Back~To~Amy

Very true analogy.

Thanks for the laugh. I've been gaining and losing the same 2 1/2 pounds for quite some time so I know how you feel! I lost my appetite and I hope I never find it again.

Yep, your answer is protein. Also, make sure you aren't drinking 30 minutes before or after you eat.

Ice from the fast food restaurant Sonic. It's really small and easy to chew.

I don't think they do anymore. However, CVS makes their own brand of adult liquid painkiller similar to the liquid Tyelnol.

Sorry you are having a rough time. What you are experiencing isn't true hunger although you think it is. Others have given good suggestions. I only have one to add about the chewing. Get you some Sonic ice. It helped me with the need to chew and to get in more fluids. You don't wanna end up back in the hospital due to dehydration. Hang in there. This is only temporary. Oh, and don't cheat. It could cause a leak which can be dangerous and it would for sure keep you on liquids longer.

There was a pic floating around awhile back that showed the difference un the various bougie sizes. You'd be surpried how very little difference there is in them. I think the bougie size we refer to is in millimeters. So a 34 bougie would be only a tiny bit bigger than a 32.

Welcome to VST! Yes, this place is full of very useful information and great support. Good luck on your journey!

Prior to surgery, I heard talk about not drinking 30 minutes before or after eating. I understand the reason for that. I also heard about taking tiny bites and chewing your food to mush before swallowing it. I've been trying to do that but catch myself taking normal bites and swallowing then before they are mush. Why is it we are supposed to take tiny bites and chew them a gazillion times? Thanks!

Just an FYI......Emily is a Weight Watcher. She does have lots of awesome recipes that are high in protein though.

I don't know about the approval time as I did cash pay. However, I do know about the incisions....at least mine. I had surgery June 5th and I had 5 incisions which are all healing quite nicely. Good luck in your journey. I hope you get your approval quickly!

Hi. I am very sorry that you lost your mother and that you are feeling all alone! The people here can be very supportive but it doesn't always make up for real time support. You might want to make a post in the part of the board where you can meet someone in your local area. There may be someone in your area that you could connect with in real time as well as the support you can get here too. Best of luck to you in your journey!

Hi Natty and welcome to VST. After surgery, the primary focus of your diet will be getting in sufficient protein and eating lower in carbs. I would imagine juice is very carb heavy. However, that being said, I don't worry too much about how many carbs I eat. I eat such a little amout of food now that, by virtue of eating a lot of protein, my carb count doesn't get that high. I don't see why you couldn't incorporate a protein powder into your juices. I wouldn't just juice without protein powder though because that is just liquid calories without our VSG'ers most important nutrient, protein. Best of luck to you on your journey.

I had my surgery on the U.S. my follow up visits are: 2 weeks 6 weeks 6 months 1 year Annually after that

Thanks. I decided it was time.

I'm 32 days postop and I never have the physical feeling of hunger. I still do have head hunger, but mostly only when I'm bored. If I get busy doing something, I can so easily forget about food. Since I've returned to work and now have a more regular schedule, I've noticed that come lunch time I'm never ready to eat. I'm still 100% satisfied from breakfast. I basically eat because I know I need to. Prior to surgery, I was either always eating or obsessing about what and when I could eat again. I love that food is not ruling my life like that now. It's as freeing as quitting smoking was 6 1/2 years ago. I'm in control and not my addictions. Love it!

Good luck. I hope you get approved and I hope you get it soon.

Yeah Patrick, I'm sure many dogs eat better than we do. I have a cat who loves to eat just about anything. If you know anything anout cats, you know that is so not normal for a cat. To gove you an idea of how "abnormal" she is, her favorite food is pasta. She will sit in the kitchen with me while I am cooking it and just meow and meow until its time to eat. Anyway, she never wanted to "eat" with me when I was on liquids. She was "forced" to be on this diet with me and she isn't fat. Poor thing was so happy when we got to finally eat food again. We still haven't had pasta though!

Sorry you are struggling with self-image right now. For what it is worth, I think your profile pic is beautiful! Take care.

Karen- I'm sorry you are going through a rough time. I only ever regretted the surgery when my pain was out of control early on. I'm only 32days postop, but I've already figured out that the only thing the surgery did was limit the amount of food I can take in. It didn't fix my mental issues with food. The fact that my brain still craves food and it still craves a lot of it. I'm trying to take this journey one day at a time and learn to deal with and come to terms with my mental issues with food. As you progress to having less food restrictions, it does get easier. Good luck to you!

It is totally normal. I was given a prescription for an acid reducer to take it twice daily. I've been lucky though. I've had no issues at all with it. If you can't get control of it with OTC medicine, call your doctor about prescription strength acid reducer. I hope you feel better soon. Take care!

Good to hear you had such a positive experience. Over and over I see such positive posts about Dr. Kelly, his staff and Omar. While I was sleeved in the U.S., I think Dr. Kelly is a good choice for those looking into having surgery in Mexico. Best of luck to you on your journey!

Wow! You can really see your weight loss. Congrats on your success so far! Keep up the good work.