Taylor5

Oops, I forgot, I have found ice chips and Wint-O-Green Lifesavers to be helpful w/any nausea/upset stomach, especially after eating!

I am super prone to nausea so was really worried about recovery as well. I never had any vomiting and only had mild nausea a handful of times - months into recovery & usually when trying new food phases. Not everyone gets sick and the meds are helpful if you do. Don't worry (I mean, you will, obviously) but you got this!

Wow, so sorry you are dealing with this. I would like to second the popsicle advice. I even started making my own post-op with low sugar juice/water/little bit of crushed fruit/protein powder/Benefiber etc. Had to hide them from the fam though bc everyone was tearing through them! I also made - and still do even at this point actually - protein pops (I call them) - as I only like 1 type of protein shake and was having a hard time even taking that in. I mix Orgain Iced Mocha protein drinks in the blender with chia seeds, a banana, scoop of peanut butter, square of high quality dark chocolate super high in coco powder, little crushed coconut & coconut extract, several scoops of Bariatric Fusion meal replacement powder, Benefiber...I think that's it, lol. I make a huge pitcher - about 80 oz. Then pour it into little 4 oz portion cups I got on Amazon (they are called jello-shot cups, but are basically plastic take-out sauce/dip cups w/lids). I put all the lids on and put them in the freezer. Every morning I take one out when I wake up. By the time I start to feel hungry (45-60 mins) it is softer, like water ice. I just use a spoon and scoop it in! It tastes great, is awesome for me, and because it is not really a solid or liquid, it goes down really easy. Initially I was using popsicle molds and freeze-pop molds, but it was too messy that way. They also have 2 oz cups for early days post-op and also for a quick snack. - You don't have to wait for them to thaw either, just pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften if you don't want to wait. This made it so much easier to get in protein/vitamins/calories the first few months, and now I just look forward to it and still get all those benefits. Sorry so long - just another suggestion - I couldn't drink a lot of water for a long time - actually drinking a lot of anything, even now, makes me feel way too uncomfortable. So, I have sucked on a lot of ice. Ice chips, crushed ice, ice quarter/half moon shapes. Helps get fluids in (albeit slowly) when you just can't take drinking too much. Also helped me with dry mouth from my meds. I use a metal water bottle so it doesn't melt too quickly. Good luck w/everything!

Thank you! It has been a fun and crazy year!! I can totally relate to that. So happy that this is finally over and it's definitely something for you to look forward to as well! - Not that it isn't possible to fall back into yo-yoing after the sleeve, but it is not nearly as easy. In fact, it would take a lot of dedication I feel That's true, it is a lot to get used to, but when "the new normal" comes along with lower numbers on the scale and a tinier you in the mirror each week - it is unbelievably worth it! Just like most, I have had some bumps in the road. But NOTHING I have "struggled" with <not even the right word really> has EVER made me regret my decision to have the surgery. Most days I am still a little in awe of this entire process and how lucky I have been to have this done!

I actually had my surgery Dec 27th of last year - I think you found an old thread here. Sorry I won't see you there - I wouldn't mind a little vaca right now, lol. But, you have made a great choice in facilities and I think you will be so happy with Dr. Ortiz and his staff. Not to mention your results! I had a great experience and I recently made my first weight goal and am just a few lbs. away from my final weight goal. Just been shopping for some new clothes and was shocked to find myself in a pair of size 8 jeans! It is amazing and a little surreal. I wish you the absolute best of luck and please feel free to PM me at any point pre or post-op if you have any questions or concerns, or even if you just need a sounding board 😀

Sorry, just remembered this: When I was discharged, the nurse told me to get myself some juice from the store or hotel - like Regular Juice - and water it down some. She said, "Everyone needs some sugar for energy, etc, and your body is trying to recover from major surgery. Don't overdo it, and don't get anything junky - make sure it is 100% juice." I got 100% apple juice bottles from the hotel store and OMG, even watered down they helped So Much! Was honestly the best part of my day each day besides the popsicles! I would have part of it in the morning before meds and same in the evening. I am prone to stomach issues and have not thrown up once at any point since surgery. I am positive the diluted apple juice helped my stomach handle the meds the first few days. Obviously I don't recommend this if your doctor or nutritionist don't think it's ok, but I guess something to remember if she is feeling too weak or nauseous. It might help.

I had mine in TJ also. I got the chicken soup protein packets from BarPal store and took them with me. Actually they were a lifesaver. I got chicken broth and orange popsicles from the hotel, but even though I could only ingest tiny amounts of anything at one time (of course) it did not feel satiating. Also the broth was very bland (as broths tend to be, lol, but also what they want for you immediately post-op) - but mixing half a packet of the protein chicken soup mix in with my broth added just a tad more flavor and helped me feel more satisfied. There's no way I could have drank any type of protein drink until after I got home (6 days post-op was my 1st try) so am glad that wasn't an immediate requirement, but do feel the broth mix helped with the extra energy needed for traveling back to Philadelphia. It wasn't until a few weeks after my surgery when going through my papers for the thousandth time that I even realized my facility specified no protein shakes for any amount of time right after (believe it or not, I don't remember the actual timeframe recommended now after 10 months - I thought I would never forget any of it!). I'm sure it wasn't as long as 2 weeks though. Definitely speak to them as far as reasoning as we never know for sure. Not sure where she's having hers done, but my facility had an arrangement with our hotel and they shuttled us back and forth for swallow test, etc. in the days following and were always happy to stop at a local market or pharmacy for supplies for patients or their loved ones. I remember several people buying electrolyte flavored (sugar free) drinks and I'm pretty sure they had some of the flavored protein waters as well. This is big business down there so the local shops are pretty good with supplying what you need. I def recommend the flavor packets for the chicken broth though. They are light and easy to fit in a purse or carry on and are much better than trying to take liquids. I wish I had taken a few more actually. Best of luck to her! I had a great experience and hope she does too

My place, like many, didn't like to go by calories but rather just making sure there was adequate protein and fluid intake - especially in the first 1-2 months. And low sugar/lower carb, of course. However, from my food diary I was in that range of 600-900 per day for the first few months, and then slowly increased after month 3 when my activity level increased a lot more. But everyone is different as far as individual needs and rate of loss and all of that. And there's also that balancing act of not taking in too much, but then also make sure you are getting enough. Because of course you can stall from too few calories too! Def check with your doc/nut too though, especially if you are having concerns due to feeling you are either too hungry or not hungry enough, and even more so if that coincides with a slow-down or stall. Good luck!

Have been having a niggling fear about a hernia. Hard to be sure because I always have back pain and often have stomach discomfort due to IBS, but lately have been having some serious pain in my abdomen and back on the left side...not necessarily in the exact spot the pinching pain is, but in the same general area. So ugh, that is not a pleasant thought. The scar tissue sounds possible also though. I had not thought of it before, but did experience some discomfort like that from my C-sections in the past. Thanks for the reminder on this, and yes I will definitely have it checked out if it doesn't ease up!

Hey guys, So first a quick update - Just celebrated my 10 month surgiversary on Saturday and made my 1st weight goal, which was 140. Currently at 139.7 and probably aiming for 135 before settling down into maintenance mode - yes I could aim lower at my height, but don't love the sagging skin that is starting & won't likely be able to have any cosmetic surgery. Plus, given my health issues, I feel - and my docs agree - that this is a realistic goal to maintain. Can't believe this time last year I was scheduling my surgery and taking out a loan and researching, researching, researching! Seems so long ago and also that it has flown by at the same time ; ) Have a few other victories to celebrate such as total inches lost so far over 42" when added together from biceps, bust, waist, hips, thighs & calves - so that is exciting! I tend to think of myself as "Droopy-Drawers" now, but I guess that's ok. Also out of plus sizes finally, which makes me so happy. Much more active now, both in and out of the gym - doing things around the house & yard I haven't done in a long, long time. Still dealing with all my back & chronic pain, but at least I'm able to DO more! Bloodwork is good except still a little low on the iron - continuing to work on that one. Hair could be better but I knew that was a strong risk and am praying it will start growing back soon. All in all it has been a great journey & totally worth it - that part w/o a doubt! Anyway, the reason for my post - have just started having this pinching sensation lately when bending over or leaning forward. It is in the area of the incision on my left side but the one closer to my belly button than my side - the one up about midway (not the little one under diaphragm area). It's not excruciating but is like a sharp pinch, and has been pretty much daily for the past week I guess. If I were earlier out post-op I would say it felt like being poked by a stitch or maybe popping one - but I would certainly hope that wouldn't be the case at 10 months. Has anyone else had a similar sensation this far out, and if so, did it go away on its own or did you ever find out what it was? Just wondering if I should be concerned...

Ugh, I am at 10 1/2 months. Mine is also baby-fine. It is longer - I wear it similar to yours but have always had bangs of some sort. It only thinned somewhat in the 4-6 month range, but then really amped up. There are actually some bare spots here and there on the top near the back that I never noticed til using a hand mirror to check the back while coloring my roots last month. And then the top has thinned so much more - yet ridiculously my roots seem to be growing like crazy as they are constantly gray - even within like 2 weeks after coloring!! I do not get it. I take all the same precautions with the vitamins and biotin and even adding the essential peppermint oil as someone else mentioned. My iron is on the low side, but I have been trying to amp up my intake of that & protein in my diet as I continue to try different Iron supplements in search of one that does not bother my stomach. My Dr. is not convinced iron infusions are necessary at this point. In addition, not only is the thinning happening, but my hair in general just looks awful. Ends are splitting. Just looks so unhealthy. It's really driving me crazy! Hope it will be healthy again one of these days. Would love to hear any tips from any hair stylists who have had surgery themselves!!

Hope your surgery went well and you had a great experience! In case anyone else reads your topic and is wondering, my surgery was on Weds, I was discharged on Thurs, went back for swallow test on Fri, and we flew back on Sunday. We gave ourselves extra time bc we had to fly to/from Philadelphia and I have chronic back/neck pain. Also, we were planning around Xmas & NY's and wanted a reasonably priced non-stop flight. I could have probably flown a day or so earlier, but as it was I was surprisingly comfortable. We had an overnight flight 11pm - 5am roughly - and I used my heating pad for the few hrs. we sat in the airport. Then took my night time meds right after we boarded and the anti-inflammatories they gave me upon discharge. I slept for several hrs. and woke in time to watch the sunrise over our final hour descent over the city. Was actually pretty cool...

Thanks for the tip! I think I will do that, as I am still having issues...

Right, that's the other reason I take mine at bedtime. I take Nexium in the morning and have protein shakes or yogurt up through dinnertime. I need that separation too in order to keep the calcium and medications from blocking the absorption. On the other hand, I'm starting to have a little bit of stomach issues this morning, and I just read a few articles saying that iron supplementation is thought to decrease production of Leptin, which provides the feeling of satiety. That makes me think it could very well be the cause of my increased hunger and food intake this week, and my first gain since surgery...which of course makes me not want to take it anymore. My doc prescribed Ferrous Gluconate Rx as it would supposedly be easier on my IBS symptoms...

So I had my iron tested recently and my Ferritin level was 7. My doctor has me taking a prescription iron supplement because I have IBS Type-C and she said this would help me avoid some of the tummy issues. I've been taking it 1x per day, as prescribed, for about 9 days now. I take it at bedtime because a lot of vitamins and supplements tend to make me nauseous, and this way I'm not risking feeling sick during the day. Take it with Vitamin C to help the absorption. Have not had any issues with nausea so far. Increased my stool softener as a precaution - that seems to have helped avoid worsening constipation, However, I have noticed an increase in appetite this past week. All of a sudden I am hyper-aware of all the food in the house and what everyone else is eating - usually I can look at it longingly for a second or two and then forget about it. I've been really struggling. I'm definitely eating more than I was. I have gained at least one pound whereas I had been at a slow but steady rate of loss since my surgery 7 months ago. My stomach is round and more prominent again - feels full and uncomfortable. Also feeling a little out of sorts and depressed. All of a sudden last night I started to put together the timeline and wondered if it could be the iron making me feel this way? I know I need to get my levels up as 7 is way too low, but I am really unhappy with how I'm feeling right now. I'm wondering if the iron patches might cause less side effects? I use the multi-vitamin patches and don't notice anything bad from them. No one has ordered a check of specific vitamin levels bc my surgery was in MX so my follow-up has been with PCP, but she just double-checks I'm taking a multi, calcium (chew), a B-12 (melt), and Biotin (melt), and hasn't mentioned checking levels yet - so I can't say for sure if the patches are keeping my vitamin levels up or not, just hoping they are. She checked my iron because my tongue was really sore, which it still is actually... So...Has anyone else experienced any of this?