BlackBerryJuice

Acid is what protects your stomach against most bacterial infections, so the suspicion these days is that PPI use can put you at a higher risk for food poisonings and the like. So it's definitely possible that you'd be more likely to get food poisoning via bacterial infection and that it'd take longer than normal to kill it off because your acid levels are suppressed. I don't know about viral infections, I don't think it would matter because viruses work differently. With a gallbladder problem, you would have some pain on the right side of your abdomen, in the liver area (just below the ribs) in addition to nausea, vomiting, and other fun stuff.

I had a lot of food fantasies during the clear liquids and a few during the full liquids stage, but once you start on the more solid stuff, you realize it's not all it's cracked up to be. I find that my expectations of food these days are too high. I mean, there are still things I enjoy more than others, but no more food-gasms for me like before the surgery. :glare: When I try something for the first time post-surgery, I find that I care about it a lot less than I thought I would. My counselor thinks it might be because I no longer have the same amount of serotonin receptors in my stomach as I used to, so I can't derive the same amount of pleasure from food. For example, I was really gung-ho for an avocado half an hour ago. Had 1/3, and even though it was perfectly ripe and I put just the right amount of salt on it, it was just "ok."

You should have a slow (complex) carb before your workout to sustain energy throughout - e.g. steel-cut oatmeal, bran cereal, other types of porridge or whole grain cereal. After the workout, it should be a quick protein (whey protein is the best) and a carb along with it (milk in your protein shake will provide the carbs).

This is kind of silly, but this is what I got for myself on Ebay a few weeks ago: http://iheartguts.com/shop/images/medium/stomach-plush_med.jpg

ROFL! Re: stuffing myself...I've done this, oh, maybe a THOUSAND times in the years preceding my surgery. Yesterday I had my first binge urge since the VSG. I didn't sleep very well, so that made me cranky from the start of the day, and then a lot of little things snowballed throughout the day. By the time I got home from school in the afternoon, I wanted to strangle about half a dozen people and felt this very familiar urge to go buy a bag of milk chocolate and just drown myself in the comforting feeling. It kind of freaked me out, because it was a flashback to how I dealt with things before surgery. I came home and had half a chocolate Protein bar hoping it will quell this urge to binge on chocolate. It went away, but I still had the urge to eat. I ate a few bites of a smoked salmon salad roll (you know these Asian ones rolled in rice paper with a bunch of fresh vegs). All of sudden, I felt that if I took one more bite, I'd feel sick....so I just put the rest of it back. DONE, just like that. Here's what would've happened BEFORE the surgery: I would've had 1 Protein Bar, then another one. Then I would've had 3 more. Then I would've headed to the mall near my place and bought a bunch of sushi and Haagen Dazs, eating until I felt sick. Then I'd lie in bed like a beached whale for like 2 hours until I felt functional enough to study. I'd have a crappy sleep because my GI system was so overloaded by this huge volume of food. Then I'd wake up even crankier than I was the day before AND extremely bloated and unable to fit into anything that didn't have a stretchy waist. This surgery will be a HUGE help in dealing with emotional eating.

I took Zumba when I lived in a different city where my gym offered it, it was awesome! I'm taking my first ballet and modern dance class today. It's 2 classes back-to-back, so I hope I don't die from exhaustion - my endurance is still below what it was pre-surgery. Beginner ballet's gotta be pretty low-impact, but I'm not sure what to expect from modern dance.

I stalled in week 3 and then again in week 5. No relation to what I'm eating or how active I am. Seems like losing in spurts is normal.

I generally eat 900-1000. I walk daily and do more strenuous exercise about 3x a week.

Interesting. I wish she shared a little more. Just a note to those who haven't viewed the vid yet: that particular story starts about 3 mins in.

I wouldn't say sweet things taste badly to me now, but I'm a lot more apathetic towards sweets. I've had half a cupcake and a few bites of a really good brownie since my surgery. They didn't taste funny, but they just weren't as satisfying as they used to be before surgery. I didn't really feel any desire to eat more, although I certaily had room for it.

I contacted Dr. Aceves because a friend of mine was looking to get abdominoplasty after major non-surgical weightloss. He recommended Dr. Bello, also in Mexico. Based on the Canadian prices that my friend mentioned to me, it didn't seem much cheaper for that particular procedure, but it's worth checking out other procedures.

To add: Being able to cross my legs the "girly" way Lasting all day in high heels Not dying of foot pain every time I jump in ballet class Actually LOOKING like I work out instead of just working out like a maniac and remaining fat Being able to wear lace without looking like a bloated streetwalker EDIT: also, to wear those little ruffled cap sleeves without looking like a crossdressing linebacker

I had soft sashimi (tuna, salmon, scallop) once I got to the soft foods stage. I've enjoyed sushi rolls about 5 weeks out for the first time. I can have 3 small or 2 big pieces at a time.

Sorry you've had such a rough time. While most of us have a good experience with the VSG, it's important to hear that just like any surgery, there are risks. It's too bad you ended up in the minority that encounters difficulties. I'm less than 100 lbs overweight and have been happy with my surgery; I had some nausea and other issues in the 3rd week, but that went away within a few days and I've felt fine since. I think it's very important to tell your surgeon flat out that YOU don't think you are healing well at all and demand that he address your concerns, as it sounds like your quality of life has decreased an awful lot. I'm not sure why you have bile coming up, I think your pyloric sphincter may have been damaged during the operation (bile is normally in the small intestine, not stomach). I would definitely mention this particular issue to your surgeon, as that sounds a bit suspicious to me. Also, I just wanted to comment for any others who might read this thread - Iron absorption is not affected by this, as iron is absorbed in the small intestine, not stomach. Iron absorption will be reduced while you are on a PPI, so it's recommended to take an iron supplement until you are no longer taking PPIs. The only things absorbed in the stomach are alcohol and aspirin. B12 is absorbed in the small intestine with the help of something called the intrinsic factor, which is produced in the stomach. The amount of cells producing it is decreased after surgery, so B12 deficiency is, indeed, a possibility. However, taking a shot resolves that problem, and I think these shots are only to be done once every month or 3 months, so it's not as huge of a commitment, as, say, taking care of the diabetes one could develop from being morbidly obese.

Check the Fitness & Exercise forum, I posted my surgeon's guidelines there.

I guess if you have to take a few pounds off in a few days, you have no choice but to undertake some extreme measures. I'm not sure how many days/pounds you're looking at exactly, but it's either time for a liquid diet or major workouts. A liquid diet or an hour of cardio in the morning/hour in the evening will take off pounds quickly. It will suck, and the weight WILL return after the weigh-in, but at least you'll make the weight to qualify for the surgery. If you really can't control yourself with food, have whoever you live with keep tabs on you or if you live alone, see if you can crash at a friend's place for a few days - you'll be less likely to overeat if you are surrounded by others who are aware of your goals.

I was told 3 months for abdominal work (this includes push-ups). I've started light weights already (I just do one full-body set 3x a week), and of course it involves the abs a bit, but it seems to be fine. I'm starting ballet and jazz classes next week, I hope it's not gonna involve my abs too much.

I was 5'5" and 208 when I got sleeved. One thing I noticed is that a fair number of heavier people complained about belly pain and issues with moving around because of it. I didn't have anything like that, I think maybe it's because I simply had less flesh on my belly pulling on the incisions when I moved around. I did, of course, feel some soreness when I'd bend down to tie my shoes the first few days, but that's it.

I take Nexium once a day and haven't had any reflux symptoms. I experienced some intense nausea and discomfort on occasion around week 3 post-op. The doc in the ER and my surgeon both told me to start taking my Nexium twice a day. I did for a few days, but then stopped (I have to pay out of pocket for Nexium, and it's not cheap, so that was a bit of a deterrent, as was continuing to feel icky regardless). I haven't had problems since. I don't think acid had anything to do with it, as my symptoms weren't typical heartburn stuff. Also, just a note, bile has nothing to do with acid. Bile is released for fat absorption, and it goes into the small intestine, not stomach. The stomach itself secretes acid. When you take a PPI, you kill off the acid pumps temporarily, but new ones are reinserted quite quickly, which is why you have to continue taking a PPI for a while. I sure am looking forward to going off of mine, as it costs a pretty penny!

I had some spicy curries last week and felt some discomfort. Not sharp somatic pain, just dull visceral crampy pain. Maybe it was too early (6th week).

I've had this on a few occasions. I don't think it has to do with the quantity of food, but rather what I'm eating. I've been able to consume a fair bit of food without any problems. On other occasions, I've taken one bite and got major sliming/esophageal pain. Incidentally, the 2 times it happened recently, some form of bread was involved (Greek pita bread first time, bannock the 2nd). Interestingly, I've eaten other types of bread (naan, sourdough, soft tortilla) on other occasions, and it was fine. It seems that these problems arise only if it's very dense bread and I don't chew enough.

My boyfriend was out of town for the first 2 weeks after my surgery, so it worked out well in that aspect. I ended up waiting 2.5 weeks or so.

Just a warning, there's a reason why Seasonale/nique still wants you to have 4 periods a year - otherwise, you may have a buildup of endometrial tissue, which puts you at a higher risk for some diseases. Not having periods for up to 4 months was deemed safe, but if you are choosing to skip ALL your periods, I would inform your doc about it.

While I don't necessarily feel that reaching my goal weight will solve all of my problems - and thankfully, my life is free of any major problems right now! - I often wonder about that "what now" moment. You know, once you hit that goal weight and you start to maintain - there's no more positive feedback from the scale or fitting into smaller and smaller clothes. So you have to learn to deal with the fact that this positive reinforcement is gone and you have to look for it in other things. I think that could be tough for me - just kind of settling into life as a slim person and growing to take it for granted.

Call me naughty, but I drink before and after I eat, even though my surgeon's guidelines say not to. Just small sips, nothing major. After learning in gastroenterology class that only particles smaller than 1 mm in size can pass through the pyloric sphincter, I'm a little skeptical of this whole "fluids will push your piece of steak right through" idea. Yogurt, maybe, but not most foods.