catwoman7

my taste just got more intense - e.g, salty things taste saltier, sweet things taste sweeter.

I'd do what your surgeon says, though. I don't remember what mine said about drinking before eating, if anything. But I do know that every time I'm in there, they ask me how long I wait *after* eating.

I'm bypass. I often drink right before I eat. I never drink *after* eating, though - I always wait at least 30 minutes.

chicken soup and chocolate splendor

someone on obesityhelp.com was talking about them earlier today. She did the patch but continued to take her D3 and iron supplements (the only two supplements she took while on the patch). She said all her levels were good except for B12 and PTH, however, they forgot to test her blood calcium level so she's going to report on that later. So it looks like she might have to start taking B12 again - and then she's going to wait and see what her calcium levels look like. But other levels were within range.

I haven't felt any depression, but then I'm a) not prone to it and b ) post-menopausal (so I probably don't have as many hormones being released). I still go out to eat but just order what I can eat - like shrimp cocktail. I guess what I've learned through this is that for me going out to eat must have been more of a social thing, because I'm fine as long as there are a couple things on the menu that I can have. I don't really care that my husband or friend is eating a pile of stuff that isn't on my plan. That actually surprised me a little... Also, I'm not really a food addict, like a lot of obese people are - so that may be a factor as well. I'm probably not the most typical case.....

I also had one dilated a little over a week ago (I'm seven weeks out). I've managed to eat egg salad, shrimp, and string cheese since then.

it wasn't actually painful - for the upper endoscopy, you're knocked out. as for the symptoms, the acid reflux was really bothersome, but not in a painful sort of way. Oddly, I was glad for the times when I threw up because then I could get it over with rather than deal with the acid reflux for two or three hours. UGH!! Vomiting, at least for me, is easier post-op than pre-op. First of all, there's not much there, and secondly, you don't have nearly as much stomach acid, so you don't get that horrible taste in your mouth.

overgrown scar tissue that blocks the entrance to the small intestine. They happen in about 5% of gastric bypass patients - usually within the first couple of months after surgery (while you're healing). It's an easy fix - they do an upper endoscopy and use this balloon thing to dilate it. Night and day difference - I felt better immediately! main symptom is you have a hard time keeping things down - but I also had some acid reflux with it. Both symptoms were completely gone after they "fixed" the stricture.

I didn't have a painful recovery, either (gastric bypass). I barely used any morphine at all in the hospital (the only reason I used the little that I did (via the pump) was because one of the nurses made me because she thought it would make my walking a little easier - otherwise, I felt totally fine and wouldn't have used it at all). The codeine or whatever they sent me home with sat unused as well. The only discomfort, really, was some slight nausea the first day in the hospital - and then my abs were pretty sore for the first few days. Enough that getting out of bed was a bit of a challenge (but do-able). Otherwise, nothing. Extremely easy recovery. I did develop a stricture in week 4 or 5, but that's an easy fix...(and not terribly common).

you can get it online. I've ordered it through amazon.com

not awful at all! Either way, you're having major surgery. I kind of looked at them the same way. They both have their pros and cons.

bypass. I'd had some off-and-on issues with indigestion and didn't want to develop full-blown GERD, which often (but not always...) happens with the sleeve. Otherwise, I would have been happy having either one.

I'm seven weeks out as well and average around 600-700 a day. There have been a handful of days I've been higher or lower (500 or 800), but 600-700 is pretty typical.

I was in my 50's and *extremely* lucky I hadn't developed any co-morbidities. I knew they were just around the corner if I didn't get the weight off once and for all. I'd tried so many times on my own and would manage to lose 30-50 lbs before hitting a brick wall - and then it'd all come back on. I think what convinced me, though, was looking at a PowerPoint slide of all the benefits of WLS when I was at one of the numerous orientation sessions I'd attended (I'd been thinking about surgery for probably five years and had been to several such sessions). Just looking at those statistics - that diabetes was <x>% resolved, high blood pressure was <x>% resolved, etc (there were several listed) made something click. I *knew* this is what I had to do....

I took three weeks off work. My husband was home with me for the first week (I was on my own for weeks 2 and 3). It was great having him around to do things like take care of the pets and bring me things (my abs were pretty sore the first few days), but I probably could have managed on my own if I had to.

my dietitian suggested eating the broth first, then the solids. I *usually* remember to do this...

I use it mostly in shakes and smoothies, but pre-op I used it in Thai curries in place of regular Peanut Butter, too. I'll go back to that as soon as I can eat things like Thai curries again...

I mix a lot of the fruity proteins (from Syntrax) with Crystal Light.

I've never had a problem with mushrooms (I'm also seven weeks out), but then, everyone's different. As someone else said, you may have just eaten too fast, but if that starts happening more and more, call your surgeon. I started having problems keeping things down during week five, and it turned out I had a stricture.

My surgeon said either would be fine for me, but I had GERD so I went with the bypass. GERD often (but not always) gets worse with the sleeve, but usually improves or goes away with the bypass. If it weren't for the GERD, it would have been a much tougher decision for me. I"m sure I would have been happy with either choice.

I was really worried about safety, too, but these surgeries have become so routine and the techniques have advanced so much that, according to my surgeon, they're really no more dangerous than having your gall bladder out. As I recall, the RNY has a 0.3% fatality rate, the sleeve even lower. That's safer than a hip replacement. Plus they're going to put you through a whole bunch of tests beforehand to make sure you're a good surgery risk. That's not to say it's impossible for something bad to happen, but the risk is really, really low. As some of the others have said, I felt like I was at higher risk by weighing over 300 pounds than I would be by having the surgery.

another vote for Dannon Oikos Triple Zero coconut creme - it's fabulous! I also like Fage coffee-flavored, but it's hard to find.

I'm not very far out, but I've been told at full maturity, your pouch can hold about a cup of food. So that'd probably be like half a sandwich. Although the bread is really carb-y, though.... some people can and do eat a lot more than a cup, but then, doing that regularly would kind of defeat the purpose.

Six weeks out, never hungry - and I love it! And yes - I definitely have to remind myself to eat.