cmf1267

I had muscle cramps as well while on the pre-op diet. Never had them after. don't know what caused them. I know you said you've been drinking your water (I was too) but may be it's not enough. I have heard that the muscle cramps could be from dehydration. Connie

I have a Breville juicer and was juicing last year before I decided to get VSG. I never felt better nor did my skin look better. Years ago I bought the Healthmaster because I fell for the "you don't get the fiber if you juice" bs as well. However, the thing about juicing is that your digestive system doesn't have to break down all that fiber and the nutrients from the juice are absorbed into your blood stream in about 10-20 minutes of consuming the juice. Also - with the sleeve - some times "fibrous" foods are harder for your new stomach to break down. I have avoided juicing & I'm 6.5 months out - but am considering adding it back into my diet plan. I did juice a couple times and mixed in the unflavored protein powder into my juice. I think it's up to you whether you want to juice or not - I would suggest that you juice your own fruits & veggies and not buy over the counter high sugar juices and use an unflavored protein powder in the juice so you can get your protein as well. You might want to wait until you are further out like around 6 months when your stomach should be pretty much healed. TTYL & good luck. Connie

Did you ever end up starting a flexatarian, vegetarian or vegan diet? Let me know how it's going. I know a couple people mentioned with how little we can eat they are worried about not getting the nutrition we need - but think about it - all we really get from animal protein is just that protein. We aren't really getting a lot of other nutrients from it if you aren't incorporated the vegetables & fruits. I figure I'd be getting MORE nutrients on a vegetarian or at least a flexatarian diet from whole foods than I get right now. I do take my multivitamin every day as well. Anyway - just wondering how it's going. I'm 6.5 months out and I've really been thinking about this as well. It was something I wanted to do before I ever had surgery - but every time I tried I just couldn't stick with it because I'd get too hungry. I'm thinking for the summer doing 1 day a week as a raw food vegan day, another day as a regular vegan day and at least 2 days where I eat meat and the other 3 just being lacto-ovo vegetarian and see how that works out for me. Connie

sleeved Nov. 6 down 46 pounds (start weight 240.5; now 194.5). I'm not working out regularly and mostly just walking. I kind of want to slowly add that in. My weight loss is still typically over 2 pounds per week so I don't want to go into starvation mode by trying to burn way too many calories per day. I did just order Jillian Michaels Body Revolution so I will start that when it comes in. Plus I'm going to try to swim on at least Sat. & Sun.

The first couple weeks were bad. It gets better - but even at 10 weeks out I still have bumps in the road where I don't feel great - or all the sudden food isn't going down well or without pain. I've read that until it is fully healed (takes about 6 months) you can get swelling that will occur in the sleeve throughout that time. Just try to get in the Protein you can and drink as much fluids as possible. Connie

In 2011 (before I had VSG) I was having some gastric problems (Doc thought ulcer) and was prescribed Prilosec twice a day. I took it for for a couple of months. My surgeon did not prescribe it - but I did have hunger 24/7 about a month after surgery and went on it. I asked him if it was safe to take every day and he said it was. Another woman who is a nurse who had surgery the same day as me was told by a dr. she works with that she could take it up to 2 times per day and it is safe. So yes - from what I've been told by Drs. it is safe. People with GERD take it all the time as a way of life. I don't know how safe it is to take it for years, but for 6 months to a year - I believe it is safe. There is a YouTube video by someone who said she had VSG and her doc only prescribed Prilosec for 3 months so she stopped taking it and she ended up developing an ulcer because of the excess acid production from the surgery.

I did have some foods yesterday that I don't normally eat - but everything felt fine - I chewed everything really well and felt fine yesterday (I did not overeat). Woke up this morning with an odd slight pain, like a pin-prick in my upper left abdomen. It lasts about a second and happens every minute or two. It doesn't seem to be brought on by eating or drinking. My stomach feels fine. I held off on eating until 11:30 this morning. I feel fine otherwise, no fever, no headache just this annoying pin-prick every minute or two. One little flub I made yesterday was that I had a sip of wine without thinking about it and then decided that wasn't a good idea - however, it didn't burn or feel bad in my tummy and literally it was a tiny sip. Anyone else have an odd pain like this 2 months out? I'm going to give it a day or 2 to see what happens before I call my surgeon (if it gets worse I'll call, but I don't think it's necessary now - this may not even have anything to do with my stomach or the surgery).

I know this could be acid and I'm going to run it by my surgeon at my next follow-up on 12-13 but anyone who has gone on prilosec or any other PPI since surgery let me know if this is what you felt, please. The last few days I've gotten up in the morning and I can't tell if I'm hungry or full and my stomach feels a little sore and raw and I tend to be a little bloated. Eating doesn't help get rid of the feeling so I think it's either acid or maybe just some part of the healing process. I know the 1st 2.5 weeks I didn't have any feeling of hunger so this is different. I did take a Zantac 150 today and after about an hour my stomach felt better (however I had finished a Protein shake as well), but the feeling only lasted about 2 hours and it came back. I can only take Zantac 150 twice a day - so I am going to ask my surgeon about this on my 12/13 visit. I know I may have to go on a PPI but I don't want to self prescribe especially since it feels very different than acid indigestion before surgery. Please let me know if any of you had these feelings. Thanks so much.

Maybe our surgeons have us on different types of Protein shakes. Today I got 80 grams of protein with 1 Protein shake & 1 Isopure Water. My protein shakes with skim milk are only 154 calories. The Isopure water had 40 grams of protein and are only 160 calories. 80 grams for only 314 calories.

I'm 3 weeks out and I didn't even get 400 calories today. Some days are better than others but I don't think I've even reached the 600 calories per day. I usually make my Protein or am just short. Obviously - I don't want to force it - if I'm full. How long til most people were able to get to that 600 calories per day?

The bra - yes I was sleeved on the 6th and that little bugger right where the bra sits is still healing. It's annoying. I kept a bandaid on it with neosporin for the 1st week or 2, but even at 3 weeks I sometimes have to take my bra off at home. The banana - if you're still on liquids like I am - don't try the banana until pureeds. I was just rereading the booklet the surgeon's office gave us and they talked about complications - in particular strictures and said they can happen up to 8 weeks out and usually are caused by ppl straying from the surgeon's dietary restrictions and trying to add foods into their diet before they are supposed to. Obviously, it's up to you and everyone's surgeon is different with dietary restrictions. Bad breath I haven't noticed - but yes I get this gross film on my mouth and teeth from the Protein. I drink those Isopure waters and they are just as bad if not worse than the Protein shakes for the film. It's nasty!!

I start pureeds next week for 2 weeks. I'm looking for any good pureed recipes. I'm not interested in baby food. I've got fat free refried Beans and I plan to blend that with salsa and then put in microwave with chedder cheese and to top with tblsp of plan greek yogurt. I'm thinking of blending some of my favorite Soups, but for some reason we're not allowed anything with corn so it's been hard to find soups without corn in them. Does anyone have any good recipes they used?

I had surgery on Nov. 6 (3 weeks out) and I have a terrible sinus headache. I hate to take liquid Vicadin for it but I'm a little afraid to try to take my extra strength Tylenol pills. I don't have any problems with my regular pills for high blood pressure or hypothyroidism but those pills are smaller than an m&m. The only liquid Tylenol I could find before surgery was children's (they had recalled the regular liquid Tylenol). The children's liquid tylenol gross's me out - its really sweet and thick. When did anyone else try regular pain meds?

You look great. Great attitude. You'll get out of the stall!!!!

I'm 10 days out and yesterday my sleeve kind of opened up and let me get in quite a bit of fluid. Unfortunately, I was so intent on trying to get in my fluids that at the last second I realized I was full. I've been a little miserable since then. Has this happened to anyone else? How long will this last. I'm back on pain meds (just children's tylenol). I'm not sick or anything so I'm sure I didn't do anything permanent - but my sleeve is sore and it was a little raw.