songsmith

Sorry. Got nothing. But I am interested on how pregnancies are handled. Generally, you do take in more. Then again, when I was pregnant and had lost 50 lbs. on Weight Watchers, my OB told me to keep following that because it was fairly balanced and I already had enough stores to feed the baby. I only gained 13 lbs. during my pregnancy. The huge surge came after when I believed the hype about how much more you could eat when you nursed!

Does 2/15 count? Feeling much better. My doctor had me on Clear liquids for 3 days, then switch to full liquid. One week out he has me on puree. Next week I'm supposed to try soft foods. It's much faster than other schedules I've heard about, but so far, so good. Not having problems with the Water, probably because I easily drank 16-24 oz. of coffee plus water each day pre-surgery. I was already a "sipper." Discovered my limit is 3 TBSP of pureed food. Anything more and I feel it. Gained 5 pounds from the surgery. But that went away fairly quickly. By my scale, I've lost that plus another 5 pounds. My doctor's scale weighs 3 lbs. heavier than mine does. As far as they're concerned I've lost 2 lbs. Grrr. Oh, and I had my stitches out!

Does it feel heavy because you're full? Newly sleeved, so wondering if that could be it. Remember the more carbs you eat, the more cravings you'll have. It's a vicious circle. Is there an activity you have fun with? Walking? A class? Swimming? It's winter, but gardening (the heavy stuff) is also great exercise.

Hi, what part of KC are you in? I'm in Johnson Co. (Whoops. I see you're in Independence) Who's your surgeon?

See? I felt great the first day and night and like hell the second. They slipped anti-nausea meds into my IV. But it does get better. Stitches coming out today and I feel great.

I was shocked to learn my surgeon doesn't do leak tests. He thinks the nausea caused by the stuff they make you swallow is worse than the very low percent who might have a leak. They did keep me only on ice chips all night. About 6AM the nurse told me I could try taking very small sips of Water, wait a few minutes, sip. If that was okay, then she would bring me broth or a popsickle. I had to swallow that stuff for my thyroid swallow test and it is nasty.

I take HBP medicine, thyroid medicine and an anti-depressant. The hospital called me about a week before the surgery and told me I could take the thyroid and the anti-depressant, but not the high blood pressure pill. It acts as a blood thinner or something or other.

Makes you want to stare at them, totally flabbergasted and exclaim, "OMG! Genius! I never thought of to try that way first!" The sotto voce "idiot" afterwards is optional.

I came down with a bad cold 5 days before my surgery. I called the doctor and let him know. He was all, "So? Unless you're running a fever or have an infection, the surgery is on." He also said I could take Vitamin C and any cold remedy that doesn't include NSAIDs. I was afraid the anesthesiologist would nix everything when I confessed I couldn't breathe through my nose at all just prior to surgery. He said, "You will after." And he was right! (That oxygen will dry you right up.)

Thank you, everyone. I feel better about my say nothing, do nothing, be an example strategy. I do have anxiety that she might repeat my mistakes. Then again, she hasn't gained a horrible amount over the years. Maybe this is where she's comfortable. I had a mother who told the Size 10 me that I was as big as my 350 lb aunt, who used to buy my aunt's used clothes and force me to wear them (the tops at least). It worked because I was so large breasted. She's why I have never discussed my daughter's weight with her. She is beautiful at any size. Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER will I be my mom. And I'm gonna borrow her clothes once we're the same size. If she's nice, I might let her borrow mine.

CW is 237 GW is 222 (Cross your fingers that the 3-week stall doesn't hit until after I make the goal!)

I'm Day 6. Four to six ounces per hour? I thought I was doing good eating a few tablespoons of broth.

I didn't know about the shots until I had my pre-op appointment either. I was all, "You're kidding, right?" But they aren't that bad. I had to watch a short DVD explaining how to do things. Remember to put it in swiftly (it will hurt if you go slow). I don't feel the needle at all, but I can feel the medicine once I depress the plunger. It's not bad. Just feels counter-survival to stab yourself with sharp things. Mine are only for a week post-op, but yours might be different because of the multiple procedures. My surgeon is very concerned about blood clots and pneumonia in his patients. Some surgeons don't make you take the shots at all. So happy the day is finally arriving. It's okay to shake walking into the hospital. You'll be out cold when your surgery happens, so the shaking will stop when it's important to stay still!

TY! My instinct was to stick to the 10-15# range. I want to be realistic. I'm older and expect I'll lose more slowly than someone younger than I am. I'm also perfectionist enough that I want to put down a believable number (be it high or low). I'm probably the only person who worries about these things. I also expect to hit that third-week stall everyone talks about during the challenge. Let's hope it doesn't last too long!

At first I wanted the lap band. It seemed the least invasive and I had it in my head I could always remove it at some point. Then I spoke to my PCP (who is awesome, btw). She sat there and shook her head and told me, "They are experiencing a lot of complications with the band. They might even stop performing the procedure soon. You want the sleeve. I've been reading some great things about it." She went into a little more detail. Mainly, I respect the hell out of her (if not for her I would still be walking around with a cancerous thyroid). It helped that I knew I could never do the bypass. It makes me nervous to think of my insides rerouted that way. It also bothered me that the stomach remains. What happens if you get stomach cancer? Or ulcers? They can't scope you to look at it. I also didn't like the idea of switching my meds for an even larger round of Vitamins. I hate taking pills. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my eating in the long run would feel more "normal" (or so it seemed to me) if I had the sleeve. After a lot of reading up on the subject, that's what I went with. In the end I say do the reading, decide what you think will work best for you. No one but you can make this decision. Average weight loss is less with the sleeve (though I continue to see amazing numbers here). That might matter. Or you might like the deterrent dumping provides. Just because I didn't choose it doesn't mean it couldn't be right for you. I would also talk to your surgeon and your primary (if you consider them a good doctor) and get their opinions.

They might have suggestions on how to modify your walking so it's less painful. I'd tell them. Heck, my surgeon operated when I had a head cold and couldn't breathe through my nose at all. I'm sure yours will push you through, too. (I broke my leg a few years back when my jeans caught on the doggy gate and my foot slid along the wooden floor. No one would believe I did it battling space pirate ninja assassins. )

I felt really good day of surgery and all that night. I was pretty happy with myself. Then the next morning I had a bout of dry heaves that really did for me. My drain flooded and overflowed a couple of times (gross) and I managed to do something to my shoulder. I felt like crap the second day. Came home third day after surgery and have felt great since then (other than typical soreness and a slowly mending shoulder). The CNA sat me in a chair in the AM and I think maybe I wasn't ready for it yet, or maybe the gas just attacked at that time. Dry heaves. Ugh.

I've been happy with my water intake. Around 30 the first day home, 55 yesterday and probably that today. Plus today I had my first protein shake (mixed with 8 oz water). I'm not sure if I should be happy I can swallow this stuff or concerned. Mainly I'm happy because I was so nauseated and sick right after surgery.

I like to cook, but I'm also on the go a lot. Try to figure out some go to foods/meals that don't take much effort so you always have something on hand. That's what I plan to do, anyway. I know I'll still struggle with the old, "I'm tired and/or need to be X in 5 sec and what am I going to eat" syndrome.

I gained about 4 pounds with my surgery (this Monday). From what I've read, we get so filled with fluids and gas and other stuff that it's normal to gain or stall just a little at the beginning. Give it time.

I just had my sleeve 2/15 and have no idea what would be an appropriate weight loss goal? Any suggestions?

Now, I'm pretty sure nearly every WLS female has heard this one at some stage in her life. So I bet none of you think to say it to someone else because there's always that "oops" factor. Just had my surgery. That first night my CNA wandered in first thing in the morning, obviously close to tears, and told me one of her patients told her she looked "seven months pregnant." Let me tell you, she was probably a size 10 or lower and definitely flat in the abdomen area. She'd been super sweet to me during my stay, so I offered to go punch the offending patient (joking!) which cheered her up and got her to laugh a bit. Seriously, who says these things? I guess the CNA could have said something snarky, but she was so sweet to me that I find that difficult to believe. In the end, I'll chalk it up to a mishearing. Still, a WLS patient telling someone else she looks pregnant.