Gene1970

for me the pain was mostly gone by the end of week 2 post op. I sneezed one day and didn't get to hold my stomach fast enough and it felt like a ripping sensation going through my largest incision... That one took the longest time to heal, but still better by then end of week 2. Hang in there!!!

I have the same thing and it's already starting to get less noticible. I think the more you lose the less you will see it.

I could have done it no problem at 3 weeks out. Tracey is right... make sure you have plenty of water and a snack.

Pre-surgery it was Coke all the way, now It's mostly water. I haven't started drinking Iced tea post op but can't wait. I think I'm allowed to start having caffiene again at 2 months.... Just 2.5 weeks to go!!!!

I was extremely addicted to Coke myself... I stopped drinking it about 6 weeks pre-op and now I'm over 5 weeks post op. I feel your pain, it's a tough addiction to break. I think what helped me is that I switched to drinking unsweetened iced tea which of course has the caffiene to replace what the code had. I really didn't notice the headaches as bad and now I'm not drinking tea and didn't have a problem when I stopped the tea. I only stopped the tea for my recovery and I'm sure I will start drinking tea again when I can. I still get the urge to have a coke from time to time but would never try one again because I know I wouldn't be able to stop. If you like iced tea I would highly suggest swapping to that for a while until you fully get past your Coke addiction. Good Luck!!!! You will get there.

First, congrats on taking the step to come back to the forums to get some much needed support!!! That's one reason I love this site... the supportive people. Second... YOU sound like you can be an EXTREMELY driven person.. You have done it before with your weight loss post surgery, you did it in your own career and you WILL do it again. What happened at your old company is horrible, you were not treated fair and were forced out wrongly... HOWEVER, letting self pity and depression take over is not the answer.. you obviously know that. Take all of that pity and depression and turn it into positive enery... prove that you are the person that lead sales in your old company... take that energy and use it in your new job and use it in your life to show everyone that you are a winner and that nothing, especially a bunch of stupid men will stop you from excelling. People suck sometimes (ok, sometimes more than sometimes)... but don't let them get you down. Prove that you are better than the slime that put you out of a job. That's my little pep talk... LOL... Others are right as well, think about seeing a counselor. If you cannot get yourself out of this funk then seek the help you need. There is no shame in asking for help once in a while Good luck!!!!!!

I thought I would want them post surgery but never needed them.

one week

I'm 5 weeks post op and have not had a protien shake in quite a while. I seem to get enough protien without them. One think that helps me in the morning though is that I make a smoothie with one container of greek yogurt, a little fruit and skim milk. It starts my day with around 20 grams of protien.

20 pounds in 5 weeks is awesome... I don't thin anyone should feel bad about losing 4 pounds every week. CONGRATS!!!! In time you will be able to eat anything that you used to, just not every day and not in the same amounts. I try not to focus on how much I am eating and enjoy every bite that I do get. Personally I have found that everything that I enjoyed (that I have tried so far) pre-surgery tastes just as good post surgery I just can't eat as much. Keep up the good work!!! Don't let food get you down, focus on the success you've had so far and know that one of these days you will eat your favorites again... Just in healthy portions.

I think a lot of us had the pre-surgery jitters and questioned ourselves many times. Just keep reminding yourself why you are doing it. For me I had to remind myself of the multiple unsuccessful attempts to do it on my own. I also kept close to the forums and gained a lot of support from those who had already had the surgery and had great success. You will find a lot of support here. Good luck on your surgery next week!!! The days will fly by and before you know it you will be several weeks post op. I've 5 weeks post op today and feeling awesome!!!!!

You will survive!!! Just get back on it today and stick to it. We are all imperfect and it's not an easy change to make. Try to stay away from temptations like eating out for the rest of the diet and it will be a LOT easier. Good Luck!!!!

Talk to your Dr, a lot of Dr's have an alternative pre-op diet is basically a high protien, low carb diet. Mine allowed me to have lean meat, cheese, low fat yogurt, non carb veggies, light salad dressing, etc... It was much easier to follow and after surgery he said my liver looked great which is the main goal. I lost 15lbs on the pre-op diet, at good, and still shrunk my liver. If your Dr allows this than do it... if not then stick to his diet but one mistake does not make you a failure. Good luck!!!!

12,000 cash pay in Kansas City

I'm a month out and have not experienced any hair loss. I'm also 50lbs down and I think My skin looks fine so far. Sleeve of Steel is right on, if you get your protien and vitamins you will look healthier and be healthier. No regrets here for getting the sleeve.

I love hearing what everyone else has lost. It's amazing to see what the sleeve has allowed us to lose. There are things that I have lost that I would not have even though about losing before, but I'm glad they are gone. I'll add one of Wheetsin's to my list... "the sense of shame and failure". I lost that as well!!!

What you are feeling is fairly normal. It sounds like your sleeve could be still a bit swolen and therefore it's hard to get water in and the hunger feelings are not there. I had this pretty much for the first week and it started getting better week 2 and even better week 3 post op. Make water your priority for now so you don't get dehydrated. Small sips of water will help, just remember to drink every few minutes. I would stick to your Dr's diet, but I know they are all different. Mine brought me up to solids at day 7 but they still recommended soft/moist food like deli chicken and turkey, soft cheeses, etc.. Give it another week and you'll feel a lot better, hang in there!!!

As much as it hurts to cough right now that's what you need to do... BIG coughs to clear your lungs. I had to hold a pillow tight around my stomach to do it so that it didn't hurt but it helped. Angelakay2 is right, you have to keep those lungs clear or you could develop pneumonia. Keep up on the breathing exercises too. I hope you are feeling better soon!!!!

I wish I would have lost my appetite, but at least my sleeve keeps me in check.

Finally something I'm not upset about losing!!! It will be a month this week since I was sleeved and here are a few things I have lost already... What about you... what have you lost? one shirt size (down from 3x to 2x) Pant sizes (down from a 40 to a 36) A LOT of my chin and neck... I actually have a chin!!!! amazing The need to stop at the top of a flight of stairs to catch my breath. I actually ran up one flight the other day and was amazed at how easy it was. The urge to constantly have a snack in front of me. Seeing the weight come off truly helps you keep your goals in focus. The pain in my right side. I used to get horrible pains in my right side under my ribs which I have attributed to my fatty liver... No more.. they are GONE. An impending sense of doom. I used to feel so bad physically that I was sure I was going to have a heart attack any day. Those feelings are gone, I feel great and can't wait to hit that goal weight. 50 pounds - that's 5 ten pound bags of potatoes, 10 5 pound bags of sugar, 44 bags of Oreos, any way you want to look at it, it's pretty cool to not have it around any longer. I can't wait to lose even more things from my life. Can't wait to hear what you have lost. Happy Monday!!!

Drinking will get a lot better over the next few days and the nausea will start to go away soon. At the one week mark you will start to feel MUCH better. Hang in there.

I totally agree, a saline rinse is the perfect thing. You can even make it yourself at home. 1 tsp pickling salt (it's so fine that it disolves quickly in water and it has no additives), 1 tsp baking soda and 1 quart of luke warm water. If you want to get more aggressive you can increase the salt and baking soda. I personally use 1 TBSP salt, 1 heaping TBSP baking soda and 1 quart of luke warm water. Use an ear or nasal syringe to flush it up eas nostril. The larger the bulb the better. I have been doing it for years and it works wonders for opening you up and cleaning everything out. It will burn for a few seconds if you have an infection but it will be completely worth it. I've had two sinus surgeries and this was how the surgeon told me to make the solution.

I would say 90% of the people here felt the same way as you did... heck probably more than that. Like everyone is saying, get the information and take it from there. For me I really had to reflect on how many times in the past I had tried a different diet or excercise and remember what the result was.... always a fail or a small loss and a larger gain. If I didn't get the surgery and just told myself that things would have changed... they wouldn't have. The decision is not easy and should take a lot of self reflection to see if it is truly what you want. In the end for me at least I KNOW it was the best decision of my life.

1 week out

Sleeved on the 13th and doing great. Like Karen74 I was losing a couple pounds a day up front but that has slowed as I expected it would. I'm still losing although slower which is fine for me. I know i'm dropping weight and that's what's important. I didn't gain 2lbs a day so I don't expect to keep up that pace in losing it. Between pre-op and post op I'm down 46lbs which is a ton more than I could have done on my own in this period of time. I'm seeing plenty of NSV's and couldn't be happier.