Bufflehead

I took my narcotic pain meds. I don't like them either, but there isn't any heroic valor in suffering and the stress on your body from pain can slow your healing and recovery.

I was able to take tablets and capsules immediately after surgery, as long as they fit through a standard size wedding ring. Because multivitamins and calcium are typically very large pills, I took liquid forms of those for the first four weeks after surgery. Then I switched to chewable multi-vitamins and Citracal Petites for calcium. I had problems with anemia well before surgery, and took iron supplements, B12, and folic acid for that and continue with it. I also had problems with Vitamin D deficiency before surgery and still take my daily D3. I also take K2/MK7 just like I did before surgery, since it is good for bone and cardiovascular health. The only problems I've had with my labs post-surgery is the ongoing iron problems, but that isn't any worse post-surgery than it was before.

that's a pretty common side effect from ketosis, which you may well be in if you are eating low carb. Other ~pleasant side effects include bad breath, stinky BO, and weird smelling pee. On the plus side, you will be burning up those fat cells super fast. Other than ketosis, not sure what could be causing it.

One major factor is what is causing your GERD. Many obese people have hiatal hernias, which cause GERD. If that is the case, the hernia is typically repaired at the same time as the sleeve surgery and that can cause your GERD to resolve or improve. But if it is not caused by a hernia, some surgeons will refuse to perform a sleeve, or strongly recommend bypass, because bypass is typically much better for GERD. A lot of it depends on how bad your GERD is, as well. You will typically have an upper GI series or endoscopy prior to surgery, and that can help figure out what is causing your GERD, i.e., do you have a hiatal hernia.

It's really hard for any of us to say what is a normal healing pain, since for the most part we aren't medical professionals and even if we are, we aren't *your* medical professionals, who hopefully wouldn't be giving advice/diagnosis based on a message board post anyway. If I had burning pain like you describe, I would get in touch with my surgeon's office on Monday and run it by them. Good luck!

This is from the Mayo Clinic, which many people recognize as one of the leading, if not THE leading, medical institute in the country: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256 Note the sentence at the bottom of the page: -- "all fluids count towards the daily total." Besides, just looking at it logically, why wouldn't fluids other than water count? Fluids that we drink are made up mostly of water. Milk is over 90% water. Water doesn't become magically not-water and non-hydrating if you stir some Crystal Light in it or steep a tea bag in it. Water doesn't become non-water if you add some flavor and color and freeze it and make it into an ice pop. Things like almond "milk" are just water with some almonds strained through it. Again, it doesn't miraculously change into a non-hydrating substance if you add some protein powder to it. Also, unless your family are MD's or Registered Dieticians with expertise in managing bariatric surgery patients, you should feel free to completely blow off everything they say with respect to your post-op nutrition, exercise, etc. I wouldn't even waste my time arguing with them. Tell them you aren't interested in their unsolicited opinions and just refuse to engage with them when they try to tell you what to do.

the only thing you did wrong is to not learn about the three week stall and how normal it is BEFORE having surgery. Use the search box here and look for "three week stall" "third week stall" or something like that. Or you can even Google "three week stall vsg" and you'll learn all about it. Stop stressing, keep following your plan, and stay off the scale for a while. Everything will be fine.

Yes, it's normal, I'm 2+ years post-op and I haven't thrown up once. It is more normal than you think because people tend to post here about problems rather than smooth sailing, and throwing up is a problem!

Your stomach nerves are still healing and aren't capable of sending proper signals about being full vs. not being full at this time. Also, liquids don't really engage the pyloric valve to keep your stomach closed and "full," so if you are mostly on liquids or purees, you won't feel that fullness. Stick to the portions prescribed by your medical team and eat slowly while you are healing. That way you really can't stretch your sleeve or further inflame or damage your stomach tissues, which are still pretty angry after the trauma of surgery. When you are more healed and eating more solid foods, you will feel restriction. That said, the restriction you feel will be different from your previous feeling of "full." Don't chase the "full" feeling -- especially early on, you want to learn what it is to feel satisfied, not full. If you keep going past satisfied and looking for full, you may end up regretting it very swiftly!

I didn't have anyone at home and was fine with that. I made sure all the heavy cleaning and yard work was done beforehand, and had my housekeeper come by for a few extra visits to take care of things like changing kitty litter (due to lifting restrictions), vacuuming, mopping, etc. I didn't have a lot of energy but I didn't need anyone to take care of me. For me it was good to be on my own instead of feeling like someone was hovering over me, or that I needed to entertain company, etc.

My stages were 4 weeks full liquids, 4 weeks purees, 4 months soft foods. So pretty long. I'm glad I had a conservative plan though -- I never had the trouble, nausea, vomiting etc. that I see other people talking about.

i waited six months as per my surgeon's instructions, and stick with small and rare glasses of wine here and there.

My tip - stay away from snacking. Unless you are a diabetic or have other serious, documented blood sugar level problems, you don't need it. Plan for and stick with your three meals a day.

Whenever YOUR surgeon/dietician says you can . . . there is no uniform rule. My surgeon does not permit them at all because they are too high calorie and high carb and typically contain grains.

Gastric bypass seems to have stronger stats than VSG for resolving Type II diabetes, especially when you look at resolving it without the use of drugs: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200225#t=articleTop Also, I would expect that your bariatric surgeon would have better knowledge than the endocrinologist with respect to the effect of bariatric surgery on Type II diabetes, although I am sure there are exceptions! Good luck in making your decision.

Most major universities have body composition testing at a reasonable price. Google "body composition testing [name of city where you live]" to see what your options might be. Some gyms, personal training studios, and doctor's offices offer testing as well. As far as methods go, look for hydrostatic weighing, DEXA scan, or air displacement testing. Stay away from skin fold calipers and bioelectrical impedance, they are not very accurate.

--other kinds of cream soup, or strained broth-based soups --protein shakes --Unjury chicken soup protein --kefir (small amounts though, carbs tend to be high) --cottage cheese (if permitted on your plan) --G2, Powerade Zero, Lifewater Zero Keep in mind that you don't actually "need" anything else, other than what you are already eating, you just want something else. This might be a good time to practice not treating food as entertainment -- especially early out, food should be about what nourishes you and is safe to eat rather than what is entertaining or interesting -- that can wait until later. /end soapbox mode.

There is no "we" in the post wls eating world, unless you are talking to patients of your same surgeon and dietician. Each plan is different -- if you didn't get good instructions from yours, you should contact them for clarification. If that's not a possibility, consider your alternatives based on what your needs are. Do you need more protein than what you are getting from three meals a day? Do you need to stay away from a food plan (snacking) that is going to let you slide into mindless grazing? My plan on soft foods was three meals a day, no snacks other than protein shakes -- but yours may be completely different. Good luck!

I would suggest getting your body fat percentage tested rather than relying on BMI, which was never meant to judge individual health anyway. Body fat percentage would be a much better indicator of how you are doing with respect to weight and health than BMI.

Coffee/caffeine isn't "dehydrating" or much more of a diuretic than water is, and no one says to avoid water because it's going to dehydrate you. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084154

@@net0girl for people who are pre-sleeve, it's too easy to eat a ton of jerky and cram in the calories. Also a lot of jerky brands have high carbs and sugar.

that sounds like about 900 calories to me, I don't think that's bad as long as you hit your protein goal for the day.

Started at 359, here is where I am now, 2+ years out. Still have a few pounds to go but I feel great!

I think under most plans you can have cottage cheese whenever you can have yogurt. They seem to go together. Cottage cheese is a great post-wls food, enjoy! It's actually really good mixed with a tablespoon or two of PB2. I know that might sound strange, but it is good! I also like it with salsa or harissa or other spicy sauces.

I was allowed cottage cheese at four weeks post-op. Every plan is different though, and mine was pretty conservative.