ShelterDog64

@@TheCurvyJones **Mushy, chewed up corn chips won't rip out titanium staples, so stop telling people that alarmist crap. The people that might pop a staple are few and far between. We're not sewn up with bubble gum and fishing twine. I really hate to see people trying to scare new patients into compliance. It simply does not work this way. ** It's hardly a scare tactic to remind people that you absolutely can cause damage with ANY food that you eat too soon. It doesn't matter what the stomach is closed with if you put too much strain on a fresh suture line too soon. @@girl10029 The biggest concern about your staple line isn't as much from sharp-edged foods, it's from the action that your stomach has to take to digest ANY solid foods. The stomach squeezes and churns solids in order to mechanically prepare them for enzymatic breakdown...and 3 weeks after the surgery we've had, we're short on enzymes so our stomachs have to do even MORE mechanical work. The squeezing and churning moves in waves through your stomach's muscles and that's where the potential for damage comes. Those muscles, as they contract, pull against the staple line. Most of the time, nothing serious will happen a few weeks out, but if you had a weakness along that line, or if there was a section where the staple line wasn't PERFECTLY aligned, you could have a problem. The biggest concern is very early, like people you see who eat meat or other hard to digest foods in the first week. Babbs is just concerned about you and your health...everyone here wants to see you succeed. Good luck!

@@girl10029 I'm wondering if you're getting enough Protein? Are you feeling hunger or just eating out of habit? I was on a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) for the first 6 weeks and keeping my stomach acid way down really helped me not have any feelings of hunger from my stomach. The head hunger is a WHOLE 'nother thing and you can only manage it with sheer willpower. About not feeling full, you won't feel as much restriction until you're on more dense Proteins like meat. You need to weigh and measure all your food, record what you're eating and drinking and get yourself on track. The first 6 months or so are the time you'll lose weight the fastest, don't screw up and waste that time by eating corn chips You were strong enough and determined enough to have the surgery, don't fail yourself now, right?? Good luck, and no more corn chips!

@@shelly.s The best thing to do is advance your diet only as quickly as your plan allows. On full liquids, you can have Protein shakes, I used the Premier Protein ready-to-drinks and also made my own with Isopure low-carb chocolate Protein powder. It was a little scary to go from Clear Liquids to full liquids, but you need to start advancing to full liquids when your doc wants you to. The goal is to get you back on a solid food diet so that you're getting all the protein you need. Take your time, sip slowly...I absentmindedly gulped about 8 oz of Water taking my meds when I was 5 days post-op, the pain was unreal and it came right back up. Try to keep that from happening Try the stuff on your full liquid list, just go easy and remember that you can always go back to clear liquids if none of it sits well. You only need protein and fluids right now. Good luck!!

@@busybeebug Oh, wow! Your face is so much slimmer! Yay!

I agree with @ocgirl15...I came home from the hospital nearly pain free and as I continued on my high Protein low carb diet, the pain continued to diminish. All of my inflammatory pain is completely gone and I attribute it to cleaning up my diet and avoiding sugars and flours.

@@sunnydeeliteful So happy you were able to find someone!

I think your feelings are pretty normal for where you are...5 days out my stomach was a confused, rumbly mess, I was still sore and not entirely steady on my feet and just kind of OVER being a post-op patient! By Christmas, you'll be more than 6 weeks post-op and life will be feeling more like normal. Depending on your program, you may be on a full diet, which was a HUGE turning point for me physically and mentally. And you'll probably be down 20+ lbs, which is usually noticeable and that will be a great incentive Like The New Kel says, you can take those party temptations and turn them into victories for yourself. I was at a cocktail reception the other night, very fancy with waiters walking around with trays, offering hors d'oeuvres. I said 'yes' to 2 gorgeous jumbo shrimp, skipped the cocktail sauce both for my cute dress and to avoid the sugar, said 'yes' to the harisa meatball and 'no' to the sweet and sour, and 'yes' to the bacon wrapped date with blue cheese (did a quick think in my head about the sugar content of dates but decided it was worth it with the bacon and blue cheese). I also turned down mini egg rolls and some other fried thing. And I was full, didn't have the urge to give in to the Pasta buffet later on, and I was proud of myself. I worried in the beginning that being around other people eating that old, awful food was going to be a huge issue for me, but it's much, much easier to stay away from than I thought possible. When you have such a tiny space for food, you really have a huge incentive to put fuel in (which means Protein and some fats, not carbohydrate-laden food) instead of eating poorly. And this is a mental game as much as anything, I think the sleeve gives us the lack of hunger and restriction, but we have to use that boost appropriately to get the full benefit. In the end, it's true what so many people say...nothing tastes better than thin feels right now. When I feel like just giving in and eating whatever I want, I think of how much I hated always being the fat, sweaty woman in the group, eating the egg rolls. I don't want to be her again, and there's not an egg roll in the world that tastes good enough to get me there.

I'd have gone to visit family on day 3 post-op...I was tired and still taking oral pain/nausea meds, but felt pretty good and was walking a mile at a time already. Just take what you need to consume (broth, Protein drinks/shakes, etc) and don't overdo it helping out with things.

@@busybeebug Congratulations! I love NSVs, almost more than scale victories!

@@ZinNH This is SUCH a great topic, and one I wish more people thought about ahead of surgery. Most programs require a psychological evaluation during the pre-op pathway, that's how I found my therapist. When she and I were talking about where my head needed to be to have success with WLS, I asked her about figuring WHY I let myself get so fat, and how was I going to keep it from happening again? That was the start of a wonderful relationship that's aiding me immeasurably as I make my way through losing weight for the millionth time...her help is making me realize that there's a VERY good chance I can keep it off and be healthy for the rest of my life. So, talk to your support group, and your surgeon's office and find someone...I can't recommend it enough.

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch That made me laugh out loud...now I have to go and think of movie titles that would be appropriate names for topics here! I LOVE a challenge!!!

@@lau1875 I think the best thing for you to do is lose the weight and smile at her a lot You didn't take the 'wrong' or 'easy' way, you took a path that will make it possible for you to lose weight that negatively affects your health. Maybe she ought to consider it? And statistically, you'll keep the weight off and she'll gain most of what she loses back. Be proud of your choice and ignore her attempts to sabotage you!

How many Protein grams are you getting daily? Are you adding protein to your soups? You can eat ricotta cheese, mashed cottage cheese, yogurt, refried Beans...you can add unflavored protein to all of those. I haven't even looked at calories, but I started above your weight and have lost 68 lbs eating at least 80g protein daily, lots of Water and walking at least 30 mins 5 days/week. I'm 40-ish pounds from goal and although my weigh loss is slowing a bit, it's still coming off. Good luck, I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to not get the rapid weight loss most of us do.

Hi Anthony74 I want to preface this with assuring you that I'm not trying to jump on you, bash you or shame you in ANY way. But for every person posting here, there are probably 100 reading, and I think a lot of the vets on here post with them in mind. So, that pain that you have never felt before? It *could* have been your staple line rupturing as your stomach tried to digest the solid food you put in it four days after 4/5 of it was removed. That pain wasn't necessarily your stomach rejecting the TYPE of food, it was it rejecting the insult of ANYTHING other than liquids. And how would you have known that it was your staple line rupturing? You wouldn't have known, and then you could develop sepsis. I mostly want others reading this to understand that it's not simply a case of pissing your stomach off...it could be something very dangerous, even fatal, so soon after your surgery. I'm glad you're okay!

So, my insurance company would pay my claim of injury, plus the other person's injury claim but would not protect me from being sued for physical harm? Good enough for me ???? Edit: Actually, if it's determined that you're under the influence of any narcotic or anesthetic agent, they will cover the damages to another person and their property, but your policy may limit their responsibility to you. It's a silly risk to take. Regardless, bottom line is that unless you can squeeze more than 48 hours post-op and drug-free into your admission (unlikely for most of us), you're better off to get a ride/call a cab...this is major surgery.

@@suzzzzz ^^ Amen! There are thousands of posts and opinions about alcohol, good luck!

A Blender Bottle, Protein powder, broth/bouillon, sf Jello, sf popsicles, Vitamins, ready-to-drink protein (clear and full liquid style). I caution you to not buy too much in the way of protein powders and drinks...my taste changed rapidly post-op and protein that I had liked pre-op quickly became disgusting to me. I barely used any flavored protein, now I only use unflavored (5th month post-op). You'll feel well enough for a trip to a store within a week, so buy the bare minimum until you're through the first few months.

I wasn't required to discontinue coffee at all, but I did because it's always irritated my stomach a bit. I started drinking it again about a month post-op, adding a scoop of Protein powder to my first cup, enjoying the second with just cream and monk fruit sweetener.

@@AvaFern is technically correct, but keep this in mind also: if you were to get into an accident on your way home, your insurance company has grounds to not pay any claim if you're within a certain number of hours of general anesthesia and you don't have a doctor's clearance to drive. So if you decide to 'not tell them', just know that you could be liable. It's not just about narcotics and anesthesia clearing your system, it's also about muscle weakness and fatigue which can reduce your reaction time/ability and put you at risk. Please make every effort to find a better solution than a risky self-drive home.

My best advice to you is to follow your plan. As you start to feel better, you may be tempted to rush your diet advancement, but remember that you have a fresh line of staples along the length of your stomach and you'll *feel* better long before that staple line is completely healed. Keep up with your fluids, walk as much as you can and follow your surgeon's instructions.

Refried Beans with shredded jack cheese and sour cream. They were the best refried beans, heck probably the best food, I'd ever tasted!

@@mahoghani Sounds like you're good to go, then. You'll have to have all of your health maintenance up to date; pap smear, mammogram, etc. and any other health issues have to be under treatment. Our pathway here at Madigan generally takes 3-6 months, so if you push it hard and are available whenever the different appointments you need (dietary, OT, behavioral health) are available, you may be able to get it done.

@@mahoghani It depends on how long the bariatric pathway takes at your particular MTF or in your local area. It's already the middle of November, you need to get in to see your PCP immediately and get a referral to bariatrics. Are you Prime or Standard?

@@mcplu28 A little perspective: You lost 42 (43?) lbs in 3 months on your own. I HAD THE SLEEVE DONE, and I lost 52 in 3 mos...to me, that means you're kicking ass Our docs will do the sleeve on very high BMI patients and then revise to bypass or DS when they've lost some of the weight. Do get a second opinion, for your own peace of mind if nothing else. Congratulations on your amazing results so far...don't give up and don't get discouraged. You're on the road to saving your own life <3