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I had my first experience with this today. I was eating chicken for lunch and I think I didn't chew well enough and ate too fast. Not only did I get the stuck feeling, but I also threw up slime. That one experience was enough to make me slow down and be more thorough with my chewing. It totally sucked and was a little scary.

Small bites and chew, chew, chew. If you're easting too fast, you are probably taking too big of bites as well. This was one of the big things I had to learn.

Can anyone give me fast on the go breakfast suggestions? I'm tired of protein shakes and hard boiled eggs!

I'm almost 2.5 months out, and before surgery I honestly didn't have acid reflux much, so it sucks that after the hiatal hernia repair and sleeve I'm having it almost all day every day.. Probably a month ago I called the surgeon's office telling them I was having AR issues: they said to try pepcid complete. It worked for a while, but eventually I was having to take one in the morning and one in the evening. The past couple of weeks the AR has been getting worse between the two pepcid tablet doses so I called the doctor's office again. They recommended I try nexium but the pharmacy I went to was out so I talked to the pharmacist who recommended zantac because it would work faster. It worked for fast relief but not long-term. Should I follow through with giving the nexium a chance? Or tell my doctor I need something stronger? When I get hungry the acid really starts acting up and I can't always eat right away. But then when I go to eat, I can only manage one or two bites before I feel nauseous and unable to eat. I'm not full but I don't feel hungry, just sick for a while. Then the hunger eventually comes back and the acid is torture all over again! It's a miserable cycle, so I'm open to all suggestions at this point.

Hello- I will TRY to make this short: I had vsg June 2016-I initially went from 229 to 160ish then got pregnant a year later. 3-4 months postpartum I was at 143 (I tend to loose weight during my pregnancies and loose after) but that only lasted a few months. Fast forward to today, I am at 185!!! I am only about 45 lbs from starting weight....that's scares me, I don't feel well physically...emotional, as I am back to carrying all of this weight around. I had an appt with my surgeon almost 2 months ago and I explained to her and the nurse that I am always hungry. I STILL focus on protein,....my diet is mainly protein but I also make sure I get my veggies in. I was referred to the nutritionist I saw before my surgery. I am puzzled by that because my issues are not what I eat, ive gathered the info I need prior to my surgery. Prior to surgery I had NO comorbidities. Now, I am on medication for blood pressure, and my recent blood test show that my cholesterol is high...first time ever....this is not how this experience was supposed to pan out. The point of my post is, I've done research and want to know if I would be a good candidate for a revision. The revision I am looking at is sleeve to Duodenal switch which I know was originally a part of the sleeve procedure. Just wondering for those of you who have had revision, how exactly did the conversation with your Dr start. Did you have to ask about it or did the Dr tell you it was an option? I have an appt coming up on 11/11. When i made the appt I asked if I could possibly have a scan to see if the size in my stomach have even changed. I was told most like they would not do a scan because YES the stomach does naturally increase in size about 2 yrs after vsg. Now what??

My band journey has been really, really fast. From consult with surgeon to surgery will be 9 days! But before, since, and after that initial consult, I have done extensive research, had my questions for the doc ready when I went in, met with the dietician for 1 1/2 hours, asked her questions, then was quizzed by her after everything she told me, then had 1 hour of pre op and had to take a test. Plus I was given a notebook with just about everything I could want info wise and told that I had better be reading it when the nurse comes in to check on me post-op because they will be mad if I'm reading the National Enquirer instead (I've already read it twice!). Plus the dietician gave me a step by step guide for eating for each of the 4 pre/post op phases. Also went to the info seminar and my first support group meeting. I'm the type that can't have enough info, can't be prepared enough, etc (AKA Control Freak:lol:). There really is so much to do and prepare, both mentally and physically. I feel sorry for the girl who doesn't know what she is getting into-it's likely going to be really difficult for her.

Chimera gave great advice so I'll just share what I've done over the last 4 months as I too am in my preop phase. I've totally cut out bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, coffee, sweets (candy/pastries) and all fast/fried food. Essentially I've gone high Protein, low carb and low calorie. I haven't done one second of exercise and to date I've lost 44 pounds. Good luck.

I was banded Feb 5th. I wish I was having a good time like the 2 listed above. I feel like a swallowed a whole apple all the time and it is just sitting there. It is pain and pressure right under my breast bone. I feel it all the time but sometimes it is worse. Has anyone ever (before they were banded) swallowed too fast and not chewed enough? You get that weird feeling of pain and pressure and then it passes? Well, I get that and it passes but then I always feel the pressure. I am going to the surgeon tomorrow. When I called them earlier in the week they said that it was normal and it would pass. I did have some pretty violent dry heaving when 2 and 3 days from surgery and I am wondering if that is why I feel like this. Maybe the swelling didn't go down as fast as it should because of the vomitting? The surgeon said that the vomitting would not hurt my band but I am wondering if that is why I am feeling like this all the time. I hope to get some answers tomorrow. Julie:confused:

So I'm just over a year from my surgery day. And just under 2 years from when I made the decision to make a life change. In October of 2014 I attended my first class about bariatric surgery. This class is the initial class that helps you decide if it is for you or not.(or to at least go on to the next step) That first day my weight was 422, and I decided to go forward with the bypass. I had to then wait to be assigned to a class, a class that lasts 12 weeks. It tought me everything about the surgery and new life I would be expecting. This class began in January of 2015. Well after completion in March I had lost about 10lbs to 412. Then came the long waiting period. One that they made clear. "Don't call us we will call you!" So I waited, and waited and waited some more. Then got the call the 2nd week of August, 2015. And the wheels got going and fast! Less then two weeks later I was at the hospital on August 24th having surgery. On the day of my surgery I weighed in at 409lbs. The surgery went great. Afterwards I had little to no pain and was up walking immediately. The year has been a great journey. Today I weigh in at 208lbs and feel great. It has been a fantastic journey. I have no regrets and qould do it again without a doubt. I have been around temptation plenty. Several trips to Vegas including a stay for 9 days. I've been to winery's. All the time not touching alcohol and steering cleer of the food that ruined my life.I'm thankful for the tool I was given and plan on using it to the fullest. Best of luck to anyone thinking of having the surgery, and continued success to those who have had this life changing experience. As for me last year I changed my health, this year I change my job. Think positive???? Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Hugs to you! I was approved by my insurance company a year before I actually had the surgery. I felt that (1) the organization I was dealing with cared more about maximizing profits that they did about me and (2) if I were meant to have a plastic appliance around my internal organs God would have put one there. I changed my mind when I learned that a surgeon I trusted who had removed my thyroid about 6 years ago was doing band surgery. I also learned about the addictive additives that food companies put in our processed foods that cause us to eat non-stop without satisfaction (High fructose corn syrup)!!! Just like nicotine for the smokers - that doesn't give us a chance. If you have not watched the movie 'Super-size me' you might want to do that. It is available at most any video rental and is in the special documentary section. It caused me more shame over being drawn in to the marketing ploy of the fast food industry and I am so happy I now have this aid (band) to help me 'fight back' by not supporting those companies!!! I hope you can find peace with yourself and be proud that you can take control instead of being a victim to the fast food and processed food industry. Best of luck to you. BTW - do you have a patient advocate/counselor available? Did your process require a Psych eval? Mine did. It would be a great idea for you to talk with a professional counselor to help you put this all in perspective... Blessings and best wishes!

Quick few questions, surgery date was 9/2. As of this morning I am down 29LBS. Is that normal? Am I losing too fast? Yes, that seems fast, but not alarming. Depends on what your starting weight was, too. "Normal" is about 12-20#, I think. Don't worry, it will slow down soon enough! Also is it normal to still feel restriction as this point? Yes. It will subside soon and you will feel hunger again. Still on mushies and I limit my self to 1/2 cup at a meal which is more than enough, however when eating soup I feel I could eat more? Right....soup will go thru the band quickly. Mushies will sit there a while. One last question, all liquids seem to go down well with the exception of skim milk, if I drink more that 4 ounces in 30 minutes I feel uncomfortable. You may have a bit of lactose intolerance...may want to look that up. Thanks in advance for you responses.

My incisions never did really have much pain, just more a tenderness, like sore muscles after a good workout. But the Gas! That hurt, but not unbearable, and would not scare me off the surgery. Pre-op my Dr. only had me follow a low carb diet, no flour, corn, rice or potatoes, but I was allowed 1 serving of fruit a day, and basically all the meat eggs and veggies I wanted, so that wasn't hard at all and I still lost 5 lbs. On Wed. the day I had my surgery I slept most the day, with ice pack on my stomach, wasn't really hungry but did eat some jello and drank juice and water, took pain med twice I think. Day 2, Thur. I felt pretty good, still not really hungry, but ate Jello, sorbet and juice, about 4- 6 oz at a time every few hrs. kept ice on my stomach most of the day but the pain I had was in my back and shoulder not my stomach. I tried walking around the house and even walked around the yard a bit, layed down with my feet elevated anytime I was laying, and I did feel a bit better by bed time, but I did take pain meds for the gas pain in order to sleep at night. Friday, day 3 not so bloated feeling but the muscles in my back and left shoulder were still very sore, and I started feeling HUNGRY! I added protein shakes, and the thickness of them helped. I was feeling more normal so I drove my daughter and I to see a movie, got a big Icee to sip on during the movie, only taking pain meds 1 time at night and Dr. said I was ok to drive as long as I wasn't on narcotics. Sat. I was really hungry I had Protein shake in the morning, finished it for lunch, had sorbet, and jello every couple of hours, but I was still hungry between, took my daughter to watch fireworks and stopped to get a chocolate malt on the way, nothing seemed to satisfy my hunger for long, and I was feeling like if I ate another sweet thing I would puke...ugh! 11:30 at night I am making myself cream of chicken soup, I mixed it with water and put it in the blender to make sure their were no lumps in it, I only slightly warmed it, since I am still not suppose to have hot liquids, but soup never tasted so good. I feel like I am rushing it a bit, starting cream soups so soon, but my Dr. said the diet plan was only a guideline and everyone is different as far as how much swelling they have, and how soon they should move up from full liquid diet. Sunday, I started out with the other half the cream chicken soup, later I had a protein shake, still hated the sweetness, but Doc said the protein was important. later tried Butternut Squash soup, never had that before, but thought it would be safe to eat. It was surprisingly good, and just thick enough to make me feel satisfied a bit longer. Monday, no more gas pain, still some muscle soreness in my back though, stomach feels good though, I'm hungry again, I have lost 11 lbs since my first visit, so weight loss is going well, but I feel hungry within 30 min. of eating, I think the liquid is just going threw too fast since I won't have a fill until at least a month out. I am fighting the hunger, I still can only take in 4-6 oz at a time, but if I let myself I could do that every 30 min. I had a vanilla protein shake, and a can of broccoli cheddar soup spaced out threw out the day, I also had some juice and some sorbet, but late night I gave in and ate 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, I felt so much better, it was thick enough that I felt satisfied much longer. I didn't want to go to bed right away because I was afraid of heartburn, but it has been over three hours ago, and I basically felt ok this whole time. I am going to bed now that I am finished typing this, I don't know if this will help anyone else, but I wonder if I am pretty normal so far?:thumbup:

Hi weightloss4liss... I think you should call your doc as you will become dehydrated very fast line this. The doc can call in a prescription for nausea medicines or others depending on the full extent of your symptoms. .. A small amount of nausea is normal but should not be affecting your sleep and you should still be able to keep some things down .

you may need a new scale or to balance the scale with a 5lb flour bag. but i do want to add it seems really crazy the scale is moving so fast i dont believe it either as it is happening and this is due to trying to lose weight on my own losing 3 gaining 5 prior to surgery

This actually was my first time having pork carnitas from that restaurant. I normally get my favorite food, tacos, but since it was takeout I knew they wouldn't be good once we got home and also, too many carbs. The pork was kind of greasy so maybe that had something to do with it, along with how fast I ate and not chewing thoroughly. Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm not losing very fast but I did get into some clothes that are a size smaller than what I was wearing pre-op. I think I'd better start measuring too. Maybe it will help if I get discouraged.

I was told to not take the pills whole but to crush them. The extended release was re-prescribed as an instant release (because crushing would obviously defeat the extended release properties). So that was why my single extended release became three instant release pills, which counterintuitively are much larger. But my follow up is on Wednesday so I'm hoping I'll get the okay to go back to whole pills. And as for the scale, yes, every day. I'm amazed at how fast I'm losing. I'd dropped 20 before the surgery, and I'm down about another 15 after a little more than a week. It's going to be a great summer! :-D

Day 6: It is starting off slowly.... First day home alone with the two and a half year old princess of a daughter. Last night I didn't sleep well and went to bed way to late. I tried to elevate myself a lot more to prevent the pain in my chest from gas when I wake up. This morning was much better, just minus the waking up due to lack of comfort. What made me very upset is waking up to the sound of ice and snow pelting the window. Why? You may ask. My son had to bring his project to school today. So this meant I knew I had to drive him. This also meant I had to wake up the 2 and a half year old princess. Which I did, to her dismay. I had to carry her 28lb body down to the car and get her into the car seat that was in the middle of the back seat. Oh so not easy, but I feel okay and not like I pulled anything. Mind you I had to carry her back into the house. She doesn't have snow boots yet and would not have been able to walk. That being said, I made my own spreadsheet for tracking purpose. I like the one that the doctor gave me but I wanted to make my own that was more all inclusive, this way I can be sure to not only track fluid and protein, but have a place to check off my vitamin supplements so that I remember. I am feeling okay, down 5lbs since surgery. So one week, 5lbs, that is what my doctor said I should be doing. AND I cheated, I sucked out the center of a chocolate covered cherry. Ouuu, and I have been eating mushy carrots with mushed chicken. IN fact to day I am going to buy some chicken and make my own chicken soup for the mushy phase fast approacing. Much love to all.

Jen - Good luck tomorrow and to a fast recovery. :clap2:

This isn’t an easy question to answer because we have different needs & we are different people. I was at my goal at 6 months but kept losing as I struggled to eat enough at first to slow the loss. My surgeon told me to work up to about a cup of food by maintenance & I guess that was pretty true but it did depend on what I was eating as some things were more filling - still the same now. I was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months & then about 1300 when I stabilised at about 15 months. I eat about 1400 now & generally eat about or a bit less than what would be considered a recommended serving size. Someone taller, younger, more active than me, heavier than me & with a larger frame would need to eat more & vice versa. And of course the foods you eat also okay a part. I’m a low processed make it myself person, eating lower carbs, very little sugar, lowish fat. Have you spoken to your team about the foods you struggle with? What do you mean by struggle - make you feel sick, feel your restriction, sit heavily, taste, etc.? Is it a specific food/s, food group or any food randomly? Can you relate it too how much you eat, how fast or even when you eat? (Sounds odd to ask about time but for example I have difficulty eating breakfast before 8:30/9am.)

Are you getting up and around? I was done on the 27th and given 40 oxycodone and haven't even used half. I take Tylenol as needed (1-2 times a day) but I've been up and about since day 4 and at first it sucked but I think it's what helped with my pain. My only pain left is abdominal wall below my largest incision and its a 1/10, 99% of the time. I have also used a heating pad since the day I got home, it lived on me the first 48 hrs I was home and now as needed (note: don't fall asleep with it on I actually left marks, they faded but essentially I burnt myself) If you continue to be in pain I would call back and demand an appt at this point you should definitely be turning a corner. Do you know how many doses you had? I'm just curious if you used too much too fast and they are resistant to fill because of that.

Hi Chelsi! how was your experience with Dr Ahmad and the office? You are luck you had a fast recovery!

I'm doing opti fast too, I add alot of ice and make a smoothie/shake tastes much better

I go thru the VA and they gave me 11 boxes of opti fast shakes, I'm only allowed 5 shakes a day, beef/chicken broths, sf jello and popsicles for 2 weeks and the day before surgery on protein shakes and nothing after midnight

I agree with 1DAY..eating 1 meal a day is not a good idea in my opinion. Once u start eating reg food at 6 weeks out..you need to listen to your body. I can tell I have enough without eating too much. This is what the nut advised I should do: eat 1/2 cup of food, protein first, veggies second, then if room for carb., eat these as well. I can tell u that when I eat my protein first I get full really fast.. How I can tell..my stomach starts to gurgle a lot , sometimes I get hiccups, and tasking another bite is not appeasing for me. U have to learn to listen to your body. Before I had surgery..I lost the feeling of fullness no matter what I ate, now it is different..which is great.