karenb4729

I'm a cracker-a-aholic! I love my crackers and it's something I have really missed. My pre-op diet was 30g of carb or less so I havent had crackers in a long time. I'm on pureed now and was told I could eat a cracker as long as I turned it to mush in my mouth. I need to start with a saltine cause those seem very easy to "mush".

What a great post and pictures. Very inspiring!

Wow, good luck at your training tomorrow!!! I'm two weeks out and still not ready to be back at work, I'm trying to work up my stamina!

Wow - that's awesome! I don't get solids until I'm 4 months out. That's probably a good thing since I'm having some trouble with my pureed. Tried a new food today (only 1oz) and thought everything went well..... until 2 hrs later when I had horrible cramps, gas, vomiting and diarreah. Just shows you really have to go slow.

I'm taking the generic version (urosodiol) and it's less than $10 per month. I take one in the morning and one in the evening. Not sure what the side effects are but I haven't had any. Again, this is only for the first 6 months which is usually when you are losing the quickest. My Dr puts all his WLS patients on it. Ursodiol is used to treat small gallstones in people who cannot have gallbladder surgery, and to prevent gallstones in overweight patients under going rapid weight loss. Ursodiol is also used to treat primary biliary cirrhosis Read more at http://www.drugs.com/mtm/actigall.html#u5O8HqQbdSSsfBpl.99

Yea, count me in as a daily weigher. I do it because there were a number of years that I refused to weigh myself because I didn't want to see the number on the scale. When I finally did I was horrified to find myself at 260 (up from 210 which had been my weight the last time I weighed). I vowed after that to weigh daily so I'm aware of the number because in the area of obesity ignorance is not bliss!

I love your blogs!! You make me laugh because what you say is God's honest truth when it comes to our bodies as we lose the weight.

My Doctor puts all his patients on Atigal after the surgery. This is a medicine that prevents the formation of gallstones or disolves gallstones if ones are formed. He has you take it for the 1st six months after surgery when you have the fastest weightloss.

I don't know what kind of pre-op diet you are on but I had to do low carb 30g total or less for 30 days prior to surgery. It really zapped alot of my energy, especially at the beginning as I was detoxing from the carbs. It actually gets better but after your surgery you will go through another period of exhaustion too.

Awesome!! I know Dr Billings - I live in Lynnwood and went to the seminar he gives. In the end I went with Dr Chebli due to insurance coverage and the fact that I really liked his no nonsence approach and stats. I think this surgery is certainly a lifesaver for many of us. Congrats to you for doing so well!

Oh the new cute is super cute!!!

Oh you are normal! I didn't poop for 10 days after surgery - it took taking Milk of Magnesia for two days straight and then I pooped. Of course it was another 5 days before I went again... : ) I have what feels like a baseball in my abdomen, Doctor said it was normal and showed me 3 places that you would feel the hard lumps - I don't think it has anything to do with adhesions. I'm still bruised and it's been a little over two weeks since my surgery. As for the gas - I still will get it now and then and I do still use the gas ex strips.

Keep some chewable papaya enzyme at home. That's what my Doctor recommends when you have eaten too much and have that stuck full feeling.

I was 2 days clear in hospital, then two weeks full liquids, 6 weeks pureed, and then 4 weeks soft. Finally at 4 months its regular food. Here is a link to his sleeve diet. http://www.northwestobesitysurgery.com/pdf/sleeve-gastrectomy-diet.pdf

I kept it quiet, my husband and two of my three kids know... the only reason my other child doesn't know is that he is in Korea right now and I didn't want to worry him being so far away. Last fall I had mentioned to people at work that I was considering WLS and the reaction was so bad that I knew then and there if I went through with it I wasn't telling anyone. I don't know if people at work guessed but they all think I had gall bladder and hernia surgery.

This is exactly why I got this surgery. Every diet has always started out great but when I hit that stall for a few weeks I always figure "screw it" and then go have something I want to eat. Now, when I hit those plateaus I'm not going to be able to fall off the wagon like I did before.

So, today I'm two weeks out and according to my Doctor's guidelines I am now in the pureed stage - will be here for the next 6 weeks. Anyway, for the last week I have thought what I would be eating, planning out my little recipes etc. Well here I am today and I haven't tried a thing. I have gotten into a good habit of timing everything with my water and protein and now I have to figure out how to add in the pureed. Its hard because I'm not suppose to drink 30 minutes before or after - plus I need to take as close to 30 minutes to eat as I can - all for an oz or two. Today, it seemed just like too much work so I'm gonna try again tomorrow.

I have the same thing too - I was sleeved on June 4th. My morning shower does drain the life out of me but I get dressed and try to do a little more each day. I have been getting in my protein and now that I can take in pureed I'm hoping that it will give me a little more energy.

So sorry about the blood clot but congrats on the 32 lbs! That's amazing!

I also used the hospital gown because they required it. I was told by the nurse in pre-op that the actually take the gown off you during surgery and then put it back on afterwards. Mine snapped at the shoulders which made it easy to take on and off over the IVs. The only thing you need is perhaps a bathrobe to drape over your shoulders while you are walking.

Thank you for posting this!! I was just complaining about the taste of chewable vitamins and wishing there was another option. I'm going to check it out!

My Dr uses a drain and waits to see what's coming out of the drain before removing it. Mine was removed the day I left the hospital but other folks with my Dr have had theirs left in until their 1st pre-op appointment. I actually think a drain is a good thing because the Dr has visual confirmation of how well you are healing internally. JMHO

I have UHC too and I'm surprised that they waited until now to let you know what the requirements are for WLS. When I first contacted them last October they let me know exactly what I needed to be approved. I then met their requirements, was approved and then went to the surgeon and started all the pre-op.

I would say to take it a bit easier first. My instructions as I go through each phase say that if there is anytime when I'm not tolerating a food to just back up. Are you able to eat yogurt? Its a good protein source and one that's easy on the sleeve.

I'm so sorry to hear that you are dealing with the acid reflux! I have had GERD for a few years and boy, its the worst feeling ever. Since my surgery I have been able to keep things pretty calm with doubling my dosage of my Omeprazole but in your case I'm guessing they have already tried that with you. I can tell you that if I was dealing wtih this everyday with no relief and surgery would offer relief -I would do it.