HDubSleevery

When I had that feeling, it was too much acid. I talked to my doc and he said to up my Nexxium to twice a day for 5 days. It got rid of the problem. Now I get a pain in my chest if I overeat my sleeve or take too big a drink. It is a different kind of lump than the acid lump though. The overeating lump seems to have more weight to it.

An update...I got my Vitamix a few days ago and have been using it at least twice a day. Of course the first thing I made was ice cream for me and the baby out of frozen fruit and milk! Mmmmm it was so good. I've experimented and made some stuff that sounded good at the time but tasted pretty cruddy. I did make myself a pumpkin spice smoothie that was pretty good AND good for me!

I looked at financing, but in the end it was easier and a better interest rate just to use some of my savings and a credit card. The credit card gave me a 2% interest rate for 18 months so hopefully I will have it paid off before interest hits.

From start to sleeve for me was about 3 weeks. It probably would have been sooner if I didn't have to make travel, work, and babysitting arrangements.

I have a yucky head cold. I'm sure it is from being so run down and from having a little one in daycare. She brings home all kinds of fun germs. Thank goodness it is Friday and I have a three day weekend to recover. I tried to take Tylenol Sinus this morning and let me tell you..that stuff is nasty crushed. I will be looking for a liquid in a few hours.

LOL! Does that make us "sleeve cousins"?! The dayquil worked wonders but it was a little difficult to get down. The dosage was supposed to be 2 fl oz but I had to sip it over a 15 minute period(G-R-O-S-S). I got about an ounce and a half down and felt off-kilter for about a half an hour. I think the thickness of the liquid along with the meds were a little tough on the sleeve. The neat part was that I could feel that "menthol" feeling all the way down my throat and into my abdomen. It was like having a dose of internal vicks vap-o-rub. It seems nasty to think about it now but it felt great when I was so congested.

You recognized it and can move on. Congrats on seeing it for what it was, owning it, and getting back up on the sleeve.

I started feeling this today. I have like a sharp, crampy feeling right above my belly button and sometimes to the right of it. It isn't my incision so I'm not sure what it is. It doesn't happen all the time though either. Weird.

My doc says it varies by individual. He says you can have it in the full liquid stage but if you find you are having issues with acid, you should avoid it until later. I don't like tomato soup, but I found some fantastic chilled gazpacho at Fresh Market. It is a little spicier than I expected but man it was SO good and a great change of pace.

The diarrhea was pretty normal for me. Fluids in, fluids out. I am on day 18 and I've had my highs and lows so far. I did have a drain in the hospital but it was removed on day 3. The soreness in my abdomen improved greatly once they took it out. It was like whipping off a band-aid really fast except there was no lingering stinging afterwards. I did clears, full liquids, and I advanced to softs/mushies this evening. Technically I am not supposed to advance until Monday but I don't want my first experience with soft food to be at work! I am taking it really slow. The sip, gurgle, burp has been pretty normal for me. Usually when I first start to eat or drink something, I'll get a burp. My thought is there isn't much room for gas AND food/drink so I'd rather have the gas out. I had a small issue with acid/heartburn about 7 days out. I talked to my doc and he had me double to Nexium dose daily for 5 days and quit drinking citrus juices (i.e. lemonade) and the problem has cleared up. Good luck! It does get better with each stage. The sleeve is definitely a practice in patience.

Oooh the dehydration could be a factor. Between the head cold, the Nyquil, and an experiment with the blender and a decaf coffee smoothie last night I may have needed some fluids. I had some applesauce, some watermelon, and some yogurt today so I think things settled down later in the morning. The GREAT news is that I finally get it! I made a variation of Eggface's ricotta bake for dinner and put two tablespoons on my plate. I was thinking a tablespoon would be about an ounce. I ate half of what was on my plate and I got that "don't eat another bite" feeling. I used to have a problem with binging so I really had to think about not putting the next bite in my mouth. My brain said "do it" and my stomach said "don't you dare". I cleared my plate and have been fine ever since! I am gonna count this as an NSV. It was the first time that I really felt like I was having a normal meal since the pre-op diet. I can see light at the end of the tunnel and it is SO great! (I have a 2 year old and so I use the same plates and silverware that she does. It helps me feel like I am having a "right size" portion. LOL!) This board ROCKS!

I got up this morning and tried to have my regular Protein shake and after one three sips "sleevie wonder" said NO! I tried a smoothie made with fruit and Water and it didn't taste good either. I made some Ginger Peach tea and was able to sip that just fine. I had some yogurt mid-morning and it sat just fine. Anyone else have this happen? (I've been on a stall for about a week, so I have been trying to up my protein intake but this isn't starting off so well.)

I got some liquid Dayquil for my head cold and have been taking it today. It has made this congestion tolerable. I talked to Gaby, the post-op patient coordinator, and she gave me a more extensive list of things I can eat. I am SO happy! She said I can have watermelon, applesauce, poached/blended pears, and yogurt. I thought I had to wait a few more days before I could have any of this! I had a piece of watermelon and chicken & stars Soup w/Unjury chicken added. I don't know if it is physical or psychological but I feel SO much better. I got my Vitamix machine yesterday and made strawberry sorbet last night. It liquified the seeds so I didn't have to worry about eating them. It was so good. I bought a ton of fruit at the grocery store today. I have it cleaned and prepped for smoothies and ice cream for at least a few days. On Sunday I can start with oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and mushy veggies. I'm pretty jazzed about the weekend and may even make it to the Farmer's Market tomorrow morning! Woohoo!

You look fantastic! Are those your little ones in the pictures? They are adorable!

I got the liquid Dayquil and the clouds parted, my ears popped, and I could breathe for a few hours until it wore off. Thanks for the ideas!

Glad you are up and moving around. Every day gets better! You will do great!

Definitely the left but my dead center incision is still tender too. It is healing but still uncomfortable to wear a waistband.

I move to mushies on Sunday and I am soooo excited. I have never dreamt of a scrambled egg as a treat before but boy do I now!

Good luck Gardendiva!

E is an fmla requirement that you have at least a certain number of hours with the employer. I think it is 1250? I'm not sure when you started with your job but they may be saying December because you are not yet eligible under the federal law. Fmla is the family medical leave act. The federal government requires all employers over a certain size to comply with this law. I think it is 10 employees minimum. Fmla gives employees the right to apply for job protection due to illness, pregnancy, or to care for a family member with an illness. If you meet the criteria your employer must grant you up to 12 weeks of leave to return to work. The leave can be paid or unpaid according to individual company policy. Short term disability pays your wages upon illness or accident.

How is everyone doing with coffee? I thought it may be too acidic after surgery but I would love to add some decaf to my shakes!

It is weird but when I woke up this morning the pain was gone. I have some post-nasal drip stuff happening today but no pain. I'm wondering if things weren't just all clogged up? Now that I think about it I went over the savannah river bridge a few times in the past couple of days because of a conference. My ears were constantly popping so it could also have been the pressure there. I don't do well with elevation changes. Or I could just be a freak.

It is 3:30 in the morning and my right ear is screaming at me. I think I may have an ear infection. I just took some liquid tylenol and it seems to be working. If it doesn't get better I will go to the Urgent Care center tomorrow. My question is what antibiotics can I safely take with my new sleeve? I know some docs really dont know what to do with us so I want to be informed before I get something that could possibly make this worse. Thanks so much!

Just an FYI - I am reading this thread where I obviously posted after my surgery. I have no recollection of posting. Actually there are patches of my memory missing from as early as the plane ride to san Diego before surgery! Be forewarned - friends don't let friends post on anesthesia!

The more I looked into Dr. Aceves the more it made me wonder why there weren't ANY reviews at all about my local WLS surgeon/practice. The website was outdated and the only testimonies I could find were from years ago. If I could find this many people's opinions about Dr. Aceves why couldn't I find anything at all on the guy here in town. It helped me move away from the local area "center of excellence" or not!