lollyfidy1965

I would absolutely do it again....even if it meant having the crappy first couple of days over again!

I take a chewable Flintstones Complete first thing in the morning, and around 9pm. Also first thing I take a sublingual B12. I use a chewable Calcium with Vitamin D, comes in three doses/day. In order to ensure maximum absorption these need to be taken at least two hours after a Multivitamin (because the Iron interferes with calcium absorption), and at least two hours apart (because you can only absorb 500mg of calcium at a time)....so I have alarms set for 10am, 1pm, and 4pm to remind me to take them. In addition to these Vitamins, I take liquid Zantac morning and evening, Actigall (to prevent gallstones) morning and evening, and a Prevacid solutab in the evening. To make sure I eat everything I need to eat, I use a "Diet Minder" journal, and plan my day (food, drinks, etc) the evening before. Planning ahead makes it much easier for me to meet all my requirements....cuz I don't have to think much about it during the day. I'm currently eating five small meals throughout the day, with Muscle Milk for breakfast, and a high Protein Gelatin most evenings for a snack.

I'm 9 weeks post-op, and I average between 550 and 650 calories a day. 70-85g Protein less than 35g carbs less than 20g fat at least 70 ounces of water/liquid I also exercise every day, although I've had to cut back my walking, due to a nasty hip injury. I'm still doing 2 hours of Water aerobics every day.

Mine is my surgeon's business card on the front. On the back it says that the bearer has had gastric surgery, and is unable to eat large portions, so please allow them to order from the child's menu, etc. It doesn't say anything about weight loss surgery.

I got a card from my surgeon (well, from my dietician), but doubt I'll ever use it. I'm not a fan of buffets, and most items on a kid's menu are full of carbs, fat, or deep fried. I'd much rather pay full price for a meal that's healthy for me, and have left-overs for a day or two. That's the best bang for my buck.

Just as a thought, anything that is "time release" can't be crushed. Those may need to be replaced until you're able to take them whole.

My program requires all meds to be liquid, chewable, crushed, or opened (capsules) and dumped/mixed into something like sugar-free applesauce. My Percocet was liquid (never used it), my Zantac is liquid, my Prevacid is a "solutab" (it dissolves in your mouth), my Actigall is a capsule...I dump the contents into a little applesauce, my B12 is sublingual, and my vitamin and calcium are both chewable. I would suggest you get new scripts for non-swallowable forms of your meds.

Just as a side thought....when better to learn to deal with the reality of food being around you than before your surgery?? Like all the other behavior changes we were encouraged to make prior to surgery (eating with tiny utensils, using small plates/bowls, taking tiny bites and chewing the living daylights out of them, putting our fork/spoon down between bites, limiting sugars and increasing protein, etc etc), living with the sights and smells of food is going to continue...for the rest of our lives. The earlier you learn to live in harmony with them, the easier your life will be, when you REALLY can't indulge in the foods that go along with them! You might consider reading "The End of Overeating"....a great book that will make you think twice about what your co-workers are eating. It really helped me come to terms with my own reaction to commercials, smells, etc...because what I was seeing/smelling became almost revolting to me!

Mary...like you, I'm also a "by the book" person. I've been working hard at the gym, walking 45 minutes twice a day, and doing water aerobics (an hour twice a day). Unfortunately, I've developed some issues with my left hip, and am unable to do much at the gym for a couple weeks. (Its killing me!! LOL) I'd love to know what you've been doing, in terms of working out. Laura

As for "why the sleeve".....I wanted to avoid the malabsorption issues, commonly seen with gastric bypass surgery, if at all possible. Also, the idea of limiting the sensation of hunger (by removing the majority of the part of the stomach that produces ghrelin, dramatically reducing the amount of ghrelin present in the body) was also very attractive.

As a Navy veteran, I understand about not always having been overweight. Reality is, however, I've been "obese" for many years. For the longest time I felt that having gastric bypass surgery was ridiculously extreme. Who in their right mind would do that to their insides??? I also had no interest in the lap-band...no desire to have plastic bits and pieces inside me! (And I know too many people who've had it and failed, or had significant issues.) Over the years I tried almost every diet known to man...Weight Watchers (multiple times), Atkins, Nutrasystem, etc etc. I'd lose 20 or 30 pounds, stop losing, get frustrated and quit, and gain 30 or 40 back. When I hit 350 pounds, I decided I was just always going to be fat....I was going to be diagnosed with diabetes (I was "pre-diabetic" already), and my blood pressure was edging up towards the point of being hypertensive. I was just going to have to deal with it. And then I watched a program called "My 600 lb Life", earlier this year. There were four episodes, each following a different gastric bypass patient over the course of 7 years. At the beginning they were each at least 650 lbs, and chose to have bypass surgery in order to get their weight off, and their lives back in control. They were each portrayed in such human terms....and I realized that, unless I made some drastic changes, and quick, I was going to end up being that heavy. I signed up for Weight Watchers yet again, and managed to lose 20 pounds. When I quit losing (yet again), I decided dieting wasn't going to cut it for me....I needed something more dramatic....and, for the first time, I began investigating weight loss surgery. I looked at numerous programs located in the Boston area, and ended up choosing the program at Beth Israel Deaconess....a marvelous choice!. I initially thought I would have gastric bypass surgery (believe it or not), but ultimately chose to have the "sleeve", after discussing with my surgeon. Now I'm 8 weeks post-op, and am so incredibly grateful I had the opportunity to have surgery!! My wife has been incredibly supportive, and the program at BIDMC is awesome. I'm religious about following my surgeon's instructions, and am thrilled with the results! I've lost just under 70 pounds since my first visit with the surgeon, and am down 3 pants/shirts sizes since my surgery! I've had no major issues eating...I've learned when to stop, in order to avoid the discomfort of over-eating (trust me...you don't want to eat to the point of being over-full!!)...and I'm enjoying the process of reintroducing "regular" foods to my diet. Yes...there have been difficult days...no doubt about it. The first few days after surgery were miserable. The first 3 weeks after surgery I was exhausted much of the time. There are days when hormones get the better of me (hormones are stored in fatty tissue, so when you burn fat quickly, you often get bursts of hormones released, affecting your mood). But, even with all of that, I wouldn't trade my sleeve for anything in the world!! Its my new best friend, and I work hard to take good care of it. To have surgery was, without a doubt, the best decision I've made in a very long time!!

5 days post-op. I'm 8 weeks out now, and have a BM most days.

I rarely had issues with heartburn prior to surgery. Immediately following surgery (and I mean in the recovery room!), I began suffering from horrible acid reflux. They put me on meds right away, and sent me home from the hospital with a script for liquid Zantac. About 4 weeks after surgery I began experiencing bad breakthrough acid reflux...even with the Zantac. A daily dose of a Prevacid "solutab" was added to my med-list, and I've been great since then. Keep in mind, many people experience acid issues after this surgery...and many identify it incorrectly as "hunger". If you're feeling "hungry" after surgery, you might check with your surgeon to see if its really acid reflux. Best of luck!

All the burps I have (and there are LOTS of them!) are real-live, honest-to-goodness burps....nothing fake or "pseudo" about any of them. LOL

So...I tried on jeans 2 weeks ago, and found that I was down from a size 26 to a size 22. I had a couple old pairs of size 24's, so I decided to order some size 20's, and just wear the baggy 24's until I could get into the new 20's. Well....those new 20's arrived today....AND THEY FIT!!! I don't just mean I could manage to get them zipped...I mean I could breathe and sit in them!! They look amazing! Its been more than 15 years since I could fit into a pair of size 20 pants...and, so help me G-d, I will NEVER see anything larger EVER AGAIN!!! WOOHOO!!

Just as an FYI...."gummy" vitamins are not allowed by my program. Definitely check with your program before buying those instead of chewables.

You're taking a vitamin that isn't chewable?? My surgeon would have a stroke if I told him I was taking a non-chewable vitamin! I would recommend switching to a chewable...Flintstones Complete works great...or contact your surgeon/nutritionist to get their recommendation.

I have a hard time breaking 650 calories, and typically burn around 1200 calories daily at the gym. Keep in mind, it takes 3500 calories to burn one pound. If you're only burning 3100 calories/week in exercise, 1-2 lbs/week may be where you'll run. (In case you're interested, I've been averaging between 5 and 6 lbs/week lost since the week after my surgery.). Best of luck to you!!

I've had migraines since I was 5, and have taken Advil or years. Now I can only take liquid Tylenol....no more NSAIDs since surgery. I've found a very little Tylenol works remarkably well, since my surgery...taking care of lower back pain like magic. Fortunately, I've not had a migraine since my surgery (a significant miracle!), so I don't know how well it will work on one of those. I hope you get some relief!!

My highest weight was 354 (in March 2012) First surgeon appt-330 Morning of surgery-302.4 This morning (8 weeks post-op) - 262.6 Total lost - 91.4 lbs....82.6 to go!

I can eat about 1/3 cup of "soft" food (tuna salad, etc), or 2 oz of fish before I get the message. It comes in the form of discomfort (to the point of pain sometimes) in my lower chest area (below my sternum). Most of the time I eat slowly enough that I don't get that feeling. I've learned to avoid it! LOL

Call your surgeon, to make sure you haven't developed a stricture. Be well!

When I look in the mirror I have a hard time seeing the results of losing almost 70 lbs. BUT...when I look in my closet, and see tops and pants that are 3 sizes smaller, I KNOW that I'm smaller! I can't believe I can wear shirts that look so little (compared to my old clothes)!! Go try on clothes...even if you don't buy anything, you'll correct the thinking in your brain!

The morning after my surgery I was taken down for a leak test. After they removed my NG tube, I drank several sips of dye, while the tech maneuvered the fluoroscope to get pictures. The radiologist saw immediately that the lining of my sleeve was so inflamed that the dye wasn't passing through...at all. I threw up the dye, after several minutes, was taken back to my room, and suffered through having another NG tube inserted (while I was awake...it was horrible!). The NG tube stayed in Gordon 5 more days...nothing to drink...only a sponge to keep my lips and mouth moist the entire time. Thank God I never experienced hunger!! On the 6th day the tube was removed, and I was allowed to try sips of water (which went down with no problem), and then clear broth. The following day I was allowed to go home, on full liquids. I was given liquid Zantac, to help with acid, and had Prevacid added, several weeks later, when I started having breakthrough acid reflx. I'm now 8 weeks post-op, 40 pounds lighter, and a believer in following my surgeon's instructions to the letter...and in taking my meds/supplements religiously. Try not to let a set-back get the better of you....take each day in stride, know that you WILL get better, and allow your body to heal...in its own time. Best of luck to you!

I don't know where oure traveling to, but we went to NYC a week ago, and found that nearly every little store had muscle milk available in their refrigerator section, along with bottles of water and Fuze. Walgreens also often has bottles cold. If you can find a Vitamin Shoppe nearby you'll be able to get all sorts of things cold. Also...ask the hotel if they can provide a fridge for your room...most will, if you have a medical need. Best of luck!