educationrulz

How soon is it generally ok to eat hot wings and other spicy foods? I usually get my "hot wings" mild, so I should be ok at 5 weeks out, right? I would like an occasional jalepeno as a garnish.

So Tiffy did you not drink ANY soda until you hit goal? I'm thinking that if a person could tolerate diet soda, it wouldn't affect your weight loss or health if done in moderation. I can't imagine being able to drink much soda after being sleeved anyway. Can you drink several in a short amount of time? I think Anna makes a good point about food associations and starting bad habits. I'm thinking I'd be ok in that area because I switched to diet sodas right before my preop phase to start decreasing my carbs. So, I could easily do diet sodas and not see them as a food trigger the way I might regular sodas. I don't care for artificial sweetners but I guess they'll have to be a way of life until I get to goal. I'm just wondering at what stage in my postop diet might it be safe to try a carbonated drink without worrying about causing damage. My docs office is on the NO side of the debate with carbonated beverages. But, there are other things where they leave it up to the patient to use with caution where I've seen that other docs say absolutely NO (like straws, pasta, rice). (I happen to do great with straws - no gas, no problems, more fluids taken in, and pasta and rice seem ok for me in very small amounts.) The nurse told me that while the carbonation is in your stomach it could sit there before the pyloric valve dumps and cause some distress. It seems to me like this might vary from person to person like the other controversial items.

Hmmm...I'm thinking it was either the blue cheese or the chocolate, but most likely the chocolate. Chasing it with the gingerale might have made it worse. (Good lord I want some gingerale!) :confused1: I guess we're all having to adjust to what our stomach will tolerate post op. If all of these episodes were soon after eating, maybe you can start a food journal and try to track down the patterns. But, hopefully it won't happen to you again. I know that's gotta be a BAD feeling.

Be careful and take it easy on yourself Go Kart.

I think there are several companies (like Care One) that do higher risk loans for medical procedures. For some reason I'm thinking Capital One does it too. Of course the rates will be through the roof, but it's another option if you aren't able to save enough.

I think it's normal to have these kind of thoughts when you stray from your diet. Maybe it's because we already have half convinced ourselves that we will be the one this surgery doesn't work for. As for the pudding, at least it wasn't ice cream or a hamburger. I think you'll be fine. :wink0:

I went back to work today also. I have a 33 pound loss with preop and post and didn't get one comment. I wouldn't have thought it was so wierd except I've lost less before and had people notice. One person in particular who has commented before when I have lost 10 pounds said nothing. I'm wearing smaller clothes and I know my face is smaller, so I didn't get it. But, it didn't really upset me. I actually have decided to reveal that I had WLS but since no one commented, it totally blew my plans for my big revelation today. I was all set to spill my guts! Oh well, I'm sure someone will notice and say something soon enough. I'll have to see if I'm in the mood to talk about it by then.

The reason you see so many different answers to this question is because it's individual. Some people bounce right back, others don't. I think 2 weeks is a good starting point because you'll at a bare minimum be on full liquids by then (or mushies/soft foods if your post op diet advances faster). It's hard to have any real strength or stamina on clear liquids. I think 2 weeks is also a fair amount of time to allow your body to heal and to feel safe that there will be no complications.

I think I might join you Lisa. I don't own a scale either and don't plan to buy one until I hit goal so I can monitor any unwanted weight gain. I've been weighing myself here and there every week or so. I just went through the dreaded three week stall. I knew from the way my body was acting the minute it hit. Against my better judgement I got on a scale (at Walmart :001_tt2:) during that time and hadn't lost a thing from my previous weigh in the week before. Needless to say, I was pissed. But, I had read enough here to know that it was common and that it would pass. I didn't weigh again until I felt my body shifting and started to see a change in my clothes. I just broke my stall and lost 2 pounds. I wasn't thrilled that it was only two pounds, but I'll take it. After being mad for two or three days about the scale not changing I started thinking that I need to cut back to weighing even less frequently than every week. I just don't need the extra drama. I'm actually much more emotionally tied to how my clothes fit and getting smaller sizes than I am with how much I weigh, so why should I be stressing about the scale. I think I'm going to go for once a month weigh-ins too - at least until I get closer to goal! Count me in!

I agree with sweetie that you should be able to do it but it might be uncomfortable. If you find that you have no other option, as Monica said, be sure you have been off narcotic pain meds for some time. 30 minutes is a relatively short drive, but if you start getting uncomfortable, stop after 10 or 15 minutes and get out of the car for a minute. On my 3rd day postop I took a short drive to CVS and to the gas station. I could have asked my sister to do it but it was a good way for me to get moving once I was home because I had to get dressed and move around in the store. I was feeling uncomfortable (like my insides were squished up) and wiped out when I got back home. So, it can be done but listen to your body. If you are feeling really crappy and out of it when you get to the airport, bite the bullet, leave your car and take a cab. It will be inconvenient to go back and get it but worth it to not have an accident and mess up your new stomach or hurt someone. Congrats on your upcoming surgery. Even though my insurance paid I kind of wish I had been able to go to Dr. Aceves. It sounds like a great experience.

Can you tell us what you ate each time? Was it something you were previously able to tolerate? I think most sleevers find bowel movements come every few days or so once we start mushies/soft food, so the diarrhea is most likely specific to what you ate each time. Dairy seems to be a fairly common trigger post WLS, but not for everyone. If you are not able to identify anything food related, I would definitely say follow up with your surgeon or a GI doc. You may have something intestinal going on.

I used mine alot the first two weeks but not as much once I was able to transition to soft foods and just chew everything. I intended to make smoothies and stuff but I guess I've just been kind of lazy about doing that. I'm sure I'll get back into it eventually. Don't get it from the tv ads. Try here... Walmart.com: The Original Magic Bullet Express Blender/Mixer System: Appliances

I had a bad sinus infection a couple of weeks ago and the mucus was a HUGE problem for me. After it started making me puke I went and got some antibiotics. I finished my antibiotics (capsule form) without any problems but I'm not totally convinced that got rid of it all. I have found that in addition to my daily Zyrtec, being consistent with my nasal spray is helpful in keeping the drainage under control.

I don't have Kaiser but my understanding from my nurse case manager before surgery was that they are interested in whether you have co-morbidities - not whether they are controlled by meds. Who told you that?

I hope you're able to find a solution that brings some relief so you can enjoy your weight loss.

Maybe you can try some tuna fish, rotisserie chicken (dark meat), baked fish, string cheese, chili, cooked greens/spinach/green beans. At this stage in your diet you should be able to eat most foods that are soft and easily chewed to mush. I checked with my docs office last week and was told that it's ok for me to switch to caffeinated tea now that I'm past the 4 week mark. Of course the sugar free/low cal type would be best because regular sweetened tea can add alot of calories. I just tried diet Nestea today and it wasn't too bad. I could make my own with splenda but it's nice to have the convenience of the cans sometimes. I've posted my postop diet in my blog if you want to compare mine with what your doc has prescribed. If our postop diets don't compare, look around for someone else's that does and then get some ideas from them.

I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your aunt. I can only imagine how difficult that makes it to take this step. I don't know anything about the doctor you mentioned but I'm sure you'll get some feedback. Try running a search and checking the doctor/hospital thread if you haven't already done so. Good luck!

Hey Betsy. Welcome to VST and congrats on your surgery. I think you'll find the forum very helpful in the coming days. It can be rough right after surgery and reading about other people going through the same things helps me alot. It is tough with young kids, but it sounds like you have some good help. :cool0: As for the ticker, I've never tried weight watchers. I use Ticker Factory Weight Loss - Diet Ticker and it's real easy to set up and update. After you set up your ticker the way you like it, there will be a code there for you to copy and paste into your signature line. Highlight the one under "bbCode" then copy it. Then, go to User CP in VST and edit signature. In the edit box for your signature, click paste. Then you can preview the ticker and save the changes. I hope this helps.

I think we all have those preop nerves. Once my 6 months of insurance requirements were complete, I really started to get crazy nervous and uncertain of what I was doing. But, since I am the type who follows through once I initiate something, I made a promise to myself that even though I was having doubts, I would not express them to my surgeon's office and I would not call and cancel anything. I decided to continue on as if I were going through with surgery despite the doubts in my mind. I told myself that if I got to the hospital that morning and my heart and mind were not sure that I would get up and walk out and not go through with it until I was ready. Well, surprise surprise! I was more sure and ready the morning of surgery than I had ever been. I knew that morning that it was meant to be. I guess my round about point is that you really don't have to decide now. Go forward with everything so that you don't delay your surgery due to uncertainties that will probably go away. If you walk away the morning of surgery, the sky won't fall. But, if you have done your research and discussed the cancer/bariatric connection with your oncologist and bariatric doctor and they both think it's a good plan, then you'll be ready when the time comes to move over to the loser's bench. Best wishes!

The heat can't be helping any! :cursing: I feel like I'm gonna pass out sometimes just going from the store to the car. It's crazy. Feel better guys!

Congrats to you and your hubbie! Do you mind telling us how much weight you've lost?