avRose

My surgeon said they tell people to wait a year, and he followed it up with "but nobody does that." He said realistically that it's safe (but still bad for you) after 3 months or so.

I second Mirena! I've had my IUD for about a year and a half now, no problems! It's wonderful.

I got my sleeve the same day as you, and I've lost 32 pounds including pre-op. It's frustrating for me too, but I'm just trying to keep reminding myself that slow and steady really is best!!

I was sleeved the same day as you, and I've lost the same amount!! I'm also feeling a little frustrated that it's so slow haha

I'm 12 days post-op today. I have been getting my fluids in without a problem for about a week now. Can I have regular coffee if I make sure to hydrate extra today? Or will the caffeine make me sick more than just by dehydrating? My nutritionist's paperwork says "coffee" on day 3, but it doesn't specify decaf even though I'm kind of assuming that's what he meant.

I would see your OB/GYN just in case. This happened to me too, but I have an IUD so they were worried something was wrong in that department. Turns out everything was okay and apparently it was just the stress of recovering from surgery. But better safe that sorry - it'd be awful to write off symptoms thinking they're due to the surgery when really they're a symptom of something else. I would get checked out just to be on the safe side, but I'm sure it's fine

I'm also 20 and a little over a month post-op! Aside from the first few days after surgery, everything has been super smooth and easy and I feel almost 100% like myself again now. The good thing about being young is that we typically heal more quickly it was scary because I have so much of my life ahead of me to live with this permanent decision, but from the post-op side I can definitely tell you that it's a great decision you're making (even if it doesn't seem like it the first few days after). I'm super happy I followed through with it. Good luck!

I was lucky that I didn't have any gas pains, but yeah getting liquids in was horribly painful for about a week. It does get better though, pretty quickly I hope you feel better soon!

I'm 20 also and a little over a month post-op with the sleeve. Everything has gone really smoothly for me and I've healed really quickly! The first 3-5 days sucked, but after that it just got better and better. I feel completely back to normal now

So I'm in college, and in some of the big lecture halls they have those tiny seats with the little desks that fold down on the sides of the seats. Before surgery I always had to scoot way over or stand up while the person next to me pulled their desk up because my legs/butt were all squished up against it, holding it down. But today, my friend next to me pulled her desk out and I didn't even notice because my butt was no longer touching the sides of my seat. Whoohoo!

Oh cool! I've been thinking about trying zucchini noodles eventually with the Veggeti but wasn't sure if it'd work haha. That's awesome to hear! I'll have to get one.

So, my diet plan says that I can have pasta during my soft foods stage. I know that ultimately pasta is not a good meal because no protein, too many carbs, etc but I'm just talking about this week until I start my regular diet the next week. But from everything I've read here, it seems like a lot of people get sick from pasta even months out? Has anyone tried pasta during the soft food stage and did it sit okay with you?? Thanks!

I had sugarfree gum 2 weeks post op or so and had no problems. I just chewed it for like 5 minutes and was careful not to swallow it haha. I also have had sugarfree mints and they were fine, but I did feel a little yucky if I had more than one in a short amount of time though.

That's weird. I start soft foods at the beginning of week 4 post-op, and that just seems too soon for pasta to me even though my plan says it's okay!

Thank you guys for the input! I see my nutritionist and surgeon tomorrow, so I'll ask them and let them make the final call. I'm still in college though and have a lot of late nights, so here's hoping they say yes!!

So, I was told by my nutritionist to avoid gum for the same reason to avoid straws - they might introduce gas into your system. Has anyone else heard this? If anyone has had gum, how far post-op do you think is okay? I'm only 6 days post-op right now. I wouldn't swallow it obviously. Thank you!!!

I'm 12 days post-op and also now able to do my shakes in like 30 minutes or so and have had no problems with fluids. From what I've read on here, that's normal and most people don't start to really feel their restriction until purées or even sometimes soft foods.

I will check with him on Monday, but I'm going out for coffee this morning! I think I will stick with decaf just to be on the safe side until I ask. Thanks guys!!

This hasn't happened to me, but before my surgery my nurse told me that a lot of women do skip periods. No big deal!

Mouthwash!

I make little egg muffins on Sunday's that are easy to reheat and take to eat in the car for breakfast during the week, and they're delicious! Use a muffin tin and line the bottom with browned low-fat sausage, a little bit of low-fat cheese, and green onions (I suppose you could also put pico/tomatoes in too). Then beat a bunch of eggs, season with salt and pepper, and pour into the tins and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or something like that. Easy, portable, yummy, and carb-free! A yummy lunch I've also discovered (even though it does require fresh food) is lettuce wraps! I usually just do some deli meat and low-fat cheese. You can also add some shredded cabbage or broccoli slaw if you want a little more crunch. Then just a little bit of low-fat vinaigrette dressing for flavor. Bell pepper and cucumber slices with laughing cow cheese is also an easy and tasty snack. I think definitely if you do some more prep on the weekends (cut up vegetables, make breakfast for the week, etc) it'll make your week easier. I think that you definitely can have variety that's still healthy, but it may just require a little bit more planning since it's more time consuming to make things fresh.

Showering was a must for me too, but while I was in the hospital they wouldn't let me. Luckily I brought some body cleansing wipes so I was able to kind of "sponge bathe" around my belly.

Absolutely! Especially if you're in pain medication. While I was in the hospital, I would fall asleep for 2 hours just a few minutes after each dose.

I only stayed one night! My surgeon offered to let me go home a few hours after my procedure because it went so well, but I still insisted on staying the night. And I'm glad I did because I had horrible heartburn that night and needed the nurses!

Straws supposedly introduce extra gas into your new tiny stomach and make you uncomfortable. I've used one a couple times and had no problems, as have many other people. But for some they do cause a problem. It just depends on the person. I don't know about the reconstruction because I'm only 8 days out. My surgeon told me that it just depends on your genetics. One thing he said that helped me stop worrying about it was: "let's hope you're successful enough for that to be a problem you have!" Ultimately, it's a problem I want I needed my mom to take care of me for a few days after, but probably around day 4 or 5 I was pretty self-sufficient. I'm 20 though, so I think I healed a little bit faster than most others. You don't need like an around-the-clock nurse, but I would definitely suggest having someone to help you out some, at least for a few days.