joatsaint

I was scared as Hell when I made my 1st attempt to begin the WLS process. I even backed out right before I scheduled my 1st doctor's appointment and put it off for another month. But here's how I finally made the decision: I asked myself 2 questions - 1. Do I want to be in this same situation this time next year? 2. What am I willing to do to make the change? Those are the same 2 questions I ask myself whenever I make a life changing decision.

Congrats on having such great success long term. Thanks for sharing your success and keeping us motivated.

When I was on full liquids, my doc's only restriction was that it couldn't contain any particles or chunks. If it would go through a strainer, then it was fine. It took a lot of persistence, but I finally got that piece of prime rib through the strainer!!!!! :-P

My doc told me to bring my CPAP (I have the full face mask too) with me to the hospital. And I used it on and off during my 2 day stay. I used it every day since surgery for the 1st year. Sometime around month 11 post-op (I was over 100lbs lost), I started waking up because I was filling up with air. And I was burping and farting so much it was waking me up. I tried putting tape across the air outlet to reduce the air flow, but it didn't help. I started experimenting with sleeping without the CPAP. After a few weeks, I noticed I was sleeping just as well without the mask as I did with it. I haven't used my CPAP in about a year.

I was never worried about getting in enough Protein or calories at the beginning. Frankensleeve would not tolerate ANY foods my 1st 10 days. I literally ate 1/2 sugar free popsicle per day that 1st week. And then I was only eating 3/4 can of Soup per day for weeks and weeks. I figured I had plenty of calories stored in my fat to keep me alive for 6+ months! :-P I did the best I could to get in enough Water, then protein. Just do the best you can in the beginning, and as your new stomach heals, increase the amount of water and protein you're eating. P.S. My hair thinned considerably around 6 months, but it came back with a vengeance a few months later. :-P It's been 22 months post-op, last week I went in for a haircut and notice my barber using the hair thinning scissors on me for the 1st time since surgery - NSV!!!!!

For a few weeks post-op, my sense of taste was really dulled. Only really strong flavors didn't taste flat and bland. It wasn't long before everything returned to normal. I don't know if it was the surgery or if it was my taste buds getting used to not having sugar in my diet that caused the temporary change.

In the U.S., depending on the insurance company requirements, it can be months before surgery is approved. I was lucky in that my insurance is bariatric friendly. In less than 1 month, I had my 1st appointment, was sleeved and released from the hospital. But I went to great lengths to get all my pre-op testing done quickly. In 2 weeks, I'd had all the blood work, xrays, EDG, and psych eval completed. On top of that, I had a co-morbidity (sleep apnea) and I had done a doctor supervised diet years earlier that met my insurance pre-qualifications.

I know where you're coming from, it took me many months to get used to the "you sure are losing weight" comments. I finally settled on just saying Thanks. Whenever anyone asked me how much more I was going to lose, I'd just say I wanted to get to x and then I'd reevaluate my goals if wasn't satisfied.

Pre-surgery, I wouldn't have told anyone if it were possible. But I had to explain why I wouldn't be able to come to my parent's house on my bi-weekly visits. Plus I had tell my best friend, I had to have a ride home after being released - the hospital was 2 hours away. Now I don't have a problem telling anyone that asks if I've had surgery. But I don't bring it up unless directly asked. I don't volunteer to tell anyone otherwise.

Thanks for the info. I found that bananas worked for me. I eat 1 4oz banana a day (4 oz is a lot of banana! :-P). They're about 100 calories for 4oz.

During my 1st 12 months, I would hit a 1 week stall almost every month. More than once, I thought, "Is this it? Is this all I'm gonna lose?" It took a while, but I realised that if I just stuck to my diet plan and walking routine, the weight would start dropping again. But if I ate fruit or salty things like nuts, it would keep the Water weight on me.

I haven't experience it in a long time. But I've had some close calls after eating something with more fat in it than I normally eat. You might try eating a bananna a day. It seems to keep me from getting diarrhea or constipation.

Yes, I get the feelng about halfway up my rib cage. So I assume it's the point where my stomach joins my throat.

I was depressed pre-surgery and still am 22 months post-op. But I had some wild mood swings that 1st month post-op. My 1st week post-op, I was pissed at the world and wanted to fight everyone. Fortunately, I was stuck in the house and I live alone! :-)

1. You will be eating about 800 calories per day for weeks, you won't really need to prepare much food ahead of time. And my 1st 10 days post-op, I ate practically nothing - as in 1/2 popsicle per day. And starting the 2nd week and for weeks after, I was only eating about 3/4 can of cream of mushroom Soup per day. 2. 3. sugar free popsicles, any pain meds your doc may prescribe(ask ahead of time), broth (clear chicken broth). That's all I needed my 1st week. 4. I drank EAS carb control chocolate shakes, but I've since found I like Premier Protein chocolate better. 5. Start learning to eat with a teaspoon (that's about the size bites you'll need to take post-op) and learn not to drink 30 minutes before/with/ 30 minutes after a meal. And take teaspoon size sips when drinking. It will make it easier to eat without getting too full post-op. Bonus: take your favorite pillow with you to the hospital. And put a colorful pillow case on it - to make it easy to find when packing to leave.

It may sound wierd, but I refused to let myself believe it was going to happen. Right up to the point where they transferred me onto the OR table, I just kept telling myself that this was just another day... nothing out of the ordinary. I was so excited/scared at the prospect of the surgery and becoming thin that this was the only way I could deal with it and not freak out. :-)

I had this grinding sensation whenever my sleeve didn't like a new food, which was most of the time. It was kinda like my stomach going into knots. But if you are in real pain, I would check with my doc. Throwing up a little might mean you are eating or drinking too fast. I was only able to eat about 1/4 cup of food each meal for about the 1st 6 months post-op. And I had to eat that little bit real slow.

Congrats on getting your date.

During my puree stage and for months afterwards, I at a mixture of refried Beans and pureed turkey hamburger. Here's the recipe: http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

I wasn't allowed to shower in the hospital, they gave me some kind of anti-bacterial wipes to have a sponge bath. My doc wanted me to keep all water out of my stitches for the 1st week post-op. He said I could wrap myself in cling wrap if I wanted to shower. :-)

I had a hard time with the pre-op diet and finally gave in and ate real food. I only ate meat, zero carbs. I let myself eat some skinless chicken breast and some broiled pork loin. I still managed to lose 10lbs in 7 days.

My 1st sign I'm getting full is a feeling of bubbles moving around the food in my stomach, if I go past that stage (and eat a little more), I'll get this poking sensation where my throat and stomach meet - not a good feeling. I've only gone past the pokey threshold once, and I got this very painful tight feeling in my stomach. I quickly learned to eat slower and pay more attention to my new "full" signals. :-)

During my 1st 6 to 9 months post-op, I could tell if a food was not agreeing with Frankensleeve within a minute or 2. All it took was 1/2 a teaspoon full to test him! Frankensleeve would start seizing up and feel like rocks grindinig in a garbage disposal. It seemed like forever (almost 9 months) before he started tolerating non-soft foods again. But I was eating refired beans and finely ground turkey for months and months. The hardest things to tolerate were the good foods - fruits, vegetables and chicken (he really didn't like chicken breast meat!).

I had the sleeve and couldn't be more satisfied. I work with 3 ladies that had RNY - and they are happy with their choice as well. The biggest pro for RNY - easier and possibly more weight loss because less food is absorbed in the intestines. The biggest con for RNY - must be more careful about the foods you eat (dumping syndrome) and taking Vitamin supplements for life. I don't think you can go wrong with either procedure. I would choose the sleeve again, simply because the thought of having my intestines rerouted creeps me out! :-) But if I had psychological issues with food or food addictions, I would have the RNY.

I had the endoscopy and there was nothing to it. They put me under, I blinked my eyes closed and when they opened, it was over. I had a barely noticible scratchy throat afterwards, and if I hadn't been told to expect that, I would not even have noticed it. I had to drink barium, the same stuff used for the upper gi, for my leak test. Brace yourself, cause it is disgusting. But at least you will be drinking it BEFORE surgery, not hours after, like I had to. It just tastes bad and it's only a few ounces. Nothing to it. :-)