UXgrrl

I think they're still trying to figure out the differences between us and the gastric bypass patients. I bet that's one reason why there's so much variance in pre- and post-op diets between surgeons, and what the aftercare is with regards to Vitamins and minerals. The gastric bypass diet is very well established because it procedure has been around for so long; give the VSG another ten years and it will standardize, I suspect. I was discharged from the hospital with instructions for self-injected B12 monthly shots for the rest of my life, which I refuse to do (I have an extreme needle phobia). They did give me my first one in the hospital. I plan to start on the sublingual B12s starting next month. Sounds like I need to be careful with the B12 dosing!

Trixie, I'm finishing up my 2nd week post-op and I'm feeling the exact same things as you. I came to a startling realization that I actually had/have a problem with food. Holy cow! I can't believe I was almost to 300 lbs and I honestly thought I didn't. I made good food choices, I didn't snack on crap all the time... but I ate too much quantity. Consistently & frequently to the point of feeling ill. This surgery has made me face this fact head on. I'm still struggling with old habits, bargaining with self, pity parties and the like, and I went through a VERY black couple of days at the end of the first week when I realized what had happened and there wasn't any going back. But I'm getting better. The whole reason why I wanted this surgery in the first place was to completely eliminate the cheating, the bargaining, and the fatalistic thinking (e.g. "I blew it at lunch, might as well blow it at dinner too... in fact, might as well blow the rest of the week..."). Knowing myself as I did, I wanted a "hard stop" to all that behavior. And boy, I sure got it. In the last couple of days it's become very clear to me that I've been eating to soothe pain and to fight sleepiness (I have fibromyalgia, among other things). Being off work has been a godsend in this department -- I am sleeping 8-10 hours a night and even napping on occasion. Before I was lucky to get 6 hours. Now when my inner voice says, "I'm hungry," I do this little check-in on my physical state, and my emotional state. About 8 times out 10 it's reacting to pain, tiredness, anger, thirst, frustration, or just good-old boredom. I've realized that it's important to remember there is a non-food solution for every one of these. I think this what people mean when they say "eating your feelings".

@PdxMan, I love your attitude. Very refreshing! We all get so wound up about minor stuff that we forget to relax and just enjoy our life with our new tool.

Hormones are a definite possibility, but I discovered it was being caused by another culprit: my Protein shakes. On days that I ended up being low on protein, I was drinking one shake just before bed, 8oz milk with 23g protein, and I was finishing it within a half hour. Within an hour later I started sweating profusely, getting shaky & nauseous (usually by the time I was in bed). I googled this and it sounds like some of the other fitness/workout buffs were having this same problem (and were being told by their buddies and nuts that they were off their collective rockers). They suspected that the net thermodynamic somethingorothers was causing a reaction caused by digesting the protein too fast. I checked the canister of protein in my cupboard and there was a lot of writing about how "easily digested" this protein was, so as an experiment I added a half cup of Fage 0% yogurt with my next shake, figuring it would slow down digestion. Didn't get the sweats. Had one more yogurt-free shake to finalize my hypothesis and got the sweats again. So mystery solved, at least for me. HTH.

Man, I so wish medical professionals would put numbers behind these kinds of statements when talking to us. How much is "too much"? Define "hard"? Does it mean you tripled your chance to have kidney failure after consuming 100g Protein shakes every morning for a year, or will your kidneys explode if you have a 50g shake once? Can you have 100g, but divide it into three servings? I work for a medical institution so I have access to the same medical libraries that the surgeons do, and I've been known to go and research something myself if it doesn't sound right. It's amazing how one well-publicized (but not necessary well designed) study result can make everyone spread rumors... especially if it's very contrary to what everyone originally believed, because that just makes better gossip.

I wonder whether y'all's eating habits has changed since pre-surgery? Like, are you consistently getting more Protein and nutrients then before? I know I sure am. Maybe during those stalls our bodies are working on rebuilding tissues and fibers that were dormant or malnourished for so long from chronically low levels of Vitamins and protein. Shh, let's secretly replace one of Lisa's fat cells for a muscle cell and see if she notices... I know it's not really like that (you don't actually lose fat cells, they just shrink) but it's a funny thought.

I'm only 9 days post-op, but this surgery has given me one thing which I never thought I'd have again: hope.

Anyone have suggestions for getting the last of the tape off my skin from all my IVs, catheters, etc. ? I'm finding it in strange places -- like my left armpit -- and it's attracting lint and turning black, and is really annoying me. Regular soap-and-Water scrubbing isn't cutting it. Also I have sensitive skin so I don't want to use some kind of chemical unless I know it will work.

I would strongly recommend staying away from it for awhile beforehand... maybe taking a break for a couple weeks... and then not doing it right away afterwards. My reasoning is this: the sleeve is done using general anesthesia -- inhaled gas -- and right after surgery there's a lot of crap in your lungs that will make you cough and it will hurt your stomach. There's an increased risk for pneumonia right after anesthesia also, and if you're smoking regularly you will have a buildup of that thickened mucus and junk in your lungs going into surgery, even if you're using one of the "cleaner" ways to smoke, like a vaporizer. Some people smoke to ease nausea, others to relax... it depends on your personal reasoning. If it tends to make you hungry or lazy, then it's not very compatible with a post-op lifestyle, when you need to be hyper vigilant about your food and liquid intake and exercising. YMMV.

The plan my surgeon uses has me switching gradually to soft foods starting at 3 weeks. He emphasizes the gradual part... very important to go slow and respect how the change in texture makes me feel.

I know what you mean. I'm not getting those comments from other people but I remember being shocked that was heavy enough to qualify for WLS. I didn't realize that I was THAT overweight. I've been heavy since puberty so it's been such a gradual slide that I refused to notice. I have a really good attitude about myself and I'm a big believer in "fat acceptance", so much so that I wonder if I might have been deluding myself for a decade or two. That being said, I'm hearing about people who weigh much less than I do (I started at 270), like people in the low 220s or so, getting approved for surgery. I guess as a society we've drifted on what is considered "normal" weight. Just because it's "normal" doesn't mean it's "healthy" or "optimal".

I second the advice about small Gladware-type containers (1 cup capacity or less). I have a Magic Bullet food processor, and a Cuisinart stick immersion blender, and you can't really make 1 or 2 oz of pureed food at a time, you have to make a cup or two. Anyway, your leftovers go into those plastic containers. Make sure you label them! Right now I have one for blended chicken noodle soup, blended edamame hummus, and this blended pea and carrot concoction, and they all look exactly the same :-) This way it's really easy to do lunch by pulling out your favorite Protein, a veggie side, and a carb side. Poof, insta-meal. In the beginning you're eating such tiny portions that it feels dumb to make normal-sized quantities anyway. I was given a shopping list in my bariatric nutrition booklet when I met with the dietician right before surgery. Oddly enough she was kind of anti- Protein Powder. She wanted protein to be sourced from "real food" as much as possible. I still don't know why, and she was also the one who wouldn't tell me a calorie range to shoot for while in the early stages of weight loss. I'm sure she had her reasons but I hate it when medical professionals refuse to give you all the information, because they are afraid you're going to try and abuse the system or break the rules. When it comes down to it, the whole point of this surgery is to make it possible for you to be satisfied on an extremely low calorie diet -- I know that getting the nutrients and protein are essential to staying healthy during this process -- but I need to know all the facts. I digress. Other things we went shopping for before surgery: - The Cuisinart stick blender - A shaker cup with wire spiral ball inside - Little disposable plastic 1 oz shot glasses (although I did come home with a pile of medicine cups) - A protein powder we liked pre-surgery and was able to get at a good price (EAS whey Isolate, Vanilla) - Lactaid Fat Free Calcium fortified milk (because I was already lactose intolerant pre-op) - Cottage cheese, 1% small curd - A couple cans of canned chicken and some frozen chicken breasts - "Better than Bouillon" soup base in chicken, beef and vegetable. I used this stuff pre-op and like it much better than the pressed cubes, and they take up less room than the paperboard cartons or cans of premade broth. You can scoop a little bit out on your spoon and add it to your pureed protein with some Water to add moisture and flavor. The rest of the food (frozen veggies, fruits, etc) we already had in our house normally. We just buy the normal bags and transfer them to a big zip-loc one we open them, because we're always going in there and scooping out a few strawberries or a handful of peas to add to a smoothie or cool down some chicken soup for the kiddos. I know this is a thread about groceries but I'm going to talk about kitchenware in general. One really important thing we did, which I would recommend everyone at least considering, was switching out all our plates. OMG it made a huge difference! We replaced all our normal 8" dinner plates and bought 5" hordourves or appetizer-sized plates from Crate & Barrel, then also picked up the dipping plates which are divided in half and hold almost exactly 1oz on each side. We also got new bowls that hold about a cup. We got a set of 4 "normal sized" dinner plates but haven't used them yet in three months. They will likely only come out when we have company or might be used as serving platters. We also bought a set of spoons and forks from Ikea for our small kids to use. They are about 70% the size of typical flatware but have a nice heft to them. I find myself using them a lot while I'm eating my dainty bites from my absurdly tiny plate and I think it helps to keep the proportions correct. All our new dishes seem very small but really, it's what you need to hold a normal sized portion. I'm a lifetime member of the Clean Plate Club, so sizing down my plates and bowls has made a huge difference in making me eat less overall. I think the kids feel less overwhelmed at dinner as well, because we're giving them normal sized (for toddlers and preschoolers) portions. My partner, who is working on qualifying for WLS as well, feels this is helping her too. Whew! Sorry, I tend to ramble!

@PdxMan: Thank you for describing the taste of pureed chicken for the billionth time. :-) I think it's one of those YMMV things. I cannot drink anything during eating or immediately afterwards (I am one week out), or I get this terrible feeling like my last bite is lodged just south of my tonsils. I haven't noticed a problem with eating up to mealtime, even though I'm supposed to wait 30 minutes. Sometimes I remember to stop and sometimes I don't. I think the no-liquids-before-meals thing is to make sure you can fit enough food in your stomach to satisfy you for 4-5 hours, and the rule about no-liquids-at-mealtime or after eating is so you don't flush food out too fast and get hungry. If you're going to break any of the rules, I figured it's safest to break the pre-meal one.

Yeah, Greek yogurt is popping up all over now, it's become quite the trend. I sweeten it too, when I eat it straight, because it's pretty tart. I eat Fage 0% (fat free) and actually have used it instead of sour cream on tacos, etc pre surgery (I'm lactose intolerant but I can handle yogurt). It's great with fruit, granola, flavored syrups, etc. We always have some in the fridge. It has a really nice, thick texture which feels substantial. It's not watery like the typical stuff you buy from Yoplait. If you're buying Greek yogurt with fruit or something added, you have to be careful and watch the added sugar because it can be quite high. Incidentally, Fage is pronouced "fah-yay". Don't call it "***", like my partner's mom's boyfriend did (basically my defacto father in law), in front of my partner and I. He immediately turned red when he realized what he did.

I wonder if caffeine affects us faster and more intensely now, like alcohol does? I used to drink coffee all day, up to bedtime. Then I went on some meds for fatigue and had terrible RLS (restless leg syndrome) so I managed to cut down to a cup or two in the morning. Now I've tried drinking coffee twice, only about 1/4c. in my morning Protein shake, and I got such a case of the jitters! Like I wanted to throw up. No other sources of caffeine, except for the tiny amount in the diet Lipton Green Tea with Citrus that I live on. Maybe I have detoxed from coffee? I've been drinking it for almost twenty years. Who would have thought it was possible?

Morning of my surgery I was 267.5. When I weighed myself Friday evening after I came home, I was 259.5 (!). Today (following Wednesday) I was 249.5. Down 18 lbs in the first week. I'm pretty sure I'm through my Water weight now and into actual fat loss because my emotions have been roller coastering :-)

Wow. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Seriously, I'd consider lodging a formal complaint with your hospital's Patient Affairs office. I think she's giving out medically unsound information, and delivering it in a very insensitive way. I would love to lose anywhere close to that much in that sort of time. Holy cow.

GasX... OMG they saved my life. You can get them as strips or as a chewable, as I did. The first and second night the gas pains hurt my chest so bad they brought tears to my eyes and made me fearful of swallowing anything. I was taking them 5 or 6 times a day in the beginning, especially after eating and before laying down. They will get better. I'm 6 days post-op and today was the first day that I noticed that I am not clenching my teeth whenever I swallowed.

I can so, so, so relate to what you're feeling right there. I know how it feels to be completely and totally fed up, how this whole g-d process is taking so long, and why aren't things working out the way it's supposed to. The medically supervised diet is supposed to be a test, to see if you will follow directions, and in a way you're supposed to fail. If you can diet off your weight, then you wouldn't need WLS, right? It feels like the whole system is set up to make this as hard as possible. Like it's a punishment for being fat in the first place. That's why I want to kick people in the teeth who believe that WLS is "the easy way out". If they only knew how hard it was to even QUALIFY for it... much less DO IT. That being said, you have to get your mood up out of the gutter. A good attitude will carry through the end of this. You're so, so, so close. The advice that the others have been giving -- about taking a hot bath, being kind to yourself -- that's all good advice. The sooner you can figure out how to comfort yourself with things besides food, the better off you will be in the long run. I'm sounding a tad bitter because I had my surgery almost a week ago and its just dawning on me now that I can no longer eat easily and mindlessly. Plus, I'm coming down with a headcold so I feel like poop. There's absolutely no way out of this except through it. You can do it. Thousands of others have done this, and I'm sure at some point they all thought to themselves that they couldn't do it anymore. But they reached down inside of themselves and figured out how to keep moving forward, and you will too. And you will be SO PROUD of yourself, when you've accomplished this.

No drain at all, and no sutures on the outside (as I am discovering, now that the scabs are starting to peel off). My incisions were closed with adhesive and I woke up with five regular-sized band-aids on my stomach.

Sounds like people who have been suffering for years have a shot at real, sustained, non-medicated relief for the first time in their lives within months after this surgery! Has anyone noticed a change in fibromyalgia symptoms (better or worse)? One of the docs I spoke with while I was qualifying for surgery told me 50% of FMS pts get worse and 50% get better. He wanted me to do an outpatient 3-week long pain management course to deal with an increase in case it happened. Those didn't sound like good odds to me (I refused to do the course, I didn't want to spend three weeks going "ohm.." in a group setting ) From what I've read, most if not all FMS pts have a bad flare immediately after surgery -- no surprise, since any kind of heightened stress can trigger a flare -- but I can't imagine not having at least SOME relief.

So sorry to hear you're having a hard time. Is it possible that you're trying to do too much? I'm only 4 days out but the fatigue is much worse than I expected with this process. I have two kids myself - 2 years and 5 years - and I have a great partner who is pretty much handling everything in the household which is giving me time to rest and heal. You HAVE to get the Water and Protein in. You can't expect to feel better until you do. I hear you're bored, but you mentioned you are a good cook - how about finding some broth or milkshake recipes you can try? Make some Soups to serve your family for dinner, then strain out the pieces and drink the liquid. Go back and review your guidelines for full liquids - is there something you haven't tried yet? Do smoothies count as full liquids or purees? I don't think anyone is a fan of the Protein drinks but you have to choke down least one or two a day to meet your protein requirements. Are you making them with milk? That will give you liquids and protein in one drink. I've been having them for Breakfast, since I've never been a breakfast eater, and it helps. Keep trying and try to focus on this a day at a time, or an hour at a time. Be gentle with yourself.

I also didn't do any kind of a pre-op diet, I could eat up until 8 hours before surgery. My surgeon told me I didn't need to take the magnesium citrate that the surgical service automatically prescribed, which thrilled the heck out of me! When the surgery was approved my surgeon sent me a very sternly worded letter, stating that if i had any weight gain between then and the surgical day, the procedure would be delayed. Since I had to get through Thanksgiving I tried to be a very good girl, and ate lightly the last few days before the procedure (Cereal & milk, Protein bars, etc). I was told later that my liver did look like it had some evidence of Fatty Liver Disease and he took a biopsy while he was doing the surgery to rule out anything else. Losing weight is the best treatment for FLD, he said. I haven't gotten any more phone calls from the hospital so I'm assuming all is well. I'm kind of glad that I didn't have to do a pre-op diet because I think those that did seem to be getting sick of liquids and Protein shakes pretty quickly, and might be tempted to advance their diet too fast. I actually like the way my Protein shake tastes. :tongue2:

I asked the dietician that in the hospital because I thought it sounded odd too. In fact, the nutritional booklet that they gave all the bariatric patients had meal plans for both 3 and 6 meals a day. Here was her logic, and after she explained it to me it made sense: since you have to stop drinking 30 minutes before and after each meal and since it should take about 30 minutes to eat a meal, that means you have 90 minutes x number of meals every day that you can't be drinking fluids. For 3 meals a day that's 4 hours off, for 6 meals that's 9. Considering a lot of us have trouble staying hydrated in the beginning I think it's a reasonable concern. One of the things they pushed hard on during our healthy eating class was breaking the "snack mentality", and there is concern about eating small amounts multiple times a day leading to all-day grazing and never really feeling full. That being said, the dietician did mention that some of her patients come back after a month or so and complain that they feel hungry all the time, in which case she suggests they add in an additional fourth meal, but just keep track of everything. I don't know much about the research relating to metabolism -- I know mine is low due to a lifetime of no exercise -- but I've heard that muscle building can help raise it as well, since it takes more calories to maintain a pound of muscle than a pound of adipose tissue. Until I get my asthma under control enough to do cardio I plan to do some light weightlifting to help with muscle toning.

Uh oh... not good news for me. I already have extremely dry, flaky skin (especially on my face from rosacea) and I was just sleeved 4 days ago. All these factors, along with heading into Minnesota winter, spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I'm getting itchy just thinking about it... if anyone has suggestions I'd be grateful...