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Hi everyone! well, had my sleeve yesterday.... i told my aneshtesiologist that i tend to get nauseous after general anesthesia. she pre-medicated me for nausea before she put me out. when i woke up, i moved in the bed and got really nauseous again - my anesthesiologist was standing right there and she gave me meds again (zofran), and i never had nausea again after that. yay! i had to pee a lot when i woke up, and had a hard time using the bedpan (tried about 5 times and could only have partial success). after about 3 hours after my surgery, they let me walk to the bathroom and i was able to go well - that felt a lot better. i didnt need any pain meds in the post-anesthesia recovery area, or when i first got to my room. i went for a walk, and then i needed something. i had 15 mg of Toradol IV every 6 hours since then and that was all i needed (am trying to avoid then strong narcotics if possible). the pain is not too bad and is definitely tolerable. i alternated between sleeping in bed, sitting in chair, going to the bathroom to pee, and taking walks all afternoon and evening. after another dose of toradol at about 10 pm, was able to sleep almost five hours. this morning, i got up, washed up, walked again and then had my leg vein ultrasound (to look for blood clots) and then my swallow test. that was a little rough - the gastrograffin is gross. my surgeon told me to just take little sips, so i ended up taking in about an ounce of the stuff total. that was enough for them to see everything. thankfully, i had no issues and no leak! luckily i had no nausea aft the test, but i did have some burning and fullness. relieved with toradol and pepcid. when i came back, i passed gas and actually was able to have a small bowel movement... i think the walking really helped that move along... i am now starting my Clear liquids - if i can tolerate them ok, then i will be able to go home later tonight. keeping my fingers crossed! thanks again to all of you for the supoport and good wishes! everyone here has been so supportive! good luck to everyone having their surgeries soon - looking forward to hearing your stories too.... - Sarah

I go to doc on the 19th he said if I'm 250 he will give me my surgery date. Well as of today in 260 will I make it??? Any suggestions??? Sent from my HTC Desire 626s using the BariatricPal App

My pre op diet is a 14 day diet with liquids and authorized bowl or can of soup, only restriction stay away from creamy Soups and basil. I’m scheduled for my Gastric sleeve on 07/29/2013 I’m currently on week 2 day 10 OF 14. A few things I have noticed during my pre op diet Day 1,of my actual diet was quite easy because the day before I started, I ate several large meals that consisted of a bunch of Protein and salad type veggies, with very little carbs for example I had taco salads with no tortilla(s) or chips. So on my first day of liquids I spent a lot of time in the Restroom taking care of business because of the large meals. Day 2-4 I found myself battling with the temptation of cheating with cheat meals, only to then start battling with myself on what type of cheat meal to eat. I was goggling every web site and ad I could find on how many people cheated on their diet, what they ate, did their surgeries go ok, and etc. The majority of information I found that people were cheating and still made it successfully through their surgeries. No one that cheated badly even reported they didn’t have their surgery. Some people had binges and ate like the surgery was a funeral for food. I did cheat on my 6th day; I gave in to my mental distress of not having what I wanted. For my cheat meal I had a light chicken salad instead of dressing I had salsa to replace it. At this point I figured hey I really need this because I’m oh so hungry and I can’t go on. Well this couldn’t be farther from the truth in reality I only wanted to cheat because I’m an emotional eater. I was bored stuck at the hospital with my wife the night before and the stress of everything was piling on top of me. I also found out by goggling in different states various surgeons were requiring little to no pre op diets. So how dare they put us on this crazy diet (lol)? I wondered with me drinking a bunch of fluids and having no solid food for 2 weeks really that healthy for me, in my opinion it’s no more healthier than the taco salad I ate, and it’s no healthier than the guy or girl who has that binge meal every night because the depression of being overweight, and their dissatisfied with their quality of life, I included. So my food addiction like so many others have made us seek out a surgery that lowers the appetite, our intake of food, strict guidelines on when we can advance our diets. So why was I so shocked and paranoid about a simple diet, lord knows if someone told me that I would need to eat a medium pizza, drink several beers ,and eat various sweets like cakes or ice cream for 2 weeks straight I would be like you’re crazy. Why would I eat all that unhealthy food on purpose. So the pre op diet is not that bad in my opinion, is it hard hell yes, can someone really do it yes you can, why, because your new life depends on you, and the food choices you make. The pre op diet in my opinion is more mental than physically damaging. I believe this because my ego, my man hood was challenged because I had to be told what I could eat and drink , this just can’t be right because I’m my own boss right (lol)? Not so fast remember I’m the guy who got me into these bad eating habits and I was the one who was so quick to look for an excuse to blame my mental health, my work conditions, the bad news I got, and that failed promotion that didn’t go through. At the time these excuses seemed to make so much sense to me. But 10 days later now my Food detox is complete , my caffeine detox is complete but I’m not cured by a long shot. Since day 8 I have removed my soup and just made it with all liquids and Protein shakes. So it was and is all in my mind that I just couldn't do this 2 week liquid pre op diet. My starting weight was 316 lbs and day ten I’m down to 289 lbs, with only light walking as exercise. 4 more days to go and I’m actually looking forward to it. I have had a lot more energy than I have had in years, my head is a lot clearer, I even have more patience with people than usual. This by no means is something I (us) could do for life, but two weeks no problem. I’m excited about changing my life in a positive direction and welcome the new relationship with food. So stay busy and don’t stress about the diet just take it one minute, one hour, one day at a time. I’m doing it and you can to.

I'm doing a count down like several others - I have two goals I'm pushing toward, the first is my healthy BMI goal, and my Doctors goal for me - 155. I'm currently at 171 and 16 lbs to go for that goal. After hitting the 155, I will push for my goal of 145. It has been 20 years since I was in the 170's. Of all the diets I have been on, I never thought or never did, get this close to goal. The fact to be just 16 lbs away from being NORMAL, is just amazing to me, its almost unbelievable. I am wearing a 10/12 now. I used to wear an 18/20. I went shopping this weekend and bought a size 10 jeans - and it felt so great to walk out of the store with them - even though they were $80! I wanted to shout at everyone at the mall, "hey these are a freaken size 10 people"!!!! Anyhow, I don't want to stop now, I don't want to think this is it, I want to complete this race, I want to finish it to the end. So my countdown to goal, 16 lbs!:embaressed_smile:

Mine did the exact same thing. Lost 9 the first week and then nothing for 10 days. Just be patient. It'll come.

Started liquids 9/4, sleeved 9/19. Lost 14 pre-op, 6 post-op, but scale hasn't budged. Is this the stall I hear about? I'm not freaking out or upset, just mind blown to stall one week post-op!

My surgery was 11/14/13 - 4 weeks ago tomorrow...Here's an update on what's going on with me. The Protein shakes are really getting to me. I’m so sick of them!!!!! I know it’s time to start changing it up – I have to the break the vanilla, strawberry and chocolate barrier. This week I found a sample pack of Health Wise Soups that I forgot I purchased before surgery. Jackpot!!!!! The Cream of chicken was so good – it has a little less protein (15 grams vs. 20 with a shake), but that 5 grams of protein was worth my sanity that night. I have also had the chocolate mixed with warm 1% milk and some sugar-free peppermint syrup. That was a nice treat on a cold, snowy night reading my book. This morning, I mixed a chocolate with a cup of decaf coffee, a splash of 1% milk and some sugar-free salted caramel syrup – Caramel Mocha, anyone? Yum! I also have some products on order – hot chocolate (high protein), oatmeal (high protein/low carb) and some Click decaf coffee. I need to get out of this rut – getting your protein in is so important and it’s difficult to get that last shake in, mainly because I just don’t want it. I haven’t stepped on the scale in a week – tomorrow is weigh in day and I’m a little scared. I feel really good physically – I still get tired easily, but for the most part, I feel good. I’ve been exercising at the gym walking at least 2 miles per day and usually 2.5 miles or more. Yesterday I did a personal best of 60 minutes and 3 miles (thanks to the hubs for saying he had a few more minutes of his workout left, so I ended up going a whole hour!). I’m more worried about the mental aspect of weighing and not getting the result I’m looking for. I feel like I’m getting smaller – I didn’t feel like that late-last week or early-this week, but I do now. I don’t know if that is Water retention or me just being psycho… I am still in the same jeans I wore pre-op, which is a little depressing. I think I was in denial about how tight those jeans really were pre-surgery! Plus they are made out of that stretchy jean-like material, so about 10 minutes after you put them on they will stretch to your bulk – a great characteristic if your fat and lumpy. They certainly aren’t tight now and they are a little loose in the waist. I will probably need to get new ones in a couple of weeks. I can’t wear my 2X Old Navy yoga pants any more – they literally fall off me. I am keeping one pair as a reminder of how big I really got. I should burn the rest of them. Tomorrow I move to a “soft foods” diet. I have been on puree foods the past two weeks, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t puree a lot. I let my chompers do the pureeing for me. My surgeon and my local doctor are polar opposites when it comes to food. My surgeon said, “Introduce foods as soon as you can and no need to puree if you have teeth and saliva.” You could almost hear my local doctor gasp when I told her that – she is much more conservative and I think if she thought she wouldn’t have a mutiny on her hands, she would make patients wait a year before trying Greek yogurt. So, I’ve been doing a hybrid mainly for my sanity. I chew, chew, chew and chew some more. The Eat Slower app is also a helper – it slows you down and helps remind you to chew your food. I purchased the Carb Balance Tortilla shells – the whole-wheat fajita size has 3 net carbs. I have had dreams about those shells! I want a taco (small, baby taco) and a pizza with the shell as the crust. Mmmmm…can’t wait.

I would look for protein shakes that have higher levels of protein. Some have only 10 grams of protein whereas others have 25.

Hi my name is lacey and I'm 27 years old. I am a wife and mom of 4. I have two sons 10 and 4, and two daughters 8 and 5. Prior to getting pregnant at the age 16 I was around 5ft 7 and 150 lbs. It seemed like the weight just came out of the middle of nowhere as one day u couldn't tell I was pregnant to the next I popped. I gained 80lbs my pregnancy at the end I also had preeclampsia. After I had my son the weight never seemed to come off. I since then have had 3 more kids back to back. My weight has always went up. Around 6mths ago I quit drinking Dr pepper which was my addiction and thought for sure I would have to lose some weight. That never happened.I have been considering weightloss surgery for along time but recently within last few months I have completed everything. I am so looking forward to going outside to play with my kids without running out of breath. I used to be so active and play sports myself and can't wait to do it again with my son. He asks me all the time mom do u wanna go play and I really do want to but I physically cant. It makes me feel so bad. I would like to have my self confidence back like I used to. Hard yo believe my teenage years I was selected for modeling but wouldn't believe it now. I don't expect to be likeffective I was when I was 16 but I do want to be healthy and make my hubby and kids proud of me. I should have a surgery date by friday for around 1st to middle of july. I'm so anxious and excited for the start of my new life. 1st picture before my pregnancy and weight gain 2nd and 3rd picture today weighing 286

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:frown:Can your port be knocked loose? I noticed last night and this morning, I can not feel port like I used to. I also noticed I am not filling the restiriction in eating last night and this morning. I was banded 10-24-08 and have lost 40 lbs and very happy. But something does not feel right. Could I have become unfilled? I hit my left side on corner of bar type piece of furnitiure yesterday afternoon . Kathy:frown:

Hi Karen~ I agree, this is a great place! I'm sorta new here too, but I cannot stop myself from coming here every 10 seconds. LOL. Everyone here is so supportive. Well, hope to see you around more and I wish you luck on your journey to WLS.

So I had my third fill 06/02. I had been frustrated because the weight loss had been so slow. Then on Saturday I get on the scale and I am down ten pounds!!!! Finally some progress. Well today I hopped on the scale because we will be out of town tomorrow and guess what? I am up ten pounds. What the heck is that all about? I haven't changed any thing. Has this happened to any one else? I haven't had a BM since Sunday, but I can't image that there is 10 lbs of pooh in me. Any one have any ideas?

I am 5 1/2 weeks post-op and have never had any shoulder pain, until last night. I did not relate it to the surgery for 3 hours as I laid in bed just dying, and worrying about everything else it could be. Pain meds did absolutely nothing. Then I had a thought about what people on LBT have said about gas pains in the shoulder way after the surgery and I got up and took 2 gas-x chewables. My pain was gone 10 minutes later. I was glad I finally remembered what advice was given here, but mad at myself for not figuring it out sooner. :wink2:

yes well i thought getting married was a good idea too,,just joking but do we really no what we are getting into,,nobody really knows untill the deed is done ,,thats why i have looked at th ups and downs,,and if i have to start exercising why don't i just do that now,,i have;nt done really all that much,,but if i have to why don't i just do it now,,and forget the band,,well i don't eat right now,,thats why i'm overweight,,what makes me think i'm gonna suddenly do it with the band,,,like you said this is a tool,, and this is why i'm having these questions,,,i've passed all the tests and supposedly i'm a great canadate,,but i'm really starting to struggle,,with these questions i have for myself,,i'm 10 days away from my band date and i'm wearing 3 pairs of insulated socks if you no what i mean,,this is really some soul searching we all have to do,,man can you imagine what the early bandsters went through when they didn't have this wonderfull support group to just log on and get all this great support,,,it is all wonderful,,but i can't help to wonder if i will get buyers remorse,,trust me i'm totally normal i think,,lol i just wonder if most people have felt this way...thanks everyone

I'm on less than 20 carbs a day, and atleast65-75 grams of Protein a day. For dinner I I don't make me something separate. I just make low carb for my husband too and if he wants a piece of bread with it or something that's fine. Or for instance, the other night we had friends over for dinner... I made fajitas and I bought the low carb tortillas( not the ones that taste like cat food but the white ones made by Mission)z each small tortilla is 5 carbs. So I had two. I knew ahead of time that's what we were having so I made sure to have no carbs early on in the day. I suggest a high Protein shake for lunch. That will definitely help with getting your protein in and help with your lunch temptations. Also, in the morning, I get a route 44 Water with lemon and lime from sonic and sip on that. I fill it up a couple more times a day and then I'm good! You can do it! The first three days of sticking too it were the hardest for me. I felt so deprived. But if you just put your mind to it you can do it! I've lost 10 lbs in 10 days.

IMO, a surgery that involves cutting holes in the anesthetized patient's abdomen, sticking instruments in there, moving around organs, and clamping a medical device around the stomach is invasive, so to me, both the band and the sleeve are invasive. But... the invasiveness of the sleeve is permanent. If you don't like it afterwards, you're stuck because the 75-80% of your stomach that was removed is never coming back. Neither is the sleeve adjustable. I lost my band for various reasons (mostly unrelated to the band itself). I thought the sleeve was going to be a good 2nd choice because it would elliminate my physical hunger, and it wouldn't require numerous adjustments to achieve optimal restriction, but I was wrong. Since my sleeve surgery, my physical hunger has been ferocious no matter what or how much or how often I eat, and I have to eat 8-10 times a day to keep my blood sugar under control. I've become anemic because of micronutrient malabsorption and have to take an Iron supplement every day. I've had to start taking metformin to treat my type 2 diabetes that was always controlled with diet and exercise before. I've also discovered that sleeve patients can dump just like gastric bypass patients do because the sleeve capacity is so small, food gets "dumped" into the intestines very quickly, causing me miserable discomfort from nausea, dizziness, and drenching sweats. Finally, I've discovered that sleevers can experience stuck episodes for the same reasons that bandsters do: careless eating. I've been told that I take a dim view of the sleeve since I loved my band so much. That may be true. I was sleeved on 8/16/12, so it may be too soon for me to judge anything about my sleeve. It's also true that the band isn't risk-free - but there's no such thing as a risk-free surgery of any type. The good news about my sleeve is that it's made it possible for me to lose the weight I had regained after losing my band in April. Jean

That's awesome! I can't imagine losing 70lbs! I lost 40 a couple years ago... It took me about a year to do that... And I worked out 3-4x a week and went 2 years without cokes. I ate good... I felt better but I feel like I should've been able to lose more in that amount of time! I'm currently about 290... Sounds crazy to say cause I don't feel I should be this big. I still mentally have the body I did 10 years ago when I was in shape... After 2 kids and probably some depression I'm just not sure how I let myself get this way! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

IS this what you are looking for? Most of those exchange diets are for diabetics if I am not mistaken. I found this one - The American Diabetes Association and Dietetic Association have developed a system of food exchanges that work well in the treatment for diabetes. You can now find the food pyramid on most products you buy in your local grocery store. Usually found on the side or back panel. These guidelines are not to be substituted for your complete regime. Consult with a registered dietician as your physician instructs you to. meats. The exchange groups for meat and cheese are categorized by lean meat (55 cal) and low fat substitutes, medium-fat meat (75 cal) and substitutes, and high fat (100 cal). Exchange sizes on the meat list are generally one ounce and based on cooked meats (three oz of cooked meat equals 4 oz of raw meat) These Proteins are found in meats, fish poultry, cheese, eggs, milk, dried Beans, legumes and some nuts. Starches and Bread. Each exchange contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates; 3 grams of Protein, and a trace of fat for a total of 80 calories serving size may vary. A general rule is that 1/2 cup of cooked Cereal, grain, or Pasta equals one exchange and one ounce of a bread product is one serving. Vegetables. (25 cal) are 1/2 cup cooked, 1 cup raw, and 1/2-cup juice. Each group contains 5 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein, and between 2 to 3 grams of Fiber. Vegetables can be fresh or frozen, canned low sodium is also acceptable. Fruit has about 15 grams of carbohydrates for a total of 60 calories. The serving size varies. Example ½ of banana is one exchange, 1 small orange is 1 exchange.Milk is usually one cup or 8 oz. For those who are on weight-loss or low-cholesterol diets, the skim and very low-fat milk lists should be followed (90 cal). Fats store in the body for extra calories for in the future. A fat exchange is (45 cal) usually varies in serving size. Avoidance of saturated fats and choose polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats instead. Fats are found in margarine, butter, oils, nuts, meat fat, and dairy products. Free foods. Sugar free soda, black tea and coffee, sugar free Gelatin, and I cup of raw lettuce.It is very rarely recommended for anyone that is diabetic unless instructed by a physician to go on a 1200 cal ADA diet. The following is a list of how many exchanges from each group is needed for the calories listed above. Cal 1200 1500 1800 2000 2200 Bread 5 8 10 11 13 Meat 4 5 7 8 8 Veg 2 3 3 4 4 Fruits 3 3 3 3 3 Fats 2 3 3 4 5 Milk 2 2 2 2 2 Sample Daily Exchange for 1500 Calorie ADA (Diabetic Diet)Using common sense and the above exchange list you can figure out how many you need for each exchange. Never skip a meal or save up your exchanges for another meal. Example: 1 hamburger is 2 starches, 1 meat, 1 fat, 1 vegetable if with the works. (Based on a 3oz patty) 1500 Calories sample Break lunch dinner Snack Bread/ 2 2 2 1 Meat 0 2 3 0 Vege 0 1 2 0 Fruits 1 0 1 0 Fats 1 1 2 0 Milk 1 0 0 1 DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult your health provider. It should be re-emphasized that nothing herein should be considered medical advice. Diabetic exchange diet Hope this helps!

Goooood morning all. I was so scared prior to starting the pre-op diet (which I've started 2 weeks early) that there was no way I was going to be able to survive that phase without massive cheating from the start. I'm an all or nothing girl - I either don't cheat at all or I cheat big time. The last 10 years or so I have not been able to survive more than about half a day of any diet without cheating and I was terrified this would be true with this pre-op thing. This time I, with Lisa's help, applied the "Yes, I can" attitude and guess what - Despite my seriously jonesin' for some seriously bad food (especially the first three days), I'm on the fifth day of the pre-op diet and I'm I have not had one single bit of food that one would not classify as a healthy choice!! Not only am I surviving but I am feeling great. It is so much easier when you think this is the last time you're going to have to do this and you can see the finish line is just a few weeks away. I can't wait for the next official weigh in (never thought I'd say those words!!). I've decided my Thursday morning weight is going to be my official weight. I tend to weigh myself constantly (which I know is really not a good thing to do). The first two days were hell on earth - I was so hungry that I could eat a horse and then chase after the jockey! Also, I had shocking sugar withdrawal headaches that didn't go away despite me drinking litres of water and taking Panadol (Tylendol for US readers). Then, there's the crankiness - no one else was gonna have any fun if I wasn't having any!! I think having both Lise and I going through the same thing made it easier for both of us - one could help the other through their humps and provide encouragement to keep going. Also, as we're both fiercely competitive, one couldn't let herself lapse if the other one wasn't lapsing too. There were moments where each of us tried to cajole the other into giving into temptation but, fortunately for both of us, the two of us didn't feel the same way at the same time and one could always help steer the other toward the healthier choice. The only exception was last night where we both thought we should swap a shake for a very small serving of lamb (from a spit) and salads. Neither of us see this as a cheat. The calories are no worse than the shake and its a swap of protein for protein. Are we kidding ourselves?? If you've got an opinion, please let us know. To distract ourselves, we're going out a lot - we went to the movies on Thursday night, we took our gorgeous two-year old nephew to the park on Sat arvo and then we played poker at the fabulous poker room at Melbourne's Crown Casino on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (which ended up a profitable exercise to boot)!! For anyone out there that was in my boat about wondering if they could survive the few days of the pre-op diet, I'm living proof that "YES, YOU CAN". Just do it. The first few days are horrid but they can be survived and it is true that it gets easier after those initial few days. The other thing that has been on my mind over the last few days have been thoughts about how I ever got to my current weight. I feel my biggest mistake was thinking I was fat when I was about 14 and then going on my first diet (I weighed 62kg [about 135#] and was 5'6" tall - not fat but not rake thin). Wish I had someone say to me back then what our surgeon said to us when we first saw him - fierce dieting is a sure fire way of putting on weight in the longer term. It is a fact of life that some of us have a genetic propensity for storing calories as fat. We would have been the survivors in the stone age when sources of food were scarce (our fat stores would provide energy to go looking for food when food was in short supply while the skinny runts would all die as they would have no energy stores to rely on if they missed out on eating for too long etc) - its just too bad we live in a time of relative feast and not famine!! Maybe I would have felt a lot more comfortable with myself and would never have started the yo-yo dieting thing. Last night I was talking to one of the rake-thin women at poker. Lisa and I were discussing what to do for dinner. I explained to the woman that Lisa and I were dieting and both starving. She said she never feels really hungry and fills up as soon as she eats anything. I soooo hope the lap band is going to do this for us - help us not feel so hungry almost all the time. I hope it's the tool to help me avoid slipping back to bad habits. However, I know that weight is still only lost by exercising more and eating less (more calories out and less in). I'm prepared to do this - I just wanting eating less to be easier than it has been!

I can't wait to be where you are! I remember in high school I was able to run miles without feeling exhausted. Now I can't even run 10 feet without feeling winded. Proud of you! Keep it up!

I was banded exactly 1 week ago today 2-19-09. I am feeling great. I have lost 8lbs so far. I am eating soft/mushy foods. The problem I am having is having a variety. Does anyone have ideas besides the normal mashed potatoes, creamy soups, oatmeal, etc.? Really excited to hear how everyone else is doing.

I just started my pre-op diet today for 10 days. I'm praying I can make it through this part.

Losethemess to answer some of your questions, I did not get my band unfilled. My doctor said only if you are unable to keep food or water down do you need an unfill and as long as the baby is growing on schedule. I continued to watch what I ate but yes I did let myself indulge a few times. I was lucky to crave good things like salad and soup and fish while pregnant. My fill was 7 cc in 10 cc band my entire pregnancy. Since I delivered my band seems to be tighter. I'm sure this will only last for a while because of all the swelling from my c-section. I'm enjoying the ride though and happy to be on the other side of pregnancy. Thanks ppp and happy for the congratulations.

Got my first fill today (4-15) - 6 weeks post surgery. I was also very nervous, but even with a bit of prodding around, it only took about 30 seconds. I got 2.5cc in a 10 cc. My doctor said that I should lose around 1-2 pounds/week. If you do the math - that is approx. 60-100 pounds in a year!!! He also said that people usually find their "sweet spot" at around 7cc. Next fill is in 6 weeks. liquids tonigh and tomorrow, mushies for a day, and then soft for another. Excited to see if I got any restriction. Surgery 3-5-10 350lb Current 4-15-10 320lb