swizzly

I see it as so highly positive and awesome that you want to get control of your health in this way. It's nice to be skinnier and buy smaller clothes of course, but it's even better to toss out the BP meds. You can see the years ahead of you getting more enjoyable and not so full of tablets and hospital stays and, god forbid, dialysis etc. You have a great attitude -- best of luck!!

I also had some back problems that came up post-op, out of nowhere. I was in serious pain for a couple weeks. No idea what set it off, but then it went away again, thank god.

LOL...I never actually thought about it. I think I counted the day after surgery as day one post-op, but I can see your husband's point too. Actually it makes more sense to count from the day of surgery, because, eg, that same day the next month will be your one-month surgiversary. If that makes any sense... Oy this topic is hard to talk about without blithering like an idiot.

I've been taking all my tablets since right after surgery, they gave me tablets in hospital (not everything, but some of them). The stupid anti-gallstone tablet is friggin huge, but I have to swallow two of those a day. If I were you, I would just swallow the whole med. But IANAD.

Can you get the effervescent paracetamol or aspirin (preferably with Vitamin C in too) that you dissolve in water and drink? Cos I used those right after surgery and they worked very well. (Only take the aspirin if you're also on a PPI though; otherwise the paracetamol). I just used one last night as well, coz I also have a cold. SUCKS. Feel better!

My surgeon asked me very specifically not to change my eating habits at all pre-op -- no dieting, no overeating or bingeing. (Of course I couldn't eat anything after midnight the night before surgery.) There are also very few post-op restrictions, and liquids only for three-four days post-op. The rules post-op mostly are don't eat sugar or drink alcohol at first, wait till four weeks post-op to eat raw fruit/veg, and eat 'circle-wise' -- one bite Protein, one bite veg, one bite carb (preferably not white carbs), repeat -- and drink 1.5-2 litres of Water per day. There is quite in-depth training and examples given about how to eat post-op, it's just full foods right from the start, with no liquid or mushy phase per se, though they advise a lot of joghurt and quark and very well-cooked veg during the first couple post-op weeks. This is all from a very experienced and academically respected hospital and bariatric team, who've led a number of studies and are well-published. I'm not saying that their rules (or perhaps relative lack thereof) are any better than all the liquids pre- and post-op -- I am just saying that, knowing what they know and how much experience they have (particularly with VSG), there is clearly huge variability in what is actually okay, or safe, pre- and post-op, from a quantifiable, replicable, medical/scientific evidence perspective. And all that is prelude to the following: I believe that, without seeing the evidence or knowing the medical rationale firsthand (e.g., actual fatty liver is certainly not present in every heavy person and can be determined through a simple blood test), I personally would have had a hell of a time staying on any extensive liquid or other severe diets. I need a very good reason to feel that shitty for two weeks lol. And now THAT being said, one very good reason many of you mention, is that your surgeon requires it for you to get the surgery -- that would be quite motivating I'm sure. Anyhow, best of luck to all of you in getting through the challenging times!!

I can't even imagine it -- I totally feel for you guys. I wish you all GOOD LUCK!

See this is a good point, and is sort of related to what Dudeman said. Even though he felt sick and wanted to throw up, he forced himself not to, whereas you opted for the relief factor -- both of which seem like reasonable options to me. I think I can relate to these because I have felt quite uncomfortable after eating sometimes here and there, but I just won't allow myself to throw up because I want those calories lol. I have waited it out and it can sure take a while...

An eight-day stall doesn't even register as a stall in my world. I'm sure the scales will move again very soon!! Hang in...

I'm a wimp too, but once I was headed to the hospital, I just never gave myself the option of not going through with it. I was in process and was just going to follow it all through no matter what. I had nausea post-op, but very little pain. It was an easy recovery for me, surgically speaking. You can do it!

Glad to hear it all worked out! Congrats on the pre-surgery weight loss and on being sleeved. If you are a nurse, that is some hard work -- I think you might be pushing it to go back so fast. JMO.

God your skin looks fantastic, no wrinkles at all -- are you still in your 20s?? Amazing result, you look fab.

Oh sweetie, you have to give yourself some unconditional love. You are going through the usual post-op roller-coaster and you are smart, so you are putting reasons and meaning behind it all...when really it's just excess hormones and blood sugar fluctuations. And yeah, some mourning for food -- but that you can rationalise, it's not forever. It's just on hold for a while and will always be in smaller amounts. You can get through this. Give yourself some mental hugs and forgive yourself. You need to roll with the punches...not give yourself some more!!

I have been on full foods for over a month and am also taking a good PPI, no acid issues. I would not say I am always hungry, but I do for sure GET hungry. I have plenty of appetite for my meals and snacks, so the whole hunger going away entirely thing never happened for me. That all said, it's gotten less over time, so it might be fading away. I wouldn't like to lose it entirely because I already had a bad habit of skipping meals, don't want to start that again...

I was off for five weeks. My job is not physically strenuous, but can be intensely competitive and stressful, and I couldn't afford to be walking around all spacey or nauseated or off my game in any way. The usual here is four weeks, but my doctor wanted me to take an additional week. I'm very glad I took such a long break, it was really good for me. I also took five weeks after my hysterectomy, and if I'm honest, six would have been better. Listen to your gut about what you can really do and take the time you need if you can.

There is very little Mexican food here, and what little there is mostly sucks. It was always my weakness in the states, so I'm glad it's hard to come by lol. But even at the one Mexican place I like, there is no such thing as free or automatic chips and salsa. If you want them, you have to order them and pay nearly 10 bucks for them...so it's easy to avoid them. OTOH, the margaritas are harder to resist lol... The problem I've had is that some restaurants will serve an unexpected and unannounced appetizer ('amuse bouche'), which often would be enough food for my entire meal if I ate it. They get a bit offended when you don't eat it, too. Ugh. It can be very awkward if I can't pursuade DH or someone else at my table to eat mine too...especially when I know I'll be attempting to eat only part of an entree later. The whole 'doggie bag' or 'take-away' concept is not really happening here either... Plus, they never tell you what's in the damn things. In the UK or the US, they'd tell you what it is and what the ingredients are, so people with allergies will know not to eat it. I didn't like these things pre-op either, as they often contain stuff I don't like and don't want to eat, which is why I DON'T ORDER IT. I guess I had some frustration to vent there...

See, this just makes me feel totally gobsmacked. Why on earth does Oregon Daisy have 1200, you have 980 and I have 1880 -- and we're all not spring chickens anymore, we have hypothyroidism and other things in common. What on earth can explain this?? Science must have an answer for this and I just don't know it? If anyone knows what this is about, feel free to chime in. I'm thinking that these rates must not be constant but are somehow impacted by environment, behavior, medicine, and/or time? Did your doctors ever have any explanation as to why it was below 1000 (which seems like it should be physically impossible)? Bodies are a trip.

Way to go, I'm very impressed!! I would love to lose 100 lb, which would put me right at goal. Which would be awesome.

God, another area where I'm weird. I haven't been emotional or crying at all post-op. I am not much of a crier and didn't cry hardly ever pre-op either, but I thought I'd have some roller-coaster emotions or something. But no. The only thing I've noticed is that I get impatient and bit angrier faster than I normally would, but not so much that I can't still keep it entirely to myself when I want to. I'm a sleeve freak. {{{Crosswind}}} Cry all you want -- I SUPPORT YOUR TEARS!!!

Thanks for telling your story -- and congratulations on being such a success!! I hope I can be like you two years from now.

I think Fluoroscopy is the same as the barium swallow/x-ray thingy test. I had to do that one, it's pretty standard. Many WLS patients have had it. They do it post-op as well, to look for leaks. It's no big deal aside from the yukky stuff you have to swallow... ETA: And yes, I had the upper GI as well. Also pretty standard.

I'm 47 days post-op and my experience is so different. I am sometimes concerned by this...but pleased that I am not having a rough time. I vomited violently while I was still in hospital, but have not vomited once since three days post-op. I've been on full foods since day four post-op, so I've been eating solid foods all along and don't use shakes at all. I don't weigh my food, so I'm not sure what my capacity is, but I can't eat that much. Tonight for dinner I had two small pieces of chicken (like finger sized, but flat, each), about three tablespoons of cream spinach, and two very small pieces of potato. I was full and I knew I was full, I really try to never go past that point. Maybe if I did, I would vomit again, I don't know. But I find most foods sit well in my sleeve, I am not sensitive to smells, I still like the same things I did pre-op, I am still feeling hungry (but only when I'm actually hungry, which is pretty similar to pre-op), I can eat bread, rice still bugs me as it did before, etc. It's just odd how different the surgery impacts people so differently. Glad you've done so well, dudeman. Despite the vomiting, your sleeve is clearly helping you rapidly lose weight! Cheers.

I had to do all those tests and they also did a biopsy -- I think it's pretty standard. If you don't already know this, it's a good medical fact to remember: If they get inside you or chop anything off you ever, anywhere, they will biopsy it. That's just what they do lol. ETA: Hiatal hernia is VERY common, I've heard like 80%+ of WLS patients have them (and they are repaired during the WLS).

Yes, that's the same test I had, that gave the 1880 rate (I'm 5' 6.5"). I think this is due to the fact that prior to surgery I had NOT dieted in AGES. I had been maintaining at around 240 lbs (give or take 10, not more) for over a decade. But before that, I was the queen of hyper-caloric restriction, stupid GD diets, etc., and I'm just certain my metabolic rate was totally hosed back then, as I'd gain if I ate anything extra. So I'm HOPING that maybe my long plateau since the turn of the century (even though my body found a too-fat comfortable resting place as it were) helped "fix" my metabolic rate to a higher level. And thus I'm hoping that too-low-cal eating during the losing phase will NOT eff it up again. If I'm making any sense lol... Only time will tell at this point. I am trying to not to way overexercise now, as I didn't pre-op either. Though it is inherently active to live where I don't use a car. I have added in walking to/from work and may do some strength training as well. I don't know, just thinking aloud...

This topic totally intrigues me, because I can't imagine maintaining on 1000 calories. I'm trying to get to 1000 for the losing phase, still working on it. I'm wondering how much we can possibly impact our basic metabolic rate through this process? (Not a rhetorical question.) I have hypothyroidism (successfully supplemented...and unrelated to my weight IMO) and am 40-mumble years old, but my resting metabolic rate is 1880 calories per day. This has led me to believe that I will eventually have to be at around 1800 calories to maintain my weight. I'm hoping that being low-cal for a long period (ie, due to sleeve, during losing phase) will not lower my resting metabolic rate.