ybnormal

uhm...the fast answer is: cookie yes. Wine no. The long answer is I understand a bite of a cookie once in a while or something sweet, but don't let it become a habit because after all, you're doing this surgery to lose weight, right? Why put crap into your body at this point? Wait until you're at the maintenance stage of the game, then worry about Cookies LOL Sleeve patients don't experience "dumping syndrome" like the DS or the RNY so it won't make you sick. Wine or any alcohol is going to be really hard because you'll have a very small tummy and so you may absorb alcohol (and medications) at a faster rate. They advise you not to drive after even a SIP of alcohol because of this. It's not worth the risk. If you're home and not driving? Try a glass of wine. The worst that can happen is you're crocked and your hubby takes advantage of the situation LOL Renee`

Caffeine in any form will dehydrate you. Especially in the summer time you have to really watch out for that. I know of a few people that ended up in the E.R. getting bags of fluids pumped into them via a cute little I.V....ICK! lol Like Tiffykins said, I laid off all coffee and diet coke (the only things I drank per-surgery days...yep, dying inside a little bit!) because of the dehydration factor but also because coffee really amps up the acids in your newly sleeved tummy and it impedes the healing process.

YAY Tamz! I'm so excited for you and your new start on life. I knew you could do it! The nausea I had for the day of surgery and then on into a little bit in the early morning. Just ask for something for nausea and they'll give you something in the I.V., this also may help you sleep, which you need to do if you're not walking. Hard to walk with a bedpan in your hand while you're dry heaving. First hand experience...don't ask! LOL Chin up girl, you did it! You have my phone number if ya need to talk. XOXO Renee`

Dulcolax is a stool softener and not a laxative so it won't make you go, just soften things up so when you do go it's not so er...traumatic? LOL you know what I mean! Renee`

post-op I threw up so much that I started throwing up fresh / red blood and then I fell out of bed later to crash test the surgeons work. The next day for my leak test I did fine, nothing wrong! Don't worry, you'll be ok, it's just scary right now

Tamz, in all honesty I got pretty quiet the night before as a calm settled over me. I was scared spitless inside at first but then I was just ok, I can't explain it. If you weren't nervous and reaching for the phone to cancel and then struggling to hold yourself back, I'd be worried about you! LOL What you're going through is completely normal. Renee`

Between 3 and 6 months your appetite will return to normal and you will again "love food" which is why you have to train yourself early out to be vigilant about what you're putting in your mouth and how you're eating. Use this "I'm not hungry!" phase to re-train yourself so that when your appetite does return, you're ready to do battle with it if need be. Renee`

When I first talked to my husband about the surgery he said "I'm a smart husband and I have no opinion." This was his mantra throughout the pre-surgery days. We've been married over 20 years and so yes, he *is* a smart husband. I thought I would have no support after I got home from surgery but to my surprise he called me several times when I was in Mexico and was so happy to see me get back home he unpacked all my stuff and helped me get settled in. As far as eating in front of me goes, the first few days were very hard for me so I took myself away from it quietly because I didn't want to make he or my kids feel guilty for eating in front of me. I would take a bath, read a book in my room, etc...anything to get away from the food that I wanted so badly. It really IS a give and take in a marriage and while you want him to respect and understand your choices, you have to give him the same courtesy. He didn't have the surgery and isn't obese. My husband is the same and I have to remember that. He should be allowed the same choices I have which is to eat what he wants and do what he wants with his body. After all, he allowed me to make my own choices. My choices aren't always his but I know the most important thing...he's always got my back...I could care less if he eats Burger King once in a while. Renee`

I think probably a lot of people that are overweight suffer from this and are just not told OR they're not even tested for it in the first place. I really wouldn't worry about this a whole lot because it sounds like the doctor thinks the surgery will fix it. To me, that's exciting!

This was me as well with the exception that I told my Dr that I am a smoker. I didn't quit and my Dr. didn't ask me to. They and myself were aware of the risks of complications and I went into it with my eyes wide open. I tried Chantix years ago and it was horrible. I wanted to kill someone and then cry over their dead body LOL I had horrible mood swings and I had to stop taking it. I'm now 13 days out of surgery and haven't had complications at all, although I know that smoking impedes healing so I will heal slower than others. I'm aware of that and that's ok with me. I wish I could quit, but I've tried everything and apparently I'm just not ready to yet...when I'm ready to, I will. I don't think anyone should be denied the surgery just because they can't quit smoking. As long as they understand the risks going in, I don't see a problem. I know doctors don't want to be sued but I would think signing a waiver or something would take care of that. just my opinion Renee`

wash wash wash your hands! I can't stress this enough...I'm almost OCD about it, for real. Everyone (husband AND all 3 kids) came down with that horrible swine flu that went around a couple years ago. I was taking care of everyone and running myself ragged. I even took 2 of my kids to the emergency room (trapped in a Mustang with two sickos ..UGH! lol) but I washed my hands anytime I had to hand them meds, food, went to the bathroom...ANYTHING. I never came down with it and the only thing I can figure is because I'm so freaky about washing my hands. Seriously, it prevents a lot! Renee`

I never go over 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of food because I don't want to start the bad habits that got me fat to begin with...stuffing my face lol Some people say they burp or hiccup and know they're done even though they can't FEEL it yet. It takes 5 to 20 minutes (depending on who you ask!) to actually feel full so eat very slowly. The last thing you want to do is stretch your sleeve out or worse, do real damage to it.

I've had a couple bouts of the same thing Kelly and it SUCKS! I'm on nexium twice a day as well but I'm getting some pepcid chewables for a bit of breakthrough acid suppressor because I cant take that pain when it happens. Just remember, it takes time for our acid pumps to realize we don't have a full size tummy anymore so they have to re-learn their job...produce LESS acid to breakdown foods. Even knowing this, it still sucks when it happens because like yours, there's no rhyme or reason to mine...I'm still on liquids! At any rate, I was told also not to eat anything before bed and take my nexium twice daily, am. and pm.

True. I was told to drink 1 extra glass of water for every cup of coffee to prevent dehydration. It is a stomach irritant and can cause ulcers so be very careful. If you find yourself getting heartburn, don't drink any more, let yourself heal first.

It also depends on the time of day you weigh yourself. Always weigh yourself right after you wake up because believe it or not, all that liquid really does weigh against you...so to speak. I lost 22 pounds the first 10 days after surgery. I'm now at 13 days out and I gained 1 pound (according to before bed last night). When I woke up today I had lost that pound. Just take a breath and don't stress, k? It'll come off, no worries! Renee`

I will tell you more in a month, but after 9 days I've lost 22 pounds.

I agree with Sarsar and Ahoy, get to the E.R. and get some fluids in! Next step is what my Dr. told me when I couldn't keep anything down or in (I had diarrhea as well as vomiting...lucky me ) Get some Gatorade G2 and take a teaspoon or two every 15 minutes until it starts to stay down. Your body NEEDS the potassium and sodium and electrolytes right now...RIGHT NOW being the key words. Keep drinking! I've noticed that yes, I can only take tiny sips but I can do it in fairly fast succession so I can down a lot of gatorade now and I'm only about 9 days post-op. Hydration is the MOST important thing for your body right now and Ahoy is right, you need medical attention to get it back on the right track so that you can start over and do it well. Signs of Dehydration according to Webmd: Dehydration occurs when your body loses too much Fluid. This can happen when you stop drinking Water or lose large amounts of fluid through diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, or exercise. Not drinking enough fluids can cause muscle cramps. You may feel faint. Usually your body can reabsorb fluid from your blood and other body tissues. But by the time you become severely dehydrated, you no longer have enough fluid in your body to get blood to your organs, and you may go into shock, which is a life-threatening condition. I want to also add that many people get a horrible headache when becoming dehydrated...listen to your body! Hope by the time you read this you're already feeling better, but if not, please please get medical attention...dehydration is serious. Renee`

I was very worried about this pre-op because I was a big "guzzler" with drinks. Diet coke with ice and lime always next to me along with my cup of coffee. During meals I would drink a lot through out the whole meal. I'm about 9 days post-op now and I'll tell you I can sip a tiny amount while eating, enough to take away the dry mouth feeling during a meal, but I certainly wouldn't take a huge gulp because it hurts... a LOT! lol like a big burp stuck in the middle of your chest that you have to pound out with your fist. It's not something that would stop me from surgery (obviously), it was just something that I was consigned to having to re-learn and I have been. My biggest challenge is that I'm on many medications that have to be emptied out from their capsules or crushed in order to get them down because I can't take pills yet. I gulped it down in one swallow without thinking about it, trying to get past the yucky taste and grabbed my regular glass of gatorade and slammed a gulp back to wash down the nasty taste. OOOPS! major ouch! So, lesson learned. Don't worry about it, just be aware that you will make a few mistakes and that they are pretty much "self corrective" lol Hope this helps Renee`

Yes! Thank you so much! That's what I was trying to say but I just never seem to say things right....thank you! xoxo Renee`

Agreed. I'm on narcotic pain medication long term and I'm losing weight. A lot of people have to take narcotic pain meds for a variety of medical reasons so don't worry. Get rid of the migraine...those suck! Added incentive: migraines always make me vomit and that could lead to dehydration.

I wonder how he kept it down in the first place! Wouldn't you think it would have been so painful it would have made him want to yuke it all up? Good grief...owie. Thanks for posting this Daisy! Renee`

At the very least, a hospital emergency room (for complications, which are rare but happen) legally has to treat you. Renee`

I'm only about a week out but I'm doing fine. Not down or blue or sad or anything, mostly just normal tired "blah" from surgery and recovery. Hope this helps you out! Renee`

Aside from the pain, don't stress out. You were probably in a regular stall that would have been over with anyway. Believe it or not, some people *can't* exercise at first and still manage to lose an amazing amount of weight. You will still lose because you still have your tool inside you Renee`

Forgive the shortness of this post...I just woke up and am tired still. My problem isn't really the fact that I had a horrible time of it after surgery, this can happen to anyone, anywhere and with any doctor. My problem was that I was assured that most patients have an epidural when they wake up to ease the pain and nausea and that I would be one of those. This was not only told to me, but also to Lynn. I sent my medical records and specific problems via email. I also filled out all the customary forms AGAIN once we got there. Lack of communication? I have no idea. This could have been an isolated incident, again I'm not sure. I know I was not the only one very sick and in a lot of pain, in fact Sara was the only one that didn't experience either. I was assured, as well as Lynn, that fibro was not an issue there and that the doctors had experience with it. This was a major concern of mine and I asked many many questions because I was terrified of a flare. I'm seriously just tired of all of this now and I don't much care anymore. Dr. Aceves IS a wonderful surgeon, his skill was never in doubt. Dr. Campos IS a wonderful doctor that cares about his patients, again this was never in doubt. I have stated this repeatedly and I'm tired of bashing my head against the same wall. As far as being defensive, yes, maybe I am a bit because I feel like everyone that has surgery has expressed their experience and I should have been no different. It shouldn't have been a debate and my medical conditions should never have really been an issue or come up at all. I chose to tell the whole truth because maybe it will help someone else ask more questions, although I don't know how that would be possible. Dr. Aceves never lied to me, not once. He told me exactly how he felt and I appreciated his honesty even though I don't agree with him. I am absolutely done defending myself and Lynn over this, it's draining me and upsetting to me. To anyone going to Dr. Aceves, know that you are in extremely experienced hands and there is a VERY low complication rate. I would ask to speak to him PERSONALLY or Dr. Campos before scheduling surgery and know he has a very pronounced accent and speaks very softly so he may be a bit hard to understand, but do it anyway. Don't take anyone elses word for anything except the doctors and know going in that most of the nurses there do not speak english, at least during the time we were there. Renee`