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Arabesque

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Everything posted by Arabesque

  1. Arabesque

    proti Diet

    After surgery our taste buds &/or sense of smell can temporarily change & flavours, textures & certain foods can be simply disgusting. Plus our tummies are very sensitive for a while as we’re healing & be easily upset. For may simply avoiding that food, flavour, etc. or buying a different brand is all that is needed. Do you have to eat these products? Ask your dietician for alternatives you can have instead. I hatred the shakes I’d bought - so grainy. So I would only have one a day, diluted to offset the texture & taste, & then had soups for my other meals. When was your surgery?
  2. I agree it could be a temperature issue. I certainly found warm/hot drinks more soothing. Many of us experience swelling after surgery making swallowing difficult or painful but if you see no improvement in the next day contact or surgical team.
  3. I have a sleeve and have never experienced dumping. It is as others have said not common with a sleeve and it is easy to manage - avoid a lot of sugar or fat. Some who have dumped with a sleeve say over time they can eat small amounts without an issue. Vomiting is different after surgery. I describe it as regurgitating whatever caused the problem/gets stuck. It’s generally described as the foamies - lots of thick saliva you spit up before you may bring up your last bite or so. Again this can be managed by not eating too large a bite, not eating too fast, not eating food that is too dry or coarse. Certainly at first we’re advised to wait 30 minutes before & after eating to drink but you can reduce this wait time as you get closer to your final weight. At first when you’re eating so little it’s to ensure you don’t get too full to be able to eat your vital nutrients or to flush the food you’ve eaten out to quickly for the nutrients to be absorbed. Nausea usually passes once you’re more fully healed though some vitamins can cause nausea. Most are given something to take for the nausea. If you weren’t ask for something if you experience it. Many/all of your concerns are things you will learn how to manage if you do experience them or they’re temporary. We all have our own digestive idiosyncrasies post surgery but you likely have some now before your surgery. I know I did. Personally I seem to be more susceptible to the foamies - stress or just my tummy deciding nope this is irritating me today. I also can’t gulp lots of water anymore. Two large mouthfuls & no more. Others can guzzle down gallons. But these are nothing. I deal with them if they happen. Rather be my weight now than what I was before. Rather have a low risk of diabetes, blood pressure, heart issues, etc. being than the high risk as they were before. My feet don’t ache - can wear my heels again. I have more energy. I’m more active. I feel generally healthier. I’m more confident. I have become more vain & have lots of beauty treatments. I loved clothing, shoes & bags (the designs, textures, fabrications, etc.) before & always dressed well but now my style has changed & I have so much more choice … & an even larger wardrobe. So much fun! Don’t get caught up with the number on the scale or the rate at which you are losing your weight. We all do this in our time & what is best for us & our bodies. You’ll see averages & stats but they just give you an idea of what you might experience not what you will. Sometimes it takes time for our head to catch up with our changing body. It takes time for other people to come to terms with our changes too. Give them & yourself time to see yourself in your smaller body. Enjoy all the opportunities ahead of you. All the best.
  4. Arabesque

    Bariatric Myths??

    Nothing wrong with being a skeptic or wanting to dig for further information before making a final decision or taking a position. Maybe some of the malabsorption conflicting information could be attributed to simply how your body may react to the surgery. It’s not expected to occur but might in rare cases. Same could be said of any surgery. For example it’s very unusual for people to develop a protein malabsorption issue after a gall removal surgery but here I am. Keep track of your vitamin needs with blood tests. Then you can make informed decisions about what vitamins you do or don’t need & how much you need to take. And don’t be surprised by variations in your levels & therefore changing needs. I think sleeve is popular as it’s the less invasive in regards to changes to how the body works of the surgeries and can be converted to a stronger surgery if needed. Same with the band back in the day. That was my thinking anyway.
  5. Arabesque

    New to Foeuma

    Welcome. I don’t think there is a tutorial or help materials (Alex will probably let us know if there is) but you seem to be doing pretty well so far. You’ve started a thread. Responded to other posts. Set up your stats in your profile. This was my first forum too but it didn’t take long to work it out. People here are always happy to share hints & tips on how to get the best out of the forum. So never be afraid to ask. We’re always happy to help, share experiences, offer support, etc. on any question or topic you raise. 😁 As to your specific questions: You can quote a post by selecting the quote button at the bottom of the specific post you want to respond to & this will appear in a box in your response text box. The date a thread began can be found under the thread title & with who started the conversation. Each post also has the date it was posted in response too. You can follow conversations in threads you responded to by selecting the three horizontal lines in the top right hand corner & then clicking the world icon. If you want to follow a thread without responding, click the pink follow button under the name of the person who began the thread. Most recent threads are listed near the bottom of the home page. Also you can edit your post for a short period of time by clicking the edit button under your post. And you can add pxts to a post by choosing click to choose files.
  6. Arabesque

    Protein snacks soft food stage

    I wasn’t allowed to snack until solid foods - three meals only in purées & soft. And then it was one snack: a high protein yoghurt (was already eating that as a meal option in purée stage because I stopped shakes once liquids ended) or soft cheese (I liked Jarlsberg & string). After a couple of weeks I could have certain fruit as a snack option too or sometimes ate a wedge of cucumber (peeled) sprinkled with salt. Didn’t have other snacks until I was starting maintenance & I needed to up my calories. But plans are different. Check with your dietician for ideas that are suitable within your plan. PS - Yoghurt drinks are great too - blend your high protein yoghurt with milk.
  7. Fear is a natural response about something you have no experience with. What specifically do you fear? The surgery? The possible side effects? The change of diet? … Speak with your surgeon about your fear. Yes, they may offer you something to calm you before the surgery. They can also give you information about the surgery, what to expect, etc. to help ease your worries. The surgery itself has a low complication rate - lower than an appendectomy I believe & certainly lower than surgeries needed because of obesity related disease & illness. Side effects are low too. Many seek the help & support of a therapist to work through issues related to their obesity, relationship with food, etc. They can help you work through your fears too. I live alone & had no issues when I came home from hospital. I also thought of getting a step for your dog to use. Though you may need to be careful they don’t put pressure on your abdomen for a while. But you won’t be endlessly lying in bed for days. I rested on my couch having little naps & sitting in a chair in between pottering about the house, going for a few short walks in each day, getting my meds, drinks, etc. I do hope you decide to have the surgery but as @catwoman7 said you have to be mentally ready for all of what’s ahead. All the best.
  8. That’s a tough one to answer & really up to how you personally recover. Some are fine after a week & easily return to work. Some need two, three or four weeks. I took four weeks & needed all of them. I struggled with low blood pressure (which was a pre existing tendency), lethargy & would get doughy in the head at times. But I am someone who always seems to take longer to recover from everything even a cold. Discuss returning part time to begin or with reduced hours each day & keep the option of maybe needing longer open if your employers are willing.
  9. Arabesque

    Patches

    There’s another thread at the moment that may be helpful at the moment about the use of patches. Seems there are mixed reviews. I know many surgeons recommend them at first until you can easily swallow your meds but it may be a case of whether they work for you. Were your team concerned with your blood work? What did they advise? May be try taking oral vitamins & see if there is an improvement? What as your blood work like before surgery? Maybe you need to be taking more of certain vitamins. Out of curiosity which surgery did you have? Malabsorption can be a concern with bypass so you may be experiencing a combination of not absorbing all the nutrients from your food, your current low calorie intake & not being on a high enough vitamin dose. PS. Some vitamins are available in liquid or oral spray formulations if you struggle to swallow meds. I take vitamin D/K2 as a spray - I love it.
  10. Forgot I do have one issue post my gall removal. (Can’t believe I f forgot to mention it.) I now don’t absorb protein as well & I also stopped absorbing my HRT med. I take creons to help with the protein & now use a patch for HRT. Apparently malabsorption with certain nutrients can be a side effect but it’s not common. I don’t know anyone else without a gall who has an issue. It’s probably just me.
  11. I looked it up & it seems the cause is usually reflux/gerd so in my thinking that would rule out a sleeve. Personally I think your surgeon saying I don’t know what it is & you decide on your surgery is a cop out on their part. Go back to the doctor who diagnosed you & ask about the cause of yours to be sure & ask what the impact of the surgery may be if the cause isn’t gerd. And maybe ask them to send information to your surgeon. But also put it back in the surgeon. They’re supposed to be the expert on bariatric surgery & who are the best & worst candidates for each surgery.
  12. Stop reading the horror stories is my my advice. Yes there can be side effects of the surgery but the ones you mentioned are temporary or can be managed. And yes it’s good to be aware of them but best to ask your surgeon about them. Ask about what they’ve see , many instances their patients have had, treatments, management, etc. Hair loss often starts at around month 4 +/- & lasts about 3months +/-. How much you lose or if you do lose is an individual thing. It’s just your natural hair loss cycle accelerating. This hair is dead & you would have lost it at some time anyway. Your new hair growth is still occurring just at it’s usual rate. Hair loss can occur for many reasons not just bariatric surgery. Pregnancy, stress, any major surgery, any weight loss, ill health, or dramatic change of diet can result in a temporary loss of hair. Foamies. Many only have a few experiences of it. It’s usually caused by eating too much, too fast or eating food that is too dry or too coarse & gets stuck. I had a bout last night - damn stringy bit on a sugar snap pea - I could feel it. I’m more susceptible to them but it’s more a idiosyncrasy of my tummy & digestion than anything else. Clots can occur after any surgery. At hospital you’ll be given compression stockings to wear and some also use those pulsing compression machines on your legs to keep your blood pumping. Walk, walk walk. Little & often is best & it will help you breath out the surgical gas too. Be aware of the symptoms but I’ve never heard of any one getting a clot post bariatric surgery on this forum in four years or with people I know. A little temporary hair loss, the odd bout of the foamies, are nothing compared to having lost the weight & the benefits that has bought to my life & health.
  13. Gall removal is pretty common for bariatric & non bariatric people. Rapid weight loss can be a cause of stones & changes to your liver function which may have added to your enlarged bile duct. (Liver function usually becomes normal once your weight loss slows or stabilises.) High fat diets, menopause, Gilbert’s all can result in stones being formed which in turn can cause bile duct enlargement. Did the say if you had any stones? Or if they thought it occurred because of an infection or any non bariatric surgery/weight loss issues? I had my gall removed 2yrs after my surgery. I had a single stone. (Weight loss, menopause, Gilbert’s increased my risk.) My surgeon used the same incisions as he made for my sleeve so no additional scars. My recovery was okay. Home the next day. No issues. A bit tired. A bit achy. Didn’t need the prescribed opioids by day 3. I had gas pain this time after not having any with my sleeve. Big difference of course was not having to be on a restricted diet after the surgery. I had a bit of diarrhoea for about a month because the gall regulates bile entering your upper intestines to aid the break down & absorption of fats. Life post surgery is much the same as it was before surgery. Some people struggle with eating fatty food - my aunt describes it feeling liverish - nauseous, tired, abdominal discomfort. I don’t have an issue with fatty food but then my diet is pretty low fat anyway. My sister-in-law & I have random bouts of diarrhoea about once a month +/-. We put it down to our digestive system maybe getting a bit too much bile at times & it irritates the intestines. It comes on more quickly but not a sudden unexpected attack.
  14. Arabesque

    Food Before and After Photos

    Good news about your sister @Starwarsandcupcakes. That soup looks pretty darn good for hospital cafeteria food.
  15. Great advice from the others above. Yes there are many advantages the survey affords you. The other bonus of the surgery, which I think is most valuable, is the time & opportunity it gives you to change the way you eat. You introduce healthier, more nutritious foods. You discover healthier ways to cook food, better alternatives to old favourites, new flavours, portion sizes, nutrient content of foods, etc. You change your relationship with food, better understand how you ate & why you ate & better manage those impulses. (You can do this alone or do it with the support of therapy.) You understand more about what your body needs you to eat to function effectively versus what you just want to eat. You’ll learn what your body needs will likely be different to what someone else needs. And that there’s no one right way to eat. There’s only the right way for you. Don’t know about you, but no other diet I was ever on gave me this opportunity & I’ve been on a lot of different ones over the years. I saw a diet as being restricted or being punished. As soon as the diet finished I went back to eating the same way as I did before. I didn’t learn a single thing in all those years of dieting. Since my surgery I’ve made quite a few changes to my eating but I don’t think I’m on a never ending diet to maintain my weight. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. This is just how I eat. It’s a change of how I think about & look at food & eating. And yes, I still enjoy food & the flavours, textures, etc. I’m very grateful for all I’ve learnt & discovered since my surgery.
  16. Glad your first dinner out went well. 🎉 First of many. As for the nosy people sitting next to you, just ignore them. It’s none of their business. You don’t have to explain your eating habits if you don’t want too. I was asked recently if I’d ever eaten at a specific restaurant by someone who worked there. I told them I had always wanted to but because they did a degustation menu it was too much food for me. They just nodded & told me they did also offer an a La carte so I could choose to eat just what I was most comfortable with. No fuss. No strange looks. Just acceptance from him. I think we can be more sensitive about our new eating habits at first & what others may think or say. In time you won’t notice the other people & won’t care either.
  17. Arabesque

    Starting whole pills

    That does sound like dumping. Check your applesauce for sugar content - naturally occurring & added. Sugar & fat are the most likely causes of dumping. Maybe your body just decided on Sunday that it’s was too much for you.
  18. A couple of months if I remember correctly when I was a couple of weeks into solid foods. I waited to make sure I was tolerating food more easily. Went for Chinese with my mum & her neighbours. I had braised chicken & cashews without the cashews & of course no rice. Everything was soft & easy to chew & swallow. Had leftovers for days & days lol! Actually had my first case of the foamies with the leftovers - a slice of carrot did it & it was soft & mushy too.
  19. Arabesque

    1 day post op.

    Yep. Walk, walk, walk. You can also try marching on the spot, lifting your arms & legs up & down, slow deep breathing. Surgical gas rises up behind your lungs putting pressure on nerves causing that shoulder pain. The gas is absorbed into your lungs & you breathe it out hence the walking & other movements to get you breathing more deeply. Heat packs can help with any discomfort.
  20. Regardless what you do keep your fluids by your side & keep sipping. You may want to add some electrolytes to your fluids as energy drops are common. And don’t forget to check with your team first before starting any strenuous or lengthy activities. Possibly best to start slowly first to see how you go & then build up the intensity or extend the time frame as you’re able.
  21. Arabesque

    Starting whole pills

    No hard & fast rules. It just depends on you & how your body reacts. Personally I split up when I took my meds. Like one multi vitamin in the morning & one at night. Just make sure to take your vitamins after you eat otherwise you may experience nausea. Having a sip or two of a liquid to swallow a med is generally okay after you’ve eaten or to wait a much shorter time after (like 5 or 10 minutes) & then go back to your usual waiting time. Of course if you are drinking a meal/snack (shake, soup, yoghurt drink, milk, …) swallow your meds as you drink. Hope it’s an easy transition for you.
  22. Arabesque

    The "honeymoon" period

    My hunger came back gradually too into my second year. I had my first experience of real hunger at about 8 months after a busy day when I hadn’t really eaten but not again for months. I still have times when I’m not really hungry or don’t eat all my usual portion & I’m 4 years out now. Because I eat regularly throughout the day I don’t really feel HUNGRY just yep must be time for my meal/snack. Your portion sizes slowly increase as your losing until you get to a point where you are consuming the calories & nutrients your body needs to work effectively & your weight stabilises. It’s then up to you to manage your portions & calories by permanently adopting the changes & things you’ve learnt within your lifestyle (what you need & how you want to live & enjoy your life). I eventually I reached a point where I was I eating about the accepted portion size of the protein, vegetables, fruit, dairy, etc. for my meals & snacks & to get in my daily calorie needs to maintain. It’s plenty of food & I don’t need or want more. I consume about 1500 calories which is appropriate for someone my height, age, weight & activity levels. (Interestingly I consumed about 1300 when I first stabilised & though I eat more now I’ve pretty much maintained my weigh. I presume to do with my body settling & adjusting.) I choose to rarely eat sweet foods or drinks. I don’t eat bread, rice, pasta or potatoes but then they tend to sit heavily so an easy choice. I tend to eat whole or low processed foods most of the time. Do I experience head hunger at times? Yes. But I recognise now that it’s not real hunger.Of course there are times I give in to it but I make better choices - like a few nuts, a little fruit or am trying beef jerky at the moment. It’s funny but I rarely specifically crave salt, sugar or a specific food anymore except sometimes after I eat yoghurt I will crave salt. Don’t know why though. This is how I am. You may be totally different & that’s okay. It comes down to how you manage it.
  23. Arabesque

    Success with Berberine?

    Have to admit I’ve never heard of it so looked it up. I did read it said there is no sound scientific evidence of it helping with diabetes & reducing blood sugar, cholesterol, or weight loss though. Your surgery will definitely help with these if they are your concerns anyway. As with all natural remedies, check with your doctor first to ensure there aren’t any negative side effects or drug interaction issues with meds you are on so you can make an informed decision to use it or not.
  24. Arabesque

    Multivitamin

    How far out from your surgery are you? It’s quite common to feel lethargic, sleepy & have low energy after the surgery while you are healing and at other random times as your body adjusts to changes (weight loss, increased activity, etc.). What you are experiencing may just be part of the process & nothing to do with your vitamins. Listen to your body if it is telling you to rest or nap. (If you’re able of course. Not many bosses appreciate you curling up under your desk at work unfortunately. A little Seinfeld reference 😉) I loved those daily naps & rests I had after my surgery. Wish I could still justify them now.
  25. I am so sorry you are experiencing this. What has your surgeon suggested as to the cause or done in the way of tests to discover why this is happening to you? And yes, I’d go to the ER with the chronic diarrhoea and foamies. You shouldn’t be experiencing any of this so there must be a reason for it. Hopefully you’ll get answers and an appropriate treatment soon.

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