doppelganger

I had to have an EGD as well pre-op to check out a narrowing on my upper gi. My gi doc took biopsies of two lesions at the antrum. I was nervous too. Biopsy is never a good word. He told my husband post op what was found and gave us pictures of everything he checked. I hate that you didn't seem to get the same info. My EGD was fine and the biopsy negative but the 10day wait for the results was nervewracking. It's ok to call your Dr and ask what the biopsy was for, actually you should. It might put your mind at ease instead of speculating. Best of luck with everything.

I go for my 6wk follow-up tomorrow and go back to work next Friday. As the title hints at I work 12hr night shifts and was wondering if anyone else on the forum works an unconventional schedule? There have been years of study concerning the detrimental effects of working against your circadian rhythm one of those is weight gain and cortisol levels. I'm hoping to hear from those folks who are willing to share tips, hints, and struggles. Ideally not working night shift is the best but not feasible for me nor do I want to work dayshift. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for your response @@Dub, glad to see you're doing well on swing shifts!. Like the girls above I work in healthcare too and any downtime is dictated by the patient. I bought a 20oz small mouth Nalgene with a loop handle/mouthpiece cover to take with me on rounds to try and keep hydrated other than that and bringing the right foods for my meal when I get a chance to eat, I don't know what to expect. If I discover any tips or tricks I'll share them.

I had one preoperative and I have the worst gag reflex! Can't do bite wing xrays at the dentist without gagging. They'll give you some diprovan and you won't remember any of it until you wake up in recovery.

I use Genepro and my nutritionist has signed off on it having had other patients use it and their blood work is fine. There are explanations as to how they shrink the protein molecule using electrophoresis etc. All sciencey stuff, without it I would not even come close to my required protein. As for the claim that it is tasteless, that's BS! it's not too bad and definitely not as strong as Unjury, but you can tell it's in there. I mix one scoop with 1.5oz of cream of wheat, oatmeal or get a bigger bang for you buck mixing it with yogurt. As I'm sure you know, once you're post op you will not be able to drink or eat large quantities so whatever you can comfortably hold is going to be affected by how much protein powder you have to mix in. Maybe your nutritionist has some ideas or opinions one way or another about Genepro.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/diet-exercise-treatment-for-obese-patients/ It took me a little over a year, but I lost almost 100lbs through diet and exercise alone. At my lowest weight, I fell off the wagon and slowly started gaining back close to 40lbs. I tried the same reset diet only to lose 4lbs, hence the reason I'm post op sleeve now. I had read somewhere prior to finding this article, that only 5% of morbidly obese individuals who lose weight through diet and exercise alone are able to not regain all of their lost weight and then some. I'm glad I chose this route so far because I am not lucky enough to be in the 5%!

I had issues with my surgeon's office staff. A Med assistant called me and told me I would have to have an "EGD with a specialist or I could just opt to have a bypass" like it was no big deal. Threw me for a loop, I had no desire for a bypass and thought my WLS option was over. I ended up calling a GI doc on my own and a week before my GI appt the office manager from my surgeon's office called to tell me all of my preop stuff was about done and wanted to know when I wanted to schedule my sleeve! I told her what had transpired about a month before and she was livid. She said no one should've ever told me that save for my surgeon or his NP. Then I had one more instance with a message not being delivered to the nutritionist and I was done! I spoke again to the office manager and that's how I ended up with direct numbers to the Office manager and nutritionists offices. Please call and ask for the office manager, hear how they stammer. I even work at this trauma center and kept thinking how the hell do they treat other folks? Now they roll out the red carpet when I have an appt! Sometimes Dr's don't know they have an office issue unless someone tells them. You could save someone else some grief down the line.

Biggest Loser Yoga! Has modifications if you can't quite hold certain poses, you will sweat and after only a couple of times you can tell an increase in flexibility! I ordered it through Amazon Prime video and you can watch it anywhere. I think the DVD is on Amazon for under $10 with more options of customizing your workout. The cool down is so relaxing.

I haven't tried them, but I am so anxious to. The Bariatric Advantage chewables are sickening sweet and about do me in every morning. I did ask my nutritionist about them and they said yes that was OK, but not an option in the manual I was given. I can't wait until I can swallow pills, I'm going to wait until my blood work results on the BA Vitamins and if all is well I will be checking them out. I sometimes have problems with pills getting stuck even though I have no narrowing/strictures in my esophagus so if I can't get pills down effectively the patch is a viable option. I have read on this forum before somewhere that folks who have tried them have had good blood work values.

I'm almost 5 wks post op and still struggle with hydration and Protein. Now that I can have soft foods it is easier, but I still don't hit my goal. Isopure, Premier, Unjury powder even broth, made and still do make me nauseous to even think about them. Carnation Instant is tolerable in chocolate, but barely. I did buy some GENEPRO and it works to an extent, but don't believe the hype that there is no taste, BS! I can mix one scoop (30gms of protein) with 1.5oz of cream of wheat or oatmeal and it is doable. I found my Holy Grail about week 2 when my husband brought home a cup of Sonic ice, I chewed on that all day and it was so easy. My freezer has a bag of Sonic ice at all times and all of my drinks have to be ice cold, the least bit warm and I get nauseous. I have frozen Crystal Light drinks as well but they burn the back of my throat so I have stopped those as well. Week two I was where you are, but I wasn't crying, I was furious and cussing like a lunatic. No one tells you that hydration is the most important, all of my manuals say "at least 50gms of protein and at least 48oz of clear liquid", no options just scare tactics. It is physically impossible for you to get all of that in when your tiny new stomach is so swollen. I understand the importance of protein and hydration, but they need to give you some more realistic guidelines for the first few weeks. It seems some people do it and are able to get all of that in, but in my case, I could not and still struggle.

I'm coming up on 5 wks post op and I have been to a few restaurants since then. I always look ahead at the menu or it's our favorite Mexican restaurant. For my birthday two weeks ago, we went to PF Chang's and I had some egg drop soup and the guts of a crab wonton. The soup was soooo good, I was full and satisfied and had no desire for the Great Wall of chocolate my son always orders. The true test was yesterday, my daughter and her BF work at his family's restaurant and they stopped by bringing homemade Reese's Peanut Butter pie, previously I wasn't really a sweets person, but I would claw someone's eyes out for a Reese's! Had zero desire, that is such a foreign feeling! Another tip for restaurants is that I always ask for ice Water in a to-go cup when they ask for drink orders and start sipping on it 30 mins after I'm finished. I'm going to have to fess up to our guys at the Mexican restaurant, they're always hovering and looking at my meal wondering why I'm not really eating it. I think they wonder if something is wrong with it. I never eat the tortilla or chips, just the Protein (meat, Beans, and cheese) and save the rest reheating the beans and cheese for subsequent meals. I am now inclined to just pick off my husband's plate from this point forward, it truly is a waste of money and food to order your own entree.

My surgeon used the DaVinci too, I could've opted out, but I had no issues. My incisions are almost completely healed after almost 4wks. I didn't see the inside of the OR I remember the CRNA talking about Versed then I remember being wheeled into my room and seeing my husband post op.

I met my husband in 2002, I was around 260 then. We moved in together before we got married and we both started to gain weight together. He was a very healthy weight when we met so his weight gain was about 30-40lbs over the course of 8yrs, my weight gain was 100lbs to 370 by 2013. At a yearly check up with a new PCP she looked at me astounded that all of my blood work was fine, no hyperglycemia, I was still very mobile, only a slightly high BP. She behooved us to try the DASH diet for weight loss telling me my good numbers would not last. So my husband and I did and very successfully lost weight with diet and exercise. My husband lost down to a BMI of 25 and I lost 93lbs to 277. Then last summer we planned a Caribbean getaway and fell off the wagon starting in June. It was slow, but I did start gaining back and by November had gained back 25lbs. I tried again the reset method from the DASH diet of no carbs/sugars for two weeks and only lost 4lbs... Discouraged I went to a seminar with a coworker who was loud and proud about having it done. I was always a naysayer about WLS thinking if you can eat like that after surgery why can't you do it now? I was uneducated!! My husband is very supportive of me and has loved me unconditionally at all sizes that I've been. I decided to make this change so I can travel comfortably in an airplane seat and see the world. My kids are grown and my main focus can be me for a change. My husband was scared about surgery and he, in a moment of complete honesty, said he was happy right now with the way things were which included planning a place to eat out on the days we were off together. I told him it was the simple things he takes for granted, like running into Walmart and buying a cheap Tshirt (I know Walmart has plus size, but plus size belly shirts, they're so short!), not thinking twice about a booth in a restaurant hoping the table wasn't bolted to the floor, not worrying not having your elderly dad say "sit in that chair right there, I think it will hold you"....Those things!

I just had surgery March 28th. No one in my dr's office has ever mentioned a goal weight at this point nor have they asked what my goal is. I've been overweight the majority of my life, save for about 2yrs at the end of HS when it just came off. I was in the military and was at my lowest adult weight of 145 equaling a BMI of 22 and looked sick skinny. I'm 5'8" and large framed, most BMI charts don't account for that, but for ones that do my optimal weight is 165-180. I found this website that takes frame size into account and an easy way to determine what your frame size is. I'll be ecstatic to see 180!! Not sure this link will be clickable but healthcentral.com is the main website. http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/ideal-body-weight-3146-143.html

I am 3 days post op and still having spasms/nausea moments when anything hits my stomach. I find it incredibly hard to believe that anyone could expect you to consume 64oz of liquid and 60gm of Protein in this tiny swollen sleeve. I am trying and getting nauseous with anything other than non-carbonted Hint Water (has zero everything). The sweetness of everything makes me ill just thinking about it. I tried some unjury chicken broth in the hospital and just typing those words my stomach flipped a little. I was never a sweets person really, more a carb lover. Are there any protein supplements, full liquid ideas that aren't sweet? Even the Vitamins and supplements are sweet and really hard to get down. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

I was sleeved on the 28th and the first 4 days were very rough! Some spasms and nausea. Day 5 I felt like "me" again, it was great. Started Pureed stage yesterday and some refried beans are amazing with some pureed guacamole. It's amazing how full you feel after only a few bites and I do realize that's the point of the surgery, but I never thought I'd feel full prior to surgery. Seems like your morning vitamins and supplements are a meal in and of themselves, There's a lot of time consumed and planning to get everything in at this stage, but so far so good. I was fairly active prior to surgery walking constantly at work so I think I may have benefitted me well . I do feel bad for those who are still struggling. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you're well on your way soon.

After a lot of Googling this subject I found a product called GENEPRO. It takes half the amount that you need of other products for the same quantity of Protein because they put it thru a process that takes all the excess unnecessay byproducts out. It also mixes easier because of this and as far as taste, I myself barely taste it. I have mixed it in cold and hot drinks and foods and it mixes very easily. I am very impressed with this product. Sent from my LG-E980 using the BariatricPal App I looked this up and consulted my surgeons office and they have signed off on Genepro and recommend it. Unfortunately, it is not listed in any of the materials we were given as an option!! Also, I did force down a Priemere Protein shake yesterday which left me bloated and feeling crappy. During the same phone call asking about Genepro I mentioned this and was told if protein were on a grading scale of A-F my Dr's office looks at Priemere as a 'D'... Why in the hell not mention that? It's like they get an unjury kickback. Everything I've read is as above, barely able to taste it and the same protein content using half the product. I ordered mine from Amazon and it should get here tomorrow. In the meantime I was told JRobb and nectar are good alternatives and single packets are available at The Vitamin Shoppe. Thanks to everyone for their help it is so appreciated.

As far as soups I've just bought the canned creamed soups (chicken, mushroom etc). I was hoping to hide some unflavored Protein powder in them but there's no way in the world to eat enough soup to waste the powder on, 2-3 small bites and you're full. They don't taste right to me either, maybe something post op. I found the easiest way to get protein in is to mix 1/2 a scoop unjury unflavored (~10gm) to a cup of Oikos zero of my choosing (~15gm). Eating two of those throughout the day is 50gm. My dietary plan allows yogurt during the full/thickened liquid phase.Thanks for this idea. I am four days post op and just can not do the protein drinks. In two days I can have yogurt I'm going to have to get some unflavored protein. Does it make it really thick and gritty? The Unjury powder makes it a little thicker but not much and not gritty at all. When I first tried I used a whole scoop and it was horrid, I don't advise that! =) I eat mine with a fork taking tiny bites and it takes a while to get it all in, but it works. I can't stomach the shakes post op either.

As far as soups I've just bought the canned creamed soups (chicken, mushroom etc). I was hoping to hide some unflavored protein powder in them but there's no way in the world to eat enough soup to waste the powder on, 2-3 small bites and you're full. They don't taste right to me either, maybe something post op. I found the easiest way to get protein in is to mix 1/2 a scoop Unjury unflavored (~10gm) to a cup of Oikos zero of my choosing (~15gm). Eating two of those throughout the day is 50gm. My dietary plan allows yogurt during the full/thickened liquid phase.

Thank you so very much for all the information and advice. I tried many of these suggestions. Up until yesterday I hadn't quite felt "myself" and like a flipped switch I was "me" again. I still did not meet my protein or liquid goals yesterday, but I feel better and (TMI) keeping an eye on the clarity of my urine. Things are good and I have gotten in more protein today and liquids from discovering that chewing on Sonic's ice is my new fave thing to do!

Just off the phone with my bariatric liaison who is 8yrs post sleeve. She said the reasons things taste so sweet is that I am most likely in Ketosis. An 8 oz glass of skim milk or diluted juice should have enough sugars to knock that out. Wanted to share in case this might help someone. Never a milk fan but I will try and she said this will count toward my liquids. I have found pouring my water in a small shot glass type measuring cup I picked up at World Market seems to be easier to get more liquid in. I'm sure it's psychological, but it is helping.

My surgery was Monday as well and you and I are in the same boat! I will be anxiously awaiting to hear what your surgeon said. I am calling my surgeon's office today as well just to touch base and see if they can give any added advice. If they do I will share it as well.

What kind of no filler protein did you use? I have the unjury unflavored tub and a scoop and half of that looks like it would just make a paste in 4oz of water. I did finally get 40gm of protein down over the course of a day via a Premiere Protein shake and an Oikos zero vanilla yogurt (15gm protein per cup!). Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions, I plan on trying them all seeing that my protein requirements for the next three days almost doubles per my post op diet plan.

Thanks so much for the advice so far, I have made a list for my husband to pick up on his way home from work. =)