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So I went in for my 1 week pre-op appt. with my surgeon, who wasn't there because he'd been called out for emergency surgery. But the surgeon that saw thought everything was fine. I asked to speak to the nurse/ assistant mty surgeons office because I had some questions about when I could start solid foods. I told her I has started mushies/ pureed food and she was confused. She asked me who told me I could do that I and explained that when I was in the hospital the nutritionist saw me twice and gave me pamphlets about my diet. The nutritionist said clear lig. 1 week then mushy/ pureed for 2 weeks. The nurse / asst. said thats not the program the surgeon follows he recommends clear liq. 2 weeks. But she said she guessed if I was tolerateing mushy than okay but I should be cautious. Has anyone else had this protocol (clear 1 wk, then mushy) should I go back, although I don't think I could have done clear liq. another week, I could baerly tolerate them anymore anyway. I just need to here what others think.

Hi all. I had the sleeve done with a local doctor back in December, but this post isn't about me. A friend of mine had the sleeve done in Mexico (Jerusalem Clinic, I think? Dr. Ponce de Leon) back in October, so she's about 4.5 months out. Everything fine until about 2 weeks ago, she got sick. Typical flu-like symptoms - fever, unproductive cough, tired, no appetite.. 2 days in she started getting better but strangely started to become nauseated. Still not eating at this point and barely getting in enough fluids, she became dehydrated and went to the hospital to get an IV. Made an appointment with her PCP last week and he scheduled bloodwork to see if perhaps it was a viral infection. He prescribes her antiviral meds and anti-nausea meds. The week continues and she is feeling worse - nearly constant nausea, any attempt at eating (and sometimes just taking her pills) ends in vomiting. Even the occasional 'nothing in my stomach but still end up vomiting/dry heaving'. Fast forward to this afternoon at the bloodwork followup, she's now two weeks without really eating anything and not keeping down anything more substantial than a small glass of orange juice or Water. Doctor finds nothing off in the bloodwork results, she's very drained (obviously from not having any nutrients), and what's more worrying is that he can't even get a blood pressure reading after multiple attempts (again I presume due to lack of nutrition and being dehydrated yet again). He basically told her she had to go to the hospital, it was not an option. So, she's now at the hospital getting an IV to rehydrate and I believe she will be admitted so they can figure out what exactly the problem is. I'm putting this out there because I wanted to see if this condition rings any bells with the community. We don't know if her problem is related to some general illness or if it might be connected with her VSG surgery. It just seems odd that it would suddenly present itself 4 months out on the tail end of being sick. The only thing we could think of is that perhaps her heavy coughing during the first couple of days could have caused a problem of some kind. (Sudden leak?) What's odd is that it's just nausea. I know there's lots of talk here over leaks, strictures, gall bladder problems, etc but she has no abdominal pain, it's just nausea all the time and an inability to keep food down. My other concern is that since her surgery was done in Mexico, she doesn't have a surgeon familiar with her surgery who can get involved in her diagnosis. She's at a pretty good local hospital but as far as I'm aware, no one at that hospital does the VSG, so I don't know if VSG complications is something they will give much focus to or even be aware of. I'm tempted to call my surgeon (who is in another town/hospital) but I suspect they would not give any kind of medical advice or even their opinion without seeing the patient. So based on the above, does this sound like something that could be a complication from VSG? Has anyone had (or developed) nausea 4+ months out after an uneventful recovery period? Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have.. like I said it could be completely unrelated to VSG, I just wanted to see what the community might have to say about it.

Sorry, for some reason I thought you left this week. :mad: Are you getting excited?

Hi everyone, i'm Lyn, i have only been banded for a week, still on the liquid diet, doing well, have along way to go but i know i will get there, just wanted to say Hi..:thumbdown:

Little Bit...you'll be able to. You may also have a liquid diet post op for up to 2 weeks. It's do-able because it's worth it and it's limited...you know it will be over soon if you just tough it out!

that is hungry after being banded 4 weeks ago? I seem to be eating more and more. This is getting frustruating! I don't go for a feel for two more weeks. How do I get through this without gaining weight? Thanks, Kathy

Try to relax about it for now. This period of time is for healing, not weight loss. Until you get a fill, you'll probably be able to eat just as you did before you were banded. But that doesn't mean you should. Go ahead and eat more if you're hungry, but eat hard Proteins that will help keep you full longer while helping your weightloss. chicken, fish fillets, tuna, roast beef, steak.. all of these are excellent sources of Protein. If you're on solids now you should be able to eat any of these if they are cooked in a way that doesn't dry them out. Take a good look at what you're eating. If its most soft carb type foods, that could be why you are feeling so hungry. Serve your food in a very small container. About a cup in size. Don't drink any fluids just before, during, or for an hour after your meal. If you are still hungry after doing all of this, then accept that you need more and eat again, following the same suggestions I just gave ya. And finally, you say you can eat so much now. Can you really? Or does it just seem that way to you in comparison to how you have been able to eat over the last month? To get a better perspective, think back on what you were eating before banding. Now compare that to what you eat now. Big difference huh? We aren't supposed to starve ourselves. You should be eating between 800-1,000 calories per day with a minimum of 60grams of protein and losing about 1 to 2 pounds per week. (Yep, I said per week - not per day!) I'm kind of muzzy-headed today so I hope that all made sense and didn't just sound like mindless ramblings. *laughs*

I am absolutely dealing with this also. I don't tend to be a very emotional person so I'm not used to it! I have broken out a bit, I'm craving chocolate which I never do and just generally not feeling like myself. It's actualy worked to my advantage twice now. I tend to be very nice and a beat around the bush kind of person but not so much lately. I emailed my boss asking for a raise a week ago and this weekend, I saw a ring I liked at Sears and told my hubby he was buying it for me. This is not normal behavior for me, but I am kind of liking it. lol

Hi All, Well, I'm on the 4 week countdown til my Surgery, it is on Feb 4th. Typing this, my belly just did a somersault; I'm nervous, scared, excited. I have about 85 pounds to lose. I have lost weight and gained weight etc, the roller coaster. Any one else getting banded on the 4th???

Hi Liberattor, I was banded at Bajanor on May 24, 2007. I loved the staff and the doctors. The hospital is not easy to look at on the outside but the inside was immaculate and very nice. I was given pain meds and antibiotics to last a week. After that, I used Tylenol with no problems whatsoever. I would go to Bajanor again in a second. Dr. Carlos will answer all your questions. Also, if you ask, they will provide you with a list of former patients, including email and phone numbers. I called many former patients and 9 out of 10 were very happy with the care they were given. I hope this helps you with your research.

I was an insulin diabetic (for about a year) before I was sleeved. I'm now 2 months post op, have not had insulin since, and my blood sugar numbers are @ fluctuating between 160 and 200 throughout the day. I'm not eating carbs / sugars (except what is in approved foods) and I exercise about 6 hours per week. I asked my surgeon and he said they don't do any blood work for 6 months because my body is in a state of flux. He said I should use my fast acting insulin on a sliding scale if the numbers are higher than that. I've only used it twice. I understand I may end up back on the pills, and that's ok, I'm just concerned about now. My questions are - Are there others that have experienced this? Why are the numbers still high even though there are very little carbs / sugar going in? About when (pounds lost) do the numbers go down? Should I be seeking another opinion?

My name is Kristen. I am a 33 year old single mom in KS. I just had the gastric sleeve done on 1-5-15. They injured my spleen while in there so my recovery has been rough. I am lucky that my insurance covers the surgery and I have options in my area. A lot of people don't have insurance coverage and they have to drive far away just to find a surgeon. With that said, today is day three and I am pretty miserable.

Hi everyone, i finally got a surgery date which will be June 8th however i keep going back and forth about the date because i have a trip planned to go to TN on June 28th -July 9th, So if anyone can give advice or recommendations if this surgery date is too close to my trip??? SHould i be okay??? I know i will be very restricted at this point and I am okay with that, i am just worried about how people usually feel at 3 weeks out. are you tired??? still nauseated??? Thanks!

I am a band over bypass patient. Had surgery 2/15/10. Yesterday 3/18/10 I went to get my first fill. Stood in front of the fluorscopy machine, drank some barium (nasty stuff) watched it run down to my stomach. She sprayed my stomach with freezing spray. stuck that gigantic needle in which thankfully I did not feel a thing. She filled up my band. Then released it all back out. Then she said why isn't it going down any faster than that. I was like huh? LOL She told me to take a deep breathe that did not help. I could see the barium drink in my esophugus and it was releasing into my pouch but very very slowly. So she was saying I had some good restriction and decided not to give me a fill. She said since I am a band over bypass patient there may still be some swelling in there which is casuing the restriction still. Now I have to go back in 2 weeks to try again. I sure the heck hope that nothing is wrong. The Dr. was quite surprised while she had me standing in there going thru this, so when they are surprised that makes me worried..anyone else go thru this type of ordeal ? Robin in Cincinnati, OH banded 2/15/10

I have had 3 mixed drinks since surgery. Two of them I couldn't finish because I was at dinner and no drinking while eating. The first one I had after surgery I got quite the buzz, that was probably 10 weeks out. I don't wish to drink often due to the empty calories and honestly I didn't drink that much before.

What I can eat has really varied a lot. At 3 months post-op for me, it was Christmas, and my stomach was largely cooperative with small amounts of chocolate, cake, Desserts, and the vast majority of foods as long as they were not fried. In January, I cut out all of the bad foods, so at around March I was eating anything I wanted, but it was always healthy. At six months, which was June-July ish, I could tolerate small amounts of dessert, and the majority of other food, as long as I was careful with how much I ate. Really, a few bites of anything is more than enough to satisfy me now. I am now at 13 months and I've been stuck wearing a compression garment because I had plastics 6 weeks ago, so 75% of everything is making me sick. Overall though, right before my last surgery and before the compression garment issue, I could eat in very small quantities pretty much anything, which is reassuring because you can go back to enjoying the foods you like, you just only have a few bites and you're full.

I am 2 weeks post op and wanted some peanut butter so I burnt a piece of bread and spread it on that after 3 bites I was miserable ..how long does it take for this to digest

Hi Kristy, You may have already been to Japan and returned, but I just wanted to let you and anyone else who may be flying to Japan know about Dr. Kazama and Dr. Seki from the Yotsuya Medical Cube which is a small private hospital located in Tokyo. You can Google the hospital and get the telephone number. Ask for the doctors and they will make sure that you get an appointment. Will you be visiting or will you be living in Japan? Chances are if you are visiting you will not have any problems during your visit. I was on mushies when I flew to Japan 2 weeks after my surgery. The Airlines allowed me to bring small bottles of baby food (meat) due to my dietary restrictions. Actually, they were quite accommodating. Hopefully, you had a great time in Japan!! Leona

I started the liquid diet about a month ago when I was going to get the lapband, about a week into it I found out about the gastric sleeve and decided to have that instead so the liquid diet was put on hold until the VGS procedure could get worked out. Anyway, yesterday I started the two week pre-surgery liquid Protein diet and I am having a really hard time drinking the shakes this time. Serious nausea! I stopped by GNC to pick up some Isopure by Nature works (or something like that) hoping that maybe not having to swallow the thick Protein shake would be helpful. Anyway, those aren't too bad with a ton of ice! But they also had some prtein shakes that they recommended for people needing to increase their protein. Here is the information... I have a call into my surgeon to see if it meets the requirements of a low cal, low fat, high protein shake but I figured you all are the experts on how to make it 4 weeks on this stuff.. just let me know! Thanks! Amount Per Serving % DV Calories 280.00 Calories from Fat 10.00 Total Fat 1.00 g 2% Saturated Fat 0.50 g 3% Cholesterol 20.00 mg 7% Sodium 250.00 mg 10% Potassium 350.00 mg 10% Total Carbohydrate 7.00 g 2% Dietary Fiber 1.00 g 4% Sugars 2.00 g Protein 60.00 g 120% Calcium 280.00 mg 28% Micronized Amino Acids: 8.50 g ** Glutamine (as whey Protein Isolate and Micronized Glutamine) ** Arginine (as Micronized Arginine and Whey Protein Isolate) ** Leucine (as Whey Protein Isolate and L-Leucine) 7.70 g ** L-Carnitine (as L-Carnitine L-Tartrate) 500.00 mg ** Amino Acceleration System: 239.00 mg ** Carbogen ** Aminogen ** Patented Bioactive Polypeptide enzyme ststem ** Enzyme Matrix ** ** Daily Value (DV) not established Other Ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolyzed Whey), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Polydextrose, Lecithin, Cookie Bits - (Dextrose, Salt, Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Sodium Bicarbonate, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Flour, Palm and Palm Kernel Oil Blend, Soy Lecithin, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)), Titanium Dioxide, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium

I have not had any problems but since ur only 2.5 weeks which still in the puree stage i would not chance it ur pouch is still new i would wait.

Hi all - I work for Disney, and we ALWAYS have a healthy eating group meeting once a week. They posted this to everyones e mail to help those who eat out a lot rather than bring their own lunch. I thought I would post the link. Hope it helps. It was quite eye opening for me. I always look at fat and carbs. That is what my doctor told me to do rather than count calories. Doesnt make me want to eat out very often at all. Thank God I usually bring my lunch! http://www.healthchecksystems.com/ffood.htm

Thanks for sharing the adorable pictures of the kittens. The video clip sure made me smile,and I needed a smile. I have been off work for the last three days with the flu and feeling weak and tired. This video really brighten my morining!

Niki, At two weeks post op did your surgeon okay bread and peanut butter? I'm a week post op and on week two I start puréed foods for about a four week period. Have to wonder if your temptation to satisfy a craving was the reason for your pain. Stick to your doctors plan if you deviated by eating this food today. Feel better

Thanks armywife I have my 2 week post op tommorrow ..I am starting to feel better now..

You could possibly reduce your protein since you’re in maintenance & it’s very filling & up your vegetable intake. Daily requirement in the US is 0.8g protein per kilo you weigh so you could reduce your intake to about 50g. But check with your surgeon & dietician first. (My dietician said I needed a little more because of my age so I work at 1-1.2g protein per kilo of weight.) I can eat more now than I did at 6 months & more than I did at 12 months. To get my calories in to maintain (about 1200+/-) I feel like I eat all day long. I snack about 4 times a day on dairy, fruit & multi/whole grains in addition to my three meals. I also still take ages to eat: 30-40+ mins for breakfast & dinner & about an hour for lunch but it does enable me to eat a little more. Are you still leaving time between when you eat & drink? Have you tried plant based proteins? I believe they can be easier to digest & may not upset you or fill you as much. I really think you need to have a conversation with your surgeon & then your dietician because you’ve been struggling so much.