TheSleevedTraveler

So after having my band in for about 5 years, it was removed 12 days ago and while they were in there it was revised to the sleeve. I was 110% gung-ho for this procedure, I've been fighting insurance for almost a year to get it. But now that I have it, I'm kind of freaking out. I am on the liquids and protein shakes only phase still, and I keep wondering if I'm ever going to enjoy eating food again like a normal person. I think with the band there was some degree of comfort knowing it wasn't permanent and that I could always loosen it if I wanted to. Now that I've had 80% of my stomach surgically removed, I am just panicking a bit because I want to enjoy my life, enjoy food and drink, and not feel like a freak when I'm out with friends family and coworkers at a restaurant. Am I the only one who's been here mentally, having a mini freak out?

Just an update so I'm now at about 6 weeks post surgery and I'm feeling so much better. I am eating more normal food like a hamburger (no bun no toppings) - fills me up for many hours. I am not brave enough yet to try steak or chicken, sticking with ground meats and seafood for now. Learning new habits like don't drink and eat at the same time - super hard to do. Also learning that meals at restaurants come with way too much food for me to handle. Skip the soup salad bread even the side dish and just eat/get the main protein and work on eating that. I'm 10 pounds from goal weight. Taking my first business trip on the road and flying tomorrow, starting to finally feel somewhat "normal" again. Oh lastly alcohol- it's a whole different thing now for me. Not nearly as enjoyable as it was before. Your mileage may vary. Good luck everybody. It definitely gets better. The first month is the hardest.

Before you worry about the sleeve size, wait until you start eating regular food. Yesterday was the first day I could eat like ground beef or turkey. Had a kids mini slider at Chilis with no bread. Couldn't eat it all and was full for many hours.

That's kind of the weird thing (hunger). I've learned after all these years that apparently there is a difference between head hunger and actual need for food. My head keeps saying "you should be eating something" and "a cheeseburger sounds amazing" and today "go to taco Tuesday" lol. But my stomach, it's just not wanting any of it. I have not truly felt physical hunger at all since before I had the sleeve surgery 17 days ago. Weird! Because I kind of don't trust my hunger-meter accuracy at the moment, I'm trying to stick with a routine to make sure I don't get dehydrated or malnourished. Every morning I have a protein water with a vitamin greens powder mix, gets most of my key nutrients in right away. Then mid day I'll have a protein shake with a banana and some nonfat milk and a little peanut butter in it. Mid afternoon I'll have a snack maybe yogurt or jello. Evening I'll make myself eat something like puréed soup. Then in the evening I take my chewable multi vitamin. So far that's been working ok. If I get ambitious enough I may try blending tuna and mayo like tuna salad, but have not tried yet.

That's awesome words to hear. Thank you for the response. Now that I'm on at least some mushy stuff, I feel kind of more normal again. Amazing how good a little mashed potato can taste after being on broth and shakes for two weeks!

I had my band removed and sleeve revision done ten days ago. My wife and I are going on a 7 night Carnival cruise from New Orleans to the western Caribbean in October. After I had the sleeve surgery, I freaked out realizing I may not be able to eat and drink and enjoy a cruise anymore. My doctor told me at 4 months out I'm going to be healed sufficiently to eat normal foods and even have a drink here and there, just don't overdo it. That made me feel a lot better. I plan to have a few sips of wine after I get to phase3 and do a trial run from home in case it hits me pretty hard. Dont want to beta test my new alcohol tolerance in public. Lol

Hi everyone. My name is Tim and I was just sleeved Friday (about 48 hours ago). I had a lap band which was removed and revised to the sleeve. It may be taboo but I have a question about pooping. I haven't had a bowel movement since my sleeve surgery. I just got back home last night (spent one night in the hospital) and have only passed gas so far. I have started taking miralax because I got really backed up once after a surgery and I never want to go through that pain again. I'm a little stressed about getting backed up. What's the normal amount of time after surgery for a person to poop? What do you recommend to take that can prevent getting constipated? Thank you

Thank you for the meal plan Blizair09. I too screen shot that and will likely use it!

Hi there. I had the lap band for about 5 years and just revised it to a sleeve a few days ago. I asked my surgeon about reflux. He said if I had issues with reflux with the band I will probably still have them with the sleeve. Conversely if one didn't have reflux issues before the sleeve it's unlikely that they'd have it afterwards. I don't know if that helps at all but that's what he told me.

Thanks to both of you for the responses. Amforshort congrats on your revision, we had the same procedure one day apart. I won't get into gory details but I took miralax once every night since the surgery and yesterday it started cleaning me out. It wasn't as unpleasant as stimulant laxatives have been in the past so I would recommend it to others. How are you feeling 5 days in?