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I know when I was recently post-op I wanted to know what my life would be like after the dust settled, so to speak. When I had surgery I was 56 years old, at a weight of 234 lbs and a BMI of 35.6. I wore a size 22 dress and size 10 shoes (I'm 5'8). Dr. Alberto Aceves did my sleeve in Mexico (a 36 trochar) and repaired a large hiatal hernia. I was self-pay. After my surgery I lost my hunger and also developed some food aversions. I lost 102 lbs over about ten months. I followed the post-op instructions as well as I was able although some days I was not able to drink all my protein. When I graduated to solid foods I learned that regular bread seemed to ball up in my stomach and it felt awful. So did noodles. Chicken made me vomit. I ate lots of shrimp and steak. I ate no desserts other than baked custard that I usually ate for breakfast. As my weight stabilized at 136, I had much more energy. I mostly walk and hike in summer, and swim indoors and ski in winter, but I am certainly not a fanatic. However, it is considerably easier to breathe and move almost 100 lbs. lighter than I was. Bad habits, though, can creep back. My hunger is still gone, but I have a tendency to eat when I am bored. It's easy for portion sizes to increase, so I consciously use my food scale and measuring cups. Also, my sweet tooth came back. I still can't eat cake (see bready things above) but let me tell you, chocolate candy and cookies go down just fine. But, I can easily lose five pounds in a few days when I am busy and out of the house and so I have managed to stay under 140 lbs (and size 6) since my surgery. (Oh, and I went down half a shoe size!) To this day I cannot eat too fast or it comes right back up. I still get the slimies but rarely--usually when I am very hungry and eat too fast. I can't eat bread easily, although toast is fine. I cannot eat salmon, tuna, or other fish that dries out in the cooking process. I frequently use sauces to slide dry food down and I have learned to cook in ways that preserve the moisture in food. Eggs are iffy--sometimes I can eat them, other times not. Vegetables are fine if the pieces aren't too big. Crunchy things, like crackers, chips, and apples, are fine, although I avoid the chips except at parties. If I have them here I will eat them, but out of sight, out of mind. That is the difference between pre-surgery and post-surgery for me. Before surgery, I thought about food ALL THE TIME. I would be eating breakfast and thinking about what to eat for lunch and dinner. If I had to go out I had a "snack" in my purse. If I traveled, I carried food with me and bought food in airports and roadside quickie-marts besides. Now I don't think about food except when the clock tells me it's mealtime or if I get a little light-headed because I've forgotten to eat. There have been some drawbacks to surgery. I can't give blood anymore because it takes too long to replenish my iron stores from food alone and iron supplements irritate my sleeve. I developed GERD about a year after surgery and have to take a PPI daily. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis this year--I had some risk factors unrelated to the sleeve, but a year of malabsorption/malnutrition probably didn't help, despite the liquid calcium citrate I took. All in all, surgery was the right choice for me. It did not change my life, but it changed my relationship to food, and for that I am profoundly grateful. I have so much more time to devote to other interests instead of thinking about what I'm going to eat next. I wish you all the best and hope to read your success stories in a few years.

starting weight 215-right now 185lbs Been a while since I have signed on here hope ur all well. I have to share this. I have experienced the dumping syndrome omg, omg, i thought I was going to die. Plz take ur time eating chew, chew, chew, & sip, sip, sip[emoji173]️

My two cents for whatever it's worth. I'm only 3 years 5 months out. No regrets. I bounced back from surgery quickly. My weight came off quickly. I'm healthy and in the best shape of my life for an old fart. Maintained well for the first 2 years. 3rd year battling a 10-15 pound gain back and forth. I can gain weight quickly and it's a snail's pace to get it back off. Always a risk of complications with any surgical procedure. Statistically is seems to be a low percentage. I only have one minor issue from my sleeve procedure. I have reactive hypoglycemia/low blood sugars. It's manageable. ( I'm not in hospice care with month to live... so, life is good.) Long term data and statistics have been an interesting thing. My local surgeons office is having problems collecting data because many patients stop coming in for appointments/check ups as they get further out from surgery. I just decided I didn't want to be a statistic. I'm responsible for my own outcome and success with weight loss.

I am not a doctor, but I wouldn’t think so. I would try to not do it again however. Stick to your surgeons plan.

Awww. you are very kind. :-)

I go on Monday so I certainly understand the nerves! Best of luck to you!!

I can take decent size swigs as well. At first, NO it was more like swallowing aquarium gravel!!!! lol. And during that time I got a little dehydrated too. So I am glad I can take close to normal swallows.

I don't think the amount is the OP's concern, but the ability to take normal size slugs and feel no resistance. Be careful chugging too fast and too much because you won't have enough time to know if too much is going to cause you to suddenly upchuck. This may change too as you heal and swelling goes down - remember the staple line takes at least 6 weeks to heal and sometimes 3 months. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should throw caution to the wind. The pyloric valve at the junction between the stomach and intestine does not hold liquids - it passes through, solids will give you resistance. Good luck.

I'm four years out, does that count?

A shopping list helps, and going to the same store, so you memorize where everything is. I had the same overwhelm too.. but the more I went back (for brief trips), the easier it became. Make sure you eat before going, so legitimate hunger doesn't make it worse. It gets better, I promise! I now enjoy going and looking for "hidden" healthy foods.