joatsaint

If you can, do what I did to avoid seeing food. I didn't watch commercial TV. I loaded up my DVD player and watched movies and seasons of TV shows. I wanted to avoid thinking about food at all costs. And I too was angry. Don't know what I was angry about, but I really really wanted to fight everyone for those 1st 10 days post-op.

I too was cold for days after surgery. Probably had to do with the blood thinners in my system and the healing process. I was getting blood thinner shots before and after surgery, but I didn't have to take them once I was released. You might as well buy some long johns now. As you lose the weight, the skin is gonna get thinner. My feet and hands get cold very easy since the weight loss. I start wearing thermal underwear in October. It's a small price to pay. And just think of all that extra cash, between the money you save on lower food costs and lower electric bills in the summer! You'll be getting one heck of a Return on Investment from the money you spent on surgery. (Yes, I am so cheap that I calculated that the lowered food bills over 3 years would pay for my surgery.)

My stalls lasted from 1 to 3 weeks, when I was sticking to my recommended calories and foods. When I was... errrr... "experimenting" (experimenting: definition - eating stuff I wasn't supposed to eat) with new foods, and creating my stalls as a result, they would last until I cleaned up my eating habits.

It was weeks before I could take more than a sip every few minutes. For the 1st 6 months, Frankensleeve would only hold 4 ounces of liquids or food. So it took a long time to get back to drinking what I would consider a normal swallow. And by that time, I'd gotten used to my new "normal" amount I drank per swallow. I think I could safely take 4 swallows (on an empty stomach) at the 6 month mark. Now, it's just an unconscious habit - being mindful of how much I'm swallowing on a full or empty stomach.

That was normal for me as well. I felt bloated and had cramps whenever I would eat carby stuff like potatoes, bread, Pasta, and rice. It was almost a year post-op before I started tolerating those things well. I embraced the fact that Frankensleeve didn't like those things and focused on eating healthier choices. I never again wanted to start eating the things the put the weight on me in the first place.

Finally got everything uploaded. Here is a link for those that like their videos in a playlist. http://youtu.be/g5ZvSnWlEpo?list=PLYoG14FX5FCWW202OIdaS3NDXY82df5Gz Below are all the videos, for those that would like to stay watch them without going to Youtube.

Congrats on your 100lb loss. I remember how great it felt to cross that goal. After the 1st 100, I still had at least another 70 lbs to lose, just so I would consider myself an "average" size person. And I thought it would take forever to get there - but it really only took another 7 or 8 months. It's not much consolation, but I tried to remember how much I wasn't losing before surgery and back then, I would have been happy to lose any amount of weight on a consistent basis. Hang in there, you can do it.

Thanks heynowkc, My plan was to post it as 1 video and also to break it up into 6 or 8 short videos. But my computer crashes when it tries to make 1 long video. So I"m creating 15 minute videos and putting them in a play list. It's taking about 2 hours per 15 minute video to encode and upload to Youtube.

Hey guys, First off, I wanted to say thanks for all the support and information I've gotten from Bariatricpal and it's community. I've come to learn we all go through the same set of doubts and fears and worries - no matter what type of WLS we've had. So here's my attempt to try and pay if forward. I kinda shot myself in the foot, creating an hour and half long video that was 13 gigabytes in size. Processing a video that size has taken my computer days, not to mention the additional time it will take to upload to Youtube. So I've had to break it into segments. I've posted my body shot video 1st because it was the shortest video segment. I'm going to get more of the segments posted over the weekend - in a play list, but because of their size, I don't know how many I can get uploaded before Monday. UPDATE: ALL THE VIDEOS ARE UPLOADED! Finally got everything uploaded. Here is a link for those that like their videos in a playlist. http://youtu.be/g5ZvSnWlEpo?list=PLYoG14FX5FCWW202OIdaS3NDXY82df5Gz Below are all the videos, for those that would like to stay watch them without going to Youtube.

At 2 years post-op, I can still only eat 1 to 1/2 cups of protein/vegetables comfortably. It's been that way since my 1 year anniversary and has not increased. I had 2 points at which my sleeve seemed to relax and I could hold more. The 1st increase came at 6 months - I went from only being able to eat 1/2 cup per meal to being able to eat about 1 cup per meal. The 2nd point was at the 1 year mark - my intake increased to 1 to 1 1/2 cups. And has not changed since then. The density of the food makes a difference as to how much I can hold - beef, chicken, pork are the ones that fill me the quickest and stick with me the longest. Vegetables are less dense and I can hold more and don't stick with me as long as meat. But when you have the sleeve, they only trim away the stretchy part of the stomach, leaving the tough non-stretchy part of the stomach behind - so it's very tough to stretch out. Plus they do not reroute any of your intestines. During the DS part of the surgery they reroute the intestines.

Congrats on such a wonderful NSV! I've never skiied, not much chance to do it in Texas.

Thanks, Qtpie28

Thanks Jamie, I too like a playlist - sorta like the way a jukebox works. I play my movies the same way. Load up several on my computer and just let'em run all day. I use movies the way some people use the radio - as something in the background to casually listen to. Unless it's one I haven't seen before - then I have to sit still and watch. living55, thanks for the info. My intention was not really for someone to sit through the whole thing, but have it play in the background sorta like the radio while working around the house - since there's really not much to keep your eyes busy.

I too hurt like Hell!!! I was taken off the pain meds early in the morning, but wasn't released till 6 hours later. At some point I got the hiccups and stretched my staple line. I had a 2 hour car ride home, and I could feel my staple line stretch at every turn, bump and stop. I don't think it would have been so painful if I had not gotten the hiccups and irritated Frankensleeve. But I'd do it all again in a New York Minute (recently measured at 32 seconds)!!!! It was all worth it.

My preferred drink is Crystal Light lemonade w/ Tequila. I do drink the occasional beer or Mikes Hard Lemonade. But I drink them very carefully because of the carbonation. I usually pour them over ice to release some of the bubbles.

Hey guys, I just finished making my 2 year Surgerversary video. It wound up being much longer - 1 1/2 hours long - than I expected. I didn't know if I should upload the video as one long video or break it up into 20 - 30 minute segments in a playlist. So I thought I'd ask you guys what you preferred? Thanks for taking my poll.

I've only drank Premier Protein chocolate and EAS carb control shakes since surgery. I like miine a little thick - and I aleady had an old bag of chocolate flavored protein powder in the house - I just toss in 1 scoop of powder (1/2 of a serving size) with the premixed shake. Tastes like a thick silky chocolate milk to me.

Sugar alcohols will cause me to have loose BMs. Years ago, when I was doing Atkins, I took 6 sugar free pecan turtles (yes, the experience made such an impression, I remember it 10 years later! ) to the movies. I ate all 6, and in 30 minutes, I was running to the bathroom. Lesson learned.

I've never experienced dumping syndrome - maybe I was too paranoid about it and stayed away from carbs. But at times I did feel like a lawn sprinkler, having diarrhea so many times. My BMs were irregular for almost a year, before things started working somewhat normal again. In the beginning, it was diarrhea - from the liquid and puree diet. Then onto constipation - after moving to full foods and eating lots of Protein. I still don't go but every 4 or 5 days, but at least the problems of constipation and diarrhea are a thing of the past.

"What tips would you have for me? Any medications that could help with the gas and/or bloating? Acid reflux meds? The works! I plan on stocking up on everything I need! What about walking, when was it possible for you to go out and walk normally?" I never took any meds for gas, so I don't have any recommendations in that area. Some people say to get Gas-X strips. I can advise you on stocking up on food. Don't buy a lot of anything. Maybe just 2 or 3 of things like chicken broth, Protein shakes, sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jell-O. In the 1st week or 2, I was eating so little that I didn't need all the things I stocked up on. Plus my taste buds changed and some of my favorite things tasted bad. I was up and walking comfortably while I was still in the hospital. Once I got home, I was back to walking my normal pace. My doc wanted me walking 30 minutes a day - starting the 1st day home. Hope this helps.

I wasn't a fast loser, so I was only losing 13 or so pounds a month on average. But I was on target for the weight loss speed my doctor wanted me at. The #1 piece of advice is, expect to hit a stall. Especially the infamous 3rd week stall post-op. Most of us hit it, just stick with your eating and exercise programs and the weight will start dropping again. I wasn't able to do a lot of exercise the 1st 3 or 4 months. I had lots of problems with my feet hurting if I walked too far. I started off small and just worked my way up. By the 4th month, I was walking a few miles a day. This is my blog post about my plan to go from 0 to 5 miles per day. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31216-nsv-2-you-best-step-off-b-hatch/

Having sleep apnea immediately qualified me for WLS. My insurance is bariatric friendly and I was approved 1 week after my initial consult with the doctor. I thought it might be the universe trying to tell me something - When I called my ins. company to find out how to qualify for WLS, the lady I was speaking with was 1 year out from VSG surgery. Coincidence, I think NOT!

1. coffee? Do many people continue to drink coffee post-op? If so, do you still use creamer, or just milk? I stayed away from coffee for the 1st 30 days. After that, I started sipping coffee here and there. I use powdered creamer/liquid creamer/ whipping cream/condensed milk - whatever is available. I use Splenda as sweetener. 2. Smoothies/juicing? How early were you able to make a smoothie with frozen fruit? Or have juice using a juicer? I used to have these after my morning workouts and really enjoyed them. I would get them with veggies and a couple fruits. I've never juiced or had a smoothie. 3. Drinking out of straws? Does most people drink out of straws with no problem? Or is it really best to avoid them? I wasn't ever told not to drink with a straw, but I don't ever use them - just a preference. 4. Caffeine? Stay away forever? I don't know if I can do that...at least some tea every now and then. I get my caffeine from coffee, so 30 days post-op was my first caffeine. Everyone is different, so be careful and only try small amounts of a new food (think 1/2 teaspoon full) to see how your sleeve will react.

Congrats on taking the 1st step to a better life.

I've gone that long without any weight loss too. You might look at the types of carbs you're eating and how many. I've found that even eating too much fruit can put me into a stall. Salt is another big one I have to watch out for. Over Thanksgiving and Xmas I was eating a lot of spiral ham. The extra salt kept a lot of Water weight on me.