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efierke

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Everything posted by efierke

  1. efierke

    Heat stroke and the sleeve

    Just to clarify, what you're describing is heat exhaustion, not heat stroke. Heat stroke is a medical emergency and is very often fatal if not treated quickly. While I've only had heat exhaustion once (in high school, long time ago) I can say from experience that my heat tolerance has improved dramatically since I've had the surgery. Am I hot when it's 90+ out with high humidity and I'm riding my bike? sure. Can I tolerate it now or even enjoy it? absolutely. However, the same rules apply, and they can be harder to enforce: stay hydrated - you won't be able to chug Water after the surgery like you do now. your sleeve will say "oh hell no" after about 1/2 cup. so you drink, wait a minue, and drink sommore. it takes a bit of getting used to though electrolytes - no less important now than they were before. I find that half-strength gatorade works well for hydration and for electrolyte management, but I usually will bring a salty, high Protein snack for if I start to feel crampy (peanuts, Jerky, etc)
  2. Isopure unflavored I would mix with sugar free Jello and greek yogurt to make a ultra-high-Protein creamy dessert (think high protein key lime pie) it's also good in coffee (iced or not-quite-hot - it will curdle in hot liquids)
  3. blood pressure - resolved high cholesterol - resolved chronic headaches w/ occassional migraines - resolved sleep apnea - resolved numbess in my legs when I'm laying on my back - resolved on a bad note back pain - brand new (but may not be surgery related)
  4. efierke

    Plain protein powder

    This recipe, using any sugar free Jello you like + Isopure unflavored makes for an amazing dessert that is basically 100% Protein - http://twosleevers.com/2014/03/low-carb-high-protein-key-lime-pie/
  5. efierke

    Taking NSAID's for back pain

    Prior to surgery I had chronic headaches and occassional migraines so this was definitely a topic of conversation with my surgeon. My NSAID of choice is Aleve (naproxen) and he was fine with it as long as it was occassional use only. I don't get headaches nearly as often since the surgery (and no migraines) but I am taking the Aleve for back pain now. Usually take 2 tylenol and if that doesn't do the job, 1-2 Aleve, but I manage to take the Aleve only once or twice a week usually.
  6. I think the reason for this is the band, to be honest. from talking to my surgeon, the month before my surgery, he took out 17 bands and put in only one. Each of those removals would count as a revision I think.
  7. I've seen reports of lactose intolerance - try cutting out the milk and only having yogurt to see if that helps, or add in Lactaid or similar to see if that helps. Good news is most Protein powders are lactose free so you won't have to give them up (getting your protein in without powder can be challenging at first) and it may not be a permanent intolerance.
  8. efierke

    Smoking & PreOp cheating

    To be honest? get serious about it or re-schedule the surgery. Your liver is in the way more than anything else and an liver laceration can be fatal. Do people cheat on the pre-op diet? absolutely. I had more veggies than I was supposed to and had two small handfuls of mixed nuts on my 10 day preop diet. I also lost 19 pounds on the pre-op diet and was absolutely miserable the whole time. Smoking is a big issue too though - it slows down healing and dramatically effects your lung function. Get the patch, get some gum, throw out your cigarettes and know that you're just going to be miserable. it's part of the process, to be honest.
  9. To be honest it makes me wonder if you're eating too little. Even within a week of surgery I was eating more than 450Kcal/day - average for me for the first few months was in the range of 800 and I'm up to about 1100 now at 5 months out and still losing (it's slowed a little, but not much). I'm down about 90lbs (about 75% of my excess weight). From soem of the comments I've seen on here, and suggestions I've seen, try adding in some healthy fats (Avocado or Peanut Butter, for example) to bring up your daily intake. your body may just be scrambling to hold on to anything it can right now.
  10. efierke

    Protein

    Make greek yogurt your new friend. I'm 4 months out and still have 1 shake a day and most days I have at least 1/2 cup of nonfat greek yogurt - either in a smoothie with Protein powder, or just with a little bit of preserves added. Especially right at first getting all your protein in is difficult, but it's also essential - your body needs it to heal.
  11. I think 4-5 months might be pushing it a little bit. You'll be eating mostly normal food by then, but while you'll have more energy (I know I do and I'm about 3.5 months out) your stamina may need a little support yet. I also like hiking and may attempt my first 10 mile day hike next week, and I'm expecting it to wipe me out pretty much completely. Maybe I'll be wrong though.
  12. that sounds like a fantastic idea Syntrax has been wonderful for me. If you don't mind crystal light, I would suggest using a scoop of syntrax and 1 crystal light packet in about 24-32 ounces of Water. that dilutes the "protein" flavor and you just wind up with crystal light flavor.
  13. efierke

    NSAID?

    Depends on your surgeon - you will not be able to take them daily, but I had weekly headaches (2-3x a week) prior to surgery and I told my surgeon that the only thing that worked for them was Naproxyn (Aleve). He said that was fine, but lower the dose. Fortunately, since my surgery, my headaches have basically been non-existent and I haven't had a migraine, and it's been 3 months now. Most important thing to remember is different surgeons have different protocols, so you really just need to talk to him (or her) about it.
  14. efierke

    Vitamins

    Unless you have a kidney disorder or similar that is going to keep you from excreting the excess B12, you'll be fine - B12 (like C & like the other B vitamins) is Water soluble so it's not going to do you any harm if you get extra. My sublingual B12s are about 500% of the RDA, and my Vitamin C is about 1000% of the RDA. worst it's going to do is turn your pee yellow.
  15. One thing to keep in mind - a lot of the "sugar free" stuff out there isn't made with Splenda or Nutrasweet. It's made with sugar alcohol (manitol being a common one) - this still has calories but doesn't mess with a diabetic's blood sugar like regular sugar might. The side effect is that there's a *strong* laxative effect with too much of it. I'm 11 weeks out and have occassionally indulged in something sweet, but so far no dumping, thank goodness.
  16. efierke

    ANXIETY MEDS

    What are you taking and how much? Have you been taking them every night for more than a few weeks? If so, you might need to taper down a little - either start breaking the pills in half, or go without for a night or two. The most common anti-anxiety meds (valium, ativan, xanax, klonopin) can be tapered down like this pretty safely, but having more information is always helpful
  17. Try the Syntrax - I'm a big fan. If that doesn't work and you can stomach coffee, get the Isopure unflavored and put it in coffee that's had the chance to cool a little (I just use an ice cube). Your body won't heal if you can't get your Protein in.
  18. efierke

    Baldness is in my future .... :/

    I'm sure you are, but just to remind you - make sure you're getting all your Protein in. Biotin helps, but hair is all protein - if you're not getting enough that's definitely going to affect your hair loss.
  19. efierke

    Please help I need healing fast

    Nothing wrong with advancing your diet slower than recommended, just as long as you're getting your Protein in. However, Tums and Prilosec work *very* differently and are not interchangable in any way. In fact my surgeon advised me to stay away from Tums (and similar). Some of the PPIs and H2 inhibitors you can break in half or crush, but not all - double check your labels
  20. efierke

    Pee color and water intake

    One thing to keep in mind is that if you're taking your Vitamin B, that's going to turn your pee *very* yellow at times. Also, if you're still doing Protein shakes and getting most of your calories there, your kidneys are going to be a bit stressed, which can make your pee darker, too (and smell funky).
  21. efierke

    Caffeine....

    I was advised to cut back but never was told "you have to give it up". I work nights in a hospital - it would be nearly impossible anyways. Yes, caffiene can dehydrate you, but only very slightly. coffee can be an stomach irritant for some, but it doesn't bother everyone. Moderation is the key, as with everything.
  22. efierke

    Backed Up!

    definitely had some problems post-operatively. My recommendation would be miralax, but I'd actually stay away from the fiber - right now you're eating so little that it can bunch up and cause a blockage in your intestines, especially if you're having trouble getting all your Water in. Miralax is nice and gentle but it does take a couple of days to work.
  23. I was honestly surprised when I asked my surgeon about this because I was always under the impression that NSAIDs were absolutely out of the question after surgery. He told me as long as they weren't more than once or twice a week that they wouldn't be a problem. I also get migraines (a few times a year) but at almost 9 weeks post-op, I've barely even had a headache (which were several times a week) much less a migraine.
  24. Unless you're in the bmi>50 (and I think some insurance companies want it to be even higher) almost all require 6 months or so of classes. Depending on your surgeon, you'll also need an EKG, EGD, a sleep study (if there's a possibility of undiagnosed sleep apnea), a chest x-ray, and clearance from a pulmonologist. It takes time, but it's worth it.
  25. Depends on your insurance - My insurance required me to lose some weight, period. Wether it be during the 6 months of classes or just the pre-op diet, they didn't care. I actually maintained on the 6 month diet (lost some and gained it back) but lost 19lbs on the 10 day preop.

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