Wheetsin

HTH!

8 weeks out, and I do Benefiber (in low sugar apple juice) daily, flax oil weekly, and Miralax PRN. Unfortunately, none of it has impacted my stall, which is still going strong. Oh and Q on something you said above - are you reasoning that the longer we go without pooping, the more calories are absorbed by...what?

The no straw rule is ridiculous. I get why they tell us that, but the "theory" just isn't how it happens. If they watched a swallow mechanism and could somehow dye the air to make it visible, or talked to an ENT, or read anything about pressures in the body, or even looked at things like diving principles....or whatever - I think that rule would change. I personally get WAY less air through a straw than through regular drinking. The other part was the volume you drink - people tend to take bigger drinks wth straws (the fastfood industry studied this inside & out). I think the NUTs' fear being we would drink too much and "stretch our sleeves" or have to yak it back up. If I'm going to over-drink, I'm going to do it through a bottle where my tendency is "chug" rather than with a straw where I'm sort of forced into sipping (I don't use the high capacity fast food straws like McD's, those things are huge). Hearting my straws over here...

Water doesn't need to be ground up by the stomach in the same way that solid foods do. It can partially trickle through, and what can't can be pushed through as soon as the stomach contracts (happens for most people about 3x a minute). That's why you might "feel" the water for a few moments, but generally not very long.

I drank Protein drinks off and on for the last 6 years (more on than off) but find that their viscosity does not agree with my sleeve, and that is giving me a sensitivity to their taste/smell as well. I used to just dotor the crap out of them, and then I'd actually look forward to them (I could also drink them much faster, so that may play a role too). I've found my savior in the Isopure fruit flavored RTDs. Specifically "grape frost" - I've now tried 3 other flavors and they've ranged from "gross" to "literally churned my stomach." I get them very, very cold (I have one in the freezer now) and add grape flavored Mio-type drink mix. To me, it tastes exactly like grape koolaid that leaves my mouth a little dry after I swallow. They have 40gm of good protein in just 20oz of Fluid, too -- great for me since I still struggle with capacity. If capacity isn't a problem for you, I also enjoy the EAS Carb AdvantEdge RTDs in strawberry (or maybe it's strawberry creme, or something like that). Drink them very cold, they're not so great warm - and they seem to thicken too. Only 17gm (compared to Premiere's 30) but pretty decent tasting.

Not all Midol products have NSAIDs. Search something like NSAID and ibuprofen and you should be able to find a post I made a few weeks ago listing out the Modil products and which have NSAIDs. It doesn't make much sense that so many doctors rule out NSAIDs, other than uber uber caution. It's a fairly new development (putting them on a no-no list). Perhaps call and see if you can take them in liquid form. You can get an Rx, or just base it for yourself from a bottle of children's (elixir) ibuprofen.

Your Water intake will increase. You're in super careful mode. As soon as your swelling goes down, water will clear your stomach very quickly. I'm 8 weeks out and can now drink/swallow about 3 - 5 small mouthfuls in a row, as long as I wait a bit before doing it again.

Anyone liking the Isopure RDTs I posted above, they are buy 1, get 1 half at GNC this week. I bought 4 and basically got 1 free. (I ordered 3 cases from a different store online - much cheaper, but they haven't arrived yet).

My husband has been with me from "normal" to "super morbidly obese" and everything in between. If he likes you, he likes you - a little saggy skin isn't going to change that. When you know the person, attraction is more than a body. Have you tried just talking to him about it and seeing what he says? Women get so wrapped in themselves. We notice so many things that a guy would never even think twice about. I know it's cliche, but if he leaves you because of stretchmarks and droopy boobs, he's not an influence you want in your life anyway.

I don't have one. My surgeon's office gave me a sticker to put on my license that says something like "partial gastrectomy, no blind NG tube, consult surgeon" and gives his office's contact info. I haven't put it on my license. I'm not even sure where it is.

Ok, let's talk poop. And let's not be shy. Please do explain the "yellow" color. And if it varies, include all variations you've noticed. Are you on any medications? Yellow diarrhea that just sort of comes out of nowhere is most often from an infection, but not always. And fever, lethargy, etc? (an answer of "no" doesn't necessarily mean anything). A lack of bile can also cause yellow diarrhea/poop. Do you have your gallbladder? (The gallbladder is just a "storage pump" - bile irregularities are generally more centric to the liver where the bile is produced). Generically, make sure you're getting hydration primarily from something with electrolytes such as Gatorade. Until you're doing better you might also want to avoid fatty foods, anything spicy, or with lots of caffeine, alcohol, etc. <- common sense, I know, but still good to keep in mind.

You really don't need to eat anything in particular. I don't know if that's helpful or not. There's nothing saying you need to eat an egg, or cottage cheese. So if you end up not liking them, you'll still be just fine. You will probably need Protein drinks. That's why so many people go with sampler packs, or find someone willing to give them a scoop or two, or samples at the store, or whatever. Especially with protein drinks there's no telling what you will/won't like post-op. Even the protein drinks you won't need after a fairly short time, though you can opt to keep drinking them. It'll be 6 - 8 week at least (guesstimate) before you can get your protein in through foods... varies by your post-op diet, of course. And this probably won't make you feel any better, but even if you do get your protein in, your hair's probably still going to fall out. So: you'll deal with foods when you get there. Try lots of protein drinks/types. Prepare to have thinner hair temporarily. You're good to go!

When I had my band I had to lose 50 - 60 lbs before I dropped my first size. From there, it was about a size every 20 lbs or so. I never got "thin" so this held true to my lowest size. It would have eventually sped up. I've dropped about a size and a half now, and am down about 50 lbs. (Jeans I wore snugly the day before surgery I can now pull off without undoing button/zipper). My weightloss has been so stalled that it's ridiculous (5+ weeks of 8ish weeks banded). My clothes haven't changed in that time, this was all pre-stall.

I find the Premiere RTDs "just OK". Kind of like how Ron Perlman might be "just OK" if he & I were the last two on Earth. So really it's a lot less than "OK" but I can force myself into it being tolerable if there's absolutely nothing else available, just barely. Plus they leave little chocolate flakes on my lips if I don't use a straw (they dry into a sort of skin, blech). The first sip seems OK, and then it goes downhill from there. I used to love my Protein drinks pre-op, and with previous WLS. Can't stand them now. It's the thickness. They sit so heavy/uncomfortable in my sleeve. I'm currently doing the Isopure fruity RTDs. I've tasted 3 of them now and "grape frost" is the only one (truly) that didn't turn my stomach. Seriously I tried "apple melon" lastnight and thought I just might hurl. I actually heard/felt my stomach lurch. I know when I read "Eww it almost made me throw up" I think I'm reading the words of a drama queen, but this truly did almost make me throw up and I have a cast Iron stomach... err... sleeve. I put them (grape frost) in the freezer for a while before I drink them so they're as cold as I can get them without being frozen. I drink themabout 5oz at a time (10g protein), which I pour into a cup and I add a small squirt of grape mio (it's not actually Mio brand, it's the generic Walmart stuff). To me, it ends up tasting exactly like grape koolaid that inexplicably leaves my mouth feeling a little dry. Flavorwise I like the strawberry EAS Carb AdvantEdge RTDs. They have to very cold or they get nasty. This seems to keep them thinner, too. But in terms of protein gms/oz they aren't great. That was the allure of the Premieres. 30gm in the same oz as EAS's 17gm. But if I can only drink half of it, it's a wash. The Isopures have 20gm/10oz <-- winner!

This all sounds pretty normal to me. Looks like you were sleeved last month sometime... a bougie is kind of a bougie. There's not much capacity difference between them, so don't assume that a "larger than other people" bougie means you should have no issues getting food or Water down. Look. You're the Sharpie highlighter, I'm the Pilot Precise. The difference between us is maybe a table spoon. (All approximations) The drink sounds about right to me. If it's thicker than water, fluids ake me about an hour per 12 oz. A thick Protein drink takes me at least 90 mins - at least. I can drink water pretty quickly. The food amount doesn't seem excessive. Usually when I get a "stuck" feeling it is from eating too quickly. Tuna is hard for me to eat, as well. Have you tried something less gloppy? I find I really do best with about 3 minutes between bites. But to do that, I all but have to use a timer. It's so routine to put more in as soon as the first is finished. You're guaranteed still swollen. Swelling doesn't go away nearly as quickly as people think it does. On something like this you're probably looking at 12 - 18 months before swelling is truly gone. If it makes you feel any better, nothing about what you're saying even remotely hints of a stricture. And a stricture from a 54 bougie would be fairly uncommon (32 and smaller have the highest incidence).

If nothing else, look at it this way. If your taste buds change and you don't want X anymore, you won't care, because you won't want it. It might cause anxiety now because you still enjoy the food and you're imagining yourself at a state where you still enjoy it, but not wanting/able to eat it. When you truly no longer have a taste for it, it'll be like anything else you don't like -- it won't bother you to not eat it. There aren't many solid food intolerances with the sleeve procedure. Some procedures, like the band, have many more. And of course some sleevers have some, but for the most part solids are tolerated the same. You'll just be chewing them more, eating them much more slowly, and of course eating them in greatly reduced portions. FWIW I don't have any intolerances yet, even milk - which I sort of expected I would have. (I had some minor lactose intolerance before, well-managed by using skim milk, which I can still do (I can still do whole milk too, just tried it this weekend). The thing I've seen giving the most people problems are eggs. Eggs are fine for me, I've had them in all forms. Actually everything is fine. The only thing that really gives me trouble so far are thick liquids/creams... like most Protein drinks, anything "cream cheese", etc. Taste buds do often change, with or without surgery. Yes - many people find their tastes change. A lot of it (IMO) has to do with the new rigorous chewing. That can really make some foods lose their appeal. Like for me, when I had my lapband, I completely gave up red meat. By the time I had chewed it well enough to feel comfortable swallowing it, it wasn't tasty. You'll probably find - especially for the first few months - that you graviate toward the same foods. That doesn't necessarily mean they are all you want, but you'll find "menus" that fit your lifestyle well, and still deliver the nutrients you need. They become easy standbys. I'm only 8 weeks out and already have 2 "standard" breakfasts I usually choose between (not really favorites, but handy and healthy), and 2 lunches as well. dinner is still a complete wildcard. Protein Drinks really changed for me. Part of it is the thickness that I mentioned before. In fact, most of it is the thickness. They just don't feel good on my sleeve, no matter how slow I go. I still enjoy the flavor, I just have no desire to deal with the discomfort. So I've been trying to bulk up on high protein foods, like sashimi. A meal or snack of sashimi gives me the same protein as a drink would. I've also found a much thinner (like Water, maybe a bit thicker) Protein Drink that goes down much more nicely. Long story short - I went into this with all sorts of "have to understand it could happen"s. Things like - lots of nausea, or vomiting, or intolerances (esp. milk/dairy), complications, etc. And other than the things above, I've had none of it. I haven't had nausea or vomiting once. Pain/discomfort - yes - I'm still learning to adjust bite size/swallow speed. I've had some reflux, but it's not nearly as bad as what I had with a slipped band (but still not as good as no reflux). And my weightloss has been stalled for weeks now, not fun. But all in all it has been an easy transition.

You never know. Ghrelin has been linked to learning and memory, dementia, etc. So 50 years from now I'll be skinny (if my stall breaks any time during the next 50 years), but I won't remember why!

I'm trying hard to up my calories and carbs, per NUT. Today I was at 651 cal/35 carb/29 fat/53 Protein (actually about 15 more that I forgot to log). It was hard for me to eat that much today, and still enjoy a day out with my family. Now from that, I burned about 950 cals through (cardio) exercise. And still stalled AFAIK. I assumed NUT will want to weigh me Mon or Tue so I'll know for sure then.

That about sums it up. Looking to see what ratios most people follow once the initial crazy restriction subsides a bit, things are fairly well healed, and the food stages restrictions are no longer a big issue. So out of 100% total, what % of your average daily intake is Protein, carbs, and fat? (e.g. 70/10/20) TYVM

Tea leaves have more caffeine than coffee Beans, but when brewed coffee has substantially more caffeine as a beverage. Learned that the hard way when I tried to drink tea to "wake up" DD when I was pregnant with her and going in for my 3D ultrasound.

It will all depend on your plan. According to mine, tea should be postponed for 6 months. For two reasons -- the acids & tanins in tea can act as irritatnts to the staple line/stomach, and because tea is a mild diuretic and most of is don't want diuretics. I've had tea with no problems, I just weaken it down a lot. I checked with NUT before this and she said it's fine, that she'd prefer caffeine free, but since I don't drink coffee or anything else with significant caffeine it was ok. Wheat Pasta will be fine eventually, probably 8+ weeks out. Some plans are ok with well-cooked pasta sooner, but I'm not sure that this includes wheat pasta (which to me never cooks to the same nice consistency).

Read Fifty Shades of Grey. (Unless you're a literature snob like me, then you'll just find it tedious).

When I was a kid there was a song my dad would whistle to me. It was "our song." I didn't know how to whistle yet, but I would make "mouth sounds" to try and imitate his whistling so I could whistle with him. He always whistled through his teeth so it had a sort of phonetic quality to it. My favorite part of the song was a repeating part and when he would whistle it, it always sounded like "wheetsin, whee hee heetsin, wheeeeeee heeeetsin" to me. So as I tried to whistle with him, this is what I would say. I don't normally use this handle. I used it for Alex's AGB board thinking I'd never really log in that much, and here I am 7 years later still using it. BTW I've met several people from the AGB board and I've been told, "You don't look like a Wheetsin." I guess that's a good thing...?

I haven't found the Syntrax nectars to mix well either. I've tried and normally have to give up and grab my immersion blender. I've tried both the fuzzy navel & roadside lemonade flavors and had the same experience, one was an old tub and the other was brand new. No idea why there's such different experiences with it tho. I order by the tub but I THINK you can buy the nectars in serving pouches, like how the Crystal LIght "to go" comes. Actually yes, here they are: http://www.mannanutr...negrngobai.html (this is where I order from, they're semi local and boxes usually arrive the next day) Are you still needing Protein drinks to get your protein in? Maybe you don't even need to bring any.