HDubSleevery

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.)

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!

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!

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

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.

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.

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!

I'm getting to the hard part. The end of the liquids is within sight and it is making me nuts! Other than that I'm doing a-ok.

I haven't tried swallowing pills yet but I am going to ask if I can start. I have three small dose capsules that I take at night that I dont think I can stomach anymore.

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!

I have the Gatorade G2 and Propel packets. Today at the luncheon, they had a Breakfast buffet with all kinds of juice, coffee, and baked goods. For lunch they had a grilled chicken wrap, potato salad, fruit, apple pie, and sweet tea. I spent a lot of time talking with people. I was also thinking of food I would be able to have later in the process. I figured the grilled chicken would be good and the fruit.

I wrote a letter to Gaby asking her about the heartburn. I am still having it even after a Nexxium in the morning and one at night. I'm sure they will get back to me soon.

I will put the baby to bed early tonight and go to bed early myself.

Thanks. I did get through yesterday and felt TONS better today. That is until I decided to try ice cream this afternoon. Now I feel like crap. Too much sugar is my guess. Clammy, sweaty, nausea...the sleeve will make me never want to eat sweets again.

Thanks y'all. I am good with pudding and slowly sipping Protein Shakes. I'll keep pushing through until I get to mushies. It seems like the world will open up and birds will sing and there will be sunshine again when I get off the fulls.