Virginia S

People who take steroids should not have the RNY bypass. Here speaks someone who takes steroids every day of her life and researched this carefully. The sleeve is THE surgery for a steroid patient, and that's medically supported not just my opinion. So your friend may have made a bad choice from the get-go. Some of what she told you was true, but needs to be taken in perspective. WLS isn't a coast, but it unlike everything else you've probably tried, it works. It can be tough to get the fluids and Protein in, ya gotta keep plugging. On the hair loss - you may well lose hair, but it will grow back. I have warned my husband it might happen and am trying to prepare myself, but I had the surgery knowing that it often happens - a few months in cute hats vs. a life time of obesity was no real trade-off to me. Be honest with yourself about these things. Assure yourself it will be worth it to work your way through the challenges and then when they come you can say, "I was ready for this, I'm fine." Good luck!

I just looked up the nutrition info: 1/4 cup has 8 grams of Protein, but a whopping 205 calories. The saturated fat isn't bad and not a lot of carbs, so other than sodium and the calories they're not awful. You're far enough out based on your ticker (4 months?) that the texture shouldn't be an issue so if you can afford the calories, go for it. Maybe just a smaller serving?

My surgeon's office got everything submitted Friday (should have been Wednesday but there was a glitch in faxing some stuff). I got approval on Monday and my surgery was scheduled the following Thursday. So a week that felt like a month.

I lost 35 lbs pre-surgery and not a pound the first week. Then 8 lbs the second week, as of today. So my body is starting to get with the program again, which feels wonderful. I had been worried because I was getting most of my fluids (at least 64 oz) and most of my Protein (at least 60 grams) in by day 7 or 8. Now at day 14 I get my 72 ounces of liquid and 70 grams of protein almost every day. So of course, I'm thinking "oh nooooo, I have no restriction." So today: mushy attempt number one I served myself out 1/4 cup of blenderized chili. I ate half and was done. Got a little burp, remembered what folks said, and stopped. Thought it over and sure enough, I was full. 1/8 cup - that's how much Rumbly will hold right now - and I was worried about not having restriction. Here's my request for advice: How do I transition to getting more of my protein from food? I'm afraid if I get myself full with those tiny servings of mushy I won't have enough time/space to get the rest of my protein in from supplements. Any tips on making the transition? Thanks!

I'm back to work tomorrow, too. A little nervous, not just about maintaining my fluids and Protein but because my job is super high stress. But yeah, I'm ready to get back to normal too. Good luck

I got this yesterday. I called the surgeon-on-call and here are the things he asked me: Any fever spike (a mile fever OK he says)? Any racing heart, shortness of breathe/rapid breathing? Severe nausea or intolerance of food (in my case Protein drinks)? To which I replied nope, nope, nope and he said it was muscular. It's like a muscle spasm that comes and goes in the side, not right by any incisions. He says it happens sometimes, we're favoring that side a little because of the one big incision, even though we don't realize it, and we strain that muscle. Icy hot or similar, a heating pad, Extra Strength Tylenol and it should get better over a couple days. If you have any of the symptoms above, please call your doctor.

Thanks for the update. I'm afraid I'll be a much slower loser - first, because I've been getting 60+ grams of Protein and over 400 calories since I was a week out (still at 75 grams and about 500 calories, but only at week 2); and second because I have an adrenal condition. I'm just relying on the fact that if I put out more calories than I take in, sooner or later I'll lose. But man, if I could lose 35 lbs in one month I think I'd be dancing in the streets. Congratulations!

April 18 sleeve and doing great - very little pain, going back to work Monday. Don't know how much I've lost. I had steroids in the hospital due to an adrenal condition and puffed up with IV fluids like a balloon. I was happy just to be at the same surgery weight on my one-week follow up, rather than heavier. The Fluid is off now, and my clothes are a little looser so I'll be surprised if I'm not down when I weigh myself Monday. Able to come close on my fluids (64 oz, doc wants 72) and Protein (I'm consistently hitting above 60, but for some reason those final 10 to get to 70 still elude me) and am going on soft foods Monday. My surgeon wants them introduced gradually, so one meal a day for 3 or 4 days, then a second and so on. Today I walked just over 3 miles to the store and back.

It's your decision, but a couple of things to remember: Most of us are scared. And more scared the closer it gets. The first short period post-surgery isn't fun, and I was terrified of leaks. I actually cried and cried to my husband a couple of nights before. So know that being scared is OK - don't beat yourself up over it. So here are some questions to consider: are you scared of getting diabetes? Folks who get diabetes have instantly a 35% reduced lifespan from date of diagnosis. Many lose their sight, some lose limbs, some have to inject themselves every day - talk about dangerous complications, and those in later life diabetics are much more common than surgical complications with the sleeve. And that's just one way obesity can hurt you. So there's as much to be scared about NOT having the surgery as having it. Second, you will be able to eat more normally than you think once you get through the post-op dietary restrictions. Example: we stopped at Burger King last night so hubby and daughter could grab a quick meal. I'm still on liquids so I drank a shake, but I looked at the menu - I could have had a grilled chicken sandwich and eaten the meat. At Wendy's they have half size salads with a great portion of chicken, or a small Wendy's chili is a perfect meal even when you just get on soft foods. Almost any restaurant has something you can have, if you modify it slightly (Arby's chicken salad wrap: open wrap, eat chicken salad...I could go on and on). Try to think of how normal you'll feel without the weight and how easy it will be to modify foods to suit you once you're on normal foods. You can do this!

I know you can gain some weight back. Here are some behaviors that you can do to undermine yourself according to my pre-op nutritional training: Drink calories - not talking about Protein drinks if you're not getting enough protein in - if you're eating protein first and still not getting enough in, you're probably not eating enough calories for this to matter. Down the line you'll feel fuller if you eat dense protein. But I'm talking about sugared drinks, milk shakes, even ice cream. They'll go down quickly and you won't need to stretch the stomach to put on the calories. Drink right after eating - not only does this fill the stomach, it washes food down which means you empty out quicker and may want to eat again sooner. Simple carbs - I've been told to always avoid these (no, a taste of Easter chocolate won't kill you, but a habit of eating such things will). Cookies, cake, even white bread and processed carbs. If you are going to eat some of these, and you will if you're human, stick with whole grains and limit portions. High fat foods - I was told not to count fat grams, but just remember that fat has more calories for the same amount of food than anything you can eat. My nut says just keep the habit of eating protein first, then veggies, then fruit and only a little of anything else and my sleeve will keep me under control.

Sounds like you're getting a little over 64 oz a day, which is fine - not high, but not anything to be concerned about. Can you drink your protein at your 9 AM break? If you have half a 14 oz Protein shake, that would be 7 more oz of liquid and12 - 16 grams of protein. For example, take one GNC or Oh Yeah protein shake, have it at your break for two days. Other than that, I wouldn't worry too much if you're really getting 65 oz - just try to go on the high side on your days off.

First of all, breathe. I lost 20 lbs the month before surgery (15 the month before that) and exactly zero from surgery to my 9 day check-up this past Wednesday. You look like you also lost a bit pre-op. After the first burst of weight loss, many people stall. A lot do it at 3 weeks, but for you it may have hit sooner. Your weight loss may not be consistent, don't panic or give up because of this. Keep doing what you're doing, except try to get in a little more Water. When you feel well enough, add exercise. But don't let one week make you feel like a failure. You will lose the weight.

I'm afraid to try this. I lost 20 lbs the month before surgery on my diet, but on my 9 day check up after surgery hadn't lost a single pound. Don't want to set myself up for failure, so: Virginia S - starting weight 319...CW (4/27) 284...Goal 264...20 lbs. How do I do a ticker for a short-term goal?

I had my first follow up visit today and I'm only down half a pound from the day of surgery. However, as the doc points out, on the morning of surgery I was stone cold empty - no fluids, gastro tract fairly well scrubbed out - whereas now I have probably a couple of pounds in the plumbing at any given time. So I'm really probably down slightly. I expected this, as I had lots of steroids at the time of surgery...in fact I was relieved not to be up. But still, looking forward to actually being down. Next visit May 16th. Betcha I'm down by then!

How thick were these purees? If they were very liquid, that might not be too bad. Suggestion: don't eat all you can, just until you're satisfied. I've always eaten all I can, so this will be a hard thing for me.

Congratulations! And I'm glad it's helping your diabetes. I've seen folks on here end up completely off their medications; I think most of them are Type 2, but even so going down that much in just over a week is exciting. I was sleeved same day as you and haven't lost anything, but I have an adrenal condition and had to have buckets of steroids the day of surgery and the next couple days. I'm still dumping the fluids from that! Plus I had miracle loss on the liquid diet. I teased my doctor that made this week my three week stall. But the sleeve is gonna make this work where it never has before. I'm soo happy for you.

May I make 2 gentle suggestions if I swear I'm taking them myself? First, the knee: my right knee would need to be replaced if I kept the weight on it. I had a series of 3 orthovisc injections and though I was uncomfortable the next day each time after three I find myself able to get up and down like I haven't been able to for years. Not pain free, but drastically better. I'm hoping that between these injections and a lot of weight loss I might be able to put the surgery off...just the 35 lbs I lost pre-op has made a difference. Second, there are counselors who specialize in helping you work through your relationship with food and find healthier choices and comforts. I'm not suggesting instead of the surgery - I was sleeved a week ago Monday - but in addition to the sleeve. I passed my psyche evaluation just fine first time, but in my discussions with the therapist I told her I thought I could use some ongoing counseling as I adjust to the lifestyle change. I'm going every two weeks now, and will see how it goes. Each session we talk about my fears about what's coming up, just as you did in this post. It's not a must - most folks don't do it. But if you're really concerned and your insurance will cover it, a few sessions might help your confidence. As far as why this will work - I drank 8 oz of a Protein shake too fast yesterday and felt like I'd eaten a whole Thanksgiving Turkey and some of the sides. I didn't become actually ill, but I was uncomfortable for hours. And that was before I've eaten one bite. I know the surgery will work for me, because if I can get stuffed on a small serving of a slightly thick liquid once I start eating I expect to have excellent restriction. Good luck. We can do this!

{Sherri} Wish I could send a hug through the internet. I'm a 2x breast cancer survivor and I know what that fear feels like. Sending prayers your way. Keep us posted.

Woo-hoo! A patient ambassador who came to see me after surgery had the same experience; that's amazing! I'm off blood pressure meds since I left the hospital, and while it's a much smaller victory it feels fabulous.

I did that yesterday and was miserable right into the evening. I've learned that clears go through me, but Protein drinks pile up. I posted on another forum yesterday and a lot of old timers talked me down. One time isn't a disaster, they said, just don't make a habit of it. Do what I did - resolve to drink your Protein Drinks very slooooooowly. Make a smaller one and have it twice as often. Whatever works for you. One thing this tells me - and I hope you: we'll have good restriction when we can finally eat again, which for me is one meal of mushies a day starting Monday and gently working my way up to more mushies, less shakes. You're OK.

Hooray! Hope you have a blast. I'm looking forward to being able to fly again without the dreaded extenders. Congratulations on all you've lost so far.

Great idea to add protein to the refried beans. I am a week behind you; I'll try this when I get to mushies!

Me too - I'd love to find the chat room.

First of all, it sounds like you're doing something right! Even if you're not counting Protein, it sounds like you're: *Eating a lot of protein - eating protein first is a big thing *Eating less junk food *Easting smaller portions Give yourself credit for those things. As for the Vitamins, my surgeon says many sleeve patients could do well on a normal multi-plus after we're back to eating for a while. That's a huge advantage of the sleeve vs. RNY. Maybe make a few small changes rather than beating yourself up? But if you're losing and your blood work is pretty good, I'd say you're doing better than you think.

Lucky you! I'll still be on liquids at day 12 (isn't it weird how everyone's diet is different). Day 7: unjury chicken Protein Soup with a sodium free bullion cube for extra flavor (21 grams) O Yeah banana shake (32 grams) 2 oz sugar free applesauce with my potassium buried in it. Still to come, a pack of Optifast cream of chicken soup (14 grams plus I'll add 1/4 scoop of the Unjury to total 19) Which will put me at my 70 gram protein goal for the first time, woo-hoo.