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For my one month update I wanted to share from my overall experiences both good and bad. Lets start with the good: Surgery was on 4/28 and today is 5/28 and I have lost 30.4 pounds. 30 pounds in a month is awesome and I am so thrilled I made this decision. I do feel my restriction and get full very quickly. 4-6 ounces is about my capacity depending on the type of food. Slider foods like Greek yogurt I could eat more of but I just eat a 6 oz container and stop there. So far I have been lucky to not have hunger *knock on wood*. I have felt thirsty though--but this could be psychological because I used to always have a diet coke nearby to drink from--now its water or crystal light but I still have the need to have liquid around allot. Needless to say, I always get my fluids in and usually more. This may be TMI but my urine is usually clear (which is supposedly a good thing) Now lets talk about my diet. Some people say this is not a diet and not to treat it that way- but technically your diet is what you eat so everyone is on a "diet" all the time (neener neener, HA!). I stick to the general doctors orders here for the most part on most days. I count protein, but I have not really bothered with calories that much. I get very full on protein so I try to have some type of fruit or veggie when I can fit in an ounce or more. I think I could still add some more here but I will explain why later. 3 out of every 4 days I am pretty much by the book vsg diet low carb, high protein (70-80). Where I have drastically differed is on my 4th day. I up my calories and do count calories on this 4th day because I want to try and hit from 1800 calories or more. This would not really be possible for me to do without pure junk food IF I tried doing this with just food just based on how often and how much I can eat. So I supplement with a "weight gain" drink called Suplimed. It was developed as a well balanced formula to help those who have lost weight through illness to regain weight. One 8 oz shake in water is 500+ calories and more if its in milk.(sometimes I do half at a time) So I typically do 2 whole shakes plus food to get me to the 1800+ on my forth day. As I can eat more real food in time I will lower the shakes or half them. Why? because I am trying to avoid any weight loss stalls and not allow my system to adjust to low calorie metabolism--and I use the shakes because I don't want to use junk food to up calories. I am not recommending this to anyone, because that would differ from what your doctor would have you do--I am happily the human guinea pig for this and I just want to see how this works for me over the next couple of months. So far no stalls *knock on wood*. This zig-zag calorie method has been in the body-building world a long time--so I did not think it up on my own. I just could never do it pre-op with all my hunger. I started my first high calorie day on my second day of full liquids and have stuck to the 3 regular days 1 high cal day since then. Honestly, I don't look forward to the high calorie days because it is a chore to get the shakes and food in when you have no hunger--but I stick with them like a prescription medication for now--if they stop being effective over time I will drop them. Supplements I take: BA multi vitamin. The orange was nasty but I can tolerate the berry flavor. Twin labs sublingual B12, Vitamin D weekly 50,000IU (set by doc based on pre-op low levels), prescription to prevent gal stones(help me keep the gal bladder), and I take a tablespoon of Barleans Omega Swirl to get necessary fats in. Protein supplements as needed too. Ok the Bad: It has not all been roses--or maybe it has been roses, but there are a few thorns . Let me preface this by saying I am very happy with the sleeve and would not trade it. Post op--I had a wonderful experience until about one week out where it felt like I pulled something on my large incision. It was painful and I had to rest it a couple of days--luckily I did not tear it or have a hernia (internals protrude through incision) but it was a wake up call to me. I should admit this now I guess-- I hit the Stairmaster Stepmill (real stairs that rotate) the day before this happened --STUPID ME! I just felt so darn good and the stairmaster has been my punisher of choice for years--nothing happened that day but the next day simply bending over without bending my knees and popping back up quickly caused the oh crap moment. I talked about the bending over part before, but I had to come clean on the Stairmaster part so someone might learn from my idiocy. This from a guy who skied 1.5 days with a broken collar bone back at age 18--I did not know it was broken but my pain tolerance is a little off and dammit I had paid for those lift tickets! Anyway, I thought I would be super sleever at one week out. That stairmaster is going to get its ass kicked at 6 weeks out I will tell you though! With a couple of rest days I luckily had not messed anything up--whew what a wake up call. The next item I have had to learn after moving into regular food is to slow down. Its easy to remember this with dense heavy foods, but for foods like scrambled eggs--I used to inhale those. Bad habits of not chewing foods like this have led to me throwing up--I would stew for like half and hour trying to walk it off until finally my stomach says "nope!" and up it came. So yes you have to chew even the smaller soft foods. Last but not least I have dealt with some constipation. This is why I think that I need more fruit or fiber in my diet. I have used Miralax (or the Walgreen's equivalent) to clear this issue up some, but I want to get the food right so I don't have to. So there you have it the good and the bad so far at one month out. I am loving my sleeve and the results have been awesome. Feel free to post any questions if you are pre-op or new to this. Thanks!

Hi, I'm very new here and have looked but can't figure out where to put this question so please move it if this is the wrong spot. I've decided to get the band done but not until August. we're going away for the month of July and having it done the second week of Aug would give me 3 weeks to recover before i have to head back to work in Sept. my problem is that my AF is very unpredictable because of my weight and i've never had surgery before so what happens if AF comes at the time of my surgery date? does this interfere with getting it done or do we just go ahead? sorry for the TMI and thanks for answering.

Ok Bigga, that might be a little TMI! :laugh0: It sounds like you're going through all of the typical stages so that's good news. Congratulations!

So, this isn't serious enough for me to bother the doctor with (yet), but I was wondering if any other sleevers have this same experience. For the most part, during the day, I feel fine. In the past few days I've had a few bouts where I feel flushed, and my BM's (sorry, TMI) have been very loose -- bordering on diarrhea. But I only go once a day, so I dunno if that's it. Edit: I should mention that the nut. had me taking Colace (a stool softener) for a while due to hard constipation right after surgery. Obviously I've been off that for a few days now. I've been trying really hard to stick to all the nutritionist and surgeon guidelines. For the most part I'm eating 800 calories a day. There was a day when I ate 950, there was a day when I ate 650, but mostly I'm right around 800 calories. I'm getting >60g of Protein per day, maybe closer to 80-100. I'm taking my recommended bariatric Multivitamins. Most of the time, during the day, I feel fine. At times, I feel better than fine -- when I'm exercising I feel like I'm king of the world. The problem is when I lay down to sleep, I generally feel icky -- shaky, a little queasy (not enough to throw up, just a little... off), and generally like something's "not right." I know I tend to get anxious over little things, but this is disrupting my sleep a little -- just when the reflux calmed down, this popped up. I've been brainstorming for solutions, and here are a few that I thought up. I'd like input. Due to the loose stools, I'm losing Water. When I'm drinking 80 oz of water a day, I may be losing enough so that I'm mildly dehydrated by the end of the day. It's a challenge to drink too much more, because it tends to flare up the reflux. "No more than 80 oz" was what the nut. recommended to avoid reflux, but maybe I can tweak that. I'm not getting enough of some nutrient. But for the life of me, I can't think of what. I THINK I may be a little low-carb since almost everything I eat is protein, but MyPlate (my food tracker) says I'm actually over on carbs 80-90g/day. If I'm malnourished, I can't think of what. Again though, the loose stools could be causing me to lose out on nutrients, too. I'm undernourished. I may be eating the recommended calories (800), but according to LiveStrong, I'm also burning 250-400 calories per day in exercise. I wonder if I'm just running low on fuel? I'd really like to nip this in the bud before I have to see the doctor/nutritionist, but I will definitely talk to the nut. about it on my next appointment (on Wednesday). I'm just curious if anyone has gone through this -- feeling mostly fine during the day, but then feeling run-down, shaky, and a little nauseous at night.

TMI moment coming... I suffer from Endometreosis and PCOS. Before I had my surgery, I had my period for 4 months straight and the time before that about 3 months!!! Since I had this surgery and lost a few pounds, i'm actually on a normal, monthly cycle. It likes a miracle every month :smile2: Best, Lauren

Hi David! I too had surgery on 5/24/10. How are you doing? I think I am recovering as expected. I am mostly resting for now. Yesterday was worse than surgery day (I think all the anesthesia and numbing wore off) and then today was a little better than yesterday. I had a very large hiatal hernia repaired also. I did get the shoulder pain and the abdominal distention with gas, tho....tmi...sorry :smile2: Hope you do very well! Denise

Congrats Linda on your new grandson !!! Since I have mostly raised Andrew - I know what you mean - but I was 36 when he was born - so I was still young - Don't know if I could do it today - hell my Brooke wears me out and she's 6.. Enjoy the family times :0)... Phyl - did you walk the .8 miles - WTG I've been tight too - I made some guacamole for lunch had about 4 or 5 chip/guacamole and was full - I did stop - Yea Janet - Hopefully you won't be tight tonite.. Well got my eyes done - I am pretty happy w/contacts now - my distant in left eye is a little off but if he fixes it I won't be able to read as well with it - so he gave me an extra one for my left eye for when I am like driving out of town - hell I don't need to see distant here - I was born here - know where I am going.. Walked around costco - got a few things - Choc Chewable Calicum w/D - sf - good - then had some pomagrainte juice - well one of the 2 - made my intestines move :0) - Think it may have been the pomogranite juice - cuz you are only suppose to drink 1 oz - I had 1 little samples - don't think it was an ounce - but after about an hr I had to use the restroom at kmart :0) I know tmi - but good to know what helps make you go - think I will go back and get that juice :0) Went to look for these sandals I got at Kmart when out of town 2 weekends ago - but they only have orange (these are the ones I got) pink and teal - I would have gotten the pink & teal - but they didn't have my size - they are really comfortable Then went and got nails done - then to Target to get Andrew his shampoo etc stuff - came home - talked to Joseph now doing my toes It's so great to be able to do my own !!! Hell before I couldn't reach them - well I could but it was very very hard.. No longer have the tummy in the way..

I was banded on May 4th and I am able to start eating this week mushy casseroles, tuna, flakey fish, refried beans.. you get the picture. Well, one thing my DR said I could eat is cheese Enchiladas. YUM! Today, my co-workers who are so supportive of me invited me to go along to Rosa's Tortilla factory. I ordered the cheese enchiladas and Beans. I immediately portioned my food to half an enchilada and a tiny bit of beans and began eating. I ate in small bites and everything went down fine. I was full and content and just happy to be out with everyone after eating at my desk. Well, not ten minutes after I ate, my intestines decided to rebel on me. Luckily, I made it back to work but spent an lovely 30 minutes in the restrooms. So, a HUGE lesson learned, be careful what I eat and watch the fat content. I think I will be sticking with liquids tonight for dinner.

I am back on it now. But when I was off of it, my esophogus would burn also. Everything kind of burned. Also, here is a TMI-I had diarrhea that was just straight stomach acid. It was extremely painful and I don't wish it upon my worst enemy. I will not be going off it any time soon!

You pretty much got your answer but just thought I would chime in. Alot of things can cause that. With me it can be my period(TMI Sorry) stress is a big factor. So don't worry. I've even heard of some saying the weather effects them. You'll figure it out as you go along. Lots of luck!!!!

Well, today was surprisingly tough. I've been dealing with the after effects of last night's acid extravaganza all day long, literally. My throat constantly wants to get sore and swell up. Fortunately I've discovered that hot tea soothes the soreness and I can pretty much drink as much chamomile tea (and Splenda) as I want. I took the advice of the MA who I spoke with on the phone, and at around 8:30 pm I took another 40 mg of omeprazole. That makes 80 mg for the day; that seems really high, but my acid is just out of control. (TMI coming up, sorry...) On top of that, my intestines have been in an utter uproar. I was having sharp pains in my side (and, being a hypochondriac, my first thought was "aggh! gall bladder!") but it was just gas. Still alarming and painful. My BM's (I've had 3 today) have ranged from full and healthy to... not so healthy. No blood in my stool, thank goodness, but I've been pooping so much acid that my bottom is raw and bloody. It seems like everything I take in causes my stomach to roil and causes gas and stuff. First I thought maybe I was getting lactose intolerant because my last gas outburst happened when I was drinking my evening Protein shake, but my next one happened when I was sipping Water after my omeprazole. What I think happened is: My acid has been barely controlled for a while. I've noticed that it's been building up, and I think I have to work with the doc to really control it. I've been eating too aggressively and too much; even though I'm cleared for "puree" foods and my handout from my surgical center says that mashed potatoes and melted cheese count as "puree," it felt ... too much when I ate it last night. I think it got stuck or irritated my sleeve or something. I didn't puke, thank goodness. Last night I had an apnea attack that triggered a LOT of stomach acid to come back up -- I woke up gagging on acid. I think that burned the hell out of my throat and caused it to be swollen all day. On top of that, the acid has been going out the other end, and it's been wreaking havoc on my digestive system -- causing my guts to be in an uproar, giving me gas, etc. I think it's a sort of "perfect storm." Here's how I'm going to address it: I'm going to really step up the omeprazole. I don't know what the maximum safe dose is, but while I'm healing, I'm more worried about the effects of the acid than I am of the PPI's. The omeprazole is not an instant fix, but it does seem to help long-term. I'm going to REALLY dial back on the food -- portion sizes are going to get smaller, I'm going to eat slower, and I'm going to go back to mostly liquid or super-runny food. I just don't feel like my sleeve is ready for heavier food yet, and it's sort of telling me that. I'm going to be drinking a CRAP-ton of hot tea. It seems to really help with the reflux, and it's the one thing in the mix that I'm not worried about the side effects of! I think what really blew me away was that last week was such a breeze! I had one minor incident of acid reflux (which upping the omeprazole seemed to help), but no real intestinal pain or anything. I was even sleeping better. And then BAM, last night and today was really rough! I'm not looking for sympathy, just relating my experiences so you other new sleevers can be prepared for it. At least I don't think I've done any permanent harm to myself (I'm not vomiting or in unbearable pain, nothing's bleeding, I've still managed to get all my water, Vitamins, and protein today). I think that just basically I went too fast. Lesson learned!

Chrissy - How do they put in this filter thing? Don't forget about the baby I shot out. :thumbup: Have fun with the case manager appointment. Don't mention my name you'll be given an extra hard time. Sorry about the TMI. Have fun at the meeting! Wish I could be there. Seven more days until I come home...

It took me quite a while for things to get normal, but (here is a giant TMI session) preop I drank tons of diet coke and had diareha everyday because of it, now I am having a small BM about every other day. I have had to be creative about finding ways to implement fruits and veggies into my daily intake.

I'm pretty square with most of my blubber in my gut. I'm 5'7" and just hit 70 pounds down with a weight of 184 - big bones too. I'm in 10's and 12's depending on the manuf. Smallest I've ever been was an 8. Hoping to reach a freeking 6!!!!!! Oh, when I started, at 254, I was bursting out of 18's. My legs and butt have always been smaller than my top half though, as my shoulders are very broad, my gut is big and my boobs are still wrinkly, saggy 38D's... TMI, sorry...! Good luck! C

how far post-op are you?? are you able to eat a variety of foods yet?? When I did Atkins and had too much Protein, constipation could be an issue. I didn't go for over a week post-op, I think. And then normal was about every 4 days. I have only had a couple of instances of rabbit poop (I know, tmi) where it is more of a strain and highly annoying. My new normal has been to go every day for 2 or 3 days, and then not again for a few days. Mostly formed normally and not a strain. If you are still in liquids, try more Water. Pain meds can also tighten things up. I have been allowed to take stool softeners after prior surgeries. You could ask to see if it is ok.

Since I have good restriction and I am eating less food, I only get bowel movement once every 2-3 days which is very unusual for me because I used to go daily. My question is, is this normal after getting restriction and after you start eating less food? Please let me know. Do you think I need a stool softener to go daily? Thanks in advance.

I actually resumed ummm 'bedroom activity' 3 days post op and everything was fine. Hope it isn't TMI, but being on top for the next couple of weeks is definitely a good idea

Ah COCO.........yea. I so loved the fill center and agree with everything you said. They made me feel like I needed a fill not like it was my fault. They were quite shocked and upset about what was going on with my fills at Kaiser. They told me to file a compliant with Kaiser and I sorta think they read my binder and called and complained too. They treated me so well and made me feel like I was a success even when I gained three pounds. THey also said the same thing if you hit a plateau and don't lose for three weeks it is time for a fill..and if you gain for SURE you need a fill. I am so glad you like them I think they have the same philosophy as the one I went to. IS this through FILL CENTERS USA? that is who I use they offices all over the country. THe general philosophy in lap band world is if your NOT losing or plateau it is time for a fill. If your losing at least two pounds a week you don't. That is why Kaiser is so confusing. They do it backwards. My fill doc said that was not ethical...........but I am not gonna negetive it gets me in big trouble on this forum. But that is why I filed the compliant becuase I had research and second opinions to back me up. And I am losing now and doing great just a week after a good fill!! Makes a point it is hard to think it is not YOUR fault when the band is to loose and your not losing or gaining. Just that the band isn't being used like it was designed to work. COCO I so hear ya IM me later............and I actually thought you were gonna announce you were pregnant!! LOL. I hope that is not TMI but I thought..........

I had a couple of mild bouts of nausea in the middle of the night, but nothing serious. I woke up with a burning throat, so my very first thing consumed was about an ounce of skim milk with 40 mg of Omeprazole. I'm not going to erode my esophagus just to be sparing of the Omeprazole! Overall I think I'm healing much faster than my girlfriend did; I took my milk in a single gulp -- not to show off or anything, but simply because I know that I can drink that much (but that's about my max) in one mouthful without pain or restriction. She was astonished and a little worried because she said that would hurt her. That made me a little concerned that I'd stretched my pouch, but honestly, I've only had about a half dozen times where I had that "stuck" feeling, and I listened to it. It's not like I'm eating solids or regularly, intentionally gulping food. I just am able to consume more than her; I think that my sleeve is longer (which must account for something), and I think I heal faster -- I bet my swelling is already better than hers was at day 6. In short, I'm going to stop worrying that I've stretched my pouch. I'm just grateful that getting in all my liquids and nutrients isn't such a chore as it was on the first couple of days (I think I got in over 120 oz of Water yesterday). My incisions look good -- dry and not oozing at all. Mostly they're bruised! My stomach is a little sore around them, but not too bad -- I can lie on my side without too much discomfort. I still haven't had that weak feeling. I felt a little wobbly at times, but never fatigued. I'm already losing weight; I think my CPAP pressure (which was already reduced a point after my pre-op diet) is too high again. I woke up with major dry mouth and a massive fart (sorry, TMI, but there you have it!) which is usually the symptom of too much pressure. That's uncomfortable, plus I don't want to be inflating my sleeve like a balloon, so I may drop it another .5 cm tonight. I just weighed myself -- 307.0! That's down 21 pounds since about three weeks ago, and 3 pounds since yesterday. At this rate, I might make it under 300 before the end of the week. That would be SO exciting!

That is hilarious! I love that idea! LOL And I think you are exactly right about the him feeling like I havent thought it through or making decisions too quickly. I guess it feels like that to him because he has 8 days of this, compared to my months and months, and secretly years of thinking about it.... My sister said to me today, "dont worry, pretty soon you will rock his world with the lights out!" LOL I told her I was gonna rock his world with the lights ON!! (sorry if that is TMI):001_smile:

So here on Day 5, things are a bit easier so far. The fever is mostly gone -- I have little blips of temperature where my temp will spike up to as high as 100, but usually it doesn't go higher than 99.5, and mostly it stays around normal. More importantly, I don't feel that all over body "ick" that I felt before. My incisions are healing up well -- no bleeding or oozing, just some lovely bruising coming in. Apparently the MA was really impressed with how well they're healing -- they hardly even bled. I'm finding it easier and easier to stick with my Protein and hydration and Vitamins -- it's 8:30am and I've taken in half of my day's protein and vitamins, and 20 oz of Water (plus a little watered down apple juice for some blood sugar). On the minus side, I think I've basically exhausted my "reserves" -- I'm feeling a little "wobbly." Nothing major, I think I've just exhausted my free blood sugar reserves and I feel like I have to be a little bit more careful and deliberate in my movements. sleep is still a little challenging; I get tired early so I've got on a sort of bizarre sleep schedule. I'm sure that will work out as my sleep becomes easier and more restful. The biggest problem I'm facing right now is gas/cramps. It feels like hunger because I get these crampy pains in my stomach (actually in my intestines, I think), with lots of rumbling. Going to the bathroom (bowel movement) helps -- it tends to be lots of gas and little solids (sorry, TMI, but again, this is a medical board). Also, it's hard to say but it seems that eating helps, and possibly the Gas-X strips. When the gas is happening, it's pretty unpleasant because I feel like I'm starving (since that stomach grumbling/crampy feeling is one of the ways I used to experience hunger). Also, it makes me a little nauseous. However, I suspect it's a phase. I'm worried that it's real hunger, because I didn't want to FEEL hungry. But even if it IS hunger, it seems like a 100-200 calorie Protein shake pretty much nips it in the bud (which is a big change from before). So, aside from the gas, things are doing better.

Thanks for all the good wishes. I'm still feverish (it's hovering right around 99-100) and all over achey. My abdomen feels like I've been hit by a bison. And the most bizarre muscles are sore -- my calves, my shoulders, and so on. My girlfriend thinks that some of that may be because I'm using strange muscles to sit down and stand up, since I'm sort of sparing my core muscles. I have a fair amount of congestion in my lungs, but I don't think I'm at risk of pneumonia; I've had pneumonia before and I remember that horrible whistling, wet breathing sound, and I have NOTHING like that -- just some yellowish mucous (sorry, TMI, I know, but hey, we're all family here, right?) I just discovered that my prescription pain med (Roxicet) makes my fever go down a little, makes most of my aches and pains fade away and (probably most important for me!) tamps down my anxiety quite a bit. I know it's addictive (which is why I was avoiding it), but I figure the doc prescribed it for just this reason, so I've been taking half doses, and it really seems to help. I'm HOPING I can get a few restful hours of sleep tonight. I'm really hopeful that people are right when they say that things start getting better around day 4. That means just one more day of miserable, hopefully, and I'll start feeling better. The pain, I can deal with. The fever is really the unpleasant bit. On a plus note, I'm not hungry at ALL, despite having basically 0 calories for two days. Well, maybe 50-60 calories in some watered down apple juice but still, normally I'd be starving by now. At the moment, the thought of food revolts me (which may be tricky when I have to start on the "full liquids" tomorrow). Also apparently my wounds look really good (when the MA changed my dressings today, he commented that a couple of the wounds didn't look like they'd bled at all). And I can walk almost 3/4 of a mile without getting winded or tired. So on some levels my recovery is going really smoothly. If only this darned fever would break!

This is a pretty major concern for me, too. I'm pre-op but generally eat a very high-fiber diet. TMI, but I am...very petite in THAT area and the few instances of backup I have had have meant major trauma...tearing, bleeding...eeeek. Going low carb sounds like a recipe for pain to me.