ouroborous

Yeah, I figure everyone heals differently, and there's no problem in being more conservative than the guidelines say, as long as I'm getting in all my water/vitamins/protein, right? As you say, learning to listen to my body has been the most important thing. It's been saying "too much" for a couple of days now, and I feel like I JUST figured that out. Back to slushy/slurry things for a few days before I try again. Theoretically on Saturday I'm cleared for "mechanical soft" (mac 'n cheese, yum!) but I'm still going to hold off for a few days.

My post-op handout from my surgical center was WAY too aggressive about what I could eat in this phase, I think. It said melted cheese and mashed potatoes were okay -- I ate some and it damn near killed me. From now on, nothing that I can't blend until I have the okay for mushy foods and/or solids.

Well, the volume and consistency of my food is changing -- from almost nothing (mostly water) just after surgery, to "full liquids," to "pureed." So I'm eating much thicker stuff, and more of it. That could be one factor. Another factor is that the first week I was off work and walking literally every hour or so. I cannot do that at work, so I get maybe a walk a day. I have discovered that hot chamomile tea seems to soothe my acid-burned throat a little (plus I think the heat relaxes my sleeve and helps it empty out instead of just churning acid back into my throat). I'll call my doctor tomorrow. I really need to get this under control.

Wow, I am really just not feeling well. This is getting scary. I'm having serious buyer's remorse about my sleeve right now... The first week of recovery was so EASY, and then BAM-- massive, constant acid reflux. At least I was able to choke down a Carafate. That should at least help protect my stomach and throat from the acid. It feels like my stomach just isn't emptying; I feel like I constantly want to burp, and yet every time I burp I bring up acid. The acid makes me cough and "ahem" a lot, and it makes me feel like my throat is swelling up and that's scary (I breathe with that pipe, you know). I went for a walk and that helped a tiny bit, but when I'm at work I just can't go for a 15 minute walk every hour. I just don't know what to do. Oy.

Thanks for all the good ideas and well wishes, folks. Hopefully some combination of the omeprazole, carafate, and changing my eating habits (along with losing more weight) will make this more manageable. Right now it's a pain (literally!).

Yeah I've been eating yogurt -- I don't think it's helping much. I've been taking Omeprazole daily... I don't remember which PPI that's generic for, but I'm pretty sure it's a PPI. I've been taking 40 mg, but the doc hasn't been really clear on what dosage I SHOULD be taking. Since I still can't swallow the generic (time release) pills, I've been taking capsules opened up with some Water, in the morning. I can choke down the Carafate (it's actually sucralate -- generic Carafate), even though it's sort of gross and annoying. The more annoying part is that the timing is so picky. You have to take it an hour or more before a meal, or 3 hours after. You can't take it within 3 hours of omeprazole. Juggling all of the pills I'm taking just to keep my acid reflux under control is a real bummer, but otherwise I wake up choking on acid, and every single meal produces reflux. I REALLY hope this isn't a "forever" thing, or I'm going to be VERY bummed out.

Oh, I forgot about this: yeah, I sometimes eat too late. I'm going to be trying to really rein that in (for a number of reasons, one of which is that it can torpedo my weight loss).

I tried the wedge pillow, but it's really uncomfortable. I am not sure why, but the wedge really makes my back and neck sore. After I choked down the Carafate (trust me, they're huge, almost an inch long, and fairly thick) I was finally able to sleep about an hour or hour and a half later. I'm going to talk to my doc about working to control my acid. I had a BM this morning that was mostly liquid and VERY acidic (I could feel it, trust me...) So obviously, my acid production is through the roof. Does this level off and improve with time? One of the things I was hoping for from weight loss and WLS was better sleep; have I simply traded one heartbreak (obesity) for another (lifelong constant reflux and heartburn and waking up choking on acid)?

I had this exact same problem. Definitely don't strain. If you're newly post-op, it's likely just gas. Try to find positions that let you fart (to be blunt) so you can get it out. It's not pleasant, but it doesn't last long.

Please make sure that you're not having acid issues. A LOT of people on here have had "false hunger" triggered by too much acid after surgery (myself included). Once I got on a PPI, the "hunger" went away and now I NEVER feel hungry (I have to remind myself to eat!)

Yeah, I can eat pretty fast too. I'm still not TOO worried since I'm eating pureed food only -- I figure that when it's a liquid, I don't have too much restriction. Once I get to the solid food stage, hopefully I'll feel more restriction. Fortunately, I don't feel much (any!) hunger, so I don't have that working against me! I can just focus on pacing myself when I eat and controlling my portion size.

I know that this is going to be a difficult thing for me. I have such a bizarre, skewed perception of myself!

Angie, make sure you're hydrating. Nothing else is as important, and getting dehydrated will land you in the ER. After that, make sure you're getting your Vitamins (if your doc has you taking some, if not, why the heck not?!), and finally, Protein. If you're doing okay on those fronts, just take time and rest. A little post-op fever and ick is pretty normal. Just keep track of your temperature and sip, sip, sip. OT: the weather here has been much the same; last week was like early summer, with temps in the mid-high 70's (which is, for Seattle, amazing in May!) and now we're back down to 50's and 60's and rainy. Weird!

Interesting... I use this exact same brand and I don't get this. Weird! To each their own

It's actually a known side effect of a couple of medications. I'd definitely ask your doctor, as it can also be a symptom of some pretty bad things. It's probably not, but still -- talk to your doc.

May I ask how old you are? I just ask because apparently age plays a big factor in how much your skin snaps back and stuff.

Okay, so I'll admit it: I'm deathly afraid of getting man-boobs as I trim down in fat. I've always had a fairly solid set of chest muscles, but I've gotten flabby and I don't want to have a great set of honkers when all is said and done. Anyone got any tips on workouts to avoid the man-boobage? Just the general pec workout (incline/decline/flat press, flies, etc.)? Or is there some magic method? I'd also like to avoid saggy arms if possible, but I'm more scared of the man-boobs.

Well, I don't have man boobs now. I'm just fat (there's definitely a difference; my girlfriend's boss, who weighs less than me, has a spectacular set of man boobs). I was hoping that folks knew of ways to prevent them. I think I'll give the tricep workout a shot. It can't hurt, right?

I would wager that with a flu and VSG, hydration would be super, super, super important...

It's funny how many people react this way. When you compare the risks of VSG to the risk of staying obese, VSG wins hands down, and yet still well-meaning relatives are scaring people away from VSG left and right!

Well, of course, your doctor should be your first source of information, BUT at this phase, you should definitely focus on hydration more than protein. You won't get deficient enough fast enough to get in trouble, whereas dehydration can land you in the ER pretty quick. As to the swelling, everyone heals differently, but I really turned a corner around 6-7 days out. Now (11 days) my stomach is barely tender at all.

I love these too! This is one of my primary sources of protein these days

Congratulations on the weight loss, and congratulations on the pooping! I know that both of those can feel like major accomplishments after sleeving

Yes, absolutely. This is a sleeve forum, so you're likely to hear mostly pro-sleeve comments. HOWEVER, almost all of the band/sleeve comments I've heard here have been incredible relief at getting the band out and sleeve in. I've heard this at my weight loss surgery place, too. Again, not scientific results, but after a while it starts to stack up. Also, some people do have SERIOUS complications with the sleeve. It's NOT a minor surgery (although for most people, it's smooth sailing). For those folks, the sleeve can be a nightmare -- although to be fair, that's more about surgical technique and just plain bad luck than anything else. What really struck me about the sleeve vs. band when looking at the medical research is that for the sleeve, almost all of the complications are in the first month or so. Mostly post-op stuff. For the band, the complications are life long. Meaning you can be going along fine and then BAM -- port flip, or adhesion, or something. With the sleeve, if you get over than initial hump of risk, you're likely smooth sailing. So yeah, if you look hard enough, you will find happy banders and unhappy sleevers. But I chose the irreversible sleeve over the reversible band because the vast majority of patients do better with the sleeve, have better long-term results, and have fewer long-term complications. That's what sold me. I'm not trying to bash the band, and I'm glad if it helps some people. As Jachut pointed out, the band works very well for some. However, reading everything I've read, and talking to the folks at my surgical center (which does both procedures, so has no financial incentive to bash one), the sleeve was the hands-down winner.

The irony is that I think that every single person who's had the sleeve worries that they will be the ONE person that it doesn't work for. I know that I was having that fear this morning (11 days post-op) until I realized that I've been losing about 1 lb a day without feeling hungry or even working too hard at it! I feel like all I've been doing is snacking and grazing, and I'm still losing 1 lb a day. Yes, it's irreversible. Yes, it's scary. But it's SO worth it. I never had the band, but from what I read on here (and have heard first hand from folks at my weight loss surgery place, which does both band and sleeve), I wouldn't get a band if you paid me.