GreginMI

It sounds like a big deal before the surgery but once you started living it, it just becomes second nature. I don't always wait 30 minutes after a meal to drink. I gauge it by how full I feel at the time and will take some "test sips" to see how it's going to feel before chugging any water. It's really just a change of habits and not a huge life change for me. It's just how I live now. No biggie.

If it feels like your food is getting stuck about halfway down then yes, it will go away once the swelling goes down in your stomach.

Are you going to get a revision to the sleeve?

Really, they just take the gall bladder during bariatric surgery whether you have gall stones at the time or not? I asked my doctor why he didn't do that and he said it was illegal to remove a perfectly good organ. Hmmm

I blended chili after I got to the puree stage at 3 weeks. During the full liquid stage I couldn't eat any blended food with solid particles that can't fit through a strainer. Hope this helps.

I got a machine 9 years ago and I won't sleep without it now. I feel like CRAP without the CPAP. It's hard to get used to wearing the mask but after a while it's second nature. My doctor told me that a majority of people are cured from sleep apnea after they lose their weight from the surgery. I hope that's the case for me. Cons I can say are it's a pain to lug around when you're sleeping away from home and of course it's uncomfortable to wear. Pros outweigh cons when the biggest pro is a restful night's sleep and lucidity during the day. Good luck.

Yes, my EKG showed an abnormality. My PCP sent me to get a stress test. I didn't have to do the treadmill, they just injected some chemical into me that sped up my heartbeat and then stuck me under a machine that looked like a cat scan. Anyway, it came back that they said that my heart was fine and there were no blockages and the abnormality was normal for me. It's just the way my heart works and was fine. I was cleared for surgery and had no problems. Hope this helps.

I have one medium sized cup of Tim Horton's coffee every morning and I drink it as fast as I ever did. No difference at all! Oh and I'm 8 weeks out.

Mine was good stuff. Don't remember a thing and woke up right after without being groggy. Hope you get the same stuff.

I eat while I'm doing something like reading or on the computer. When I take a bite I set the plate down and go back to what I'm doing. It's usually a couple minutes before I pick the plate back up. Just keep your mind busy while you're eating. To keep hot food warm, buy one of these candle warmers that someone posted on here a while back. I bought one and it works pretty well at keeping your food warm while you take your time eating it. You'll have to use a small bowl or plate on it. http://www.amazon.co...duct/B001DHQXX2

I know doctors still say RNY is the "Gold Standard" because it's been around for so long, but I think things are changing and someday soon VSG will become the new Gold Standard.

It all just plain sucks. I hated the liquid stage. All I can say is trudge through it to get to solids. I feel your pain.

I'm 8 weeks out and I eat steak all the time! Totally not against my doctor's instruction. Great protein food!

I can tell you my experience. Everyone's experiences seem to differ. I had an 8 day pre-op diet. The first 5 days were to be only 1000 calories and no more than that. The last 3 days before surgery were full liquids which were mostly Protein shakes. The night before the surgery I could have nothing. Some people have like a 2 week liquid diet. It depends on what your surgeon wants you to do. The tests were things like an EKG for your heart, an upper endoscopy, bloodwork, and a gallbladder ultrasound. No biggie. I also had to take a nutritional class to show me what I can eat and when after the surgery. That was very informative. Probably the worst part of the surgery is the day of and the week after. People experience different pains and challenges. You don't really know what yours will be (if any) until you have it. Some people have gas pain, some have incision pain, some have nausea, etc. I personally had incision pain the most. It sucks right after surgery because you can only eat ice chips the first day until they do a leak test, then you can have sips of Water. I had NO physical hunger after my surgery so not eating was no big deal to me. You have to walk the halls a lot while in the hospital to help with blood clots in the legs. I also had these "braces" (for lack of a better term) on my legs while I was in there that massaged my legs constantly. I also had a drain in my abdomen and a catheter. Some people don't have either of those. The catheter came out when I got out of the hospital but the drain stayed in for 10 days. When I came home after about 3 days after surgery I was tired and still had incision pain. It was hard to get out of bed by myself and I had to sleep on my back. I'm a side-sleeper so that wasn't good. I got a good recliner and slept in that a lot and it helped tremendously. I could get out of it easier. As far as eating, I couldn't really eat anything for a few weeks and then got put on soft food. Soft food was gross to me because it was mostly blended up regular good and the consistency grossed me out so I kept drinking mostly Protein Shakes for the nutrition. After about 4 weeks the protein shakes grossed me out too but I was almost to solid food by then. When I first started eating solid food it felt like it would get stuck halfway down and then finally go down. This was the swelling in my stomach. But after a while it subsided and now at 8 weeks I can finally eat pretty normally. My appetite has returned and I enjoy food now but when I first starting eating I got nauseous after eating. My incisions are mostly healed and my energy has returned and I really feel great and am glad I did this. The worst part is that first 4 weeks or so after surgery. It's not unbearable though. You can get through it and be on the losing side like I am. 8 weeks out and I've lost 57 lbs so far. Good luck to you and I hope some of this helped!

That part just sucks and you can't do anything about it. You have to get through it. It's awesome when you get to regular solid food stage. Hang in there, you'll be there soon.

Or put the food in a measuring cup. Sometimes a scale doesn't work well because of the differences in density of food. Our stomach holds volume, not weight. But the scale will get you close.

Just the opposite for me. I used to LOVE shrimp and salmon and most seafood but I can't stand it now, which sucks because it's such good Protein. All I can taste is a fishy taste now and it makes me gag. Darn!!

That's hilarious! Thanks for sharing.

For me the pre-op diet wasn't the worst. It was the 4 weeks of liquids and soft foods that I had to be on after surgery. The protein shakes and consistency of the blended food grossed me out after a while. Although your hunger will be little to none after surgery, the liquids just get old. The happiest part of my surgery experience was going to regular solid foods. Ahhhh it's a breeze after that. So consider this pre-op diet the "easy part". That after-surgery liquid stage is the real sucky part. Sorry to be a downer.

All I can say is you're doing everything right and your body can not withstand that for very long. It'll be giving up the pounds soon. Just hang in there.

I have a hard job working in a factory lifting heavy stuff and he kept me off work for 5 weeks. It depends on what you do at your job.

My surgeon said I should find a Protein shake that has 20 grams of protein per 8 ounce serving and less than 12 gr of sugar per 8 ounce serving. I used the BSN Lean Dessert protein and I bought it at Amazon.com As for Vitamins, immediately after surgery they had me on Flintstones Complete twice a day. I switched to a pill form after 30 days.

She sounds whacky to me! Can you get a different dietician?

If you don't like the shakes, try the protein bars. I find them more palatable than the shakes and I get 20 gr from them.

My surgeon used some sort of super glue to close my incisions and let me tell you, that stuff is tough!