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Thank you! I'm wrapping up day one now. It hasn't been that bad (so far) I've had two Premier Protein shakes (I found a limited edition Root Beer Float flavor that's really good at Sam's Club) about 60 ounces of broth, and a couple Jello cups. I think I'll do okay, but I'm thankful that my surgeon is only making me do one week instead of two or three, lol.

Question 1- I struggled. There was a time right at the beginning of the pandemic (1st surgery was Dec 2019) where all I could drink besides hot tea was grape powderade zero (hated artificial grape pre-op) and everywhere was out. I distinctly remember crying in my car, like full on grief crying. I had buyers remorse for several weeks after that wondering if I’d ever be normal again. Be prepared with emotional/ therapeutic support if you’re already battling disordered eating. Question 2- A dry cough is indeed a symptom of gerd. For me, it’s now hiccups. If you’ve ever heard those honking plastic chickens just know that’s what I sound like. I did end up having a revision to RNY and hiatal hernia repair. They don’t remove your stomach, it’s still in there, they just bypass most of it and attach it in a y shape to another part of the intestines while keeping a small portion attached. The only reason I have hiccups again is because I have another hiatal hernia that needs repaired. Would I do it all over again knowing the journey I’ve been on? Absolutely. Would I also be more prepared mentally? Also, absolutely.

Zoo day (yesterday) and zoo food. Our zoo has several encounters and walkthrough areas- including kangaroos. It’s honestly one of my favorite places and I’d go every week if I lived a smidge closer.

Hello all! I'm pre-surgery. waiting on a surgery date - I have been approved by insurance but will be out of the country for two weeks in July and told them I'd like to wait until back. I have lots of questions but two of them are below. I'm hopeful someone can wrap their brain around what I'm asking because I have struggled to find anyone who is able to really answer it for me. It's not that they are telling me what I don't want to hear, it's just not addressing the crux of the question. I'm hopeful this will make sense: Once you have WLS, in the first couple of months post op - what is your mind doing? I know people struggle to hit their protein and water goals a lot. I know it's a huge learning curve to adjust to the new stomach and relearn your limits and to feel full faster. But for those of us with food addictions who are looking at this as tool to get us through therapy and really force change - what is your mind doing?? when you realize you can't anymore - are you ok with that? are you angry? are you still craving the food? are you sad? are you relieved? are you satisfied? what is your brain telling you and your heart feeling in those moments as you adapt to not eating foods you used to crave, or if you can eat them how does it feel to limit those portions? I understand this is a tool. I KNOW this is necessary for healing and retraining and to make it through therapy successfully but I'm really wanting to try to know what to expect my mind and heart to feel when this massive part of my life is just ripped away. I am probably to equating it (albeit maybe not fairly) to a drug addiction rehab where they make you go cold turkey... i know i won't have physical withdrawls (aside from minor, potential repercussions while i learn to adapt to the new food intake) but what is my mind going to feel? what will i tell myself? what was your experience? does this question make sense? Also - i've never had problems with Heartburn or GERD beyond any sort of one-off meal once in a blue moon that may have caused a smidge of heartburn but it didn't last long and those instances are few and far between. BUT - I started taking Omeprizole because i clear my throat a lot and a nurse friend of mine told me it's likely acid reflux. I've not really noticed a difference in taking omeprizole so maybe it's not acid reflux and is just a weird habit. Anyway - should I be concerned about developing heartburn? My biggest fear with this is worrying that they might have to revise to bypass and i don't want a bypass. i'm fine with losing 80% of my somach but i'm not ok with bypassing it altogether... any thoughts or experiences anyone can speak on?

Yes it will pass. I had diarrhoea as soon as I came around from surgery. I had 6 days in hospital. Its big surgery and we somehow don't realise this when we think we only stay in hospital 1 day. Don't despair. It is rough for many off us in the beginning. The first weeks are such a learning curve and add some pain and discomfort into the mix, many of us had major regrets. Hang in there

I’m so sorry you’re going through all this… I had straight diarrhea for a couple weeks until my body recovered from the shock of surgery. Remember, your body has gone through a lot, and is adjusting to the changes of your new digestive track. And along with the other issues you’re having it is quite stressful. Give it some time and just concentrate on getting better.

I am 25 weeks pregnant and was recently diagnosed with silent reflux. The ENT doc put me on Pepcid but it has not helped much. It only started when I became pregnant. I was sleeved in 2019. I had the exact lump in my throat even called 911 several times for feeling like I couldn’t breath until it was finally diagnosed. I feel for you. I hope things get better.

Hello! Complete newbie here! I started my journey in earnest a bit over a year but had actually been researching my surgery center in 2015, 3 years before moved to the Pacific Northwest from Ohio. I got the OK from my doctor May 2022 but the center they referred me to ended up being out of network. After a few months of putzing around, I reached out to the one I wanted and it turned out they're in network! I started the 6 month required process and got the call today to schedule! I'll be going in July 11th! I'm excited. I've seen what my life could be like if I don't do this. I know what I've missed out on. My 30 year old son has never seen me healthy. He missed out on a lot because of me. LibrarianErin said it best: I love following a food plan; it’s creating the food plan that is hard for me. I’m terrible at making time to plan meals and shop for the food and prepare the food. This surgery is the most important tool to start the journey. Learning how to eat again is the 2nd most. I'm thankful for a supportive husband who is learning with me.

I had robotic sleeve surgery. I’m 5 weeks post op. It went so smoothly. I only got 3 incisions. And they are fully healed. I had minimal pain. Went home same day and back to work 3 days later. Honestly didn’t feel like I had surgery at all.

I’m 53 and sleeve surgery date was 1/9/23 so about 5 months post op. So far lost 78 lbs with a few stalls along the way. Longest was 3 weeks (painful wait!). Weight loss has slowed down some but still consistently 2 lbs week sometimes more. I average 900 calories per day and goal of 80 grams protein sometimes I hit more. My doc suggested I increase protein intake and fluids. I never miss fluids 64-70 oz day. I’ve found my meals are pretty consistent and predictable and honestly don’t stray too far in my choices yet. I’m full at 5oz but can eat 6oz. Anything over that in one sitting is too much. I don’t really snack and just eat 3 meals a day. My one concession is 1/2 TBS peanut butter in late evening when I start to feel hungry before bed. Nice treat and curbs the hunger. I have another 70 lbs to lose and look forward to the day when I can eat 1200 calories a day! It’s a journey but feeling great. The biggest bummer is sagging skin and a sad reminder of how I got here in the first place. I’m sure changes in our hormones affect the swings of weight loss along the way but overall I’m convinced we just need to stay the course and it will fall off.

seems like its been a while since i've had one of my "big salads"....too much eat out and take out for the last little while... anyhoo, a salad: 324 cals for the whole bowl. romaine, carrots, tuna, chicharron, sesame seeds, wonton crisps, tartar sauce and vinaigrette. looks like i ate about 3/4 of it.

I've heard that but not to me. People don't tend to say things to me. (I look like a biker who may or may not kill you). Close to that are people telling me I'm not fat enough to get it. I am 12 years type 2 diabetic. I had my surgery 3 days ago and my diabetes have went out the window. Have not used insulin since. There are more reasons to have it than being "fat enough".

So I had my surgery on Monday (3 days ago) and I have like no real pain. I totally had planned for this to be worse. Im sure it is different for everyone but have other people felt this way? Like right now i can pretty much do everything I did before the surgery. Im intentionally not lifting anything over 10 pounds but outside of that im still cleaning house and walking miles every day. Yesterday I did it twice. Anyone else have this happen?

i think most people (most, not all), are pretty run down and tired after surgery. i was dead man walking for about 2-3 weeks immediately after surgey, and just weak-man walking for the next few months after that. it does get better once you start eating more. worth noting that i'm 4.5+ years out, and i still don't think im as "strong" as i used to be pre-wls: opening jars and lifting every day things are just harder to do now. of course, i'm over 1/2 the weight/size i used to be, so i that explains some of that. hang in there ❤️

i honestly think all the good wls advice in my head came out of my own mouth. hahahhahaha 😂 but seriously, this golden nugget came from my NuT, at around 3 months post-op, after i informed her i was not adhering to her guidelines: "Keep doing what works, stop doing what's not." Preach, lady. As for stuff said to me that was very UN-helpful, i cant even begin to choose. Good thing i rarely listen to other people, HA!

Sorry if this topic was already discussed, this is my first post here I had my surgery on May 22, it went great except for the first 13 days - I had the most horrible diarrhea I've ever had in my life. That's done (whew) but I'm so tired , I just drag myself around every day. I'm 69 YO . I was never really active except for short walks ,but now everything exhausts me. I was wondering if this goes away as time goes by . I'm at the purreed stage of my diet and I'm wondering if eating so little has anything to do with it. You can see, I'm full of questions LOL . Any experiences to share ? Thank you so much ...Kathy

I've been on liquid or clear since 5/31 and it SUCKS. Surgery was 6/7. I'm not going to lie, it does suck. I've eaten a tiny amont of soft foods that are in my next stage coming up next week, but trying not to push it too much. Let me tell you though, that tiny tiny portion of mashed potatoes was fantastic, lol.

After being back in the ICU for 5 days we finally discovered what the issue was. The 3 surgeries had caused my cortisol to drop severely low and I had been in remission of adrenal insufficiency for 2 years. They pumped me full of steroids and now I’m on 100 mg a day feeling better. They discovered my stomach was twisted and they need to widen the sleeve mouth so I will be undergoing 4 dilations so I can keep down my food. I want to point out that I have read some medical journals that say adrenal insufficiency is a very rare side effect of Bariatric surgery so if you have had a history of your cortisol dropping please be cautious. On to some good news, My doc says I am 2 points away from a heathy bmi of 25 so maybe in the end it was all worth it. I want to thank all of you who read my story and offered your solutions and support when I felt like their was no hope. I will come back and post what happens after each dilation. If you are continuing to struggle don’t give up and be your own advocate by doing your own research. Hang in there everyone.

I saw Dr. Russell last week and I’m doing great. A couple of the nurses weren’t fluent in English but spoke enough to communicate what they were doing. However, the surgeon and anesthesiologist both did. I was sent home with my X-rays and a months worth of medications. The room was private with its own bathroom and a TV signed into Netflix. They have a little closet you can put your stuff in with a safe for valuables. The surgical center is in what looks like a mall full of various healthcare providers and the hotel you stay at the last night is connected so you just walk over. The day of surgery I only got ice chips but the next morning I did a leak test then got my tray of liquids. If you have a favorite gatorade flavor let them know. I got grape and an orange to go but when I got blue the next day and said it was my favorite flavor they swapped my to-go bottle with blue, which I thought was really nice.

After being back in the ICU for 5 days we finally discovered what the issue was. The 3 surgeries had caused my cortisol to drop severely low and I had been in remission of adrenal insufficiency for 2 years. They pumped me full of steroids and now I’m on 100 mg a day feeling better. They discovered my stomach was twisted and they need to widen the sleeve mouth so I will be undergoing 4 dilations so I can keep down my food. I want to point out that I have read some medical journals that say adrenal insufficiency is a very rare side effect of Bariatric surgery so if you have had a history of your cortisol dropping please be cautious. On to some good news, My doc says I am 2 points away from a heathy bmi of 25 so maybe in the end it was all worth it. I want to thank all of you who read my story and offered your solutions and support when I felt like their was no hope. I will come back and post what happens after each dilation. If you are continuing to struggle don’t give up and be your own advocate by doing your own research. Hang in there everyone.

I dont have a 'good' but 'bad' was Slimming world, they said I could eat as much rice, pasta and noodles as I wanted and I did. Then later on down the line the woman said you must be eating the wrong foods, you are not loosing weight. I followed that diet religiously, it broke my heart all those weeks not loosing and not knowing why

Sorry if I got too personal. I'm glad they are working with you. And hope all works out. The 41lbs is since the start of the pre-op diet. I lost 15lbs during preop and 26lbs since surgery, that includes to separate stalls that lasted about a week each. I wish the tracker would differentiate the losses. Unless, I imputed them wrong.

@LindsayT Hey! To answer your question: I am not planning on having more children. My insurance does cover the revision and the appointment went well. I will have an Upper GI Single w/contrast done to determine if there is any disruption in my pouch or fistulas formed throughout the path to the remnant stomach. I'm scheduled to go back to my bariatric surgeon in 2 wks. to review the results and go over the next steps. Btw Lindsay you are doing an AMAZING job!! 41 lbs down in 6 weeks out of surgery, that is commendable 🤩👏 You rock!!! Keep up the good work!!

What sort of after care are you needing? I am 1 month out (as of today) and I have been back to my doctor once for just a quick check up. The only thing I have needed since surgery was a refill on my antacid prescription. I have another visit next week, but it is just a nutrition class. Hopefully you aren't having any complications (as that would require an actual doctor), but if you have any questions, or feel like you don't have info on any subject, feel free to ask away here. I am happy to relay things my doctor/nurses have told me and I am sure others would be as well.

I assume everyone on here has battled to lose weight for a long time and has tried multiple stratagies and diets. Along the way we all have an endless supply of life coaches that want to tell you what to do or how you are doing it wrong, if you asked them or not. My question is this. What was the one statement or piece of advice that stuck with you and one that was dumb as hell? I'll go first. GOOD: "Every food choice you make is either healing your body or poisoning it. Every movement choice you make is either helping your body or rusting it." (Dude that was very in shape, 2004). BAD: "You can eat whatever you want as long as you stop eating at 4pm for the day" (Guy that called in sick atleast once a week, 2016) What still sticks with you?