emily_0192010

The liver really does shrink considerably with a low-carb diet in a short amount of time. My surgeon explained that when our body consumes carbs, it first goes to the liver. When the liver is "full" it is THEN converted into stored fats. The opposite is true as well. When our body needs carbs, it takes it from the liver storage first before it touches the stored. SO, if you aren't adding carbs into your diet your liver will shrink because your body will use up all the stored carbs in the liver. I actually did low-carb for four months before my surgery and my surgeon said that my liver was "tiny and perfect"... about the only thing that can be said was tiny about me lol! Shrinking the liver is important because it makes it easier for the surgeon to get to your stomach. In really big people the liver can completely cover the stomach. When it is easy for the surgeon there are less chances of complications. I know some surgeon's don't bother with the pre-op diet. I'm not sure if they are just exceedingly confident in their skills or they don't think it will help enough to make a difference, but I was very glad I went through with mine in the end.

At 4 days out I wouldn't worry so much about protein. Focus on getting in your liquids. Aim for a min of 64 ounces. If you happen to be able to get some protein in then awesome, but right now just stay hydrated. I didn't start worrying about protein until I was a week out. My surgeon wanted me to get in a min of 65 but told me to just do my best. I am not 5 weeks out and am just now able to get it in (I couldn't handle the protein drinks for some reason). Congrats on being on the loser's bench!!

I had a really hard time with certain drinks. I could not do any type of electrolyte drink at the beginning. Also, the sugar from the apple juice probably isn't helping. Try drinking something warm like broth and see if you can get that down. Focus more on the liquids than on the Protein for a little while and see if that helps. I had spasms as well and anything cool or cold definitely made it worse. Good luck!

My surgeon gave me a prescription for an antacid similar to the one you have, it is very important! It could be the acid making your stomach so upset. My surgeon also gave me a prescription for anti-nausea medicine. Maybe you can ask for some so that you can get it down. Good luck, and I promise it gets better.

WOW!!!!!!! Thank you so much for posting! It is always awesome to hear from people who are past the year mark like you are, it really helps us newbie sleevers be confident that we made the right decision!

I was actually told by my surgeon that advil is fine with the sleeve as long as you take it with food. If you can't take it with food than you can take it with a teaspoon of pepto. There are a lot more restrictions with the by-pass than the sleeve, which is why I chose the sleeve. Some surgeon's say "never this or that" but the majority of things are allowed.

I dropped close to 40 before surgery, and I am close to 20 afterwards. .It's just in this last week that the inches have caught up!

That I would drop in shoe sizes as well!!! I was trying on some old clothes and I am firmly in a 16 and wearing a couple 14's (from a 24!!) and I am totally thrilled. But it is shocking me that my shoes are literally slipping off my feet. I already had pretty small feet (size 7) so I wasn't expecting this at all. I can do used pants and tops... but new shoes are going to cost me a fortune! Thank goodness for flip flops and year long decent weather!

I was not given one or required too and I don't think I would've needed it. My pain, which was a tidge-bit higher because I also had a hernia repair, was minimal after a couple of days. It was just a general soreness. I think you'd be fine to take it off, or if you are that concerned maybe only wear it when you know you are going to be on your feet, but not when you are just having a lazy day or evening around home.

It definitely varies by doctor! My surgeon said he uses it because it helps prevent infections. He also joked that it made sure I came back to see him afterwards. I had it in for a week. It didn't hurt but it did get annoying. I kept it tucked into my bra to keep it out of the way. I was a bit nervous at first but it really isn't anything that should prevent you from getting this surgery. Coming out it is weird because you can feel it moving way up by your stomach, but it doesn't hurt and the small hole closes on it's own. Good luck at your consult.

I am so glad that you are doing better! I am amazed at your positive attitude, keep it up! You are doing amazing!

Good luck and congrats! It will be here before you know it!

Congrats!!!!! You are an inspiration Keep up the hard work!

I am glad to hear you are doing better! It is nice to keep in touch with people who were sleeved around the same time. There is actually a thread that kept track of all the people who were sleeved in september. I just got off of the soft/mushies and I am sooo glad! For the most part I'm doing great. I have this weird pain beneath my one incision and my surgeon doesn't really know what it is. If I am still dealing with it in a couple weeks he is going to order a ct scan so we'll see how that goes. I also can't get much in at all. It took me about 40 minutes to get down two ounces of chicken. I know we are supposed to stop eating after about 20 mins, but I have a really difficult time with the Protein shakes so i have to get my protein in somehow. I would like to keep in touch as well!

My pre-op was a bit different... it was two weeks super low carb (which I was doing anyways) and then two days of Clear liquids. I would go with whichever is lower carbs.... lowering your carbs helps your liver shrink and that is the ultimate goal of the pre-op diet. Also, from personal experience the EAS carb advantage from walmart aren't horrible. I can't drink any except for the regular chocolate one, but that ones tastes pretty good to me. Good luck!

Those should not prevent you from passing. I believe the goal of the psych eval is to make sure you understand the permanence of the procedure, your support system and to make sure you are doing the surgery for the right reasons. I know quite a few people who have moderate or severe depression and they were approved. Most of them go to regular therapy, their personal choice, just to help them along. My mom is bi-polar and she had no problem with the psych eval. Good luck! You'll do fine!

Yes! I had this, it definitely got better but I still get them sometimes, though now they don't hurt (i'm a month out). I found that warm liquids were the best. So on clears that was broth for me. Anything cool or cold made it a lot worse, but warm liquids went down very well. Good luck! It will get better!

You're welcome It helped me a lot too!

Ahh, the wicked carb withdrawal! I can't imagine doing that and full liquids at the same time I cut my carbs during my 3 month supervised diet, so I didn't have to go through that during my pre-op. Try drinking some propel Water or Powerade zero. It helped me get through the carb withdrawal. You are right that there isn't a lot of long term data on the sleeve... by itself. But it was used with the DS since the 70's. Also, gastrectomy's have been performed on people with cancer or ulcers for years and years, some people even have complete gastrectomy's and live with no stomach at all. The long term data for those people is very promising. They manage to live long, healthy, complete lives. The awesome thing about the sleeve is that our stomach will function just as a normal stomach does. It is simply a lot smaller. I also never had surgery before, and to be honest it was no biggie. My pre-op nurse was great and he got the IV (the thing I was most worried about) in the first time. I did not get numbed, I told him to just get it over with, but many people do get numbed first. All surgery is a big deal, but our surgery is about as safe as a surgery can be. If you are that anxious they will probably give you something to help keep you calm. You'll do great! The pre-op and the post-op op are the hardest, but a couple weeks after surgery it will be so much better!

Hey! Welcome We have quite a bit in common! We are both in our twenties and we were both sleeved in September! You are doing awesome!

Wow! In 6months that is just amazing Congrats on doing such an awesome job!

My surgeon actually sent me home with a prescription for dissovable zofran. He does absolutely everything he can to prevent it because he is super cautious. I only took it a couple times and mainly as a precaution, but if you aren't up to pills you could ask about that. Good luck and I hope it works out for you!

About the list.. I did that and I literally just handed it to my surgeon! He was great about it though and answered each one! This is definitely a good idea.

When I was at my surgeon's office last week I was sitting next to this lady and we were talking and I asked her which surgery she had... she looked at me for a moment and said "there's more than one?"... this lady is two months out after having the band. She was absolutely clue-less about the sleeve. She said she went to the seminar and I know that at the seminar they talked about all of the types of weight loss surgery, including the sleeve, so she must not have been paying attention. She then goes on to say how she only lost one pound that month but she had just been on vacation. She also couldn't understand why she kept getting a "stuck" feeling. I suggested she lower her carbs and up her Water (she said in the last week she had only had one bottle...) and she looked at me like I was saving her first-born. I just can't believe how un-informed people are. I seriously thought that the psych evals were meant to make sure people understood their choice and their options... but I guess not!

I am in a very similar boat! I am 20 going on 21 and have been overweight ever since I was 8ish. I'm not necessarily scared of being harmed or by what people think, however I am a very quiet person. I'm not shy at all, but I prefer small groups to large ones and I don't mind being left alone. I wonder how I'll act if I get more attention as I lose the weight. As for personal safety, why don't you plan on taking some self-protection courses once you feel you are able? I plan on it myself. I have to admit that being a big girl has given me a bit of the "they won't attack me, cause who attacks a fat chick" mentality... I have to work really hard to squash that especially since I have lived in many cities and often would go out (like walking, not partying out) alone, which is dangerous no matter what size you are. But I do think I'll have to be more careful once I'm smaller than I do now.