UpandAtom

Oh yeah. And I'm down to 249. 102 pounds GONE in four months! 131 pounds gone since my high weight!. Other than my knee, I am awesome. Wish I could kneel and run but those are out. Oh well.

Hi Guys. Update on my knee injury. So, it's pretty damn bad. I have limited use and strength of my leg because my quad tendon is partially ruptured and detached from my kneecap. This mean that the extensor mechanism is off to the side of my knee and it is very difficult and sometimes impossible to straighten my leg from a bent position. My quad is only partially in use for strength and balance. Also, the patellar button from my knee replacement has dtached and is floating around in my knee/lower thigh area. I saw the best orthopedic in the Chicagoland area who specializes in knee reconstruction and knee replacement rebuilds. My options are few and scary. Best option is to have my knee fused. Basically cement it in a slightly bent position for the rest of my life. Other option is to have a tendon graft from a cadaver and ope it takes. The graft only has a 70 percent success rate and a ten percent infection rate. Infection would be very very bad . If I get this operation and it fails, I am looking at a fusion anyway. If it gets infected, I am looking at several more surgeries just to then have it fused. F**K! So, I'm going to kick the can down the road and leave it as is. I am strapping on a serious ortho brace daily and getting off my ass. No more excuses. Since surgery I've been walking, riding, hiking, canoeing, camping and generally enjoying the heck out of life. THe knee problem sucks and I may need to have one of these surgeries down the road. Possibly sooner than later, but I am not taking the risk or fusing my knee until I am left with no other options. All the best to all of you

Your nerves are normal. Surgery is scary. I too was very nervous and those doubts kept creeping in. The first two days I had terrible acid and they kept me in the hospital until it was controlled. I never had any pain. Once I got home and taking my acid meds. I was totally fine. I went out to movies on day four and back to work in a week. No problem. Looking back my fears were unfounded and I do not regret for a second. Go get em!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@Jane1979 please do not let this be the reason you don't get surgery. coffee is fine with most surgical teams now. You'll most likely need to just take a little break. I drink coffee, many do. And this is the best thing I've ever done. I'm 100 down with 60 to go. As for this being a far more risky surgery than C-section, it just isn't. This is very safe and has very very few complications. In a c-section they cut you completely open and remove a child from your abdomen. That's a big hole! They do WLS laparoscopically with a few little incisions. It's the big holes in tissue and muscle that are the biggest concerns with many surgeries. And, you simply don't need your whole stomach! It's not like they're removing your heart or lungs! Recovery was a breeze. A breeze I tell you! See the surgeon, trust the surgeon and live a much better life. This surgery will help you do that. It'll help you live!!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The energy will come back. For me I think it was around six weeks. I felt good otherwise but the low energy periods are tough. Try to work through it and stay active as you can. If you need to sleep, sleep. Your body is going through a huge adjustment. Once it learns to burn fat for energy, you will feel much better! I felt like a champ by two months. Also, be sure you are taking your vitamins and getting in your protein!

Hello folks! I had my sleeve three months ago and want to post my progress. Here's the stats: Highest weight- 380 Start weight-365 Surgery weight-351 Current weight-275 First of all I cannot believe I have lost over 100 pounds since my all time high. I used to think that if I could get down to 280 and stay there then is be happy. But I could never get down under 300 in all my weight loss attempts over the last 15 years. I used to see 275 as normal overweight! Now I'm dead set on getting to 200. I exercise daily by walking and biking and plan To step it up once I have my knee surgery. I walk a lot even though my knee is in great pain sometimes. Most days/times I feel fabulous but still suffer some nausea if I'm not careful what I eat. I think that's a good thing because it is a great learning tool for nor overeating! I was I. Vacation recently and did things I never could have or would have done as recently as last year. I hiked daily, went canoeing a lot, swam a lot and rowed several miles in a rowboat as part of a camp triathlon. I probably logged five miles a day on foot. I canoed a fast river with my wife and manouvered like I did in my 20s. I could not even have canoed at all last year. I couldn't even have stood up from the seat, I was too big and my knees were too bad. Even with my recent injury to my knee, I could get up easy. I am also just generally more active. I swim I. The backyard, have been working a lot around the house and am restoring a vintage carpenters bench for use as a kitchen island. This is the best thing I've ever done. I just bought a new car, a Nissan pathfinder that I plan to use for more camping adventures. If you are in the fence about getting this done, I highly recommend this surgery. It is the gateway to a new life!! Oh yeah, and my bariatrician asked me to speak at their informational meetings! Best to all! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

MagicMike this is going to be great for you. Best advice I can give is to keep a positive attitude and work through the bumps with a smile. The results will have you feeling fabulous! Best of luck to you and keep the board posted! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Excellent comments here. It all boils down to what you are comfortable with! Me, I work to not lie in all aspects of my life. But this one is just not simple for some people! For me, I tell whoever I feel will not pass negative judgement that could hurt me. Those others, I draw a fine line and say I am eating very little, drinking Protein shakes and exercising g my ass off. It doesn't feel quite right but is not a lie and I feel it is safer for me. Do what feels right. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Ho everyone. It's been a wild ride since surgery on May 9th. Here are the stats. HW - 380 Started process at - 365 SW - 351 CW- 298 What I've learned: Surgery was tough but not nearly as bad as I feared. No pain ever really but had bouts of nausea and acid that were pretty trying but well worth it. This takes time! The exhaustion for the first six weeks was pretty bad but I learned to just plug along. Rest when needed! My sleeve is the boss of me! A couple of times I ate compulsively and I paid the price! A good learning tool to eat thoughtfully! Plan meals and sit down to eat. I've learned to eat when I'm hungry and not when I'm not. Focus on Protein first! I can do so much more even though I've suffered a pretty severe knee injury. I walk a minimum of 10k steps a day. Take a longish walk every night and ride a bike three miles per day. Weigh yourself as often as you like but don't obsess about numbers! The three week stall sucked but after two weeks of stall - whoosh! Five pounds gone in a day! The scale can suck! One day at the end of my stall I actually went UP 10 pounds. Then a few days later was down nearly ten! Could be Water weight or constipation just ride it out! The constipation can be a killer! Take miralax, stool softener a or whatever surgeon recommends if you suffer from this! Tell people if you want don't if you don't! This is a personal process and sharing can be good sometimes but not so others. Get help when you need help! Come here to BP and don't be afraid to call surgeon or NUT for support! All in all I feel great! I can do things I never could have done before! Being under 300 is like being a kid again and I'm going to enjoy every moment. I wish I'd have done this when I was 30! Best to all of you. This is truly life changing!

I too am a food addict. I am two months out now and am eating between 500 and 800 cals depending on how many and which protein drinks I have. I do not miss food most of the time. When I get to feeling like compulsive eating I have a bit of cottage cheese, tuna or yogurt. I get to feeling full right away and the obsession goes away. I am usually not hungry at all. If I am, I eat. If not, I don't. When I eat it is about 2-4 ounces or 1/4 cup. You can do this!

You have all helped me get into a bit of a groove. I've learned that my knee will let me ride a bike. Not a regular one because I can't lift my bad leg over the bar. But one of those city bike share bikes that are like a "girls bike" that I can step through. I've been riding about three miles daily I'm walking with a brace and cane s minimum of 10,000 steps according to my Fitbit. I'm also Water exercising and making whirlpools about every other day! I've dropped down to 302 I'm closer to the 200's than I have been in years! The pain can be really bad in my knee but I've just decided to deal with it. I see surgeon on 7/25 and hopefully the surgery and recovery won't be as bad as I feared. Thank you all!

Jesus boys, I'm shattin pineapples. Okay, maybe not pineapple, but-no exaggeration, hand-grenades.Same size and same freaking texture. These dookies are so freaking hard and large my sphincter has absolutely no chance of pinching one off in a doable size. Okay, I know this is rough, but to give you all an idea how terrible this is, I had to go in and get a couple of these bad boys. Vaseline on the digit and operation remove the dook was on. Oh MY Freaking God! These things are like steel. Serious pain and blood... I'm only 9 days out and I'm not eating, what is going on! Don't you need food to form these bombers? Okay, not trying to brag. Trying to figure out what the H to do! I'm not on any painkillers and have not been since day three. I'm hydrating pretty well and taking a dulcolax daily. What to do?!

@@sgc that is a good idea. Fiber will help keep things moving once it gets started.

This will pass. It finally did for me. Take the colace. If it gets too bad, use a fleet suppository. Sounds gross but it works and is for better than tearing your rectum or causing a bleeding hemorrhoid !

Okay so I'm getting quite a bit of conflicting information here, even from my own nut. So I thought I'd pose it to guys who started at 350-400 LBS. How many calories were you getting at six weeks to two months post sleeve. I am on full solids, chewed thoroughly and eaten slowly and taking new items carefully. I log everything in MFP and am getting an average of 650 calories a day. I've ranged as high as 850 down to 550 recently. My excersize recently (due to knee injury) is modest but am certainly not sedentary. I get 64 oz of fluids and an average of 60 gms protein. My weight loss has slowed considerably after the first month. My nut said "maybe I should consider more calories" and that we'd review it at my next visit. Here's my question, where were you sizeable fellows at in terms of calories at this point? Did you find more calories helped speed weight loss, or slow it? My restriction is solid and I am generally never hungry. I'm currently at 309. Started the process at 365, weighed 351 at surgery. Thanks for your input fellas!

Thanks all once again. So it sounds like what I'm learning here is to focus less on calories and more on protein and some low carb nutrient rich veg. I just really want to keep that scale moving in the right direction!

Thank you all so much for your replies. Being on this forum and hearing from you good folks really does help keep my head on straight. @@proudgrammy, I'm glad you replied. I didn't really mean to restrict this to the guys room. That's just where I happened to be browsing when I decided to post my issue! So, thank you. @@defibvt and @@OKCPirate, good advice. I actually have a pool in the backyard. But it's one of the above ground types that requires climbing a ladder to get in and out of and I've been afraid of climbing that ladder! I said heck with it this weekend and spent a lot of time Water jogging! I made a whirlpool from going round and round in circles, just like when I was a kid! I also spent a lot of time just vacuuming that thing and it is cleaner than ever and I was moving! @@Dub thank you as well. I can't even come close to lifting myself out of my chair with just my arms! But I got some of my son's free weights and started doing some light curls, etc. The scale did start moving again and I dropped from 315 to 309.5. Woo Hoo! thanks all.

So is hot in Chicago today. 93 or so and humid as heck. I'm trying to stay active but the nausea is really getting to me! I can't eat anything at all, I wanna throw up! G2 seems to help a bit but not much. I'm five weeks out. Anyone have any suggestions?

High weight 380 Start weight 365 Surgery weight 351 One month post 319 Hi everyone. I just had my one month checkup post op and everything is going well. My blood pressure is down and doc is weaning me off meds. I am down thirty pounds in the month since surgery and 60 down from my highest ever. I am eating most foods as long as they're soft and I chew chew chew. I am at about 500 calories per day. I have been getting my liquids but that is sometimes hard. I felt pretty dehydrated yesterday! My biggest complaints are acid reflux and occasional exhaustion. The acid is mostly controlled by dexilant. Sometimes I feel great and sometimes I feel like I can barely move. The great times are awesome! The exhausted times I just get through. I am walking and riding a bike plus moving around a lot doing yard work, swimming in the backyard and general putting around. I can increase excersize in two weeks. I plan on painting my house then. Best to all!

Sleeve recovery as far as pain was easy breezy. No pain whatsoever in the abdominal area. As @@Dub said, hernia repair was far worse. The only reason I took any pain meds at all in the hospital was to sleep through the nausea and acid I had. I was a dope, if I'd have spoke up more clearly, they could have treated those symptoms more effectively!

My dad and I have a tradition of Chinese. When we went out at two weeks post op, I got egg drop soup. It was wonderful and sat well!

Or at least pretty decent? I am scheduled for surgery on Monday. I'm scared about all the usual stuff but what I really want to know is, how long did it take for you to feel pretty good after surgery?

Hi Everyone, I am two weeks post-op and generally kicking buttock. I have been back at work for a week and have lost 37 pounds since starting pre-op diet one month ago-so that's awesome! My biggest issues are lack of energy and acid reflux. I'll deal with the energy, I know it will come back once i settle in a bit more and can start getting in a few more calories (only at about 450-500 currently). BUT, the GERD SUCKS!!!! I get little bile eruptions of acid in my throat for no reason, just sitting at my desk or whatever. I wake up with it and it plagues me all day! From the moment I woke up in the recovery room I've suffered miserably from this. I am taking 40mg of Nexium currently but still suffering. Never had a stitch of an issue pre-op! If I'd have known this would happen, I'd have chosen RNY. Anyone else? Did you find relief? Any Suggestions? Thanks!

Okay as if I didn't have enough shat to worry about! I'm now worried I have TOO MUCH restriction. My surgeons office has sample menus listed for each phase of the post op diet. Right now the suggestion is "lunch: 1 lightly scrambled egg and 1/4 cup of oatmeal". There is NO WAY in H E double hockey sticks that I could possible eat that much! Less than one egg has me feeling like I'm gonna puke! I am having a very difficult time getting in more than 500 cals a day and usually only 400. I just ate 1 tbs of refried Beans and 1/8 of an avocado and I'm gonna burst! Where were you all at two weeks post op with this?