Rootman

Not a cat person, I've got a small doggy that liked to climb up and peer into my face so it's pretty much the same thing. Since I have a CPAP machine and wear an air mask I can't sleep on my tummy. I held a pillow to my stomach for like the first 2 weeks, one of those dense memory foam pillows with the concave sides, fits like a charm and feels so good.

$5,500 at the Jerusalem Hosp. Tijuana MX, That's where I had mine. http://www.hospitaljerusalem.com.mx/p-sleeve.php

I would say NOT to crackers, being bread they are high carbs and even though you wil eat only one or two they might not settle well. Milk of Magnesia helps as does Malox. I was nauseas off and on for weeks, I just had to put up with it.

Good luck Dee! Wish you the best!

WooHoo! Way to go girl!

Sorry if I'm inappropriate here and rude but I'd advise to tell him to "MIND HIS OWN DAMN BUSINESS". Not knowing the the relationship you have with your father beyond what you describe it appears he is a controlling SOB. If anything I'd just tell him you are finally getting serious about your weight issues and are dieting and exercise ( which are all true) and to leave the issue ALONE. WHO you tell WHAT and the fact you have an agreement with your other family should be enough to keep the info from your dad.

I too told no one except my wife (of course). I was worried about naysayers, especially my family. My older brother and sister both had bypass surgery. My sister lost all the weight she wanted and then developed a heart condition (probably hereditary, our mom had the same thing), so she gained the weight back and has nothing but horror stories and complaints about her experience. My brother is having problems too, the bypass he had works by not only limiting the amount of food but also by malabsorption of nutrients - the "bypass" bypassed a length of his small intestine and he there could not absorb the nutrients and therefore would not gain weight by the food he ate. Well the body is adjusting and the malabsorption is no longer working, he has to severely limit his calories, which is "killing" him he says. He has bouts of hunger and struggles to keep the weight off, and SOME nutrients are still not absorbed right, he takes multiple Vitamins a day just to make up the shortfall. BTW, both spent TENS of thousands on their surgeries, which really miffs them now as they are still struggling to loose weight or at least not get any fatter. Well, long story short I didn't want anyone to talk me out of it, or worse yet try and convince my wife to try and convince ME not to do it. I spent only $5000 for self pay and so far 6+ weeks in I'm 65 lbs down and feeling pretty good. Regardless of my sad story, do what YOU feel is right, you did right by coming here as there are tons of people that are going through or went through the SAME thing you are. Keep the faith, it WILL work out.

Not here, haven't been hungry since the morning of my surgery. You have to remember that there are different types of hunger. The stomach growling and churning totally empty feeling is gone. The physiological hunger is more tricky, I can be "hungry" for something and then when I get it, I take 3 bites then I'm totally turned off and cannot eat more. There is also the plain feeling of being aware that your stomach is empty, this WAS really associated with the first type of hunger, the gnawing pangs. I have to say that I am aware now of when my stomach is empty, it is not unpleasant and I don't "feel" hungry, I'm just aware there is nothing in the stomach. Even a couple sips of Water can make the sensation change. There are a few that complain of constant hunger. Not being a doc I can't say for sure why they are, perhaps their sleeves are too large or they are simply physiologically hungry or the empty sensation is just too associated with hunger in their minds. I consider myself lucky and hope it stays this way for me.

Congrats! Yours is truly a success story! Funny you should mention the metallic taste in my mouth, I've had this too (6.5 weeks post-op), I thought it was just me. Have a nasty coat on my tongue that I scrape off everyday (TMI!). Good luck and God bless. P.S. You are so cute, your hubby is a lucky man.

Instead of SlimFast try Boost, it is formulated for diabetics and has considerably less sugar. The "myth" of "starvation mode" is popular, but the truth is that the body cannot reduce its metabolic rate low enough to offset caloric reduction - IF the caloric reduction is great enough, say 700-1000 calories. Take a real close look at your total caloric intake, it is probably higher than you think. After surgery your food intake should be drastically reduced and therefor the caloric intake lower. I was getting only 300-400 calories for a few weeks. We typically have enough fat stores to make this a non-issue for a good while.

Been there done that too, almost exactly what you mentioned. Got excited with some food and ate the whole 3 ozs pretty fast, the pain hit (luckily for me for only about 15 minutes tops) and after that I could hardly eat a thing. People here assured me that it DOES get better, and after a few weeks after my "episode" I can say that YES it does. For about the first time yesterday I ejoyed a bit of leftover spaghetti that we had and actually mooched another 2 bites more from my wifes plate. I think the body reacts to the pain and puts us off mentally from food for a while.

Good One! I have even quoted the one about Protein and kidneys myself. I was wrong. Thanks for the link!

I have a hiatal hernia (which was deemed not bad enough to warrant repair) on top of that I have what's called a Schatzki ring on top of that which is a constricting ring that made a small bowl like area above my stomach / diaphragm. When I ate too fast it would make me choke and feel like I had a big lump in my throat. The doctor said it was irritating nerves and telegraphing the pain from the bottom to the top. Perhaps yours is the same, the "pain" from the food / drink is telegraphing the sensation from your stomach to your throat. But please follow TiajaunaPlications advise and go to the doctor, he may want to scope you.

My guess is the Protein haas little to do with it. I'll bet it's just the shock to your system and the change from your daily routine. I had little vacation left so I was sleeved on Monday and went back to work Friday! YIKES! I thought the day would never end. Stick with it girl, don't forget to ask for help at work. Unless your work site is really bad most folks would be glad to lend a hand for some things.

@Gip, not sure about bottled Water but I think at least in my case the answer would be NO. Just the taste - or lack of taste - is what's killing me. I finally found a weak Crystal Light Grape (of all flavors!) is pretty easy to get down. It's a complete mystery.

Congrats! Looks like you're in the home stretch now!

I'm weird, I always had a self image of myself as being thin and was always shocked when I saw myself in the mirror as a fat guy - shocked and disgusted. I can see the thin me creeping out slowly although I have 135 lbs to go. I wonder if I will be shocked seeing a thin me or just finally reconcile my self image to the truth? BTW: I was thin till marriage and dieted 3 times but have to say for the past 30 years I've been fat for 26 of them.

Plain water tastes hideous to me. I have to change my glass with cold fresh water quite often and I just force myself. I am going to try a zero calories drink mix to see if that helps, I usually don't (at least didn't) like flavored water and used to chug 5 or 6 liters a day of tap water on top of coffee and the occasional soda. Water just tastes plain nasty now.

Man I must really be restricted! All I ate last night was a 2.5 oz chicken and gravy baby food puree and I felt it all night. Took me about 30 minutes to down it too. Nasty tasting froth and a coat on my tongue all night and when I woke this morning. I'll try and cut back and see what happens.

I think we are going through the same thing: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/12182-slight-tummy-ache/page__p__104843__fromsearch__1#entry104843 The frothy spit is driving me nuts, I wash it down and in a matter of minutes it's back. I find a bit of walking helps, maybe it just takes my mind off of it. Hopefully we'll get some advise that will lead us to a conclusion.

I had the same thing, was nauseous till they removed it too.

There are also ADULT chewable vitamins out there too, I seem to remember that one brand had an adult GUMMY vitamin too.

Sleeved 12/6/10, lost 56 lbs from my fattest, some before pre-op diet some during and the bulk after the sleeve. Gross and vague, but here are my symptoms. This week I have noticed that I have a slight tummy ache, just a little "sick" feeling in my stomach, more or less constant. Nothing debilitating and nothing I'd really call painful just a nuisance. Something between a sour stomach and a stomach ache. It's worse at night. I wouldn't say it was heartburn either as I take a tums and it doesn't really help. Burping helps but it never really goes away. I've also been plagued by frothy spit in the back of my throat and a coated tongue. I've "overeaten" ONCE and had a lot of pain that lasted maybe 10-15 minutes, felt like I was socked in the belly afterwards. So I know my present feeling isn't like that. As I noted elsewhere in the forums I am really turned OFF by food, so I most likely UNDER eating. I am also under a hell of a lot of stress at work - always have been and used to have mild stomach issues before the sleeve, so this all might just be the same thing but amplified because of the new size of my stomach. I'm not worried sick about it but am a bit concerned that it hasn't let up at all this week. Any theories?

Being sleeved 12/14/10 you probably shouldn't be eating whole foods yet, the mashed potatoes with a bit of gravy might be OK but if you're like me you won't eat much. I think I would take a jar of pureed chicken, Gerbers baby food is one. It's 2.5 oz and makes a meal for me. I've been really turned off by food lately so it would be easy for me, if you are still attracted to food then it may be a real challenge.

Reading between the lines and based on what other information I've read I would hazard a guess that the insurance company considers the VSG as a PRECURSOR to the bypass. It was originally used to allow morbidly obese patients a safer alternative to bypass and allow them to loose enough weight to be able to safely get a bypass. It hasn't been till recently that a VSG alone has been considered a total solution. My guess is they don't want to pay for a VSG first then a bypass later. mspuddytat , have you considered a self pay option? It may actually be a cheaper way to go.