mwestcons

I know I know! I am at around 219 and yearn for something, anything under 200!

Give yourself a bit of time before you decide if you are lactose intolerant. I thought I was too and then realized my symptoms (cramping, mostly) were just the symptoms one feels with alot of foods immediately post-surgery. I bought vanilla-flavored whey isolate powder and mixed it with fruit (mostly strawberries, canned peaches, etc.). You can also buy your favorite Soup and puree that. I bought hummus and discovered that was pretty good at this stage. I liked adding yogurt, ricotta and/or milk to my shakes, but you should go slow, obviously, until you can confirm that you are truly lactose intolerant. If you are, you can ask you doctor or nutritionist for advice about drops, additives or alternative milk-like products. Take heart, I am nearly two months post-op and am really enjoying the journey!

You can also consider switching surgeons. Depending on where you live, there are usually more than one or two bariatric surgeons available. Granted, it's a big switch, and upsetting, but may be worth considering.

The FOBT which you are probably being asked to do is way better than a colonoscopy, intrusive though it sounds. The techs can tell the difference between blood from hemorrhoids and blood from the GI tract. This is an easy and inexpensive way to check for VERY SERIOUS problems like colon cancer and bleeding ulcers. You can, of course, refuse it, but it is relatively painless and the benefits can be immense. Very likely you will test negative and get a green light for the surgery.

I was sleeved on June 19th, so I am just starting on the "soft foods" portion of the diet. I quickly discovered what others seem to have noted - dry/solid foods get "stuck" and do not work well. A nurse at the surgeon's office (who had a bypass awhile ago recommended chili, stews, i.e. meals with lots of moisture/liquid content. In thinking about it, it makes sense, as you help "lubricate" the food you take in and make it easier to flow through the constricted spaces that now pass for a stomach! [sharedmedia=trackers:tickers:17205]

I just bought the Fitbit One and I love it. It even tracks my sleep (how often you wake up) -which is useful since I have apnea and use a CPAP. You can recharge the One whereas the cheaper ones use batteries. I attach the clip to my bra so it is out of the way whereas if you put the thing in your pocket there is a better chance it will fall out! This is a great way to motivate you to become more active - it has really worked in my case!

Jenuine629: My nutritionist and a nurse who has had the surgery recommend starting first with mozzarella and/or string cheese as these more solid cheeses are better tolerated. For those who are doing well on the liquid diet and want to try something more solid, they recommend these cheeses. Beyond that, it is still "protein first", with the best tolerated Protein sources being the white meats being more digestible and better tolerated than the red meats - including pork. Fish is usually tolerated ok too. I was told that the rule with "soft foods" is that if you have to use a knife with it, it's not soft enough! Highly cooked foods like chili and stews and marinated meats apparently work much better. The more fibrous vegetables like broccoli and green Beans should be well cooked. Apparently, celery is not well tolerated at all until much later... Chili is a good choice using ground turkey (or all veggies) since the beans add another source of protein, and it is quite filling, which staves off hunger longer. This stage of the diet is all about filling you up for longer to prevent hunger. [sharedmedia=trackers:tickers:17205]

What an inspiration! I hope I get comments like that someday! [sharedmedia=trackers:tickers:17205]

Kindle is right. The risk from all the complications from obesity make weight loss surgery very compelling. At 56, I had so many...diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea (they caught that only as part of my work-up prior to surgery) A-fib related to the sleep apnea, arthritis starting in my hip and knees... shall I go on? Yes, there are risks to the surgery, of course, and there have been some people who have had serious complications. As with any surgery, the risk also depends on your state of health beforehand. It is very very important that you research your surgeon and find one that is board certified and has lots of experience doing the type of surgery you want. A good surgical/recovery team will seriously limit the risk to you. As for me, I am 3+ weeks out, my surgery went extremely well, I had no complications and am ridiculously happy that I decided to do this!!! [sharedmedia=trackers:tickers:17205]

Two things about driving - you should be off narcotic pain meds for about 24 hrs before driving (many people can cycle off the meds within a day or two of leaving the hospital) and you need to be comfortable twisting around in the drivers seat to check your blind spots, etc. I was also driving on the 3rd day after being released. [sharedmedia=trackers:tickers:17205]

Some of the tiredness and weakness is simply due to the fact that your body needs to heal after major surgery. I am 3+ weeks out and feel almost back to normal - just walked the typical walk (1.5 mi) that I was able to do before surgery - yea! Try to pack as much Protein into your diet as you can, as those make the most important calories you take in and will be the key to healing as fast as possible. Remember not to overdo the activity/exercise - I had a scare a few days ago picking up my friend's 16 yr old dog who kept falling over during a walk - and was really sore for several days afterward - thought I had a hernia!

Well, I'm just beginning this journey, but I am confident that the sleeve was just what I needed to make it possible to finally find a way to lose the weight and keep it off. Those nay-sayers are just exhibiting their jealousy - and demonstrating to us all that many people seem to want to find a way to feel superior to, or put down others who make them feel inadequate or insecure. Sad fact, but why do people find it necessary to make racial jokes, or other hurtful comments? Treating large people badly is still one of the few socially acceptable prejudices still tolerated in our society. Livvsmum - what do you do now? You live your life proudly and move forward in confidence knowing that you have won a great battle with courage and perseverance. Incorporate all that you have learned in this journey into your new life style. Eat healthy while allowing yourself "celebratory" foods you like on occasion. Stay active and realize you are still the same person, only "new and improved". YOU GO GIRL!!!

Hi Kat619: glad to hear you are doing a bit better. You certainly deserve some smooth sailing after all you have been through! Interesting what you said about post-surgery fluids. My surgeon appears to be one of the more conservative ones, in that she does not want us to have any fluids until after the fluoroscope analysis to detect leaks. Even though they all do a leak test while you are on the table, small leaks can escape detection, which is why many surgeons want the more comprehensive fluoroscope analysis. If there is a leak, that can lead to peritonitis, a pretty serious complication! Also, vomiting can stress the staple line and while you are on the heavy-duty pain killers, nausea is not an uncommon reaction to anesthesia and pain meds....

lashomatic: Well, everyone experiences pain at different levels, as you may have heard. You should not be too shy about taking your pain meds to head-off pain, particularly as you describe. In my case I took only a few doses of the oxycodone they gave me and transitioned to liquid Tylenol as quickly as I could (the oxycodone made be dizzy anyway). Some pain should be expected, and the location and number of incision sites will vary to some degree with each patient. Having said all the above, "stabbing" pains in your belly while you are vertical sounds a little unusual. Being vertical was my most comfortable position, it was bending, and particularly twisting motions that lead to pain in my case. I would definitely mention the location and level of your pains to your surgeon. Do also be careful with your activity level initially - to avoid damage to the sutures, staple line, etc.

Well, I can relate to what you all are saying. I wish I could have had this surgery 20 years ago - it would have been very interesting how my life would have progressed! I'm 56 now, had diabetes for 15 yrs, hypertension for nearly as long, and recently they also diagnosed me with apnea with associated A-fib (paroxysmal - sporadic) the sleep study that caught the apnea was a prerequisite of the surgery. Does a person need any other reasons to have the surgery? Plus being menopausal and thus with a metabolism that is ramping down, there is totally no reason to wait any longer! Been single all my life and know that being heavy all my life as well really cut down on the number of guys who wanted to date me. I'm also very picky - a deadly combination! Had my surgery on June 19 - very successfully and seem to be down around 20 lbs. I'm looking forward to a new lease on life!!

Dear Kat619: Oh my dear! I am so very sorry for all your troubles. What a terrible ordeal for you and your family. I am a bit confused...did they actually let you drink fluids immediately after surgery? The protocol is to avoid fluids until after the radiologists have done the fluoroscopy to determine if there are leaks. I hope your issues resolve quickly and you start to reap the benefits at long last. Kudos to you for your courage and tolerance! Best wishes for a speedy recovery from the complications.

Hi Madwife. I wouldn't freak out too much. Things like taking birth control pills can affect your level. If you are nervous about your Protein intake, double-check the amount of protein in your shakes. Have you tried adding milk to your drink? This is an excellent way to add protein without adding bulk. You can also substitute milk for Water if you a) like milk and can tolerate it. Good luck!

I can certainly understand why many of us choose to keep our surgeries private. I totally agree that one's medical history is totally no one else's business and we all have to right to keep this private. However, I also know, we all know, that there is a lot of bias, prejudice and misinformation circulating out there. I have experienced this first hand, as many of us have. In considering the surgery, I approached a colleague who announced that she had had the surgery and lost something like 90 lbs and managed to get out of an electric wheelchair in the process. We had a honest and frank talk about her journey, and it was very valuable information for me as I considered the pros and cons of weight loss surgery. Her courage and honesty in revealing to all of us her brave journey was an inspiration to me. I plan to tell everyone who inquires that I have had surgery. While there are many who have lost weight permanently with dieting or exercise alone, the vast majority fail, and most often yo-yo dieting just leads to weight gain in the end. I will make it a particular point to tell any of my friends that are overweight as they are the ones who could benefit from this solution. If we hide the benefits and pitfalls of our individual experiences, no one else will be able to learn and benefit from them!

Yes, there is a whole lot of ignorance and judgemental thinking out there. Several years ago, a business colleague who I had never met ftf blamed gastric surgery for the runaway cost of health care in the US! Really? This is an off-shoot of the prejudice that exists against heavy people. Many people think that being overweight is because you're lazy and sit around eating too much. The medical field is now beginning to realize that there are many factors involved with weight gain - and that it is not so simple as people think. I told my favorite cousin about the surgery and I now realize it was a mistake as even she seems to have these feelings - I haven't heard from her since I told her my news - no emails, phone calls, nothing...I don't get it! But we will be consoled later when we are so much thinner that all these issues will be completely unimportant!

rcorser84; So you should be starting your preoperative diet soon? Apparently some surgeons have folks do the diet and others don't. Mine did, with the goal of shrinking your liver so it is out of the way during surgery. By carefully following the diet, (I assume) they only needed 4 incisions instead of 5 during my surgery - hey the fewer holes in you the better! The pre-op diet also gets you used to the Protein shake concept which will be your entire diet for 2 weeks after surgery. Walking soon after surgery and often is important to prevent clots forming - which most hospitals obsess over these days. My biggest problem immediately after surgery was a little bit of nausea while I was in the recovery room (they give you drugs for that) and it was quickly resolved), also I had horrible cotton mouth for 24hrs until after they x-ray your stomach to make sure you have no leaks. They will probably give you those little sponge swabs to moisten your mouth until you are allowed to drink again. But really, in my case anyway, I was simply amazed that I had so few issues after surgery - minimal pain, more like aches - and only a few restrictions on my activity level. The two most important things to do after surgery is to drink as much Water as you can tolerate (take small sips often) and to drink as much of the Protein Drink you choose as you can. Staying hydrated will make a huge difference in how you feel. Good luck!

Krispiekreme: So sorry to hear you are having problems and are down. Exactly what about the protein shakes is bothering you? You might want to try the whey powder that is unflavored, and add your favorite flavoring - I bought Mio flavoring liquids although I use it mostly for water. Also, if you like milk and can tolerate it, I add milk to my Costco whey isolate powders and that makes them not only taste better but more filling and satisfying. (It also increases your protein intake.) Also, my first few days out, up to day 5-6, every time I took anything in I got stomach cramps - (remember that your stomach is pretty inflamed/bloated at this point). Avoiding chilled liquids and sipping tiny sips helped alot, and the cramping is now gone 10 days out. Good luck to you!

Hi Aygad. Just like people are different shapes and sizes, so are stomachs. The level of food/liquid you ingest before feeling a restriction will be different than alot of women who simply have smaller organs overall. You will probably need more calories to keep yourself going than someone who is smaller. If you continue to have problems losing weight I would suggest increasing your activity level. I just bought a fit bit a couple of days ago because I know it will help motivate me to increase my activity levels. As they used to say in Weight Watchers - just move!

Well, I was told to go on the preoperative diet (3 Protein shakes and a small meal) which I did for the proscribed 2 weeks before surgery. I lost about 7 lbs pre-operatively, and in my case my VSG only required 4 incisions (they call them "stabs" at the hospital - isn't that awful?) as opposed to 5 which is what they need if they need an incision to resect your liver. I don't know if the diet was responsible or not, but I can tell you that 4 holes in your belly is way better than 5!!!

My surgery was June 19th! Things are going very well - lost 7lbs pre-operatively and perhaps another 10 or so post-op (you know those spring scales are not very accurate!) I have about another week of the protein shake diet and then on to - what is it - phase 3 I think (soft foods). I am so totally happy at this point that I got my insurance company to fund all this...and I feel like I'm entering this exciting adventure. I've waited my entire life (56yrs) for this and while I wish I had been given this option 20 years ago, at least I had a shot at this before my health really went south!

Yeah, I was really sceptical that the sleep study would find anything, but apparently some huge percentage of overweight patients have sleep apnea. I had very few of the symptoms and was shocked to discover I had it. In my case it quickly led to a diagnosis of paroxysmal A-fib (heart palpitations) that is probably also associated with the apnea and is pretty serious! Yet another reason to have the surgery! So the lesson is, yes, find someone in network to do the study - it's worth it and will convince the insurance company you need the surgery!!