quietcougar

I agree with MeMeMEE - try different kinds of protein in different ways. For example, stir-fried marinated tofu with vegetables, TVP tacos, steamed whitefish with sesame Asian marinade, smoked ribs w/low-carb BBQ sauce, etc. There's a lot out there! But it does need to be moist, so things cooked in a crockpot (like a chicken, game hen, roast, pork roast, soups, etc.) are all good choices.

I was a strange case - I did it the day I came home from the hospital (2 days post-op). I was driving at 4 days post-op. I couldn't shower until the drain was out (1 week), nut I could do everything else. I was a little tired, but not bad. I've heard it's worse with others, though. I can hope you're like me, though. The key for me was getting off the pain meds - they really mess you up. But if you need them, by all means please take them.

No twitch, but I have noticed cramping in my fingers that wasn't there pre-op. Not sure what that's all about, but it doesn't happen often so I hope it goes away!

I've heard good things about all of them. Dr. Alvarez seems to be pretty good, as surgeons go. I have no bias that he is in Mexico, and I believe the quality of care is quite good there from what I have heard. Go with your instinct, though - nine times out of ten, it's right. If it feels right, do it. If there's a hint of doubt, clarify or find another doctor. This isn't a game; it's the rest of your life. You want this to be done right the first time. Good luck!

I've always been on the fence about eggs, even post-op. I like them, don't get me wrong, but a steady diet of them? Nyet. I prefer mine hard boiled, which is still a no-no for me, so I settle for scrambled. It's nice to have texture, but I still don't like the eggy flavor. Sorry, not for me.

A little prune juice will loosen just about any clog, and for the opposite problem, I agree with the fiber suggestions. Go with the clear fiber that you can put in anything, just be careful not to use too much or you'll bulk, and that's no fun.

Cultural note: sushi is the rice, sashimi is the fish itself.

The best thing to do would be to contact your surgeon's office or your nutritionist; they should be able to tell you. In my case, it was 2 weeks post-op before I started my supplements.

As others have mentioned, it's different for a lot of us. Here's what I can tell you they told me - you should be taking these vitamins: Multivitamin, 1 tablet twice daily, should be chewable and complete. Take 2 tablets a day even if the instructions only say to take one. Vitamin B12: 1000mcg sublingual (under the tongue), 3 times a week. Your pouch can't absorb B12, so you need to absorb it in the membranes under your tongue. This is important for energy. Vitamin B complex: 100mg daily Calcium w/Vitamin D: 1000-1200mg per day (depending on your age/sex/milk intake - one glass of milk is appx. 300mg. of calcium). calcium citrate is the preferred form because it is better absorbed after surgery than other types of calcium. Of course, I'm a guy, so I get enough Iron in my diet from the Vitamins without having to take a supplement.

Every doctor is different. The general rule of thumb is no less then 3 months, to allow the stomach to heal properly. Beyond that, every doctor is different. Some say 6 months, some say a year, and some say never. There's a lot of reasons for this. Alcohol is absorbed differently after surgery - you get drunk faster on less alcohol. In fact, it's more than double the rate of someone without surgery. So, it can be dangerous to drink. Alcohol won't fill you up, and only provides empty calories. There's also a chance that you could transfer a food addiction to an alcohol addiction - very bad. Most doctors, however, will clear you in that 6-12 month window for no more than 2 standard bar size drinks per day, and aim for only drinking on special occasions.

It varies for everyone. I was off the pain meds the day I came home from the hospital and was cleared to drive at 4 days post-op, but I have an extremely high pain tolerance. If you're on pain meds, you can be assured that you won't be cleared to drive, for safety reasons. Most people - a week or two before being cleared to drive. Good luck!

Wow. It sounds like what you went through was more like a horror movie than surgery. Although not all surgeries are routine, it sounds like this doctor has some serious issues. Here's what I can tell you they told me - you should be taking these vitamins: Multivitamin, 1 tablet twice daily, should be chewable and complete. Take 2 tablets a day even if the instructions only say to take one. Vitamin B12: 1000mcg sublingual (under the tongue), 3 times a week. Your pouch can't absorb B12, so you need to absorb it in the membranes under your tongue. This is important for energy. Vitamin B complex: 100mg daily Calcium w/Vitamin D: 1000-1200mg per day (depending on your age/sex/milk intake - one glass of milk is appx. 300mg. of calcium). calcium citrate is the preferred form because it is better absorbed after surgery than other types of calcium. All of these are essential to your recovery and energy level. If you aren't taking them, you may want to try. Also, Protein, protein, protein. You'll need lots of that to heal after your ordeal. Best of luck healing!

Congrats on the weight loss! I've found the tickers here to be, for lack of a better term, horrible. Your best bet may be to use an external ticker, like one from lilyslim.com. That's what I've resorted to, because even as a professor of computer science, I can't figure out the magic key to get these ones to work.

Only 2 weeks? Wow. That seems really quick to me. The general rule of thumb is 6 weeks, to allow time for your incisions to fully heal. It also depends on whether or not you had a drain in. That can take a little longer to heal. If your wounds are healed up, I'd say go for it - but if you still have steri-strips on your incisions, it's a definate no go. The last thing you want is an internal infection from swimming too early. Good luck!

You'll probably end up taking it. It's pretty much standard procedure from an insurance company's standpoint. In my case, I went in for a sleep study 2 years ago. The first half of the night I could hardly sleep; the second half, they strapped the mask on me. I spent 22 *minutes* in REM sleep. Yes, that's minutes. Normal people get about 11-20 seconds of REM sleep in any given night. I woke up feeling like a tiger and the best I'd felt in years. I can't imagine life without my CPAP. Having said that, it's not for everyone. Good luck in your Quest to refuse the test - you would think that they could use other criteria to base their decision on.

Before surgery, I mentioned to my nutritionist all the various 1,2, and more week liquid diets I've noticed that people are on pre-surgery. She said that of course every doctor is different, but it didn't seem very healthy to her to only be consumuing liquids so far in advance of surgery - it's not necessary to shrink your liver (the point of the liquid diet), all that's required to do that is high Protein content. Her recommendation was to eat protein, cut out soda, alcohol, etc. The surgeon told me after surgery that I'd done a fabulous job shrinking my liver prior to surgery. So, everyone's mileage may vary, but we should always do what what our surgeon/nutritionist recommends. Then if something goes wrong, it's not my fault!

I turned 40 in Feburary and was sleeved May 29th. I've lost somewhere in the area of 25lbs. so far, possibly more, waiting for next post op check to get on the scale. Good luck to all!

My postop diet progressed a little faster than yours; 1wk clears, 1wk full liquids, 1wk puree, 1wk semi-solids, then introduction of solids at 4-6 weeks. I'm in the puree stage at the moment. If I ever see another jar of baby food it'll be too soon.

I'm almost 2-weeks out and I've been fortunate so far - only thing I've done is gulped my water once, felt a little pressure, and stopped immediately. A few moments later I was fine. No nausea or other unpleasant side effects. Hopefully I never have problems, but this was an interesting thread!

Just my opinion - every plan is different, and every surgeon/bariatric program is different. Some focus on carb balancing, introducing cereals and such quickly to keep your energy up. Some (many) focus on high protein and low carb. Personally, I believe that's the best route. We need a lot of protein for the rest of our lives; the sooner we get used to eating it, the better we'll be. Also, for a lot of us, carbs are what got us to where we are. Carbs aren't evil, but we need to put them last in our diet.

I was sleeved on May 29th; immediately after the surgery, when I woke up in the recovery room, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck and I was *super* tired. The nurses set you up with a pain pump quickly, though, so your pain goes away soon. The problem is, each time you hit the pain button, you get sleepy. Like really sleepy. That was pretty much only overnight, though. And they had me up and walking a couple hours after surgery; it wasn't bad. Awkward, with all the hoses and pipes coming out, but not bad. By the next morning, I was in much better shape. Now, 6 days out, it's all just a memory. Good luck!

Congrats! I agree with others - harness the power of your local Goodwill, St. Vincent DePaul, Savers, or other local stores for your wardrobe. If used clothes aren't an option, cheap new cloths can (sometimes) be found at places like TJ Maxx, JC Penny (sale/clearance racks), or some local department stores. If you have a Dollar General or Family Dollar, they may also have something. Best bet, bottom line, though, is the thrift store. Best part is, you can buy it for $5, wear it for a couple weeks, and re-donate it. Our local support group here also has a clothing exchange once a month; maybe yours does as well?

Thanks, everyone! I feel better now.