Lissa

There is a typical three week stall, you may just be starting early. However, make sure you're getting all of your Water in. Not drinking enough can cause your body to retain the water and translate it into a "gain" temporarily. Also, if you're close to TOM, most of us ladies experience a slight gain, followed by a big drop after it's done. You're doing fine. Don't get stressed out now.

I'm not eating lomein (noodles, right?) or most other carbs. I still do a lot of chicken, crock pot pork or beef. I adore Beans now. I have a mini crock pot and will cook up one dry cup of beans in that. It makes three or four servings for me. Beans are pretty high in Protein and they are moist enough to pair with a couple of ounces of almost any meat. I like boiled eggs (1 is a meal), so I'll boil six of them and eat them instead of Protein Bars or as Snacks. One thing I've found that is really good is to cook 5 or 6 chicken wing pieces in the toaster oven. That's a full meal, sometimes a little too much. I use about a tablespoon of fat free ranch dressing to dip them in and they are really good. I don't do many shakes now, although I keep some in the fridge to grab if I'm in a hurry.

Welcome to VST! Use the search function to find answers to most of your questions, or feel free to ask in the pre-op forum! Lots of good information to be found here!

I was told to wait six months for strawberries because of the seeds.

That's an amazing NSV!! I hope you're keeping track so you can do the tax write-off!

I never heard that the drain bag had to be lower than the opening. I don't believe it works on gravity, but on suction, which is why you have to squeeze the air out of it when you drain the bulb. Mine worked fine, whatever the science behind it.

I had mine for 8 days. My doctor's office provided me with a lanyard to hang around my neck and the tubing from the drain was looped through that. It kept the drain from pulling anywhere and I tucked the bulb into my bra while dressed to hide it. It was a pain to deal with, but it didn't hurt.

I think you may be psyching yourself out. You've recognized and admitted what your issues are, now you just have to deal with them. Posting here is a great first step! The quote I keep thinking about for you is "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right". You need to decide which you want more, to lose weight or to keep eating foods that don't help you lose weight. Once you make that decision, you can move forward. If you choose to lose weight, then you know you need to get back to basics and follow the plan. 70 grams of Protein per day, plus at least 64 oz of Water per day. It's as simple and as hard as "follow the plan". This isn't a diet. It's a complete and total lifestyle change. You can have food that isn't strictly protein as part of your normal diet, but you have to learn how to work it around getting in the necessities. Start using some kind of food and exercise tracker. I like My Fitness Pal and I use that in combo with my Fit Bit. They tell me where I'm succeeding and where I'm failing on a daily basis. It's been a huge help to me when I slow down on losing weight. I also track my measurements and how my clothes fit so that I can see my progress, even if it isn't scale progress. You will succeed. This is just a bump in the road. Get over the bump and move forward. The past is the past and you still have the perfect tool to reach your goal. You just have to decide how you're going to use that tool.

Sliming is more like foaming at the mouth, from what I understand. You definitely know it when it happens. Sliders are foods that you can eat without restriction because they don't fill you up. They just "slide" right on through your sleeve. What I did wasn't productive burping, I don't think. Both times that I got sick, I had eaten bread and then took a drink too soon after eating. The liquid made the bread swell up and the contents of my stomach just came back up. There was no burping and no real drama to it... more like my sleeve hit the eject button.

Shelbi, Protein shakes are definitely not the best-tasting thing in the world. Check out The World According to Egg Face (blog) for a ton of recipes to help make them taste better. You can order samples of several kinds from amazon, or unjury. The samples may help you find one that tastes better to you. I like the Premier Protein shakes they sell at Sams and Costco. They taste pretty good to me now. Be warned that what you like pre-op may NOT taste decent to you post op. I couldn't stand the protein immediately post-op because they were all way too sweet for me. I drank a lot of chicken and beef broth during my clear liquids stage. If nothing else, like likusalema says, the pre-op diet is only for two weeks and you may have to just gut through it. It's a small price to pay to shrink your liver and lose some weight pre-surgery. And having the sleeve done will help you lose the weight and improve your health (and appearance, btw) so that you have a longer life.

My typical breakfast, post sleeve, is 1 egg and 1 sausage patty, or a Premier Protein bar (30g of protein). Sometimes I'll have a yogurt, but I'm lactose intolerant, so that's a very rare day for me.

For me, "full" is a pressure feeling. I imagine it as being like a balloon that is over-filled. Sleevers can still slime or puke, but it seems to be rarer with us than with those who are banded. I try to eat until I'm satisfied, not until I'm full. One of the best things I learned from my nut is to measure my food. I know that I can do about 3-4 oz of a dense Protein (chicken, beef, pork), so I'll measure out that amount. It doesn't leave me "full", but I'm not hungry. If I have room, meaning that I don't feel satisfied, I'll add in a little veggie. I rarely eat carbs because they are sliders for me. I've actually puked twice in 9 months, both times were related to eating carbs and drinking too soon after a meal. I've, luckily, never slimed. And, even when I threw up, it wasn't like it ever was pre-op, it was more like my stomach ejected it's contents and that was it.

Using the laparoscopic technique, the surgeon made five minimal incisions in the abdomen, through which cameras and other instruments were inserted, allowing the surgeon to divide the stomach into sections, and then close it with staples. Following the laparoscopic portion of the procedure, an endoscope was inserted into the stomach through the mouth, and the divided segment of the stomach was removed. The benefits to using the surgical method that allows surgeons to go through the mouth to remove the stomach sections, instead of through wide incisions are numerous. The approach causes less trauma to the abdomen region, lowers risks of developing a hernia and causes less post operative pain for the patient. This almost sounds like the exact procedure used for the sleeve, except that our stomach is removed through one of those "five minimal incisions in the abdomen". My surgeon made those minimal incisions for his instruments, then a endoscope (bougie size anyone?) was inseted into the stomach to guide the dissection of the stomach, but the removed portion of the stomach was removed through the incision on the left side of my abdomen. It almost sounds like someone describing a typical sleeve surgery...but I can't wrap my head around how the stomach tissue could be removed through the mouth.

I had a tubal ligation at 27 laproscopically, plus two c-sections previous to that. I was back at work in two days after the tubal with minimal pain. IMO, the sleeve was way easier than either c-section. The only issue related to the 3 previous surgeries, according to my surgeon, is that I had a lot of scar tissue and adhesions that he had to work around inside. Even with all that, I was back at work in 8 days, BUT I don't do much lifting in the course of my job. I do a lot of driving, but didn't have any issues with that. If you do a lot of lifting, you may want to wait longer before you go back to work, or see if you can get others to cover that for you at work. I wasn't even cleared for lifting weights more than 10 pounds until 6 weeks post-op. Good luck!

Amazing!! Size 10 is just amazing, but size 8??? WOW, now that's an incredible change from a 24!! Great job!!

Congrats! Let me be the first to welcome you to the loser's bench!! I'm glad surgery went well and that you're home and feeling good!

A lot of the people that I know are in this general area would be coming from Melbourne and Okeechobee, so Vero may prove to be the most central location. We'll see who all is interested and then decide where to meet. Everything is pretty loose right now.

Congrats on your approval and surgery date! I know you're excited and nervous, but it WILL be okay!!

MsBoo, I hope they find the source of your numbness quickly and that it's an easy fix! Your weight loss is great, but the complications aren't so good! Let us know once you have some info, please.

After talking to a couple of folks on here in PM, I've decided to see how much interest there may be out there in a South Florida meet up. I'm specifically aiming this at those on the Space and Treasure Coasts, although any Florida Sleever is welcome to attend if they like. Once I see how much interest there is in a meet-up, then we'll decide on a place and time. I'm thinking it will probably be in Vero Beach. Let's see if we have any interest out there. I know there are at least half a dozen posters that are within 30 miles of Vero, and there are probably quite a few lurkers. Now is the time to un-lurk!

I'm glad to see you! I've been concerned about you! I'm sorry that things aren't MUCH better yet, but it sounds like they are at least working to address the problems. If I could give you that break, I'd do it. Since I can't, I'll keep you in my prayers! (((Hugs)))

I eat a lot of cheese and drink a few cups of decaf coffee every week. For the most part my bathroom habits are regular and "normal". I had IBS symptoms pre-surgery, so I think I'm doing a decent job of balancing things. I did have a few days of very loose about 5-6 weeks out from surgery and my doctor recommended that I add more cheese to my food. So, I eat at least one mini babybel per day, plus string cheese and shredded cheese on food.

Hi Tracy!! Thanks for sharing your story with us!! I hope you'll stick around and share the journey as well! I'm in Vero Beach, so not that far from you. I see more and more south Florida sleevers here all the time! Welcome to VST! It sounds like you're doing great!

I agree with Dorie that therapy is a great idea, for anyone with food issues, not just you in particular. I also think that you will have a tough road because you did actively cheat the band, BUT, and it's a big one, you were also dealing with too much restriction to be able to eat properly. I "think" there might be a mitigating factor in there because of the tightness of your band. The sleeve would allow you to eat without that over-restriction that the band seems to cause for a lot of people. I think you should discuss that issue with both your surgeon and your nutritionist. However, I'm still worried by the fact that you were good enough at cheating the band to regain a lot of weight. That says it was a lifestyle choice for you, not just a way of compensating for lack of food. I dont' know whether a sleeve would work for you or not with that history. You're going to have to go to some lengths to convince your surgeon and therapist that you're truly ready. As you already know, WLS is ONLY a tool. It's not a magic solution, but it is a powerful tool if used correctly. I say it all the time, they don't operate on our heads, just our stomachs. If you're active on the LBT forums, you may recognize that I've stolen and changed Papa Jack's theme! Good luck! I hope that you do work out the issues so that you can move forward.

Welcome to VST, LaShelle!! It sounds like you are doing well and are very comfortable with your decision! Those things make post-op so much easier! I'm looking forward to watching your journey!