educationrulz

Oh, ok. That sounds doable as long as you stop a few times along the way during the drive and stretch your legs.

GOT MY TICKET AND STRAPPED IN!!! :flame: I haven't seen the hundreds since high school...a long freaking time ago! I was 209 at the doctor's office yesterday so my 1st goal is in my sights. Congrats to everyone who's made it so far - to this goal or whatever 1st goal you set for yourself. :cheer2:

Even though this is a little frustrating moneywise, it is still SO COOL! I've been going through clothes like Grant through Richmond lately and it's crazy. All of my jeans that I couldn't squeeze into for the past 3+ years are in the too big pile now - and I didn't even get to wear most of them. The best pair still has tags on them. I've been to Goodwill a couple of times and have mostly been doing JCPenney outlet. I can now fit into the 18 Misses at WalMart, so that's about to become a new best friend too. I just can't spend too much on anything right now. It seems like as soon as I get a decent amount of clothes together that fit, I start moving down to the next size. My dress pants that I bought from the outlet a few weeks ago are sagging in the butt now. It's a good thing I'm spending so much less on food or I'd be running around in a potato sack right now. Life is good...and so is the sleeve! :dance:

What do you mean Vicki?

Before surgery, I had started having significant pain in one of my hips. There was no explanation other than my weight and joint stress. By the time I lost 15 pounds on my preop diet, the pain was gone. I went from taking a strong RX NSAID once or twice a day to manage the pain to not needing it at all. My knees have been an issue off and on too. I'm noticing a big improvement with them every passing week. They still creak when I'm taking some stairs, but it's getting less and less noticeable. I think increasing my exercise and strength training will improve it even more. Best wishes to you and your wife.

Kim, Why are you working yourself so hard this soon after surgery?!!! Your body needs to rest and heal at some point. Walking is great, but you don't need to work yourself into the ground at a time when you can barely take in enough nutrients to support a body at rest. At some point, you may crash and burn. Not trying to be judgemental, just concerned. Take it easy...

I ate some ice cream today, but my doctor didn't tell me to. Hope you're feeling better Pam.

Hey Ken, Since we have the same doc, I guess it's possible that you're not on an acid reducer because he didn't give me one for after I left the hospital. I had to start myself on it after suffering from some bad reflux for a while. I got the OTC Prevacid cuz that's what they gave me in the hospital. After me complaining at a couple of post op visits, he gave me a script for it. But, it's seems kind of late for you to JUST be getting reflux. Have you tried any different foods recently or been sick? Definitely let us know what the doc says.

After much deliberation (to the point of making my head hurt), I recently tried diet soda after hitting my 3 month mark. I really wasn't so much craving it as I just wanted something different to drink that was calorie free. I started off by stirring the bubbles out as much as possible and sipping slowly. No problems, no discomfort. Then, a few days later, I tried a few sips straight from the bottle. Again no problems. I've pretty much figured out that as long as I take it slow, it seems to have no ill effect on my sleeve. On the other hand, I feel it quickly when a big ole chunk of chicken or beef goes down too fast. The funny thing is, this former regular (not diet) soda addict really lost interest in each drink I opened way before halfway through. I currently have about 4 or 5 bottles of different types of diet soda in my fridge that I opened and sipped on but didn't even get halfway through. I think part of it is that my taste buds have changed and it doesn't taste as great and satisfying as it used to. I also am very slow and deliberate when I drink it, so I guess that takes some of the enjoyment out of it. Also, it just doesn't seem worth the effort. I'd rather spend my time sipping on a Protein drink that will benefit me or a glass or tea or lemonade that I can drink as fast as I want. For me, I am glad that I went through the trials to see if I could tolerate it because now the mystery and potential "craving" sensation is taken out of the equation. I know I can tolerate sodas if I chose to have them. This is good to know for social situations when you may have a choice between soda and some other drink that doesn't agree with you. Since I don't drink when I eat anyway, the whole drinking soda with meals is not an issue for me, but I could see it being more problematic than other liquids mixed with food. I plan to take an occasional sip here and there if the mood strikes me, but at this point, I just don't see myself chugging back 20 ounces the way I used to. I really just don't want to.

I agree with you about life after the sleeve. At a little over 3 months out, it gets easier day by day. It was rough at first, make no mistake about that. But those who are coming after us can rest assured that it will get better. It's so much easier to make good food choices MOST of the time when you can only fit a small amount in. You just can't waste that space on junk on a regular basis or your body will let you know by running out of steam. I too treat myself to a cookie or a tiny piece of cake every now and then. It's so cool to be satisfied with just that. The best part is not waiting for the shoe to drop and the weight to come back on. This time I know I can keep it off.

Things have picked back up nicely in terms of my weight loss. I think that adding in protein supplements on a regular basis made the difference. I've been losing 10+ pounds per month since I broke my stall.

Well, I'm a little past my 3 month mark and can definitely say that I am glad I had this surgery done. It wasn't easy to say that early on when I was struggling with getting fluid in, learning how to slowly feed my sleeve, and adjusting to a life of smaller portions. I can't say I'm 100% there, but I'm making good progress. I still get irritated sometimes when I'm really hungry and have something really good to eat and then I sit down and can only manage to eat a tiny bit. One thing about the sleeve is that you can't always predict how much food it will allow you to eat before it revolts. Sometimes I can eat what seems like a decent amount. Other times, I can only eat a few mouthfuls. My sleeve tends to be very tight in the morning and loosens as the day progresses. Dinner is the time I'm most likely to get in a decent amount of food and protein. I'm still relying on my protein supplements to maintain my muscle mass (Isopure RTD and Jay Robb powder shake mix - both are whey protein isolate). Despite the volume changes with my sleeve, I am doing a good job of listening to my full signals and not trying to push it past the limit. I usually stop eating before I am truly full because getting to full can sometimes lead to vomiting if you take in even a tiny bit more. So, when I get that little twinge in my stomach or an uncomfortable sensation in my chest, I know it's time to stop. Sometimes, I can let things settle and eat a little more if I've only taken a few bites. If I've already eaten what seems like a normal amount for me, then I stop when I get that sensation. Early on, eating too fast led to vomiting more than eating too much. As time progresses, I'm finding that I can eat at a slightly more normal pace even though I'm still eating a fraction of what I used to. It all just takes some getting used to. To date, I've lost a total of 61 pounds, including 15 pounds preop. I see improvements physically because I no longer have back or hip pain. Most people I interact with everyday only started noticing my weight loss recently. I think they kind of knew something was different but weren't sure or didn't want to say anything. Now, it's quite obvious. I've gone from a size 22W to 18W or 18 Misses. My 18s are starting to get loose on me now. The change in my clothing size has been the most exciting aspect of things for me and what keeps me most motivated. I would probably be another size smaller if I was exercising the way I'm supposed to be, but I just haven't been able to get that together. My schedule has been so crazy and unpredictable the past couple of months that I can't even piece together a consistent workout routine. So, I do some Pilates when I am willing and able but I have definitely got to work on that aspect of things. Overall, it's been a VERY interesting experience. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone because you have to be patient and attentive to your body for this to be successful. You won't be able to eat regular food overnight, you won't lose the weight overnight, and you won't feel like yourself overnight. But all of those things will come in time. I'm looking forward to more positive changes down the road physically and mentally as I continue to adjust to my new stomach and my new body.

The first few weeks can be rough after surgery. But it does get easier as time passes and your body heals. Your taste buds will probably bounce back too. Mine definitely did. Congrats on your surgery!

Wow Yolanda! That is GREAT news! I don't think I could have stuck with it that long but it will be well worth the battle. And you can definitely lose those few extra pounds before surgery with a low carb diet. I lost 15 pounds in about 2 and 1/2 weeks preop eating any proteins I wanted. Good luck with everything and keep us up to date on your progress.

It seems like if her BMI is 40 or more using a baseline of 300 in comparison with her height, she should be fine. Has she ever been to weight watchers or any other program that would have taken her weight? Alot of insurance providers accept records from official weight loss programs. I hope you can get the documentation you need.

Uuugghhhh! This stuff was gross to me. I know others swear by it though. It was totally stinky AND nasty no matter what I put it in. Try ordering a couple of sample packs from the Unjury site. They're pretty cheap. You might like it. I love Isopure RTDs and plenty of people find those disgusting. You really can't go by what other people experience when it comes to the protein stuff.

Seems like you're too soon out for soda, but if you get really desperate put some in your mouth, swish, and spit it out. I tried that when I couldn't get past a craving and it totally worked. I did stir the bubbles out before I did it though.

Ok, first Stacey, now you. I sure hope this dating thing rubs off on the rest of us single girls out here. You're doing great, so be proud of yourself!

BTW, you're doing great with your weight loss Mozart!

I don't know how detrimental this habit is to our weight loss, but if I can break this habit, ANYBODY! can do it. I was a hardcore "must have a drink with every meal" person preop. It was to the point that no matter how hungry I was I never sat down to eat without a drink. And if the glass got low or ran out, I would get up in the middle of my meal to get more. Water generally did not suffice either. Amazingly, I just stopped cold turkey after surgery. I read someone's advice to not have anything to drink next to me when eating. I started out that way when I hit the puree stage and haven't looked back. I don't order drinks with my meals when eating out. It's easy in that situation to get a water brought to the table later if you're there long enough. I don't fix a drink at home until my 30 minutes have passed. I only take a sip immediately after eating when I need to swallow vitamins or medication. If the food is getting stuck in your throat you may not be chewing thoroughly enough. If drinking with your meals is allowing you to eat more, I would seriously consider working on this habit now. It may not be a big deal soon after surgery when you can't eat much, but when your volume increases and you get closer to maintenance it could make those last pounds much harder to lose.

Meatloaf would probably be ok once you're cleared for purees AND meats because it's very soft and mushy. Do you have a specific postop meal plan to follow? If so, I would stick with that. The time will pass quickly and you'll be eating better food in no time. If you don't have a diet plan, you might want to check out the Carnegie WLS post op diet. Here's mine: http://verticalsleevetalk.com/blogs/educationrulz/646-post-op-diet.html

I was given liquid hydrocodone - which is the generic of Vicodin. It got the job done.

OMG! Eating BBQ ribs again was like an AHHHHH moment for me. It's a totally everyday food that tastes great and is full of Protein. Don't know why I didn't start eating them sooner. My typical diet is protein heavy with meats and cheeses and supplemented with Protein shakes and drinks. I get rotisserie chicken pieces from the deli or buffet line with a little veggies and it lasts me forever. I still eat very small amounts. But, here are some of the "normal" foods I've eaten or nibbled on in the past few weeks since going to a normal diet on my post op plan: pizza, mcdonald's cheeseburger (mostly just ate the meat and cheese but it was nice to taste a little of the bun), tuna fish (full tilt with onions, celery, egg, etc), hamburger helper, hot wings, chicken nuggets, pecan pancake from Cracker Barrel (yum yum - but could only eat three or four small bites). So, yes, you will totally be able to eat normal foods again.

Keep coming here for stories from others who have had the surgery. This was very helpful to me the closer I got to my surgery date. Even though the bad stories can make you nervous, most people's experiences are positive the further along they get. So, keep reading and best wishes.