ChavaBling

@@pjpanda I heard about Benadryl spray on this forum & I bought some. It makes those itches stop right away!

Oh my gosh, it drives me NUTS sometimes! I saw this person who wrote, "My sleeve makes me stop eating, but my head is screaming at me to keep eating" or something like that. When you have food issues, this surgery basically forces us to stare down those issues. It's hard! That's why I am a huge proponent of ongoing counseling/therapy for people with food addiction/abuse/issues. Talk therapy has really helped me feel less "crazy" and "trapped in my own head". Many people who are/were overweight use food for reasons other than energy and to fuel our bodies. Figuring out what my reasons are is a big part of the recovery process for me.

Honey, I'm so sorry. There has to be an appeal process. If you're feeling anger and negative emotions, maybe you could put that energy to use by mounting yourself a strong appeal case. It could give you a defined "next step"; something to work towards.

I'm 12 days out & still on liquids. Progress to purees in 2 more days, yay! I can fit about 3.5 oz of liquids in my tummy. I've heard there's more restriction with solid food, but it is still so early, we can't really know how much the final volume of our new, healed stomachs will be.

Ok, y'all. I just got home a few hours ago after 30 hours at ValleyCare Medical Center in Pleasanton, CA. Most of my stomach is missing, but I think the surgeon might have left a bulldog puppy inside me, because why does my stomach sound like it's snoring?!?! Seriously...there are some extremely weird noises coming from that region. So, a little info about my surgery, in case it can help anyone else out. NIGHT BEFORE: I have been on a clear liquid diet for 2 days. The night before the surgery I put the scopolamine patch behind my ear. I didn't drink anything after midnight, knowing that my surgery was at 10 AM the next day. At 7:00 AM Friday, I took "Emend", a crazy, miniature pill that stops nausea in chemotherapy patients. Guys, I have not yet had nausea- I don't know why all docs don't rx this, but I will let you know that ONE PILL cost $99, and my ins only covered $49- my cost was $50. However, between the scop patch, the Emend, & IV administered reglan AND zofran, I did not once heave or feel like I was going to retch. I took all of my regular meds before bed on thursday. Day of: 1. It took 2 tries by an inexperienced nurse in my right hand to get the IV in- didn't work. 1 try by an experienced nurse, and it went in the left hand no problem. This was one of the most stressful parts for me, because I hate needles & stuff. So, my right hand is one big bruise, left hand is fine. They said I came in dehydrated and must have given my 10 bags of saline in 30 hours. 2. The doctor made 5 incisions, 3 tiny and 2 larger. The large one just above my bely button to the right (my right) is the one that she pulled my stomach out of. Gross. I have no stitches, just a bunch of glue. I've been told numerous times to leave the glue alone and don't rub it! Just pat it dry gently after a shower or use the blow dryer on a cool setting to dry them. 3. I was wheeled to the OR and then got myself on the table. Last thing I remember is the anesthesiologist telling me, you're going to go to sleep now. The next moment (I thought), I woke up in the recovery room. The only thing I could say was "pain!" and they hooked me up to a PCA pump with dilaudid. Dilaudid is a pretty hardcore narcotic. I was allowed to push the button every 10 minutes, and I did, almost all night. 4. My amazing fiancee slept on a chair, because he wanted to. He wouldn't leave me, and I am so blessed to be with someone so wonderful. I was up and walking as soon as they would let me, and Brian always came with me for support. I walked several times last night and this morning, and a few since getting home. 5. I was freaking delirious all last night- between no food or Water, the general anesthesia, and the IV drugs, MAN OH MAN, I was trying to text people and I kept typing gibberish or falling asleep in the middle of the text. Eventually, my partner took my phone away. I was saying crazy stuff and felt so darn good, I was sure they HADN'T done the surgery (they did though). I was extremely lucky to have a private room, as well. Things just kept working out for me! 6. I had to have several injections between last night and this morning, including antibiotics & blood thinners. The used the tiniest needles and even I, a huge wuss, didn't think that they hurt. I guess more or less, it was a textbook case. Easy & fast (for my surgeon) Oddly enough, my CNA for the night was my surgeon's very first sleeve procedure several years ago. She told me she started out at 400# and is now 183, 2 years later. She looked fab. That was encouraging! Now, I am at home. I don't know what to do with myself. I am supposed to be on full liquids, but none of them taste right to me. I've been sipping on some decaf tea. I know I'm not going to be able to get in 60 grams of Protein a day for a while. I am trying, but I think I only consumed about 300 cals today. I tried my beloved Premier Protein shakes, and they were SO GROSS to me!! Shoot! Gotta find something else. I'm kind of listless- really tired but can't lay down ANY MORE. I've been laying on my back for 2 days almost! I'm not hungry at all, but I do feel really thirsty. I'm dreaming of a nice tall glass of iced tea with lemon....in due time, I'll have that! Just not today. So, thanks for reading if you made it to the end. I'm pretty out of it still, I hope this all makes sense. I feel very lucky to not be in agony or nauseous. Prayers for healing are accepted!! All questions will be answered, esp. if you PM me.

Girl! I honestly don't think I would have the strength and the kindness to make ANYONE fried chicken right now. That would drive me nuts! Your guy is lucky to have you! The number one thing I'm struggling with now is small sips & not drinking too fast. its hard. ive slimed a few times. i need to use a timer when I eat/drink. Please fwd me some good vsg recipes !!

Lindsay, I am 9 days post op as well and I feel like you somehow GOT IN MY BRAIN and are writing the exact things I'm thinking! I was so worried about pain and the surgery- but I've felt great. Protein and fluids, though- that has been the difficult part. Dairy especially is hurting my tummy BAD, but that's where all of my "full liquids" seem to be coming from. I've been drinking a lot of kefir, which at least has strong probiotic properties. The food cravings (for "real food") are crazy, especially when you consider that there's NO WAY we're actually "hungry", with all the recent trauma to our stomachs. Nevertheless, I have dreaming about Pasta mosts nights and when my FH makes his grilled chicken & veggie w/ brown rice dinner every night, it smells like my grandma's homemade lasagna. Which is to say, regular old "healthy" food smells delicious and like a culinary masterpiece. I am constantly telling myself it is in my head and that my "nutrition sludge*" is super good for me and keeping me alive right now. * Nutrition sludge is the affectionate nickname that I call my daily shake. Every morning I mix a Premier Protein chocolate shake with 6 ounces of Silk light soymilk, 2 servings of Benefiber, one serving of Sunsweet Suprafiber, one dose of MiraLAX and I sip on that for most of the morning and afternoon. It tastes okay, but it looks like sludge. Also on Day 9 it's getting kind of old.

I know depression and anxiety all too well and I'm sorry that you're going through this. This might make you unfriend me, but have you switched up your exercise routine lately? That can really get the endorphins going!! I am getting a little mopey 9 days out and I'd feel so much better if I could go hiking...doc wants me to wait 30 days.

You look so happy and beautiful. You're SO BRAVE w/ the swimsuit pics, believe me, there's only one bathing suit picture of me in existence, its from 2007, and I want to erase all copies. It's the truth, though. You look happy and beautiful in both your Bs & As, congratulations to you!

I use Miralax for several days in a row (about 2 capfuls per day), I add Sunsweet Suprafiber to my morning shake, and I squat. Things are moving along.

Hi guys. This is my third day after the sleeve and my second day home from the hospital. I was sleeved on Friday and I came home yesterday afternoon. I have been up today for about five hours, and I have only consumed 18 ounces of liquid, Including A few ounces of Premier Protein shake and a few ounces of Kefir. Can ANYONE get to their goals at first (64 oz liquid, 60 g protein for me)?? I also wanted to mention that I've never tried kefir before but it tastes good and is sitting really well in my tummy. Sorry if this question is repetitive. my brain seems to be working very slowly these days LOL

@@samighair, please let us know how you're doing today. I would also go to the ER.

OMG you look amazing!!! 5 weeks? That's a huge change for 5 weeks? How are your peeps handling it? How are you?

You've got my attention... LOL

An interesting, short read on cosmetic surgery (opinion piece): http://jezebel.com/why-do-we-hate-cosmetic-surgery-so-freaking-much-1578798128

@@Sharon C. Darling, you are gorgeous. I am wayyyy into Fat Acceptance and body positivity- but that doesn't mean that people can be healthy at any weight. I don't want to just tear into your "friend" here, but...I can hear the jealousy and the selfishness coming from your friend's post, although it doesn't seem like she's doing it knowingly. It seems like she is projecting a lot of internalized fear onto you. In addition to being completely unsupportive, she has taken your private information and used it as blog fodder. That is reprehensible. My mom died at age 53 after a lifetime of being super-morbidly-obese. I'm not going out like that. I have made a commitment to total health, and that has included a food, exercise, and therapy program that I have been following for 5 months. Your friend sounds so angry and uneducated about this- that we need to adopt a radical change in our lifestyles for this "tool" to work. One more kvetch- your friend knows that insurance doesn't cover cosmetic surgery right? And if it did? Who is she to judge? The truth is, the system that churns out obese people is what needs systemic change. The fact that we're the first generation of Americans (millenials) that has a shorter life expectancy since we started keeping track- that is not our fault, but we're made to suffer the consequences. And so, we do what we need to do to get back to a place of health. I say "get back", but I've been overweight my entire life. I was the 4 yr old that didnt want to wear a bathing suit in front of my friends, because I already knew I was fat. And I have NO SHAME now, because I'm proud of my choice to get healthy. I wish you peace & blessings, & complete healing of mind, body, and spirit. Please don't forget that it is ok to mourn a loss, no matter how crappy the circumstances of that loss are.