Mistie

A few things. My surgeon said take ONE bite and wait 10 minutes. Otherwise, we get a logjam, so to speak, up our esophagus, and it hurts! That one bite allows our tummy to slowly open up to food, it 'primes' it. More moist food. Otherwise, it's like going down a Water slide with no water! Finally, for me I've learned my tummy/esophagus has a timer. They do not like me trying to eat heavier food earlier in the day - they just do not go down. It's like it has to wake up. I think of it as it has been unused all night, so I have to gently get it use to food all over again every day.

Speaking as an insurance provider, the hospital and doctor are both in breach of a formal contract they have entered into with the insurance company. They have agreed to provide services and accept a fee from the insurance company. They breached the contract by demanding and accepting an out of pocket fee from you. It is not legal - they must file and accept the insurance fee (which will be lower than what you paid, due to insurance contracts - hence this tactic). As well, this bait and switch, while you are in the gown and prepped for for surgery, therefore vulnerable, is unethical and I would say bordering on illegal. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen. And I dare say something they have done before. They may have a required bmi, but making a patient sit without food and Water, then weighing is a deliberate attempt to force them below the bmi so they can get an out of pocket fee. Go to your insurance company. Explain what they did to you and the circumstances. The doctor and hospital need to lose provider status.

That was my first thought too so I checked them before calling the nurse, all are white or off white in color. But I took them with a few sips of pink lemonade crystal light that I put unflavored Protein in. That's the only thing I can think of if its not blood? I was thinking the same - if not blood, perhaps pills or something you ate for lunch (it seems this was soon after lunch?). Not comparing you to a dog, but recently my mom called me in a panic, saying my dog had spit up and it looked like streaks of blood. I asked had he eaten recently? "Only a treat." Yup - full of red dyes! I know it's been awhile since you posted, but I hope you're feeling well and that you'll soon have your answers!

Did you lose 5lbs in one day??? If so tell me how???? Before surgery, I could! Since surgery, my weight loss is much more controlled and steady. Very annoying at times! Lol. I really liked the big losses, but...I guess slow and consistent, not to mention permanent, is best!!

Starting: 360.6 Goal: 340

Hmm. liquid Tylenol - the pain is not intense after surgery, so you don't generally want the strong pain meds after a few days, but you might want something - so liquid Tylenol is great. Have some Protein shakes and protein powders on hand - but don't overdo it. Your tastes change (for most people) after surgery - sometimes they change back, and sometimes they don't, so 'stocking up' might be a waste of money. Have all the things you'll need for the first week post-op already bought up (ie. broth, popsicles, Jello, etc.) - that'll save you a trip to the store after surgery - makes things easier! I'd also suggest a good Water bottle that will help you measure your Fluid intake. You can use regular water bottles, have a special refillable one you like, or whatever works for you. Also, go ahead and be looking up recipes for your different stages. My biggest challenge was figuring out what to eat. I had looked up recipes, but because the Ghrelin was gone, nothing has sounded good, so it has been (and remains) a challenge finding something I could make myself eat - so having options helps. Hope this helps!

Only when I had dvt/pe, it's how I was dx'd, because it did not show on x-ray.

Not a problem at all. Preop, that's how we prepare. For plates, I will admit it's a mind game. Sometimes the smaller plates help. When using a regular size plate at first, it is sometimes hard to mentally accept, 'that's all I can hold' and you may be more likely to try to overeat, because you'll try to fill the empty space. Most surgeons say do not use straws. The reason is it can cause stretching or simply air buildup in the tummy (think about it - you suck a bit before you get fluid). Some argue it does not cause stretching and use straws. I admit I used one briefly because it helped with Fluid intake, but it DID cause me to take in more air, so I stopped. Measuring cups and a scale are a must! It will ensure you don't over eat, that you eat enough, and that you don't make yourself sick because you "eyeballed" the food, guesstimated, and got it wrong!

I've heard of it, and I did buy cutesy plates and 'taster' forks/spoons (as opposed to kids utensils, because they usually LOOK like they are for kids, whereas 'taster' ones are just smaller). I learned for me, the smaller utensils were not really necessary. I adapted quickly to taking smaller bites. The first few weeks - I ate out of measuring cups, lol, it just was easier. Since then, it hasn't really been an issue. I have really nice dishes, and I just use the dessert plates, etc. As for the sippy cups - I don't like those - I tend to take in a lot of air when I use cups like that - and that HURTS like crazy for me. So I try to be careful what I drink out of, to avoid excess air in the tummy! My tummy is very sensitive to air!

You are welcome. Bridging, as it's called, for surgery and other procedures, is very common and not a big deal. I even had to come off of the Coumadin to do my EGD, in case of biopsy. So no big at all. The leak test for most is done 1) during surgery and/or 2) the morning after surgery. My surgeon did both to be extra careful. So around 9 am the morning after they took me down. My only word of caution is afterwards, I still did not want anything to eat, of course. However, I took my Coumadin when they brought it. It was the first thing to hit the new tummy. The new tummy did not like this. I had to grab a trash can! lol. I kept it down, but oops! Just be careful of that.

It was a lifesaver for me post op. It helped me get my fluids in when I was struggling to get plain water in - I added in fair life - it was fluid AND protein!

I take Coumadin daily. I had vsg 10/26. They took me off Coumadin 5 days prior and I started injections daily. After surgery, they started me back on Coumadin as soon as I passed the leak test, while keeping me on injections. I stayed on both until I reached therapeutic levels post op. This is common anytime there's any type of procedure. They are very use to this and it's no problem. As an FYI, I'm on Coumadin due to spontaneous clots 4 years ago when both of my lungs were over 50% filled with clots, so it was a pretty serious intro to clotting! But as I said, surgeons are generally well use to dealing with this!

I'm almost 8 weeks post op. My tummy is very offended by anything with grease. I will vomit every time. And it seems everything we cook these days we use grease! Lol. I'm a little afraid to taste something's for the first time in public in case of a negative reaction, until the tummy becomes a little more agreeable. Id take it slow.

Coffee works for me. It's not on plan, but... Every time!

I use LoseIt! And love it. There's a free version and you can upgrade to premium for more challenges, etc.

From the morning of surgery on a Monday, to the time I was released on Wednesday afternoon, I gained 18.8 pounds! My doctor believes in pumping in the fluids!

Just a couple of more ideas - fairlife milk - and as I recall, I *believe* it says it is lactose free. Also, Core Power - great shake and it is lactose free. Tastes like, to me, milk with strawberry nestle quik in it (the strawberry banana). Good luck!

My experience is that sometimes something we wear regularly may stretch a bit as our weight fluctuates. Perhaps that is the case. The 18 may not have stretched.

Love this thread. Great to have others who understand the struggle. There's no way I could confess this elsewhere. I am 6 weeks out. And almost all food is bleh to me. I dislike almost everything now! Unless there is a lot of cheese involved. Funny, since I was not a cheese addict preop. But now, it's all I will eat. But not the mozzarella sticks my NUT approved preop. No. Cooked cheese products. Rotel. Mac and cheese. Bad cheese stuff. Other foods? I'll apparently starve before eating it (seriously - sometimes 300-400 calories a day without cheese lol). So today, they had pizza at work. I have wanted to try the healthy pizza options, but haven't had time yet. So this seemed like a perfect opportunity to deal with the craving. I knew they were having lunch, and I figured it would be pizza. And I was kind of glad. Thought it was a great excuse to 'try' it. I got a small piece of thin crust to taste. I tried to be good and soak up the grease, as I know tummy gets pissed if I even THINK of anything greasy. Apparently, even though there was a cheese like substance involved, she got pissed anyway. Just a couple of bites, and I knew there was trouble. She was angry and did her best to divest me of the poison. Several times. Over at least a half hour. In other words, be obedient to the boss! And I am over wanting pizza for quite awhile! Lol.

I guess it's that time for me. I've lost 79 pounds and I look like a homeless person. I saw myself in the mirror at the office today, and turned sideways going, 'where'd they go?!?' Lol

Also consider the temperature of what you are drinking. Some temperatures may make your tummy unhappy. Cold, for example, may cause spasms for awhile. And some liquids may just be uncomfortable going down. It took me a good two weeks to not be in misery when taking a sip - and I do mean sip. At 5 weeks, I am only now able to take a drink like a normal person ... Most of the time!

I had a horrible time with nausea for weeks. I also had a hard time with Protein shakes, liquids in general, getting in protein, and eating! Lol. I'm currently in week 5. Some things I've learned: Explore the shakes. Go slowly when trying new protein to find one that works. Try diluting with Water or skim milk if you need to. It took me ages to find a protein that did not make me run to throw up with just a sip (Core Power banana strawberry flavor!). Dehydration will cause nausea. But sometimes it's hard to get the fluids in when you're sick! I had to set up a cycle, because my normal fluids, I no longer liked. I switched to 20 oz of ice water with cut up orange for flavor. 20 of decaf unsweet tea, and 10 or so of Fair Life milk (high protein) - bc I no longer could tolerate my normal water with Dasani or Crystal Lite drops. That was my first step in increasing fluids. Eating too fast or not chewing well enough, or in taking too much (because we do not feel fullness the same) really intensifies the nausea. Good luck!!

My surgeon requires 2 nights. She might have met me go after one, but I live four hours away, so she kept me both required nights, because if there were a complication, she preferred me there!

Steph-you're just going to have to shop around until you find one that works for you. I was sleeved 10/26 as well. Pre op I used premiere protein and loved it. Post op, I could not tolerate it. I went through maybe a half dozen before I found one that would work. I would pick them up at convenience stores or the grocery. I finally found Core Power. It works great for me!! So glad I found it as I was giving up hope! You can also use unflavored protein in other food items.

DVT = deep vein thrombosis. It's a blood clot that originates in the leg, generally in the area of the calf. Oftentimes they will put a compression machine on patients (on the legs) post surgery until they are walking regularly to decrease the risk (increases circulation). Many wls doctors also require blood thinner injections such as Lovonox for a period of time. I've heard some doctors require up to 30 days post op of injections. All doctors are different, however.