Berry78

5 days. Didn't feel the need until I got onto the plane. Air pressure change woke things up in that department. Of course, couldn't relax in the airplane commode, so nothing happened for 7 hours until I got to the hotel and used an enema. I needed enemas regularly for the first couple weeks until I could get some fiber into my diet. Everything has been working fine after the first month postop.

Well, I'm not local enough to be a workout buddy, but I'm a few hours away in the mountainside of Maryland I was sleeved March 20th, so we're almost twins!

Oh my gosh! Glad they found the problem! {Hugs} Best of luck for a quick recovery!

You don't need to change anything now. After you get surgery, you will go through training for the first 2-3 months that will teach you what your tummy can and can't do. By time you are ready to venture out on your first hike, the surgery will be old news, and you'll know what you need to do to meet your requirements. Since you are really climbing at elevation, you'll definitely want to abide by the "wait several months" mantra. I'll assume your hiking season is from May until October. If this is the case, then aim for surgery in November, so you have plenty of time to be ready, come the next May.

First off, congrats on making the decision to change your life. I also love to hike and am 3 months post-sleeve. You absolutely will be able to resume hiking (barring complications). Plan on getting surgery when you won't mind it taking several months to resume. I am just now well enough to resume hiking at about 14 weeks postop... and I had an easy recovery. You don't want to get out on the trail and run out of steam. Sipping water all day, and having a lot of small snacks is great for hiking and postop eating. Do you backpack and camp or mainly do day hikes?

Having had the band so long, it's possible there is damage to your stomach wall. Many times this influences which procedure you get. (Usually bypass since the pouch would be formed out of the stomach that previously was above the band) Your surgeon can help make this determination. I'm inclined to say the bypass because revisions aren't quite as effective as virgin procedures, and so the extra oomph could work in your favor. It's generally a one-and-done type procedure. Another option to consider is start with a sleeve, leaving possibility of DS open down the road. (two surgeries) It's always a tough decision... good luck, whatever you decide!

I wonder why it seems our sleeves are different sizes. It took clm a year to be able to eat quantities that I could eat 8 weeks postop. Once I realized I COULD eat more than I SHOULD, I've continued weighing and measuring. This is lifelong behavior, so I guess it's just as well that I had to start sooner, rather than later. Actually, I wonder if I will be more likely to be successful, since I'm not relying on sleeve restriction from the get-go. (Success for me is to be healthy and happy in my skin.. whatever that means).

I used Dr. Illan (for a virgin sleeve), had a wonderful experience, and there were no hidden fees. They'll give you the straight-up costs. Something to really think about, is that yes, another surgery will knock some weight off (likely the 50lbs you've gained), but it may not get you all the way to goal.. and even if it does, it's not guaranteed to hold you there. A lifestyle change is required for long term success, even after a more severe surgery. It would be good for you to get to the root of your issues.. the mind game is the hard part of bariatric procedures. Realizing that the surgery and initial post-op is actually the easy part. Good luck, whatever you decide!

I think it's to do with the "honeymoon period" and set point theory. When you undergo surgery, you wake up with a new set point. I'll use me as an example. I was holding my weight steady at 305lbs before my preop diet. This was my preop set point. As soon as I went through surgery, I awoke with a new set point, which is probably around 200lbs. (It's impossible to tell what it is, so that's just a guess based on statistical evidence from other bariatric patients). So, the body WANTS to get to 200lbs. Weight loss is easy, because the body is helping it along. During the transition from surgery weight to 200lbs, this is the "honeymoon period". But, my goal is currently 180lbs. So if I hope to go under the 200lbs, it will be up to my MIND to get me there, since the body is only helping out until 200, and will stop. I'll have to count calories, exercise.. do whatever I can to lose weight, the same way as I would have, had I never undergone the operation. I expect the biggest change from honeymoon to not-honeymoon will be hunger. I'll probably become a bottomless pit, because that is how I always felt on diets before. But now, at 3.5 months post op, I have learned some new ways of eating, some more coping mechanisms, etc.. so my hope is I can go forward, and be successful with my newly learned behaviors and smaller stomach... when I exit the honeymoon period (hopefully still a few months away..).

Pretty sure this is the worst idea I've read on this board. (Timing-wise anyway). I was gonna say you probably need to go to the hospital for some IV fluids. The gym should be reserved for people that are (and have been) meeting their fluid, protein, vitamin, and calorie requirements for several weeks straight. In my opinion, people that are eating less than 1200 calories have no business in the gym. (There are plenty of people on this board that will disagree with me). Walking around air-conditioned malls and grocery stores is a *free* way of getting comfortable exercise. Leave your money at home if you're worried about spending too much. House cleaning can also be a decent workout, and you'll get a clean place, to boot! At least around my place, there is always a project that can be tackled. Even if you don't believe me, be sure to ask your surgeon about whether to join a gym. Their advice is always more important than random strangers' on the internet, anyway.

If I ate 8 times a day, I'd never find time to drink! Lol. I'm 3.5 months out, and eat the same thing each day: Breakfast: 4oz cottage cheese Lunch: 1 egg and 4oz beans Snack: 1oz nuts and piece of fruit Dinner: 3-4oz meat or fish Snack: 4 oz cooked spinach Most days I miss at least one meal or snack. The missed food is what I eat for breakfast the next day so I'm making sure I get my nutrients. My kitchen scale had given up the ghost, so I went without for a few weeks. I got a new one, and it works much better! So happy! I've gotten pretty good at guestimating 4 oz, but like having the scale.

I don't think you read the update. Scroll back up a few posts. The daughter is doing very well, and the mother is being very supportive.

You are quite welcome!

"Clog your sleeve" LMAO .. picturing a little plumber going down there with a plunger... The first 8 weeks is an exercise in keeping food in your mouth until it's runny and smooth. If you do this, there isn't enough bulk to clog anything. I could eat a spoonful of peanut butter at about 8 weeks out.. just took my time licking it off a little at a time. No problemo.

This is a bit difficult, since I followed my plan (so the plan told me what to add and when). Basically, try and keep to one type of consistency for a week at a time, and by time you are 8-9 weeks out, you'll add in everything. So, starting today, make sure everything is a runny puree consistency. Smooth, thin, will run off a spoon. Add liquid if things are too thick. (You can do tuna or beef in the blender if you want.. puree is about the texture, rather than what you are eating.) At 4 weeks, you move to thick and smooth. Like greek yogurt. Will stand up on a spoon, but still no chunks. At 5 weeks, you move to soft chunks (like unblended split pea soup). You'll need to chew a bit, but everything should turn to mush in your mouth. At 6-8 weeks, you move gradually into firmer and firmer foods. Raw veggies are one of the last things you add.. especially raw carrots, cucumbers with peels, etc. It might take longer than 8 weeks to bring some of that back in. I knew it was ok to advance to the next stage when I could eat the current stage relatively quickly and without discomfort. Anytime you try out a new food, just take a small bite, chew it well, swallow, and wait to see if everything is ok, before taking the next bite. Your tummy will tell you when it doesn't like things. If you overdo, and end up vomiting, go back to liquids for a day to rest your tummy. Wait at least a week before reintroducing something that didn't agree with you.

I'm sorry about the other responses you've gotten. We frequently have people come onto the board, looking to stir up trouble, and sometimes we mix up the honest folk and the troublemakers. It's hard to quite tell what happened to your brother in law, other than it sounds like he got a leak, and these other complications came from that. Leaks are pretty much our worst nightmares, because they ARE so dangerous. There used to be someone that posted here that had leaks. He ended up with a complete gastrectomy (where they simply remove the entire stomach and attach the intestine to the esophagus). He recovered really well, and was able to resume a normal life. There are several different types of weight loss surgeries, so we've been wondering what type your BIL had. Pneumonia can be very dangerous, so I know how worried you must be. (My own father died from it). The best thing you can do right now is try and be upbeat and positive around him. Hopefully he can still appreciate a good joke and smiling faces. Just try and feel out the situation to see what will make him the most comfortable.

The rare person ends up with that kind of trouble with the sleeve. Most people are much more comfortable than that. Personally I am as comfortable as I was preop, I just get full sooner. There are foods that don't agree with me, but it isn't a big deal. I just experiment with what works and what doesn't.

Water is something you can increase as you are comfortable. There is no reason to limit your drinking to one ounce if 2 ounces is comfortable.

Glad you called the nurse. Hopefully it's just something to do with strapping you to the table...

In my opinion, 6 days is too soon. Docs all have their own plans, but mine did things slowly and it worked great for me. 3rd week everything was purees; like yogurt, split pea soup, mashed potatoes and the like (for consistency). Week one was clear liquids. Week 2 was full liquids.. So the purees opened up a new world One thing that you shouldn't overlook is the idea of taking things slowly, and don't hesitate to revert back to the easier foods. If yogurt is working, great! I found my tastes had changed so much that I could tolerate plain yogurt, no sweetener needed. YMMV

Yeah, I never felt it until it hit the shoulders either... weirdness!

Lol, you must be feeling bad to worry about offending us ladies! Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Gas pain can be the pits. I didn't have it bad, but it was up in the shoulder, and couldn't tell that from muscle pain. The good news is once it's up in the shoulders, that it has nowhere else to go, and it should start subsiding soonish. Just keep on walking, and know that it should be feeling much better by this time tomorrow. {Hugs}

My rule of thumb with yogurt was a 1 to 1 ratio, protein to carbs. So it sounds like yours is pretty good. The first month (to me) is about healing, not weight loss, so do what you need to. When you are on solid foods, it will be much easier to transition to higher protein/lower carb choices.

It's one nice thing about this board, that we do hear all sorts of stories. The terrible, and the beautiful. Each of us has our own story.. leading up to the surgery, as well as after. I hope your brother in law knew that, as with any surgery, complications were possible. They are relatively infrequent, but ultimately that doesn't matter when it is YOU that is sick (and it sounds like he got the absolute short end of the stick ). I don't know how much you know about the process of weight loss surgery, but this type of surgery is reserved for people that are at least 100lbs overweight, and either are, or are likely to suffer health consequences from their obesity. Surgery is a last resort when diet and exercise haven't produced the desired long-term results. There is usually a 6 month diet, psychological testing, physical testing, nutritional counseling, psychotherapy, etc. It's a BIG deal to meet all the requirements to even qualify for the procedure, so chances are very good that your brother in law knew how big a procedure it was, before going under the knife. Me personally, I was pretty much at the end of my youthful, useful life. My health was on a downhill slope that wasn't going to end well. I HAD to leave the dangerous path I was on, and I was willing to risk my life to do so. I think most everyone that has this surgery would say the same thing. Again, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother, and I hope that the doctors can fix him up! As long as there is breath, there is hope.

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your brother's complications Hope he gets to feeling better soon!