mi75

i am kind of shocked that any RN/LPN that is NOT an employee of the surgeon's office/group would get involved with surgical after care. you have now essentially transferred ALL liability of your outcomes to both yourself and this nurse.

i have seen patients experience outbreaks just before AND just after surgery. i see it more common after surgery and it could be from the stresses of surgery in general. you want to make sure that your immune system is at it's BEST when going in to surgery. ANY surgery is tough, just going under anesthesia, recovery, healing, etc. hang in there and contact your surgeon. they will give you the best guidance. i think you are wise to understand that you may need to move it for your own safety.

I would think that if that were in ANY way true,this would not be an FDA approved procedure, and there would be story after story, after story on here, in the news, etc of this happening... considering that probably a MILLION or so sleeves have been done around the world at this point, i'm leaning towards.....not true.

for the most part, i take my portion and eat VERY slowly. i generally talk a lot too, so i take a tiny bit, eat, swallow and continue talking for a while! it takes me about 1/4 of the time of everyone else, even with eating slowly. it doesn't bother me to sit among everyone and watch, and enjoy conversation with them! i will even ask about how things taste, what's in it, etc. in showing interest, i'm engaging them too, and putting recipe ideas in my mental bank! i make sure there is some option that I can enjoy, and i would even call ahead if it's at a restaurant. if you are going to somebody's home, a great way to tackle this is to TAKE a small platter of something that is on your plan phase and make it look like it's for 'everybody to enjoy'!!! my coworkers are the people i eat with the most, and they all know that i had surgery. i feel like they all watch me a little more closely to see if i'm 'cheating' but i believe that most of them have my best interest at heart. at a lunch i went to, i did something suggested above and just talked, laughed, and pushed food around and then when everyone was pretty much done, i just asked for a box. no prob!

here's my plan: get it done before the day is over! seriously- i don't plan. i DO try to make sure that i have some Protein available for after, but with my crazy days, sometimes it's at 9am, sometimes at 2pm, sometimes at 1030pm with the streetlights on!

I hope that like me, most everybody here has NOT gotten negative comments or feedback. i have generally gotten mostly positive responses. i am also THRILLED to give answers and responses. in nursing school i was told that my BIGGEST gift was that of teaching and education. i am so happy i can use my experiences to help others through this awesome journey! one thing that i HAVE noticed is that anytime the topic of carbohydrates comes onto the boards, there are definitely some folks out there that love to express the fact that maybe those that choose to have some carbs ( for ME, it's on my physician ordered eating plan, and part of my bariatric center's program!) aren't totally dedicated. that's one topic that seems to bring out some ugly comments. i spend a lot of time on the boards and have read a LOT of topics...i think that there are many wonderful people here and i feel very blessed to have so much help available to me!

i have been told that 60 is what most people require for basic metabolic functions...learned that in nursing school actually, and my Protein goal my nut gave me is just a little above that!

FYI i really like the Arnold brand "Dutch Country" 100% whole wheat bread. it packs a lot of Fiber and is really good toasted. i have had many-a-morning with a fried egg over easy and 1/2 piece of toast with real butter. DELISH! i have also had some with PB and All-fruit on it. also DELISH! awesome that your doc recognizes the body's needs for ALL macronutrients including fat, Protein AND carbs. they aren't evil and can be a healthy part of a balanced diet. good luck!

i have severe GERD and Barretts and it was one of the diagnoses used to get my surgery approved! i still take Protonix daily also and my surgeon said i should plan to be on it for about a year or until i lose most of my weight. i have only felt a couple episodes of reflux since my surgery and it was in the evening after i ate tomato bisque. i wonder if it was just too acidic at that point post op. hang in there, a scope/EGD isn't a big hitch and shouldn't delay you...

hang in there, i was one that had a few small cheats during my pre op and i did good. surgery was great. post op was great. now i'm 6 wks out and on a 'regular' diet. i agree with don't beat yourself up. drink LOTS of Water and move around. try to occupy your time which will distract you from wanting to eat. by day 4-5 of my pre op my physical hunger was GONE and it was way easier. good luck!

yum. love Denny's. Used to have the little deep fried pancake type balls dunked in icing for an appitizer....my how things have changed! I LOVE their Super Bird and i'm sure it's pretty hefty calorie wise, but i think i would still have 1/4 of it if we EVER go there again! the problem for ME with Denny's, Panda Express, pizza Hut, Arbys, Cracker Barrell, etc is that those places all represent strong eating memories for me with YEARS and YEARS of very specific eating patterns at all of them. including a pop. i know that it would be hard to go to my favorite places and break my old patterns and choose something completely new, so for NOW i'm just staying away completely. I would still want to go to Pizza Hut and get that huge order of breadsticks with cheese, or the Panda Express for orange chicken and lo mein...i KNOW i can't fit it, and i KNOW there are better options, but it's just easier to stay away. 6 wks post op and i have no desire to go to any of my old faves. my ONE sit down dining experience since surgery has been to Applebees where i found a great grilled chicken option with mashed potatoes. ate about 1.5 oz chix, about 1 TBSP potatoes, took the rest home and had 4 meals off it! i'm ok with putting most of my eating out options behind me. i'm excited to eventually choose new, better places, and mostly eat at home, and our grocery bill is HUGELY lowered from no more eating out!

i get it too. it may be that although they feel they are supporting you, they are a little uncertain of HOW this all will affect THEIR eating. i get that. my extended family has been pretty good, and my folks FULLY support me, but the other night we went out to eat and my mom picks this Italian place that used to be my FAVE and it's all Pasta, pizza and salads. i'm 6 wks out, not really eating salads yet. i was bummed and she kept saying 'you can just have a little of this or that'... i know she supports me but doesn't have the foggiest idea about what this all really involves. hang in there, come to the site often for help and support. you'll do great. keep your foods in the house and fully stocked in a specific spot.

i think malnutrition is common in obese patients. we tend to eat specific 'craving' foods regardless of their benefits to our bodies. for ME it was years of processed carbs, fast foods, boxed foods, 'bar' foods, etc. can't imagine there's much good in any of that. i saw an episode of "Fat Doctor" where a woman had RNY and her intestines were like mush from eating a very specific diet of bread and sausage ONLY. her surgeon felt that it was significant malnutrition due to the diet and was lucky to get the RNY done but had a tough time with it.

very common for lots of patients, in fact if you do a search on 'hair' or 'hair loss' on here, you will find hundreds of comments from sleeve patients who went through it. most commonly onsets around month 3 post op. mostly due to the shock of surgery, loss of calories. there are some things you can do to offset it, (shampoos, supplements), which will help with the regrowth, but i have read lots of threads and there doesn't seem to be much to do to stop it from happening. you should seek the direction of your surgeon or bariatric coordinator or nut to follow whatever the plan is for your program.it DOES grow back though so no worries!

if your post op plan is like mine, and includes ALL foods, then make a good wise choice on your carbs and go for something like a whole grain or wheat bread. but...FOLLOW your plan. the center of excellence that i went through has a MASSIVE program and encourages a well balanced diet of all foods including your complex carbs like whole grains for proper brain function, metabolic function, etc. just follow whatever post op plan you were given- you don't want to derail your plan or go against your surgeon's plan of care for you.good luck!

sounds like a sleeve plication...

right now i walk for 20 minutes once a day and 15 minutes at night. i am now cleared for hard exercise and will being rowing 4-5 miles a day later this week. i plan to have a full Quest bar or shake every day 30 minutes prior to my row to ensure my blood sugar will be stable.

so last night i got brave and made awesome tortilla pizzas. a little sauce, some turkey pepperoni, canned mushrooms, cheese. i brushed the tortillas with a little EVOO first and sprinkled on some garlic powder. i put the toppings on and baked on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes. i did some online research and found that if you PRE bake them they get even crispier. going to try that tonight. SUPER good. i'm 6.3 wks out, on a regular ALL foods diet and this was my first try with any crusted pizza. ate half of it, went down awesome good. no probs. i used the small fajita sized tortillas. just thought i'd share~!

i can't even begin to tell you how many people have asked me over the past few years 'when are you due'. this was especially hard because of two things: 1. most of these people i see on a regular basis and i didn't think i was changing that much 2. i went through years of fruitless infertility treatments including an IVF which eventually got me one child, and then more years of fruitless treatments that never worked and led us to adoption. these two kids are AWESOME but when you're an infertility girl, your emotions are very raw and it made me even sadder to face that daily.

hey all- i see my surgeon this week and i'm chomping at the bit to get cleared for core workouts. i have been walking and that has been awesome to get my endurance back and for cardio. many years ago i was a rower and LOVED it and was always fit because of it. my gym has a rowing machine that i plan to log hundreds of miles on in the next few months. it is my exercise of choice and amazing for core strength. i HOPE my surgeon will say ok for me to start rowing and core workouts. for the past several years I carried major weight around my middle. i don't just have a muffin top, i have a bonified spare tire, and then some. it's definitely shrunk, but this area needs the MOST work of any part of my body. sadly, i can't even begin to guess how MANY people have asked me 'so when are you due'... when did your doc clear you for core work? i'm more curious than anything, my exercise physiologist won't even let me come to the gym until i have a note in hand!

i wanted to also add this: my surgeon told me that Pre-Op was WAAAAYYYYY harder than anything post op. here's why: the volume is GONE and the hunger hormone is GONE. he sorta chuckled when he said to me "it's almost cruel and unusual punishment to ask a food addict to go this extreme for the last two weeks that they will ever be able to eat in that manner, ever"... i know now what he meant...it is cruel, but it's also necessary for your safety. what made it even harder for ME was the fact that co-workers who expected me to flake out on my surgery or completely fail, were watching me like HAWKS to see if they could somehow catch me cheating or something...

at 6 wks here is my typical day: wake up, 1/2 Muscle Milk 100 with 10 oz milk and ice breakfast 1 hr later is 1 1/2 TBSP egg salad or some other 'mellow' Protein option then i drink water/crystal lite AM snack-if i have time for one- is a cheese stick or 1/2 of a Quest bar lunch is meatballs, sausage balls, chili or crackers with meat/cheese drink more. leave work at 430pm dinner is around 6, maybe a taco, or some sloppy joe with cheese, or chili, or 1/2 piece toast with some meat on it, or like 4 strands spaghetti with meat sauce, or lobster bisque, or 1/2 a tortilla pizza, or a portobello pizza. then 1/2 quest bar later, or if i need some protein AND liquid, then i do the other half of Muscle Milk with milk to get protein AND liquids. it sounds like a lot of eating. it's not. it's probably 1/2 cup MAX at lunch and dinner. maybe 2 tablespoons MAX at breakfast.

sugar free choc pudding, cream soups. popcicles, instant grits, yogurt, cocoa wheats, then went to bean soup, bisque, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, refried Beans with cheese, corned beef hash, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese. slowly moved some fish into my 'blended'soft' hybrid phase and then some ground meat and shredded cheeses. then egg salad, sloppy joe, meat sauces. then crackers, toast, Peanut Butter, kraft singles, etc.....now i'm 6 wks out and supposed to be on a regular diet. the only foods i have not done yet are the stringy meats and 'raw' carbs- ie untoasted or non-crunchy...

awesome. i would have to add red onion and some sliced bell pepper to that chicken, would be even more awesome! i will also watch for those tortillas. i am almost positive i saw them at my kroger.

i had a hard time the first 3 days but day 4 i woke up and all the physical hunger was gone. it was WAY easier from there out. i did ok and now i'm 6 wks post op. i still consider myself a complete foodie, but space now is a huge issue so i'm eating very small amounts and it's great. hang in there!