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Hi there, I was sleeved June 19 and I had this!! I had 2 ER visits and was re admitted to hospital. I referred myself to a gastroenterologist in the end. That is what you need. My pain was only at night too! Here is my long story and I hope it helps you. Please know I am feeling better now. You’ve had complications but there is hope. Here is what I posted last night in another thread. Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 19/6 (Australian date format lol). My experience was no smooth sailing and I developed severe complications despite seeing the best surgeon at the best hospital. I’ve felt really scared, alone and isolated so I am delighted to find this forum. my weight was only 92 pre op and I guess I was considered a healthy young woman. 5 days post op I developed a severe burning pain deep inside my stomach. After numerous emergency visits and tests, it was determine I did not have a gastric leak. I had to be re admitted to hospital to manage the most severe pain of my life, for another 5 days and they still didn’t know what was wrong. Long story short, I had to self refer myself to a gastroenterologist who immediately knew what was wrong. I had developed bile reflux from my bowel into my freshly cut stomach which was causing the searing pain, severe inflammatory gastritis of my stomach lining, which then caused pancreatitis and severe spasms of my actual stomach. Because of all of this I could not even get Water down and my throat was burning and mouth dried up from bile damage. He put me on a bunch of new intense meds and nearly 6 weeks post op now I am starting to feel normal. It’s been a really scary rough ride and emotional and I haven’t known if I’ve made the right decision. I can eat about 1/4 cup soft foods now which I am grateful for. Anyway I wanted to share my story in case you ever come across someone with these symptoms and doctors don’t believe them / don’t know what is wrong.

As someone who has had a plethora of complications from my 1st surgery and then 1 or 2 small ones with my revision, I can 100% understand how you're feeling. But try to remember that our bodies go haywire after major surgery like this. It will eventually calm down, and when it does, it will all be worth it. No matter what, I still don't regret either surgery. I'm so much stronger, healthier, I got off 4 meds, I'm no longer diabetic or have high blood pressure, I can do a 3 1/2 mile hike with no issues, I can work out 5 days a week and really push myself, and my mobility is SO SO much better. The complications are temporary but the benefits are permanent.

Type 2 here… My last shot of insulin was in my pre-diet phase. My sugar dropped like a stone after. I actually ended up back in the hospital two weeks after surgery with starvation ketoacidosis. My doctor said I was following the post surgery diet to strictly(all protein) and I needed to add back in a few healthy carbs here and there to keep my insulin level steady. I think that shot you took was a mistake. Until it clears, you will need carbs to keep your sugar up. After that, monitor your levels and adjust diet as required. Of course, all of this should be checked by your doctor and his team.

Same for me too, different insurance though. I also had to lose 5% of my starting weight in six months. I really struggled with it. In the past I had been able to lose more than that within 3 months, but this time I had had to see a registered dietician as part of the program. I ate what she told me to eat and I also was required to exercise a minimum of 5 days a week. It took me 5 months to lose the 5%. I went to my final weigh-in at the 6-month mark and I was 1lb OVER the 5% goal. This meant I was not allowed to meet with the surgeon or do the testing the surgeon requires before the surgery. I had to call my insurance and explain to them what happened. They allowed me to have a weigh-in 4 days later. At this weigh-in, I was 8lbs BELOW the goal weight. I have since seen the surgeon, and had all of my testing done. I am not allowed to be over the goal weight at all. It is really hard trying to maintain this while I wait to get a surgery date ( If I am over the goal weight on the surgery day, then the surgery will be canceled) and it has added a lot of unnecessary stress. I constantly weigh myself several times a day, and I am super paranoid about eating. No food funerals for me and I am envious of everyone who gets to do one. If my surgery gets canceled for being 1lb over, which I was told it would be, then I will call my insurance again.

My nutritionist said pretty much the same thing, that there's not enough research showing we absorb enough through the skin, but that things are always changing so maybe in the future. She expressed her frustration with liquid vitamin manufacturers not making them bariatric appropriate. I tried them for a couple weeks but soon forgot to put them on. I did feel like I had a little bit more energy/alertness, though.

Since you’ve started maybe just keep to one or two shakes a day & have a meal of portion & calorie controlled protein & vegetables/salads for the other meal/s. You’ve started to break some of your sugar & carb dependencies & it seems a waste to throw that away. A two week pre surgery diet is pretty common though some are only on a one or two diet. They can take the form of an all liquid (protein shakes) or two protein shakes & one meal of protein & vegetables or a specific diet of solid food (I was on keto). Just depends on your surgeon. Mine gives different patients different diets depending on several factors including starting weight, weight loss/gain history & medical status. All the best what ever you choose to do.

Hi all! Newbie here... I've been lurking for months though. LOL I got notice today that my policy covers the surgery but that I cannot gain any weight the entire time I'm in a bariatric program. I'm curious, how many other people have had this as a clause in their policy? And if so, how did you deal with it? Did you gain weight and get kicked out? I find this to be such an absurd requirement. If I could control what the scale does I wouldn't be pursuing weight loss surgery in the first place! I just gained 10 lbs in the last 3 weeks on a new medication (Lyrica) that I have to stop now because its not worth the gain. Doctors are always playing with my meds, what if something else causes me to gain before surgery?? This is such an annoying detail to have to worry about.

The pre-op diet is really difficult for all of us OP. A full 2 weeks of liquids before surgery is one of the stricter regimes I've seen but if that's what your surgeon is telling you to do then you'll need to do it. Hope it gets easier every day. I wish you the best of luck.

Iam 40yr old female and I am 5’7” Starting weight 346. Surgery Weight 290 One month post-op 276 Two months post-op 268 I just hit three months post-op on 20th of July and I am at 257lbs

Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 19/6 (Australian date format lol). My experience was no smooth sailing and I developed severe complications despite seeing the best surgeon at the best hospital. I’ve felt really scared, alone and isolated so I am delighted to find this forum. my weight was only 92 pre op and I guess I was considered a healthy young woman. 5 days post op I developed a severe burning pain deep inside my stomach. After numerous emergency visits and tests, it was determine I did not have a gastric leak. I had to be re admitted to hospital to manage the most severe pain of my life, for another 5 days and they still didn’t know what was wrong. Long story short, I had to self refer myself to a gastroenterologist who immediately knew what was wrong. I had developed bile reflux from my bowel into my freshly cut stomach which was causing the searing pain, severe inflammatory gastritis of my stomach lining, which then caused pancreatitis and severe spasms of my actual stomach. Because of all of this I could not even get water down and my throat was burning and mouth dried up from bile damage. He put me on a bunch of new intense meds and nearly 6 weeks post op now I am starting to feel normal. It’s been a really scary rough ride and emotional and I haven’t known if I’ve made the right decision. I can eat about 1/4 cup soft foods now which I am grateful for. Anyway I wanted to share my story in case you ever come across someone with these symptoms and doctors don’t believe them / don’t know what is wrong. Great to meet you all! Thanks for sharing your journeys!

Hi, July Buddies! I'm sorry I haven't been posting or replying for a few weeks; I'm bad at keeping up with social media. But I have been thinking about you all and praying for your surgeries to go well! My July 12 surgery went well with no complications. I'm still finding it hard to get enough liquids in throughout the day. I've been averaging like 30 ounces a day. Even though my mouth is constantly thirsty, my stomach feels uncomfortably full all the time. Fighting thoughts of feeling like a failure. I want to get up and do more, but my one attempt at a short grocery trip made me break out in a sweat, and I'm worried about dehydration. I'm finally on the last day of 2 weeks of twice-daily Lovenox self-injections and I want to throw a party. Anyone else have to do this? I bruise more easily than fruit so these have been more painful than my incisions. But of course bruises are far less deadly than blood clots, so I'm trying to be thankful for the medicine that hurts me.

That seems about right. The cream.of wheat and mashed potatoes need to be thinned out with liquid to a consistency that it will easily pour off the spoon... basically watered, well, milked, down. Think thick soup or stew broth. You mentioned not doing the baby food meat....I don't blame you. Just make sure you're getting enough protein though supplements and approved foods. I felt like I was eating or drinking every waking moment my first 4-6 weeks.

Finally. Surgery day is here! God, I can't do this without You. I completed my 14-day clear liquid sugar-free and caffeine-free diet along with some protein drinks. I didn't cheat once. That in itself is a miracle! I've lost 10 lbs. during this time, and 25 lbs. overall (since January 1st). I was placed on prednisone (steroid) twice this past Spring, which set me back. It causes. much weight gain whenever I'm on it and it takes many weeks to get the weight off. So as I was losing, I'd gain weight while on that medication. So frustrating, but it's behind me, hopefully forever. These two weeks really prepared my mind for this journey moving forward. I will work to continue strengthening this new mindset. Not easy, right? I appreciate the input this forum - you beautiful people - has provided. I hope optimal health and strong minds for you all. Onward! 💟

Like you pointed out, it will get a little better after day three. Your body starts to acclimate to the reduced calories. The bad news is, well, it sucks. There’s no getting around it and it’s one of the harder parts of the journey. I tried to find distractions around the house and tried to stay as busy as possible. Use this time also to rest for your upcoming surgery. Get lots of sleep. Hang in there!

Gosh, I have to try this as it sounds so, yummy! I've been wanting to try the recipe that call for the cauliflower crust, too. Finally, just 5 weeks out and trying to lose as much as possible before 3 month visit. @CarmenG I always thought the sleeve was the revision to the RNy didn't know that's a possibility. Thanks

I guess I want to echo the sentiments of the initial post. I am 11 weeks post-op and everything tastes terrible. I can’t tolerate any liquid or powder protein, so I am extremely limited in what I consume. I just want to know if I will ever be able to just taste something and it’s good and enjoyable? Please help

they seem to work for some people, but not for others. I've never tried them since I'd probably be one of the ones for whom they don't work. Although I've considered getting them for traveling, since even if they didn't really work for me, I don't think a few days or a week would matter much.

I've returned from the land of those out of it. I was severely dehydrated a week after the surgery and I'm back on track drinking and eating soft foods. I had to up the water game since were going to the beach this weekend. My sister is also taking me to Disney in October . She purposely made sure I was in the next level for eating. I am thankful she had the surgery before me.

Mashed potatoes will be during the puree stage starting at 3 week. HOWEVER, each program is different.

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

I very truly feel your pain. I was sleeved in 2009 and I did fantastic the first 6 years. I lost 149 lbs and 9 dress sizes. At first, I wasn't even exercising and the weight just melted away daily. When I got down to the weight limit that could not be exceeded on an elliptical machine that I borrowed from a sister, I started exercising on it. Eventually, I was using the elliptical for an hour, non-stop, 5 days a week. Everything began to change in December 2014. My father passed away and he was the be all end all of existence for me. I am the youngest of 13 kids and was totally a daddy's girl. He was very ill already, but he ended up dying on my mom's birthday from a heart attack in his sleep. I was the first one to get to his house after my brother who was taking care of him called us all. When I got to my dad, his eyes were still open. My brother was dealing with the coroner and the police officer. I really freaked out and thought I'd better close his eyes before my other sisters or my nieces and nephews saw him. So I did. I closed my father's eyes. My heart broke in half right at that moment. I kinda lost my sh*t. My doc ended up putting me on Xanax and Ambien. Fast forward a few months to April 2015, I ended up getting divorced. Then 15 months later in July 2016 my mother died. Her heart stopped, and during CPR administration, her ribs broke and one pierced her lung. It filled with fluid and because she'd had respiratory issues most of her life, they couldn't help her. She died after 3 agonizing days in the hospital. Then in 2017, I was transferred from one job post to another. They weren't even going to tell me until right before I showed up for work, I found out sooner by accident. I'd been at that post for 10 years. It was a retaliation from a supervisor who knew that I knew too much information about illegal activity that went on under his nose. Literally, every year something horrible was happening to me. The anxiety, depression, and meds led to me not giving a sh*t about what I ate and a lot of drinking. I was drinking every night. I wasn't exercising anymore. I was eating anything I wanted to eat. It was still very little food, because I had a lot of restriction. But I was eating every kind of junk food you can think of. I was eating at all hours of the day. I was grazing, as they call it. I could eat every 3 hours. And the alcohol was just straight shots of tequila. By 2022, I had regained most of my weight and gone back up 6 sizes. You can lose weight again. You can detox from carbs. You can go back to protein shakes. This past May, I started dieting (on my own) because the doc wanted me to lose weight before he'd do the revision. I was drinking a protein shake for breakfast and for lunch, then I was eating a good, solid, very low carb (even zero carb) dinner. No alcohol. In 30 days, I lost 30 lbs. And this was before my surgery. It is absolutely possible, but you have to make the effort and you have to have the discipline. The first 3-4 days are tough as you detox, but then it just gets easier and easier. I wish you luck, friend.

Mine was just 24 hours of liquid prior - but my husband was 2 weeks when he had it done. in his case, (insulin dependent diabetic), he had to have an endoscopy prior to having a surgery date. He was put on a 3 day liquid diet prior to the endoscopy and it showed he had food in his stomach from 4 days prior to the liquid diet! The doctor said that diabetics don’t digest their food well. so doing our liquid phase is dependent on our challenges personally and to make sure there is no food in our stomachs as well as shrink the liver.

Hi all November 2021 people! I want to do a little update because this thread is the only 'diary' I ever actually made - it's fascinating to look back at some of the posts we all made as we went along. I hope you are all doing really well. There aren't many of us posting regularly here any more so I hope that's because you are all too busy enjoying your new life. I am but I just like it here too, LOL. So, my current weight is 139 lbs - it's gone up and down by 2 or 3 pounds within the range 137 - 140 for the last 3 or 4 months but so far no further than that, and I don't take any particular action when those couple of pounds go on. Calorie intake is still about 1300 on weekdays and probably more like 1800-2000 at weekends now (alcohol and limited snacks). I still track everything. I walk A LOT for exercise. I stopped running after a few attempts because even though I enjoyed it it was causing me pain afterwards that lasted for days and then I couldn't do my usual walks so ended up costing me exercise time! I really want to get into some weights but I have such a busy life (excuse alert!) that I am short of time after I fit in all my walks. I am thankful every day that I had this surgery. Honestly, even if I regained every pound tomorrow it would have been worth it just to have this time feeling normal and being able to do normal things. We have a family vacation starting next week that I would have dreaded before, and now I can't wait and am signing up for every single activity along with my children. I would love to hear from anyone in the original gang who still reads but doesn't post much.

Mashed potatoes will be for later. First 2 weeks is Clear liquids only - anything you can see through.