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Thank you all so much got on scales today and again havent lost so just busted out on the running machine vibro plate and weights !!! i am determined for it to come of !!! your right i prob need more Protein but not sure how to get it at the min im on puree stage up until weds i lost a stone pre op and a stone and a half (21lb) since the 25th january ... i feel really down with stepping on the scales and not losing weight i guess i shouldnt weigh every day like im doing at the min ?? do you guys weigh once a week or step on the scaled quite frequently ?? I think when your told that you will lose between 5-8 lb a week there is a great expectation from people i dont live with my mum but she is on my back and thinks im doing some thing wrong ??? must admit i do find it hard when my partner is eating all the food i used to love in the house but thats the price i pay i guess - also i ahve had a few glasses of wine with friends on 2 occasions and im sure this is contributing to the lack of weight loss (lesson learnt need to cut out alcohol for a while) You are all doing so great so a big well done from me and thanks so much for the response !! it is very much appreciated xxxx

I had not heard of people who got the sleeve having dumping issues. i thought it was strictly with bypass. But here is what I found: Gastric Sleeve Complications: Dumping Syndrome Dumping syndrome is also one of the least common gastric sleeve complications. This happens when foods or liquids with a high content of sugar moves rapidly to the small intestines, but it rarely ever happens since the digestive system is not altered, only the stomach size. However, if this does happen you may experience shaking, sweatiness, lightheadedness and sometimes even diarrhea. So it is a must to go easy on deserts, alcohol and sodas as well.

go to the bar to watch the game and order Water or tea. There's no rule that you must drink alcohol. I went out last weekend with friends and had no problem ordering a non-alcoholic drink while they had beer. Nobody even noticed. If you go to dinner, then just order some Soup. Claim you had a big lunch if he asks why you're eating so little and you don't want to share about surgery yet. Enjoy the date!!

I am 2 week post opp and 29 pounds down!!! A guy wants to take me on a date. He was like can we do dinner, or maybe go to a bar watch a game and grab a beer. I’m thinking I can’t do any of that, I can barely eat, I can’t drink any alcohol. I’m like wow my dating life will be way different now. I guess I can say, "" Hey I only have a small stomach I can’t really eat or drink so maybe we can have a date that doesn’t require any of the above. I feel abnormal. What is everyone else doing, maybe I just have to wait longer until I can eat more or have a drink.

SOMEONE PINCH ME CUZ I MUST BE DREAMIN!!!!! I just don't know how i lived as a fat kid for so long... I have energy like you wouldn't believe!!!!! I am at the gym every other day and the days that im not at the gym im running outside! My only day off is Sunday and i dont mind it one bit! I honestly thought that me being in ONEderland was a fluke, but nope its hear to stay.. as of this morning I am officially 195.6.... HECK TO THE FREAKING YEAH!!!!!!! Ok so that was my happy dance..lol. These past few weeks I have been on one hell of a ride. gaining, losing, pretend stalling, lol.. but i know no matter what is goin on that week that the weight will countinue to fall off because im workin hard to make that happen! Im not perfect. I eat things i probably shouldn't, i drink alcohol, and in all reality, i need to stop that. But the best part of all this is i know i screw up sometimes, but that i do my best to get back on track. Before I had the mind set oh i screwed up well i guess i will wallow in my guilt and keep messing up.. now i just go well hell it happens now let me fix it! I know i normally start with stats but i just wanted to get my piece in. so here are the stats 5'7" HW: 265 CW: 195.6 GW: 150 and of course this blog wouldn't be complete without pics..lol the first pic..i wore that dress back in 2008 when my best friend got married.. it fits again! the second pic-- i know you have seen the dress before but that was me on valentines day!

On the nausea part I had it right out of surgery and my nurses told me of a trick they said they used with cancer patients that have nausea ... They gave me alcohol wipes so anytime I would start to feel the nausea I put one at the end of my nose and breathed it making the nausea go away I was amazed on how it worked for me.

I have had alcohol since about 4 weeks out and I haven't died.... yet. I find I get a little drunker off of wine faster, and I DEFINITELY do with hard alcohol. I think it has something to do with how little I am able to eat now. I If you want to have one, just know it can irritate your scar line, and that your liver is healing. It is a personal choice only you can make!

Alcohol can irritate the sleeve scar and inhibit healing. Even long post-op, the alcohol can cause problems with the scar. It's best to keep it to a bare minimum. And yes, the metabolic differences of alcohol post-op are almost entirely due to a lower BMI (there are some concerns with increased pancreatic load during the active loss phase). I went from being able to have... too much alcohol without noticing it much, to being pretty much a lightweight. Since it's all just empty calories and is really bad for you, I don't see a great reason to drink (you can have just as much fun without it as with it, and if you don't make a big deal about it, nobody will even notice or care that you're drinking iced teas instead of Long Island iced teas). Obviously, to each their own, but PLEASE be aware of the "lightweight" effect; I've heard of sleevers getting DUI's or worse due to not realizing just how dramatically their tolerance had changed. All that being said: drinking alcohol at only six weeks out is very foolish; I'd wait at LEAST six months. Ultimately, however, it's your body and your risk to take.

I had two glasses of Riesling wine this past weekend over the course of about 6 hours. For me, nothing happened and i am only 4 weeks out. No ill effects at all. I was able to enjoy the 30th birthday party of one of my friends and not feel like an outsider. Now, i won't be rushing out to stock up on alcohol...but in my opinion one or two drinks on occasion are not a big deal.

I am always tight when I am retaining water- especially during my period- and I know alcohol commonly causes water retention. That would be my assumption if it happened to me anyway. It should resolve itself in a day or two.

Wait Wait Wait - I too had this dilemma. I was told by one pharmacist that they no longer carry liquid tylenol. I almost paid a fortune on Amazon. BUT - another pharmacist showed me what was right in front of my face the whole time. Next time - Go look in the cold section and look for TYLENOL SORE THROAT. I figured there was other crap in it like a nyquil. NOPE - ONLY ingredient is Acetaminophen 500 mg They market it for sore throats to make it go down easier!!!! Here is what it looks like: http://www.alice.com/products/1191225?p=1191225&&source=pricegrabber Description Non-drowsy. Pain reliever, fever reducer. Contains 1 Medicine: Acetaminophen 500 mg per 15 ml - Sore throat/Fever; Body aches/Headache. Does not contain alcohol. Each Tablespoon Contains: Sodium, 11 mg Hope this helps others like it helped me!!! I find it everywhere!!!

Greetings! So, yesterday I consulted with Dr Abdulsalam Al Taie...he has his own clinic in Jumeirah - I was very intimidated at the thought of speaking to someone - I felt worthless and a bit of a failure, truth be told...but, I liked him. Alot. He has performed over 1300 of the sleeve surgeries and is cocky to boot, but with his experience, I guess he is allowed to be. I felt comfortable though - for some reason I mix well with cocky men - I think I find them challenging... He also performs a lot in the UK, in Manchester, which is right next to my city so that was kind of a comfort. He gave me a great price so I am hoping to go for this surgery in April...depending on whether I can get care for my little one - I wont be able to lift her for 7 - 10 days...that is my primary concern, if I am honest. So I have to constantly remind myself that in the long run, 2 weeks without lifting my angel is nothing in the great scheme of things... After my consultation, I had coffee with my two lovely friends - one who is having the sleeve a week today and the other who is my inspiration... My mum flies out on Thursday - to tell or not to tell. I am kind of worried about telling her to be honest. She would absolutely kill me if I didnt tell her I was going for surgery of any kind - my fear is about her talking me out of it...mentally I am in a good place about this right now. My head wanders back to a colleague who had the sleeve over the summer holidays a year ago - I remember her being brutally ill - she had infections and to be honest, looked and felt deathly ill for a while. I know that for the first couple of months it is going to be tough but I am scared of being ill... Is it really bad to admit that I dont read the negative experiences? I think that people with food issues have a different psychology - an addictive mindset. I have been addicted to many things in my life - food, sex, alcohol, smoking...trying to fill the unfillable void. But with attending certain meetings (I cannot mention which - and yes, they ARE here in DXB - personal message me for details if you want them) and completely overhauling my faith, lifestyle and strength, I feel ready for this. I am concerned that the couselling side of this surgery is not really addressed here in DXB. Which is why I am grateful for this site and being able to speak with people who have experienced the same things. One thing I have learnt so far in this process...I am very much the typical Brit - my philosphy of "Keep calm and carry on" is very much being applied to this process! Love and light xxx

Just got back home from spending two nights in the French Quarter. Not easy being around the alcohol and food, and drinking my caff free tea and Protein drinks. I did take a couple forks of baked potato (plain). It tasted sooo good. It's almost like taking a baby somewhere. I had my little food bag. Lol. By the way, my name is Pam. I have the act of sale on our house Thursday at 1pm in Ponchatoula, so I won't be able to make this one. But I'm looking forward to meeting ya'll. Keep me posted on the next Support group meeting! I am in my 5th week and can eat egg now, and Protein Bars. But I feel like I am drinking something all day, and don't seem to be able to get in much actual food. Although I have eaten Blue Runner red Beans, canned pears, smashed broccoli and carrots. So, I'm getting there, but trying to follow the plan and get in all of my protein and Fluid. I have been out to eat a couple of times and pretty much ate Soup. F4M - Congrats on another 5 lbs! KB - You said you can pretty much eat anything you want now.... Is there anything that you find you can't eat?

I would say that yes it is because of dehydration. Alcohol dehydrates and dehydration makes a band tighter.

had the same exact thing happen to me too! I thought I was the only one. you are allergic to steri strips. did you take them off? also clean the areas well with rubbing alcohol to dissolve and get rid of all the left over glue/debris. I tried hydrocortisone over the counter, worked a tiny bit, but then it got worse again. I was taking benadryl 50mg at night so I could stop itching and sleep, but I still woke up itching. So what actually worked was getting a prescription strength steriod ointment (triamcinolone 0.1% ointment twice a day) and putting this on took care of it within 1 day. had to tell the surgeon how to prescribe it (15 grams) lol!!! hope it goes away, it's so annoying, the itch was unbelievably uncomfortable

Hey there. Don't give up! I heard that many sleeve patients lose like another 10-15 % additional weight in the SECOND YEAR too! You still may be able to hit that 100 pound goal. I agree that working at McDonald's after having the sleeve is like an alcoholic working in a bar. I understand you can't quit. Try to eat something before work like some of the other people have said so you are full and not tempted to eat there. I don't even know anything I would eat at McDonald's except maybe the oatmeal and I'm not even sure i would eat that. Good luck girl!

I work at Cracker Barrel as a waitress. When I started working there years ago I struggled with all of the food. I'm sure fast food is different for it might be more available to you. For me I would have to take a scheduled break or eat after or before my shift. First for me anyway , after working with the same food all the time I am tired of it. It's like working in a donut shop or pizza place, after awhile you might eat it out of conveniece but it is not what you crave. Try to ask yourself if you really want it or is it the idea it is front of you. Bring your lunch, suck on a mint, drink lots of water. Come prepared. Also something that really helped me especially on pre op clear liquid diet was I did not say to myself, "oh that looks good" I said ewwwwww, that is not going to help me. I believe working in the food industry that it is more mindless eating, if you do crave it you know it is the bad carbs your addicted to. Start off treating yourself to something somewhere else. Once you break the habot of MC"D"S food amd swear it off then you can concentrate on starting to make better food choices. Right now your like an alcoholic working in a bar. It doesn't work. Your mindset has to change totally or definitly get a new job.

Be sure to stay hydrated! Nearly 50% of WLS patients have NAFL (non-alcoholic fatty liver) -- which should resolve itself with weight loss. However, this usually results in a sluggish liver which is not comfortable. liquids and exercise help the liver through this process, make sure you are getting 64-80oz minimum of fluids/water intake every day. When you don't get enough, it can increase pain in other areas of your body. The liver is a giant filter for your blood and right now in breaking down fat your body is releasing more estrogen that it has to process. Plus, it's now trying to break down the fat stores in the liver itself. That's fun as it can spike at the worst times like in the middle of the night. Most likely your abdomen pain is a result of gas and/or incisional healing. Everyone here has great advice for that -- Fiber, GasX, etc. And as much as you may not like it, exercise does WONDERS!!! Sometimes when the diaphragm is in pain, it will reference in your shoulder. Remember, they had to retract/shift your liver around and fill you up with a lot of CO2. It can take a while for that to go away. And if you did have a fatty liver, they most likely took a sample with a needle to make sure you hadn't advanced to cirrhosis, etc. stages. I found my shoulders hurting a lot too because I was sleeping too much, and hunching over a lot to protect my belly. That plus the fact that all my bras don't fit leads to horrible posture. Trying some mild stretching and perhaps take some liquid children's tylenol for the pain. GOOD LUCK!

crosswind, don't feel badly, I'm the same way. . . get how dumb this is. . . next monday I go to my WLS doctor for my annual exam and weigh in. . .i've gained about 5 - 6 lbs. . so this morning i started only protein, no carbs, no soda, no alcohol, then next sunday night, i'll take a potent diurectic and flush my blessed kidneys down the commode just so that i'll weigh a few pounds less then what i did last year. . . . good lord I know how to play the game. . . . isn't that sad. . . .but of course I don't need a doctor going on and harping on me for 5 minutes over water weight or whatever female gain it may be. . . . .soooooooooo

Wow, that must have been discouraging! I find it hard to believe that one evening of excess=5 pounds, but it must be true. Likely a combination weight gain and water retention (due to salt, alcohol?, high carbs, etc). Just get back on the program and all will be okay. Learn from this and add it to the list of things to avoid in the future. Part of this journey is figuring out how you gained so much weight in the past (and you just got a clue on the weekend). Good luck and carry on.

Tuesday, March 6th which means I start my pre-op diet this Tuesday ) VERY worried about this part of all of it. How will I ever survive? I imagine it being like being addicted to drugs or alcohol and just stopping cold turkey!! Any advice???

Oy, As someone who has battled smoking, alcoholism and food addictions, I can honestly tell you NO ONE could MAKE me help myself. As a matter of fact, if my wife tried to, it would have backfired and I would have fought her on it. Just my pig-headed-ness, I suppose. I'm not saying that you are ... I hate a nag. If you want to make sure I'm NOT going to do something ... nag me to do it. H3ll would freeze over before I would do it. For me, to work on my personal issues, I had to hit MY bottom. I think the best thing you can do is be an inspiration. Walk the walk, and don't nag him about it. He will see how your life changes. It will take a spark within him to make the decision. I know you want to light it, but you can't. As far as I can tell, my wife doesn't battle any addiction issues, and she is a skinny mini, but I would love for her to be more physically fit. I suggest things she can do, but try not to nag her about it. I work out like crazy and talk to her about how great it makes me feel. When she is ready, I'm confident she will join me, but it has to be her decision. Not mine. This isn't a husband issue, it's a Christina issue.

In meetings and classes with the nutritionist, I learned about food labels and how to read them, the dangers of sugar alcohols, what a serving is and about my new diet. The first meeting covered the pre-op and immediately following surgery. Later meetings covered how my diet changed. It was good info. I had a sleep study. I had to arrive around 9 p.m. I was taken to a room that looked like a bedroom rather than a hospital room. It also had its own bathroom. I changed into pajamas, and the tech came in and started getting all of the wires ready. There was a camera and an intercom system in the room. That stuff isn't turned on until you go to sleep, but I still changed in the bathroom. I sat in a chair and watched TV while all of the wires and things were hooked up. It took more than a half hour, and there were a LOT of wires. I had some kind of belt thing strapped just under my breasts, and there was a way that they routed the wires that kept them out of the way as possible, which is a feat. Did I mention there were a LOT of wires? There were even wires in my hair. I remember the tedch told me that the night's sleep would generate over 1,000 pages of data that needed to be analyzed. I had to get X amount hours of sleep for the study to work. I don't recall the exact time, but I think it was like 6 hours. When I was all wired up, I was free to spend the evening in the room watching TV or reading. The camera was off. When I was ready to go to sleep, I let the tech know. At that point, the tech came in and did some last minute stuff including putting a heart monitor on my finger that has a little red light on it. The tech left the room, I shut off the lights and in a few minutes the tech was talking to me over the intercom, and the camera started filming. I was able to sleep somehow, but I woke up A LOT. Every time I moved and that little red light flashed in front of my eyes, I'd wake up a bit. I was woken up at 6 a.m. I had the option of getting dressed and just going home or showering first. I live more than an hour away, so I opted to shower first. The tech warned me that the stuff used to keep the leads in your hair would be difficult to wash out. The tech wasn't exaggerating. I tried very hard that morning to wash it all out, and I didn't get it all. I took another shower when I arrived home, and if I remember right there was still some in my hair the next day when I took my third shower. I had very thick long hair and the stuff they use has sticking power. I did snap a picture of me with most of the wires on. It isn't a photo I'd share with anyone. Before going to bed, the tech did tell me that if a problem was detected that I'd be fitted with a cpap that night to try out. I didn't have any sleep problems, so I didn't experience that part of the study. Again, it is a lot of wires, but they do a really good job routing them in a way to keep them secure and out of your way as much as they possibly can. I move around a lot when I sleep and no wires came undone. The most annoying thing to me was that little red light on my finger. Apparently my hand goes in front of my face quite a lot when I sleep, and it wasn't fun having a shining red light on my finger when that happened. All in all, the experience was painless and even pleasant. It was also pretty interesting to see how many wires it took.

I can eat any meat, seafood or fish if it is cut small enough, moist enough and chewed well, however i cant eat scrambled eggs or raw veg, although i do eat a lot of chopped salads. I dont eat pasta or any high carb foods like rice or bread by choice ! .. Some cant eat much of a morning as the band can be a little tighter so they stick with a protein shake or a warm drink to relax it a little first. Most food people eat is individual to them, so it would be individual to you if u have the lapband fitted as to what could end up eating .. big no no's are drinking while eating, eating large quantities or too fast and not chewing well seem to be the standard sort of restrictions ... In general there isnt really intolerance to anything because of a lapband, some doctors will ask for no caffine or alcohol others will say no problem, i drink coffee, not strong, and tea as fillers in between meals my doctor is fine with it and as u can see i have lost the weight i needed too and am continuing on the homeward stretch to my goal. Good luck and maybe this will be the year that changed your life

About a week ago on one of the forums someone asked that same question and wow she got a ton of replies and everyone said yes and some said the last week, im under the week catagorie. lol This Thursday night will be my last meal. Going to have a big steak with all the fixings.. Kinda cant wait...Silly i know but like a smoker has there last smoke and an alcoholic has their last drink same thing... Go for it..