Lissa

ItalianLady, I'm sorry if I missed where you were attacked. I read the thread re: plication and thought everyone was well spoken and mostly polite, but maybe I missed it. Rosy, I hope you feel better quickly and that your doc moves you to full liquids at least!! Lissa

Rosy, I'm sorry you're having a really rough day. At least it sounds like it. I wouldn't worry about the sodium in the egg drop soup right this minute. I agree that the liquid diet right after surgery STINKS! The only good thing that comes out of it is that we usually drop a big chunk of weight. I wish I could give you a hug and make you feel better. I know this is the worst time. You probably have already done it, but a call to your doctor might be in order? Maybe he or she would agree to let you move to at least full liquids? I'm not allowed gum, either. Only, I'm not allowed to have it EVER again, according to my doc and my nut. They tell me that it's because I might swallow the gum by accident and block my opening. I didn't realize that the opening had been tightened that much! (((Rosy))) Good luck!! I do think the head part of this is the toughest for us all.

Rosy, Are you allowed anything besides clear liquids? Applesauce, cottage cheese, etc? Try changing up and having some Soup. I ate the liquid from a bowl of egg drop soup very early post op and it was divine! LOL When are you allowed mushies? Probably in 4 days? Just hang tought and it will be worth it. Every surgeon is different, but the rules are in place to help keep us from damaging the sleeve. It's hard waiting for the next stage, but it's worth it to avoid a leak. I have seen some posters say that they chewed on ice at this stage, just to have something to chew in their mouths. Would that be a solution for you? Good luck!!

So, I got a text message from my DH last night (and that doesn't mean Dear anything!). Text message said, basically, "File our divorce papers now!" We've been separated since June. I came home from the hospital June 3 on 3 kinds of oxygen. He got ticked because I didn't know what was for dinner that night @@ and broke every dish in our house. I moved out a few days later. I've been doing everything I know how to a. get healthier mentally and physically and b. have even gone to marriage counseling with him, which was useless because he thinks everything is ALL my fault. He's an alcoholic, which he hid from me till after we got married. Now he's in full bloom again. I guess we just weren't meant to be. So, to keep this on topic, can I count this as losing 180 pounds of unnecessary crap in a hurry?

Jane, Congrats on being sleeved. Sorry that you're having pain, but the tummy/thigh muscles do hurt for a couple of days after surgery. It will get better quickly. You're doing the right things, sip, sip, sip, then walk, walk, walk. Can't wait till you start posting what you're losing. It's gonna be so incredible!!!

I lost around 25 pounds my first month. I don't even remember for sure! EEK! I'm at 67.6 pounds lost as of today, 3.5 months post-op, which I think is INCREDIBLE! I see my figure coming back and I know I'll get to goal. I had surgery at 337 (HW 352) and I'm hoping to be around 230 by March. At 230, I'll look like a brick S____ house again, at least that's what My Virtual Model tells me. I want to get to 170, but I've always carried my weight pretty well because I'm tall. We will see when I get closer to goal, but I know I'll get there. We all will, because we're determined to do it!!!

I'm happy for everyone that is getting their surgery, but, FavoredOne, I have to admit I have a soft spot for you! I hope you'll be up to posting and letting us know how you're doing very soon after surgery! Love your smile and can't wait to see the frame around it shrinking so the smile will get bigger!

I've heard that being Vitamin D deficient can also add to depression. Did your doc suggest a supplement? It will get better! (((hugs)))

Welcome!!!

At my heaviest I used to tell family members that "The Cocaine diet just isn't working for me!" My mother was the worst offender on asking questions about my weight. I used to want to snap her bony little butt in half! Now, I miss her asking me about it.

That 3 week stall is a PITA for sure! You are doing everything right and the weight will start coming off again. Look for the NSVs when you hit stalls. My experience has been that I lose inches when I am not losing pounds. You lose weight, then your body has to adjust things before you will lose more. Two weeks ago, I was bouncing up and down the same 5 pounds, but my pants got so loose they fell off. Now I'm losing between half and one pound a day again. It WILL happen and the stall WILL break.

Kathy, Most people aren't overly fond of Protein shakes by the time they get to solid foods after surgery. You may not WANT to sub a meal with a Protein shake. My nut wants us getting most of our protein from food by the time we're into regular foods, but I can't see the harm in having a protein shake for breakfast if you want. Someone mentioned Egg Face and she makes tons of yummy looking Protein Shakes that she uses for breakfast and she's 5 years post op RNY.

Valerie, You will eventually develop a full feeling or signal. Right now, your tummy is probably still numb and somewhat swollen, so you don't recognize it. Immediately post-op my signal was pain in my left shoulder...and I thought it was gas! Now, I burp when I'm getting full. I know to put down the fork and push away from the plate as soon as I burp. I'm 3.5 months out, if that helps you any. It does get easier, but the best thing to do is exactly what you are doing... keep paying attention, eat very slow and chew very well. Good luck!!

I had my surgery in Sebastian with Dr Patrick Domkowski. I think he hung the sun, the moon and the stars!!! He does do revision surgeries. We actually talked about it at my last appt as a curiousity point for me. My friend is an ER nurse at the Sebastian River Medical Center where Dr D does his surgeries and she gave him glowing reviews before I ever met him. I did talk to other docs, but Dr D made me feel the most secure about the surgery. I have had no problems since/because of my surgery. He doesn't have the Center of Excellence distinction because they weren't doing the required volume. That is changing by summer of 2012, though. He's doing an online seminar tomorrow night if you're interested. http://www.riversidesurgicalweightloss.com/ is the link, I think.

Just an FYI for those who are interested. I PM'd 5DogMa today and she says she is in the hospital for dehydration and won't get out until she can drink enough to stay hydrated on her own. I wish her luck and hope she's all better soon!!

You've hit the 3 week stall with a vengeance! Change things up, add Protein or carbs, subtract carbs, drink more Water, do some exercise. TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS! LOL Your body is readjusting to the changes you have put it through, surgery, then liquids, full liquids, then you've probably just started either mushies or solid foods. Now it's got to readjust AGAIN! While you may not be losing on the scale, you're probably noticing some of your clothes getting looser (this is when I had to get new undies!), and you probably have more ability to do things. Unless you're eating tons of sugar, cake, candy, ice cream, you WILL start losing again, probably with a big dramatic drop. Oh, and because someone else had this problem: Is your scale actually working? Good luck!!

Slim, First, Congrats on the baby!! Second, My surgeon allows NSAIDS after VSG, but doesn't encourage taking lots of over the counter meds. My pulmonary doc actually put me on baby aspirin the first time I went off coumadin and my surgeon didn't object at all. I also took Lovenox injections, which is similar to Heparin, immediately before my sleeve surgery and then three weeks later because I had a filter installed and then removed. I had DVTs before I had my sleeve, which required the filter to make sure no clots went wandering through my body because of the VSG. If you need the Heparin to make it through the pregnancy, I think you'll probably be fine. Your surgeon and ob/gyn are the best people to make that decision and I'm certain they won't have you do something that would cause you or the baby permanent harm! Congrats again!! I can't wait to see baby pics!!

For me, it's been a matter of changing the way I think about food. Now it either IS Protein or it is NOT protein. I eat protein first, get my Water in, then deal with all the other categories of food. I refuse to think of food as good or bad. It's just food. I need it to fuel my body, but I don't need it for other things. I used to eat my problems away. Now I'm having to deal with all the underlying issues that I used to cover up with food. I am seeing a therapist to deal with those issues, but it's almost like she's window-dressing now. The sleeve by itself has made me think hard about what I'm eating. It's been an interesting journey and you'll probably wind up taking your own version of it. IME, lawyers are normally analytical people (I'm a paralegal) and really like to dig into the whys and wherefores of things. Good luck!

I saw these on QVC the other day and they looked good. I was thrown by the "step into" part. I'm glad that someone here has tried them!

Dorrie! I've looked all over this site for you! LOL I saw (in an email push) that you were waiting 10 minutes between bites. That's WAY too long. You should only wait about a minute between bites. You need to give your tummy long enough to tell you if it's full before you take another bite. Also, I think your hungry monster might be appeased when you actually start putting a bit of food into your tummy and no letting it fully digest before you take another bite! Are you taking an acid reducer? Prilosec, Nexium, Tums, even? If not, you might find that taking one reduces the hungry monster to a hungry imp, or even eliminates him completely. I'm truly not stalking you, but wanted to say something about that as soon as I saw it! Good luck!!

Divinia, Good for you for firing that trainer! If he's not going to be supportive of you, then he needs to go! I love your attitude and the fact that you've done lots of research. It sounds like you have already done the head work and are ready for your sleeve! Good luck and check in after surgery to let us know how you are doing, please!

I ordered a pintos and cheese at Taco Bell the day I finally got to mushies. I ate maybe 3 teaspoons of it before I was so full I couldn't do more. Everyone is different, though.

Stay off the scale! LOL It's tough to do, but it's the only way not to drive yourself crazy!!! You WILL lose weight, just give your body time to adjust. Are you at three weeks out yet?

It's probably the incision where they pulled the tummy out. Try laying on the other side and/or using a pillow to support that area. When you lay down, maybe it puts more pressure on the inside stitch or something. Glad to see you on the loser's bench!

bella, My surgeon said to ignore the calories completely. I do 70 grams of Protein per day and 64 oz of Water. I get my protein and water first and don't worry about the rest, mostly. If I'm working out, I try to eat some carbs just before, but nothing major. I usually have a piece of bread or a Protein Bar, just a little to add fuel to the fire. I use My Fitness Pal for tracking my food, protein and water, and it's always giving me that "starvation" message. I showed it to my surgeon at my follow-up and he said just ignore it. I'm sure that will change once I'm closer to goal, but I doubt I'm going to starve anytime soon since I currently weight 288! LOL Good luck!