orionburn

Good for you on not giving into the temptation even though you bought McDonald's. Those two weeks are tough. It's hard realization of what kind of power food holds over us. I used it as a time of reflection and got a better understanding of what my relationship with food needed to be like after surgery. The sudden cutoff of sugar & carbs can play havoc on your body, and the anxiety leading up to surgery doesn't help either. You're going through the toughest part of the 2 weeks. Days 3-5 were my difficult time, but once I was past it the rest wasn't so bad. Keep yourself busy and do things you enjoy. Hang in there. It does get better!

There's really not much point in trying to compare yourself to others. We're all going to hit stalls and lose weight at different rates. There are so many factors that go into it such as starting weight, whether you're male or female, your age, general health, etc. Some don't hit stalls for months, some within the first month, and others in between. We honestly chase the scale and compare ourselves to others way too often. Just stay the course and things will sort themselves out.

I'd rather they all freaking agree on some basic things like pre-op diet guidelines and post-op diets for the first 8 weeks.

I think the side effect is losing the weight and not having as much insulation any longer...lol. In all honesty though I've seen a ton of posts on here of people asking the same thing. It's quite common.

Actual hunger versus head hunger are two different things. Majority of the time it's actually head hunger whether we want to admit it or not. Your profile says your surgery was 12/16. Is that not the case or are you still on liquids? A protein shake is not going to give you a full feeling unless you drink it too fast. It's a liquid so it's going to pass through your stomach in a fairly quick amount of time. Head hunger is not cured by having WLS. That's a mental battle you have to fight. I had a bad habit of eating as soon as I got home from work. Didn't matter if I ate right before leaving room. My head told me I needed to eat when I got home even though I had no legitimate reason to. There is a difference of being satisfied with what you eat versus chasing a full feeling. The goal isn't to always feel full after every meal. You should be able to measure out a portion, eat, and walk away from the table happy.

Feeling cold after surgery is common for most. This winter was much harder to deal with compared to those in the past. Just be sure to take your temperature to make sure the chills aren't related to a fever.

That could very well be the same for me. There's so much generalization with WLS. I know I heard 90% a few times through all my consults, classes, and so forth. It could be a go-to number that most people grab even if it isn't accurate. Given how much I could eat prior to surgery is sure as hell feels like there's only 10% left...lol

What everyone else said. I had a prolonged hospital stay due to complications but once I was home I think I was up 10 lbs from my surgery day. It'll drop off quick enough. We're all excited to see the scale start moving but every individual will lose weight differently. Don't get caught up comparing yourself to everyone else. Focus on healing, getting in your protein & water, and moving as much as possible.

I doubt they would do anything unless you were showing signs of extreme pain. Think my limit was around 25-30 lbs the first few weeks. Count it as a lesson learned and avoid doing it as much as possible. Don't get caught up over thinking it because once you focus on that it may seem worse than it really is. Of course if the pain does get worse contact your doctor and let them know and they'll advise what to do.

Was told by my doc that it's normally 90% that they remove. I know they can use different bougie sizes but I never got into that detailed of a discussion.

Everything you're feeling is pretty normal. I wish I knew why person A has no issues at all with pain and person B does. Did they at least give you pain meds for home? We had a mandatory 3 day stay at the hospital so I was pumped full of all sorts of things. The first two weeks are the most challenging. You just have to hang in there and know that it's only temporary. Every day things will start to improve. The pain won't be as bad and you'll be able to drink a bit more as each day passes. It's a good time to reflect on the future and look forward to the new you. In a few weeks you'll back and think that wasn't so bad after all. Good luck to you!

From everything I read it has nothing to do with the safety of the product. It's just misleading information on the label.

The main idea behind it is to get you in the mindset of being aware to drink consistently. During the first two weeks at home I kept a bottle next to my bed. If I woke up in the middle of the night (which was often) I took a drink. It helps to have something to actually keep track of your water intake. I prefered to reuse a 32 oz Powerade bottle. You can do it with about anything as long as it has an accurate measurement. Just focus on drinking as often as you can and you should be fine. Don't forget your protein shakes will count towards your daily water goals too.

You'll be fine! It can be a crappy feeling when you wake up but it does get better, so don't get discouraged. I'm sure you're in good hands. Follow your doc & nurses advice and you'll be back to normal before you know it. Good luck!

I've been this way post-op. If somebody comments on my weight loss I sometimes mention it. Just depends on the person. I had a Facebook friend ask me the other day what did I do to lose so much weight and told them "I had 90% of my stomach removed"...lol. And then they came back with saying they've been looking into WLS themselves! I know that I'll eventually find some stick in the mud, but like you said it's been supportive up to this point and nearly everyone has said they know another person that's had it and how well it worked for them.

The goal of eating isn't to always feel full. I really don't get why people chase this idea around constantly. You should be able to measure out a portion, eat it, and leave the table satisfied. I hate having a full feeling. It's miserable. Why the hell would I want that every time I eat? There is a difference between head hunger and real hunger, and 95% of the time it's likely head hunger we're facing. That's part of the new lifestyle and learning to deal with that.

A myth - http://www.bariatricpal.com/magazine/556-fact-or-myth-the-5-day-pouch-test/

I'd never heard of them prior to joining this site. Went to look them up and one of the first results was "Genepro lawsuit"...lol. At least one company is suing them (to be fair other manufacturers have gotten in trouble for misleading info): https://www.law360.com/articles/865678/protein-powder-maker-accuses-rival-of-false-advertising Missouri Eastern District Court Case No. 1:16-cv-00274 SI03, Inc. v. Musclegen Research, Inc. You can read entire Lawsuit in the attached PDF. gov.uscourts.moed.150119.1.0.pdf

The whole "stretch my sleeve out" thing gets used way too much. Unless you are constantly stuffing yourself to the gills and making yourself miserable you are not going to stretch it out. In time you'll be able to eat more in a single setting but that's normal. It's all about what you put in (quality of food) and how much. That's why it is important to keep a food journal to know exactly what you're getting every day and to measure out your food so you know how much you're getting. Try reading this article for some more insight (plus debunk the all the "pouch reset" talk) - http://www.bariatricpal.com/magazine/556-fact-or-myth-the-5-day-pouch-test/

It isn't a walk in the park, but you'll be fine! It's short lived and well worth it.

I've a sleever but we caffeine freaks all go through the same thing There's a lot of debate on the dehydration topic. My NUT warned of the same thing - that if you have caffeine you have to "replace" the water it's going to help you pass. I'll say this - I peed a helluva lot more and with more urgency when I was a caffeine junkie prior to surgery, so I don't think it's without merit. I did make the mistake of not cutting caffeine off sooner prior to surgery, so the fatigue right after surgery seemed a hundred times worse. After a few weeks my energy levels began to come back and now I feel back to normal. Mornings do seem a bit sluggish and harder to get going but it's gotten better as of late. I've tried to drink regular coffee and it hasn't agreed with me well since my sleeve. I can tolerate some now. When I make coffee I do about 25% regular coffee and 75% decaf. I've actually come to like not having to rely on caffeine so much. I just love my morning coffee. Btw...seems most doctor's require a sleep apnea test as part of the approval process so inquire about that. At least you can find out for sure if you do have it or not.

Do you feel that choking sensation after you drink water/protein? I must have had some terrible swelling the first few days because everything felt like it gave me heartburn and would sit at the top of my stomach. It felt like the entrance to my stomach was swollen shut and didn't want to let anything through and caused a lot of discomfort. The good news is that yes, it will pass, but it just sucks while you're going through it. I tried to keep my sips small and evenly paced out as best as I could to help alleviate the discomfort.

Technically it isn't dumping. Dumping syndrome has more to do with making you feel terrible from eating certain foods...not running to the bathroom! It's also associated more with RNY and not the sleeve (unless you did have RNY and just posted in the wrong forum). It's most likely due to all the protein and being on nothing but a liquid diet. I had horrible diarrhea as well during that phase. For a good two weeks I wouldn't attempt to pass gas without being in the bathroom out of fear...lol. You simply aren't taking anything that is truly a solid food so things are going to pass quickly through your system. While it may sound counterproductive adding a fiber supplement may actually help since they're main purpose is to act as a bulking agent. Try adding some Benefiber (or similar product) to your protein shakes and see if that helps. Lot of us go from going all the time to not being able to go at all, so working in a fiber supplement now isn't a bad idea anyway. You should start to see a change once you start your pureed stage, but don't be surprised if it takes a few days.

Reason I said that is because I didn't pay enough attention once or twice and ate too fast and pretty much wanted to die afterwards...lol. It can be really difficult to pace yourself with only a 1/2 cup of food when I was used to downing an entire plate of food in 5 minutes. With time you'll start to read your body better and will be able to tell when that full feeling is beginning to creep up and slow down or stop entirely. It's just extra hard in the early stages when healing since all the wiring between your stomach & brain is screwed up.

Your doc's office shouldn't fuss to call on your behalf. I logged into my insurance website and I could never find anything saying they covered the sleeve. It was only the RNY and no offices were close by. I went to a local bariactric clinic and talked to them and they said that they'd had no issues with my insurance covering the sleeve. You do have to keep in mind that it doesn't just come down to the insurance company itself but rather what's in your policy/coverage through your employer. Not all companies will have a plan that cover WLS, or may have limitations on what it covers. Your doc's office should be able to help you out and get a solid answer.