ShelterDog64

I trust my surgeon completely, and I still did my own research, questioned things that didn't make sense to me and asked about anything I didn't think he did a good job of covering. His personality suits mine, he's not a super-strict, super regimented guy and I appreciate that. He trusts me, as well, to make intelligent, informed choices and to be the one in charge of my own health. I wouldn't have had the surgery if I didn't have this kind of relationship with my surgeon.

@@chycky Your story gave me flashbacks to 2013 and 2014, when we lived in NoVa and decided to add on to an existing deck on the home we'd just bought. It seemed like it was 105 degrees and 100% humidity every single day. The more we tore down and dug out, the more issues we found. We love the house and kept it to rent out, but I'm SO glad to have escaped to the Pacific Northwest last summer! All I have is a little vegetable garden here, and the high was 64 today!

I've tried Isopure, unjury and GENEPRO....Genepro is by far my favorite. It mixes very well and I can't tell it's in my food.

You definitely need to increase your water intake. I like the Atkins Lift water, but they're pricey. Have you tried anything like Syntrax nectars to add to your water so you're getting protein as well? When I was just a few weeks out, it was hard to get volume in, so I combined my protein with my water so that I didn't have to try to get down soft protein AND 64 oz/water daily. I'm using an unflavored Protein powder in my beverages now, along with some water flavor drops like Mio. Good luck!

I'm six weeks out and solids is SOOOO much better than liquids. I was dying to chew on something during the liquid phase, and I feel much more 'normal' now. food isn't the all-consuming task it was the first few weeks. Hang in there, in a few weeks you'll barely remember all this!

@@trekker954 You said:"I'm been dreading the dye drink leak test, but the nurse said they no longer do that. I was surprised to hear that. Maybe they check it another way, forgot to ask her that." I didn't have to do a dye test, my surgeon does his leak test by putting Fluid into the abdomen and gas into the stomach, to look for bubbles. Then they suction all the fluid out, all the extra gas out of the stomach and the abdominal cavity before suturing/glueing the incisions.

Exactly! I was able to give mine away in my support group, thankfully, or they would have been a very expensive total loss. The patches aren't cheap, and I haven't had any blood work done yet, but I'm at least able to use a vitamin of some sort. Everything else upsets my new stomach.

I need to go to Trader Joes and find the chicken/turkey that's pre-sliced. I should have gone for hummus but I was out of carrots and didn't want to eat crackers. And eggs are interesting for me now...I used to eat a lot of eggs, particularly when I was 'dieting', now I have to be careful as they don't always sit well. Poached in the morning is just about the only way I can eat them. I used to have a cast-iron stomach And isn't it weird to get worried about going over 800 calories?? And to be capable of staying UNDER 800 calories? It blows my mind. I'm stuck again, weight-wise, but clearly I'm losing inches and getting more muscle from exercise. I'll be at home alone this coming week so I should be able to manage my food exactly as I want, but then I travel for about 10 days, which will be a little challenging. I'll have a refrigerator at one hotel, but not at the other 2. I'll pack my protein powder, a bunch of protein bars and my water bottle. Any travel suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

My family was eating pizza and there wasn't anything thawed that I could cook. I need to slice some raw chicken breasts and wrap them for the freezer, those thaw in minutes. I was being lazy and learned THAT lesson! I had a sugar-free popsicle after my stomach settled, all is well now Eww. I have never had canned chicken but I have 4 cans of it in the pantry I bought pre surgery. Now I have no desire to use them! Could you have had the topping off a slice of pizza? Then again, chicken sounds like a better option. I love sugar free popsicles. With the heat here, they have become a staple in my freezer. Glad you are feeling better. I'd never had it before either, and never will again. There are a couple more cans in my pantry and they're all going to the food bank. The pizza my guys had last night was one of those 'all the meats' kinds, those made me a little sick to my stomach before surgery so I decided to skip it...not that my alternative was any better And I agree about the popsicles, they're a staple here and I get a little antsy when the box gets low. The cold/sweet combo is a good replacement for the ice cream I used to have, and it settles my stomach and gives me fluids...what's not to like?

My family was eating pizza and there wasn't anything thawed that I could cook. I need to slice some raw chicken breasts and wrap them for the freezer, those thaw in minutes. I was being lazy and learned THAT lesson! I had a sugar-free popsicle after my stomach settled, all is well now

Ugh, I just ate some canned chicken for the first time and my stomach is UNHAPPY I'm pretty sure I'll never eat any meat from a can again for the rest of my life. Uuuuuuuggghhhhh...

I woke up in the PACU with horrendous pain right at my sternum, was quickly given IV Dilaudid and it subsided. Once in my room on the ward, I had a morphine PCA pump so I was able to medicate myself when I felt it necessary. I never had severe pain after the PACU, some discomfort from the gas and some at the incision points but not much else. I walked and walked and walked and walked around the floor I was admitted on...I think that helped with the gas. I'm a firm believer in medicating yourself to keep up with the pain, not waiting until you're in agony to use your meds. I came home on liquid tylenol and liquid codeine, I used them both faithfully for about a week after I came home and was virtually pain-free. Good luck with your surgery!

GNC makes a pretty palatable gummy vitamin, I took them for a couple of months pre-op. I tried the chewable bariatric-specific vitamins before I bought the gummys...that chalkiness and the huge size was too much for me. I ordered BariMelts and used those for about a week before surgery and thought I had the vitamin issue under control, but about 2 weeks after surgery, they started making me vomit. Now I'm using PatchMD patches...

The thing about feeling ok with a few bites is that your stomach won't tell you much in that short a time...you shouldn't be eating until you 'feel' full anyway at this point, because you may not ever have the full feeling we're all used to from our pre-surgery lives. I'm really sorry you're not feeling well, but study those directions carefully, and maybe give your stomach a few more days on an all-liquid diet.

I've had some alcohol, a little beer and a little cider. I'm not much of a cocktail drinker (except for gin and tonic, I could kill a pitcher of those by myself!) and I've been hesitant to have wine, since it always gave me heartburn pre-surgery. My doctor is very much a 'think about it and watch how it makes you feel' kind of guy about foods and/or alcohol. I don't have any 'can't ever eat' restrictions, like some docs seem to give to their patients. It's working for me, I'm finding myself making good decisions without having someone give me tight right and left limits on what I can do.

You quite likely would have had diarrhea anyway, the Pasta certainly didn't help. Pasta isn't on my list of things to eat at 6 weeks out, much less 2 days.

Surgery on 8/1 and 10 pieces of Pasta on 8/3? I'm stunned. 2 days post-op I was struggling to get 30 ml of clear liquid into my stomach. I had diarrhea every day for about 10 days as a result of having the surgery. If I swallowed a mouthful of water too fast, it was agonizing. Do you have a clear idea of what the surgery actually DOES to your stomach? My surgeon advances his patients' food more rapidly than most any others I've seen or heard of, but a 2 DAYS post-op, he would have been furious if I'd done something like eat pasta. What do your post-op guidelines say you should be eating? All I can tell you is to eat that, and to call your surgeon's office on Monday and tell them you need to see the nutritionist/dietitian to help you understand how you should be eating and advancing your diet. Good luck to you.

Have any of you started drinking caffeinated coffee yet? I don't want to call my dietitian to ask, but nowhere in my literature does it talk about when it's ok to start some caffeine. I make a decaf latte every morning with my little Bialeti Moka pot, adding a cup of steamed Fairlife milk and a 30g scoop of protein and it's good, but I want that caffeine kick again. Also, what are you eating that's interesting? I'm bored...protein, protein, protein. I had kale tonight for the first time and it's sitting well (yay!), plus some quinoa and chicken. Dinner isn't all that dull, but lunch is killing me. I had a protein bar today instead of any 'real' food because I just didn't feel like being bothered. Yesterday I drank a protein shake for the same reason. As I'm logging my food each day, I'm not getting in much variety until dinner. I'm fine with my boring breakfast coffee, but lunch should be more fun!

Those pancakes are on my list, too! I love her blog

One of my favorite things to eat is refried Beans, with some cheese on top. I thinned them with a little Water at first until I felt I could handle the density. Sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, mashed a bit with sour cream mixed in, are so good! Last night my son made 'ravioli' out of strips of zucchini wrapped around a ricotta cheese and egg mixture, topped with some low-sugar marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella. He baked it until the cheese melted and the zucchini was soft. It was fantastic! And if you haven't found theworldaccordingtoeggface.com , you need to go take a look. She has amazing low carb/high Protein recipes on her site, the ricotta bake was the first 'real' food I had post-op and it was unbelievably delicious. At 6 weeks out, I'm able to eat pretty much whatever I please, but soft foods are still nice as they aren't much of a challenge for my stomach. I still eat protein first, then veg and then maybe a bit of carbs. Tonight I had grilled chicken, kale and a tablespoon of quinoa.

I wish healthcare professionals did a better job of understanding the impact of their casually spoken words. We're SO vulnerable to them and they just SAY things. One of the dietitians in my clinic is just dour...she's not a happy, encouraging person, and when I go to see her, I never feel good about anything when I leave, even if I'm kicking butt! If it helps, I think a 40 lb loss is fantastic and I'd love to be saying that myself!

I came off my diuretic several weeks before surgery, and I really noticed the fluid accumulation...I think you're right on about it affecting your weight loss. Plus a bad period, plus the cough. Are you taking your Vitamins? Do you take B12? And Water? I hope you start feeling better and losing again!

Hi APanda911! I still miss taking a giant bite of something, barely chewing and swallowing it That sounds so gross, but there it is... Congrats on your NSV! I think mine is probably that all of my cardigans are loose in the arms now...I used to have to stretch them out so that they were comfortable, now I just slide my arm in and they're already loose! I live in the Seattle area, so cardigans are an everyday item

Checking in I feel like I am living a normal life at almost 6 weeks out! Been on a couple of overnight trips, hosted company for a long weekend, lived thru a 2 week kitchen remodel, eaten out at restaurants and friends homes many times, served on jury duty, helped a friend in need, and more. I have dropped a size almost 2. Feeling good. Have a good handle on eating routine. Have a Protein shake for Breakfast and mid afternoon . Real food for lunch and dinner. Can only eat about 1/3 cup. Drink liquids most of the day. Haven't had any issues with my sleeve and I am super grateful for that! This is how I feel...my life feels normal now! Eating isn't something I have to have a laser-like focus on, I know I can find something to eat wherever I go and I'm not worried about it like I was. And I'm FINALLY remembering to take my darned Water bottle everywhere! Glad to hear its going well, Suzzzzz!

Just got home from a much-needed 5 days at the shore...there is something about staring at ocean that really centers me. AND, I came home to a few more pounds gone, so YAY! My goal is to lose 50 lbs during the first 90 days post-op. I'm now 41 days and 33 lbs from my surgery date, so I'm feeling confident that I can do it. My surgeon's 'formula' for sleeve weight loss is that whatever you lose in the first 3 months (so I'm shooting for 50), you'll lose about half of that in the 2nd 3 months (so another 25) and then half of the half in the 3rd 3 months (so 12). 50+25+12 gets me to about 90 lbs lost in 9 months, which is about 20 lbs short of my goal. This all feels very doable and in reach to me now...prior to surgery, it seemed nearly impossible. How are all of you doing? We need a roll call/check in!!