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Five days is pretty close as far as detecting it in your urine or blood. It’s possible it could go either way. My doctor told me they would test but the definitely didn’t, but don’t let my experience guide you. I had self pay surgery in Mexico and I suspect once I forked over the cash there was little that would have interfered. Here is what webmd (uhg) says about testing: “Generally, nicotine will leaves your blood within 1 to 3 days after you stop using tobacco, and cotinine will be gone after 1 to 10 days. Neither nicotine nor cotinine will be detectable in your urine after 3 to 4 days of stopping tobacco products.”

I'm going in for the sleeve on the 19th, all that is left for me Covid 19 testing on the 15th then surgery on the the 19th.Wish I wish I would have done it earlier have been struggling with weight since I was 40 I'm 56 now. Hope all goes well.

I could drink 64 oz of liquid the day after surgery and since then, I've worried that I did something wrong somehow. The past couple of days since starting the puree phase, I eat more at meals than I think I'm supposed to be able to. My doctor's office said that people don't usually finish a cup of greek yogurt in one sitting but I don't find that to be a problem. I don't even know what I'm asking. I'm just worried. --- RNY 9/10/20 HW: 245 Day of surgery: 225 CW: 213

I drove 3 days post op to pick up the dogs from the kennel. It was only about a 10 minute round trip and I hadn't been on pain killers since the hospital but I had no issues.

Welcome to the forums. 10 days ago you had surgery which means 10 days ago your surgeon did surgical insult to your stomach. He poked, he prodded, he moved things about, he created the sleeve. So far so good. All those things that were poked, prodded, moved, and changed are still very swollen, very angry, and very sensitive. Some folks, even when they do everything right, have the issues you are having now. It's worse for some people than others. Whatever you drink do very small sips and leave a bit of time between sips. If/when you get to food, it's very small bites, chew well, then chew some more. Again, leave time between bites. Back to current. You and your sleeve are already learning new behaviors. The fact that you gag BEFORE you try means your sleeve has already learned how to tell you what it doesn't like... over sweet stuff. This will help in the future. Hang in there, keep trying different things. Eventually your sleeve will heal enough or you will hit a product that works well enough. Good luck, Tek

Thank you. When I added the post asking for help I thought I was fairly clear that I have tried MANY different options and was asking for tips on something maybe I haven't tried. I'm struggling to get protein as ever since surgery I can't tolerate (smell or taste) anything sweet which leaves the protein shakes/waters out. As soon as I smell/taste something sweet I involuntarily gag which does not feel good!! I've tried three different unflavored protein powders in 10 days in soup (I've even made my own soup and liquefied it) but nothing is working. I've even tried forcing myself by plugging my nose but after I swallow it my body tries to throw it up but the only thing in my stomach is water so I end up with dry heaves which hurts and can't be good for the 10 day old staples. Forcing myself isn't working! Does anyone have alternative suggestions on how to get in protein? Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi All. I've been MIA - recovering and learning how to eat again. LOL My surgery (Lap Band removed and converted to GB) was 9-14. I spent one night in the hospital. I got to my room from recovery around 7 pm. I was still very groggy. I woke up about 10 PM and began walking the halls. I was determined to get up and walking. I went home 9-15, Tuesday, by noon. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday were uneventful. It was just alot of me moving slow and sipping protein and gatorade zero and water. Friday, I woke up feeling amazing! I decided it was time to get all cleaned up and feeling human again. When I left the hospital on Tuesday, the nurse said if I didnt have a bowel movement in a couple of days, take some Milk of Magnesium, so I did on Thursday. I'm not going to go in to the whole sordid story but I did end up in the ER on Friday night for several hours for SEVERE constipation. Once that was cleared up, I've been good to go ever since. Sunday I was up cleaning house and walking 2 miles outside. I returned to work (desk job) on Monday, one week post-op. I had my followup with my surgeon on Tuesday, 9-22. He said everything looked great. He advised me to take Miralax daily to help with the bathroom issues and then he said I was released on Thursday (10 days post op) to have soft foods. Yesterday was Thursday and I was soooooo happy to be able to eat food! I managed to hit over 60 grams of protein yesterday without drinking one dang protein drink. It was heaven. I'm eating slow and chewing well. I'm still not hungry but just forcing myself to eat the small meals...5-6 a day suggested by my surgeon. I have lost 22 pounds since starting my pre-op liquid diet...10 since surgery. I hope everyone is doing AMAZING!!!

So due to all of my web searches looking for food options and recipes, all of my Facebook ads have become low-carb food product recommendations. It's kind of ridiculous. A lot of them are very much marketed for keto diets so the fat content is usually too high, but occasionally a gem will slip through. One of the best surprises was Taste Flavor Company low calories sauces. They carry a kind of steep price tag, but I figured it was worth checking out. BOY WAS IT EVER! I sprung for the bundle that gave me all 4 flavors, even though I am not a fan of ranch and didn't expect to enjoy the Cilantro Lime Ranch sauce. I was soooo wrong. So far the only one I haven't tried yet is the Cherrywood Chipotle BBQ sauce because I haven't really made a meal that it would be a good fit for, but considering how in love I am with the other 3 flavors, I expect it will taste amazing. With the exception of the Spicy Garlic Parm, it's 10 calories in 2 tablespoons of sauce. Spicy Garlic Parm is 1 tablespoon for 10 calories. I highly recommend them! https://tasteflavorco.com/

Greetings! I'm new to the group and praying for some advice. My sleeve surgery was 10 days ago. My daily protein recommendations are 60g – 90g. I am struggling to get in 30g, and I do mean struggling. The only thing I can keep down is ice water. The smell and slightest taste of protein shakes, protein water, and even unflavored protein (three different brands in 10 days) make me gag. I literally cannot tolerate anything sweet since surgery. I have tried sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, thinned sugar fee pudding, sugar free juice, Crystal Light, etc. I have tried adding protein powder to soup, protein bariatric soup, and even made my own, all with the same result. When I plug my nose to force myself to drink the protein, my body actually tries to vomit but there’s nothing to come up. Has anyone had this happen? Any suggestions? I start pureed foods in 5 more days but realize I can’t sustain on ice water alone for much longer.

I have decided this past year to abandon a “size” or poundage goal. I have lived as a morbidly obese person for so many years. I lost over 140 pounds then had regain over 8 years. I lost the regain in the past year. I am 5’2”. Now. I shrunk - being 64 now. I now weigh about 175. I went from over 320 pounds to 175. I am comfortable here. I feel good. I am maintaining the weight loss with healthy and mindful eating. I am never going to reach my surgeon’s goal for me 10 years ago. (145 ) I am happy to be where I am. Once Covid calms down I will get labs done - I am back to having lost 145 pounds. No plastics - but yes to excess skin and trapped fat. I don’t want any elective surgeries. I am happy wearing a petite size 16. Live happily within yourself. And congratulations on a healthy you !

Thank you very much, Lily!! So, my weight on the day I met my surgeon( 12/20/2019 ) was 276.6 lbs. He asked what my lowest weight as an adult was and that was his goal for me. It happened to be 190 lbs. His reasoning was that this is the weight my body was most comfortable at. (Day of before picture, I was down to 264.6 lbs.) I happen to subscribe to Dr. Weiner's set point views. I think that surgery can/did change my set point and also healthy eating and intermittent fasting is helping reestablish a new healthier set point, that my body can be comfortable at and hopefully maintain. My nutritionist gave me a goal of 165 lbs, but honestly, I feel I can still do better. I'd like to be between 140-150, but we'll see. I am currently at 192.2 lbs which puts me at a 84.4 lbs lost. I just tried to change my stats, but I seem to have forgotten how!🤔 I think your surgeon's goal is awesome! Weight is just a number, that they are discovering is less significant to health as they thought! This is especially true for people who have been obese for some time in their lives. (None of the times I was 190 lbs in my life,was I ever able to wear size 8 jeans or medium anything, just sayin!) Our goal, I believe, should be where we feel happiest with our shape/look/size. Don't worry so much about a certain number, you're doing great already and well on your way to being healthiest and happiest! Enjoy the ride, girl!!!!😘😘😘

I'm totally not surprised 😂 every time I land in Europe my $US depreciates 10 % further without reason

Yes, it is definitely around the scar, but the pain does travel right along the initial incision site/scar. I just had hoped that almost 10 months later I would be able to wear jeans without this significant pain.

ok i will say for bypass the big pill organizer. the 2oz disposables for things like batch making of jello. i am almost a month post op at this point and i use them to remind myself of not eating too much because full is a different feeling now and comes on slowish. you can get the tashi ones on amazon for under 10$ for 200 i believe. Also i got some cheapy warm glad containers that are 4oz for microwaving for premaking soup (walmart 3$). a water bottle is a necessity (insulated i use klean kanteen). just carry that little 12 oz with loop cap everywhere. It fits in the car too. one bag of whatever shake mix protein your program requires and a blender bottle for choking it down in the morning. the blender bottle while it doesnt keep it cold by design i seem to sip better because u can only take small swig with it. i have a magic bullet mini it was 29$. thats what im using to blend. however u can use a handheld one. get some pb2 to flavor your choc shake as peanut butter choc so you dont get burnt out on just choc. some peoples incisions open back up two of mine did. im fair skinned and the surgeon says i have baby skin though. surgeon rec palmors oil post op so using that on belly. i did use some gauze afterwords with some tape from the drug store. You might not need it but some of us did. you need to acquire a script of simethicone from surgeon in chewable (insurance pick up tab for me that way). I recommend also bentyl in case you get abdominal cramping post surgery. You need to inquire about the gallbladder med too if you still have it. Next you need to buy your multivitamin which i use bariatric advantage ultrasolo 1x a day. Its nasty and huge but my program required it. Next buy your calcium i have bariatric advantage soft chew in caramel. one 90 item bag per month. I bought three months worth of the vitamins. It would be helpful for you to have some kind of food water tracker. i use happy planner fitness for mine. Heres just some pictures to give you ideas.

To “keep my head in the game,” I frequently went back to why I wanted the surgery. Personally, when my kids wanted me to play with them, I would be winded after 10 minutes. They deserve a parent who needs to be healthier so I could be there for them. I am their example and if I fail at everything else in life, I refused to fail them. It could help your headspace to frame it that way - doing the surgery for a different cause besides the overarching “lose weight.” This path is very much a physical, emotional, and mental challenge. Best of luck to you!

Hi I'm scheduled for 10/1/2020. I'm in the midst of my 2 wk Pre-OP diet and I'm so ready to start on this new journey. Is anyone else scheduled for October?

@loridee11 I’ve been able to hang with the concept that it’s a lifestyle change, and overall I do well. I’ve been getting exercise most days (I set a goal for September to just get a minimum of a minute of exercise most days. In the last week I’ve been smashing that and getting 30-50 minutes a day. I honestly really enjoy dancing and found that Just Dance (video games) is a lot of fun! It gets me up and moving around and I love it! I don’t drink soda (I drink soda so sparingly it’s easier to say I don’t drink it. I’ve haven’t had a soda in over a month, and before that it was likely 3-4 months since the last one). I don’t drink alcohol. My vice is sweets (which is why Gastric Bypass will be good for me, because I won’t be able to overindulge anymore!). I did a baking swap with a neighbor recently, bread for cookies. I shouldn’t have done it. One day I ate 4 cookies, but I countered it by getting more than 40 minutes of exercise. I’m not thinking about exercise as punishment though, because I’m really enjoying the dancing! The food swaps you suggest are great, however I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t eat heavy red meats anyway (though it’s something I miss on occasion). I get my protein requirements daily so far, in that I eat a lot of eggs, beans, and nuts. I’ve stopped eating things like chips and most snack foods—but like I said, I like sweets. If I just keep them out of the house it will be ok (I’ve been able to meter myself with those cookies now!). @WishMeSmaller Thank you so much! The air is horrendous over here. I haven’t had exercise outside in a long time, and haven’t been able to go to my farmers markets to sell my jam and bread because of the air quality. It’s awful. Up until the summer heat hit and then the smoke, I was walking a mile every morning. That made it a lot easier to stay motivated! Then the heat came (110+ days for 5+ days in a row), then the smoke...I have asthma, so I haven’t been able to be outside much. I think that took the biggest blow to my depression. Going on a walk in the morning before eating anything or even drinking coffee...it was nice. It set my tone for the entire day! And here I am now. But like I said to Lori, I’ve been doing Just Dance daily, and it’s really helping get me back out of that depression! @tarotcardreader Hi there! My surgeon isn’t giving me any flack over this. I haven’t even talked to her since my initial appointment. I think it’s more of a self mental block that I’m stressing out over. My PCP said that it isn’t a major issue if I don’t lose exactly 20 pounds. I’m back down about 8 since I posted this, though. I’ve gotten a lot of my motivation back and ditched the depression! Thanks for looking out. ❤️ @BigSue Thank you for this! You’ve inspired me to try out IF again. I’ve been not eating until 10/11am, and finishing eating by 6/7pm. It’s really helping to keep me back in check. Right now I’m just adjusting to the IF and logging again, and getting a lot of movement in. And then I’ll start adjusting my calorie goal to below 2000 again (they recommended 1500 for women at my first nutrition meeting). I figured it’s kind of hard to go from 0 to 60, so I’m going to ease back into it (someone suggested it somewhere! To just cut down a little at a time, instead of the shock that tends to come from going 2500 calories to 1500 overnight. It is likely to cause binge eating!). Anyhow, thank you so much for your encouragement, it means a lot!

I was eating low glycemic fruits at that point - for example, a few berries on my yogurt. I still don't drink fruit juice at five years out. I occasionally drink those five-calorie cranberry "beverages", but they only have like 10% fruit juice in them. oh and I agree. Dumping is an individual thing. I've never dumped. I've heard/read on this forum and others that only about a third of RNY'ers dump, although I don't think I've ever seen any actual medical research on this. Although I do know a lot of people who don't dump.

I too wrestled with this decision. I was on board at 280 lbs, but after I dropped 36 lbs with diet and exercise, I considered stopping and just keep going with my 1200 cal diet. The reason I chose to move forward was that I have always been good at losing weight when I try hard, but every time I lose a bit and hit a wall, I get lazy and start falling back into old habits. Something like: diet + exercise> lose 30 or 40 lbs >get sloppy and slip back into old habits > gain it back plus 10 lbs. I'm tired of that cycle repeating over and over and I felt the sleeve was the best way to get to a place where I am happy with my weight permanently. Yes, I will have to do the work and make good decisions. Good luck with your decision and only you can make it.

You mentioned the smell. One of my issues after surgery was was a crazy super-sensitive sense of smell. I had a hard time getting anything down, and everything made me gag (or worse). It lessened pretty quickly starting at about 7-10 days and everything got much better. I can drink or eat just about anything now at 2 months post surgery. Hopefully yours will go the same. In the meantime, breath through your mouth or hold your nose, or try to distract yourself while taking in those protein shakes. And some of those clear protein waters can go down way better in the beginning.

I did it about 10-12 years ago. I lost 70 pounds and loved it. I tried it again about 5 years later doing the same dam program and didn't lose jack! I don't know why it worked so well one time then not at all the next. I guess because I was five years older. Metabolism and all.

October 19

As far as H2O I use crystal light lemonade with a shot of lemon juice or sugar free Hawaiian punch I also put 10 squirts of EnduroPacks Liquid electrolytes (on Amazon) in it. I was having some leg cramps and that took care of them. I just really like the cafe latte Premier Protein. I don't ad a thing. It's great.

Somehow in the last couple of days, I've GAINED 2lbs. Not sure how. My food log reflects that I'm getting in about 50oz - 60oz of liquids (between water, Gatorade & protein drink) and approx. 40g of protein daily for the last week-10 days. The dietician wants me to "up" my protein intake big time, but I just don't know how I can do it. She suggested different foods and adding another meal daily, but NO snacking - even on healthy, protein-rich foods. I still have very little appetite and when I do eat, I'm full almost instantly. How I'm going to get MORE food in is beyond me. She said if I don't do this, I will likely stall or even start gaining again. Ugh...this is getting frustrating!

I had my VSG in December of 2019. I had a VSG to RNY in August 2020 because of severe GERD that was so bad I was on 3 different acid reducers and a bland diet. I didn’t have reflux issues before my VSG outside of pregnancy. However a pretty bad hiatal hernia with the GERD lead me to choose revision. Two months out, I’m glad I chose the revision because my throat isn’t constantly sore and I’m not chewing 8-12 tums a day anymore.