dandelion247

People love to feel like they have a stake in your body, even though it's not THEIR body. By telling you to stop losing before you've reached a truly healthy weight, they're inserting a little bit of control, or attempting to. It's not up to them at all. It's entirely up to you. I like the response above -- just tell them you're working with your doctor to determine your ideal healthy weight and you'll be sticking to that plan. Best of luck! I too am 5'5" and am currently 181.5, so we're almost exactly the same size right now. I have no intention of stopping here either!

I was twisting my body up in weird ways just to get up and down the stairs in our house. When I had to approach stairs, I'd have to psyche myself up to use them. Getting into and out of chairs was becoming hard. I have bad knees, and the extra hundred pounds was making them fail even faster. One day I realized I was heavy enough and met the co-morbidity requirement for weight loss surgery and that was the day I made up my mind. I had a good run, eating whatever and as much as I felt like for 46 years; it was time to get it under control and give myself the best chance of being alive to see my son to adulthood.

I work from home but took two weeks off. I'm glad I did. The lethargy and lack of energy would have been impossible for my job. Though it's a desk job, I need to be sharp and to be able to think clearly and quickly, and there was no doing that for at least two weeks. More realistically? I think it was 3-4 weeks before I could say I was starting to feel remotely mentally sharp again.

Another hand up for whole fat. I can only eat the full-fat cottage cheese. Anything less and it tastes gross to me. Same with mayo or any other fat-based food. I politely ignore the suggestions to eat sugar-substitutes as well. My taste buds HATE the fake flavors and I know they're bad for my body, so I'm not going to sweat a tiny amount of real sugar here and there.

I no longer desire sweet things, which I suppose is good! I'm almost 6 weeks past my surgery, so who knows if this taste preference will come back eventually. I also have always loved spice in my food but am avoiding it religiously now. Even too much black pepper is noticeable. I think my tastes are becoming tied to how well my new gastric sleeve tolerates it. If my stomach isn't happy, I begin to associate a distaste with whatever food is causing that. Unfortunately, at this point in the process, a LOT of foods are causing distress. I'm trying to be calm and hope it all settles down and eventually I can sample more foods with less worry about that.

Hi, I know this topic is from last year, but these thoughts are on my mind too as I approach five weeks out from surgery. I struggle every day with queasiness, on and off, which I suspect is related to dehydration, and I struggle with figuring out what foods my stomach will like and which it won't, and knowing exactly when to stop eating. Going one bite over is really a punishment. Doing everything just right to minimize my discomfort is exhausting and time-consuming for now, and I too am hoping that this gets less overwhelming and odd over time. And, I too hope I can eat volume that better approaches a normal small meal, as opposed to some micro-meal that DOES draw attention when in a social environment. I too have friends who are full of concern and who watch what I'm eating closely. No, it's not in our heads, sometimes people are right out there with their gawking and awkward questions.

So glad to see this topic! I've been eating full-fat cottage cheese, as well as full-fat cheese as a sprinkled topping on my pureed foods. Sometimes I mix a small dollop of sour cream in. My skin and hair are so dry, and my calories are so low, I can't imagine any good reason to limit the fat in the small amount of food and calories I'm getting. It's not like I'm even close to 1000 calories a day -- how will dairy fat hurt me? Also, food tastes so much better with a little fat in it. I might as well not be utterly repulsed by what little I'm eating.

Further update since using the gel for 4 days -- It's helping me stay asleep longer (which is great) but I believe it's contributing to a new low-grade queasiness I've been feeling pretty much since the day after I started using it. I think the xylitol that sweetens it is causing my still-healing stomach to revolt. So now I'm faced with a bit of a Sophie's Choice -- sleep better with nausea during the day, or sleep worse with (hopefully!!) less/no nausea. I don't know if there are gels like this that are unsweetened. I'll be searching for them, because I find sweet tastes revolting these days, and besides, I hate fake sugars.

Thank you so much, James, for posting the link to your PDF. I find it especially useful to me right now. I'm three weeks post-op, and looking ahead to the transition from puree to solids. I hope to try a few of your recipes.

I've been using the Biotene dry mouth gel to assist with the crazy post-surgery CPAP dry mouth problem. It's worked better than the mouthwash, which works better than the spray. Might be worth a try, my fellow sufferers!

habee, some of your urges will definitely be quelled by surgery and the restriction in place afterwards. I can tell you there's still plenty of head-hunger in me -- I find myself daydreaming about lavish Indian buffet meals... LOL... but, I know that even an attempt at 2 oz. of that sort of food would make me very physically uncomfortable, so there's zero chance of straying from my doctor's orders. People like us need to find something else healthy to substitute the pleasure we gleaned from food. I'm still figuring that out for myself. Best of luck to you!

Thanks for mentioning it -- I'll go looking for those posts too!

I have the same issue. I was sleeved on 8/16, and I noticed about a week ago that I was having a period, which I haven't had for at least 3 years, maybe more, due to my Mirena IUD (the one with hormone in it). I'm guessing (but could be wrong?) that it's because we store estrogen in our fat and now that our body is burning our fat, that estrogen is back in circulation. I really, really hope it all stops soon, but so far, I've had a light flow for a week. Ugh.

I wish I could say genetics, or a thyroid problem, but for me, it's been a food addiction for pure pleasure. Ever since puberty hit, I've loved food for the pure pleasure of its flavor. Not sure if this qualifies as emotional eating, as I don't necessarily eat to assuage emotional pain, but I have always sought out giant portions and high-quality gourmet food. I have always loved restaurants and more recently, got into cooking complex, rich concoctions at home. I am now on a completely different path and it's surreal -- but necessary. I had my run with all that gourmand enjoyment. Now it's time to enjoy other things, like better health, a clearer head, and hopefully more energy. Seems like a lot of us eventually have a moment where we realize, "I can't keep doing this. I'll be put in an early grave."

I was sleeved on August 16th. Was able to tolerate liquids and walk a bunch while in the hospital, so they released me after one overnight. Here are my impressions so far: Week 1 -- Hell. Most protein drink formulations contain fake sugars, which I have pretty much hated with a passion since I knew they existed. I hate the flavors and the way my body feels consuming them. So, drinking anything sweet was grating and caused me great resentment. Probably not rational, but I'm giving myself a pass. I also had a bad day about 5 days into recovery -- just crying and feeling terrible for myself all day long. On day 7, I turned a corner and felt better. Gas pains: I was fortunate and never had really bad gas pains. I had them flare up every so often, in my shoulders, but they subsided quickly. Sleeping: I created a weird pillow arrangement in my bed to allow me to sleep on my back with my upper body slightly elevated and my knees slightly bent and feet elevated. I've loved it so much, I'm continuing with it even though I'm healed enough now to sleep on my side. I took the prescribed pain meds for 6 nights after being released, to assist with sleep. After that, I stopped taking pain meds and went back to taking Ambien. Going to the bathroom: Where before I was regular, I am now lucky if I can go twice a week, it seems. Hoping this changes. Apnea: I have sleeve apnea and use a full-face mask. Combine this with not getting quite enough fluids yet, and the dry mouth that is caused is epic. I wake up and my mouth feels like lizard skin. Yuck! Not comfortable. Week 2 -- Slightly less hellish than Week 1. Took walks around the neighborhood. Was fortunately able to stay out of work a full two weeks which helped a lot with stress levels, and I'm sure that assisted with my healing. Week 3 -- I'm in the midst of it, and now I'm on puree foods (big step up from full fluids!). I'm back at work and am cleared for going in the pool. Still feeling mournful over the loss of the ability to just eat whatever my appetite craves, but I know this is for the best. Went and got a mani/pedi today to soothe myself. Trying to find other pleasures to replace excessive gourmet food! I feel a LOT better on purees, because at least now it's real food and not processed protein drinks and protein broths from powder. I was cleared to eat scrambled egg, cottage cheese, yogurt, and any puree concoction high in protein. Water: Still not getting 64 oz. a day. It's a work in progress. Vitamins: Not getting 3 chewables in a day yet. Mostly getting 2 a day. Another work in progress. Protein: Probably getting close to 50g a day, so I think I'm doing well there.

I was told by my NUT (dietitian/nutritionist) that I could eat white fish and flaky fish like salmon during the puree stage, so if you like fish, it's easy to bake with a little lemon juice and salt. Just be careful to not overcook it, so it stays tender and breaks down easily in your mouth when you chew. I am also allowed cottage cheese. I can't stand the flavor of anything less than 4% milk-fat through, and I find that it stimulates my GERD, even with the PPI that I take. Your mileage may vary. Scrambled egg is allowed too. I use Eggbeaters, and eat it very slowly, with lots of chews. Seems to go down pretty well. Again -- be careful not to cook it too dry. The softer and moister, the better. I also picked up some puree cookbooks which just arrived in the mail today, to give me ideas. My fear is that I'll eat one thing so much that I won't be able to look at it for the rest of my life. Variety is key, I suspect! Best of luck finding foods you can tolerate and that will make you feel better. The liquid phase is brutal.

I had a few terrible days in the last two weeks since my surgery on 8/16. Crying on and off all day, that sort of thing. I think most of these bariatric programs don't really emphasize how hard it will be during early post-op. They'd do us all a better service by speaking plainly on that subject, with the encouragement that eventually it will get better. Perhaps they're not that good at it because most docs and nurses in these programs haven't had the surgery and have no emotionally-internalized understanding of what our bodies and minds must manage. Like most people here, food was the center of my coping and pleasure, and so now I have the monumental task of rebuilding my emotional wiring to seek that elsewhere. Of course that upheaval will cause panic and despair -- but faith in the long-term results is what has to sustain people like you and me. We have no other choice now. You're not alone, you're not abnormal, and I get where you're coming from. My best wishes to you on this difficult portion of our long journey to better health!

How big was your omelet? I find myself a little hungry intermittently, but nothing like the levels of appetite I had before this surgery, considering how little I'm eating now. I started puree a few days ago and can only eat 2 oz. at most in one sitting. I find myself slowly consuming my meal over hours, long after it's gotten cold, because my stomach just won't let food in any faster. Wearying, spending so much time taking in such a minimal amount of sustenance. I hope this evens out in time and I can get to a place of healthy, normal eating, if on the small side, quantity-wise. Everyone says this gets better. The first few months to a year (?) are just said to be rough for most people.

I had my surgery on the 16th, as planned. The 2-week pre-op mostly-liquid diet was brutal for the first 6 days, and then it was like a switch was flipped, and it got far more bearable. I now believe it was absolutely necessary for me to adhere to that not just in order to shrink my liver, but to get my head in the right space for what was to come. I'm now 4 days post-op and feel cautiously optimistic so far. I was able to leave the hospital after one full day cycle, pain controlled with the help of liquid hydrocodone and acetaminophen. I believe this is called Norco, by name brand. I've only been taking it at night to help with restful sleep. It causes terrible dry mouth but is effective for a few hours in relieving almost all discomfort and pain. My pain and gas pain hasn't been terrible, and I feel quite grateful for that. I'd say the incision from which the excised stomach portion was removed is probably the most tender. All together, I have 7 cuts in my belly. I've moved from clear liquids to full liquids, and I am taking my proton pump inhibitor sprinkled in a small amount of apple sauce. The BariatricPal chicken bouillon has been great for me. In addition, I'm drinking fortified chocolate milk made with skim milk, dry powdered milk, and Carnation Instant Breakfast (no sugar added variety). Premier Protein drinks are also a lifesaver. On the water front, I keep a bottle by me at all times and try to constantly take tiny sips. Anything more than 2 mid-sized sips in a row results in instant pain. I stepped on the scale yesterday, curious, and I was already down 5 lbs. Yowza! I'm actually trying really hard to get up to speed on full amounts of protein, water intake, and eventually general nutrition as quickly as possible, as safely as possible. I don't consider this a race to weight loss, but rather a race to maintain a healthy metabolism throughout this long journey. Weight loss will happen regardless, but I really don't want to end up with an abnormally low resting metabolic rate because of near-starvation levels of nutrition for an extended period of time. I have my RMR tested before going on the pre-op diet, and it was 1740 kcal a day. The worst part about this early recovery time is the boredom! I'm glad I have two weeks from work to recuperate, but I wish I could go do more, out and about. In time, I know. I just need to be patient. I was worried I'd have regrets too, but so far none. I was ready to let go being slave to my appetite. I look forward to a future where I can still sample delicious foods of many varieties, but only in moderate or small amounts. To me, this surgery is a tool to teach me balance and moderation. Hope everyone else who had their surgery this month so far is doing great!

Thank you for setting the group up on FB. I would really like to join, but have the same reservations about joining a public group (relative privacy). Is there any chance we could convince you to change the settings to "Secret Group"? People can still join by word of mouth (or seeing a link here), but noseybodies won't be able to see we're in the group, or see the intro page, etc. If you have your reasons for keeping it public, I understand. I was just hoping to convince you, as I would *love* to join and get the support from everyone else going through an August sleeve surgery.

Yes, I will have to do the 2 week liquid diet too. I was told it would be two meal-replacing shakes a day and a dinner with strict guidelines (like 4 oz. lean protein, veggies). Good luck on getting your date!

It's over two years later, and I hope you don't mind me asking how it all went. I'm really curious to know if you got to the bottom of your stall. What were the RMR results? Did it give you any insight that helped you figure out how to shake the stall? It's concerning if you were only eating between 800-1200 and had stopped losing weight. I'm wondering if you were eating too little, perhaps, and your body had slowed its metabolism to conserve energy?

My case was submitted on July 3rd (right before the holiday this past week) and was approved by Friday. So if you take away the 4th of July, it took them 3 days to approve.

I just got the same letter myself (also insured by Cigna), even though I'd spoken to a rep on the phone at Cigna who told me I was approved already. I'm guessing it's a form letter that we don't need to do anything about, since the surgeon's office is responsible for submitting that data to the insurance company. I'm just checking with my surgeon to make sure all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed.

OK, final update on my situation (I figure if someone else ends up in my boat and they do a search on this topic, maybe my information will be useful to them). I took the prescribed omeprezole 40 mg for 7 weeks after the initial endoscopy found Barrett's cells. I went back in at the end of June and had another endoscopy, and the doc took biopsies again. The pathology report found no evidence of Barrett's. I was cleared to have gastric sleeve surgery, which is scheduled for August. Very relieved. I'm still on the omeprezole for now.