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!!