Kathleen

mezzomaybe, What I did when I ate meals was to drink A lot of non-caffeinated liquid, stuff myself with non-starchy vegetables and then eat the low-fat Protein. If you take the Water out of it--it's some what the reverse of what you'll do AFTER WLS--except you don't stuff yourself with anything after WLS. The vegetable's Fiber and the water slow the digestion process and keep you fuller longer. Getting off of carbs and sugar is an absolute bugger when your stomach is normal. You've still got the hunger hormone Grehlin (spelling?) kicking big time telling you are hungry all the time. Keep up the good fight, I know it's incredibly hard. Try to drink as much water as you can between meals and make sure you get as much sleep as you can. Being tired makes fighting temptation a lot more difficult. Kathleen

1. I don't have a fear of having to stand in line to purchase something and have terrible back and knee pain. 2. Flew on airlines and fit in the seat! No seat belt extender AND people didn't fear me sitting next to them. 3. I look good in clothes! Never get tired of husband saying: "You're looking good babe" Kathleen

Wow! Incredible transformation and you've just started! Congratulations. I know my tastes have so changed and I'm so incredibly lucky for that. I don't crave sweets like I did before and I eat almost all Protein and whatever vegetables I can fit in. Kathleen

I hope your MRI comes back OK. I'll keep you in my prayers. I hope your surgery in October goes well and you have an easy recovery. Blessings, Kathleen

A. Stoot,, Congratulations on your approval. I'm very happy for you. I hope your doc has a quick turn around for scheduling a date and your surgery goes well. Kathleen

You look fabulous! Congratulations. Kathleen