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Hello, My name is Alex and I am scheduled for the gastric sleeve procedure on 12/18/23. Growing up I never had a problem with my weight; as a matter of fact I was very thin. Due to changes in life and past trauma, I used food as a coping mechanism. I ballooned from 160 pounds at 18 years old to 475 pounds by the time I turned 31. I was "content" being overweight because I refused to deal with it. At the behest of my wife, I begrudgingly scheduled an appointment to be seen by a primary care physician for the first time in years at the height of the pandemic. At this appointment, I weighed in at 475 pounds and was diagnosed with high blood pressure... extremely high blood pressure. This made total sense as I couldn't walk very far without being out of breath, I couldn't go up steps without sweating and having my heart pounding, and I couldn't play with my nieces and nephews. I was prescribed blood pressure meds at 31 years old and told that if I didn't make significant changes and lose weight, I was staring down an early death. That was the kick in the ass I needed. I immediately got a gym membership, downloaded a calorie tracker, immediately made improvements in my diet and dove in head first. Over the course of the next year and a half I lost nearly 100 pounds through diet and exercise alone. I knew that to get to my goal weight though, that I needed more tools.... or a more powerful one. So I was seen by a bariatric provider and over the course of many months was approved for sleeve gastrectomy and was scheduled for surgery. I am currently on the liquid diet and I am struggling. I am dying for flavor... the protein shakes, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and jello that have been my diet for the last three days are not cutting it. I've made a few mistakes... a piece of cheese here or a nibble of chicken there. I am striving for today being a good day.. but it has been hard. I am constantly cold, I'm less tolerant of daily B.S. than I normally am, and am just now starting to not feel as irritable as I have the last few days. I am looking forward to having this procedure done, but I am nervous that I won't lose enough. I'm nervous that I'll ruin it or some other nonsense I keep telling myself. After being overweight for so long its hard to imagine not being as large as I am. I am looking forward to a healthier life, the ability to play with my nieces, nephews and daughter, and being in more control of my life. Thank you for reading this very long post and I look forward to chatting with you on this journey!

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has suffered with light headiness? Just a bit floaty can’t explain it! I’m 5 weeks post op!

I didn’t while losing & still don’t. I’ve tried bread & pasta a couple of times in the last 4 years as a test but they still sit heavily so I expect rice will do the exact same thing. Don’t mind because of the their low nutrient content (rather eat something nutritionally dense) & don’t miss them either (& I used to eat a lot of all three). I have a friend with a sleeve & she can eat all three so … 🤷🏻‍♀️ You can only give it a go when your plan okays it & see how you go.

How wonderful for you. And congratulations on maintaining your weight too - inspiring! I remember my mum saying how horrendous the pain was with her knee reconstruction (she had both done at once - yikes). She was on opioids for ages & iced her knees three times a day for a couple of months. Hope your pain subsides soon & you have a speedy recovery.

I wish I knew what they have planned. They are supposed to call me to explain, but so far the only person I've spoken with is the guy who answers the phone, and he probably wasn't supposed to tell me anything. He just said, "unfortunately, the center is closing, so..." The worst part is, I've been a patient there for almost 7 years, doing nutritional and medical weight loss. I love my endocrinologist there, and the nutritionists, the staff. If they are losing their jobs, I will cry. And they are always so busy I don't see how they can afford to close. I am so mad because I had a chance to move my surgery to right before Thanksgiving, but I had to pass because it was too last minute for figuring out the childcare. Now I'm kicking myself. Literally, my insurance approval is in and everything. I have a pantry of protein powders and a bookcase of bariatric cookbooks. I have watched every video on the planet. I just needed my final pre-test, which was supposed to be next week. My mom had booked a hotel in Harvard Square to be close by the night of the surgery and take me home the next day. The kids would be off school for winter break. Now I have no idea where anything stands. I will still have my insurance for January because my husband's job doesn't start until a few days into the month so we'll have paid the premium for January, but as of February it'll have to be the new insurance, and I don't yet know what they cover, or even which insurance company it is. Plus, my deductible starts over on Jan 1, naturally.

I had my RNY mid-September and while I'm in a weird headspace where I don't think I'm losing weight 'fast enough' compared with some of the stories I've read here (I know, don't compare, everyone is different; intellectually I get it, it's still something of a challenge sometimes...) I HAVE lost 55lbs. More importantly, the jeans I was wearing pre-op now fit like I'm trying to look like a 20 year old rapper wannbe, hanging half way down my ass if I don't cinch down a belt (which I've had to punch several new holes in and currently wraps around to my side when I use it), and I'm regularly wearing jeans that haven't seen the light of day since I blew up my knees (three months apart, one after the other in 2008)

Had my final appointment with the surgeon today - my preflight check - We are a go for take off in 3 weeks! Oh, and he is a cutie... although I'm too old to be a cougar! haha!

I have something similar but it only happens every other day which means that on the off days I'm not going much at all. It kind of explains things for me. I don't see how you can be having two to three movements a day everyday! Maybe ask the Doc Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

A dozen years since my sleeve. Maintaining my weight... I am now 67 years old. I have been bone on bone on both knees for years. I finally had the first knee replacement. Let me tell you.... this is no joke. I am very stoic and don't get crazy about anything. The level of pain in the first few weeks was epic. However the thing that has me totally entranced is that I am now in Physical Therapy doing my rehabilitation. And getting stronger for the second knee replacement that I will get in late Spring... After 4 grueling sessions; I am walking, moving well, and have almost 100% function in my surgical knee. I can't get over the comments from the PT and surgeon - About how my "normal" weight allowed me to do so well. My weight is still high. I know that. But I am comfortable where I am, and this is where I have been for a few years, and is my lowest adult weight ever. HECK. NORMAL WEIGHT ? No one is commenting on me being super obese, or needing to lose weight. Instead the focus is on strength and eating well, and getting stronger . What a huge difference.

I called again this morning and the person who answered let slip that the entire weight management center at the hospital is closing. So, I am not the only person impacted by far. He said that a manager is supposed to call everyone to explain, but still nothing has happened. Maybe tomorrow? As for what happens next, I'm not sure. The hospital was recently acquired by another big Boston hospital, which has a bariatric department of its own. I assume they are trying to integrate all of the departments across the system to eliminate redundancies, but their communication so far has been appalling. Why they wouldn't have planned for this by shutting down the pipeline of patients months ago so that all surgeries were completed before the closure is a mystery. I attended my full day immersion class in August and completed all my requirements on October 6. At that point, they were booking 10+ weeks out and there was no indication anything was changing. This isn't an independent bariatric practice where I could see there being management or money issues, but a center that is part of a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. I find it shocking to say the least. I've spent most of the day wishing whichever faceless bureaucratic suit responsible for this trips and falls into a fiery pit. Clearly emotional intelligence was not a job requirement.

i totally understand those sentiments. i am so sick of protein shakes. ..i would rather not eat than drink another! I think having full liquids 14 days prior to surgery AND continue after surgery is exhausting. they should change the preop. if I only had 2 weeks after surgery, this would be a breeze at 1 week in. but i was literally done with shakes before surgery! LOL.

Just a quick follow up, I'm 2 weeks post op and doing well. I was happy with my experience at Blossom. At first, I did have concerns with it being just a surgery center and not in a hospital, but I was treated well by the staff and surgeon, and haven't had complications. I'm also pleased with their level of communication before and after the surgery. I got checked out by my primary care yesterday and he was happy with the results too. At this point I definitely recommend them. Definitely follow their instructions pre-op and post-op, and it will make it easier.

The food addiction is real, and combining that with surgery not being an instant cure all that fixes your problems, while still allowing you to eat as you did before is a double whammy. I'm dealing with missing the food I used to eat, and it stays on my mind constantly still. I'm only 2 weeks out from my procedure, but not regretting it so far. As @ChunkCat and others have said, basically kissing diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol goodbye is what makes the compromise worth it to me. Five years or so ago, before I started having debilitating problems with all of those, I probably would've regretted it, but since my health declined significantly in the last year, to the point that I was a burden on my wife and family, I had to make this change. I don't know if this will help anyone that is on the fence or regretting having it done, but take it from me, if you can avoid having the uncontrolled blood sugars issues even with meds, not knowing if I'm going to pass out or have my heart feel like its going to beat out of my chest from hypertension and tachycardia, it is worth it. My dizzy spells and stroke-level blood pressure have already subsided thankfully. I'm already off my diabetes meds, just on a reduced dose of my blood pressure medicine, which my primary care thinks I can wean off of by March. Not trying to sound condescending, because you are going through a lot of trauma in this process, but consider yourself lucky that you can avoid this happening to you. It came out of nowhere and slapped me, and if this helps you from having it happen, I'm glad you had it done. Yes there's limitations after surgery, but you can live without that constant fear of death hanging over your head. Please seek the therapy you need to at least get things off your chest, but also to help learn new habits to replace the ones you spent a lifetime building. Just venting to my therapist helps me a lot. Sorry, rant over. Just wanted to help reframe things if I can.

So, what was the first thing you ate when you were able?? Thank you! It's not that I'm hungry...it's just that I'm tired of drinking these shakes and broths. I keep on reading all this stuff like being able to eat eggs after 2 weeks liquid like a cheese omelet....and so I start anticipating it. Or i read about eating oatmeal....anything but this protein shakes! And maybe if i can make like a protein smoothie myself....I don't know....it's just hard. Appreciate you responses.

Holy crap. Ok, so a few things. First, just because you CAN eat these foods, doesn't mean you SHOULD. You're not even close to healed. You still have numbness from nerves being cut. You could be doing damage you can't even feel yet. There's a reason we're supposed to increase our eating in stages. Second, the amount you eat is more of a head thing than a physical thing. You cannot fit the same amount of food into your new stomach that you used to, and you shouldn't be trying to. Your pouch is only so big, and you have to remember that and start working on your head hunger and your relationship with food. Third, talk to your nutritionist about how you're eating and how to get back on track with your bariatric eating plan, because if you aren't compliant now, you'll never be able to be later on. In no way should you have been eating actual, solid foods 1 week after surgery. So before you do damage that has to be surgically fixed, reach out to a bariatric therapist to help you with your relationship with food and learning the difference between real hunger and head hunger, and your nutritionist to figure out how to map out an actual way to get on track and a realistic meal plan. You might also want to talk to a nurse practitioner about what possible damage you might have done and if there's a way to kind of fix it before it gets to a surgical level.

I'm supposed to have my surgery on Dec 27th at Mt Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA, with pre-op tests scheduled for next week. Today, I get an automated message from my hospital to check MyChart. I did, and it showed my pre-test appointment as canceled. My surgery date is also gone from my upcoming visits. No explanation. Meanwhile, my insurance approval appears to have gone through. I called the weight management center's office and the receptionist mumbled something about surgeries being canceled and someone would call to explain. No one has called all day. I emailed, too, but nothing. Now the office is closed for the day and I'm so worked up over this, I won't get a wink of sleep. It wouldn't be such a big deal if it had to be delayed, except I am currently on an insurance plan through the healthcare marketplace as I am self-employed and my husband has been unemployed for a bit. But he starts a new job in January and I have no idea what the health insurance situation is going to be in terms of coverage. I am so stressed right now I could cry.

just so you know, a lot of us have trouble with eggs the first few weeks or months after surgery. I did not - I could eat them just fine. But egg intolerance seems to be a common issue with people - at least when they're still pretty early out.

Congratulations! It's encouraging to hear that cuz I'm one week in and I am getting so discouraged.

I had mine on November 20. My surgeon had me go from clear liquids to protein shakes and broth on the 3rd day after, as long as I could tolerate it without getting sick, but had me hold off on non-clear soups or other creamy drinks until today. I've been able to keep down plain greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and egg drop soup since Saturday, and part of a scrambled egg today, even though I jumped the gun a little on that. I'm still waiting a couple more days before attempting softened meats. Definitely stick to what your surgeon/doctor says, and take it really slowly when introducing something new. If you have a bad reaction, wait 2-3 days before attempting it again. They warned me beef can be harder to tolerate at first compared to something like canned/pureed tuna or chicken, and may require a couple more weeks.

WHOOOO! I needed a "formal" dress for a Charity event. I walked in, saw a dress I liked, grabbed a size. Tried it on an BAM! DONE!!!! Never in a million years would this happen. Normally it would be 45 stores, 2 weeks of looking and basically finding something I hate but fits.. WHOOOOO HOOO Also- I HIT MY FIRST "ORIGINAL" GOAL THIS WEEK! This was what my surgeon and myself agreed on from my initial appointment and I am perfectly fine here.. but my "updated" goal is just there to be able to say I lost half of my original body weight!

WHOOOO! I needed a "formal" dress for a Charity event. I walked in, saw a dress I liked, grabbed a size. Tried it on an BAM! DONE!!!! Never in a million years would this happen. Normally it would be 45 stores, 2 weeks of looking and basically finding something I hate but fits.. WHOOOOO HOOO Also- I HIT MY FIRST "ORIGINAL" GOAL THIS WEEK! This was what my surgeon and myself agreed on from my initial appointment and I am perfectly fine here.. but my "updated" goal is just there to be able to say I lost half of my original body weight!

Being on solid foods for 3 weeks tracks relatively closely to what my plan will be. My hospital only does a 2 day pre-op liquid diet, and then you are on liquid/soft dairy (yogurt, pudding) for about 10 days. They generally do the surgeries on a Monday and you go to a class the following Thursday, although I will have mine on a Wednesday, and I think I will still go to the Thursday class, so it's only just over a week for me. After the class, we're advanced to stage 4 for about 4 weeks, which includes soft/moist meats like chicken thigh, fish, and eggs, along with soft cooked veg and fruits. The only thing that doesn't match up with my plan is the cucumbers because raw veg isn't allowed until stage 5, which is at roughly 6 weeks post-op. But frankly, cucumber is almost all water once you chew it, so the volume is minimal despite looking large. My program doesn't bother with purees. We're just told to chew thoroughly. As others have said, you may not feel full this early because of nerves not being fully healed, so just watch your portions. If you've lost 25lbs in 4 weeks, I hardly would call that doomed! I would double check with your nutritionist about portions, make sure you chew thoroughly, and keep making healthy food choices like you're doing. You may just not have as much swelling as some do, which would explain the ability to eat closer to a normal post-surgery capacity right away. Just because you can eat a couple of eggs doesn't mean you'll soon be able to eat a 24oz steak and sides!

Simple answer is no to the peanut butter. I didn’t like the shakes either after surgery. I would have just one a day (diluted to try to help with the flavour) & then had soup (cream, bone broths, consumes) for the rest of the day. If you like milk you could make up your own shakes by adding a little Greek yoghurt & a little protein powder. Just keep it very thin. You could get some powdered flavours to add too like a peanut butter one. Only a week to go to purées which is when I never touched another shake again.

Yes, as @Tomo said it takes 6 (or longer) to fully heal. Besides all the sutures & staples holding your digestive system together, many nerves were cut during your surgery & your signals/messages, like you are full, any discomfort you may be experiencing & your restriction, just aren’t getting through. It’s why sticking to your portion size recommendations during these early stages are especially important. Check with your team if you weren’t given any. For example I was told 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée (week 3) slowly increasing to about a cup at 6 months. But that was what I was told. Starting solid foods after a week seems incredibly early especially without the puree & soft food stages. Plans can be different but yours is the most different I’ve come across. Do check with your team just to be sure.

Hello....am a week into my gastric bypass surgery and am so tired of these protein shakes. Sometimes I feel like just not drinking any at all. Can I eat peanut butter instead??