Starbug

ANYTHING by Bariatric Foodie is great! Nik has three (or more) paperback Bariatric cook books (including a very comprehensive one on shakes) and way more free recipes on her blog. The blog is also called Bariatric Foodie and has been a complete lifesaver through all stages of my sleeve journey. Couldn't have made it through purée stage without Bariatric Foodie!

I take Ativan, took it before surgery too. It works well for sleep and anxiety, for me at least. I take Abilify at night (mood stabilizer) and it also helps me sleep.

I had a very similar problem. My surgeon said the same thing as yours, and I later found out (after a trip to my local ED) that I had an unrelated problem with a ruptured ovarian cyst. Having said that, I was told that, while very rare, hernias can develop near the incisions. So just listen to your body and your doctor. I am a month out and pain free. Hang in there!

Though it is plant derived and not artificial, Stevia is the only sweetener I use. It's the only non-sugar sweetener I can tolerate and I feel more comfortable with consuming a sugar substitute that is not 'fake'. It is SUPER sweet though, a little makes a big impact!

Hi all, I am a bit over three weeks post op and am having a HUGE amount of difficulty finding a multi Vitamin to take that does not utilize artificial sweeteners like sucralose. I am very allergic to artificial sweeteners; they make me intensely ill only minutes after ingestion. My MD recommends Celebrate Vitamins, so I tried the sample pouch of them, but they too made me instantly ill. I KNOW I cannot be the only post op person out there that has this problem; any advice? Brands names, gummies, chewables, I dont care. I just have to take SOMETHING!

Thank you, everyone! I have explored the Kirkman and patches at you all's suggestions and the patch sounds fantastic! If anyone else has other ideas, please post!

I am also a stomach sleeper. Almost three weeks out and I'm still having to sleep on my back. Which means I'm sleeping poorly...will be interested in how long it finally takes to get 'back' to sleeping on my tummy!