WillowsKnot

Both of those are funny. LOL If you are still early in your sleeve, you could get full on one sample!! LOL I'll have to remember that next time I am there once I can have "real" food again. I am still on pureed foods. Thanks for the laughs. I needed that!

I too am sick of the protein shakes, but I am still downing two 30g shakes a day. With those and the protein that I am eating I am getting about 80 grams of protein. On the other hand, I am not getting anywhere near 60 oz. of fluids in a day of just water based stuff. I get about 16 to 18 oz. in water and the rest of the fluids I am getting from food and my shakes. I was told that my fluid intake needed to be just that, fluids, not necessarily water. I am now not so worried about that. I am more concerned with getting enough calories in a day and since I still can't eat that much food, I have to have those shakes or I feel weak and I get the shakes. I tend to have low blood sugar as a rule, so I have to be really careful on the food front so that I don't bottom out.

I also have had issues with eggs. If I make egg salad and eat it very slow, putting my spoon down between bites, waiting... waiting... waiting and then eat a bit more, it seems ok. I tried scrambled just this Saturday - No go. I was so sick to my stomach I had to take some nausea medicine. I also have done the egg drop soup and did not have any issues as long as I chewed the heck out of the egg pieces to make sure they were very tiny before going down. I don't think eggs are going to be high on my list of how to increase my protein and like many of you, I used to love them!! Tuna and salmon are now becoming more a norm for me. I don't have problems with either of them. Give your favorite fish a try if you have one and see how that settles in your tummy. I also tried some fruit this weekend. A mix of melons and chewed them to mush. That sat really well. It also increased my fluid intake due to all the water melons have. It also tasted really good for a change. I am just starting my 4th week out today and still on pureed foods. I have to tell you though, some of it ends up looking like dog food and I just can't get it past my eyes!! So I chew it to mush and then swallow making sure it is not dry before I do. Anyone else have this issue of the visual of this stuff?

I have noticed that when I eat a better variety of foods, even though I am on pureed foods, that my weight tends to inch down more than when I am more restrictive. Also, if I can get in at least 800 calories, I tend to start to lose more. I was stuck at 306 and yesterday I was 302. This morning, I find myself back at 303. But, I look at it this way, I am down 65 pounds since my highest weight, so that is a huge improvement. I am down 51 pounds since I started this journey and 24 pounds since my final pre-op visit which was April 9th. I am still losing at a faster rate than I did when trying before having my sleeve. I keep reminding myself of that and I have stopped comparing my weight loss to others. Everyone’s body is different. Age and other factors also play a role in how fast we lose. It will come off. I have been over weight since I was 12 or 13. I am now 48. I figure if I lose it all in one to two years, that will be crazy wonderful seeing how long it took me to pack in on! Best of luck to all - just keep it all perspective. We will get there.

Did either of you get instructions to do some deep breathing and coughing the first couple of days after your surgery? My RN patient advocate for the program came to my hospital room and helped me hold a pillow over my tummy and do some major coughing so that I could get up the phlem (sp?) (sorry) that forms in your lungs during anesthesia. It hurt like a dog, but I was shocked at what came up! I also felt much better after that. She said that if you don't get that junk up, it can make you sick and you can get pneumonia. This is not true for all and I am not suggesting that you are sick or have a case of pneumonia, just curious if anyone else did this routine while in the hospital in addition to using the spirometer for deep breathing.

I was told I would probably need the omeprazole for a year and just to count on taking it. The acid is a killer if I don't take it. Right now, the doc has me on 40mg which is double the OTC amount. I take one in the morning 20mg and one before bed. I must be the only patient that has a hurnia that the doc did not fix!!! Tics me off a bit, needless to say. I know he said it was small, but why not fix it. Jimmy, hope that acid gets better soon.

Yup, the gurgles are normal. I am now 3 weeks out and mo more gurgles for the most part. Take care all.

Well, I had my first post operations visit yesterday with my doctor and coordinator. Here is the scoop on what they had to say. I asked if I could go back to swimming, walking in the pool, lifting light weights for toning and to my Zumba class. I was given a big fat NO on all of them until I am at least 6 weeks post-op. Walking just gets too mundane for me after a while. I really like variety and I love to swim, so I guess I will have to wait it out for a bit longer on those activities. I still have one more week of lifting restrictions. No more than 15 pounds until I am at the end of my 4th week. I have lost 17 pounds since April 9th - my last visit with them prior to surgery. I was told not to worry about 64 oz. of fluids. The doc said that if I could drink that much in a day at this point then he failed to do his job. My sleeve should be too small to take that in. Just to keep sipping and staying hydrated. He said the 64oz. goal is for when things are completely healed. For me, he said that would be when I am able to start whole foods or the end of August! He said to concentrate on the Protein, getting some food sources of protein and start getting some veggies and fruits in. I have on incision that is not quite healed yet, but they are looking good. He was happy with where I am right now. When I talked to the program coordinator (RN and also a bypass patient herself) and said I was worried that I was not losing fast enough she said "Honey, we really don't want you losing more than 2 to 3 pounds a week. When it happens a lot faster, there are health issues. You are doing great just as you are. Just stick to the eating plan, try to get between 800 and 1000 calories a day and the weight will come off just fine." A victory for me out of the whole thing is that I can start to take pills whole again!!! Ok, not big pills, but I can take my meds. I can swallow my omeprazole, my Prozac, and any other small pill that is about that size. She also said that I can take Tylenol capsules (the red and white ones), but that I may need to take one and then an hour later take the second one. This made my day as I really need the Tylenol for my fibromyalgia pain. Well, that is about it. I go back August 2nd for my 3 month follow-up which will include fasting lab work to check to make sure I am doing ok on that front. Oh, and the doctor's nurse told me that she could really see a change in my face. That made me feel really good. Hope everyone has a good Friday and weekend

I know how you feel about getting back to a favorite class for exercise. I was told at least 6 weeks. Glad to see you are doing so well. Have a wonderful weekend.

Another option is www.sparkpeople.com They also have an ap for your phone. This site combines exercise tracking, food tracking and social networking all in one place. They even have a VST support group on their site as well. This is the app that I use and have used for two years now. It also has exercise video's and tons of recipies. It is the most comprehensive site I have ever found. You can find me on there under WillowsKnot as well. You can also keep a journal, calendar, ticker/stats, your own custom page and blogs. There are also a ton of health articles on there. You earn points and then you can "purchase" cyber goodies to send to others on the site to support their efforts. If you have never visited this site you might want to give it a try.

Some of the thirst might be due to the salt in the food. Cottage cheese is very salty and so is any kind of lunch meat. I did see at the store a brand of cottage cheese that had sea salt instead of regular salt and the sodium level was lower. You might check that out. I read all the labels when I got mine looking for salt content as I knew it was high. Soups is also high in salt unless you are buying the low sodium varieties. I never used to watch salt as my sodium level when it is tested is always low, but I am checking now for exactly this reason... thirst!!! and it being so hard to drink enough to offset the salt in my food. Take care and have a good one.

Condessa, My thoughts are with you. I sure hope you get some answers today and that you get to feeling better real soon. I am so sorry you are having to go through all this pain and I am sending you lots of healing energy.

Saw my doc yesterday and I was told 800 to 1000 for the same reason and to remain healthy. Thanks for the carnation instant breakfast. Think I will get some this weekend. I used to like that stuff.

This was my thinking as well because I am in the same boat. I am struggling to get more than 25 to 30 oz. of fluids in. I sip all day at work, but still when I was told no drinking 30 mins. before eating or an hour after eating, it really limits you because if you eat three meals that is 4 1/2 hours in which I can not drink anything!!! How are you all getting your fluids in? I feel like this is a big mystery to me with the timing of eating issue. I also wanted to know what you mean "got my calories up"... to what amount? I am probably at about 600 to 700 on a good day. Thanks. It would help to know what to strive for to get off this stall. I really appreciate your help and comments on this one.

Same here. I am also sending you lots of good energy for a postive out come. Keep us posted and I hope this all comes to pass very quickly. <<hug>>

It all depends on how swollen you are. It took me a long time as well. If you are drinking and you start to get shoulder pain, etc., then you are drinking too fast. I am in week 3 and it still takes me an hour to drink one 11 oz. protein drink! I can't drink it any faster or I feel too full and it will come back up on me. I think it should be remembered that not everyone's sleeve is the same size either. There is some room for physician preference in the actual size of your sleeve. There is a range, just like pouch size for bypass. So you may have a smaller sleeve than someone else. Believe it or not, they did not monitor that when I was in the hospital, they would just ask me how much I got down. Also, warm liquids went down better. If you are struggling with water, make sure it is room temperature and ask for some chicken broth. That went down better for me than water did. Also ask for a sugar free popsicle. I don't know why these go down well when they are frozen and cold, but they did for me. When I am feeling dehydrated and I just can't seem to get water down, I head for the SF popsicles every time. They really help. Hope this helps you out. Hang in there, it does get better...slowly.

You might try some ginger tea. Ginger is good for stomach aches and issues. It ususally comes as green tea and ginger. If you don't want any caffine, read the lable as green tea does have some caffine in it, but not as much as coffee. You could also get some ginger root, peel and slice a piece off and brew some yourself from scratch. Just a thought since ginger seems to really help settle your tum. Happy brewing

That is a wonderful site. I ran across that before I had my surgery. I went back to it earlier this week to get some new pureed ideas. I have the pot roast that she has listed on their in my crock pot as I type this I'll let you all know how it comes out. The nice thing about that recipie is that you can blend what you need, or mush it if you are at that stage and then serve it unblended to your family if you need to cook for a family. You can then add the sides that you want them to have with it and it works for the whole family. There is a huge list of smoothies on that site as well.

I feel the same way. I figure I am still losing faster than I did before. I am down to 305 today so I will see if it keeps going in that direction or if I follow your pattern. I go see my doc today for the first time post-op. When I talked to his staff person she was like "Oh... we cant WAIT to see you and how you are doing!!" Well, I just hope they are not too disappointed in my weight loss. Like they are expecting some huge 20+ pound loss, becasue that is not going to be the case. I am almost dreading going I am, however, anxious to get some of my questions answered like when can I go back and do my Zumba class and when can I go back and start walking in the pool again, etc. I also want to know when I can start to swallow small pills. I have been off once of my meds now since surgery - can't crush or chew it and I really want to get back on it. I have fibromyalgia and I HATE taking narcs for pain, so I also want to know when I can start swallowing tylenol again. I tried the liquid childrens tylenol and about threw up after one dose. It is way to sweet tasting, so that is no option. Thanks for sharing your weight loss pattern. Makes me feel a whole lot better and I am with you. Maybe we won't have all the hair loss issues either. I am also pretty vigilent about trying to work in some veggies and fruits. I know I need to get in all this Protein, but I also want to try and have balanced eating as this is my long term goal, not just weight loss. I want to eat balanced, healthy meals. I know that if I do this in smaller portions and exercise, then the weight loss will follow. It is just nice not to feel hunger all the time and to be able to eat a smaller meal and feel truly satisfied. Take care and have a great day.

Is anyone else experiencing foam in their throat? I ate a little too much one night and it came up, but also a ton of foam came up and I think that is why I felt so full. Now, when I drink water, I can feel that "foam" starting up. I took a gas-x to see if it would help, but I wonder what is causing it in the first place. I mean... water should not foam in your throat or stomach, right? Would love to know if anyone else is experiencing this as well. I did a search and did not find any posts about this. Thanks much.

Thank you Lilee84. I appreciate that. Guess I need to sip my water slower and eat even slower than I am and a bit less. I appreciate the reply.

Yes, it does. The hearburn for me is really bad, so I know how you feel. Hang in there, it will get better.

Yes, they do need to be sugar free. They also have helped me get more fluids in. There are also tropical flavored sugar free available as well. Get several boxes. I should buy stock at this point!!! LOL Yes, it is normal to be struggling with your water intake. I am 3 weeks out and no where near 64 oz. of fluids a day. I am lucky to get in my two protein shakes and two 16.9 oz. of Propel Zero a day with a bit of pureed foods for dinner. If I drink any more than that, it will come back up. I think some people have more swelling than others and I also know there is a size range for the size of the sleeve, so if your's is small as I believe mine is, then it will take longer to get your shakes and fluids down. Keep sipping slowly. It does get better day by day. This may seem nasty, but I keep track of the color of my urine. Dark yellow means you are not getting enough fluids, lighter yellow means you are doing ok for your body...maybe not as much as you would like, but enough to flush your system. Also the one time I was really low in fluids and was dehydrated I had horrible muscle aches that night and I knew that was the issue. I ended up being awake most of the night in pain and sipping water. By morning, I was much better and I have never had that happen again. Try chewing some mint gum for a little bit, it does help with the bad breath, dry mouth issue as well. Hope this is of help to you. Hang in there!!! You are going to be fine.

I am glad to see that you are doing ok, and wanted to let you know the head hunger will pass. If you can, get out and walk outside. That really helped me. Even if I could only do short walks, I did them frequently and that help to keep me busy while off work and at home. There is a Google program that lets you put in any city/state and you can plot your walking course. It tells you how many miles are in your route. I did one for here at work so I knew I was getting a mile in during my lunch period. I then plotted several around my house so I would know how many miles they were. Love this program!!! As far as food goes. I was on clear liquids the first 4 days then on full liquids for two weeks after that. Monday started week 3 for me and I am now on pureerd foods for weeks 3-8. Then my instructions say weeks 9-12 soft solid foods. Then starting month 4, I am allowed to start solid foods introducing one food at a time to see how they work with my sleeve. My instructions also say that at any stage if I have issue to go back to the previous stage for one to two days, then try advancing again since everyone's swelling goes down differently. Hope this helps.

Well I purchased the Lactaid chewable pills and chewed one before I had my protein drink this morning. What a difference!!! I was able to drink the whole thing in an hour instead of two hours. I am also already getting more water in as the protein drink is not "backing up". I also got some Tums and those have helped along with the Gas-x. Wow, the pharmacy must love me at this point!!! On a down note, I was up 3 pounds this morning. I am pretty sure it is water retention as I have really struggled to get enough water down. I am making a huge effort today to get that water in and also get two protein shakes in instead of just the one I had been getting down. I'll fee if all this helps. Jimmy... Way to go. Glad to hear you are doing ok post-op. Finally we are all through. I hope the May sleevers form as tight a group as we all have. I wish them all sucess in their upcoming surgeries.