_Kate_

Alcohol.. but after hitting rock bottom, I slapped myself around a bit then stopped. I wish I could have a drink every now and again but I cant. For me its better that it's never. Kate

Check with your team. They might want to do the 6 week check before saying its okay. Kate

Another hurdle over for you both ! Congratulations Kate

Whohoooooooooo I will save you a spot on the loosers bench!! Congratulations Kate

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should" Say that 20 times before a meal lol. It helped me! What are you eating? Do you stick to the guidelines your team set for you? Do you have a NUT you can talk to about this? are you spreading your meals out or grazing all day? How is your Fluid intake? Congratulations on the surgery.

@@amandask Hello Im 17 months out now and doing good. Do you have a date yet? Kate

Wow thats inspirational... 6 days out all I could do was make it to the bathroom and then back to the sofa ! Congrats on the surgery... Sounds as if you have planned to suceed Kate

Welcome to you both... New Year New YOU !! @@Kim P - I will think of you on Jan 9th, as thats they day I am having my skin surgery. Best of luck to both of you. Kate

Everyone is different and will drink at different rates. Just work out what is best for you and don't worry about what everyone else is doing Kate

You are doing great ! Congratulations

Can you give a little background please? Where did you have the surgery? Did they have a NUT to support you? Are you eating Protein first? Are you having slider foods? How much Water are you drinking in a day? If you are under the care of a team you should get in touch with them and tell them so they can help. Good luck!

Your smile say's it all... Congratulations Kate

Every day should be better for you and before you know it you will be having healthy meals, just smaller than you had before. It will seem like forever right now but just hang in there!! Sick to the plan and drink as much fluids that you can and congratulations on the surgery !! Keep posting so we know how you are okay

:o LOL

RNY people need to be careful not to stretch their pouches because they do stretch. Sleeves that are properly made do no stretch. The idea that sleeves stretch is a myth that we really need to stomp out in the sleeve community. It is a lie and people keep using it as a crutch for bad food/life choices. It send the wrong message to new sleevers and spreads misinformation. A big part of that is the medical advice we get from the medical professionals at the medical centers where we go to get our surgery. Notice the emphasis on medical. I will return to that in a moment. I happen to agree with you that inaccurate information needs to be corrected. Your choice of words was stomped out. You corrected me on this last week, and I took that instruction from you because you are experienced, and I am still learning. But the overwhelming fact of the matter is, the medical community carries enormous authority with the things they tell us, whether those things are right or wrong. And how many times do we see posts here telling people to consult their surgeon, nutritionist, CRNP, etc? Those posts bolster that authority. in opposition to that authority are relatively anonymous people on the internet. Stay with me now, for the next few sentences. This is not to say you have no credence, nor does it dismiss your information out of hand. Lots of people on lots of forums remain anonymous and are still capable of establishing their own bona fides. In this particular instance, they are fighting the bona fides and the information given to us by the very people who shepherded us through the process of our surgery. So you need to consider that when you come up against anyone who is new, and who is repeating the stuff he or she was taught by their medical contacts. That's part one. Part two is attitude. It is a given that people are going to misunderstand one another from time to time. That happens in real life, and it happens even more on the web between total strangers who are limited to the written word. I make no excuses for anyone, even myself, when it comes to misunderstanding and responding to that. This thread is a fine example of how attitude can adversely affect a thread and personal relationships on both sides. Please note, I am not trying to lecture you, or lay any particular blame at your feet. This is merely a convenient place to make the observation. The veterans on this board are a valuable resource. They are here to help the noobs, by their own report. Writing as someone who has made teaching a significant part of his career for the last 24 years, I can tell you that part of helping new people is patience. New people have wrong ideas. New people make mistakes. And all of us were new people at one time or another - sometimes over and over again. I am an expert in my field. I am highly regarded. I spent years and years participating on forums in that capacity answering the same #$%& questions over and over again, correcting the same mistaken information, etc. It takes patience. And no, it does not require taking abuse. Abuse should not be tolerated, but that goes in both directions. So to come back to your choice of words, stomp out the information, but don't stomp out the person. That is counter to what the veterans say they are here for. People screw up. Tell them so, and then move on. But we're up to how many pages now of driving someone into the dirt because she screwed up? I don't think that is helpful. How many noobs who read this are going to be afraid to ask a question for fear of saying the wrong thing and being vilified for it? Please note, I am not justifying any behavior on either side. Again, I am only making observations. So this is getting long, and is way more serious than I like to be on a regular basis. I can only do serious for short stints. I have to go post a humorous story that happened. But please consider what I have written here - on both sides. Spot on and Well said !!!

I did 18 days of 3 to 4 Protein shakes a day and was grateful I did, although it was very hard. My own personal opinion is that it pepared me for the fact I couldn't eat full meals after the surgery. It didn't feel as if it would be such a shock and I also lost weight. Win all round Best of luck for the surgery and hope you have a speedy recovery

Amazing attitude !! When someone asks you how much dead weight you have lost, add his weight and feel proud Hugs Kate

Good luck for tomorrow and speedy recovery !! Kate

I take natural thyroid and haven't had to have the dose changed at all. Synthroid/Thyroxine (as it is in the UK) never worked for me. Thanks for an interesting post !

Short answer - No.

Some tips for before surgery: 1. Ask your team to send you meal plans for each stage, before your surgery. You can ask here but you should really follow the plan that your team has for you. How can you plan to have things in if you don't know what you are supposed to be having? 2. If you dont have a NUT or support from a bariatric/medical team, Google can be your friend. Before surgery I read dozens of food plans on websites for after surgery, from lots of different bariatric surgeons/NUT's. I know some can be different but if on twelve websites they say soft scrambled eggs are okay for the pureed/soft stage, then its probably right. You need to know what you are allowed at each stage before you have the surgery, so you can plan. (I also had menu plans from my team and bought Alex's books and others before surgery). Learn about Protein, carbs etc and why they are important, so you understand about food choices. 3. Please be aware that most people here are not medically trained and if they have had similar symptons to you, it might be something totally different to what you are having. If you feel crap, have excessive pain all the time, are throwing up all day, not eating and drinking, you need to contact your bariatric team, GP or go to the hospital. Knowing this pre surgery may save a lot of heartache later on. 4. Be aware of what you are having done and why. Having 80%-85% of your stomach removed is no small thing. Make sure you are making the right decision for the right reasons. Learn about the surgery and recovery. 5. USE COMMON SENSE. (ops caps locked there). If eating burgers and chocolate were your downfall pre op then try to stay away from them until you are maintaining. 6. Plan, plan, plan. Enjoy your day