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Hello again! Yes, @ShoppGirl - that's exactly what it was, now that you mention it that rings a bell! It was Heparin to help prevent blood clots. Maybe I won't need to B12 since I do still have my gallbladder - time will tell! I, too, had forgotten about the recipes on Baritastic until earlier today when I went to add the recipe I ended up using for the chicken salad I had for dinner. I need to get some fat free mayo; today I cheated and just used two teaspoons of regular mayo because that's what I had; and also sweet relish as opposed to dill relish. Are you taking an ADEK supplement? My nurse was insistent on my having to take them as a SADI patient post-op, so I ordered some from Barimelts that have thankfully not tasted terrible and dissolve quickly. It's a GREAT reminder about the recipes in Baritastic - thank you, @draikaina8503 for the reminder as well! When you get your staples out I'd suggest asking them to be liberal in their application of steri-strips, especially for ones that are on the sides or at an angle. Having that extra support against the pulling really did make a big difference. Weirdly, so has using antibiotic/pain relief ointment?! I'd never really experienced 'pain relief' from that ointment (generic over the counter) but I was shocked to find that after I applied it my pain did actually lesson! Who'd have thought?? Also, I totally kept the two reusable ice bags from the hospital and have been using them this whole time because they were softer than the ice packs I had and the ice being able to move around a bit as it melted was just more comfortable. I'm glad you'll be able to get back on your Adderall and normal medications now! I will say that nice warm showers also feel really nice overall during recovery, especially if you have an alternate shower pressure setting that can go easy on the surgical site and maybe more pulsing/massaging on the back. Just my own personal experience. I came across an inspiration idea for the puree phase today when looking around on Amazon! A friend of mine had given me about 2/3 of a container of the 30g powder protein in Vanilla and I realized that oatmeal is a great thing to add it to! I feel like if I cook the oatmeal and let it get soft and fluffy, then add in the protein powder with it to the food processor that I bet it will be perfect AND help me get my protein goal! Plus since oatmeal is high in fiber it should help with regular bowel movements. I even thought I might add some of my zero sugar caramel macchiato creamer to it in order to give it more flavor without adding an artificial sweetener. I do have some xantham gum though should I need it. I'm planning on exploring what types of purees I can make with my greek zero sugar vanilla yogurt, various fruits, and that protein powder. I'm not sure why but something just CLICKED earlier when I was in my kitchen and I realized that between the ricotta, strawberries, blueberries, low fat cottage cheese, and protein powder that I actually have a lot more options than I'd previously considered! You can also mix protein shakes with sugar free pudding instead of milk - but word to the wise, learn from my mistake and don't make up too much at once because at about day 3-4 it starts to separate and get runny. Before that it's quite tasty and filling, though! My chair isn't bothering me quite as much today after I laid a thick folded blanket down on the seat for cushioning; and I think part of my discomfort may have also just simply been from constipation and gas that needed to be passed. I'm proceeding with caution on starting new foods that I haven't already tried, but I will say the chicken salad sat really well on my stomach. I even 'cheated' and crumbled up two Ritz crackers on top for some texture variant - it was the first 'meal' I've eaten really other than my half a scrambled egg this morning that I found to be satisfying. I'm using the timer in Baritastic to make sure I go 30 mins before and after eating without a drink - that's still been rough but as long as I distract myself the time goes by pretty quickly. Oh - @draikaina8503 - I'm not sure if it is allowed for you per your doctor, but I've dealt with the dry mouth using sugar free jolly ranchers sparingly. I'm so sorry you're struggling with getting water down, but glad you're getting some relief with ice chips! Sonic definitely has better ice chips; as do a few gas stations here any there. Ice chips are SUCH a nice thing to have available. I'm cursing the fact that I don't have an ice dispenser in my fridge - sadly it isn't that fancy - but it sure would make it easier to fill these ice packs than having to fight to crack an ice tray and refill lol @Onemealplan - Yeah, what's with the ice cream? That sounds delightful lol - I mean, obviously one ounce wouldn't be bad - It just wasn't something I thought of myself as being allowed to have! Now you've got me thinking of all the sugar free varieties I saw available at Braum's in their store section! I guess I can also finally have my sugar free popsicles - Woohoo! Also thank you to @Rob Nissam for your insight about the gas and general knowledge sharing! I hope you are doing well on your path and in recovery! @AndreaJD - Thanks for the suggestions about what purrees are working for you! I'm all ears when it comes to tips to carry me through these next two weeks. I was thinking about my cream of soups earlier and how I can now have them warm. I know I need to buy some unflavored protein powder -- Does anyone have a suggestion for an unflavored protein powder they've found works well and mixes well? Just curious what's working and what if anything isn't! Wishing all of you the best in preparing, having surgeries, and recovering from them in the coming days! This forum has been invaluable to me and I'm grateful to all of you for sharing your tips and experiences so far!

Oh yes, be careful & stick to your portion recommendations. (They may be smaller when you begin purées - mine was 1/4 - 1/3 cup then). Remember to sip, sip, sip, and wait between sips & when you begin more solid foods (from purées) to eat slowly. Besides all the cut nerves you have lots of stitches & sutures holding everything together inside. It takes 6 - 8 weeks to fully heal so don’t expect to get any signals until after then. Or the signals you at get are distorted or different to what you know. Full signals can be sneezes, runny nose, hiccups, etc. Your restriction is like a tightness across your upper chest. You may want to thump or rub your chest to relieve it (it doesn’t help lol!) Try not to eat until you are full though. It takes at least 20 minutes for the full message to get through so by the time it does it’s easy to have already eaten more than you need & are over full. Try to work out when you’ve had enough. Five years out I still ask myself do I need this next bite or do I just want it - big difference between need. & want. Hope your recovery continues to go smoothly.

I’m curious. What did you make this morning. I have had had scrambled eggs and puréed egg salad so far. Well a few bites at least. I’m kinda scared to push it. I tried making real mashed potatoes in the food processor but that didn’t work out. They came out real thick and sticky. I added milk but it was still a fail. I’m thinking I will stick with instant for this couple of weeks just to be sure they are the right consistency. Tonight I’m thinking refried beans. I forgot to get salsa but I have fat free cheddar so that should be pretty good. I got my mug warmer today so at least it should be warm 🎉

I bet what you get in the hospital was same as I got which was heparin for blood clots. The two day nurses I had both said they were supposed to do them in the belly but didn’t want to torture me with my already sore belly so they did them in the thigh.i still baxe bruises so I can only imagine they were painful in the belly. At the time I was in pain so that sounded good. In retrospect I should’ve said I will deal if that’s where they are supposed to be I’m guessing it’s for a reason. Fortunately it worked out okay. The NP at the surgeon who ordered the B-12 just said it’s not uncommon to need it post SADI but because if the gall bladder removal it would be way more likely. (I actually know a couple of people Who had bypass who are in if so it didn’t shock me). She wants me to do them in the thigh. She said it’s a little short needle but I was taking it with me to my family NP tomorrow morning to let her help me the first time. They gave me an instructions sheet for the injection but I have no clue how to use that sharps container anyways to get the needle off. The surgeon said to schedule a follow up with them and I may as well actually do something while I’m there. I am not on any meds that she can decrease which is why I assume they tel everyone to schedule it between a week and two weeks out. I will let you know how it goes.

Okay so maybe it was because I got to see it as diced eggs in the food processor before I puréed it but the purée egg salad isn’t bad. I cut the fat by using half low fat Mayo, half Greek yogurt like the recipe suggested and then cut it even further by using three eggs instead of two but cut out two of the egg yolks. This made around 1/2 cup. I didn’t put any onion in because I’m a little afraid this early out if missing a chunk but I used onion powder and it’s not bad at all.

Hello everyone, and happy Sunday! I'm feeling quite a bit better now that my body finally evacuated what was bothering it. I'd kind of forgotten about the Milk of Magnesia I'd purchased, and yesterday it came to my rescue. Those protein shakes (30g) are no joke, especially if you're taking any medication that slows your digestion further. Yesterday afternoon, even after getting past the constipation, my body just wasn't feeling like much intake, either liquids or 'food'. I found myself getting full after only an ounce of the chicken noodle soup broth and a few teaspoons of yogurt. I struggled for the first time getting my fluids in; I think I had gotten lax about the sip-sip-sip method and maybe was trying to drink too much at once when I drank. It's definitely hard to resist the urge to go back to gulping, especially when the beverage it cold and satisfying, and I feel dry mouth creeping in. Tomorrow is technically my puree day but I skipped ahead just slightly to try to move away from those heavy protein shakes. I realized I'm very sensitive to the texture of my scrambled egg and had to recook it, pre-mixed with about a half tablespoon of skim milk, and instead of the butter he'd initially tried I just used a very light splash of olive oil. That gave me the light, moist scrambled egg I was looking for. I reread my book and while it suggested you might want to start with just egg whites I just couldn't make myself hold to that. I am trying to get better about spacing out the 'not drinking 30 mins before/after' now that I'm beginning to eat some actual food. That's a very hard thing to do, honestly, because I'm noticing that no matter how much I chew without a drink the food just feels kind of stuck in my throat for a bit. I can see now why my friend said she found drinking a broth type soup in the morning 'primed' her stomach for the day. @draikaina8503 & @Pepper_No_Salt - How are you two feeling? I hope that your surgeries went smoothly. @Pepper_No_Salt I'm glad you can mix in some variety with additives to your plant based shakes - I was close enough to losing my mind during the pre-op diet so I think that being limited further would have driven me over the edge! I'm going to look up that PB2 you mentioned because I'm curious about it! (Back to you, @draikaina8503 , just saw your post-op post!) Oh my gosh I hate that your body did that to you RIGHT before your surgery. Mine at least gave me two days I'm very glad they kept you at least another night! I hope they are helping you keep your pain managed. Yeah; it will definitely take some walking to get that gas pain to leave but in the mean time don't be shy in asking for those ice packs and your pain medication! Sometimes managing the pain, then walking with the ice pack is the only way to work it out - at least that was my experience, and I've heard the same from a few others. Thinking back, one thing I wish I'd done while in the hospital was be a BIT more squeaky - I remember now that when my Mom was in the hospital I had to shove a bunch of pillows behind her back when I put the hospital bed up at an incline so she could get a good enough angle in bed to safely sip liquids. I think that would have helped me tremendously, because I relegated myself to using their recliner a lot just so I could be upright, and it didn't work very well AT ALL. Hope you're starting to feel better! (Coming back to you @Pepper_No_Salt since I now see your post-op post!) : Oh my gosh I feel you on the cold drink thing! I was a bit grumpy when I asked the nurse at my 10 day post-op and she casually said, "Oh, room temperature is mainly just the first few days because foods of extreme temperatures CAN cause uncomfortable cramping'. My fella covered his mouth to hide his snort of understanding at the look I gave him, having had to hear me whine off and on for ten days about how I'd give anything for a COLD drink of something. Figuring out the sips is tricky. They gave me little medicine cups that hold about an ounce and for me, sipping one of those 2-3 times felt about right at first. I'm sure this is another one of those things that depends on the person. I also alternated one ounce of gatorade/proper (they had brought me a kiwi watermelon that elicited heartburn, the berry was ok if I went slow - Also weirdly orange gatorade zero goes down better than watermelon, guess its all based on the acid and flavoring? @draikaina8503 - I read where you discussed being pretty limited on the shakes due to dietary restrictions. That's rough It's very cool that you write the same genres as me - I, too, have given Nanowrimo a try but never seem to stick with it to the finish line. Maybe I'll try it again this year! I'm glad you mentioned it. Yes - I meant to follow up all week long on making sure I was on the waiting list, and lo and behold... it's Sunday, and I never did. I'm bad on a good day at executive function, so during stressful times like this recovery - whew. I need to add it as a task to my Finch app so my mind stops blanking on it. I hope they were able to do your full surgery with no complications. @Singingbarista - I hope your recovery is going well! I didn't feel too terribly at first but I am suspecting more and more based off of people's feedback that I almost certainly had a nerve block that took a good 4-5 days to completely wear off. The achiness has built over time, and I hope that is different for you! @AndreaJD - Yay! Another writer & Nanowrimo participant! I guess it isn't too surprising that several of us writing folks would find one another on a forum, but I still think it's really cool. Superhero fan fiction sounds fun; I'd say that some of the powers my characters have are very overlapping, like magic use. It would be awesome if you could get some productive writing done during recovery but I also wanted to encourage you not to be too hard on yourself if you can't. My mind feels muddy and I feel drowsy far more often than I would like. I know I'll probably feel SO much better in about a week, but it's sure hard not to be impatient. I also wanted to mention that I didn't have much trouble at all getting my fluids down at first, either, and that's definitely not a bad thing. My nurse told me there will be good days and harder days, and yesterday I definitely experienced that. It was the first day I didn't make my fluid goal, like I wrote above - and I tried to push it in the evening but that was a bad idea. The Berry Propel I drank a bit too quickly before laying down (should have waited longer, d'oh!) ended up giving me heartburn that woke me up around 3am. It's all trial and error, I guess. Dang - wish I'd thought of having tomato soup pre-op! No idea why I didn't - now it'll probably be a while before I dare due to potential acid reflux. Ahh well! I'm going to try some of that blended Progresso Chicken Noodle in my puree stage I think if it passes the 'book check' - it sounds amazing. @Averdra & @caseyash30 - Are you two still surgery twins on the 21st? I'm trying to backtrack and I know that you said there were possible concerns do to a potential Covid case, @Averdra. I hope that's smoothed out for you! I realized while I was doing my recap that I never mentioned - traveling to Lithuania sounds so exotic to me, as a resident of the Midwestern U!. The furthest I've ever been is Alberta, Canada! Not that you would get to go sightseeing or anything; I get it. I know a lot of folks from the US travel to Mexico for their surgeries. Very cool that you were another WoW OG! The game sure has changed a lot, hasn't it? @caseyash30 - How goes the pre-op diet? Are you getting nervous or eager as the date approaches? For me it all just felt really surreal. @Onemealplan & @Greekmom4 - Tomorrow is my 14 day post op! I was paying close attention to your discussions about puree - because to be honest, I'm kind of stumped on this particular stage. I just managed about half a scrambled egg and a couple of teaspoons of my sugar free Chobani and I just feel so full. The whole time I was eyeballing my sugar free gatorade, thinking how ready I was to just be through with food so I could set a timer to be able to start hydrating. As it is, I have hiccups from the two tiny sips of Gatorade I allowed myself just to make the egg not feel stuck in my throat. I know everyone's experiences are going to vary significantly; the friend I have who had surgery previously said she had a lot of luck sipping the French onion soup mixed, especially in the mornings. She's two years post op and doesn't seem to have trouble eating small servings of most anything she wants now, minus much fried foods or rich desserts. She had a full gastric bypass, for reference. She told me that ricotta was a big win for her because it could be blended and made either savory or sweet, depending on if you chose vegetables or fruit, and also said she really enjoyed refried beans through the puree with mild seasoning to make it more like a taco. I have a gastric sleeve cookbook that offers a lot of different smoothie varieties. Other than that - I'm just not sure what sounds appealing as a puree, despite the nurse saying 'you can puree almost anything but stringy / dense meat!' I can see how the chicken or tuna salad would work - tuna just scares me for some reason. I wonder if I'd be able to do a salmon salad instead of tuna salad. Also - @Onemealplan - Yeah, I tried having my fella puree me some canned kidney beans on Friday, just to test the waters, and they didn't settle well for me. I can't say they are what caused me to have trouble passing gas and extra trouble with my constipation - it seems unlikely since I skimmed away the 'shell' and only ate probably a teaspoon and a half worth, but I just don't know. It tasted great to me, but just made me nervous. This is probably in part because I've dealt with IBS and beans of that sort along with ground beef or tomato sauce with too much basil were trigger type foods for me. I concur on the puree'd meats sound distinctly unappetizing. I'm hoping I can get away with mashing cooked salmon or something like that. Wooo! I did it! I hope I didn't miss anyone - I feel caught up finally! Now, to go rest with my ice pack.

Exactly, I also was surprised because I learned everything from online and tiktok haha but I will just repeat this I am from the middle east so I think it's a bit different here. She told ne 1st week should be nutritional and waters then week 2 I add the protien shakes and so on. Also since I am typing, TMI warning do u guys happen to get the random runs? Like I thought I was just passing gas but it was more than that. I still haven't done number 2 since my op on Wednesday but I've had this episode for the 2nd time. Not painful but just passing air and liquid

I never stopped taking stool softeners twice a day since surgery and I'm over a year out. I was concerned to continue as I didn't want my body to become reliant on them but I was told softeners were not like a laxative and only brings more water into the intestines to keep things moving regularly and avoid constipation. With a laxative your body becomes dependent on them. Big difference. The last thing I want is to get constipated and have a weight stall because of it. I haven't had one day of constipation so there is no need to stop taking them. It will not harm you to do so.

After an unfortunate experience with banana yogurt (I put some skim milk in it and put it in the bullet blender), I have had some nice successes with my full liquid stage, which lasts 2 weeks. The berry Oikos Pro yogurt thinned with skim milk is great, Jello pudding is really good, Progresso Tomato soups are amazing, and Progresso chicken noodle soup blended smooth is probably the best thing I've had since surgery. I put protein powder in everything - still working to get the amount of protein powder right. Took a Tylenol, and that's the only pain med today. My guts feel kind of "loose", if you know what I mean - like they're jostling around in there, but it's not bad. Those who have yet to have your surgery, hope it goes as well for you, too!

I was sent home with a stronger med for constipation. I didn’t take it. Can’t recall when I started on the coloxyl. I think it was pretty much after that but I only took it (1 tablet) if I hadn’t been for three days. Five years out & I only take it if I need it which may be once one week then no need for a couple of weeks. It is good to keep on top of the constipation but you don’t want to become too reliant on it. Gotta keep your systems working as much on their own as possible. I’m presuming you need to keep things pretty soft after bypass or SADI more so than sleeve simply as you don’t want to strain your intestines at least until you are more healed.

I’m 5 years out. I take a docusate at bedtime twice a week. Just enough to keep things regular with my high protein diet.

Yayy congrats ! I’d heard of the 3 week stall but not the 3 month 😱 this explains so much !! I’m about 4 months post up and i’ve hit my first long stall : it’s been 4 weeks and no loss. Oh well i can’t complain i just take it one day at a time but that worry creeps on me sometimes Well done to everyone in this thread i get so happy when people describe all their personal NSVs !! My biggest one happened a few days ago: No more seatbelt extender on the plane I weirdly enough didn’t even expect it so it was an entire new (positive) shock when i got on the plane and just randomly realised i could fit comfortably in the seat and buckle the belt 😊

I finally did last week. I am scheduled for surgery for Sept 5

I've often thought of moving there, or the South East coast, but the house insurance rates in Florida have made me think twice and three times about it. I've seen insurance rates as high or higher than the mortgage each month! Wowsa! I'd still love too..but dang I don't know how ppl do it.

You look absolutely stunning! 🤩 I’m only two weeks postop. Can you tell me how was your experience going back to the gym and when did you see the most weight loss?

Wow. It all sounds almost doable until you say mashed potato consistency. I went the entire two weeks after my sleeve earring one or two things and just relied on liquids because I couldn’t get past the idea of it. Like I said I got REALLY bored so I’m gonna at least try it this time.

Mid week checkpoint from last week I'm late! I i'm an avid runner. I have taken the last few days off. Crazy how your body craves exercise once you make it a part of your routine. I will say obesity is a smart disease and anyone experiencing stalls for me , I have to constantly find ways to out smart it. If I run at 4am one week, I will run at 6pm the next. It get used to things you do 😡😡😡😡.

Definitely look into Miralax daily, or at least a few times per week. It's gentle and keeps you regular. The laxative/stool softener is really for getting things moving (later on, once you're further out)

@Greekmom4 that bean recipe sounds good. Is salsa considered a purée though? I guess you can purée it a little more. I’m gonna order some now and try to use my little hand blender with it and see what happens. You have to tell me how exactly you went about making purée chicken salad. Was it totally mush? I am allowed canned chicken and tuna and a little low fat Mayo but that seems like a big jump from liquid to me. @Hiddenroses i haven't experienced that but have heard of lots of weird physical aches and pains, especially back pain that occurs as we lose because our posture changes so quickly. And lots of people do end up needing a cushion when they sit after a while. I’m gonna guess it is the loss. Your first NSV!! Needing extra butt cushion 🎉 @Onemealplan are you allowed the egg substitute? I had never tried them until my pre op diet and they are surprisingly good. The first ingredient is egg whites but they add some stuff to make them taste a whole lot more like regular eggs which is great for me because I really don’t care for egg whites. They are also super soft and moist which is good for us right now. @Hiddenroses I am editing this post to add that now that I am paying attention I am feeling a bit of tingling in my butt cheek. I am lying in an adjustable bed watching tv and I’m actually not in a very comfortable position at all but I swear I just noticed some tingling in the right side and shifted my weight. 🤣 I guess if it happened before I just didn’t pay much attention. I’m lucky that I haven’t had to do any desk chair sitting this week. That just got me to thinking about when will be the best time to get a new mattress. One thing I do remember with the sleeve was that the mattress seemed uncomfortable after I lost a significant ***** of weight. I think it’s because I was not sleeping in my same dented in spot with the posture changes. I flipped the mattress a few times and then ended up switching mattresses with my husband who is tiny because he can sleep on anything and that worked last time but I don’t remember if they have been replaced since then. I’m thinking not so I’m going to have to for sure this time at some point.

I've still been lurking around over here! I can't wait to be able to get in the water and swim; I feel like they told me I had to wait 4 -6 weeks until I can swim? I'm going to revisit that with them, because that pushes into the end of swim season

Glad to hear you are feeling better. I have a descent list for purée but the three things I actually like out of it are the scrambled egg substitute, refried beans, and ricotta. I am also allowed reduced sugar marinara and fat free or low fat cheese so I will have a little cheddar cheese on the refried beans and I will make the ricotta bake with ricotta, marinara and mozzarella. That starts Sunday for me and I CAN’T wait. I was actually debating how long I need to wait to make sure something agrees. Like if I have the eggs for breakfast, will I know by lunch that was fine so I can try something else or should I stick to liquids for the rest of the day. I can’t remember what I did with the sleeve. Probably waited because I always tend to be over cautious with medical stuff. I dug out my handheld blender and bought some canned fruit (no sugar added) and fresh veggies that I’m going to try to make my own purées. That I didn’t do last time but I do remember getting board so I figured I may as well give it a try. Anyone else have any good ideas?

After every surgery, I took 2 per day for the first 5 days, then 1 a day until I hit 2 weeks post op, then 1 every other day for another week. Then only as needed (typically I take them if I haven't poo'd in 2 days. On day 3, I take em and make sure I can go). I will say I tend to use Miralax often, as it's less harsh than actual stool softeners. But that only works for me if I'm not "backed up" and needing the stronger laxative/stool softener combo to get things moving again. For me, Miralax more keeps them moving, not really much help if things stop.

I believe it was day 4 that my dr started me on twice a day stool softener then on day 6 I had my first movement so I went to once a day. Currently it’s day 8 and I am still having a loose movement each morning. I’ve been sticking with the one a day worried about the pain straining if it firms up too much but I guess I gotta stop taking it eventually? Any advice as to when it’s time to stop?? Does it hurt to take it for a couple of weeks? Or mess up your system to where you actually need it or anything.

I did an NHS weigh loss education session before I was approved for surgery and one last week after I was approved. It was basically the same session twice and most of it was what to eat after the surgery. It's informative, but it's not really new information that I didn't have before. It's very clinical. I agree that hearing other peoples' stories is much more helpful.

I started watching the videos last summer when I first started the path toward surgery. I learned so much, and by now I've watched all the videos at least once. There's one on keeping the weight off for good that I go back to over and over to remind myself of the changes I need to make. I've watched all the podcasts, too. There's so much information and I feel like it's coming from a very trustworthy source. Last August, I read Pound of Cure. I did not start with the two-week metabolic reset diet, but I decided I would eat 16oz of non-starchy vegetables daily, cut back significantly on bread/crackers and cheese, switched my regular wheat pasta to chickpea pasta, and stopped drinking diet soda (my only regular source of artificial sweetener). I didn't count calories, cut back on portions, skip sweets, or do anything else that would have felt like a diet. I just made those relatively easy changes that I thought would address some of my biggest issues, and over about 6 months, I lost 13 lbs. There was never a time before when I lost so much weight by doing so little, so I'm definitely a believer that these changes work. If you're up for the challenge, the 2-week metabolic reset might be a great way to kick-start getting back on track. He explains it in his book, but there's a free PDF you can get from their website with all the pertinent info (scroll way down on the page to find the link): https://www.poundofcureweightloss.com/nutrition/.