NWJill

This board is a good place to start, everyone's experiences are different and it is nice to read the experiences of others and make the best decision for you. What types of things are confusing you based on your research so far?

No issues for me, in fact probably some improvement as weight loss makes my breath control easier

I had a business trip at 4 weeks post op and it went fine. I was even able to swim in the hotel pool. It is hard to know how you will feel, everyone is different. The hardest part of my trip was eating, it would be good to find a hotel with a mini kitchen kind of set up as it is hard to eat out at that stage. I was cleared by my surgeon for soft foods right before my trip but it is still hard

Mine has been slow since surgery too, but this week starting to drop a bit, but I am honestly afraid to even type that for fear of jinxing myself...I haven't even recorded a drop in my app because I want to make sure it is not temporary. How crazy is it these head games we play over the darn number on the scale?

Have you asked them why they are forcing you to make poor choices? Sometimes I think people sabotage with realizing they are doing it. Usually it is when they are unhappy or out of control of their own eating or they want to express concern about a choice without wanting to come out and say that. Is this like parents or partner/Kids? I ask because this can change the dynamic of how to approach.

I didn't have to go full liquid until 1 day prior, so yes it varies

I told my 9 year old, answered his questions and let him be a part of the process, we do things like look at recipe ideas on Pinterest together. I can tell he didn't love the surgery day but I guess I never considered not telling him. This change in my life is impacting both him and my husband and changing the way we all eat and the activity we do, so we approach it as a family.

Take a step and offer a time and place to do something, might as well see what happens

My pre-op diet was not full liquid until 1 day prior but I was limited to one non-liquid meal a day of only lean protein and veggies

I was told no caffeine two weeks pre-op and at one week post op I was cleared to have it again. Although I admit, I don't crave it as much and rarely drink a full cup in a day

GasX helped me a lot, I didn't take it at first but was glad when I did. The liquid diet is hard, even when I switched to full liquids, I got so sick of the protein shakes that at 6 weeks post I am avoiding them like crazy, I will find anything to get protein in besides one of those darn shakes. I also used a heated massager on my shoulders and back to help with gas pains. Hang in there it seems like those first days take forever but the pass quickly enough

Some mix of Yogurt, hard boiled eggs, babybel cheeses, cucumber slices, lunch meat, turkey kielbasa, chicken, soup Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Are you on a liquid only pre-op diet? I wasn't liquid only until the day before, you will probably be fine just don't eat anything else Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Also no experience but it shows that even when perfect, complications can happen, so sorry they happened to you, hang in there and hopefully the healing will be quick Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have UHC in Washington state and this is similar to what I had to do, good summary Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It is hard to know from reading individual experiences what your experience will be. I can't relate to AnneElliot because I do not have the side effects she is dealing with. I have no acid reflux, I am easily able to get in my fluids and I don't spend hours and days eating, planing and tracking food because I created meal ideas and options before my surgery and now I just pick one of my pre-planned weeks and make it work. HurricaneU asked what I struggle with most at 6 weeks post op and for me it is not drinking when or within 30 min of eating. Sometimes it feels like food gets stuck and I need a sip of fluid to wash it down and so I drink but then I get full and can't finish my food. Now here is another opinion as to why I picked sleeve surgery instead of others 1. I know 4 people who have had bypass and the dumping syndrome and complications from that have been awful. One person I know died due to complications, now that was 10 years ago and I hope we know more now but it is still scary stuff 2. I also know 2 people who had lap band and again infections and complications made that journey difficult. I have lymphedema and infection was a major risk factor on any choice I made, even the sleeve. One major factor for me was feeling hungry, the sleeve helps with that I believe more than the other surgeries. I did not want a surgery that so dramatically altered my ability to absorb nutrients like bypass. My surgeon won't do any surgery except bypass or sleeve anymore due to complications and I trusted him. The reality is that this surgery is life altering and not something for anyone to take lightly. It can have complications that effect your life. You have to be ready to have a completely different relationship with food. I lost 80 pounds on my own pre-op and another 20 pounds since and I feel more in control since surgery. I don't crave the types or quantity of food I had before. At my two week post op my surgeon said i didn't have to go back on blood pressure meds, that is just one example of a major win and being worth it to me but each person has to decide why you are doing it and if it is worth the journey. Good luck Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I really don't anymore, I am 6 weeks post op and getting my protein with food instead of shakes. Just saw my nutritionist and she said she would rather I get the protein from actual food and as long as I am in the 60-80 grams a day range that I don't need to have the shakes. It never hurts to try things to get out of the stall however, mix things up and see what happens Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was nervous about it pre-op as well, but I'm not sure I could have completely understood it pre-op. Pre-op the idea of such small portions and feeling satisfied seems crazy but now I am just done. I eat and I am full and that is it. I'm not saying it is easy, the pre-op diet and stages are not fun or easy but you work through them. I am 6 weeks post op and now a lot of what I am doing is routine and I'm not craving most of the bad stuff. I am glad that the time between my decision for surgery and the actual surgery was short, only a couple months, because I may have talked myself out of it and I'm glad I did it Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Having a lot of Facebook friends doesn't mean anything. She is probably suggesting things to you to get you to make a move. I would approach it like, "Hey, we never got a chance to get together after that gathering, want to go grab dinner and movie?" Keep it casual, if she jumps on it, I bet she is interested, if she says yes but gives you a bunch of excuses and never sets a day and time she probably isn't. Be prepared with some movie and dinner suggestions for days and times for if she says yes Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I wouldn't be surprised if she does, it sounds to me like she is doing some of the things I would have done if I was interested in a guy. I think it is hard to make friends nowadays, people become online and Facebook casual friends and everyone is afraid to ask people to go do things. Didn't you say you were Facebook friends? Does she post a lot about going out and doing things? Since you both work remotely she may be just as lonely as you. Don't make it so formal as asking out on a "date" at first, grab coffee, grab a movie, see if she is interested it doing stuff as a friend and then see if there are signs she wants to take it further, what is the worst that will happen, you make a better friend? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am about 6 weeks post op and I understand a bit but mostly because I am in a stall. Frustrated that I did all of this and I think I lost faster on weight watchers but here is the thing, sometimes I am head hungry but I am not craving the quantity I used to eat just the freedom to eat what I want when I want. It is funny how this change gets annoying in our heads at odd times, like my coworkers bought me a chicken quesadilla for lunch yesterday and I was annoyed that I couldn't eat it all, totally not sure why that would annoy me. I sat there picking the chicken out of it to avoid the tortilla. I had some for lunch and then ended up splitting the rest with my husband for dinner. Two coworkers of mine got the same lunch and they had theirs done in less than 20 minutes and were talking about candy and giant dinners ahead. I had to remind myself that I paid for one meal and I got two meals for myself and one for my husband out of it, how is that a bad thing? I still got to enjoy the lunch with my coworkers, I wasn't hungry and it saved me money in the long run. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have a My Weigh scale, it has always been within 1 pound of my doctors scale and they have ones for higher weights. I got mine through Amazon Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

If you can message her, why not casually ask if she wants to get a drink or coffee sometime. Do you have any common friends where you can do like a group gathering? Say hey, I'm having friends over for pizza and movie night, would love if you could come. I haven't read all 10 pages of this thread but a couple and I'm sitting here thinking, why not you? Some people are just not as turned off by weight as people think, I know when I was dating that was never a factor for me. Now as a large woman I preferred men who have struggled with weight too because I related to them better but I know women who haven't struggled and weight still isn't a factor for them, they want a good person. I think most women would be flattered by a date invite even if we aren't interested. The only way to get better at something like dating is to roll the dice and take a chance, some dates will suck but isn't it worth it if you find someone? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was lucky I guess, I had my first salad 6 weeks post-op, not more than 3 bites but it tastes wonderful and I had no issues. Although so far the only bad reaction I have had is citrus anything which is sad but I'm hoping that it goes away eventually Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Ok you took two pieces of candy this week, so what? I bet 6 months ago you would have taken two pieces a day. You have to figure out what triggers you to grab the candy, a piece every once in awhile is fine IF you can control it to once in awhile. If you can't then take a longer path and try to not walk past the bowl. You can add your own snacks like small packets of nuts, protein bars, bananas, etc. The thing I try to remind myself is that one meal, one treat, one day, etc did not get me here, it is because I let the one turn into many. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App