swizzly

When I was thin, I could lose a size in 5-10 pounds, but it's more like 20 pounds in the larger sizes for me. I have lost weight mostly through my middle and stomach so far, also in my butt and thighs (which were not even a real trouble spot, sigh -- on my way to a flat ass I'm sure). I have a feeling my big fat arms that still look like hams are going to hang on for dear bloodly life. Hmph.

For my pre-op barium swallow, I did have to take that thick chalky liquid that plugs you up. Nasty stuff! But post-op, they used a different Fluid altogether which the nurse told me does not cause constipation (and is incidentally much easier for a poor post-op tummy to swallow!). I have heard others had the better post-op swallow as well, but I don't know if everywhere does it. Also, re constipation, one word: Miralax.

Two eggs and 1/4 a piece of toast, or 1 AND 1/4 pieceS of toast? That seems like rather a lot to me. I can eat 1-1.5 small (are your eggs small or large?) eggs and almost 1/2 a piece of toast -- for dinner, when my stomach is most able to hold food. (I am just over five weeks out and have been on full foods since five days post-op.) Re: skinnyagain's meal -- I don't really know how much 4 oz of fish is, I'm very bad with that sort of thing, plus my scale works in grams. But I could eat a small portion of some soft fish, like salmon, plus the avocado (probably one slice only) and the mushroom, but probably not the Beans too. So yeah, both of those seem like a little bit much to me (coming from someone with a sleeve of steel [touch wood], who hasn't had any problems eating or keeping foods of all kinds down). Weighing/measuring are a good idea -- not because you have to act like you're on some severely limited strict diet, but because it really IS hard to tell how much food you can and SHOULD put in your wee sleeve. Since you don't get any normal full feeling, it could be really easy to overstuff your sleeve. I go by both packet measurements, as well as using small dishes that I know hold, eg, 1/2 cup of food. I just wanted to add that, I for sure don't get "that full feeling" like I totally got pre-op. Especially early out, I think I was sometimes eating too much b/c I couldn't tell when I had had enough, and I wasn't getting sick from it like many people do. My tummy also gets sort of rumbly/hungry feeling (moreso early out than now) when I'm not actually hungry, but I take a Gaviscon and that sorts it. Finally, I notice my hunger getting less, not more, as time goes by. Some people's goes away instantly, but mine seems to be slowly fading. Good luck!!

Congrats on the success!! I totally related to your point about having a carefully cultivated wardrobe. I'm feeling the same way. I have loads and loads of (really nice) clothes that all fit me now (and for the past decade), but nothing in a smaller size at all. I am feeling reluctant to get rid of anything, which is the first indication I've had that I on some level might believe this won't work for me after all. Weird. I know things already don't fit, but I'm a bit in denial. I also hear you about not posting photos. Cheers!

Oh, only just seeing this. Count me in as well.

Welcome, Heather. The sleeve will serve you well I think. I am also hypothyroid and HBP, and just got sleeved last month.

Well that's good news -- I mean, being in the hospital always sucks, but it's great that you will get the liquids you need and possibly a solution to your nausea and pain as well. Good luck with the endoscopy!

Feels like I need to burp but can't. Not one crumb more after that.

I totally didn't tell my family or colleagues -- just my husband and a couple of close friends. I'm happy I didn't tell, I will take my time and tell them when/how I want to. Or IF I even want to.

I hope you will quit smoking prior to surgery -- even a week will help. Good luck! I was just sleeved on 24 Feb and am doing very well. I quit smoking three weeks prior to surgery (though I was not much of a smoker to begin with) and I feel much better for doing so.

Posts like this keep reinforcing my decision of not telling my family about this surgery until much later in the process. I'm sorry they are hounding you -- I am really not sure what it is about WLS that sets people off, but it is like a stick of dynamite for some people. Really, what are they freaking out about?

Absolutely. FABULOUS! So impressive and you look so healthy and happy, it's contagious!!

Oh my god, what a surprise to get! Well, congratulations and here's to a healthy pregnancy! I am sure this will not spell the end of your weightloss journey, it's just a little detour.

To be honest, I really expected a very similar reaction from my GP. There are not that many fat people here and I didn't even know if the surgery was very well-known. Well, I barely got the sentence about surgery out of my mouth and my GP was already beaming and saying YES, and he wrote the letter the same day, referring me to the bariatric clinic. Surprisingly, my GP has five or six other WLS patients and he is a big fan of the outcomes. I was really shocked. I'm sorry to hear that your GP had that reaction, but stick with it -- he will be happy with how it impacts your health positively.

NO. KIDDING. I can't believe how different the programs are, and how convinced each program is that theirs is capital-R Right. They don't have 'centre of excellence' identifications here per se, but my program's physicians and surgeons are all well-published in the bariatric field and are recognised as experts within the country for sure, as well as within Europe. They have particularly done a lot of research on the sleeve, and they stopped doing the lap-band quite some time ago, as they started to see the complications vs. success issues crop up in their studies early on. I trust them all implicitly, and yet they didn't have me on a pre-op diet (NB: No liquid or special diets -- they did specifically instruct me not to change my eating habits prior to surgery, not to gorge on last meals, nor to go way down in caloric intake) and they moved me to real food four days post-op. Nearly everyone everywhere finds this shocking (as do I, now that I know what other programs are like), but they have been doing the research for years and know their stuff. Just like all the other doctors and surgeons in other programs know their stuff, and do things completely differently. WTF? *shrug* I mean, I just gave up. I can't compare my situation to others in any way except for the fact that we have all had (or are going to have) WLS of some kind. And VSGers have the same wee thumb-tummy that I do. Other than that, it's a total wild card it seems.

I'm only five weeks post-op, but I can eat bread that isn't toasted -- I just eat very little of it, take small bites, and chew it to death. Toast is easier definitely.

Is my program really the only one anywhere that has no real pre-op diet, and moves to all normal foods pretty much straight away after surgery? (Well, one day of nothing till leak test passed, then two days of liquids, then on to soft foods and regular food, except raw fruit and veg, which is cleared at four weeks).

There is also good medical tourism for WLS in Belgium and Czech Republic -- there are sleevers here who've gone to both places, and that's at least a bit closer! ETA: Get extra blood-thinner injections to use before the long-hauls. I have RN friends who routinely do that anyow.

Definitely I was an ENJOYS FOOD eater prior to surgery. Which has made the transition to the sleeve pretty damn easy for me. I haven't mourned losing food at all. I can still eat food I love, just less of it. It's been criminally easy for me thus far.

I am also hypothyroid, but seems well-controlled by synthroid for these many years -- and I have never noticed any weight gain as a result of the hypothyroidism (seems to have a different effect in my family, where many of the women have had to take it, but few of them are overweight). My resting metabolic rate is a relatively respectable 1880 per day, which is likely how I plateau'ed at my starting weight for over a decade. Now, I'm shooting for 800-1000 during the losing phase and mostly hitting in that zone every day. Working well for me so far, as I'm very sensitive to hypoglycemia. Mind you, my plan calls for three meals and three snacks per day, so I feel like I'm always eating something and trying to push the drinks in between. Should be interesting to integrate work into this...

Mine was in for the first five days I was in hospital, and they removed it on night five, prior to my getting discharged the following afternoon, day six post-op (no complications, just SOP here). Didn't really hurt while it was in, just felt odd coming out -- took about two seconds to take it out anyhow.

They start us on regular food (all but raw fruit and veg) from day four post-op. No liquids or purees stages at all. I haven't had any problems tolerating just about anything, as long as I eat slowly and chew a lot. I know, everyone thinks this is insane -- but it's just a completely different culture and approach. And it's top-notch health care and a definite center of excellence (though those aren't rated as such in Europe -- all my doctors and surgeons are experts in the field and well-published, etc.), so I do as I'm told. So far, so good.

Since four days post-op. No problems.

Yes, my program also didn't require a pre-op (or post-op really) diet -- and that's worked out well for me, personally. Good luck to everyone on liquids right now, you can do it...and it's worth it.

June/July are not that far away, and I agree that you should stick with your existing insurance/medical program if you can, as then you will have after-care and follow-up, etc. Stick with their program and the time will fly by. As people always say, this is a marathon, not a sprint -- no need to rush the up-front part of that journey. It's a great time to prepare and all that. Anyhow, welcome and good luck!