Katie713

I use Pure Protein powder in frosty chocolate mixed with half a scoop of Click espresso protein powder with water and a splash of fat free milk, crushed ice and a squirt of SF salted caramel Torani syrup. Talk about a frapaccino!! And its about 40 grams of protein and 240 calories ad it makes a huge serving.

What a great wa to start the New Year! You have time to buy all your supplies and get ready. Lucky you!

You are smart to have this surgery while you are young. I had the surgery at 56 and it has changed my life - I feel so much healthier, but back when I was your age, weight loss surgery was not an option for everyone, so I dieted, lost and gained weight so many times. I am also a shorty at about 5 feet tall. Now that I have lost almost 100 pounds, I am much more petite looking like the old days, but I still have my curves. YAY! You may still lose hair. It happens with the surgical procedure and the HUGE decrease in calories. Keep up your Protein and Vitamins. I did lose a lot of my hair, but I cut it a bit to give more layers and it was not so noticeable. I am 8 months out and it has almost stopped now, I do take 4000 mg of Biotin and used Nioxin products to help. No one ever commented on my hair issues, so most of my insecurity was mine alone...but now I see it growing back, like an undercoat filling it all back in and I so happy about that. Don't over buy protein, your taste buds might change, it happens to so many! I found a Protein Powder I liked ok and stuck with that, and mostly I just use a shaker bottle and take it to work. I can get plenty of protein through regular foods now though, so only drink one shake a day. Good luck, you have a good support system in place, and you seem ready to go!!

Just a thought, Isopure is great for the first few clear liquid days. It doesn't taste great but the Grape and orange flavors are tolerable. Each 20 oz bottle has 40 grams of Protein. I got mine at the Vitamin Shoppe. I put the Isopure in a large cup with ice and let the ice melt in...it makes it a thinner consistency and easier to drink. Good luck sounds like you are off to a great start!

It's a harrowing story. How frightening! I had 3 c-sections in the 80's and an open surgery to remove my gallbladder in 1990. My WLS indicated he may need to do an open sleeve surgery due to scar tissue, but apparently that did not need to happen, he was able to do it laparascopically in less than 45 minutes without any complications. I feel very blessed to have gone through the experience without problems and I am now 8 months out and doing well. Your memoirs may be an important part of your recording what you experienced and what you have come to be made aware of. If you have to seek legal support this documentation may be pivotal. You may have other medical issues in the future that map back to this surgery, and you deserve to be compensated if this continues to impact your health and your financial stability as a family. Take care, and I hope you recover very soon and don't experience more problems. Your family sounds really wonderful, you have obviously done a wonderful job raising your children.

I'm 8 months out - I consume about 1,000 calories daily. Sometimes I do hit 1,200, not more than that.

Your sleeve isn't that stretchy and you need better nutrition, don't let fear stand in your way of progression, most some people do well with refried beans, yogurt, cottage cheese with canned fruit, canned chicken with gravy, creamy soups, just in very small portions. Then you just supplement with your shakes.

I second the motion OTR

I would absolutely get your Vitamins going again girls...try the gummies, they are very easy tolerated, even if you have to take a few of them at one time. They also have the calcium citrate chews that are tolerable, and sublingual D3 and B12 - they melt under your tongue. We don't get much in the way of nutrition and vitamins with our limited diet and this is important for your health in so many ways. Hope you feel better soon - the flu is awful this time of year. I had my flu shot so hopefully I will have some resistance.

Liz...so sorry to hear this news. I will keep you in my prayers as well, and if you need to vent, we are here to listen. Most people have no idea how life threatening surgery can be, and it really sucks that your health is now compromised. You have every reason to be angry as all heck, but you also need to tap into your own reserves to get your mind in the right place to give this your best fight. You will get through this!!!

Just pick up some lubricant like vagisil. Works like magic and neutral, no fragrance or taste, just moisture.

This is not a journey for the faint of heart and I can see through your post that you are ready for the permanent change this surgery can help you realize. Like you, I myself struggled most of my adult life with excess weight, and a few times I managed to lose quite a bit of it, only to regain it again and pack on even more. This rebound effect led me to feel so hopeless about ever being able to control my weight. My health was deteriorating, high BP, cholesterol, and knee/foot pain, shortness of breath, huffing and puffing during the shortest of walks...theme parks became problematic, wondering if I would fit on a ride, and dreading the being on my feet all day. I finally sought help thru my primary doctor who referred me to the bariatric program, and began the process, a 12 week program requring 10% weight loss and weekly classes with both a NUT and behavioral therapist. I had surgery in April 2012. I am not at goal but I am getting there. What I know now is it still takes work, hard work. You still have to watch your calories and carbs and be sure to eat enough Protein, take Vitamins, and exercise. Its a commitment and a life change. I can now walk for miles and my latest trips to theme parks ws a breeze. I can fit into almost any booth. My foot and knee pain is next to nothing and no more shopping in the big girl stores...YAY! I am always tweaking my diet to find what will keep me on track, but its true your intake restriction is the KEY to having this tool work, but you can still sabotage yourself by eating the wrong stuff that goes down easy, what we sleevers call slider foods. I am very short and my coworkers and family tell me how petite my frame looks now, I was very wide and round at nearly 280 pounds, and a 3X-4X and now in a 14 and still losing but very slowly. I feel better than I have in decades. Best thing I ever did for myself and my family. Good luck!!!

I know I didn't totally blow it, but when I posted I was feeling lousy. I focused on the dessert options, missed my Water and Protein requirements, and felt nutritionally lacking. I did have a greek salad later in the day and sugar free tea, and I do feel better. You are right Potlucks and buffets are not easy to navigate!!

Company potluck this morning. I had one chicken wing, and SEVERAL small bites of dessert. Not my best effort. Not enough Protein or nutrition. Luckily tomorrow is a new day.

How are you addressing your Protein needs?

Have they checked for gallstones yet? That radiating pain after eating with pain thru to the back is a classic sign of a gallblader attack. So painful! It happened to me so I know!!

What a rough road you've been down. I do hope that you are able to find out what is causing the fluids consumed to immediately be causing the cough and fluid coming up. This sounds ominous. I know from reading complication stories, the leak can allow that fluid to penetrate in the pleural cavity - putting immense pressure on your lungs and perhaps flooding them?? Don't give up, and if you need to keep going back, then do what you have to do. Seek a second or third opinion if you are not satisfied. You will be in our prayers, and hopefully this will be resolved soon so that your health improves.

It does take awhile to get things moving, I eventually cooked down some prunes and added them to my thinned out hot Cereal and it finally worked. You may have to add something with Fiber to keep regular like Metamucil - the colace didn't work for me, and you need lots of fluids for that to work, and that is what you are lacking so that can be causing constipation as well, lack of fluids affects so much!! Cold things make human tissue constrict, warmer temps make tissue relax, so it makes sense that the colder fluids will be harder to take in if you are swollen inside, so stick with what works!! There are even Soups with Protein in them or you can purchase unflavored protein and add it yourself to the soups you like. All your sources of Fluid count, the soup itself, the Protein drinks, the clear fluids, even Jello and pudding, whatever is eaten that returns to fluid state. Good luck!!

Ms. Scarlett....count me in, I need an A** whoopin too. Same place, I didn't gain over Thanksgiving but have been in a serious stall and I want to get to goal. I have been snacking rather than focusing on my Protein first with a little veg on the side. Instead I would rather eat cheese and a few crackers and a Protein Bar. I am taking my Vitamins, but I can tell that I am not getting the nutrition I did when I first started this journey. I am 8 months out and need to get it together!! We can do this!!

Great post. At 8 months out I am already struggling to stay on track and get to my goal weight, and of course, the answer is usually the same, we veer off course from what we know will create weight loss and what will sustain it. I get an uncomfortable feeling with restriction eating firm Protein, and sometimes to avoid that feeling, I will consume a small amount of slider foods that feel comfortable, but ultimately stall me out. Your statement about cheese being a culprit hits home for me, and I know cheese is a trigger food for me, and it goes so well with crackers (whole wheat of course) and for more protein, perhaps some salami? I am not fooling myself and this post brought it home for me. I simply have to pre-plan meals and make sure I have snack foods (the right kind) available. My problem is after work and evenings. I will have a little of this and a little of that, and it is in my eyes a self sabotage of sorts and reeks of old habits that die hard. I may need to focus on alternative ways of dealing with the emotional and other issues I have with my eating. I have done great so far, but I do not want to start gaining weight before I have reached goal, and I don't want to get there, and then let my old habits defeat me. Thank you for the enlightenment!!

Sometimes the temperature of the fluid can have a bearing on how your sleeve reacts to the fluid intake. I used to start my day with a 12 oz cup of decaf tea (vanilla chai) and slowly sip that which was very soothing and hydrating, and the fluid passes out of the stomach faster than the shake does because of the protein and consistency. So I would advise clear fluid first then the shake. Also, at lunch I would have my soups made with fat free lactaid to up the protein, or even beef consomme to keep hydrating. Remember all the fluids count, the fluids in the soup and shakes. It may just take time for the swelling in your stomach to go down and then you will be able to tolerate more. Do the best you can, but if you start feeling ill, go ahead and go into urgent care for IV fluids.

Liz...one of the most powerful lessons is listening to your own body and being your own strongest advocate (when possible) so I applaud you for going in to the ER and seeking treatment, even after you were told initially that you did not have a leak. Hopefully they will get the leak under control quickly so that you can resume your recovery. Thoughts and prayers going your way.....

Previous abdominal surgery with old scar tissue, my surgeon prepped me for that but luckily he was still able to do surgery laparascopically.

Really sorry to hear this. After getting to know a few here who've had complications, I feel for you as they almost all took time to resolve. Stay as strong as you can. Keep on it, fight for yourself, you truly have to be your own strongest advocate, and don't be afraid to get a second opinion.