Daisee68

Try not to panic. You should be on an acid reflux med daily regardless. That is pretty standard protocol (I think). I had bypass but I had the same hunger feelings and Zantac took care of it. Once you get past pureeds and start chewing more dense Protein, you will see the difference in the restriction. In the meantime, yes, you need to stick with the small limited portions. If you think you are hungry in between and the acid reflux med doesn't take that away, then have a sugar free popsicle or some warm broth. I still have to do that 4 months out occasionally. Don't test your sleeve. As others have said, the nerves are still healing and they will prevent you from feeling the that tightness. Be patient. You will be able to look back at this post in 4 weeks and realize what we are all saying.

​I am 4 months out and weigh every morning, but I am able to shrug off the small gains. Mine will go down 1 pound then up half a pound then down .6 then back up .5, etc. etc. As long as it keeps going down, I'm good. Have you looked at your measurements? That is important because even when you aren't losing pounds, you are often losing inches.

​Guarantee it is acid. Did they give you acid reflux med? You should be taking one daily at least for a while.

You look great! You should definitely wear more dresses!

​Oh trust me, she will know something is up - her more than anything. Why not tell her? My guy is like a friend so he was one of the first people I told. I have had mine colored several times since surgery. It didn't make it worse necessarily (but I color not bleach). I would recommend you to tell so you can get appropriate advice on your hair.

​Never weigh yourself at night. you always gain weight during the day. Weigh first thing in the morning and then not again until the next morning (or better yet the next week same morning same time). You will stay much saner.

​Ok, so I see lots of people say they can eat only 4 or 5 bites and be full. That seems crazy to me as I don't know how you could get your Protein in 4 or 5 bites - well at least the way I am eating. I use a timer to eat so here is my confusion though: I do feel some sort of "fullness" at a few bites in maybe 5 to 7 minutes in to eating) but if I wait about 2 minutes, then I feel like it goes down and I find I can eat again. I am not eating over 30 minutes and am still staying in the 1/2 cup portion range, so is it ok that I keep eating after those first few bites? I don't think I am really full after only 5 minutes. I think my stomach is just adjusting to the introduction of food. (This doesn't happen at every meal but does happen at least 1 meal a day.) Due to a stricture, I wasn't eating very much but now I can eat so much more, so I guess I am just a little worried that I am going to eat too much. I am still losing and I am still staying in the calorie range my NUT recommended (600-700 calories). I want to be sure that I am learning to stop at fullness during this honeymoon period so I am learning good habits for future and not just eating past full because the portion size and calories are reasonable. I ate WAY past full a couple of nights ago and I was miserable, so I am trying to slow down and listen to my stomach better. By the way, I am 4 months post-op tomorrow. Because of the stricture, I really am running a little more like 4 to 6 weeks behind the normal schedule. Appreciate any insight!

Fingers crossed you hear something soon so you get get on with planning! ????

Ugh. I'm so sorry. Motion sickness is just awful. Especially when you can't eat much which is what I used to do to try to settle my stomach. I hope you can find a solution to get you back home at least!

​My therapist said something to me recently that was a bit of an ah ha moment for me and that I cannot get out of my head so I thought I would pass it along in case it was helpful to anyone else. I said to her that pre-op I hated leftovers, but that thankfully I have really gotten used to them since you kind of have to have leftovers when you are eating such small portions. To which she said "Well of course you hated leftovers. food was your entertainment and who would want to watch the same movie 2 nights in a row." I don't know why this one thing hit me like it did, but man, I have repeated that over and over so many times - every time I want to reach for something because I am bored, or want to snack while I am cooking, or want that piece of candy from the candy bowl at work or the donuts in the kitchen, etc. etc. Also, when I get towards the end of a meal and I have that urge to keep eating because it just tastes good, I hear her say that and remember that I can have it again next time! Hope it blesses someone else too!

​I wonder if it just absorbs differently? I know that my endocrinologist told me my thyroid med wouldn't absorb as well and sure enough at first labs, we had to up the med. Is it possible for you to take a larger dose? (Sorry I am not familiar enough with Dramamine to know.) Or maybe you could try Bonine (I have used that before - make sure it doesn't have aspirin in it - I'm not positive). Or maybe even seasick wristbands? Or failing all that, a prescription for Zofran, Phenagren cream or even a patch that goes behind your ear to calm the nausea? I had that after surgery and it was wonderful. Plus I have friends that have used those Patches on a cruise. There are other solutions so do not fear. It might just be a little try and error to find the right answer.

This won't help you, but it can really vary. Are you fairly confident you will get approved - did all your requirements, insurance covers bariatric surgery, etc.? If so, then sometimes a week to 30 days. (Mine was actually filed on a Friday and approved on Monday but I think that is rare.) If there is a chance of denial (and my understanding is there is often a denial on the first attempt), then it could be longer. And then once you are approved it depends on how busy your doctor is to as to when you can schedule surgery. There is a lot of variables.... I will say this, if they get it approved, it will have to be before year end - assuming your insurance is calendar year and not a different fiscal year.

Ditto. Totally normal. I kept thinking "what the heck have I done?!" Totally normal. Just hang in there. It will get better.

Mine was face and butt / hips. I keep looking behind me wondering where that darn thing went! @@byebyefat - have you looked at Poshmark.com? You can actually search for clothes by brand (including Lane Bryant, Avenue, Torrid, etc.) and by size and then buy some at a huge discount since they are "used". I have a closet on there and have posted several pairs of pants and jeans with tags still on. (You can actually search for New With Tags.) That would be a cheaper way to go while changing sizes so quickly. Amazing that you dropped that many sizes in such a short time! I was in 26's (which were tight) pre-op and have just transitioned in to 20's (which were a little baggy yesterday but not enough to get in to 18's).

I was just going to say to get your thyroid check before I got to your last post. I had the same issues for many years and was ignored, so I am so glad the ER dr took the time to really look at this for you and see if she could figure something out!

So sorry you came home to that! I can't imagine how frustrating that would be! I am sorry I don't have any advice for you. Just wanted to send sympathy & HUGS!

@@lexiemustang - Mine too! I can't say I really always look forward to the leftovers but now I understand why and I am definitely adjusting to it (or at least I hope I am!)

I highly recommend seeing a therapist that specializes in eating disorders and/or bariatric patients. Therapy, for me, has been as much if not more if a tool for me in this journey. Remember if we could just make ourselves do this, we all would have done so and skipped the surgery. A therapist will help you see things in your behavior that you don't see yourself. Also, veggies are great but always remember proton first than veggies if you have room or as @@Djmohr has suggested per her NUT in other posts, 2 bites of Protein then 1 bite if veggies. I would also say you are working out too much for your body to efficiently burn correctly.

You can have brown rice in small amounts but believe it is at least 6 weeks. I haven't tried it yet. Too scared of it getting stuck (but I'm a chicken because of other things that haven't gone down well. I haven't tried any bread either)

Pork rinds are low carbs / high protein but also high fat. If you can limit yourself, you might try that. I worry that it's a bit early for you for some if these choices though. And tortillas aren't a no forever but they are for a little while.

Yep a fork is about it I think. I did the same about 1 month post op at a July 4 gathering.

WOW!! You look amazing!! Congrats on the great work!

Definitely chili. I want to try making white chicken chili that others have talked about. Going to try that tomorrow. I also like Taco Soup. I usually use very lean ground beef but might try it with chicken or turkey. I haven't made it post-op yet but it should be fine if I leave out the corn. It's taco meat, pinto or ranch style Beans (might be too sweet), can of rotel tomatoes, can of corn (which I will leave out as my surgeon said it doesn't digest well and too starchy), chopped onion, can of chicken broth and a package of ranch dressing mix.

I just remembered on more thing that I really use a lot - doesn't necessarily have to do with portion control but really helps with reheating leftovers (which you will have tons of) and keep it moist. It is a sort of tupperware steamer. I use it to reheat all my meats. I got the suggestion from theworldaccordingtoeggface.com. The one I got is called Prep Solutions by Progressive Mini Microwavable Steamer and I got mine from Amazon.

Oh you poor thing! I promise it does get better!! It's perfectly normal to be emotional about it at this point. I remember end of week 2 crying at EVERYTHING and nothing. Just hang in there. Promise you will look back on this post someday and understand!​ Get some rest. Take your pain med on schedule for a couple of days. And if it is too bad, don't be afraid to go to the ER (as you have already done). It is major surgery so it could be something more than the "normal" pain. Next week will be better