joatsaint

That was the case for me as well. I could only take tiny sips for the 1st few days and everything hurt. It does get better.

Sorry, but from what I've read on here, is is consider a bio-hazard and have to dispose of it accordingly. But ask away, especially if you are going to Mexico for the surgery. They may have different rules, it'll probably be given to you in a jar of tequila with a worm.

Man, you are so weird! Why can't you be like the rest and want your stomach in a jar as a keepsake?

I didn't feel like 2 days in the hospital were enough either. My doctor wasn't worried about blood clots after I was released. He mainly wanted me to get up and walk several times a day to reduce the chances of a blood clot. So I wasn't worried about them. I was hurting for about 6 days and then things started feeling better. I was back at work on day 10 with no pain, just felt very tired all the time. I wouldn't worry about getting blood clots while sleeping. Just keep moving and things should work out fine. As far as your diet and Vitamins, every doctor has their own program and I would follow his instructions. One thing that helped me with the gas pains was taking tiny sips of Water. I'd take a sip, swallow and tilt my head back and contract my stomach muscles just a little. That would help me burp. And when I was eating, I'd only take about 1/4 teaspoon size bites and wait a minute between bites or swallows to see how my stomach felt.

When I was making my decision, my main though was, "It's been 36 years of trying to diet on my own. Are things getting better or worse?" And, "Do I want to be this fat or fatter this time next year?" I could only see things deteriorating from here on out. I was scared, nervous and completely unsure. It doesn't mater how many video testimonials or posts from happy sleevers I saw, it was still hard to believe it would work for me. I realized a long time ago that there was no magic formula, pill or exercise program that was going to work for me. All those empty promises on late night weight loss infomercials had me burnt out and jaded. They are all selling the same thing, HOPE. If weight loss was so easy, then half the US population would not be overweight and the diet industry wouldn't be raking in billions each year selling us pills, eating plans, hypnosis tapes, and workout DVDs. At 34 days out, I am very happy with my sleeve and I would do it all over again if I had to.

I get that tightness too. But it depends on what I'm eating. Refried Beans with ground chicken, no problem. But boiled eggs, sugar free Jell-O, and sugar free popsicles cause tightness and the burps. You may be need to test different foods and narrow down which ones are the culprits.

I have always wondered, are they made from real Girl Scouts or do the cookies have artificial fillers?

Congrats on switching from lurker to poster! I too was a lurker for a while before making my 1st post.

Good luck, hope the doc visit goes well for you.

I've been off sodas for years now - ever since I found Crystal Light. I have never gotten tired of the Lemonade flavor. If I want caffine, I either take caffine tablets or I drink Crystal Light Energy - Wild Strawberry (it has caffine).

By my 4th week I was feeling pretty normal. But up until then, I was exhausted every day. Getting up and walking for a few minutes helped some. Finally I started sipping on coffee at work, that helped a little.

I'm 34 days post-op and only in the last 2 weeks have I had more quality sleep. I still have to use the CPAP machine, but I need less sleep and I feel more rested. Pre-surgery, I would sleep 8 - 9 hours and wake up tired, now I sleep 6 - 7 hours and feel okay. I've noticed that as I've cut back on my food intake in the past, I needed less sleep.

Congrats on breaking through your plateau. But to answer your question and taking into consideration that my body has been working against me for 30+ years - NO!

Welcome to the fourm. I was a lurker here for about a month before I made the commitment to get surgery. Take your time and read people's stories - and watch gastric sleeve journey youtube vidoes to get as much information as you can. My favorite video series is MrSmileyFL - http://www.youtube.com/feed/UCppSlsu0yfOr7v-d1fgIt0g I am not the kind of person who makes decisions that can't be undone (I won't even get a tattoo :-)), so it was a tough thing to commit to the surgery. And I chickend out on the 1st try. But I did it on the 2nd, but still had concerns about what I was doing to myself. I can still remember being in pre-surgery, hooked up to the IV, laying on the gourney thinking, "What would happen if I just got up and walked out of here right now?" It hasn't been easy or painless, but I'm glad I did it. The more you learn, the more confident you will be on your decision.

Just tossing in my 2 cents as well. When I started this adventure, I wanted to read as many people's experiences had as I could find. And the more recent the better. Can you please tell me what it's like having the sleeve? Does it feel weird or do you feel pretty much like you did before the surgery, except the eating? I feel the same physically, don't even notice it. If I had lost my memory and woke up today, I'd be like, "Did I get shot? What are these scars on my belly?" :-) I don't have the same warning signs that I'm getting full, unlike pre-surgery. There's no, "Okay, I'm starting to feel full." It's more, take a bite, feel fine, take a bite, feel fine, take a bit, opps too much. So I have to eat slowly and take smaller bites. But I quickly learned how much I can comfortably eat (about 3 - 4oz.) and how long I need to wait between meals. Do you slime or get stuck like the band? Never had anything get stuck, I have almost slimed, but since I was taking very small bites, it was more like a burp. I've been very careful about how much I eat and how fast, since surgery. Do you vomit because the food doesn't agree with you or you've eaten way too much? I haven't over eaten to that extent, but I have felt uncomfortable, like gas trapped in my stomach. Do you get pains when you eat too much? No pain, just pressure. I take a very small sip of Water and burp - pressure gone. Are you starving or does the sleeve really curb your appetite? I can say I have not had an appetite since the surgery (30 plus days now). I do feel my stomach growling, letting me know it's empty. But no feelings of hunger anymore. Can you stretch your new stomach? My doc said I can stretch my stomach, but only a little, never to it's original size. But that doesn't mean I won't gain the weight back. I can eat lots of things, like ice cream, that will easily pass through my stomach and take in extra calories. If I let myself, I could overeat on Peanut Butter every day. And it has 100 calories per tablespoon. I could easily eat 4 to 6 tablespoons 3 to 4 times a day and overeat. So I have to make better food choices. The sleeve is a tool to help you lose weight. It is not a magic fix, as much as I wish it were. I really would like to know as much as possible, i've been searching this site for a while. I still can't decide if I should do the band or the sleeve!? I have a friend who had the band and has had several complications since. He lost about 150lbs, but is still very overweight, and he has found ways to eat almost the same volume/bad foods. So it put me off of band surgery, seeing his experience. The main negative thing, in my case, was learning from my doc that I would still have the same obession to eat - caused by a hormone produced by the stomach (Ghrelin): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin With sleeve surgery, the stomach is removed and with it, the much of the production of Ghrelin. I am sure that is why, even though I can feel my stomach growling, I don't feel the need to eat. Whereas before, I knew that no matter how big a meal I ate, about 2 hours later, I'd be raiding the fridge. But in making such a life changing decision band/sleeve/RYN, it is best to talk with your doctor. He is the best person to evaluate your situation.

I've hit that stall as well, it's been almost 2 weeks that I've been at the same weight. But the good news is that I had to cut a new hole in my belt. I don't measure my arms, legs or anything like that. I have my own system. I get in the car and see how far my gut is from the steering wheel!

Congrats on having such a successful surgery.

I know where you're coming from. I backed out of my 1st attempt to start this treck, but a month later I did it. The turning point for me was when I realized that my life wasn't going to get any better - I hated going out anywhere, I was always hurting somewhere, and I could onlys see myself getting fatter and more miserable. I realized that after 30 plus years of trying to do it on my own, I couldn't lose weight without help. The next month I was back on track and was sleeved in about 4 weeks. Hang in there, it is worth it.

I am only 30 days post-op, so I can't speak to the maintenance part yet. But, I had the surgery for 2 reasons. 1. I've been over weight my whole life (seriously, since grade school) and my weight is slowly creeping up and my quality of life (socially, career, and pain wise) was deteriorating to the point where all I was doing was going to work and going home. 2. My goal is to look normal. I don't ever expect to look like the px90 guy, but if I could be between 15 and 30 lbs over my ideal weight, I'd be satisfied. The hardest part was making the decision to commit to the surgery. The rest has been easy compared to that.

I wish you luck as well. I was so ready for my surgery that I was barely nervous. The doctors and nurses said they were so proud of my commitment to the program. Err... or were they saying, "I should be committed"? I was wondering why they put me in a jacket that tied in the back.

You might get a pair out of it. After all it is the stretchy part of the stomach they are removing. Or maybe you could use it to make haggis?

You should ask your doc to be sure, but from what little I've read it contains caffeine and is a diuretic. Both of which you shouldn't be taking post-op. Caffeine will irritate your stomach and the diuretic will worsen any dehydration you may experience.

You might want to check out this thread, seems lots of guys want a "souvenir". http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/67090-is-it-morbid/

Congrats on your surgiversary!!!!! I too hate plain water, unless it is very very cold.

Everyone is different, but most people who've posted say you will be able to enjoy almost any food or drink eventually. I've eaten ice cream post surgery with no problems. And many people have reported being able to enjoy beer, wine, and alcohol as well - just in smaller amounts. As I said, everyone is different and you will just have to test your new stomach to see what it will tolerate. As an example - at 30 days, I can eat regular yogurt, but my stomach hates greek yogurt. I can eat grilled chicken breast that has been run through a food processor, but my stomach doesn't like canned chicken breast. And as I get farther out, I am sure my stomach will tolerate "heavier" foods, it just takes time to adjust.