theantichick

I don't have any history of blood clots, but some surgeons do 14 days of Lovenox after any surgery now because of all the things they're learning about clots, and mine did. So blood thinners after surgery is not a problem. Knowing you have a clotting issue before surgery lets them plan for it and take precautions to avoid problems. I would think that losing the weight would be beneficial to preventing clots. As to bypass vs sleeve, I don't know, your surgeon would have to guide you. But saying you'd regain the weight is defeatist, and lots of people have good long-term results. Good luck!

I was lucky to have very little gas pain. Walking is the only thing I've heard of that really helps get rid of it. My heating pad helped with the soreness I had, and I've heard it helps with the gas pain as well. I did not get my 64 oz of Water in per day for the first week, but I usually managed about 48 oz. I felt a little dry, but didn't need to go in and get an IV so I guess I did OK. I sucked on popsicles and even froze Syntrax nectar lemonade flavored drink into tubes like ice pops and sucked on those to try and get as much Fluid in as I could. Jello counts as fluid too, BTW. Just keep tiny glasses of water (I used a shot glass) by you all the time, and try to constantly sip sip sip. It DOES GET BETTER.

It takes time to adjust to any CPAP mask. I preferred the nasal pillows, but I couldn't keep my mouth closed when I was asleep. Tried the chin straps and everything. I couldn't tolerate a full mask no matter what I tried. I finally found a hybrid mask that worked great for me: http://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed-mirage-liberty-full-face-cpap-mask-nasal-pillows-with-headgear.html Everyone is different, and sometimes it's trial and error for a while to find what works for you, and it's frustrating to be sure. Then, a few weeks after VSG, my mask started leaking horribly, kept waking me up, and I was already on the smallest, so I quit wearing the CPAP. Hubby says I don't snore or have any obvious apnea episodes if I'm on my side (where I sleep most of the time) so I've just quit using it. Haven't had any excessive sleepiness and my BP hasn't gone up (symptoms I had with the apnea) so we're thinking the apnea has resolved. At some point I'll have to do a sleep study again to confirm.

I'm 5'9" -- was 5'10" in high school, but have apparently lost an inch somewhere along the line... LOL. Let me just say... some charts say I should weigh 145 as well... and the people who made those charts.... ARE HIGH. When I was just out of high school, I managed to maintain 160 for about 8 months. Running 2 miles every day and watching every bite I put in my mouth. I looked REALLY hot, but on the verge of being too skinny. Another 15 pounds would have been TOO THIN. I was able to maintain 165-170 really well for a long time way back when. I've set my goal at 185, and when I get there, I'll see if I can squeeze another 10 pounds loss out, but 185 would make me ecstatic. Bottom line, you know where you will look and feel amazing, don't let some stupid chart tell you what you should weigh.

My daughter is in a kinesiology program, and just finished her sports nutrition class. The formulas she was taught say that I need to be trying to get 90-120 g of Protein in a day in order to gain any muscle mass. 60-80 would be just to maintain without any weight lifting program. As a male with larger muscle mass, you may actually need to be getting significantly more in, say on the order of 150g.

Can I ask what autoimmune disease you have? I have Systemic Lupus. My surgeon recommended the sleeve as well. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920AZ using the BariatricPal App I was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, recently my Rheumy stayed suspecting psoriatic arthritis. Not sure if that's a change of diagnosis our a secondary one. sent from mobile device

Vomiting is cited as the most common side effect/adverse effect after sleeve surgery. But it's not a given. I have not vomited once since surgery. I did have one episode of heaving on Thanksgiving but nothing came up, and while walking down to the car after discharge had a horrible attack of hiccups that felt like I was about to start heaving, but caught my breath and it was okay. The hiccups were because I tried to grab one last swallow of Protein shake before leaving my room, took way too big of a sip and immediately started walking -- BIG MISTAKE. The Thanksgiving day episode was because I'd eaten several things I hadn't tried before at my sister's house, and then needed to visit the bathroom but didn't want an extended visit at my sis's house so we drove home (30 min) while I was having stomach distress, and so it magnified. All on me. I have had a lot of nausea and discomfort, but it has been because of eating/drinking too much or too fast or choosing the wrong things (too much sugar or fat). It's taken me a bit to learn what my sleeve thinks is appropriate food in both selection and quantity, but when I pay attention it goes pretty good. Right now my biggest challenge is learning to slow down.

pre-op was WAY harder. Post-op my cravings and hunger went away. But everyone is different.

I was going back and forth, I thought the bypass was a little too aggressive, rerouting the digestive system and all. But I have a history of reflux, so the sleeve might have had aggravated that. I was on the fence about it, but my auto-immune made the decision for me, because I have to retain the option to take NSAIDs and steroids as needed, and sleevers can take them if the benefits outweigh the risks but bypass patients really can't. So my medical team and I decided to take a chance on the reflux and go with the sleeve. So far (knock on wood) I haven't had more reflux, and my weight loss is going well. I've seen plenty of people who had weight loss equivalent to the bypass predictions with the sleeve. I think it's more what you do with the tool than the tool itself, frankly.

I've got chronic conditions, so I'm an expert in being a sickie. I can lie for hours on the couch with my electric blanket bingeing Netflix or reading novels. I used to binge eat at the same time, but that's no longer an option, so I try to keep my Fluid intake up instead. You just need to learn to be lazy, that's all!! LOL. Get a cat, emulate it. They have it down.

I think it was @@southbound who was referencing it, but I looked it up and posted what I found just a minute or two ago.

And this late in the year, you're either going to be pushing to get it in over the holidays or having to meet deductibles and out of pockets again for insurance. That sucks.

If you scroll through this account https://www.instagram.com/syntraxsupplements/ You'll find the "meet so-and-so, our new ambassador" posts. Like this one https://www.instagram.com/p/BFyx6Cqwgs_/ or this one https://www.instagram.com/p/BIDXFHkhYxH/ You can follow those ambassadors, they have discount codes for purchasing Syntrax stuff from the online store.

Mine are definitely deflating. I've shifted to the stretchy "genie" style bras, because my old ones aren't fitting anywhere close to right anymore, and I'm resistant to spending the $$$$ for them mid weight loss. I'm a little sad to see them getting droopy, but when I get to goal, I'll decide if it's bad enough to start saving for a boob job or if it's just a job for reallly great lingerie. Luckily my guy doesn't really care as long as he gets access. LOL.

This is behind what Dr. Phil and many others are saying when they advise to set your environment up for success... get the junk food out, pack your workout bag and put it in the car, plan your meals in advance, etc. If you've made the decisions ahead of time and set things up so there's no decision to be made in the moment, then you're setting yourself up for success by taking the decisions out of the moments when your willpower may be lower.

I don't know. I guess my Maxpedition bag would qualify, but it doesn't usually go to the shop. It rides in the truck. Are they on the site here? I will have to check them out. No, they're in the grocery store by the lunchables. It's cheese and meat bites, some with dried fruit, some with nuts. I think it's Oscar Meyer brand, but I'm not certain of that.

If you've got a fridge I recommend the P3 Protein packs sent from mobile device

You can also dissolve the powder into a little bit of warm liquid and then mix that into the hot liquids. sent from mobile device

Heya, everyone! I've been getting so much out of this forum, I decided to pony up and become a VIP. If there's anything you want to know about me and don't, just ask! LOL. We have to liven this place up though, since I'm a year away from being able to post in the vet's forum!!

I keep hearing this, and I disagree. I mean, it's different for everyone to start with. For me, the pre-op was 100 times worse than anything has been post-op. Post-op, I don't have the hunger and cravings that I had pre-op. Even when I have an old voice in my head saying "eat the Little Debbies, they taste soooo good" I can clearly tell that it's an old tape in my head, and the part of my brain that actually imagines eating them says "actually, that doesn't sound good at all". I used to not be able to tell physical cravings from emotional cravings, and now I can. My pre-op plan was incredibly lenient compared to some I've heard - I was asked to drink 2-3 Protein shakes a day and have a "healthy" meal with no particular requirements to limit carbs or even count calories, just to try to keep to lean protein and limit simple carbs. I had seven kinds of hell just doing that for 2 weeks before surgery. It was serious white knuckling, and I wasn't perfect. Post-op, I have no problems walking away from just about anything. I know that's not been everyone's experience, but it's certainly been mine.

Have you tried any of the clear Protein drinks like Isopure or Syntrax nectar? Or putting unflavored Protein powder in things like chicken broth or Jello or pudding or yogurt?

My Google-Fu found these http://www.bariatricchoice.com/bariatric-proteinex-chewable-protein-tablet.html But at 1g Protein per tablet, you'd have to eat a BUNCH, and I can't figure out what the protein source is. My surgeon wants a good whey source for protein supplements. This is talking about some sort of collagen.

Once I decided to blog about it, it didn't make much sense to try and keep it secret. LOL. However, I will disengage from conversations where people have quit listening to what I have to say and are only trying to push their attitude and opinion on me.

aaaaand cue all the posts with variants of kitty cat and all the other words the automatic filter won't let through un-asterisk'd. LOL