TheButterfly145

It's been ages since I got on here to post but I figured it was a good time for an update to you lovely people! Starting: 247# Sleeved: 235# Goal Weight: 155# Pre-cosmetic (full lower body lift w/breast lift/augmentation) Dec 3, 2012: 136# - removed 5# of skin, added 3# of implants Current Weight: 133.6 # New Goal - don't care about the weight, increasing strength and wanna see my abs (see goal pic)!

Head hunger is very difficult to overcome. Something a fellow sleever told me was to tey the 'chew and spit' method. It sounds gross but really does help with the chew chew chew cravings. I find high carby things you wouldn't otherwise eat work the best. Tortilla chips are one of the best. Just get a disposable cup, chew until you can chew no more and then spit it in your cup. Once your craving is gone, toss the cup. I have only done it when alone but my friend manages it in public with no one the wiser. It really does help.

I'm a 7/7 sleever too and I'm doing right about the same.

I'm a 7/7 sleever too and I'm doing right about the same.

I'm surprised you can eat 4oz of anything at one meal! I amvalsi 6 weeks out and am lucky if I can get in 3/4 of a can of tuna. I'm still at just over a 1/4 on most of my meals. Go you!

I dealt with peeing problems for the first week post op. I very narrowly avoided getting a cath but not by much. It took lots of relaxing and concentration in order to void each time. It definitely passes . I remember the first time I was really able to just release and completely empty everything, its a beautiful feeling.

I woke up this morning in one-derland! My stall has finally broken too!

I bought espresso spoons (the size of a baby spoon) and I make sure to never heap the spoon before a bite. Between that, and putting the darn thing down in between I haven't had too many issues. There are still some times when I wait too ling and get ravenous. That's when I tend to want to eat fast. Like my tiny tummy is screaming at me for food.

I had the same problem, my first sneeze was a painful wake up call. Felt as if someone jabbed a dagger into my stomach just above the largest incision. For the first week at least drinking anything too fast resulted in a feeling similar to what I imagine it would feel like to swallow a golf ball and then have it get to the bottom of your esophagous and try to enter your stomach. Lots of pressure in the chest and pain my left shoulder. I asked the doctor how drinking Water could hurt my shoulder! All of this eventually passes and you'll realize how much you can take at one meal wihout pain. Trust me, its better to eat SLOW because one teaspoon of food could be the difference between satisfied and very uncomfortable.

Every doctor has a different post op diet. Mine told me full liquids for the first three weeks after surgery and then mushies for another 6. Of course, when I went to see him for my two week appointment he said I could move to mushies right away and start regular foods in three weeks....I think it has to do with your personal progress and what you can handle.

Ice pops are wonderful on the full liquid stage! Use a packet of koolaid (the unsweetened version - I like invisibles because the pops end up clear) 1 tsp of Gelatin (optional) 1/8th tsp stevia liquid and 2 cups of Water. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze. They are SUPER flavorful and really help with the boredom of liquids. I also made chicken broth pops - it gives you the illusion of eating something because of the icy crunch but maintains your full liquid status. Oh yeah, full liquids allows for cream based soups too but I found them to be kinda gross. I did well with tomato soup though.

I don't think you should be overly concerned with just a couple drops of blood. My doctor was really adamit about not putting any creams, ointments etc or bandaids on my incisions. He said they heal much faster when they are exposed to the air as much as possible. I have an herbal salve that I just rub into them when they get super dried out and flaky. I would say that you might bring it up to your doc but giving them air definitely helps the most. My weird experience, my largest incision got a little itchy and I was talking on the phone and scratching lightly without realizing it and I felt something odd. I looked down and it looked like I had 1/4 inch of fishing line poking out! It was just the tail of the disolvable suture that had worked its way out and I was able to snip it off near the skin. Everything inside will disolve eventually. At least... that's what they said - not sure how I could actually verify that....

It's ALWAYS better to be safe and worried than to ignore something that turns into a life threatening situation! I went in to the ER last Monday only to find out my severe stomach pain was the result of constipation. More embarrassing than anything but hey, I got IV fluids for about 3 hours! You did right by going to the ER with those symptoms. I hope you start feeling better soon and are back to walking it up again.

I had a lot of side pain when I got home from the hospital. It took several days and quite a few night time awakenings before it finally subsided. Also, I had that horrible stabbing pain that ended up being constipation. Between the gas and being backed up you can end up in quite a bit of discomfort. Be sure you're taking fiber supplements, getting in all the fluids you can and walking as much as you're able. I am 24 days out now and all my pain is gone.

I'm 24 days out and have been totally stalled for the past 9 days I'm still having a hard time getting in enough calories and fluids. I started including things like avocado and brie in order to get more calories and good fats. I am hoping I break out soon - I can't imagine going 6 weeks on a stall!

I am really glad I read this post because the doc had given me omeperazole as well but I hadn't felt anything that even resembeld heart burn so I stopped taking it to see if there would be a problem with heartburn. I noticed that I have been feeling ravenously hungry pretty much every three hours lately and less than a teaspoon of food calms the hungry monster down. After reading this I thought perhaps the problem is actually the stomach acid and not hunger so I took my omeperazole yesterday and again today - MAGIC today, there is no hunger monster. Thanks for the tip!!

I have been eating really slowly and just until I feel satisfied. I wouldn't try to get in a set amount just yet. They told me 1/4 cup and I was over two weeks out before I could do a full quarter cup in one setting. If you are uncomfortable, it's time to stop eating. Your sleeve will let you know when more is ok, once the swelling goes down it will be way better.

I want to bump this because the list is really great. I'll be printing it out for those times I want to make something on the fly and can't think of which spices to toss in. Thanks!

Myfirnesspal has a cool app for my phone and I can scan the barcode of pretty much any product and then just enter how much I'm eating (usually a part of a serving) and it calculates everything for me. The database is pretty massive if you just type in the food too. It's been a really easy way to keep track of calories, fat, protein and carbs.

I've been using the true lemon stuff (its usually in the same place as the koolaid) for my Water and it has really helped. Have you had any resolution on being tired? I constantly feel exhausted and wish I could recharge or something. I have been hoping that eating a bit more would help but it really hasn't. My motivation for almost everything feels totally deflated lately. Does anyone have suggestions or at the very least hope?

I just went through something similar last week actually. Pain under my ribs and above my largest incision on the left, queasy and bizarre pain in my left shoulder. Ended up in the er because my doc couldn't break away to see me. They did a ct scan and a bunch of blood work, the end result? Constipation and gas pains! Everyone is different though so if your pain persists then I would definitely recommend that you talk to your doctor again. For me, drinking some senna tea, taking extra Fiber supplements and focusing on getting in all the Water I can resolved my issue. Monday will be one week since my incident at the er and I was sleeved on July 7th. Good luck!