Lanie992

It was my first surgery too. Don't be scared - it will be fine. You will have pain medicine to help alleviate the pain. In fact, I only used my pain medicine for the first three days after I got home from the hospital. Sure the first few weeks are uncomfortable, but not bad. Getting the sleeve is one of the best decisions I've made in my life. You got this! You can do this! 💪

You can ask, but my hospital would not allow anyone in my room because of CoVid. In fact, when my sister came to pick me up -- she had to wait outside in her car and they wheeled me out to her. But again, it does not hurt to ask.

I actually have eaten some avocado too. Didn't notice a difference either. My body seems okay, but my mind is always tired.

That is one of the best things that happened to me once I lost weight --- finally dumping one of my blood pressure medicine. Even WITH my blood pressure medicine - sometimes it would still be a little high prior to surgery. I won't be completely free of them because I use one of them for migraine prevention (propranolol), but at least I got the other one knocked out. Congratulations! It is such a freeing feeling - not having to take that pill.

If you are eating low carb/low sugar/high protein food, then I would put it down to the dreaded stall. My first stall lasted close to a month... when it was over - I started losing 4-5 lbs a week for three weeks, but then hit a stall again.. From what I understand, a lot of people have multiple stalls along the way. But, I would suggest being more mindful of calories - they can add up, especially with things like cooking oils. Using cooking sprays can help alleviate that. Try not to stress out about and trust the process.

You're doing great! Almost 48 lbs in a month and a half? Incredible results!! Congratulations!

I am able to do a lot of cardio at the gym each day (around 1 hr 30 minutes - every day besides Sunday), but my energy levels are down too. I had been off caffeine for 2 years before the sleeve, but now I am back on it. (My doc is fine with caffeine -- I know some aren't though)... I need it otherwise I get so tired. I put it down to the lack of carbs and sugar. I am hoping that once I reach my goal I can weave some "healthy" carbs into my routine.

I can not imagine doing this without a scale. I weigh myself every morning. In the beginning, I weighed myself multiple times a day -- which was a bit insane.. I personally suggest getting a scale - they are inexpensive enough.

I like the Aldi's Elevation Peanut Butter Crisp bars. They have 10g of protein, 2 NET carbs, 150 calories and 2.5 g of unsaturated fat. They taste like a candy bar -- similar to a 100 grand bar. I am not sure if the macros are the best? But it is good enough for me. They're delicious!

My sister took me & stayed until the surgery was over.. she was allowed to come into the recovery room .. but not to my actual hospital room. She left soon after I was in recovery. Then I stayed the night by myself.. the next day she wasn't allowed to come in --- they wheeled me out to her car. I guess all hospitals have different protocol because of CoVid. I doubt many (if any) allow people to be in the patient's hospital room. You really do not need anyone there. The medical staff will take care of you. I brought my laptop and extra long charging cord for my phone--- I did fine. In fact, I am glad I was alone.

So at my four month post-op appointment - I was complaining about still having fat on my stomach. My doctor said some of it is loose skin and that no amount of exercising will help with that. ( I exercise at the gym a minimum of 1½ hrs per day, at least 6 days a week). When I got home I really looked at my tummy & agree with the Doc.. a lot of it is just loose skin. My stomach is where all my weight goes, so of course I will have sagging skin there.. not sure why I thought I wouldn't. Anyway, I know some people have surgery to correct this.. I do think my loose skin has improved in the past few weeks since my last appointment with him, but did time help with the loose skin issue? I don't have enough loose skin to feel like surgery would be worth it. FYI -- I am about 4½ months out now... If your skin did "bounce back"... how long did it take? I forgot to ask him about how long it takes for things to settle into place.. TIA.

Thanks guys. This whole time I thought my weight was just being stubborn in my belly area & it was fat but when the Doctor looked at it - he said most of it was loose skin. I was surprised for some reason - I hadn't even thought of that.. So frustrating to lose all this weight and still have a roll. I might take pictures of it sometime this week and post them to see what you guys think... whether it is possible for it to shrink back up... or if you think that down the line---- if things stay the same--- I should look into getting it removed. I definitely don't want to go that route, but ugh -- I hate seeing that roll.

So last night after I ate (a little chicken & a Aldi's carb conscious meal bar) - I started feeling REALLY bad soon after. (It was not the Aldis Meal Bar - I eat those all the time)... Nauseous but could not throw up (I never can actually throw up after surgery -- I just get severely nauseous periodically). I was dry heaving. I have promethazine but I was so nauseous - I could not even make myself take it. So I decided to just sleep it off. I woke up at 4am with a KILLER migraine, so I took 100mg of Imitrex (migraine med) and 50mg of promethazine... My back was also KILLING me... worse than I've ever had back pain. There was NO position I could get in that made it tolerable. I fell back asleep... woke up at 7am. No more nausea (thanks promethazine), but my back still hurts.. all around the lower back area and my lower abdomen hurts too. We can't take NSAIDs... only Tylenol (which is worthless, IMO). Back pain isn't centralized.. it is all over my lower back --from side to side... I googled to see if this could possibly be related to gallbladder issues? I am debating on going to the hospital... I really don't want to but if this could be serious, then I will. BTW, at first I thought I pulled a muscle, but I only went on the exercise bike for 40 minutes yesterday & the treadmill 30 minutes.. which I do everyday for the past two weeks (besides Sundays) -- and that should NOT cause back muscle/abdominal pain. Plus - the pain is so widespread -- I don't think that would be it either. I did not do any exercises with weight, nor did I do any heavy lifting. Any thoughts of what it could be? If things don't feel better in the next few hours - I am going to the hospital. PS - I have not taken any pain medication, at all. I did take Xanax because I was so upset - I needed it to calm me down. (in summary, I took 100 mg of Imitrex, 50mg of promethazine and 1mg of Xanax. If you read all of this - thank you. I appreciate you taking the time and having the empathy to read this manuscript -- I am just scared and confused... and in severe pain.

I bought them this morning at Target. I wanted to test them out before I committed to buying a 12 pack bag online. I just ate a bag with avocado! They are GOOD. I can totally imagine how good they'll be with taco meat! I will be making tacos tomorrow.. Thanks so much for the suggestion. I can not believe I didn't think of that. I eat a bag of Quest chips every day (always Ranch flavor) and have for the past 2+ months! They're SO good.

Wow!! I am so glad the ER doctor was so incessant on checking your appendix! That is so scary but having dealt with migraines my entire life - I can understand how it happened... I imagine that happens a lot --- that people concentrate on one area where the pain is the worst. I would rather have pain ANYWHERE on my body, besides my brain. It just overwhelms and clouds everything when it is your head. Thank you so much for sharing your story!! I will be more careful in the future, because you just never know what else could be going on..

I actually felt a lot better yesterday afternoon. I even went on a 3 mile walk during the evening... and 1 mile walk this morning. Thank you all for taking the time to read my story. I probably should have waited a bit to post but I just got so scared. Maybe I just slept wrong & that's why my muscles were in so much pain.. If it happens again - I will go straight to the ER though. Much love❤️ to you all for offering advice and helping me through the rough patch!!

Which flavor do you use for this recipe? I eat a bag of Ranch Protein chips every day. I am about to make another order right now, as I only have 3 bags left. I was thinking the taco variety might work well w/this recipe.. I am not the biggest fan of the nacho cheese flavor Quest -- but I don't like Nacho Cheese Doritos either, so it isn't Quest's fault - it just isn't my preference. I am thinking the Loaded Taco would work best for your nacho recipe??? Quest protein chips are insanely goooooood!

I eat Quest protein chips... I just had some with avocado. Triscuits are high carb. Don't think they're safe for sleevers, at least in the early stages. Plus I don't think they'd go down very well. EDIT: What about Whisps parmesan crisps? They might have a similar texture of Triscuits w/o the carb content? They definitely have a strong taste though --- which is unique... and many probably won't like them.

Heya - I just got back from TJ Maxx and found these neat calendar pads where you can keep track of what you are for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks... as well as liquid intake. They were only $2.99 per pad. They contain 60 sheets each, according to the brand's website. So each pack will last for more than a year. It also has a magnet on the back, so you can affix it to your refrigerator. I've been using weekly planner I got at the Dollar Tree -- which works fine, but this looks even easier.

I went back to sleep and the pain subsided when I woke up. My pain level is more manageable now. I can get sit a certain position and it hurts, but not nearly as bad as it was. i am still nervous about it all. I have insurance and have paid my max out of pocket (thanks to the surgery) , so I won't have a copay--- it should all be free, so I might as well go in. I really don't want to though.. I am going to just wait a few more hours & see if the pain lessens even more. If it doesn't - I will go... if it does, then I won.t @MsMocie Thank you for the info on the NSAIDs.. I do have some of those symptoms, but not all. It is so weird - I googled searched Aleve/naproxen (it's an NSAID, not sure it called the same thing in Norway) --and I get varying answers whether it is okay for sleevers. I think I am going to just try to take 2. Codeine & opiods are prescription only in the US. I do have left over Codiene syrup from my surgery but that stuff tastes SOOOO bad - I can't drink it. @Lily66 Yeah, migraines are rough. I've been taking Imitrex for a long time. It really helps. I have migraines for a long time too. And yes, you are right -- migraine sufferers are definitely used to severe pain, unfortunately... Thank you for the advice.

@McMocie - I did not even think monitoring my pee! i will do it next time I use the bathroom. I think I'd rather go to the ER rather than doctor.. that way the can do tests/cat scans, etc right then and there. I am definitely afraid of having gall bladder isses. I read no NSAIDs after sleeve surgery?? let me google around. Thank you for answering.

Did you get the sleeve or bypass? A 4 week liquid diet is BRUTAL. I totally understand what you're saying - I barely liked a lot of the liquid stuff to begin with... flavor fatigue sets in real quick. Hang in there -- eventually this will be all but a bad memory to you. It will come to an end eventually.

Not to mention, most -- if not all-- of us had to be on a clear liquid diet for a MINIMUM of one week. I doubt only eating in a 10 hour period each day is more risky than not eating AT ALL for 7+ days...

Okay. But the original poster's bio on the left side says she had GASTRIC SLEEVE, not Loop Duodenal Switch or Gastric Bypass. I was going off of the profile info. Also this thread is under the SLEEVE forum.. If she has posted elsewhere she had gastric bypass & loop duodenal switch, then I missed it.

Today at my appointment w/my surgeon --- I asked my surgeon if there was anything I could do to kickstart weight loss again since I am in an almost three week stall... and he said there is nothing to be done during a stall. He said just wait it out and I will start losing again in time. 😩 It is so frustrating! I upped my exercise routine hardcore about a week and a half ago... I was on the stationary bike for 1 hour and 10 minutes... and then I went on the treadmill for 30 minutes tonight... 13 miles altogether.. . I am still pushing myself to try to jump start the weight loss again.. Who knows if it will work? But I have been sleeping better at night and feeling more energetic during the day, so it is still beneficial.. Anyway, I have heard people had success intermittent fasting.