overboard

I skipped pureed foods because I would gag. They were just too disgusting for me. But, I didn't skip ahead to soft foods. I stayed on liquids a few extra weeks and then moved to soft foods. It worked for me and my nutritionist as long as I took the soft foods very gently.

Hi, I worked with a nutritionist after my sleeve. I always had trouble with vitamins before the surgery and found that Flinstones were the only vitamins I could take without it upsetting my stomach. After my surgery (July 2011) I still couldn't tolerate the Celebrate or Bariatric Advantage vitamins. I have huge unopened bottles of them. What a waste of money! My nutritionist OK'ed the use of Flinstones. I take one in the morning and one at night. My advice would be to talk to your surgeon or nutritionist. If you are having trouble with them or not taking them at all, they might advise taking Flinestones as an alternative.

I am 3.5 months post surgery and overall I am doing well. I have lost 53 pounds so far. I am FREEZING most of the time. When I get cold, I feel cold from the inside of my body out. I go to bed shivering but as I sleep I become very warm. Do other people have this? When does it go away? It seemed to get really bad about a month ago when my hair started falling out. What do you do to stay warm? A warm shower is usually the only thing that will warm me up. Any thoughts?

Thanks! I am glad to know it isn't just me. Thanks for the advice on the iron pills. I haven't taken them yet. I will get them because I need them anyway. I knew my hair would fall out, I am just sad it is falling out. I didn't have much to start with. I just noticed the cold feeling and hair falling out happened at the same time. Thanks guys!

I had the hardest time in the beginning watching people eat. It was hard for me to watch people getting so much pleasure from food. I missed eating! But, that got MUCH easier when I could eat food, I would say at 6 weeks I was happy and fully adjusted to my sleeve life. I had a really hard time until I could eat a regular foods. Now I rarely have a problem watching other people enjoy foods I can't eat. I am satisfied with the food I can eat. Good luck to you!

Two nights. Most people go home after one night with my surgeon but I was vomiting from the surgery and the medications.

I know I am in the minority here, and I know little about the Mexican surgery process, but I would really consider why a BMI of 29 makes you not a candidate for VSG surgery here. Perhaps it isn't the best option for you right now? I heard that lap-bands are now being recommended for people with a BMI of 30 or above. That might be something worth looking into. I understand your weight loss frustration. I looked into a gastric bypass about 5 years ago where my BMI was 32 and I was told "No doctor in America would ethically perform surgery on you, even if you self paid". But, I did end up putting on more weight putting my BMI at 37, qualifying me for surgery. I didn't do it on purpose, but it happened! So, I understand why you would want this surgery done now, instead of waiting to get fatter and more unhappy! I dieted and dieted. I understand just wanting a permanent solution! Admittedly, I never looked into Mexico as an option and I don't know much about it. Before going to Mexico for major surgery I would fully research the process. Here, my medical center is becoming a "Center of Excellence" for Weight Loss. During my pre-op visits, They found I had stomach polyps that needed to be removed and biopsied to see if they were cancerous. I had many meetings with nutritionists over the course of a year, I attend information seminars, psych. eval, primary care evaluations, had heart tests, an upper GI, etc. Some of these tests did uncover medical conditions I didn't know about. Do they have that level of pre-op care in Mexico? Maybe they do, as I said I am completely unfamiliar with the process there. Also, following the surgery I continue to meet with a nutritionist for a year, meet with my surgeon regularly and in addition I am assigned a post-op surgery doctor who I will meet with once a year to monitor my health as it relates to the surgery. I felt confident that I have an excellent medical team looking out for me. Do they have that level of post-op care? Mexico may have that as well. I never researched it. You are very young, not morbidly obese and you aren't far from a healthy BMI. It doesn't sound like you have any pressing health issues either right now. My suggestion is to take a step back and really reflect on what you want. This is a major surgery and lifestyle change. I am very pleased now and I think it was worth it and I had an excellent medical team. There were days before and after the surgery where I was really depressed and really questioning myself. Why did I do this to myself? Knowing my family history, my dieting history and my medical needs I am now confident that I did the right thing.I just want you to feel confident in your decision because the road isn't always easy.

I didn't have a drain and have only heard about them on these boards. It never came up during all the info sessions and support groups I went to before the surgery, I don't think they are used by the surgeons in my medical group. Are these drains used with lapro. surgery or open surgery? My surgeon uses lapro. surgery and I didn't have a drain.

I know I stalled in the first weeks. The weight didn't seem to be coming off very fast at all. I was shocked how slow it was because I had made such a drastic change. Once I started eating real food and didn't need the shakes the weight started dropping off quickly. It is easier said than done, but try not to worry about it. It will come off. I am not sure what makes a body hold on to weight, but once it let go I have been losing and losing! Soon, you will see it on the scale. You will be amazed.

I think having this surgery made me realize how much people don't pay attention to your size. I was sure everyone noticed every pound I gained presurgery, now I realize people just don't pay that much attention to other people's size. They are probably too busy obsessing over their own weight! I was surprised by the comments some of my friends make after a month or two like, "Do you feel any difference?" and I was thinking "Yeah, I feel like I lost 30 pounds!" I just wish I knew before my surgery that I was the only one obsessing over my weight! I am sure you look fabulous! People who see you often are not going to notice it as much as people you haven't seen in a while. But you just need to know you are looking and feeling better every day!!! Soon, everyone will notice how you are whittling away!!!

I had the same issue post-op. I finally called the Doctor on day 7. The told me that it is not OK to not have gone to the bathroom, and to take MoM. It worked. I would recommend taking a tablespoon of that before you are in pain from not going. We still have waste even if we are on liquids. I also agree with what Kelly is saying ... but I think the timing is what is important here. We are not talking about day to day life. This is post op. Kelly is 3 months out. My wife wasn't allowed to leave the hospital after her c-section until she had a BM, which is a very common practice after general anesthetic. The OP was taking in fluids for 2 weeks before surgery, as was I. I remember how my first BM was after my sleeve surgery, which was 5 days and with MOM. I thought I was going to have an aneurism. Not kidding. And I didn't eat a thing the day before my surgery and drank a TON of liquids. I took some more and everything balanced out. Abusing anything will bring problems, including laxatives. Don't freak the OP out. You can take a dose of MOM and see what happens. I'm guessing the chances of you becoming a MOM junkie are pretty slim. I know I made it through. No reason to suffer.

Thank you for this question! I had surgery 3.5 weeks ago. I am having so much trouble having protein shakes. I want to vomit and gag when I just smell them. I was able to get them down right after surgery but after 5 weeks of shakes I can't stomach them. Any ideas to help me get the proper amount of protein would be helpful. I also feel like the awful taste of them just sits in my mouth all day and I can't get the taste out. What else can I do? I can't take it and I am starving because I am avoiding them. Are protein shots better? What brands do people use and like?

I am 9 days into the pre-op diet and I have found as long as I have my Protein drinks frequently and don't wait because I am busy, etc. I feel pretty good. I did have headaches and I felt shaky the first few days. Not having real food can put anyone in a very irritable place! I wouldn't worry about that, it is normal. The headaches and the shaky feelings are gone and I am feeling pretty good now. The busier I was the less on focused on the fact I wasn't eating the better I feel. I made myself busy with friends and projects. It helped me to stop thinking about how much I didn't like the pre-op diet and wishing for carbs. Hope that helps! Now it isn't so hard to see/be around food. I am fine not having food. Hope that helps!