joatsaint

It does get better. It did for me, around day 7. But I think you are going through Stage 15 right now. :-) Stages of Weight Loss Surgery 1 - I'm fatter than ever. I've tried everything, I'm miserable and I'll never be normal. 2 - Contact insurance company and get referral for WLS 3 - Do I really want to cut out part of my stomach? Is this really what I want to do? Maybe just one more try, to do it "on my own." 4 - Okay, I'm sure. I need help losing the weight. 5 - WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG! 6 - First doctor's appointment. So Excited!! 7 - What? Why can't I get the surgery next week? Why do I have to do all these appointments? 8 - OMG OMG OMG I Got my date!!! Wonder if I can bring my leftover stomach home in a jar, like tonsils???? 9 - I'M NOT READY FOR THIS! What if I'm the one person this doesn't work for? 10 - food funeral - One last pigout to say goodbye to my favorites. 11 - Two week liquid diet - Holy crap! How am I suppose to live on this gunk! Feels like I am starving. Maybe just one slice of pizza? 12 - Day before surgery - Am I sure... am I sure? They can't put my stomach back in if this is a mistake. I can't do this, I can't! 13 - Hour after surgery - Okay, it feels like an alien is trying to pop out of my chest. Where's that morphine pump! ...I'm feeling ok, I can make it! 14 - Hours after surgery - What do you mean you want me to get up and walk?! Can I have a popsicle? 15 - Home - Can't lay down, can't sit up, can't eat anything without stomach complaining. I CAN'T DO THIS!! What the F did I do to myself? Please Lord, take me now. 16 - Week after surgery - Okay... things aren't so bad now. I can make it. Still can't get in the recommended Protein and fluids. Still wondering if I really messed up. 17 - One month - Okay, soft foods are getting old, things still hard, but I can live with this. Am I ever gonna poop?

It was normal for me to get dry mouth when I first started using my CPAP. It went away for the most part. I occasionally get dry mouth, but only once every couple of weeks. If possible, you may want to boost the humidifier up to add more moisture to the air your machine is generating. I can adjust the humidifier on mine, but not the air pressure.

I can usually tell within 5 minutes after the 1st bite. I don't believe sleevers can get dumping syndrom very easily, as we still have the pyloric valve - which regulates the passage of food from the stomach to the intestines. http://www.mayoclini...DSECTION=causes

The main thing I would look at is the carb count in my foods. Check out the sugar grams in Protein drinks/bars and any other fluids taken in. I run my foods through this nutrition calculator to see the protein/carb counts of my food. http://caloriecount.about.com/ From experience, I know that simple sugars will make me retain weight and slow down my weight loss.

I think my 1st steak was at week 5 or 6. When I was back on regular foods. Steak never bothered me, chicken breast, however, still occasionally makes Frankensleeve grumble.

At home, I have a small bowl (1/2 cup) that I eat out of. If I'm still hungry, I can always go back for more. If I'm at a restaurant, I eat all the Protein first, then the vegetables. After that, I am usually too full to eat another bite. I too am a "clean plate" addict, but Franken sleeve will let me know (painfully) if I eat one bite too much.

If I have to choose between full fat or carbs (sugar/high fructose corn syrup), I go with fat. From my own experiences, I gain weight easily by eating sugar. My insulin levels go way up and my body packs on the weight. At least with fat, it takes more energy when my body converts fat to energy and my insulin levels stay normal.

Screw that! Go online and check the debit card charges! Those can't be thrown away.

I was hurting pretty good the 1st week. I didn't need help getting around, but I did need my friend to drive over to the pharmacy for me and to the store for some popsicles. I wouldn't have been able to drive. I didn't feel like eating anything other than sugar free popsicles, so as long as my supply held out, I didn't need anything else. By day 7, I was able to drive myself around and had no trouble going back to work on day 10.

I guess it was better to mistype and have it come out "piece of him", rather than spell "gum" with a "c".

I am at 6 months and I can eat about 1/2 of a normal sandwich. A 6 inch sub would be at least 2 meals for me at this point. For a while, things had to have a very strong flavor or it would taste flat. Now, my taste buds have returned to normal. But I do like some things I didn't like in the past. Like eggplant - haven't liked it since I was a kid, now it tastes good to me. I think part of the taste bud change is being off of refined sugars and processed food since surgery. I've eaten a piece of pizza here and there, and a few other junk foods. I usually limit myself to eating those things at 1 meal per week. But the rest of the week, I eat lean Protein and vegetables.

Just remember, you can tell people about your surgery anytime you want. But, you can't untell them later. I've been a target since grade school, so I'm very defensive about giving out ammo to the haters.

I wore mine for the 1st month. My doc said I could stop wearing it 2 weeks after surgery, but when I returned to work, I kept wearing it just to be safe..

Congrats on your success! I think the financial aspect of WLS is overlooked. I figure that the lowered food costs will pay for my surgery over the course of the next 3 to 4 years. :-)

Had no problems with sweet relish. Pureed chicken however......

I have a different view on VSG. I believe that I am a food addict and my body and mind is predisposed to crave certain foods. And not only that, my body is very efficient at storing calories against future needs. Currently, food addiction is not a recognized condition, but who knows, in a few more years, it might be. And eventually it could be treated like alcohol or any other addiction. But there is one thing I do know, food producers are working hard to make foods that make us want more of them. That only makes sense, produce products that people want. Unfortunately, those same products work too well on people like me. I can't explain my preoccupation with food for so many years any other way. I could eat a filling meal and then, two hours later, I'd be thinking about eating again. I'd get cravings for certain flavors and could get them out of my head until I ate them. I believed all the hype that if only I could just cut back on calories and exercise more, I could be thin like the beautiful people. Not being normal was a failing on my part. Six months post-op, and I think all that crap about "just cut back" "push the plate away" is just that - crap. When your mind is telling you that you're hungry every two hours, it's like a little kid tugging on your arm saying, "I want a candy bar, I want a candy bar!" And I couldn't get rid of him. And eventually it just wore me down, till I gave in. Whether the surgery removed the part of my stomach that was producing the "hunger" hormone or if the surgery was just the psychological kick in the pants I needed, I now have a completely different attitude towards food. I no longer have that "little kid" tugging on my arm and the only cravings I experience now are for bananas\strawberries\watermelon - good for you foods. And most of the time, I only want them because I happened to walk past them at the store. Those days of suddenly wanting a cherry pie or a double cheese burger with fries - for no apparent reason - are gone. Now don't get me wrong, I still fight head hunger and sometimes try to keep eating even after I am full. So I've still got things to work on. But I'm on the downhill side and I don't feel like I am in an impossible to overcome situation. I know I was in imminent danger - mentally as well as physically, just undiagnosed.

I've been through this same thing several times in the past 6 months. Last week, I hit my lowest of 272 after a 2 week plateau. This week, I'm 8 lbs heavier. The only thing I can attribute it to is eating fruit. I had some strawberries and some grapes during the week and suddenly my weight was going back up. It's just a temporary fluctuation. Your weight will start dropping again.

Haha that's funny! Great now I'm thinking about nude encounters. lol. :-O

Of course it's HUGE! :-) And it's not silly. If you hang out here long enough, it just SEEMS like VSG is like going on a two day vacation. "Bye honey, be back in a couple of hours." You leave the house, have a little procedure, come back home - TA DA! I wouldn't let myself believe it was happening. I was in denial right up to the time they wheeled me into the operating room. I just kept telling myself that I could get up and walk out if I wanted to. :-P It's a life altering (For the better!) surgery. And it's not to be taken lightly. Your whole outlook on food and life and exercise is going to change post-op. Just be realistic. Don't wake up from surgery and ask, "Am I thin yet?" :-P

I've had several 2 week stalls and here's what I've tried to break it. I up my protein, eat more vegetables and try to drop any foods that have simple sugars. I eat roasted/baked/grilled chicken breast, ground turkey meat or pork loin. I eat vegetables with complex carbs, like cauliflower, mushrooms, green peppers, eggplant and re-fried beans. I stay away from starches - potatoes/rice/pasta. As far as exercise, I started walking about the 4th week. I haven't done any serious weight lifting.

I too have problems accepting compliments. I've been overweight since grade school, so I've been a target my whole life. I spent much of my school day trying to go unnoticed. Part of the reason I work in technology is because I get along with computers better than people. So it's hard to get used to having people say nice things about my weight loss. I just say, "Thank you." and hope they go on their way. But it does get annoying when the same people compliment my weight loss every week - especially when I've been stuck at a certain weight for 2 weeks in a row. :-)

I think your feelings are pretty common post-op. I was pissed at the world for 2 weeks post-op. I've read that with the rapid weight loss, lots of estrogen is released from fat stores and causes emotional highs and lows for many people. I only got the lows. :-( P.S. You can't eat your husband! solid food is still weeks away. :-)

Just to reassure you, we all go through theses "dry" periods. I am at 6 months and have had 2 and 3 week periods where I'll not lose weight and sometimes gain a few pounds - with no change to my diet or how much I exercise. It freaked me out at first (not sure I'm "used" to it happening yet! But I'm getting better at living with it. :-)) It's just your body adjusting to your new way of life. It would be nice if the weight fell off in a steady downward pace, but it doesn't seem to work that way for me. Here is my favorite soft/puree recipe for taco chicken. Maybe it'll help liven up your diet. http://www.verticals...e-mexican-food/

Embrace your inner scale. I weigh multiple times a day, but the only one that counts is 1st thing after I wake up. The rest are for my own personal enjoyment! http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/blog/2115/entry-5658-weighing-after-a-poop-you-are-not-alone/