MinaT

Congrats to you. You are going to do great because you put so much hard work and dedication into it before your approval.

Remember go into the surgery with the same positivity and focus and you will do great.

It's been an amazing journey for me and I am sure it will for you. I've had some ups and downs but I have always tried to remain positive and it's worked out great.

Good luck to you!

I think a lot of us have this issue. I had lost five pounds fairly quickly as I was having a lot of liquid bm's. Well, after that problem passed, I gained a pound a day for five days and kept it on me for 2 weeks (on 700 or less calories) less than 40 grams of protein and almost 80 grams of protein. It took me about 2 weeks to lose that 5 pounds and I stayed the same weight for over a week. I finally just got under that month long stall by 2 pounds, but this was rough on me mentally.

I knew I was doing everything right and my body didn't follow through. I am 4 months out today.

I am so sorry you are having such a hard time. You sound like you are doing exactly what you are suppose to be doing, don't get discouraged right now about your weight though, because your weight and bmi was lower than a lot of other's before surgery, so weight loss will be slower.

Also, regarding the clothes size, that's not really important right now, because though I am in a size 18 now, I still can wear some of my 3x clothes, like the stretchy pants, they are loose, but the clothing size isn't so important right now, because your body is still adjusting.

Your tummy will be the last to change. My tummy was swollen pretty big for the first 5 weeks. About 7 weeks I started to see the change in my stomach. I'm only 8 weeks on Monday. I lost my entire butt, my body is changing differently than it ever has in the past. My face is smaller, my arms are growing muscles, my butt went flat, but with lunges it's starting to perk up a little bit, my tummy still look flubby to me, my legs are losing at different rates too.

I think your food intake is low, the way mine is, and I struggle to and I had surgery 14 days before you did and so believe me when I say I understand your struggle with food. I hit 400-475 calories a day. I hit 500 one day and thought I over did it though my carbs were only 20 that day!

My big concern is you throwing up and having problem getting your liquids in. That at this stage makes me want to say, call your doctor. Are you drinking out of a water bottle? Maybe try switching to drinking out of a glass. I couldn't drink out of a water bottle for the first 5 weeks. It hurt so much, I still have problems once in a while with it, where my esophagus gets all tight and weird on me. I am going to speak with the surgeon about that at my appointment. I would definitely speak to your doctor, it sounds like you have the same problem with your esophagus into the stomach that I am having. I did have a complication during my surgery which, my gosh, is probably very rare, but I think I have scar tissue around my esophagus took a team of gastro's and more surgeons to try to figure out how to get it the staples out and pull out the esophageal tube. It probably narrowed my esophagus a bit.

Do you think you may have picked up a bug, the flu or have you had any blood tests lately.

I am so sorry you are going through this. You are doing everything right and please continue with it and it will come off you eventually. I know that I am losing slower than others too but it had to do with losing so much pre-surgery. We'll reach our goals eventually. Give yourself a little more healing time and perhaps check in with the doctor about the nausea and chest pain with sips of water.

Best of luck to you.

I, like you thought about this on several occasions. The first time I went to a place, they didn't quite explain the procedure to me. I was told that I would see a nutritionist, that I would see their psychologist and then they would set me up on a plan. I saw the nutritionist twice, took some psychological testing which was comprised of a bunch of silly questions, some were asked the same way two or three different ways, with no real correct answer. 1. Have you met anyone that has tried to deliberately sabotage your efforts? (I think we all have once in our lives). 2. Have you ever felt that people were jealous of you? Again, I'm sure we all have. I met with the psychologist, and she told me that I would need to meet with her to go over why I gained weight in the first place and what my issues are with food. I asked how long the process would be she told me six months. I took offense to it. I thought I was being unfairly picked on and she was rude. Had I been told up front that everyone had to do this, that everyone had to go through a six month pre-approval meeting, that would have helped me out a lot. My husband lost his job, I quit the program. I went to another place a few years later, and heavier, and I was told up front 6 months program etc. a few weeks later, I got pneumonia. I quit the program. I ended up with pneumonia a few months later after that too. A year later I went back to the previous place and I took all the information and decided to put 100% effort into the program.

You are doing very well taking in all the information. I understand how much information you have been given and having to digest it.

Charting food is something I did not want to do. It is something I have hated doing FOREVER... My suggestion is using something like Myfitnesspal.com Almost every food you can find in there. You have to do some set up of it, because it has a default for Calories of 1200 - and the Carb default is like 157 or something really high. If you can lower that to 45-75 it will be more beneficial. If you can up the default of protein to 80 that helps too. If you need help with this I can help you or there are others that can help you with that.

Even if you aren't sure you want to do this yet...why not just go through with some of these things to carry on, you already started the process. You know you can cancel up to the day of the surgery

Regarding the Sleep Apnea testing. That actually goes in favor of having the surgery. It's considered a co-morbidity. If you have sleep apnea (many overweight people do) even some people that aren't overweight have it, and there is something caused "central sleep apnea" which has to do with the brain. Being tested for it something I have had to do many times and I refuse the cpap machine. Even if your insurance company doesn't require it, it actually adds to the comorbidity. Diabetes is one, but sleep apnea would be considered a second, which only goes to help you. I had a cousin that died from sleep apnea at the age of 52. I refuse the cpap but I am also on oxygen, so that helps. I have to go for another sleep study in September/October and hopefully I'll be off oxygen now.

Regarding your age, limitations and illnesses, I was 330 last spring. I used oxygen at night and sometimes during the day. I have mixed connective tissue disease, lupus, glaucoma, a brain tumor located on the root of my trigeminal nerve, degenerative disk disease in my neck. I was on daily injections for diabetes, I suffer severe migraines and I receive occipital nerve blocks, cervical spine injections, I also have asthma and a neurological condition. I was diagnosed with CRPS/RSD in 2004 from bilateral carpal tunnel surgery in 2004. I had a Reveal heart monitor implanted in my chest for over a year, which I still had when I went for my first two appointments and I finally got it out end of December 2011. (I started the program in November). During my pre-approval phase at month 5 I was admitted into the hospital for pleurisy, which is a complication due to lupus. Before I started the pre-approval phase I could barely get up the stairs or off the couch by myself. The pain in my hips and knees were so great and I was told I would probably end up needing all those.

I decided to work on my food issues when I joined the program. #1 I didn't eat breakfast ever...I started doing a protein shake fo breakfast. #2 I didn't eat lunch..ever. I started doing 1% cottage cheese and a slice of turkey meat for lunch, or alternatively a protein shake. I did a sensible dinner. I started learning to chew my food. Something I never did (I ate dinner fast, swallowing everything whole) and often-times choking on my food. If we went out to dinner I always choked because I wanted nobody to see me eat so I ate fast. I always drank water with my dinner too, because I choked. I started to try not to drink water with dinner, and I found myself chewing more and choking less. I haven't choked in months!

I slowed down on coffee intake and eventually gave it up before the pre-op phase. I figured if I did the pre-op shake phase and had to give up coffee, I wouldn't be having withdrawals so I got rid of it in advance.

Because of my migraines I would drink things like Mountain Dew or Coke and instead I switched it Soda Water. When I found out no carbonation I was devastated. Worse, no more Excedrin Migraine. There were months I would get a headache 4-5 times a week. I switched to Botox injections in my head (above my ears in my skull and back of my head and my neck). I get a headache a week at the most now. I gave up Soda water because of the carbonation.

I worked on my 64 ounces of water.

I am off diabetes injections, I am pretty sure I will not need knee or hip replacement surgery. I am off water pills, I am off sleeping pills, I can walk up the stairs now.

The surgery isn't what has cured me though. The fact that I took a stand and started to think I was worth taking care of is. I worked hard to make changes so the sleeve can eventually work for me.

I still have lupus, I still have a brain tumor, but last summer I sat on my couch, could barely breath because I had so much weight on my chest and I knew I didn't have much longer to live. My great-grandmother died at the age of 49 due to obesity. She had diabetes and we were built exactly alike. I will be 49 in a few weeks now.

I worked hard to get to where I am. I new surgery was going to be hard on me. My doctor knew it too. I had a hernia and I had scar tissue from so many previous surgeries including a c-section hysterectomy, numerous laparascopies from endometriosis, gallbladder removal, a bowel resection, I had adhesions everywhere.

I am not considered the best candidate for surgery because I am sick. I lost 60 pounds during the pre-approval phase on my own. I went out to eat once in a while and had Red Lobster (yes, I had their HUGE monster size margarita) and I charted it, I went to japanese steak house, I had special meals during this time. But I still charted my food, and I still lost weight. I lost only 10 pounds during the pre-op phase.

My parents, my son and husband thought I would die before 50. I knew I would die before my 49th Birthday if I didn't do something about it. I realized then, i would rather die trying to fight for my life than to sit on the couch and die not trying.

While we all have different lives, it's up to you which way you want to live your life. If you chose to do this, I swear if you put the effort into it, you will start feeling better about yourself every single day.

I am never going to be perfectly healthy, I still have the headaches to deal with, the tumor, I still need cervical spine surgery in my future, I still have lupus, but my gosh, walking up the stairs without hip and knee pain, being able to see that I have a lap, and laying down with my boobs suffocating me is AMAZING!

I wish you the best of luck. You seem to have already started changing the way you are doing things, and you are putting so much effort into this already and that is all you can do is try each day to change what you can to make better choices, and realize you are worth taking care of now.

I am going to say something that is opposite.

If you are going to go into this surgery go into it 100%

Why wait until 85% of your stomach is out to work on you? Aren't you worth more than that. Spending your time pre-surgery gaining weight is not the right way to go into such a very restrictive surgery. All surgeries carry risks, why not do your best before surgery to limit the risks by taking care of yourself.

Start charting your food on something like myfitnesspal.com Start trying to lower your carb intake now. I put myself on 800-1000 calories a day (I usually stayed around 800 calories and on my "fore-special days" where I went out to eat at Red Lobster or a Japanese Steakhouse - I went higher. I made sure I kept my carbs 45-75 ...unless it was a fore-special day, which I only did once a month or maybe twice a month.

I lost 10 pounds a month during my pre-approval phase. I got to have my favorite foods once in a while, but I also learned to break the bad patterns that you will need to break eventually, if you don't break it pre-surgery, well who says you are going to be able to break if after surgery?

Learn to not drink with your meal and wait 1/2 hour after you eat to drink your water. Chart your 64 ounces of water a day, chart your exercise. Learn how to do this now.

Limit your caffeine until you can go off it completely (imagine weaning from caffeine and carbonation during pre-op shake....) people that do it before pre-op shake are more successful.

If you are going to have Last Suppers, or Last meals before pre-op shake don't do it the day before do it days before because carb overload, will make pre-op shakes so much worse.

Nobody said you have to starve yourself, but why gain weight? Wouldn't it be nicer to have less to lose after surgery?

It sure was for me. Even if you lose 10 pounds or 5 pounds pre-surgery isn't that something to be proud of? Aren't you worth putting 100% effort into this?

The food issues you have pre-surgery, the comfort food, or the love for food don't disappear after they take 85% of your stomach. You are still going to have stress, you are still going to have anxiety, you are still going to need comfort. I guarantee you, if you work on these issues before surgery and put effort into this, you will be more successful after surgery, because the surgery doesn't cure what caused you to become overweight to begin with.

This is not meant to put anyone down, this is not meant to hurt anyone's feelings, but this costs a whole lot of money and this surgery is NOT a walk in the park. It takes hard work and dedication and it will not solve your problems if you don't work hard for it.

Best of luck to you all.

At 5 days out I was still in the hospital, for the first five weeks I drank out of a one ounce cup taking sips only. sip sip sip (pour more water/decaff tea) sip sip pour, etc.

If you weren't given med cups try using a shot glass. You get in less air and will feel less icky than drinking out of a water bottle.

Are you taking any bariatric vitamin or sublingual vitamin b? There is definitely a difference if I forget my Vitamin B.

My diet was different than above, I was on clear liquids first week then full liquids 5 weeks then pureed, soft and regular. I still don't get a lot of food in me, so I am definitely losing slower than others. It sounds to me that you were retaining a whole lot of water at first from the surgery.

Gardening, entails a lot of bending, etc. so I would try just watering, and walking at first.

I took a nap for the first two weeks daily sitting in my recliner and didn't feel bad about it.

Take it slow, concentrate on your liquids and protein and don't overdo it at first.

I was a 3 shake a day person with sf-popsicles/sf-jello and crystal light. I had 14 days of it.

If you did a big meal before you started this you are probably going to suffer more.

Day 3 & 4 are the hardest. The cookie, bad idea. You keep saying you want to do it, and you keep saying you want this, but yet, you ate a cookie. Dust it off .

Each time you cheat you are justifying it, by your job, your kids whatever, you are making it "ok" in your mind, it's not okay to cheat though.

There was a woman in the last few months that did the same thing and went into surgery and was told..sorry your liver is too big, and got it postponed.

The sleeve is a tool, it's up to you to use the tool. You actually get REAL food. People that only get 3 shakes a day were able to do it.

Blaming this on obesity isn't helping either. It's just another excuse.

Tell yourself YOU CAN DO THIS, and you will. Get a behaviorist or psychological help somewhere along the line. Food cannot be your "best friend" it's not living and breathing. it's nourishment, that's all it is.

If you want comfort hug your pillow, a friend, your kid, a dog. Tell yourself you can do it and just do it.

Good luck to you, I am sure you will get lots of hugs and encouragement from others, I'm a realist. You need to up your positivity to make it through this and you need to depend on yourself. The sleeve is only a tool, it's how you use the tool that depends on your success.

I was 229 the day I had surgery on June 4th. On Saturday June 9th I was 235. I gained 6 pounds.

I lost weight at the rate of 1 to 1-1/2 pounds every other day for the first few weeks. I have lost 23 pounds since June 4th or 29 if you count the fact that I gained 6 pounds in the hospital.

My weight loss is slowing down a little bit now. I lost 60 pounds pre-surgery though at the rate of about 10 a month and in the 2 week pre-op I lost less than most people and that was 10 pounds and I didn't cheat and I had 3 shakes a day for 14 days and only had a few sugar-free popsicles and like 2 sugar-free jellos....if that.

Since I dieted the entire pre-approval time I had already lost my water weight.

Good luck to you on your surgery in a few days. Sending you my thoughts and prayers.

Isn't baked lays a slider type of food, so you eat it, and it crunches and disintegrates and slides right on through, so it's not going to "fill you up".

Monday I was at 4 weeks and I'm still on full liquids and I am not allowed Pureeds yet. She said she will see me July 9th (my surgery was June 4th) and we'll discuss going to Pureed then. I will be on Pureeds for probably a few weeks before I am allowed soft then regulars.

She kept warning me about being careful because of leaks. I read so many people eating way before me and obviously my doctor and group is extremely conservative, but please just be careful with what you eat, just in case some of these conservative doctors are right.

I started dieting during my pre-approval stage doing 80 grams of a protein and low carb and I walked, did the gazelle and did some light weight lifting and I lost 70 and since the surgery on June 4th I lost 20. I am going to be 49 years old so I am worried about the excess skin, but so far so good. I have yo-yo'd 200-300 for about 12 years. I once went from 330 - 128 but I exercised hard core, jogging 10 miles, lifting weights, The Firm, step-aerobics etc, but I was 33 at the time. I eventually gained all the weight back after getting sick 5 years later.

I'm hoping that I can tone up and be fit at 49 but I have Lupus now and other issues and I know that I will not be able to work out like I did before. So far so good though - 90 pounds, but I have about 80 something more to go.

Good luck to you.

By the way, there is a section called June 2012 located here with posts from those all sleeved in June 2012 located here if you would like to check it out:

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/198-june-2012-sleevers/

We also have a list of people that were sleeved in June called Updated New June Sleeve Compilation and you can see it located here f you would like to check it out:

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/42535-updated-new-june-sleeve-compilation/

I love you!!!! You made my day, nothing goes as planned. I was like you, I thought I'd be out doing the trails and I'm 22 days out and I spend more time in nightgowns than clothes. The complications I had weren't something I planned on, but I'm taking it all in great stride.

I learned the hard way never to trust a fart.

Sending my thoughts and prayers that you start feeling better soon. Work will always be there, take care of you

Three weeks out tomorrow here and I would like to move to pureed food and see surgeon on Wed, but I think I'm going to be made to wait another 2 more weeks. I sure hope not.

I am still using the med cups to drink out of. I really seem to take in way too much air when I drink out of the water bottle. I hope I can get away from the med cups eventually, but I still can't. 3 sips from the one ounce med cups is usually what I get, and I can easily get down 3 ounces one sip at a time but my 4th ounce, seems to do me in a bit.

I am sorry that you are so stressed but I agree, take your stress and anger out on the treadmill. Take a walk. Take a kick box class, a zumba class. Exercise is the best way to get rid of stress.

I spend 50% less time on the internet now than I used to. I contribute a lot of my weight gain to sitting on the internet.

I have had the same problem. I drank Pure Protein 100% Whey Frosty Chocolate for about 7 months pre-op. Every day for breakfast and sometimes for lunch. NO problem. During the pre-op phase, I was put on "New Direction" and they were horrendous to me. I bought a few "Muscle Milk Light" to switch out for them and it was tolerable.

After surgery I was on the Isopure, (they are not that great). The Green Tea was doable if I added MIO to it.

When released back to Protein shakes I was so happy & excited. As it slid down it would come back. The taste changed, it became like drinking the most horrible thing, almost like a disgusting chocolate Elmers Glue to me. Even brushing my teeth made me sick. I tried GNC Protein Shakes, I tried, Unjury chicken stuff, Unjury Unflavored and made my own shakes, I tried every muscle milk light or non-light. I tried stuff called Lean and each one, was horrible to me.

I just started being able to tolerate (barely) the Pure Protein Shakes. My taste buds changed, something changed, but I understand.

Right after surgery it got the point I was in tears because I can't really afford to keep buying and hating new Protein Shakes. I have two HUGE tubs of the Pure Protein. It's disheartening.

I am hoping eventually I'll start liking them again. As I can, I'll just buy small amounts of different brands until I can find something that doesn't make me gag. Sad but true, I used love my shakes so much and I never thought my tastes would change that much.

@ Kamrie it does, so I asked the nurses to bring me a large styrofoam cup of hot water to make my own tea. I brought my Peppermint Tea and Truvia to the hospital. If you like splenda bring it - because it's just generic crap at the hospital.

The hospital provided a safety pin for the drainage tube, but when I came home, I think the lanyard would have been awesome. I always safety pinned it to my shower curtain after I got the water to the right temperature but I would have to stand a little weird.

At Emy I felt the same thing. I actually dropped the buzzered thing and I sat there in tears one night waiting for someone to show up.

Indeed Joni!!!! I went into surgery 229 - I came home and on Saturday I weighed 235!!! I'm 18 days out and I weigh 213 pounds.

Sami made a great point about going to the bathroom....if you have nobody there and you are in bed, after you get the catheter out, it's weird going to the bathroom for a while. If you feel like you have to go press your buzzer, because it takes a little bit for the nurse or na to show up, then they have to unhook you from the leg compressor things, unhook your iv and pain pump from the wall, move your bed into a better position so you can find a way to fidget getting in and out of bed. I got some of my best sleep, sitting on the stupid toilet. I refused to go back to bed until I went. There was times I would have to stand, sit, turn the water on, and I knew I had to go, but it does take a while for your kidneys to start working again normal. It also takes a while for your bowels & intestines to start working. Don't hesitate to sit in there or go for a walk because I know I had a few times I woke up realizing I had to go and felt trapped in bed. I also had a few times I felt trapped in bed (because the sides were up) and I rushed and had to sit and just wait for the piddle to happen).

Oh and press your pain pump if you need it. I had to be told by my nurses to press it, I always forgot about it, or couldn't find it. I think I should have used it more, to make the experience a little better, but all in all. I was a champ.

I started biotin a little bit before surgery. A week before surgery I had to go off all vitamins & minerals. I started the biotin as soon as I thought I could swallow the pill at home.

If you drink any pop (diet or regular) or coffee quit now! Quit before you have to go on the pre-op diet.

I can only tell you things that made things easier on me. I brought one of those soft cuddly comfy throw blankets from Target (mine was brown, one side was soft and comfy and the other side was fluffy). I had it freshly washed and it smelled like home (Downy). It was my comfort in the hospital, I cuddled with it in the chair and it made me happy.

I went into the surgery smiling and humming. Made my nurses hum, even hummed my favorite little theme song to my doctor and anesthesiologists and nurses. It made everyone smile and lighten up and I was told I was one of the most positive people going into surgery and I woke up positive.

I found a decaff tea that was refreshing to bring to the hospital plus I bought my own artificial sweetener (truvia). I tried several decaff teas (after quitting coffee). Bigelow Peppermint Tea fit the bill with truvia. It literally calmed my tummy and felt better than water at first and even though it went from warm to cold, it tasted good cold. Hospitals normally serve hot tea with generic artificial sweetener in a coffee cup. It's not appetizing it smells like coffee though it's hot water. I probably have mentioned this 100 times since surgery in posts. This was my saving grace.

Bring Cottonelle or Charmaigne Box of wet wipes. After surgery your privates feel nasty (after getting the catheter out). It's a little harder to urinate on your own. Wiping yourself is a little hard because your tummy is swollen, but getting some of the orange stuff off you makes you feel cleaner. I also kept a brush on my table, because it was such a comfort to brush my hair because it became a birds nest.

When you go for your walk around the ward, bring along one of those mouth stick wipes because if you talk while you walk, your mouth will dry up on you so fast, especially if you are given the anti-nausea patch and anti-nausea shots.

You will be most likely be receiving shots in your belly every so often for blood clots. I wasn't prepared for this, nor was I prepared for a drain. Ask the doctor if you are getting one. The ted hose they use and compression thing I was afraid of but it actually didn't hurt and was comforting, I was nervous about those. If the ted hose starts rolling down and hurting, makes sure you get someone to fix it.

I made sure I kept my mouth sticks, water and peppermint tea and spirometer and I brought my own Kleenex (Vicks) type to the hospital. Those I made sure were close to me. When I would wake up during the night I would make sure I used the spirometer. I am prone to pneumonia and I used it OFTEN. I would take my big brown blanket and ball it up with a pillow and then cough. I still use it and it's 19 days out.

My hardest part of surgery (I was in the hospital 5 days) was the leak test. I had an allergic reaction to the Gastrique used and it was really hard on me. My face, neck and chest turned a bright red and I got dizzy and sick. Most people just feel sick from their first drink being something like that.

Things I did not use. I didn't use my kindle, didn't change clothes once (all the iv's getting any real pj's on there is no way.) I did have a pair crocs that I used to walk in, which was more stable to me than wearing their socks.

When I came home getting in and out of bed was not easy for me, and I spent a lot of time sleeping in the lazy boy. I walked as much as I could and I started spacing it out 20 minutes walking through the kitchen, living room and dining room 3 times a day.

I had the drain for 9 days and the last few days it started bugging me. Getting it out, was not comfortable but there was HUGE relief getting it out. I could finally actually breathe again.

Realize that no two people heal alike. There are people that sound as though they have surgery and go home and are out walking miles in the first week. You may have had previous abdominal surgeries and have more scar tissue, you may have never had one and aren't used to it and take it harder. Everyone recovers differently and don't compare your experience to others because it's unneeded frustration. Try to remain positive, even when the going gets tough. I had only questioned my decision when I had the reaction to the gastrique, and then when my drain got infected (I have lupus), they were fleeting.

I have tried to stay positive otherwise and it's done me well. I have a brain tumor, and I suffer from Lupus, I had diabetes and sleep apnea, and I suffer from raynauds and severe migraines and I have a lot of things that could contribute to me not staying positive. I had complications during my surgery which were pretty severe and still I would do it all over again. I will be 49 in August, which is how old my Great Grandmother Died due to obesity, and I am built just like her.

Good Luck to you and stay positive, keep a fun song in your head that day, be it a theme song - like Brick House, or whatever current music you like. Mine was the Theme from Sanford & Son and old TV show that I loved as a little girl. The music is happy & funky and to remember the look on my surgeons face or remember the nurses trying to hum it or my husband and son humming it as I was being wheeled out still makes me giggle

Love it. I am glad to know that I am not alone when it comes to the surprise I get when I hear of people immediately talking about eating things that got them in the predicament in the first place. I know that some people aren't fond of my attitude of pre-op either but I guess I am spending too much money and after having surgery went through a bit too much pain to already try to find ways to cheat the system or find ways to be able to eat like I did before.

I feel the same way as you about food. I hope it continues when I'm a year out.

Congrats. I am almost 3 weeks out and I actually started having some emotional moments. I guess it comes with the territory, even happy emotions have made me a bit weepy is is odd for me.

Congrats on the loss and good luck with the rest of your journey.

Oh bless her heart. My father and mother will be married in December 50 years and they are the same, goofy & lovable. My father has been my biggest supporter, until the time of surgery. He became so nervous he decided not to come to the hospital until I was already in the OR. He wore the blackest dark glasses when he visited me and he was a mess. As I progress and I start feeling better he seems to have adjusted.

Your Mom does not want to see you in pain, does not want to see you go through a drastic surgery out of love and concern for you. She will be fine once she sees that you are fine. Good luck to you!

So so so very happy for you Gene! Complications and issues are not the norm, I got dealt a bit of a bad hand, but I'm starting to feel a little more human 10 days out.

You are only 8 days out. Did your doctor give you any directions? I am suppose to be on clear liquids for 2 weeks then when I get approval move to full liquids for a few weeks before I move to mushy food, then soft food then regular food. This should take close to 10 weeks.

Your sleeve is still healing, what kind of food are you putting in it? Are you just doing protein shakes or eating real food?

Also, the IV fluids cause weight gain, so if you had an IV for a few days that's going to take time to leave your system. Your stomach is still swollen and it takes well over a month for your stomach to full heal inside, so maybe someone else knows better than me, but I had several nutrition classes and they scared the heck out of me with the fact I should not be eating real food or solids because it could cause so many issues.

Good luck.

Congrats and I added you to the June group

Onikatn, stick with what is going for you. I will be on clear liquids 2 weeks, then 4-5 weeks of full liquid, then I move to mushy, then soft, then regular.

This is to slowly reintroduce food into the system. I have met with people that are through my group and surgeons office and truthfully they don't seem to have these types of problems because they didn't start food so early. We're suppose to only try one new food at a time, that's it.

There's nothing wrong with easing your way into food, and in the long run it's healthier. Good luck to you too.

If you can't eat I hope you can at least get some protein shakes in whether it's Isopure or Shakes. I hope you can get in to see a doctor somewhere, you seem to have had a nightmare of a time and I just pray something works for you soon, because you can't keep going this way. Something has to give.

My best wishes that something falls into place and you and your sleeve can start working together to get you into a healthier body & frame of mind.