Sleevie WonderLand

A small firm pillow to use for support on your tummy when you're getting up out of bed. It really helps!

I would only recommend an enema or colonic if you feel constipated. If not, let nature take it's course. It will eventually.

It'll get moving soon enough, I wouldn't worry too much unless you are in pain or uncomfortable. I don't go as often as I used to as well and used to worry about it, but now I just go with the flow. I realized that I'm taking in a lot less food and it takes a while for that little bit of food to bulk up enough for your body to get rid of it. As you begin to eat more foods in bigger quantities, your output will probably increase too.

I'm not a doctor, but that's what my doc told me when I questioned him about it.

I would LOVE to have a monthly group thing, but not sure how successful it would be, especially since we are all so spread out across the state. There are some members here who are in the upstate - maybe you can reach out to them to start a group, and maybe those of us downstate could try and hook up, and we could do a big meet up sometime when the weather is nice?

If anyone is interested, let's try to get it going!

I had this issue as well. I take Nexium daily and although it helped a little I still found that I needed to take tums to help calm down the acids in my tummy. I was always nauseous and always coughing but I also wasn't eating so the acids in my stomach didn't have anything to neutralize them so I began to eat more frequently throughout the day. It's been about 4 days since been increasing my food intake and four days since I've taken my Nexium and I haven't had any acid problems.

i hope you feel better soon. Ask your Dr/Nurse about the PPI again. The "virus" statement sounds "loose" to me. She can't determine that you had a virus over the phone. smh

Acid reflux is driving me batty too. i've started taking Tums, which helps ease the discomfort. Im also taking Nexium, but it doesn't handle my acid enough and I don't want to end up with an ulcer in my esophagus.

Ease up on the solid foods, I had to slow down as well. Try drinking Soups (blended) you may find that they are easier to tolerate.

OMG, I think the Tums was the trick! I've also been dealing with a chronic cough that I think is related to acid reflux (self diagnosing at this point, havent been to my MD yet) and I decided to try the antacid route since I'm afraid to take another Nexium. So far so good! I guess since I'm not getting that much in there's lots of acid in my belly and it's causing havoc and Im coughing and in alot of discomfort. Thanks for all your responses and suggestions. Really appreciate it!

So for the past week and a half, I've had a cold. I was hoarse last week, but a few days into that, I began to cough. I mean, coughing to the point of where i'm dry heaving. My lungs are clear; there's no mucus rattling around in there, and my cold is pretty much gone, but i'm still coughing like an old man with emphysema, ESPECIALLY when I lay down. I finally decided to research coughing and why it's triggered so much when I lay down. I got alot of answers back relating to acid reflux. Everything is making so much more sense to me now! I took two tums a while ago...my stomach has settled and I havent coughed in the last 15 minutes or so. Who woulda thunk it?

In my pre-sleeve life I never had an issue with acid reflux. I'm on Nexium and thought that would be enough to deal with acid issues after my sleeve. I put up a post earlier about feeling nauseous all day and not being able to read my sleeve. I'm not totally sure now, but I'm guessing that I may need some more antacids in my diet to keep me from getting so nauseated.

Anyone else coughin alot lately or am I the only one? lol

Getinmybelly - we are here *pointing two fingers back and forth between our eyes*

I know the guidelines, we all do. My issue is that im not sure that im still having trouble understanding the signals my stomach is sending me And im worried that im doing something wrong because i feel overly full all day even tho im not taking in much.

Im amazed at the amounts of food people are taking who have been sleeved around the dame time as me. Its been five hours and im still uncomfortablr after having lunch. Smh

I have no appetite at all. None. I wake up in the morning and do a little walk, about 15 mins or so, then I get back home and start to get my family ready for the day. No desire to eat at all. I may have a sip of Water, but just enough to take a Vitamin. On my way to work I usually have a half a cup (4oz) of tea. By that time I kinda feel Ms. Sleeve saying something, so I'm assuming that she wants to eat. When I get to work I usually get a boiled egg and it takes me forever to eat it because I have no desire to eat it. Anyway, I usually have a little more tea after that, probably an hour or two later, just to get the taste of the egg outta my mouth. Sometimes i find myself gargling with mouthwash constantly and brushing my teeth because these tastes tend to linger in my mouth and it nauseates me. At about 1 pm, I take my Nexium tablet. I've been taking it at that time every day since I been sleeved, so it's just what I've been doing. I noticed that about 15 minutes after I have it, Ms. Sleeve starts to act really weird; I don't get hungry, but I do get nauseous and end up running to the chinese restaurant to get some egg drop or wonton Soup to calm her down. Today I ate two wontons and didn't drink the soup; she seemed to be fine, but then about 1/2 hour later, my stomach just felt weird, so I decided to have some more tea. I tried to drink water first, but it tasted like metal to me, so I couldn't deal with it. Now I have this constant feeling like if I make a wrong move, I'll vomit. Like the food/liquid hasn't settled in my stomach, or like I've eaten too much.

This has been my story for the past 4 days; what am I doing wrong? I'm not eating while I'm drinking, and I'm really not consuming much food at all. Am I taking in too much Fluid? I thought the fluid thing was good because I need to stay hydrated? SMH

I've been stressing over the fact that i'm not getting much food in at all. My Nut isn't very happy about it either, but what's a no-appetite, nauseous girl to do?

This post just gave me so much insight! I can focus on Protein and caloric intake instead of going crazy trying to avoid carbs. I'll see what works best for me and my sleeve.

I think slowing down while eating is the hardest part of this for me. I was struggling with the not eating while drinking thing and pretty much conquered that but I still find myself scarfing down my food like it's the last time I'll ever eat or drink again.

Putting the spoon/fork down between mouthfuls (tiny ones!) is helping, but it's hard if the Soup tastes really good! lol..My issue was that I hate my food to get cold, so someone suggested that I get a mug warmer, this way I can enjoy my food longer and not have to worry about it being cold. Hoping to get a mug warmer this weekend!

Cant wait to read/view your experience! Good luck and best wishes for a speedy and easy recovery and most importantly a successful surgery!

I don't think i'm ready. I tried one leaf of romaine that had some light caesar on it, and I chewed it to bits, and it didn't take long for Ms. Sleeve to let me know that she didn't approve. I didn't vomit, but my stomach hurt like hell - after just one lil piece of lettuce. smh. I will attempt the salad thing later on, sometime next year I guess. :-(

I thought this was a dumb question, but I dont recall anyone ever mentioning salad in the early phase of being sleeved. I've got the worst craving for a caesar salad, just wondered if it was a good idea to try it.

I actually had 2 bites of meatloaf last night. I made it with this new creamy sauce thing that the Philadelphia cream cheese people make and it came out FANTASTIC. All I could force down was the two bites though. It was moist and even dragged through some gravy, I could feel it going down. Maybe I just aint ready to leave the mushy stage yet.

I'm gonna continue to focus on staying hydrated. I will gradually increase my Protein as time goes on, but i've got people telling me that they didn't really start getting good amounts of Protein in until their 2nd and 3rd month, so maybe i'm panicking for nothing.

Looved it!

Where are my manners? Thanks to all who are giving me suggestions and tips. I REALLY appreciate it!

Ok, so did I mention that I hate bananas and Peanut Butter? LOL....I didn't know I was such a picky eater until this thread!

Sleeve of Steel (LOVE the name by the way) you have given me an idea about revamping my shakes. I'll probably use strawberries or blueberries to trick out my shakes with some ice. I'm willing to give anything a try at this point! I also have to invest in some of those Torani syrups that everyone rants and raves about. I'm just not excited about food anymore so i guess I need to dedicate a day of food shopping to just my needs and not my family's. I was in the supermarket last week and only picked up some cheddar cheese and hormel chili for myself. I just don't have an appetite or the desire to eat, but I know I have to.

Mocha!!!! A mug warmer! That's genius!

Greek yogurt - ewww...for me - barf city. I've tried it 3 times, and each time I felt like i was eating baby vomit.

I can tolerate chili well too. I'm just sick of it. I've even had a chili omelette because they are probably the easiest foods for me to eat. lol (don't judge me, it tasted pretty good!)

I'm a month out and I still can't sleep on my tummy because i have a little soreness (my surgeon says it's bruising under my incision). the first week I slept on my back, elevated slightly with pillows, and when I couldn't take that anymore, I laid down on my side slowly and carefully and had no problems as long as I took my time getting up (that handy little pillow is a life saver!).

I too think it depends on the individual. I'm looking forward to getting back to my tummy sleep!

I will def do more eggs, been looking at omelette recipes.

I never thought about the soup/solid thing. I just hate that my food always gets so cold from having to take so long to eat it! lol. I will definitely separate my Soup from the solids from now on.

And as for eating chicken or any meat, I always make sure it's moist and in some sort of sauce, gravy, or soup lol.

Emily, you've helped me tremendously...thank you for your sleeve wisdom. I hope more vets will post too!

So today makes exactly 4 weeks since I've been sleeved. I've been struggling to get ample amounts of Protein in and I'm really beginning to get worried.

I have powders? utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken broth with the protein in it. Gross. I might be able to tolerate it if I could make it hot (I like my food hot!) and could add some stuff to it, but you can't because the Protein powder cakes up if the Water is to hot. Protein intake FAIL.

I have some nectar Protein shakes that I used to love - now anything that is related to protein/powder nauseates me to point of actually puking. I had my daughter prepare a shake for me so that I wouldn't smell the powder and when I went to drink it...yup, I started gagging from the smell and taste. Protein intake FAIL.

I've been cooking up chicken Soup from scratch with spinach and okra and small chunks of chicken thigh. Soup is delis, hot and very tasty....however, no matter how much I chew on that piece of chicken, when it goes down, it feels like I'm swallowing rocks and glass. Im eating my food with toddler utensils. I'm putting the spoon/fork down in between bites, but still anything solid that I eat goes down like i'm swallowing a rock. Protein intake FAIL.

I had some shrimp recently at a party, and surprisingly it went down ok (I felt it, but it wasn't that painful). A few minutes later, my tongue started to feel weird, so I was wondering if I have become allergic to shellfish. It wasn't a severe reaction, but it was enough to make me afraid to try shellfish again. Protein intake FAIL.

I haven't tried a soft tender flaky fish yet. Someone prepared some salted cod for me and when I chewed it, it was real stringy so I spit it out. Im hoping that tilapia or flounder, maybe even some sole will be my saving grace. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Oh yeah, I try to eat cheese every now and then, but it's really not my favorite thing in the world unless its all gooey and melted all over some macaroni or lasagna lol (and i'm also lactose intolerant so I don't do much dairy). But i'm open. I would love to hear what my VSGers recommend.

I am not a sugar-coater, so I'm gonna give it to you straight....this VSG journey is not easy by any means. It's a really big life adjustment, physically and emotionally. I understand your thinking about the pre-op diet and it almost makes sense until you think about what happens after 2 months of doing it and you begin to slowly cheat here and there. Eventually you end up gaining the weight back, and realizing that you need restriction to maintain weight loss.

I too like to be in control and think that I'm strong enough to do things on my own. I'm getting adjusted to my sleeve after having surgery on the 18th of October. I gotta tell you that I had buyer's remorse after I got home from the hospital and realized that I had to succumb to what the sleeve wanted versus what I wanted (which was to eat a massive plate of fried chicken and mac n cheez lol). You HAVE to pay attention to what you eat. You CANT cheat, not even a little bit. You CANT change your mind and have your old stomach put back in. It's a new dawn, a new day and a new stomach; you have to adjust your life accordingly.

My recovery wasn't too uncomfortable, but I think I have a higher tolerance for pain (I've lived thru 3 c-sections). My biggest issue was the emotional part of it, having to come to grips with the fact that I was accustomed to eating food at any time in any amount for no reason at all. I have finally adjusted to my sleeve and hardly have an appetite - in fact I have to remind myself that I need to eat and drink to stay hydrated and get some Protein in my system.

I would say to give yourself at least 2 to 3 weeks to start to feel "normal" again. Some people handle recovery better than others, so i can't really predict how bad you will feel. I can tell you that a positive attitude and staying here on VST to get answers and support really helped me. I realized that nothing good comes easy and that if I really want the sleeve to work for me, I gotta learn how to work it, and that's by following my doc and nutritionists instructions. In addition to that, you gotta learn how to listen to your body because your old stomach is gone. The new stomach has new rules, and if you don't follow them, she'll make you pay! LOL

Overall I have to say, this is the best thing I've ever done for me. I believe in the sleeve!

Good luck and best wishes!

Omg! Someone on VST suggested MFP to me and it's the best frickin thing ever! I would never track my food if I didnt have the phone app.

Add me! SleevieWonder