Back~To~Amy

I'm not sure about the bags, but I can speak about the blood thinner shots. I didn't know till after surgery that I too had to give myself shots for 10 days postop. In my head I was freaking out. I've always had a fear of needles. This needle was soooo teeny tiny and you do it in your stomach where there's lots of "cushion". It really turned out to be easy and no big deal. Best of luck to you.

There is actually information now that debunks caffeine dehydrating you unless you drink it in large amounts. From the Mayo Clinic website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

The first few days are the toughest. It seems around day 4 for most proper is when it hard easier. That was the case for me too. Hang in there!

I think with all those carbs, I better find something else. I've looked for the Special K Vitamin Water but haven't been able to find it. What part of the store do you find it?

Whoa! They didn't advertise that.

I just saw a commercial for Ensure Clear. It looks like a juice and it has 9 grams of protein in it. Has anyone tried it? If so, what did you think?

Way to go! You are going in the right direction. Keep it up!

You can call Weight Watchers Corporate. They will have your records of when you paid. Also, WW switched to keeping records on computers quite some time ago. You can go to your local center and get a printout of your weigh ins. As to the specific requirements of your insurance about whether you lost or gained weight, you should call them. Insurance companies vary. Even the rules within one insurance company can vary because an employer can have a say in the coverage you have. I hope that makes sense.

You're welcome.

No, it was pain in my left side where they did the big incision and cut through the muscle. After getting ab additional medicine, I'm doing much better now. Thanks!

There are no forbidden foods. Alrhough, the focus should primarily be in healthy eating with an emphasis is getting the required protein. My doctor says no carbonated beverages.....ever. Some doctors don't say that. However, I think they are more the rarity.

It's great to hear now well you are doing Matt! Congrats to you on your surgery and best of luck to you in your upcoming journey! I'm 4 weeks postop and had moments of regret early on. Ask me today if I have regrets and my answer is a resounding NO WAY!

Thanks. I started it just for me to document my journey and it has recently evolved and is still evolvimg to include information to help others. I have learned so much here and on other people's blogs.

Sorry I cannot offer any advice about free foods on the preop diet because doctor's preop diets can vary quite widely. I would refer you to any paperwork you got from your doctor or nurse about the preop diet. If you don't have anything, I suggest you give one or both a call. My weekly weight loss has been as follows: 05/28/12 -12.2 06/04/12 -2.0 06/11/12 -6.8 06/18/12 -6.8 06/25/12 -4.4 07/02/12 -.3.6 For reference, I started my preop diet on May 22nd and my surgery was on June 5th. I lost 14.2 on the 2 week preop diet and 21.6 since surgery 4 weeks ago. Good luck to you in your journey. The preop diet does get easier. For me and a lot of others I've seen post about it, it seems to be around day 4 when it does.

Before I became "addicted" to VST, I was "addicted" to Pinterest. I have tons of recipes, most low fat ones. They were not liked/pinned with the protein content in mind since the majority of them were liked/pinned prior to any thoughts of WLS. I like the idea of having a board specifically for recipes that are more protein focused. However, I'm not out about my surgery to a lot of my followers so for now, I won't be doing that. I will however, put the recipes on my computer to refer to and use in the future.

Congrats on your success. I can't wait to make this same post. I have a ways to go though, but will get there one day. Keep up your good work.

I'm 4 weeks postop and my sleeve isn't a big fan of chicken. It is uncomfortable going down! It is definitely a learning process to figure our when our body says "stop, you are full". I've pretty much figured out my signal. Tonight, I ate out for the first time. I was so busy chatting with my sister, that I missed that signal and I overate a bit. I didn't get sick, but I felt abnormally uncomfortable.

As everyone said, it is normal. I was about a week and a half out before I felt like I didn't want to sleep all the time. At this stage, you need lots of rest. When you are awake, please make sure you get up and walk and make sure you get plenty of fluids. It's pretty easy to get dehydrated early out. I felt like it was a full-time job just to get fluids in. I didn't really track my Fluid intake at the beginning, but my doctor told me my pee should be light yellow in color and I should be peeing at least 4 times a day. If either wasn't the case, I was told to drink more. Also, remember all liquids (like popsicles and broth) count toward your fluid intake. Also, a lot of people (myself included) found warm or room temperature fluids go down easier in the beginning. Best of luck to you! Take care.

I would think you should be fine. The only issue I see with having a mammogram is some of those wierd positions they make you stand may aggravate the larger incision where they had to cut through the muscle. I'm 4 weeks postop now and have had quite a bit of pain issues and feel like if I needed one today, I'd be fine to do it. You may just want to take a couple Tyelnol beforehand just to be on the safe side.

I was told because of the air you swallow just as you do when drinking from a straw. Other than the first few days postop, I've had no issues with gas. I've been chewing gum and drinking from a straw almost daily since a week or so postop. I'm now 4 weeks postop and still have no issues with either.

Hi Johnathan. I quit smoking 6 1/2 years ago and it is easy at first. It does get easier though. Hang in there. Once you get far enough out, you will feel so free over the control cigarettes had on you. Best of luck to you. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Yes, you are understanding it correctly. For example, I used to make tuna fish from those little bitty single serve cans. I ate the entire serving plus other stuff at one sitting. Now, just that little bitty single serve can alone made into tuna fish lasts me 3 to 4 meals with usually 3 crackers at each meal. Sodas is a tough habit to break. Wean yourself off of it asap to avoid caffeine withdrawal headaches. I weaned myself several weeks to my preop diet that started May 22, 2012 and in the beginning it was HARD. I craved it big time. Now, I don't even miss it. Best of luck to you!

Other than the poster who mentioned not eating too close to bed because of reflux, I wouldn't worry about it. The cutoff time has to do with being able to burn some of the calories you ate at your last me. At least, I believe that is the case. Since we don't eat very many calories at a sitting, I don't really believe it is an issue.