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Yep, it's been a while... a crazy month but here I am... almost a month since my last post and a full week post-op! So, I'm going to try to give the short version of my month because I'll be up typing all night if I don't (it's currently midnight!). In my last blog, I believe everything had just been submitted... I got denied twice! Yep you read it right... twice! I guess those idiots didn't know who they were saying no to! They tried to tell me that I wasn't sick enough and that I didn't do my nutrition... blah blah blah... at one point I actually cited Maryland law which requires them to cover the procedure based on my issues . I am known as the queen of arguing but they didn't know that... neither did the chic from my doc's office that kept givin me the run around til I emailed her boss LOL. Long story short... I was sleeved on the 16th even with two denials! So... after my approval... I tried to do my pre-op diet... really I did, but I had less than two weeks between approval and surgery and I seriously worked over 80 hours a week to make sure everything I was responsible for was done before I went out and the stress of that combined with no food caused major migraines so I ate. I ate significantly less, but I ate. One week to the day before surgery, I had a miscarriage... I didn't know I was pregnant until I lost it (I have an IUD so this was not supposed to happen)... I also didn't know you could mourn a child you didn't know you were pregnant with (I learned several things that week)... A visit to the ER explained that my IUD slipped out (it's in but out so not providing protection which is how I got pregnant) and I have a major fibroid . The miscarriage only caused minor problems with my sugery (the anesthesiologist refused to move forward due to my positive preg test from the week prior even after I explained the miscarriage - the staff OB/GYN cleared me for surgery and we moved on). I was terribly stressed prior to surgery due to some of the things people have posted on here... I cried all through pre-surg prep b/c of this. Apparently my surgery was text book despite my having failed miserably at the pre-op diet... do not use this as your idicator though... I believe I got lucky (God feeling I've had a bad enough month)... I did not get a pain pump post-op and the first nurse was being stingy with drugs. Also, my body does not like to pee after anesthesia so I could not go without pushing which was not fun... especially with limited pain meds. I also kept getting horrible hiccups that made me want to die but I survived the night. I didn't sleep much yet the time passed. I left the hospital the next day around 3 p.m. My post-op diet involved 2 days of clears and now I'm on full liquids. I've been healing well so I'm tolerating shakes, yogurt, soups, and I'm hungry pretty quick. From posting and reading, I know this is normal but that doesn't make it suck any less . As for the TMI section of this... farting post op was really hard to do! It really helped to walk to move the gas and to get on all fours if it wouldn't pass (sounds weird but I found this on google when it was hurting bad and it worked LOL). I'm a week out and I still haven't done anything beyond pee in the toilet... tonight I drank a laxative tea and am hoping it works... I know I'm putting stuff in there but I'm wondering what's happening to it . Last thing and I'm signing off... It's 12:20 now so I'm doing awesome! I know I've lost weight... I've weighed myself and I've already seen one physical change. I have my first official post op appointment tomorrow though so I'm going to wait until then to update my weight on here so stay tuned. I'm also hoping to get to move on to mushies early tomorrow since I'm starving and tolerating things so well (he said it was a possibility before the sugery). Good night fellow sleevers and those lurking as I once was .

For the past couple days I've noticed i've not had any difficulty with any food I've tried and I haven't pushed it to the limit but I notice I'm eating a little more than usual. I'm not sure if what I'm eating is a slider (boneless wings from walmart deli, egg salad, cereal....sorry I can't remember all the things I had this weekend off hand) I know this will be tmi but usually when aunt "flo" is here I'm tighter and nothing likes to go down, well....she's in town and I have no issues. I even notice I can drink right before and after I eat if I want. I'm scared. It's been 8 months since my surgery and 2 months since my last fill. What are the odds of the tubing coming apart or something? I just started working out at the gym and now I've got myself really worried. I can always make an appt with my doc, but I wanna give it a lil more time and get some feedback. Thanks guys!!

That's exactly what I thought! Hubby and I watch a fair amount of naughty videos together ((sorry TMI)) and now we just have to deal with the that. I also look at a lot of natural parenting sites and whole food diet/nutrition/news websites, so I get a funky mix of ads lmao

I just wanted to see if this has happened to anyone else.. I was sleeved in March and have had no problems with any food until last week. I don't eat bad but noticed I had French fries twice within two weeks and my stomach totally rejected it. My body cramped up and achy. I think it was due to the grease because that's all that came up. I know sorry TMI. Anyone else experience this? I thought it was weird to start at 9 months out.

Ok, so I am 5.5 weeks post op. I am getting in great Protein numbers, my calories are under almost every day. That is all I had been focusing on, but it looks like my carb number is higher than people online say I should get. I get my carbs from dairy pretty much since I am not eating the typical carbs I have been used to. no bread, rice, Pasta, potato. I have been in the never ending stall... I can feel my body shifting still, so I guess that isn't horrible, but I want the scale number too move as well. if I am eating less than 800 calories and my carbs are from milk and cottage cheese, will I NOT be able to lose weight? This seems baffling to me. I was always told that milk is good for me. I crave milk like some people crave candy. I have a cup of milk every night. It is what I look forward to most of the day (I actually smile as I sip it). I usually have cottage cheese in the morning. I really don't want to cut out my milk, so is this really what could be holding me back??? Will suffering thru the sleeve really have no progress if I drink milk and eat cottage cheese??? I have made MASSIVE changes in my diet and entire routine. I have incorporated walking almost every day and like I said earlier... I eat about 800 or less calories a day almost entirely protein... my protein intake averages around 100g each day. Ugh.... frustration is getting to me I want my new life to show on the scale!!!! I lost 24 pounds within the first week of surgery... then got to 29 lb loss pretty soon after and the scale refuses to move since then. I know there are stalls, but shouldn't my body be used to my new eating habits? Could my menstral cycle affect the stall? I should have had my period about 2 week ago (sorry for the tmi), and I have had the PMS symptoms for the past 2 weeks... could I be retaining Water (for another PMS symptom) and that holding up my weight loss? Any suggestions??? help please

I saw an old aquaintance one day. Stopped and chatted for a moment, and at some point during the conversation, I realized she had lost a bunch of weight. What came out of my mouth was "You look good", but what went through my mind was "I hope you aren't sick with cancer or something". I haven't seen her since, so don't know what caused the weight loss. People really do get concerned about your health! If surgery is tmi, then maybe start saying you've been on a diet. Put their minds at ease. Sent from my SM-N920R4 using the BariatricPal App

I was in your same shoes a couple of weeks ago. I was really shaky, and started having bathroom problem "tmi sorry" I called the doctors office and they told me it was normal. Our bodies are going through big changes and the shakiness is from not getting in the same sugar contents we were prior to surgery. Your body will adjust eventually, but until it does try getting in 2-3 more grams of sugar to help adjust your own blood sugar "I never take in more then 6-7 grams of sugar at a time" if that's what you may think it is.. Also you have to try to get in your liquids your body can only go so long before it will dehydrate, and you don't want that this early out. Heck you don't want that at anytime in the recovery process.. What I did was took a sports bottle "32 ozs" and filled it with ice water. I would sip sip sip on that all day until I had finished it. I would fill it up again and usually finish half of it the 2nd time around. But I was getting in other liquids through out the day so I wasn't to worried about finishing the whole 2nd bottle.. The more time passes the easier it will be for you to take in more and more liquids. Just remember no liquids 30 minutes before or after eating anything "I conisidered broth a meal"

Hey! I'm 8 days post op and I wanted to know if this is normal? I'm still on full liquids and after I have my soups about 15 mins later I have to use the restroom (poop). Is this normal?

Thats great nothing is tmi IM MY OWN MOTIVATION

Here comes TMI....it happened and I was excited! Hahaha!

Hehe, I should have added that my program WANTS me to be doing a lot of things that I'm just not doing. I can't. So soon post-op (as you), I just lumped everything as a recommendation. I've only once been able to hit their Protein counts, yesterday, because I ate sashimi for every meal/snack. I can finally meet Fluid intake goals, after more than 5 weeks. I still haven't found a way to truly work in a real exercise program, other than walking at lunch, and still get family time (working on that one tho). I've pooped 4x since surgery on 3/27. TMI - but "they want" me pooping at least every 3 days -- some things we just can't control, you know? Whatever you're struggling with now, will get better and easier. Do the best you can, and see "what they want" as goals.

I'm going to try to not be too graphic here but I wanted to share this. I was sleeved 8 days ago, on Tues. Thursday afternoon, I started taking the stool softner they gave me but it wasn't doing the trick. Friday, I was a little worried but was able to go a little . Every time I felt the need to go, it was like I was trying to pass a golf ball or more like, golf balls! On Monday, I called and talked to my NUT and she suggested Magnesium Citrate. I asked about Miralax and she said that would be ok. I got some Miralax and started that Monday evening. I had some more attempts but things were so hard and my this time, I was definitely impacted ALOT. My butt was hurting and sore from all the straining and fissures that had happened. Tuesday morning, again, painful and horrible. This stuff had to get out. I sent my daughter out for some Magnesium Citrate and when she got home, I gave it a try. I was supposed to drink the whole bottle. It's 10 oz and I drank a few ounces but that stuff was so nasty! I called my husband and asked him to bring an enema on his way home from work. Last night, I went to the bathroom and prepared myself the best I could. I then realized that this was not a one person job. My husband kindly and gently helped. I don't see how people can hold an enema in for very long. I think I may have made it just in 2 minutes. What followed, well, I'm not going to go into detail. It was gross and painful, poopy and bloody. But I knew there was still some stuck in there. There was about 1/3 of the enema left in the bottle and I called my husband up and hoped that would finish the job. Round 2. Again, about 2 minutes later, I'm on the toilet. God, I hope that's the last time to do all that. I cleaned up, got some preparation H and went back down stairs to take my nightly does of Miralax. In the middle of the night, I got up and yep, passed some more not quite golf balls. And, this morning I got up and had to go. I'm so sore but I had to act of the urge. I was so happy to finally have something that resemble a normal poop. Kind of ballish to begin with but then there was like, alot after that that wasn't. After that, I called and spoke with my surgeon just inform her and to ask about this hardness on my right side (which I think could be, yep, you got it poop in my colon/large intestines). She agreed but said as long as it wasn't painful (and it's not) to keep with the miralax daily and plenty of water. Best thing about it is that she said I could go ahead and eat some food, like eggs and other soft food. What has your poop journey been? What do you find is helpful in dealing with constipation? If you have dealt with it, does it improve? I never had issues with constipation in the past. I don't want to get impacted again, that's for sure!

I'm 5 days post op and I'm a little distressed as I am having heart palpitations (all the time) and I've been feeling really weak. My doc still has me on just flat 7-up, tea & water (no protein). And now for TMI... I have had heavy menstruation the last three days and really bad diarrhea. I can't get hold of my Doc and I'm a little concerned. Any advice?

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!

Hey jasleeve Welcome home - i guess you had some issues - but its so good to see you. maybe you already posted, i'm just seeing you now. My WLS was 12/15/11 When I came home this past Saturday (surgery was on thursday), i hurt so very much, right side was killing me My really horrible times were when i got into the bed to sleep (wasn't very successful, and when i laid down trying to go to sleep) come to think of it, any motion like that. my husband had to help me alot.. By Wednesday i could tell i was "healing" a bit, slowly, but last night for the first time i could actually sleep on my side. You know we all heal differently. One girl said on the board that she left the hospital after 3 hours. I think everyone on the board was shocked. Other people say there back to work in a couple of days! WOW - like i said we're all different. Again, we all heal differently. I still can not bend over without some pain. My DH actually had to help "wipe" me a couple of different times in the bathroom ! TMI So anyways, i am definitely not totally healed, but i'm on my way. And I think you're almost right next to me, almost caught up I still take a nap at least once a day - so you do the same, relax you're getting better all the time kathy

I wear all sorts of shapewear but my very favorite item is my Rago firm shapewear girdle. It's a waist cincher. It's probably way TMI but as I close those hook and eye closures my nasty tummy skin just folds up and hides away. It accentuates my natural hourglass shape and literally pulls in inches of skin. I have it in nude and it's virtually undetectable under clothing (I can't wear something knit that is skin tight without a cami over the top, though). It goes from just under my bra all the way to the top of my hips. Best of all? It was less than forty dollars. I love their vintage inspired lingerie and shapewear and this is now my favorite brand to shop. I also wear the camisoles, waist cinchers and corsettes by Flexees. I do not like Spanx for anything but pantyhose. My personal experience is that they cost more but don't work as effectively and they just aren't as comfortable. I can't wear any of the thigh shapers because my thigh skin is so soft that no matter how long the shorts are I have an obvious bump. I do LOVE the maidenform footless tights I just got - they suck in my thighs a lot and feel great under dress pants. I'm always looking for a bra with a nice band that won't make lumpy back fat - and I've found that the Incredible bra by Victoria's secret works quite well. It's not a control top bra but the wider band moves with you and doesn't make lumpy spots under your clothes. ~Cheri

TMI, but I've had multiple occasions to swallow since banding and no problems. But lmao when I read this. Looking back, I could have used this as an excuse for a little while. Wish I had thought of that... great post

I wore the gown plus some paper undies they gave me because I was near the end of my menstrual cycle(sorry tmi) and then brought a robe to drape over my backside.

11 days post op and I have just been on phase 3 foods for a few days. I am eating wry soft food, taking my time and not drinking before or after meals. Only problem is I ha e diarrhea like bowl movements frequently now, ad appears to have some blood in it, seems I go several times after I eat and then I'm ok. Anyone else have this problem? Help I'm scared something is wrong.

If anybody cares, I found out today that I have low oxygen levels as a result of low iron/hemoglobin. I was sent directly to the gastroenterologist for either continuing loss of blood (no symptoms), or lack of ability to absorb Iron. My PCP says I should be dizzy, confused, weak, and fatigued, for lack of oxygen (91% at rest, 78% when asleep). So, I'm scheduled for a colonoscopy (sorry, TMI!) and endoscopy tomorrow to look for blood. My surgery is still scheduled for Monday just in case, but I'm not holding out too much hope... Wish me luck!

youve been through a lot with diet change etc. do you have tummy wind as well?/ is the pain more in your gut than higher in your stomach?? ive had a lot of wind pain since the op. im sure its due to the change in diet. i had more wind last night than normal (tmi.. sorry lol.) after i had my first meal of veges and meat without it being sloppy. im sure it had something to do with that. im not sure how much air is being swallowed as well.... that could be a factor.

mines is near the female area. i was like wth is this. its small but it hurts when i clean myself. i thought it was just me. it right at the tip of the female area i know tmi.

TMI... Things that are stuck I've been able to get back out by massaging and pressing gently on my pouch.

The Prevacid gave me stomach pains, diarrhea and I noticed mood swings which I did not have before. It was kind of like an aloofness if that makes any sense also an anxiety/nervous feeling. Since I have stopped taking it I am nowhere near as moody and the anxiety is gone. Also, my libido decreased while on it TMI I know but just thought I would be honest. I am going to start being more aware of the side effects of meds that are prescribed for me. For whatever reason, I seem to get hit with all of the side effects! The Prilosec is starting to finally kick in again. I am taking it twice a day with Zantac for a little extra help. Today my stomach is not gnawing at me so it appears to be working and all of my other systems are back to normal

I tried GNC,Isopure, Premier and I my tummy didn't like them either. I was on Herbalife ones for 3 days but they don't have a lot of Protein. OMG can someone please help me out here and give me ideas. I also hate Cottage cheese. So is there another way I can get my protein in with foods?? I've been on a stall for 5 days and I gained 2 pounds because I got my period (TMI) sorry but Im going crazy here. Im 21 yrs old. Is it true that if I don't get my Water and protein in I will not lose weight??