quietcougar

I'm at one month today, and I'm allowed all protine in normal form as long as I chew it up good. I've been eating chicken, beef, fish, pork, cheese, cottage cheese, shaved deli meat, refried beans, milk, etc. In another week I can start some fruits and mashable veggies. My calories average about 600-700/day.

The thing is, if you're thinking you're going to throw back a plate of pasta or half a pizza that won't ever happen. However, you're still early out yet and your stomach is swollen. Your sleeve will expand slowly - it'll take a few months to heal. You should be, eventually, able to eat most if not all of the foods you used to. That's an advantage of the sleeve over R-n-Y. Good luck!

When I was eating pureed foods, I ate mostly baby food because it was convenient. It was a little weird at first, but if you add in some seasonings, it's not too bad. You can blend almost anything into a puree, but some things just don't work well like that. Smoothies are good if you're allowed to have fruit. If not, use your favorite flavor of powdered protine and skim milk.

Personally, I use Livestrong.

Hmm...you're only 4 days out, so it's possible it's residual from surgery. I didn't have that problem, but my guess would be that yes, it will go away in a few days. You may want to call your doc's office just to let them know and see if they have any suggestions.

I'm also in a stall ATM. It's been about a week to week and a half after two weeks of basically free fall on the weight. But, as Emily notes, I'm losing inches so I can tell it's still working. Just going to stay the course. I know that there's no way I can eat these tiny portions and *not* lose weight.

As Valerie points out, your sleeve only holds a small amount of food. Liquids go though easily, at least for me, so I have to be careful about making sure I drink mostly water. Solids, though - you'll find that it'll be all you can do to eat one meatball, or a piece of string cheese. As the others have said, it does get better, but you have to watch out for "slider" foods. I've found one of mine and I have to treat it like an enemy.

Oooo...crackers are a no-no on my diet. I can't have peanut butter until 3 months out. However, if I was going to eat it, I'd use a spoon and just eat it off that. Zero extra calories. Good luck!

I was over 300 when I was sleeved, but basically, what I was told is that the more you have to lose the faster you lose it. Part of the reason for this is calorie restriction done by the sleeve, and it takes a certain amount of calories just to sustain you through the day. Heavier people burn more of these, and if you add in exercise, heavier people burn even more calories, so it seems like the weight just falls off. It sounds like your progress is about where it should be, as most people lose the majority of their excess weight at 6 months to a year from surgery.

Trifactor, I have UMR. It took a bit - I'd say a good 3 weeks to a month - for the approval to go through. But it went through on the first try and everything went really quickly after that. You should easily get your date before August. Hang in there!

DebraLea, it generally goes away within 6 months of surgery. Your smaller stomach makes less acid to break down food. Your stomach produces this mucous like substance to help digest food and move it through your intestines. It can be annoying and make you sick to your stomach to the point you don't want to eat. Warm fluids such as herbal tea or warm lemon Water help to break down this mucous and decrease frothing. If your symptoms persist, let your doctor know. Hope that helps and good luck!

Trust me, it'll work. I agree with MyGastricSleeveLife - you've got a lot of swelling and extra fluids post-op for the first couple of weeks, and that can cause the scale to go in the wrong direction at first; but it's only temporary. Very soon, you'll start losing, and the pounds will just fall off. Hang in there and rest, drink your fluids, and keep your spirits up.

Good luck! You'll do fine.

I'm 3 weeks out - it does get better. However, there are ways to change the taste of things. For example, I found a recipe that makes chicken broth taste like the skin of a piece of original Kentucky Fried Chicken. It only uses spices, so it's first week friendly. Really helps when you want savory and not sweet. Also, if it's texture you're missing, try crunching on something frozen, like ice or a sugar-free popsicle, if you're allowed those. Also, drink, drink, and drink some more - our goal is at least 64oz. of fluid a day, which is a lot. Since you just had surgery, you'll probably only be able to get down 32oz. but keep up with it and drink as much as you can.

It sounds like you had an episode of frothing. Your stomach produces a thick mucous that can sometimes come up; it's more frequent in the first 3 months following surgery and is normal. You can try drinking some warm liquid (Water with lemon works well) to help break it up. Nausea is also very common for VSG patients, and can be caused by a lot of things. You mention that you're having some trouble with meat and the Protein shakes - you'll certainly want to mention this to your nutritionist, who may recommend that you back up your diet progression to foods that are easier to eat. Go to foods for us, as VSG patients - scrambled eggs, Peanut Butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, refried Beans. All of the above should be easy for you to eat. If you're having trouble, definately contact your doctor. Good luck!

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.

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.

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!