EagerPenguin

That happens to me during my period, the scale goes the wrong way! I'd say it's just bloating, even if you don't really feel bloated (I never do). You'll lose it pretty quickly once your period is over.

Syntrax Natural Nectars (not the regular Nectar or Sweets varieties) say no sucralose, and are instead sweetened with stevia and monk fruit extracts.

I like Syntrax medical unflavored. It stirs in to liquids without clumping (I do add it in increments though).

I didn't have anything like that. Definitely call your surgeon. While it could be nothing, it also could be "something".

Your surgeon should have an on call physician who would cover even when the office is not open. Are you feeling better? What did you decide to do? Those symptoms are concerning!

I've had close work acquaintances ask me since I've been back after my surgery, at a weight loss of about 35-40 pounds. I started at 335. I can see it the mirror, too.

Whatever you do, don't take the maximum dose of Dulcolax!! I did that (because I was feeling especially stopped up)...welp, not stopped up now! My surgeon recommended miralax (I took dulcolax because I had it on hand), but I've seen where others recommend something else. I'd call your surgeon's office and see what they recommend. As far as whether or not you should be having bowel movements on liquids, I would say yes. You've likely still got stool in your colon, and the longer it sits there the drier and more uncomfortable it's going to get. There also is still likely some residual "stuff" from your liquids, especially the protein shakes, making its way down, and it may have nowhere to go if you're stopped up. Hopefully you start feeling better soon!

One thing I've noticed with the sleeve, now that I've been back to work, is that my mind is not what it was before my surgery. I am so scatterbrained and get mentally drained very easily. I'm certain it's the reduced caloric intact, and will get better, but that might be something to take in consideration.

I didn't have Barrett's exactly, but I was found to have esophageal dysmotility due to the band. This was even with the fluid completely removed for years. Good thing is, once I had the band removed, my esophagus got better within a month.

When I still had my band I had a lot of the same symptoms that you're describing. It turned out for me to be extreme heartburn. I went to the ER once and was given a "GI cocktail" to try and help settle my stomach, and it immediately relieved the pain. Turns out, my band was keeping so much stomach acid at the top of my stomach that it just sat there causing pain and bloating. I already had all the fluid taken out of my band, so there was nothing that could be done there to alleviate the heartburn.

Wow that's really scary, it would be enough to make me reconsider surgery, too! So sorry for your very sudden loss. I think your husband is going through the natural grieving process. Maybe he's thinking that he doesn't want to lose you, too, which is why he is no longer supportive. That could change, though, as perhaps he will realize that he could lose you sooner or later to the comorbidities of obesity. You've worked so hard to get to this point, I would not cancel your surgery yet. You may just need to reschedule as your family heals from the loss of your MIL. I would leave the surgery on the schedule for now, but do let your surgeon know ahead of time if you're going to cancel or reschedule.

I'm hosting Christmas dinner at my home this year on 12/28. I'll be 3 weeks post op on that very day, and will just be getting to my puree stage. Since I'll be at home, I'll have a few more options than if I was away. I'll thin out some mashed potatoes with some broth, shred up some ham, have a small amount of sweet potato casserole, or just cut things up very very tiny (which technically isn't puree but I'm certainly not putting green bean casserole in the blender!). I'm aiming for moist and soft things. I have no idea what I'll tolerate, though. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

I had a lot more lasting incisional pain with my gallbladder. With my sleeve, by midnight on my surgery date (12/7), I was off my narcotics, and didn't take anything but Tylenol a couple of times once I got home. The diet is where the sleeve will get you though. With a gallbladder removal at least you get normal food, even if you're in pain. With my gallbladder, I was in school, and went back to class right away. With my sleeve, I took 2.5 weeks off work and needed every day of it to gain back my strength. As it is, I'm back for two days, then off for a week, then back for three, kind of slowly introducing myself back to my physically demanding job (I'm an ICU RN). Your personal recovery is all going to depend on your tolerance for pain, if you have much at all, and how well your body functions on your prescribed post surgical diet. Good luck on your surgeries! Merry Christmas!

I wonder if you're having stomach spasms. Sometimes I get this too, but probably not as often as you. I end up with terrible nerve pain under my left ribs if they come on too suddenly, but then when I take my Levsin the pain goes away. I hope you get some answers from your doc. Keep us updated!

Yes, that is almost certainly the evolution of a bruise.

Like most everyone else said, it's probably the glue. My incisions are still itchy where there are residual pieces of the dermabond.

I thought so too! Then I had the surgery, and turns out even after my GERD settled back down, I'm still hungry. Right now I think it may have to do with the liquid diet. Maybe once "real" foods are back in my diet it'll get better. Hope it gets better for you, too!

Yes! I totally had this problem at first (sleeved 12/7). I don't know what made it calm the heck down, because I didn't change my meds, but by one week out, maybe a week and a half, I wasn't hungry all the time just some of the time. Maybe my stomach acid just needed time to chill. The PA at my surgeon's office told me GERD hunger is definitely real, though.

It's like that snickers commercial, something like you aren't you when you're hungry. So true. And this time of year is already stressful. I've been forgetting to eat sometimes, too. Though right now eating = drinking. I can definitely tell though because I can super ugly, too!

I've been weighing myself every day, and have seen small fluctuations like that. I freaked out a little too, then decided to let it ride. Every day isn't going to be a winning day for the scale. In fact, I should probably back off a little on the weigh-ins, might see some more dramatic progress that way. Also, each person is different in terms of how fast or slow weight loss will be. I was 307 on surgery day (12/7) and weighed in today, 2.5 weeks later, at 299. I feel like it should be faster given my starting weight, but I also realize that my metabolism right now just may not allow for rapid weight loss. I anticipate better results once I'm able to start eating "real" food in another 2.5 weeks. Just let it ride for now, keep an eye on it; it sounds like you're doing everything right but you're body just isn't ready to let go of your pounds just yet.

I hear ya. I was sleeved on 12/7 and it's been hard. My pre-op diet started on Thanksgiving so I didn't even get that. You'll make it through, and next year you'll be able to enjoy the food of the holidays (in much smaller portions of course) AND you'll be smaller. Pretty soon many people will be doing similar to what we're doing, eating better and exercising, with their New Year's resolutions. Except other people won't have the benefit of the sleeve. Keep that in your head. It's those kinds of thought that have kept me going.

If you do try laxatives go easy...I overshot a little with the dulcolax

The surgeon who took out your band sounds not only like a rude jerk but dangerous! It's too bad you didn't get answers to your questions back then. It hasn't been years, but my surgeon was saying that I'd have more scar tissue too due to that stomach sewing technique. When she took my band out last August, she tried to take down some of the scarring because she knew I'd be revising to the sleeve (I did so 12/7). I think it's just a matter of taking out that scar tissue in the same surgery as your revision. It'll probably just take a while longer. My surgeon used an endoscope to check the staple line during surgery, then had me do a water barium swallow the morning after my surgery and before I had anything else to drink to make sure there was no leak.

I'm going to start saving now...I'm already starting to sag a little

It's sounds like you have a touch of orthostatic hypotension. The elevated heartbeat would be a natural compensatory response to your low blood pressure. Are you getting all your fluids? If you are and you're still experiencing light headedness with standing you may want to try getting some more. You may be dehydrated. Call your surgeon either way. Dizziness is cause for concern, and while it may turn out to be "nothing" it's better to run it by someone.