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This was my first thought. Thanks GreenTealael! I agree with all of your recommendations, including taking a step back in your food advancement. I know that if I get carried away and eat too fast, it feels like my food wants to come back up. It was worse in my first couple of months. I'd also like to add positioning to her recommendations. After you eat, try to avoid bending over or bending severely at the waist. When I was a new sleever, I had a couple of experiences where I ate then was doing some housework that required me to be on my hands/knees, bending over, etc. More than once I felt my dinner come back up into my throat. Couldn't say if it was because I was on a soft diet or anything, but I don't have it now. Maybe something about an adjustment period for the new tummy to understand it's proper motility? Good luck! If all else fails, be assertive with your doctor and demand answers.

The recovery from lap band alone was very easy. Probably one of the easiest surgeries I've had. It's been since 2009, so forgive me if my memory is off, but I think I was told to do liquids for about a day then gradually introduce regular foods only because the tummy was likely a little irritated from the procedure. I needed no one to stay with me and I think I went back to work after only a couple days (I worked in an office). Really no big deal. Can't answer you about when you'd be ready for RNY. My surgeon offered to convert me when I had the lap band removed, but I chose not to. 8 years later, I finally decided to get the sleeve. I would think that as soon as you've recovered from the removal recovery as in with any surgery, you'd be ready for the RNY. Talk it over with your doc.

At 2 months out, I was allowed to eat "normal" food, but generally kept to soft foods because I was still learning what I could and could not tolerate. Soft foods=things that aren't crunchy. I don't think I had raw veggies for about 3 or 4 months.

I had a glass of wine at a business dinner about 4 months out. I don't often have a glass even now, but I will under the right occasion. I've become a total lightweight and get very silly, so I only do it when it's socially appropriate. Maybe once every 2 or 3 months.

I had the Lap Band in 2005. While I lost about 80% of my excess weight, my life with the band was very miserable. I had horrible reflux and later found out that I had been living with a slipped band for years. I had gastric sleeve April of last year and am very happy with my decision. No significant complications and I feel great! One thing: when I had my sleeve done, my surgeon said that the procedure took him at least an extra half hour while he sorted through the scar tissue from the band. From what I've read on this form, that is quite common when you see revision from lap band. For me, all that scar tissue and extra work to deal with it made my initial recovery a little different. I saw others talking about feeling great and being up walking right away. I felt like I had been hit by a Mac Truck! I couldn't tolerate the laps around the nurse's station and was lucky to make it about 20 feet down the hall. I stayed an extra night in the hospital and was a little more on track by day 2.

My doc said I could take pills about the size of M&M's or smaller right away.

Personally, I like Unjury products. My preference for them never changed pre and postoperatively, which is saying A LOT. You'll find that you're going to get different answers because everyone's tastes are different. I used Unjury back in my Lap-Band days and always kept some on hand. As I started the process towards the sleeve, I went to Premier Protein ready to drink for the convenience. I liked them well-enough and assumed they'd be OK post sleeve. Boy was I wrong! I couldn't tolerate them at all after surgery. I couldn't stand the taste. I couldn't stand the texture. They were just entirely too sweet for me. I had a few samples from my surgeon. I bought a few things from GNC. Never really liked them either. I went back to the Unjury and there I stayed. In fact, I still have Unjury in my pantry. I don't really do shakes much anymore, but I add it to my yogurt for an extra protein boost. My advice: try lots of brands and types, but be prepared that you may not like the same ones after surgery. And by all means...DO NOT STOCKPILE LARGE QUANTITIES.

My first thought is "dehydration". Loss of interest in eating or drinking is a sign of dehydration. That combined with your fatigue/weakness, I'd say you might be dehydrated. Make sure you're meeting your liquid intake goals. I agree with the others, though. Let your doctor know.

6 days is a long time to go without moving your bowels even when you're not taking in a lot. You may want to contact your surgeon to let him know and ask what his preferences are in this situation. Me, at about day 3 or 4, I took MOM. I kept it on hand for the first 6 mos or so and would take that or bisacodyl if I thought I needed help in that department. These days, I'm pretty regular. It kind of comes down to preference. Dulcolax stool softener is Colace in disguise and will really only help keep your BMs soft. You probably need a true laxative to stimulate the BM. Both MOM and Miralax are osmotic, meaning they will pull liquid from your body to sort of "flush" the waste from your body. Bisacodyl (Dulcolax, the laxative) is a stimulant, meaning it will stimulate the muscles of the bowels into moving the waste from your body. All can be taken orally. Osmotics can also be taken as an enema. Stimulants, as a suppository. Whatever you choose to take, make sure you're getting your liquids in. As you'll see most of these leach water from your system in an effort to keep you regular. Besides, you need that water to help remove the waste from your body. So sip, sip, sip, drink, drink, drink. Good luck!

I integrated this rule into my life and don't deviate too much from it. I don't ever drink during a meal and I wait at least 30 minutes after to drink again. The only exception would be if I need to take meds that need to be taken with food. In that circumstance, I drink only what's necessary to swallow the pill/vitamin. However, I drink right up til starting of a meal.

I'm in my upper 40's and this is my 2nd go-'round with WLS. When I had Lap-Band surgery in 2005, I was younger and more "pliable". Having lost the same amount of weight with each surgery, I feel qualified to compare 30's vs 40's. In my 30s, I didn't notice any sagging or wrinkling. I was happy. I felt good, I looked good (makes me wonder how/why I allowed myself to get right back where I started, but that's another story). Now, a little over a decade later, I'm more wrinkly and saggy. Not significantly and nothing I cannot hide under clothing, but I noticed it and it makes me self conscious. I also noticed crepey skin on my thighs. Again, easily covered with clothing. But the worst by far is the saggy, flappy upper arms. I try not to go out in public without these flappers covered (hard to do in Texas 100 degree heat by the way). I started this 2nd journey with no intention of plastic surgery, but I'm telling you...when I hit my goal, I am going to see someone about these arms and if my finances allow, I'm getting them taken care of.

I don't see this as intentional sabotage. I have someone in my life who has difficulty showing affection and they use food to show me they care. Is it possible that this is what your mother is doing? You said she's a fantastic cook and baker. Maybe you need to have a heart-to-heart with your mom. Reassure her that you know she loves you, but that right now you need her support in other ways.

At 6 weeks, fiber may not be the best option for you only because you're still healing. Better options to get things moving again: Miralax, Milk of Magnesia, Dulcolax, Smooth Move Tea. Depending on the severity of your problem, you can also try glycerin suppositories or even enemas. Remember to be drinking enough water. The GI tract needs water to remove the wastes from your body.

I had a 2 week liquid diet consisting of two protein shakes/day and a "sensible" meal. I was pretty satisfied with this, but I do remember feeling like I was eating the same thing for days. Only real issue during that time was when I hit the carb withdrawal at about day 3 or 4. Headache from he// and general fatigue that lasted 2-3 days. I lost very little weight during that time. I think maybe 5lbs total and I was rather discouraged. I've since proven to be a very slow, but steady loser all around. Everyone's loss rate is different, regardless of whether or not you exercise.

Been there/done that! I had lapband in 2005. Initially, I was a model lapband patient until my gall bladder decided to fail. I was never the same and battled with reflux for nearly 5 years. I slept nearly sitting up that entire time! Come to find out that my band had actually slipped (likely when the gall bladder debacle hit because I was wretching a lot). I went through quite a journey between band out and sleeve. My doc and I had some serious considerations about possible reflux with the sleeve and ultimately decided the benefits outweighed the risks. full disclosure: I do have some night time reflux, but it's easily managed and not enough to have to sleep sitting up again. In fact, the only reason I know I have it is because I occasionally wake up with a sore throat. GI doc is monitoring, but I don't expect anything much. Warning: lap band patients converting to any weight loss surgery often have a lot of scar tissue to contend with. I did. Surgeon said it took him a half hour to untangle the mess of scar tissue. I've also seen others post similar experiences.

I started developing heartburn at about 4 weeks out. I started taking Nexium and it took care of it. While my doctor didn't, many surgeons will have you on PPI's (prilosec, nexium) for several weeks/months post op. disclaimer: I am not a physician. I recommend you contact your physician for his recommendations on treating this.

@FluffyChixI for one appreciate your insight and honesty. To me, you are courageous for calling out bad behavior. Some people need a reality check. IMHO, you're an asset to the forum. I hope Alex also sees that.

My first thought was gallbladder. When my gallbladder decided to act up, I also had pain in the area you are describing. Location was a little atypical, but it was definitely gallbladder. Another suggested possible reflux, which is also a reasonable possibility. Advice: call your doctor's office and have it evaluated. And I would certainly cut out the carbonated beverages. #1, they aren't helping and #2, they're contraindicated at this point in your journey.

Peppermint is a good suggestion. Ginger is another. When I feel sick to my stomach or even bloated, I drink ginger tea. I have ginger hard candies as well, but they're hard to find. Try some ginger.

I can honestly say that I have never regretted the surgery. Those early days are a little tough as you recover from surgery. You'll have pain and there is an adjustment period while you redefine your relationship with food. As you move through the food stages, there's anxiety about making sure you have met your nutritional goals, but really after a while that all sort of settles into a normal groove. For me, the hardest part was changing my relationship with food. As my father says "we don't eat to live, we live to eat". That no longer worked for me. Food was no longer my coping mechanism. I had to start making decisions about food based on nutritional value and not only the pleasure it provides. I went through a period where I felt a little sorry for myself that I could no longer indulge in the holiday or special occasion eat-fests. But you know what? The holidays came and went. I never felt deprived and never felt like I was missing out. If anything, I felt better. I was no longer hostage to food. I ate what I wanted, only in smaller quantities and it was much easier to get back on track after my holiday indulgences vs in the past where I'd still be binging on holiday treats long after the holiday was over. My advice: if you're really struggling with your decision and your future gives you anxiety, reach out to a mental health professional. Get counseling to help you work through it.

I didn't sleep well for about a month after surgery primarily because I'm a side sleeper and could not sleep on my side for about a month. Whenever I laid on my side, it felt like my guts were shifting. Not only was this uncomfortable, but my imagination just went wild with me and kept me awake. Now, I have occasional age-related insomnia, but not severe enough to resort to prescription sleeping aids. I will generally just take a melatonin supplement before bed and I sleep like a baby.

@Sirena2020 Lack of thirst is actually a sign of dehydration. 20-30oz/day is really only 3-4 cups, not enough. Drink-drink-drink

I didn't have any driving restrictions and drove 2 days after the surgery. please note: I was not on any narcotic pain medications. You should not drive while taking narcotic pain medications.

I also had a series of things that led up to my decision. I avoided having my photo taken, but the few that got taken made me downright ashamed. Let's talk about all of the physical signs that my body was in crisis: fatigue, shortness of breath, pain. Everyday activities were getting so hard and painful. I also developed sleep apnea. I was snoring like a lumberjack and my husband remarked several times that I frightened him because I stopped breathing. I even had a moment on an airline, traveling for business, where I simply could not secure the seatbelt and was too ashamed to ask for an extender. So, I just tucked the belt under my belly to hide it. You'd think all these things would have made a difference, but it's amazing how you accommodate obesity into your life. It's not as if I didn't know that I needed to lose weight, I just didn't seem to be able to fight my demons with food and the physical side of being obese made exercise difficult. My "A-Ha" moment came when I was walking with a crowd to a concert and a man on the other side of the street hollered out something about the fat or obese they let into this event. Looking back at it now, more than 2 years later, I can't even remember exactly what he said, but it struck me personally. I just knew in my heart that he was directing his vitriol at me and I was very hurt. To my recollection, I had NEVER been ridiculed for my size before (at least not to my face). His remarks were devastating to me. I had already been considering weight loss surgery, but this was the moment that made my decision. Not right away of course, but when I got home and his poisonous sentiments sunk in, I knew I had to do something and I was not equipped to do it without help. Whenever I had doubts or fears, I kept going back to that moment and how it made me feel. I resolved that I never wanted to feel that way again.

I agree with @Sosewsue61, a PPI (Prilosec or Nexium) would be much more effective than Zantac. disclaimer, I am not a doctor: I recommend that you discuss this with your doctor. My story: I started having reflux about a month-6 weeks post-op. Started Nexium and that seemed to help but didn't relieve the nighttime reflux. My doctor had me on Nexium twice a day for a while, then I started taking Carafate, which makes a big difference. But, as you indicated, it is inconvenient to take. Lately, my symptoms have been nearly gone. I attribute it to several things, weight loss itself is one of them. The biggest factors are a recent addition of ACV and the fact that I try never to eat after 7pm (go to bed on an empty stomach). I now only take 1 dose of Nexium/day and now only take the Carafate in the morning and before bed. *btw, if you aren't getting the liquid Carafate, it is MUCH more effective if you sort of let it dissolve before you swallow it down. You can put it in a small glass or dish and let it dissolved or even crush it. Me, I'm a tough old nurse, so I just put it in my mouth and let it dissolve, then swallow it down with a drink of water. But, that method is not for someone who can be squeamish about chalky muck in your mouth. I could write a thesis statement on all of the other things I've tried, including all sorts of supplements/herbs/digestive aids and even sleeping on an inclined bed. But honestly, the ACV has made the biggest difference. I take it at least 30 minutes after my Carafate, just before breakfast every day. *If you can't stand the taste, there are capsules. I just couldn't tolerate drinking it, no matter what I mixed it with. So, I take a highly recommended ACV capsule that has cayenne pepper in it.