Heyher

My doc said no straws because there is a risk of drinking too much at one time. Nothing about air or stretching the sleeve. Because you can swallow air even without a straw. Well I tried without a straw and was taking gulps of water. I talked to them and they are fine with me drinking from a straw as long as I watch how big of a drink I take. Every surgeon and every sleever are different. What works for one might not work for another. I think if its helping get in fluids, not gulping, not hurting, and the person uses it, then why not? And a cute pink sippy cup is really not the worst thing someone can do post op. :-)

Gin, Do you take it and then go lay down in bed right away? I noticed if I took it and hung out waiting for it to kick in, I would have conversations I don't remember having. Try taking it right before you lay down to go to sleep. That might cut down on the needing to eat while on it.

Congrats!!! Sounds like you have a great attitude and a very grounded approach to life post op. Brest of luck and congrats on your loss so far!!

Don't stock up on too much. What you like now, you may detest after surgery. I hated the orange pre op, but post op it was the only one I could tolerate. Syntrax nectar Caribbean cooler is my fave right now. I blend it with 8oz fat free milk and 5 or 6 ice cubes. To me it almost has a piña colada type taste, less the rum. :-)

Isopure like another poster said. They have a lot of flavors that might work. There are also unflavored proteins you could add. But in not sure how well it would mix. Also there are a lot of protein shots that might taste good.

Losing slow does have benefits. Won't have as lose of skin. There is a forum called slow losers unite. That may have some good insight. But look at the big picture. 25lbs in that short amount of time equals out to .5lbs a day. That's pretty darn good!! :-) Have you been tracking food intake and exercise?

Congrats!!! Hope you can have some ice soon. Start walking as soon as you can.

I have fibro and no NSAIDS this soon out. Try tylonal to take the edge off. If the pain is high, and you have pain killers from after surgery still, those can help. Cold temps/weather fronts can cause some pain. I live in CO where barometric pressure changes all the time. Cold fronts don't help at all. As weight comes off and pressure is relieved from the joints, that might help as well.

How far out are you? What kinds of foods are you doing this with? While it may be a stretch, could it be a transfer addiction? Or are you subconsciously telling yourself since you will never eat normal again, this is the only way to quiet the cravings? Because in time you will eat normal. It will be a new normal. Because you can't have something right out of surgery, doesn't mean you can never enjoy it again. Can you try to focus on what your current requirements are so maybe you will be distracted from bad foods? That way you can start retraining your brain for the good food and when you are far enough out, you can have occasional treats.

Mine started the day after surgery. Lasted four days and stopped. Then a week later it started again. Sucks big time.

Search the forum for three week stall. There are half a dozen posts every single day about stalling after three weeks out.

10lbs in one week is good. You can't compare your loss to someone else. Men typically lose faster then women too. I agree that two weeks is too soon to try chicken. I'm two weeks as well and am drinking protein, refried beans, cottage cheese, sf pudding, Greek yogurt, and lots of water. Measure out 2oz of food and stop after. It is no longer about eating to get full. If you can't finish the 2oz, no need to force it. Also the sleeve can't be stretched. That portion was removed. That's where the restriction comes from. Another thing that helps is to track your food on something like my fitness pal. That way you know exactly how much you are getting.

Gallbladder? Your PCP or hospital can check. If pain is at a 7, I wouldn't wait for a few days.

They wanted me to have a bm or pass gas while I was in the hospital. I didn't do either. I just burped a lot too. But while walking sometimes I would feel a bubble of gas. And I told them about that. They might have you take milk of magnesia. Have they been giving you reglin or something similar? They just ask to make sure everything is, um, flowing. LoL! Well that's the explanation I got from the nurse.

If what they have you on isn't strong enough or lasting longer enough, you can ask for something different. I was on dilaudid every four hours. Helped so much with abdominal pain. Gas pain from the co2 has to be walked off. But my pain management goal was to never be higher then a 4. I was off all pain meds within 4 or 5 days. So it does get better pretty fast.

One week out and the itching has started already. And to help join in the fun my insomnia has decided to kick in full force. sleep and sanity? Who needs that? Have my follow up appointment tomorrow and I'm gunna ask if I can start using my ambien yet... Did anyone with insomnia pre op notice it got better, worse, or stayed the same after surgery?

Isopure is a good one.

So.... Insomnia is driving me bonkos. I lay down to go to sleep and I'm wide awake. Every night it is the same thing. I lay down, toss and turn for a couple hours, go lay down and watch late night tv, lay back in bed, toss and turn, and pass out around midnight. Wake up at 6 am so wiped out. I'm thinking of taking tylonal pm tomorrow night. Something so I can lay down and fall asleep... Boo insomnia...

If you are worried about headaches, try cutting your consumption in half tomorrow. Then after a few days cut that in half again. Few days cut it in half again. Then you should be able to stop with minimal headache if any at all.

Mine were clear liquids day before and nothing to eat or drink 8 hours prior. I was in the late afternoon, so surgery day sucked.

Happy dirty thirty!!! You look amazing!!!

Three week stall is the norm. Search three week stall on here. There are tons of threads. A lot of them have tips on what people did to try and break their stalls. Also what worked and what didn't.

I have been following your story since I joined this site. You are such an inspiration! And a testament to how diligent we need to be about any symptoms. Congrats on your success and best of luck on your plastics!!

I wouldn't have spent five months fighting insurance and paid myself. Five months of fighting and I still ended up paying. Best money I have EVER spent.

AMAZING!!! You look fantastic! Congrats on your loss!!