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@SleeveToBypass2023you do make me laugh! I’m so glad that you’re able to understand your ‘godmother’ now, I feel I have rendered a valuable service 😉 Of course, there are always the joys of accents and drawls to throw in to this mix as well, which can add even more confusion. I’m a Yorkshire girl so we do have our own way of saying things, just like you will with your Southern sayings! And I’m so glad I’m not the only bitter wife out there…yes, I love him dearly but oh, there are times when I want to smother him with a pillow when he’s asleep 😈 I remember when we’d come back from our 2 week holiday in September last year and he was bitching that he’d put a couple of pounds on, whereas I had put on over a stone (14lbs) and I honestly wanted to stab him. He is supportive though, plus he has taken time off work to take me to all my hospital appointments etc as I still can’t bend my knees enough to climb in the van to drive myself but I will get there. Hopefully I will feel more able in a few more weeks 🤞 I rescued a pair of Billabong shorts from the charity shop bag yesterday as something for me to aim for on my WLS journey. I’d last worn them when I’d lost a load of weight previously and had worn them on holiday. Even now I cannot believe that I fit in to them. I tried them this morning and I cannot even get them halfway up my thighs, never mind anywhere else! I think I need to lose an additional 100lbs or so to have any chance of getting them on but stranger things have happened I guess 🤷‍♀️ I do generally use clothing as my inspiration to aim for, so I guess these are the ultimate goal!!

I guess I have always done everything I have wanted because I was never overweight until 5 years ago. But the things I have noticed NOW (never noticed before WLS): - I don't need to sit as often, I can stand for long periods and don't get the urge to find a seat. - My feet don't hurt walking so much. I was traveling the past two weeks and we walked A LOT! Every time we traveled the past few years my feet would kill me, this time was a breeze. Things I started: - I took up Pilates. I have a bad foot (sports) injury that caused my weight gain so always had a fear of doing Pilates although I consistently worked out my whole life but was nervous to take up Pilates for some reason. Now my two Pilates classes are literally the highlight of my week. - I look forward to weddings and gatherings where I avoided them like the plague and they used to cause me social anxiety and made me feel so down about my body. - Changing my wardrobe LOL, I am shopping like nobody's business. I am buying stuff I never would've bought the past few years. Lingerie, crop tops, shorts, short dresses, workout gear. You name it! - Weighing myself regularly. Was never a weigher even at my fittest and slimmest, and that's probably was what caused all the weight gain because I refused to face reality. Things I see myself doing in the future: - Probably getting some lip filler LOL. - Having my third child (maybe? I put it off because I was overweight and I couldn't fathom gaining more weight) - Getting my foot surgery (although it feels much better so I will need to reassess).

That milk of magnesia is a miracle worker. I started with the lower dose even and it wasn’t two maybe three hours later and I’m good to go. I’ve not really ever dealt with constipation if you can’t tell. 😆

Okay that milk of magnesia works miracles. I thought it was still going to be a strain but it wasn’t bad at all and it worked so fast. Like two hours or three maybe and I started with the lower dose. I am so relieved because my anxiety had me half believing that I had an obstruction. Thank goodness that is over for now. My NP said if I want to cut back from 2 stool Softeners a day I should do 2 then 1 Back and forth for little while before I go to Just one. But she expects based on what I have explained I probably need two until I am able to eat some fiber and more fluids.

I love to hear everyone's Wins as each week or day passes there is a New Win.

I found two WLS centers, then asked them what insurance they knew would cover them. I went with the center I could get the insurance for. I tried the other way around and there was so much stuff, procedures that I didn’t understand and hoops to jump through. The center I picked did 99% of the nasty insurance stuff for me! Three years later I still have follow up care and weight loss support groups through the center.

omg the week before my period I want to eat EVERYTHINGGGGG!!! I have given in and felt REALLLLYYY guilty! my periods are super short now like 2 days when it used to be 5 lol I just really need to hone in the cravings and giving into them

HI! Thank you so much!!! I started with walking around 2-3 postop, 20-30min and just built up to working out from home with light 5lbs weights. I follow Sydney Cummings or Juice and Toya work out videos. I would alternate 1 day upper body, 1 day lower body, ect...Then I would walk for 1 hour one day a week. Then I joined the gym when I was comfortable with the weights and that's when I really saw results. That was around 8-9 week post op. I cut down to 20min cardio and 30min strength training still alternating and still having 1hour walking days. Now that I am at my weight that I want to be at and not wanting to bulk up anymore just shred and tighten up my loose skin that I can possibly tighten up, I do 4 weight days 2 upper body, 2 lower body body with 30 min of cardio (usually treadmill at 12-13.5 incline and 3.3-3.7 speed) then 2 days I focus only on Cardio HIIT workouts. Now I do all my own workouts just from researching online and building my own workouts. I think they work? LOL I feel good afterwards, and my body composition is changing so I am rolling with it LOL I focus on high protein like over 100g, carbs I kept around 60g and fat around 20g. I have been fortunate where the weight came off pretty quickly, right now I am eating around 1400 cal 150g of protein 80-90g carbs and 25-30g fat. I am not actively trying to lose anymore, I want to more so maintain but I am still losing, so I am waiting till that figures itself out. LOL

Hi March Buddies, How is everyone doing? I can’t believe it’s been 5 months post op. Had a huge milestone met this morning on the scale after a period of stagnant weight loss. A weight that I haven’t seen in over 30 years. I’m still in shock and very grateful I’m on this journey. Still more work to be done, but, these moments help to reassure me I’m on the right path. Hope my surgery buddies are all healed and doing well. I’m having an incisional hernia repair in a couple weeks, not from the gastric surgery, from gallbladder removal 10 years ago! Hopefully this will be the end of surgeries for a long time! Would love to hear what people have found to keep their protein levels up. And what activities are you able to enjoy now? I was thrilled to ride some amusement rides with my kids this summer!

I don't have a period anymore, but since I had my hysterectomy and went on hormones, I seem to ALWAYS be hungry!!! It's crazy. I can eat, feel full, and still feel hungry at the same time. It's like my brain isn't getting the message that I'm not hungry anymore or something. When I WAS getting periods, I noticed I craved salty foods a lot. I've never really had a sweet tooth, but salty, greasy, fried foods were my weakness. And period weeks were the WORST for that, for sure.

I love your posts so much, I really do!!! OH, I meant to tell you... so my godfather is married to the most amazing woman (family friends since before I was born, they are my "aunt" and "uncle" and I love them so much) and she is from the UK. I have tried for YEARS to follow along with what she says, and it's a 50/50 crap shoot if I actually understand what she's saying. SO anyway, I was talking to her over the weekend and I actually was able to follow along with more of what she was saying. She was surprised and asked if I was using Rosetta Stone or something to learn British slang (she's always busting my chops until I start speaking Southern to her, then it's crickets lol) and I told her about you and showed her some of our past chats and she said to tell you "bloody hell, you did the impossible! Cheers, mate!!" 🙄😁🤣 Now back to the topics at hand lol I'm so so happy for you that you're rediscovering your wardrobe!!! It's so fun to be surprised with smaller sizes, isn't it?? I know what you mean about the "bitter wife syndrome" lol My husband, over the last 2 years, has lost 65 pounds. How? Oh, walking to the lake and back with me twice a week, riding the exercise bike 1-2x per week, eating absolute GARBAGE but just less often, parking at the back of the parking lot when he goes to the store 1-2x per week, cutting out sugar, reducing salt intake.....that's it. That's LITERALLY it. He's gone down 2 clothing sizes and gotten off his diabetes and blood pressure meds.....just by doing that little bit. No diet changes, no work out routines, nothing. UGH!!!!! I love him, and I'm happy for him, but UGH!!!!!!! Good luck at your dietician appt!!! You sound prepared. I bet it'll go well I have faith that you'll be ready to move on to the next steps for your WLS. I know it's annoying when it takes a long time, but I promise, the wait is absolutely worth it. And you're doing awesome, so I know you'll see some amazing results. YAY for the gym and physio!!! I am just so happy for you and proud of how hard you're working and how far you've already come. Enjoy your show, you've definitely earned it. Have a great week!!!

It’s been a good week all told. Lots of positives, which I’m really pleased about. I’ve rejoined the gym to begin at the start of September. I’ve made my first payment so no shirking now! I cannot fully explain how happy I am about this. I’ve even said I’d go to aqua fit with hubby (he used to go a long time ago, only bloke in a pool full of women, all enjoying it until some arse of a pool guard asked why he was doing a class with, and I quote, ‘old ladies’. This completely destroyed hubby’s confidence and he never went back, even though it really helped him with his back pain) So, I’ve offered to go with him, even though I hate swimming and only do the pool when I’m abroad and it’s hot! Anyway, he’s having a think about it. Had a clothing clear out this weekend. I’ve definitely come down a size so all the bigger stuff ether went in a bag for daughter in law or charity shop. I’ve also go rid of a lot of warm weather stuff too as I have absolutely no intention of being this size come next summer 😎 Hubby also voluntarily went through his things and got rid of a load of shirts and tops as he has slowly been losing weight and so had lots of things that were too big. I will admit to being a horribly bitter wife at this point as his diet is atrocious - doesn’t eat all day, has sandwiches/wraps etc for dinner, with loads of crisps, chocolate, biscuits, cake etc during the evening and the weight is coming off. I have a frigging biscuit and 4lbs appears out of nowhere 😡 Yes, I know, I’m a horrible cow but at least I’m honest! I tried on some smaller sized things (next size down) Again, the stretchy stuff fit, which was a bit of a boost. I also dug out my gym stuff and tried that stuff on. I’m OK for the size I am now and also for when I drop a size or 2 as well, so that’s sorted out the next couple of months at least. Off to see Fat Boy Slim at this coming weekend, another ‘wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care’ show, and I had a pair of skinny, black sparkly jeans in mind but I wasn’t sure if they would fit (have never worn them) I tried them on and they fit!! Obviously the material is as stretchy as hell but I will take it! I’ve now sorted my outfit out, and feel very excited about it. The top I’m wearing will hopefully mask the tummy tire (only surgery will ever get rid of that) and I’ll be throwing some shapes with the best of them 😉 Had physio this morning and it hasn’t killed me, which is all good. I discussed the gym and the physio was all for it. I came away with some exercises to do at home plus I’m booked in for a double physio session in September so I can go through some things in their gym to see what works. It’s the dietitian appointment this week. I’ve completed my food diaries so I’m hoping all goes well and I can move on to the next stage of this WLS journey by getting an appointment with the surgeon. I don’t know if it’s surgeon first or if it’s the multi-disciplinary team get together where they decide if I’m a good ‘fit’ or not. I am chomping at the bit a little, I’ll be honest, but it will take as long as it takes I guess 🤷‍♀️ I ordered a book this weekend called ‘52 Small Changes’ (free on Kindle Unlimited too) I want to make other changes to my life without feeling overwhelmed. I remembered the book from years ago so thought I’d have another little look. It’s a years programme (for want of another explanation) where you make a small change every week eg getting off the couch, getting enough sleep, eating whole grains, drinking water, stretching, explanations of food labels and how to read them etc. It’s all little, positive steps that I think , in the main, would work well with my WLS journey. Obviously there will be things that need tweaking or adjusting to fit in with the food and drink requirements after surgery but I’m happy to at least start. So, this is pencilled in to begin when my gym sessions start again. I’ve downloaded to my iPad via Kindle Unlimited as there are lots of hyperlinks for additional information plus I’ve ordered a physical copy too as I find it easier to follow and, more importantly, absorb! I think that’s enough waffle for today 😉 Onwards and Downwards Everyone!

I'm getting revision surgery on August 26th. Next Monday. I'm nervous, excited, exhausted, SUPER anxious (anxiety disorders and major changes don't tend to work too well together 😂), and a little terrified. I was sleeved in March of 2015 but I literally blocked out everything that happened to me pre-and-post-op. Not kidding. I reached out to my ex last week, he was with me at that time, and I was like "was I this crazy-anxious before?" and is one word answer was "yup". 😂😂 Anyway - good luck to all of the August surgery-buddies - you got this!!! 💖

Ooof. I am exhausted. I'm one week into the pre-op diet and anything and everything that I do makes me super tired and weak. Walk tot he bathroom - exhausted. Walk from car to office - weak and exhausted and out of breath. I know it's the very low calorie diet (VLCD) that I'm on and my body getting used to the changes, but DANG this is crazy! Has anyone else experienced this on their pre-op diet or am I having extra issues because I'm a binge eater?

Hello again! Yes, @ShoppGirl - that's exactly what it was, now that you mention it that rings a bell! It was Heparin to help prevent blood clots. Maybe I won't need to B12 since I do still have my gallbladder - time will tell! I, too, had forgotten about the recipes on Baritastic until earlier today when I went to add the recipe I ended up using for the chicken salad I had for dinner. I need to get some fat free mayo; today I cheated and just used two teaspoons of regular mayo because that's what I had; and also sweet relish as opposed to dill relish. Are you taking an ADEK supplement? My nurse was insistent on my having to take them as a SADI patient post-op, so I ordered some from Barimelts that have thankfully not tasted terrible and dissolve quickly. It's a GREAT reminder about the recipes in Baritastic - thank you, @draikaina8503 for the reminder as well! When you get your staples out I'd suggest asking them to be liberal in their application of steri-strips, especially for ones that are on the sides or at an angle. Having that extra support against the pulling really did make a big difference. Weirdly, so has using antibiotic/pain relief ointment?! I'd never really experienced 'pain relief' from that ointment (generic over the counter) but I was shocked to find that after I applied it my pain did actually lesson! Who'd have thought?? Also, I totally kept the two reusable ice bags from the hospital and have been using them this whole time because they were softer than the ice packs I had and the ice being able to move around a bit as it melted was just more comfortable. I'm glad you'll be able to get back on your Adderall and normal medications now! I will say that nice warm showers also feel really nice overall during recovery, especially if you have an alternate shower pressure setting that can go easy on the surgical site and maybe more pulsing/massaging on the back. Just my own personal experience. I came across an inspiration idea for the puree phase today when looking around on Amazon! A friend of mine had given me about 2/3 of a container of the 30g powder protein in Vanilla and I realized that oatmeal is a great thing to add it to! I feel like if I cook the oatmeal and let it get soft and fluffy, then add in the protein powder with it to the food processor that I bet it will be perfect AND help me get my protein goal! Plus since oatmeal is high in fiber it should help with regular bowel movements. I even thought I might add some of my zero sugar caramel macchiato creamer to it in order to give it more flavor without adding an artificial sweetener. I do have some xantham gum though should I need it. I'm planning on exploring what types of purees I can make with my greek zero sugar vanilla yogurt, various fruits, and that protein powder. I'm not sure why but something just CLICKED earlier when I was in my kitchen and I realized that between the ricotta, strawberries, blueberries, low fat cottage cheese, and protein powder that I actually have a lot more options than I'd previously considered! You can also mix protein shakes with sugar free pudding instead of milk - but word to the wise, learn from my mistake and don't make up too much at once because at about day 3-4 it starts to separate and get runny. Before that it's quite tasty and filling, though! My chair isn't bothering me quite as much today after I laid a thick folded blanket down on the seat for cushioning; and I think part of my discomfort may have also just simply been from constipation and gas that needed to be passed. I'm proceeding with caution on starting new foods that I haven't already tried, but I will say the chicken salad sat really well on my stomach. I even 'cheated' and crumbled up two Ritz crackers on top for some texture variant - it was the first 'meal' I've eaten really other than my half a scrambled egg this morning that I found to be satisfying. I'm using the timer in Baritastic to make sure I go 30 mins before and after eating without a drink - that's still been rough but as long as I distract myself the time goes by pretty quickly. Oh - @draikaina8503 - I'm not sure if it is allowed for you per your doctor, but I've dealt with the dry mouth using sugar free jolly ranchers sparingly. I'm so sorry you're struggling with getting water down, but glad you're getting some relief with ice chips! Sonic definitely has better ice chips; as do a few gas stations here any there. Ice chips are SUCH a nice thing to have available. I'm cursing the fact that I don't have an ice dispenser in my fridge - sadly it isn't that fancy - but it sure would make it easier to fill these ice packs than having to fight to crack an ice tray and refill lol @Onemealplan - Yeah, what's with the ice cream? That sounds delightful lol - I mean, obviously one ounce wouldn't be bad - It just wasn't something I thought of myself as being allowed to have! Now you've got me thinking of all the sugar free varieties I saw available at Braum's in their store section! I guess I can also finally have my sugar free popsicles - Woohoo! Also thank you to @Rob Nissam for your insight about the gas and general knowledge sharing! I hope you are doing well on your path and in recovery! @AndreaJD - Thanks for the suggestions about what purrees are working for you! I'm all ears when it comes to tips to carry me through these next two weeks. I was thinking about my cream of soups earlier and how I can now have them warm. I know I need to buy some unflavored protein powder -- Does anyone have a suggestion for an unflavored protein powder they've found works well and mixes well? Just curious what's working and what if anything isn't! Wishing all of you the best in preparing, having surgeries, and recovering from them in the coming days! This forum has been invaluable to me and I'm grateful to all of you for sharing your tips and experiences so far!

Oh yes, be careful & stick to your portion recommendations. (They may be smaller when you begin purées - mine was 1/4 - 1/3 cup then). Remember to sip, sip, sip, and wait between sips & when you begin more solid foods (from purées) to eat slowly. Besides all the cut nerves you have lots of stitches & sutures holding everything together inside. It takes 6 - 8 weeks to fully heal so don’t expect to get any signals until after then. Or the signals you at get are distorted or different to what you know. Full signals can be sneezes, runny nose, hiccups, etc. Your restriction is like a tightness across your upper chest. You may want to thump or rub your chest to relieve it (it doesn’t help lol!) Try not to eat until you are full though. It takes at least 20 minutes for the full message to get through so by the time it does it’s easy to have already eaten more than you need & are over full. Try to work out when you’ve had enough. Five years out I still ask myself do I need this next bite or do I just want it - big difference between need. & want. Hope your recovery continues to go smoothly.

I’m curious. What did you make this morning. I have had had scrambled eggs and puréed egg salad so far. Well a few bites at least. I’m kinda scared to push it. I tried making real mashed potatoes in the food processor but that didn’t work out. They came out real thick and sticky. I added milk but it was still a fail. I’m thinking I will stick with instant for this couple of weeks just to be sure they are the right consistency. Tonight I’m thinking refried beans. I forgot to get salsa but I have fat free cheddar so that should be pretty good. I got my mug warmer today so at least it should be warm 🎉

I bet what you get in the hospital was same as I got which was heparin for blood clots. The two day nurses I had both said they were supposed to do them in the belly but didn’t want to torture me with my already sore belly so they did them in the thigh.i still baxe bruises so I can only imagine they were painful in the belly. At the time I was in pain so that sounded good. In retrospect I should’ve said I will deal if that’s where they are supposed to be I’m guessing it’s for a reason. Fortunately it worked out okay. The NP at the surgeon who ordered the B-12 just said it’s not uncommon to need it post SADI but because if the gall bladder removal it would be way more likely. (I actually know a couple of people Who had bypass who are in if so it didn’t shock me). She wants me to do them in the thigh. She said it’s a little short needle but I was taking it with me to my family NP tomorrow morning to let her help me the first time. They gave me an instructions sheet for the injection but I have no clue how to use that sharps container anyways to get the needle off. The surgeon said to schedule a follow up with them and I may as well actually do something while I’m there. I am not on any meds that she can decrease which is why I assume they tel everyone to schedule it between a week and two weeks out. I will let you know how it goes.

Okay so maybe it was because I got to see it as diced eggs in the food processor before I puréed it but the purée egg salad isn’t bad. I cut the fat by using half low fat Mayo, half Greek yogurt like the recipe suggested and then cut it even further by using three eggs instead of two but cut out two of the egg yolks. This made around 1/2 cup. I didn’t put any onion in because I’m a little afraid this early out if missing a chunk but I used onion powder and it’s not bad at all.

Hello everyone, and happy Sunday! I'm feeling quite a bit better now that my body finally evacuated what was bothering it. I'd kind of forgotten about the Milk of Magnesia I'd purchased, and yesterday it came to my rescue. Those protein shakes (30g) are no joke, especially if you're taking any medication that slows your digestion further. Yesterday afternoon, even after getting past the constipation, my body just wasn't feeling like much intake, either liquids or 'food'. I found myself getting full after only an ounce of the chicken noodle soup broth and a few teaspoons of yogurt. I struggled for the first time getting my fluids in; I think I had gotten lax about the sip-sip-sip method and maybe was trying to drink too much at once when I drank. It's definitely hard to resist the urge to go back to gulping, especially when the beverage it cold and satisfying, and I feel dry mouth creeping in. Tomorrow is technically my puree day but I skipped ahead just slightly to try to move away from those heavy protein shakes. I realized I'm very sensitive to the texture of my scrambled egg and had to recook it, pre-mixed with about a half tablespoon of skim milk, and instead of the butter he'd initially tried I just used a very light splash of olive oil. That gave me the light, moist scrambled egg I was looking for. I reread my book and while it suggested you might want to start with just egg whites I just couldn't make myself hold to that. I am trying to get better about spacing out the 'not drinking 30 mins before/after' now that I'm beginning to eat some actual food. That's a very hard thing to do, honestly, because I'm noticing that no matter how much I chew without a drink the food just feels kind of stuck in my throat for a bit. I can see now why my friend said she found drinking a broth type soup in the morning 'primed' her stomach for the day. @draikaina8503 & @Pepper_No_Salt - How are you two feeling? I hope that your surgeries went smoothly. @Pepper_No_Salt I'm glad you can mix in some variety with additives to your plant based shakes - I was close enough to losing my mind during the pre-op diet so I think that being limited further would have driven me over the edge! I'm going to look up that PB2 you mentioned because I'm curious about it! (Back to you, @draikaina8503 , just saw your post-op post!) Oh my gosh I hate that your body did that to you RIGHT before your surgery. Mine at least gave me two days I'm very glad they kept you at least another night! I hope they are helping you keep your pain managed. Yeah; it will definitely take some walking to get that gas pain to leave but in the mean time don't be shy in asking for those ice packs and your pain medication! Sometimes managing the pain, then walking with the ice pack is the only way to work it out - at least that was my experience, and I've heard the same from a few others. Thinking back, one thing I wish I'd done while in the hospital was be a BIT more squeaky - I remember now that when my Mom was in the hospital I had to shove a bunch of pillows behind her back when I put the hospital bed up at an incline so she could get a good enough angle in bed to safely sip liquids. I think that would have helped me tremendously, because I relegated myself to using their recliner a lot just so I could be upright, and it didn't work very well AT ALL. Hope you're starting to feel better! (Coming back to you @Pepper_No_Salt since I now see your post-op post!) : Oh my gosh I feel you on the cold drink thing! I was a bit grumpy when I asked the nurse at my 10 day post-op and she casually said, "Oh, room temperature is mainly just the first few days because foods of extreme temperatures CAN cause uncomfortable cramping'. My fella covered his mouth to hide his snort of understanding at the look I gave him, having had to hear me whine off and on for ten days about how I'd give anything for a COLD drink of something. Figuring out the sips is tricky. They gave me little medicine cups that hold about an ounce and for me, sipping one of those 2-3 times felt about right at first. I'm sure this is another one of those things that depends on the person. I also alternated one ounce of gatorade/proper (they had brought me a kiwi watermelon that elicited heartburn, the berry was ok if I went slow - Also weirdly orange gatorade zero goes down better than watermelon, guess its all based on the acid and flavoring? @draikaina8503 - I read where you discussed being pretty limited on the shakes due to dietary restrictions. That's rough It's very cool that you write the same genres as me - I, too, have given Nanowrimo a try but never seem to stick with it to the finish line. Maybe I'll try it again this year! I'm glad you mentioned it. Yes - I meant to follow up all week long on making sure I was on the waiting list, and lo and behold... it's Sunday, and I never did. I'm bad on a good day at executive function, so during stressful times like this recovery - whew. I need to add it as a task to my Finch app so my mind stops blanking on it. I hope they were able to do your full surgery with no complications. @Singingbarista - I hope your recovery is going well! I didn't feel too terribly at first but I am suspecting more and more based off of people's feedback that I almost certainly had a nerve block that took a good 4-5 days to completely wear off. The achiness has built over time, and I hope that is different for you! @AndreaJD - Yay! Another writer & Nanowrimo participant! I guess it isn't too surprising that several of us writing folks would find one another on a forum, but I still think it's really cool. Superhero fan fiction sounds fun; I'd say that some of the powers my characters have are very overlapping, like magic use. It would be awesome if you could get some productive writing done during recovery but I also wanted to encourage you not to be too hard on yourself if you can't. My mind feels muddy and I feel drowsy far more often than I would like. I know I'll probably feel SO much better in about a week, but it's sure hard not to be impatient. I also wanted to mention that I didn't have much trouble at all getting my fluids down at first, either, and that's definitely not a bad thing. My nurse told me there will be good days and harder days, and yesterday I definitely experienced that. It was the first day I didn't make my fluid goal, like I wrote above - and I tried to push it in the evening but that was a bad idea. The Berry Propel I drank a bit too quickly before laying down (should have waited longer, d'oh!) ended up giving me heartburn that woke me up around 3am. It's all trial and error, I guess. Dang - wish I'd thought of having tomato soup pre-op! No idea why I didn't - now it'll probably be a while before I dare due to potential acid reflux. Ahh well! I'm going to try some of that blended Progresso Chicken Noodle in my puree stage I think if it passes the 'book check' - it sounds amazing. @Averdra & @caseyash30 - Are you two still surgery twins on the 21st? I'm trying to backtrack and I know that you said there were possible concerns do to a potential Covid case, @Averdra. I hope that's smoothed out for you! I realized while I was doing my recap that I never mentioned - traveling to Lithuania sounds so exotic to me, as a resident of the Midwestern U!. The furthest I've ever been is Alberta, Canada! Not that you would get to go sightseeing or anything; I get it. I know a lot of folks from the US travel to Mexico for their surgeries. Very cool that you were another WoW OG! The game sure has changed a lot, hasn't it? @caseyash30 - How goes the pre-op diet? Are you getting nervous or eager as the date approaches? For me it all just felt really surreal. @Onemealplan & @Greekmom4 - Tomorrow is my 14 day post op! I was paying close attention to your discussions about puree - because to be honest, I'm kind of stumped on this particular stage. I just managed about half a scrambled egg and a couple of teaspoons of my sugar free Chobani and I just feel so full. The whole time I was eyeballing my sugar free gatorade, thinking how ready I was to just be through with food so I could set a timer to be able to start hydrating. As it is, I have hiccups from the two tiny sips of Gatorade I allowed myself just to make the egg not feel stuck in my throat. I know everyone's experiences are going to vary significantly; the friend I have who had surgery previously said she had a lot of luck sipping the French onion soup mixed, especially in the mornings. She's two years post op and doesn't seem to have trouble eating small servings of most anything she wants now, minus much fried foods or rich desserts. She had a full gastric bypass, for reference. She told me that ricotta was a big win for her because it could be blended and made either savory or sweet, depending on if you chose vegetables or fruit, and also said she really enjoyed refried beans through the puree with mild seasoning to make it more like a taco. I have a gastric sleeve cookbook that offers a lot of different smoothie varieties. Other than that - I'm just not sure what sounds appealing as a puree, despite the nurse saying 'you can puree almost anything but stringy / dense meat!' I can see how the chicken or tuna salad would work - tuna just scares me for some reason. I wonder if I'd be able to do a salmon salad instead of tuna salad. Also - @Onemealplan - Yeah, I tried having my fella puree me some canned kidney beans on Friday, just to test the waters, and they didn't settle well for me. I can't say they are what caused me to have trouble passing gas and extra trouble with my constipation - it seems unlikely since I skimmed away the 'shell' and only ate probably a teaspoon and a half worth, but I just don't know. It tasted great to me, but just made me nervous. This is probably in part because I've dealt with IBS and beans of that sort along with ground beef or tomato sauce with too much basil were trigger type foods for me. I concur on the puree'd meats sound distinctly unappetizing. I'm hoping I can get away with mashing cooked salmon or something like that. Wooo! I did it! I hope I didn't miss anyone - I feel caught up finally! Now, to go rest with my ice pack.

Exactly, I also was surprised because I learned everything from online and tiktok haha but I will just repeat this I am from the middle east so I think it's a bit different here. She told ne 1st week should be nutritional and waters then week 2 I add the protien shakes and so on. Also since I am typing, TMI warning do u guys happen to get the random runs? Like I thought I was just passing gas but it was more than that. I still haven't done number 2 since my op on Wednesday but I've had this episode for the 2nd time. Not painful but just passing air and liquid

I never stopped taking stool softeners twice a day since surgery and I'm over a year out. I was concerned to continue as I didn't want my body to become reliant on them but I was told softeners were not like a laxative and only brings more water into the intestines to keep things moving regularly and avoid constipation. With a laxative your body becomes dependent on them. Big difference. The last thing I want is to get constipated and have a weight stall because of it. I haven't had one day of constipation so there is no need to stop taking them. It will not harm you to do so.

After an unfortunate experience with banana yogurt (I put some skim milk in it and put it in the bullet blender), I have had some nice successes with my full liquid stage, which lasts 2 weeks. The berry Oikos Pro yogurt thinned with skim milk is great, Jello pudding is really good, Progresso Tomato soups are amazing, and Progresso chicken noodle soup blended smooth is probably the best thing I've had since surgery. I put protein powder in everything - still working to get the amount of protein powder right. Took a Tylenol, and that's the only pain med today. My guts feel kind of "loose", if you know what I mean - like they're jostling around in there, but it's not bad. Those who have yet to have your surgery, hope it goes as well for you, too!

I was sent home with a stronger med for constipation. I didn’t take it. Can’t recall when I started on the coloxyl. I think it was pretty much after that but I only took it (1 tablet) if I hadn’t been for three days. Five years out & I only take it if I need it which may be once one week then no need for a couple of weeks. It is good to keep on top of the constipation but you don’t want to become too reliant on it. Gotta keep your systems working as much on their own as possible. I’m presuming you need to keep things pretty soft after bypass or SADI more so than sleeve simply as you don’t want to strain your intestines at least until you are more healed.

I’m 5 years out. I take a docusate at bedtime twice a week. Just enough to keep things regular with my high protein diet.