kyllfalcon

I have been so lucky. I feared I would be sick, have an aversion to food tastes and smells, all that. Exactly the opposite happened. I eat smaller portions of course, but more than most sleevers (must have a long sleeve), and only one greasy thing has made me sick. I am three months out. I don't have to eat slowly, I don't have to take tiny bites, I just don't have any restrictions except volume. Food tastes really good to me, but I no longer crave carbs and sugar. I am just so happy. They tell me at work that I am the Poster Child for my surgeon and this procedure. I am so sorry for those for whom it did not turn out as well. Maybe in time...

I was scared to death to go back to work after three weeks because still in the middle of week two I was having numerous liquid movements every day, and in an urgent fashion. However, it all settled down quickly and the only time I have had an issue since is when i ate a really greasy hamburger patty cooked with onions. Lesson learned. Good luck!!

I use My Net Diary. You can use it online on a computer, or as an app on your phone. You join online, and can use it strictly that way, or you can use the phone app, or you can use both, as they sync up. There is a free membership and app, or varying levels of paid membership to acquire advanced features. There is also a support community, but I don't use it; I come here instead :wub: I love it. I used it about a year prior to surgery for a while, then fell off the wagon. Started back again on the first day of my pre-op diet and have tracked every morsel of food, activity and measurements since that day. I enter my day's foods before I leave the house, and don't eat a dang thang that's not on that phone. Did I say I love it?

Also, in answer to some of your questions: 1. How do you stay hydrated?? No help here - sit all dang day. 2. Do you find that you absolutely "must" keep a regular eating schedule?? For me, yes. 3. How do you guys handle having pain control post op?? They give you plenty of meds, but I didn't need them but for a couple of days. 4. With the different NUT and MD diet restrictions, how do you go about that?? I have seen a bunch of different ones noted here with different guidelines. Dr. Weiss has a very "doable" schedule - two weeks preop on mostly Protein shakes with solid protein as needed to fight hunger; post op if doing well, released from hospital on full, not clear, liquids, advancing weekly to next stages if tolerated. 5. How long did you have to take before you could go back to work and have the energy?? I went back in three weeks, and worked all day each day, but again, I sit. Dr. will permit return as early as one week. 6. How long was it before you actually felt "normal" again?? Five to six weeks. And now I feel frickin fantastic.

Parkers Dad, you are asking great questions. I just noticed you are in Paris, Kentucky. I am in Frankfort, Kentucky, and am a little over 3 months out. I had all the same questions, and finally got my head wrapped around it. First, I strongly encourage you to check out Bluegrass Bariatrics in Lexington. Dr. Weiss is a wonderful surgeon, and has extremely low complication rates. He personally gave me the confidence and assurance to proceed. I was even more fearful because unlike you, I did have preexisting health problems, plus I'm pushing 60! Ultimately the choice of surgeons is yours, but I highly recommend Dr. Weiss. Second, as I mentioned, I have preexisting health problems, one of which is really crappy knees and osteoarthritis all over the place. Had one knee replaced two years ago, the other was scoped in 1998 and also needs to be replaced now. I take the strongest dose of a particular NSAID twice daily, plus one low-dose aspirin. It does not bother my stomach at all. I did have to go off all NSAIDs for a week prior to surgery and three weeks after. I take some whopping big pills too with no problems. I too worried about future stomach cancer or whathaveyou, and like the others, learned you can go right on without the stomach. I hope we are helping you gain the knowledge you need to make a good decision!

newgrandmother, what you say is true in that the smaller stomach will limit how much you can eat at any given time. But that is a big difference from the head hunger that so many deal with, even with the smaller sleeved stomach. There are gazillions of posts here about head hunger, and grazing, after the sleeve. It's been said so many hundreds of times, the sleeve is a TOOL. It is not a magic cure-all for overeating. Sleevers can in time continue to overeat. The cure comes from the head, not from the surgery. For the sleeve to work, the head has got to get fixed too. And I think that is the gist of this entire thread, and what so many have been trying to say.

I bought stretchy ones, hoping to make them last a little longer. Everything I buy I get just a bit too small, knowing it will fit in a couple of weeks or so.

I don't think you've had the surgery yet? You will be so amazed at how much more you will become physically capable of once you start to drop the weight. It is just amazing. And to go from inactive to 30 minutes on a treadmill is a huge accomplishment, no matter your state when you exit the treadmill! Keep up the good work!

I'm a little over three months out and get about 1,000 calories per day. I'm losing well. Looks like from your ticker you are too!

Your question provides the answer. Those with bands are revising to sleeves at a blinding rate. There must be a reason. Not saying the band doesn't work, it just seems to cause a whole lot of complications. I originally started out thinking I wanted the band because it is reversible, but I changed my mind on my first visit to the surgeon's office, where I met so many there having the band removed. Over half of the patients I met/meet are those who are either having the band removed or revised to a sleeve.

I hear what you are saying. I can't get in the 64 oz. of fluids for having to eat small bits and bites throughout the day to get the protein in. BUT my surgeon told me to drop the weight I must eat the protein. So that is what I focus on. No veggies, no fruits, low carb. I am very happy with my progress. And I am old.

Just over three months out and hit Onederland this morning! More than halfway there now! Woohoo!

My surgeon does self-pay. Wasn't cheap, but he was worth it! He has really remarkably low complication rates.

I even have an Excel spreadsheet I set up for calculating nutrition per serving for recipes. It takes a few minutes to enter all the ingredients, but after a bit of use, your most-used ingredients are already in there with nutritional values. It's been a real help. Anything that gets and keeps us on track is good!

I don't know what is supposed to happen, but I clicked on the "report" icon and wrote that this was going on.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I take NSAIDS every day with no problems. Surgeon made me go off a week pre-op and 8 weeks post-op though.

Well, in the beginning you'll be on mostly liquids. Then mushies. So, as you progress from Protein drinks, which can be cold, you can move to yogurt and cottage cheese (try cottage cheese with salsa!), eventually other cheeses and cold cuts like ham or turkey slices. There's instant pudding mixes and Jello. If you want hot Soups or drinks, you can just use the hottest tap Water available. Tuna salad, which is cold, was one of the first soft foods I wanted. Maybe purchase some ready-made egg salad. Special K crackers. Peanut Butter. Almonds, sunflower seeds. Protein Bars. Purchase a fast food cheeseburger with nothing on it, then toss the bun. Purchase Panera's tomato Soup (yum), good hot or cold. Surely you can have a little refrigerator? Going through this list of stuff I eat/ate, I realize the only thing I need heat for is to reheat my Wendy's chili! Oh, get yourself a little mini-blender. I have the TriBest, others like the Magic Bullet, and there are a couple of other brands. You can do this, just give it some thought.

I mixed this recipe up this morning before going to work, will shape and bake it tonight. I think I will just shape them in muffin tins, but turn them out onto a baking sheet so they'll get a little crusty. I will eat one, hubby can have two. The house smelled delicious from sauteing the onions with thyme!

Be aware, as you are, that complications can occur. But also be confident in your surgeon. If you are not, find another one. My surgeon took my hands, looked me in the eye, and assured me I would have no regrets, and that any risks were greatly mitigated by my putting myself in his expert care. I was sold. Was I scared on the way to the operating room? Yes, I was, a little. I cried when my husband and son kissed me as they wheeled me away. Woke up one minute later, and have not had one regret since. What you're experiencing is normal. Work through it. Best of luck!

Little over three months out, and I too am so dang happy that I get on people's nerves! NSV - I am no longer hiding from the camera! 50-ish down, 50-ish to go!!

Wheetsin, didn't mean to imply that those not losing rapidly aren't committed and following the rules! As I said, I like to take credit when I can! But now that you mention it, I did have a metabolic rate test pre-op, and I came out on the super-human end of the scale. Now, that's a good thing post-op, but it also points out that I really had to work hard to pack on that extra 100 pounds. Shame on me.

I was not always obese. I had a few years of slightly overweight in my twenties, but slimmed down and kept it off until my mid-forties. Then it just got out of control, but I, like you, knew someday something would happen and I would go back to being me. What a blessing!! I'm only half way to goal, but that happened within just over three months. I am confident I can and will do it.

Pookeyism, There are two different books on Amazon entitled "The Power of Habit". Who is the author, please? Thanks.

What JenniJune said... This is a lifelong committment. And fortunately most folks don't suffer hunger anymore or as much. I am not one of those people. I am freakin' hungry, was week one and am still hungry at week 14. However, I am losing weight rapidly because I am committed and follow the rules. I might have lost anyway had I not been committed and followed the rules... but I like to take credit when I can :-) Stick with it... when you start to see results, it suddenly becomes a lot easier!

That's gonna be one whopping big salon if it qualifies under FMLA!! And even if it does, to be protected the employee has to have been employed for at least 12 months, not necessarily consecutively, and have worked 1,250 hours in the most recent 12 months. The original poster says she just started the job a couple of months ago, so FMLA will not apply in her situation, unfortunately. Might be time to just come clean with it, rather than risking health.