joatsaint

I went through the "can't sleep comfortably" period - it lasted about a month. For the 1st 2 weeks post-op, the only comfortable position I could find was sitting in my computer chair. sleeping on either side was impossible for about a month. I would feel a pulling sensation inside when I tried to lay on either side. I had to sleep propped up, like in the hospital bed, and on my back. I promise it does get better and it is worth every minute of discomfort I went through. Life on the other side is sooo much better and in 6 months, you'll be wondering why you put off having surgery for so long!

I used my CPAP for almost a year post-op. I never felt like my sleeve was stretched. I stopped using my CPAP when I was sleeping as well without it as I did with it... about 11 months post-op. I have since tried sleeping with the CPAP several times in the past year, only to wake up burping and passing so much gas, I couldn't sleep! So, no, I don't think it's possible to stretch your sleeve using a CPAP. There are 2 easy escape routes for the extra air!

Every NUT and doc has their own set of guidelines. And every patient has different tolerances to food and drink. I was told to stay away from caffeine for the 1st month, as it can irritate the sleeve staple line. When I did start drinking coffee again, I took it very slow. My 1st cup, I took a sip - about a teaspoon full, waited 5 minutes and took another teaspoon sized sip, waited 5 minutes. I know from experience that if I'm going to have a negative reaction to food or drink, it's going to happen in that 10 minute window.

I felt the gas pains in my shoulder, on and off for about 7 days. The pains gradually faded.

Mine was several hours, because there were several hundred questions. Then I had a 20 minute interview with the psychologist. Mainly I was asked questions about how I looked at life, was I prepared for the changes I'd need to make and if I had realistic expectations of how much weight I could expect to lose.

Mine was several hours, because there were several hundred questions. Then I had a 20 minute interview with the psychologist. Mainly I was asked questions about how I looked at life, was I prepared for the changes I'd need to make and if I had realistic expectations of how much weight I could expect to lose.

I got a lot of cravings for fruits in the 1st few months post-op. I had gone so long without eating any pure sugar that I think it was my brain trying to trick me into eating carbs. But I did eat some fruit, it was literally one 3/4 inch square of pineapple. And Frankensleeve had a fit. It felt like he was trying to roll himself into a ball. It was a good 6 months before I could tolerate any kind of fruit - apples, grapes, and pineapple. And even after 6 months, I wasn't able to hold more than a slice or 2 of an apple or eat 1 or 2 pieces of pineapple per hour. Frankensleeve was so picky that he guaranteed that I stuck to my recommended diet - 75% lean Protein and 25% low glycemic carbs (Beans, lentils, squashes, cauliflower..).

Miss Mac, I right there with you on the toenail cutting! The two things I find the most amazing since the weight loss is: 1) being able to get up off the floor without having a chair or desk nearby to lever myself up. 2) being able to "step into" my car. I used to have to sit down backwards into my car seat and then pull my legs in.

I'm 2 years post-op and still only go about once every 4 days. I don't have any constipation problems anymore, but I do eat quite a bit of Fiber in the form of cauliflower, re-fried Beans, and brussell sprouts. Only twice have I had to resort to Milk of Magnesia to get things moving. I took almost a double dose and drank 16+ ounces of Water in the hours that followed. Drinking all that water seemed to do the trick. I used to get freaked out, being so long between bathroom breaks, but I figure my system had 40 years of having to deal with 3500+ calories of food a day and the measly amounts of food I eat now don't take up much room.

My doc encouraged me to get my protein from real food, not shakes. The shakes made a good source for protein when I wasn't able to eat enough real food, but he said protein shakes are missing many of the trace minerals and nutrients you get from eating real food.

Well, you definitely are not alone. I was just as worried as you are about life after the sleeve. Even before I started losing a significant amount of weight, I was anxious. I had been overweight for 40 years. I knew how to be fat. Now I had to learn to be thin. I don't know how to be thin!!!!!!! But I'm working on it. Plus, after being overweight for so long, losing weight was a dream I had given up on. So for the longest time, I kept expecting something to go wrong and I'd gain the weight back. I'm 48 and over 2 years post-op. Life is very normal, pretty much the same as it was pre-op. The major change is that I have control over my eating. I don't have food cravings that are out of control anymore, there's nothing I CAN'T eat (it's just in smaller portions) and I can still drink alcohol (but I get drunk much quicker). It took me many months to embrace the idea that my weight was finally under my control and I was finally at a normal weight. Take it a day at a time and eventually the dream will become reality.

I was only sent home with liquid pain meds, nothing else.

When I'm feeling blah about my job and really don't want to be there, I try (but don't always succeed) to think about making my client's day a little better by doing the best job I can. Or if that doesn't work for me, I try to think of it as.... my boss paying me to train for my next job! Seriously! Please don't think I'm always successful at either trains of thought, sometimes they work, other times they don't.

I didn't want to tell anyone, only because I was afraid they'd see me fail at another attempt to lose weight. So I only told the 3 people that had to know... my best friend, my mom and dad. Anyone that noticed my weight loss and asked about it, I would tell them the truth; I had drastically cut back on my eating and was walking more. I just left it at that. After I lost the weight, it no longer mattered to me if anyone knew.

The liquid diet was the hardest part of this adventure. Mainly because I really didn't believe that WLS would work for me. I'd been chasing the dream of being normal sized for too many years and believing all the marketing hype for the newest diet or pill that would "magically" fix me. If I had known back then what I know now.... well, you know. Every minute of the liquid diet was worth it. And so was everything I had to go through to be approved for surgery, all the tests, and the multiple 4 hour drives to my doctor's office and the hospital. It was all worth it. I know until you go through this adventure, you will have your doubts. So all I can say is hang in there, do what your doctor and NUT advise. And have faith that it's all worth the effort. Live every day with purpose. Live every day according to your mission and your plan. Have a vision for what you want to accomplish, and act in congruence with it. Focus on what matters in YOUR life and never, ever, EVER give up on what is important to you. Stay strong. I believe in you. And I know that you can do it.

I was put under 2 different times. The 1st was for the pre-op EDG test. They gave me the sleep drug that Micheal Jackson used - propofol. They told me it might feel a little warm at the IV site, when they injected the drug. It literally felt like I blinked my eyes..... and the EDG test was over. One second I was blinking my eyes closed.... and when they opened, it was over and they were ready to roll me out of the OR. For the WLS operation, they used a different type of anesthesia. But it was virtually the same experience. I was very very nervous, so when I felt a little sleepy, I just went with the feeling. Next thing I knew, they were rolling me down the hall and back to my room. Nothing too it, either time.

I too am dealing with "wanting" to eat vs real hunger, on a daily basis. I find that most of this drive to eat happens when I eat processed foods or high carb foods... especially when I eat Pasta or cake. My only method to combat those desires is to eat Protein. If I'm eating for no real reason other than I just want to eat, I fill up on protein - chicken or pork loin are my choices - to the point where I'm completely full. And then, if I still have to eat something sugary, I eat it, but usually I can only hold a bite or 2. That seems to take care of the food cravings and head hunger. I really have to watch out for processed foods; like frozen dinners, lunch meats, or even sausage. They will cause my cravings to flare up the same way sugar and pasta effect me. My best advice is to stick to lean protein sources and stay away from processed foods as much as possible, that includes processed foods like Protein Bars.

After being single for more than 30 years, I've finally found a lady that likes hanging out with me. I haven't told her anything beyond the fact that I've lost a lot of weight and I have to limit how much of certain foods I eat. I've told her that I can't eat a whole bunch of anything if I want to keep the weight off. That seems to be enough info to share with her for now. When we go out, I told her right from the start that I would not be eating much and I was going out, not to eat, but to hang out with her and enjoy her conversation and company. But if you are going to be dating later in the year, that means you'll be further along in the healing process and will probably be able to eat much more than you can now. At 6 months, I was up to eating 1 cup of food per meal. I know that's isn't much, but it's more than 4 bites. As far as scars go, I'm going to try to make a joke of it by telling her that the big scar is where the alien popped out. If she laughs at that, then I'll feel comfortable telling her the rest of the story. But seriously, 4 out of 5 scars I have are faded and look like big freckles. The 5th one is very faded and in low light, very difficult to notice.

Out of all the bars Quest sells, these do not have the Erythritol sugar alcohol listed as an ingredient. vanilla Almond Mixed Berry Bliss Peanutbutter Supreme chocolate Brownie Peanutbutter and Jelly Apple Pie

Pre-surgery, my feet would randomly get sore and would swell. Post-surgery, my feet have shrank 1/2 shoe size and have stayed that way for over a year.

I never blended in a banana, but to make my Premier Protein chocolate shakes taste better, I added a scoop of chocolate protein powder. I had an old bag of chocolate meal replacement powder laying around and just tossed in a scoop one day to see if it improved the taste/consistency of the pre-made shakes. I liked the way it made my shake much thicker and boosted the chocolate flavor. It added 70 calories and 10 grams of protein to my shake.

If you were to heat them in the microwave for a few seconds, they would be soft enough to cut with a fork. I wouldn't go for the ones with dark chocolate or brownie flavors.... those bars were much much thicker and chewier. Of the 12 flavors I've tried, the fruit flavors were the softest. In particular, berry Bliss, strawberry Cheesecake, and Apple Pie. But be careful of the sugar alcohols. The Erythritol sugar alcohol used to sweeten SOME of the bars, it's not used in all of them, caused Frankensleeve a bit of stomach upset... but he's 2 years old now and is a bit more tolerant of new foods. I would wait till I was allowed full foods before eating any Protein bars. Or call your Doc or NUT and see what they advise, they are in the best position to advise you. But if you are going to try them, use my tried and true Frankensleeve new foods taste test: Take a small bite... about the size of a teaspoon. Wait 5 minutes Take another teaspoon sized bite Wait 5 minutes If Frankensleeve hadn't grumbled by then, I knew the food was safe for me to eat. If you would care to hear my review of the 12 bars I tried, here is the link to my Youtube Quest Bar playlist http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYoG14FX5FCXliAUJ1C9EZbn_Ls95ZrUr

I have several favorites, but Mixed berry Bliss is #1. I've only recently started eating Quest bars, so I'm being very vigilante to see if they cause food cravings, weight increase or stall. If you haven't jumped on this offer, you should... 2 free Quest Bars. All they need is your mailing address and email. Here's the link. ----> http://www.questnutrition.com/freesample

You may not have a goal weight, but do you have a certain amount of weight you'd like to lose each month? By having some kind of target in mind, I am able to determine if I am progressing or not. I can always reevaluate my goals if I find that they don't suit my needs. Just a thought.