Mews

I was on liquids for a month and then soft foods for two weeks. I think the fear of getting a leak was strong enough to prevent me from eating solid foods before I was supposed to.

I was on liquids for a month and then soft foods for two weeks. I think the fear of getting a leak was strong enough to prevent me from eating solid foods before I was supposed to.

I'm not enjoying food either at 3 1/2 months out. Whenever I eat anything, no matter what, I get nauseous. I'm on a prescription PPI and anti-nausea medication but neither seem to be working well. It has become very stressful to eat now, wondering if I'm going to throw up or not. Some days I can tolerate a food without nausea, others it will make me violently ill. And I'm doing everything I'm supposed to: Protein first, eat small amounts, chew well, yada, yada, yada.
I don't want to be a killjoy here but I wish I had known that this could've happened before I had surgery because I may not have had it. Food was never a true pleasure for me before the surgery but eating is necessary even in small amounts. I seriously dread anything regarding food right now.

I can't. I tried, first at six weeks out, then eight, then ten, etc. My new stomach just won't tolerate it. Because of this I've switched over to ice tea. It's not the same but at least I'm getting some caffeine in.

I fell your pain. I truly do. I had one month where I only lost four pounds and that was my third month in. It's not the thing you want to see when you've had such life altering surgery.
One thing you have going against you is your low BMI. You'll hear about people losing this amazing amount of weight but they're usually much larger than you so don't fret. Also, everybody seems to go through a long stall around the 3-4 week mark.
I do recommend MyFitnessPal as well as a great way of keeping track of food, especially Protein levels. See how many calories you are consuming and maybe that's affecting your weight loss. Remember, not eating enough can throw your body into starvation mode and you'll stop losing weight.

I'm from Vernon, NJ which is in the northwest corner of the state. I was sleeve by Dr. Ewing at Hackensack University Medical Center on 3/15/12.

I was told around 10-12 weeks after surgery as the hard pieces can get stuck in your incision line. Once you're fully healed then you're good to go.

I am a slow loser myself. I've only lost about 34 pounds since my surgery on March 15. Everybody is different. My piece of advice is don't weigh yourself everyday. I don't even weigh myself once a week any more. I only do it when I go to the doctor's office. As I go about every six weeks I see the dramatic loss and it makes me feel much better. Also, don't fret about the amount. Think of it this way: at least you've lost weight! Every pound is a victory.

I am a slow loser myself. I've only lost about 34 pounds since my surgery on March 15. Everybody is different. My piece of advice is don't weigh yourself everyday. I don't even weigh myself once a week any more. I only do it when I go to the doctor's office. As I go about every six weeks I see the dramatic loss and it makes me feel much better. Also, don't fret about the amount. Think of it this way: at least you've lost weight! Every pound is a victory.

More solid Proteins are more difficult to go down. I know with cold cuts I can only eat about two pieces before I feel very full.
In terms of being full, I'm having a hard time figuring out when I actually am full. The only way I know is when I'm hit with a sudden wave of nausea and by then it's too late. I'm trying to undereat my sleeve but it has been difficult finding that "sweet spot" where I am full enough that I won't be hungry in an hour but not too full.

Some people experience fatigue and others do not. I was one of the unlucky ones in that I felt like crap for at least a month post-op. I could barely function because I was so tired and my husband had to drive me to work as I was too scared to drive in my condition. I would recommend taking as much time off as you can. This way if you feel horrible you can use the time to rest. If you feel better you can go back early.

Doctors all use internal stitches as they close up the various layers. Some use glue for the outermost one. I had this happen to me with ankle surgery a while back. Just keep the area clean and dry and don't pull it out if it hurts. Just in case you may want to call your doc to get some advice on how to deal with it.

I have a blood clot and an infected incision.

Those first few weeks of post-op are hell. If you're having problems with nausea, move back down to clear liquids for a bit. Maybe your stomach is not ready yet for anything heavier.
I will say that at eight weeks out I'm finally starting to feel normal. My recovery has been a little longer due to various issues and complications post-op. I can tell you that once you start eating "real" food again you'll feel so much better. Just hang in there.

My doctor never said anything about detaching the spleen. That's interesting...so interesting that I looked it up. There is indeed a ligament that attaches the spleen to the greater curvature of the stomach and it does contain blood vessels. I haven't heard anybody have internal bleeding issues from this. I would suspect that they cauterize the ligament when they detach it. If you're still concerned about it talk to your doc some more.

I had my surgery on March 15 and for a good while afterwards I seriously regretted the surgery. Then again, I developed some complications (blood clot, infected incision, etc.). Now, I wouldn't use the word regret. Just frustrated. I just wish I had gone into it more informed. While I had done a LOT of research on the surgery, there were plenty of things I didn't find out until afterwards. I'm incredibly mad at my doctor for not warning me about these things like an increase in depression in some patients, low energy levels, stalls, draining wounds, problems associated with no/low carb diets, etc. I understand that they don't want to scare off patients but I get really pissed off when they act like this sort of stuff never happens. You read enough of these forums and see what problems people go through and you would think that the medical professionals would at least be honest when you ask about post-surgery issues.
Please don't get me wrong. I'm NOT trying to scare you off. I just think that everybody should be as informed as possible going into major surgery. You'll probably be like most and have no issues whatsoever. At the same time you need to know just in case you are in the minority.

Ya, the first month was hell for me (2 weeks Clear Liquids, then 2 weeks full liquids). It shall pass though.

I wouldn't try traveling that soon after surgery. I was wiped out for about two weeks afterwards. Just reschedule the surgery for after trip.

There are different forms of carbs. Mr. Worm has a point but there are plenty of ways to get good carbs: fruits, veggies, multigrain breads, etc. I think it all depends on what your NUT tells you. Mine doesn't push the low carb diet and instead wants me to eat a balanced one with the above foods in it. For the first month post-op I was miserable because I had no energy. Let's just say that ketosis was not nice to me. My NUT said that I was too focused on Protein and that each meal should be a balance of 2:1 ratio of protein to carbs. I switched it up and I'm feeling so much better. Mind you, I'm probably losing weight at a much slower pace than others but I'm no longer dragging along, feeling like poop. I'll take the former over the latter any day.

Tell them to give you more pain meds. You shouldn't be in this much pain.
As for regret, that shall pass. You are miserable right now but things will get better.

I wouldn't try traveling that soon after surgery. I was wiped out for about two weeks afterwards. Just reschedule the surgery for after trip.

I wouldn't try traveling that soon after surgery. I was wiped out for about two weeks afterwards. Just reschedule the surgery for after trip.

I told everybody (with the exception of one of my bosses...long story), including my students, as I had the surgery mid semester. Everybody was incredibly supportive and my students really showed some serious concern for me when I had problems.
I think it's up to the individual person. Some people might feel uncomfortable in telling the world that they had WLS. In that case, just say that you've changed your eating habits. It's not a lie and usually people will leave you alone after that.

Just an FYI, your tastes will change post-op so what tastes good now may not after surgery. This happened to me and I'm glad I didn't invest in a ton of Protein drinks beforehand.

I tell anyone and everyone. IMO, there's no way to remove the stigma associated with WLS unless we the patients are willing to share our positive journey with others. You never know whose life you may save with your testimony.