rnsamantha

Prior to surgery I hadn't had one for over a year due to my Mirena. Got one 5 days post op, and now 7 weeks out its started again. It's a pretty common stress response for them to become irregular, but definitely one I could have lived without!!

Good luck to you! I started at a 20W, occasionally a 22W and am into a regular 18 (and they're starting to get loose!) at 7 weeks out. The surgery is absolutely worth it and has helped me actually feel confident that I can hit my goal weight!

I feel like an unwilling vegetarian since surgery! I eat Greek yogurt, cheese, lentils, beans, protein shakes etc. meat just doesn't sit right. I'm 7 weeks out.

I'm 5'9.5" and had my surgery 6/25/15. HW 278, SW 259, CW 226.4. My goal is 175lbs. If I lose anymore past that I will be thrilled, but I think at 175 I will still look and feel healthy. Right now my mini goal is to get under 200lbs. I haven't weighed less than 200lbs in my entire adult life and I'm 34 now.

I'm a nurse practitioner (former ICU RN), and had my sleeve 6/25/2015. I work in an office now and fortunately all my co-workers have been very supportive. I felt like a hypocrite dispensing nutrition advice while being obese. I certainly tried the diet and exercise approach (repeatedly!) as I'm sure all of us did but was never able to maintain the loss. I think getting healthier is something to be proud of, no matter what way you did it surgery or otherwise! There are many overweight/obese RNs and you shouldn't feel ashamed of having WLS just because you work in healthcare ????

I struggled with the vitamins too. It really does come down to personal taste. I started with the bariatric advantage essential multivitamin and hated it. Made me gag every time. Now I'm taking the procare bariatric chewable and while it's not my favorite, it's certainly tolerable. I use the bariatric advantage calcium chews and find orange, lemon and caramel all pretty good, although the caramel is a little too sweet for me and I probably won't reorder it. I'm using the Kirkland sublingual B12 and Natrol fast dissolve Biotin that were both pretty inexpensive at Costco. Good luck!!

I think deciding who to share the fact you had WLS with is a personal decision and should be respected. Although all my coworkers (I work with 5 people) and immediate family know I have had surgery, I don't advertise it to passing acquaintances. Initially I planned to just say "low carb, now sugar, small portions", but I feel a little dishonest because that's not the whole truth. I have shared the fact I have had surgery with more people as a result, and honestly have had nothing but supportive responses. I think people will surprise you, but it should be your decision to decide if you want to share the fact that you had surgery--not someone else's.

I'm about 5 weeks postop now, and having issues with vomiting. If I eat too fast I vomit. Sometimes I vomit my protein shakes or even water. Dense proteins (ie chicken, fish) don't sit well and it's sort of hit or miss if they stay down. I have had heartburn issues and just started Nexium instead of Prilosec. I'm getting 500-700 calories/day and getting 70+ grams of protein. I vomit almost daily though, and even tonight after taking 20 minutes to eat 2.5 oz of turkey it all came back up. Is this somewhat normal? Cause for concern? I'm still waiting for word back from my surgeon's office...

I'm doing okay. Heartburn is a big issue, which surprises me since I never had it outside of pregnancy preop. I just switched to Nexium and it seems to be helping more than the Prilosec was. Still having some solid food struggles. I'm starting to feel like my surgeon is pushing the solids and 4oz quantities too fast. Cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese strings, re fried beans are all well tolerated. Meat (chicken, fish, pork, deli meat) are not. I haven't even tried beef yet and don't think I will anytime soon. So...I guess I'm sort of vegetarian these days?!

Thanks, I think I'm just going to stay on my mushy foods longer and avoid meat for now. Fortunately dairy agrees with me, and I actually like my premier protein shakes so I can be vegetarian as long I still get to eat cheese and yogurt ????

I work in urology (NP). Crystal light contains citric acid that helps improve the citrate level in your urine. Lemons, lemonade and citrus fruit also contain citric acid, so adding lemons to your water or lemon juice concentrate also works. Citrate is important because it helps raise the pH of your urine which helps prevent calcium oxylate stones. These stones are the most common (80%) of all stones. Bariatric patients are at increased risk for stones in part due to the high protein diet, sometimes decreased water intake, and the metabolic changes that occur causing us to excrete more oxylate and less citrate in the urine. It's a perfect storm in a nutshell. #1 thing to prevent stones is to drink at least 80 oz water per day and a low salt diet. If you are a recurrent stone former, talk to your provider about getting a 24 hour urine to determine if there are medications/dietary changes to help decrease your risk.

I'm just over 4 weeks out. I have the occasional headache and take Tylenol for it. I actually find I have less headaches now than when I was in my preop diet. Calories are still a struggle for me, I get between 500-710 per day, and it's work to get them. I drink between 60-80 oz of water per day, but it's usually closer to 60 than 80...it sounds like you're doing better than me with you water and calories!!

I live in Gilbert, AZ. Had my sleeve done 6/25/15 by Dr. Fang with the Bridges Center (St. Luke's). Down 24 lbs since surgery and just over 40 since the start of my 2 week preop diet. No complications (so far). I was quite nervous as this was the first time I had surgery in my life, but was very satisfied with my Dr. and the hospital care.

I'm 1 month out and had an industry sponsored lunch to attend today--catered by Olive Garden. Surrounded by carbs, I just ate the lunch I had packed for myself and no one questioned it. Feeling proud that I "passed" the 1st test!

I had my surgery on a Thursday and went home the next day. My husband stayed home that Friday and over the weekend, and I was grateful for that! I didn't need his help getting around, but we have 2 energetic boys (ages 4 & 6), and I was in no shape to take care of them. I slept a lot due to the pain meds. By the Monday after my surgery I was just taking Tylenol and feeling more like myself, but the kids still went to daycare during the daytime so I could rest/take it easy.

My sleeve likes cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, protein shakes with milk...pretty well all dairy. Eggs, turkey are a definite no go, chicken is starting to be tolerable but no more than two ounces, soft and chewed extremely well before swallowing! I haven't even tried any other meats because they seem to cause me problems at this stage!

I have the PB2 but am not sure what to do with it. Any ideas?? It's not like I can put it on toast or crackers now!!

I was sleeved June 25, have lost 22 lbs since surgery, 37.5 overall since the preop diet. I still drink 1-2 protein shakes per day. Fish goes down well, turkey breast, chicken, and eggs have not! I'm a little afraid to try them again, but might try an egg again this weekend now that I'm further out.

I still have a burning/sharp pain with bending/twisting about 1" below my large incision on the left as well, and I'm also just over 3 weeks out. I think it's just the muscle wall healing.

I have a memory foam mattress and did ok using a pillows to help support my stomach. Those first few days I wished I had hung on to my gigantic pregnancy pillow though!!

The first 3 days were the hardest/most painful for me. It gets better each day. I had mine 6/25. Don't forget to take your MiraLAX/fiber supplement!

I also had a light period occur about 1 week postop which surprised me since I hadn't had one for >1 year with my Mirena. I think it's just the body's reaction to the stress.

I take a dissolvable/sublingual B12 from Costco 1000 mcg per day

My surgeon never gave me any set number, but was optimistic that since my BMI was "lower" at 40, and I'm "young" (34) that I should be able to exceed my goal of losing 100 lbs. lol, way to make me feel skinny and young for the first time in my entire adulthood! ????

I have the same feeling. I'm 2.5 weeks out, but when food or liquid hits it feels like my stomach contracts and it aches a bit for a couple of minutes. I haven't had any vomiting or heartburn. I am still getting 70 G protein per day and 60 oz water, but the water and mushy foods in particular are work to get down. I'm also wondering if this is normal and when it typically improves?