no onions

I am almost 4 weeks out. I do not believe I could do what you described at this point. I certainly cannot do any heavy lifting. In fact, bending slightly in certain directions makes me sore (and apprehensive about tearing something). I would suggest running it by your Dr.

I bought a wedge pillow off of Amazon and am still sleeping on my back in an elevated position. It helps with the acid-y feeling I've been getting and it's more comfortable than trying to sleep on my side/stomach (my normal position). I thought my back would be sore as well,but I think the incline/wedge pillow has prevented that somehow. I'm also not sleeping great (unless I take a pain pill!) and wake up frequently. Thus it's 3:13 AM central and I'm online. Trying to go back to bed! G'night!

@@anahajara That has happened to me when I've take pepto in the past. Also made dark stools (just fyi/tmi). It was harmless, I just brushed my tongue a lot.

I have a hard time picturing myself eating a salad at this point. The chew chew chewing along would not make it worthwhile to me. In any event, it's not on my plan for stage 3. For me stage 3 is "soft foods" only. Examples (for me), moist (there's that word) chicken, turkey, cheese, deli chicken, turkey, tuna,etc. Applesauce, yogurt, cooked (canned) carrots. These are just a few on my plan. Not sure if they are ok on your plan. Good luck.

Hope this helps -- For me, I only took vitamins pre-op for a couple of weeks and I did not take them 24 hours before surgery. In general they were fine pre-op. They were chewable. I'm finding the chewable versions to be off-putting now (post-op) and I prefer the small multivitamin pill that the Dr. prescribed. It's not difficult to get the multivitamin in (once per day) and because I know I'm probably not getting the best nutrition at the moment, I really try and get the Vitamin in. calcium citrate is an entirely different story though -- I'm supposed to take it 3x daily and it is a larger pill. I break the pill in half and can generally get two pills in each day (4 halves). I don't think I could take the calcium pill without breaking it in half. Oh, I have some B12 nasal spray shot that I take once per week. I'm not sure what that is doing for me to be honest. I didn't receive any instructions (or have forgotten, if I did) on when to take them (w/ food or w/out food, time of day, etc). I'm going to check on that with the Dr. just to be sure.

I'm sort of in the same boat, though my tastebuds seem ok. I'm just not hungry at all. I am usually able to get my Protein in by using shakes, but at this point there would be no way for me to come close with the soft food diet (just started). I'm typically not thirsty either and that is more problematic because I've occasionally felt dizzy/lightheaded from it. I think part of my issue (besides not being hungry in general) is that I'm trying to avoid throwing up and any unpleasant physical feelings at all costs. I eat super slow and may be eating too little. (I'm working on it).

@@Sharon1964 I love costco because they will take stuff like that back. I cannot imagine drinking something that tastes like that colonoscopy prep liquid. Eww yuck. If only I could take back (drank too many) the Premier Vanilla Protein drinks - chocolate is so much better.

@@Elode those healed really well!

Most definitely get one you can zero out (tare). I'm mostly doing measuring cups and tbsp right now, but am prepared. I used the scale during my post-op diet to weigh what ate. Took the guessing game right out of figuring out calories.

Hi Nikki - I'm not familiar with him, but I have seen the name a few times during my time in this board. The search function on this site isn't the most user friendly. I can vouch for a very positive experience with the office of Dr. Christopher Eagon at Wash U./BJC. Hopefully your Dr has some patient support groups you can attend - that might be a source of good info.

Hi everyone - If you had/have moobs, have they reduced and/or toned up? How long and/or how many pounds did you happen to lose before noticing a difference? If you did specific exercises (realizing that targeting areas is almost impossible), what did you do? Thanks in advance for your comments.

I recommend you get everything in writing. My surgeon's office helped extensively with navigating insurance. When I called UHC myself, I was told I didn't have any requirements! When my surgeon's office called they got the real scoop.

Dumping is not fun. I have it as a result of gallbladder surgery many years ago. Sweats, shakes and uncontrollable and eventually undeniable urge to use the bathroom. I would get this regardless of what I ate and it would almost always happen at lunch (since I would rarely eat breakfast). Mine has been controlled by a medicine called Cholestyramine. I haven't experienced dumping with the sleeve yet and I haven't restarted my Cholestyramine either. I did have diarrhea several times after my leak test because of the barium/gastrografin cocktails. Yuck. I guess I can understand dumping as a deterrent to eating poorly, if it only resulted from one type of food. For me, that wasn't the case and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Same as @@Daisee68

I chose sleeve, because I didn't want the potential issues with nutrient malabsorption and I couldn't get over the fact that my intestines would be re-routed. In my mind, the sleeve seemed less invasive, though it's terribly invasive too. Lap Band was totally out in my mind based on a friend's experience with it. I'm already prone to dumping in general because of gall bladder complications, so I don't need the added plus of anything else (bypass) to cause that. Your success will be what you make it and not necessarily some statistic or anecdote. As someone mentioned, all of the surgeries are tools. You should do whatever you think is right for your health. My recommendation would be to make a list of pros and cons for each surgery and take as much educated advice from professionals and patient experiences as you can. Good luck!

I made some really yucky ones. I thought I could just puree a can of potatoes. They were like paste and totally gross. They are allowed on my plan, but if I try them again, I'm going with the instant kind suggested by @ShrinkingPeach

These are all great - thanks everyone for the responses. I had s pedicure and facial last Friday. I'm gong to keep that up periodically.

@@The Candidate I'm wondering about our electric bill too! I keep it very very cool. Temp currently at 68 in the house.

Huge victory! Big congratulations to you.

@@CowgirlJane Love your stories and posts.

I have a couple - 1. Fewer slip-on shoes. It had reached the point where I specifically looked for shoes I wouldn't have to bend over and tie. 2. Clipping toenails - my abdomen would frequently cramp from the necessary positioning. * I did get a pedicure on Friday because my wounds won't let me quite bend enough yet. 3. Towels that will wrap around your waist (without being bath sheets). 4. Burning any and all "comfort stretch" waisted pants that are in my closet. You know -- the kind with the "hidden" extra inches. Actually, I will happily donate any clothing. 5. Reduced sweating - hopefully. I'm hoping I don't need to sit under the ceiling fan every morning after I get ready for work, just to cool-down before heading to the car. 6. Removing myself from the big and tall catalogs, mailing lists and rewards programs. 7. Really just looking forward to feeling better overall! :-)

Thanks for the tip on this!

My throat and tummy were bubbly and noisy for a few days after surgery. I'm not sure what is normal, especially with the earlier complication you mentioned. I'm that person who will call the surgeon's office with any question/concern - that would be my recommendation to you. I hope you're feeling better and that you are over the hump on the leak. Good luck to you.

Yes, I've been making less than baby sized servings of it. It's good and my serving is so small I'm not worried about any carbs. I like the idea of adding nut butters to it (specifically peanut butter). I will have to try that later today.

@@lowflyby74 Feel better soon!