BananaBelly2B

Hi there...I was also self-pay and I found a surgeon in Boca Raton that only charges $10,500 for the gastric sleeve. Dr. Shillingford is board certified and the facility is a center of excellence. The price included everything! You can check out his website or call their office for more information if you'd like. Good luck to you!

Great idea pdxman!! Those recipes sound sooo good and even for someone that doesn't cook, like me, I think I could do it. I really appreciate the idea. I'm only 6 days out and my doctor allows puréed food at this point. I just bought a rotisserie chicken, shredded it and added a little to some refried Beans. Yum! I can't wait to try some of your recipes. Thanks again.

Hi everyone...I need some guidance please. Today, I'm 5 days post-op and doing fairly well. My doctor allows puréed food starting on Day 3 and I'll continue this until Day 14. According to the instructions, I have to get in 64oz of fluids and 30-50g of Protein supplements in addition to the 1-2oz of puréed high protein food (tuna, ground chicken, eggs, fish, cottage cheese, etc.). This morning I think I did a no-no. I woke up and drank about 4oz of decaf hot tea. I sipped my way through it and definitely had that "full" feeling, so I stopped. About an hour and a half later I made myself a scrambled egg. I'm trying to take a minute between each bite and managed about 4 bites before I felt really full. It's about an hour later and I'm still feeling sick and over-full. I'm thinking I should not have started out with the tea this morning as it made me too full to eat, but I'm not sure. Can someone share with me a schedule of when they ate and drank that worked for them at this stage? I can't seem to figure out when to eat and drink, but I know you're not supposed to do it at the same time. Plus, when do you drink your Protein shakes? Thanks, I really appreciate your help. Signed, Feeling Full in Florida

There is an app called Hy. You basically tell it how many ounces you need to drink and how often it should remind you. Hope it helps. It's also FREE!

Hi everyone...just another update post-surgery. Surgery on 3/6, discharged yesterday and finally slept in my own bed last night (felt so good to be home!). Day#2 was a rough one. Major pains in the incision areas, but continued to use the magic pain button and was still on the ice chips all day. I was able to walk 3-4 times and while I didn't want to do it at the time, I definitely felt better afterwards. Night #2 was not pleasant. I was not able to sleep or get comfortable in the hospital bed, plus I was really hungry. I was also finally able to release some gas, of course, it was probably a little more than I wanted. Sorry to share--let's just say I felt much better after a shower. Day #3 was a good day. Sore throat was much better. Drainage tube and IV removed in the morning. I was able to drink some hot tea and also chicken broth. I'm definitely hungry but still cannot tolerate drinking anything too cold. I can't seem to figure out how to actually "sip" versus "gulp"--I seem to have stomach pain each time, so I really need to take it slower. I was discharged in the afternoon, but had a 4-hour drive home. I sipped water and Crystal Light on the way home and like some other folks have mentioned, the drink was so sweet. Now I understand why you have to dilute all fruit juices. Night #3 was sooo much better. I started on the oral pain meds and for me, this was really needed. I continue to have pain in the incision sites, getting up and down from the bed and the chair is quite agonizing. I was able to eat some Won Ton soup minus the noodles, and that was really good. I slept through the night, with an additional dose of the pain meds, but woke up feeling great! Luckily my physician allows puréed foods after surgery, so for breakfast I had a scrambled egg. I set a timer to take a minute between each bite and I didn't have any issues. About 30 minutes after that, I made a protein shake (using Premier Protein with 30g) and while I only drank half of it, it went down fine. I hope this helps someone, I know it helped me to read the other posts. I wish you all the best in your journey too. Take care.

Sleeved! Hi everyone...just wanted to give you an update from my hospital bed around midnight in Boca Raton, Florida. I just had my first spin around the halls about 12 hours post-op and I'm feeling pretty good. Not gonna lie, as soon as I was in recovery and woke up, had terrible pain. They hadn't hooked up the precious magic button yet, but once that was done, all was well. I slept on and off until 5:00 pm and then was moved into my room. To be honest, I don't remember a thing. The last thing I said to the Anesthesiologist was "I hope y'all do a great job" and I was out! I'm in no real pain, as mentioned previously--the button is magic. I do have a terrible sore throat, but I hope that gets better with time. Have been sleeping on and off and at this point, only ice chips. I'm so thankful for all the posts from other folks that have had the surgery, as it really helped me to be prepared. Mouth is extremely dry, but it helps to add the ice chip and hold it. Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT forget some type of Chapstick or Vaseline for your lips. I brought along my baby purse-size tub of Vaseline and it's been my saving grace. The staff and nurses at Northwest Medical Center has been very gracious and helpful. My male nurse has already given me his number--of course, it's his employee ID number, but hey, it's still a number, right?!? I'll try to post an update on day #2, but so far so good. Thanks to everyone again, I've appreciated reading your comments and suggestions, they have really helped. BTW, I lost 19.1 pounds on the 2 week pre-op diet. Woohoo! As you know by now, every surgeon is different, and mine recommended the all liquid Protein shake diet. I used Premier Protein, both chocolate and vanilla (sometimes mixed with PB2--love that!) and at night, I would heat the chocolate in the microwave and have a nice hot cocoa before going to bed. Lots of chicken/beef broth, Water and Crystal Light. There were a few days where I indulged in a piece of chicken, always grilled, and lots of veggies, and I have to say that really helped. I also had scrambled eggs and one day, a can of tuna with low-fat mayo. There were no issues with the "shrinking liver" and it made the diet more tolerable. Let's keep this between us though, ok?!? I wish you all the best on your journey and for those already there, I appreciate your words of wisdom. Take care. Karin

Don't beat yourself up too badly--gravy has been our friend for a long time, so it's hard to say good-bye!

Hi everyone...I just joined the site, but have been reading comments for a few days. I really appreciate all the honesty, tips, success stories, etc.--it all helps! I wish everyone the best in their journey, I'm scheduled for March 6th. Pray for me too! Thanks.