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You are not posting here because you want support, because it should be clear that nobody supports this type of behavior post sleeve, right? My advice? Get a counselor, immediately. You have an eating disorder and you need to talk to someone about better ways to cope. Because you already KNOW that you are making bad, foolish and downright dangerous food choices, or you wouldn't be confessing it to us. You KNOW this could cause a leak for you, right? You are risking your life with these poor choices, and none of us want to see you hospitalized with a complication that you caused yourself and could have avoided! Tough love - that's what you're getting. Because honestly? You do not need someone to pat your back and tell you it's okay. Because it's not okay! You are risking your LIFE. YOUR LIFE. That is not okay, not ever. I am supportive and I understand that we all make mistakes. But you are less than two weeks out and you are eating absolute garbage and you should know better. And I am the woman constantly advocating eating in moderation, and like a normal person, so please, take that into consideration. I don't think carbs or sugar are our evil enemies, but I do believe we need to stick to a strict diet while healing! Please get some help. You are clearly coping with some seriously disordered eating, disordered enough that you are willing to risk your health to satisfy the compulsion to eat. We all stumble, but there is no real room for leeway in the beginning when you're still healing. Please get back onto your liquid diet and allow your body to cope with the major surgery you just had. And trust me - we really DO understand what you're feeling, even if we're not being totally understanding of your choices. It's hard for all of us to adjust to being the one in the family not eating, or being on a liquid diet for weeks on end, or feeling kinda miserable while we heal. We ALL go through this. But your response is a sign that you are not quite ready for this major life change. It's too late to do anything about your past choices and it's too late to put your stomach back in, but you can make the active choice to get it together and stick to a nutritional plan. Get on track, lady! Succeed at this. The only way to have long term success and maintain goal is to learn to be healthy about food - and that means saying no when you aren't supposed to eat, and getting any other food disorders under control. ~Cheri

Diet change? Dehydration? New shake? Are you getting the flu? I developed lactose intolerance after surgery and it got progressively worse. What started as a bit of nausea here and there became full blown sickness and digestive issues close to a month out. No headaches, though. I'd make an appt. to see your doc or at least call the office. Better safe than sorry. If you're not throwing up and not running a fever, I wouldn't worry so much about a leak/stricture, but do call your doc if this persists or if you develop any other symptoms. ~Cheri

I was given no guideline but did it as soon as I was up to it, and only you know when that is! Listen to your body and go slow and you should be fine. ~Cheri

I hope you get through this phase quickly. I'm sorry your drain is in so long, too! What misery. There are some things I just wish more people were prepared for post op, but we're all so excited about the big, positive changes we're making that we often don't think about or realize that the healing period pretty much stinks. Don't worry. You will feel much better soon. That weight will drop off, even if it's not as quickly as you'd like. I didn't expect to gain in the hospital, either, but I did. A lot of us do. IVs do that to people. I'm glad your gas pain is more manageable. Try to find positive things to think about, and get re-motivated like you were the day before surgery. Healing stinks yeah. But you'll get past this and onto a new you in no time. This phase is short, and once you're through it you never have to do it again. In the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay for a new lease on life. Best of luck and speedy healing! ~Cheri

Oh yeah, definitely. Sorry for the sickness. I am the first one in any group to suffer ill side effects from anything we eat that's sketchy. Other people might get some nausea and I'll get full blown food poisoning. I blame it on the fact that food just passes through my body more quickly with less stomach. It definitely doesn't hang around in my stomach for three to five hours before moving into the rest of me, like a normal person! Protein shakes and popsicles will get you through, and it's normal to have a loss of appetite after being seriously ill from food like that. Be careful with your food! We do some fasting holidays, too, and it's important to be careful about what foods are prepared and how for the post-fast meal. I know you don't need a lecture, though. Feel better soon! If you feel like you might get/be dehydrated get to the doc right away. Otherwise push liquids and get in shakes and you should recover soon. ~Cheri

Yep, everyone is different but no way would I get off it that early. I was able to get off of my PPI (omeprazole) sometime between 3-4 months out, but many more people need it six months. And yes, a few need it permanently. In my opinion, it's a small price to pay for overall better health. Even once you're off it, I think we're more prone to acid problems later. I never had much of a problem prior to surgery but since surgery if I'm stressed out I definitely have a problem with acid and need to get back on pills for a few days. Now that I'm pregnant it's a real issue and I'm back on a prescription for the time being. Again, it's a nuisance but a small price to pay overall. I'd wait at least three months and if you feel okay, skip a day between doses. If that gives you no issue, skip two days, and so on, until you're absolutely certain you have no problems without the PPI. You aren't even on "real" food yet, so I'd definitely wait until you're fully healed and eating a regular diet. Honestly, I am amazed and appalled at the number of sleevers living lower quality of life with constant heartburn and reflux because they don't take a PPI, either because their doctor never brought it up or because they didn't do any research. I'm glad you have one and are prepared, because life can be really miserable with acid reflux. It's a simple, relatively inexpensive solution to a real problem. Best of luck, glad you're doing so well at one month out! ~Cheri

Wow. I'm so thankful you're okay. Wishing you the best with your rescheduled surgery. I'll be thinking of you and hope everything goes well. This time, your surgeon won't be surprised by any reactions, so I'm sure they'll be prepared to help you through this without problems. Keep us posted! ~Cheri

For the gas, Gas-X strips if you aren't on them already. Also, you could be lactose intolerant or it could just be the shake you're on causing rotten gas. If you can, try a different shake or mixing with something other than milk and see if that causes relief. Heartburn in a new sleever? You need a PPI, immediately. If you're on one, it's clearly not working and you need a different one. Even on shakes you're getting a fraction of the nutrition you got before you started this diet. It takes time for the body to adjust. Good luck, ~Cheri

Luck and a speedy recovery! Remember your PPI, your Gas-X and to walk, walk, walk! ~Cheri

All I can say is I'm sorry for your experience. My father in law had an infectious colitis and it took him wasting away and getting very ill to get the correct diagnosis. It's been some time, but I believe a few rounds of antibiotics and he recovered fully. I can't recall exactly how long it went on but his biggest issue was actually diagnosing the problem. It's been a long time but he's absolutely fine now and has no problems. How far are you out from surgery? The only real issue with medication comes if you need it to spend a long time in the stomach or if it's something (like B12) that needs to be absorbed there. I've taken several rounds of antibiotics and many people take anti-inflammatory meds (we have a few folks here with lupus and other autoimmune disorders) without any problems. Wishing you the very best with your treatment and a speedy recovery. I know that your fear right now is gaining weight on meds, but if your case is infectious colitis it will clear up and go away, and you will only need the meds until it's gone. Colitis can be serious if left untreated, so I'd simply do what the doctor suggests (once your colonoscopy confirms what you've got going on) and worry about losing any possible weight gain once it's over and done with. Your quality of life with colitis will be crap. With a sleeve, there's no time limit on weight loss and you can easily take off any pounds gained on a treatment cycle afterward. Put your overall health first. ~Cheri

Thanks for posting a positive experience! I feel like we often see plenty of complaints after surgery, but not always people that have a nice, smooth recovery and are happy just one week out. Congrats on his new sleeve! As a side note, we had a post earlier from another person near 400 pounds asking for advice/opinions from other folks that started around that weight. Maybe when your husband is feeling up to it you guys can respond or send a message with your experience? We all want to help in this community, but sometimes as much as we want we can't offer much if we don't have a similar experience. The post I read was here: http://www.verticals...-still-waiting/ Again, congrats, and best of luck with his new sleeve! I'm sure he'll do a great job, and thanks to you for being such a supportive spouse. ~Cheri

Mine was flat as a pancake around a year out, but sometime after goal weight shifted and I got some curve back. Not nearly as much as before but enough that I felt like I had curves again. Exercise is the way to go to boost it up. Not everyone gets stick skinny even at goal. I'm a healthy size six and I think I have a curvy figure despite losing more than 100 pounds. If you don't want to get skinny like that, it's really easy to stop and start eating more calories once you reach point where you're very happy with your figure. And I won't lie. I would rather be "normal" and have less curves than be obese like I was before surgery! But that's just me. ~Cheri

I can't share a similar experience, but I can say that you'll be amazed at how much shedding the weight frees you. I didn't even realize how trapped I was as a bigger girl until the weight was gone, and I cannot imagine all of the ways that being 400+ pounds affects your daily life. All surgeries are a little risky and that can be frightening. I can say without question that the sleeve is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I, personally, think your doctors/insurance should be more concerned about helping you control your weight if you're showing an interest in changing your life than holding up a damned ruler and making you reach a certain point before they'll help. That aside, I think that if you can get insurance to cover it, jump the darned hoops and make it happen. You are already making small changes that are improving the way you feel. Imagine how much more active you can be at half the weight you are right now. It's attainable with the sleeve - far more possible than with diet and exercise alone. I hope that you will not talk yourself out of this life change. It's frightening, and scary and a big, huge change, I won't lie. But you are a mere five pounds away from meeting a requirement that will help you change your life - your health, your happiness, you activity - everything. There is no reason to walk away now, even if you find such a big step frightening. Many of us do, prior to surgery. But you will find very, very few truly unhappily sleeved people out there, especially once they're past the healing phase. Best of luck to you whatever you decide. I think that change is difficult for all of us, but you have to decide what you want more - the comfort of the known or the life you've been missing out on. ~Cheri

I don't take them that way, either. I take a chewable multi (I switched to a chewable prenatal a while ago and like it much more) in the morning with my food. I take my Iron supplements before bed, like suggested by my doctor. I do B12 injections once a month. I don't think it matters when or how you take them, so long as you're taking them and they're being absorbed. I did not take my vites seriously in the beginning and was really feeling fatigued, forgetful and just plain cruddy sometime after a year out. Once I went to the doc we realized I was very low on B12 and iron, and since I've been on a new iron supplement and the B12 shots, I'm feeling great. ~Cheri

Agree heartily with Lissa's suggestions. Also, I want to chime in that you must keep in mind that if you lose a significant amount prior to surgery, don't expect a huge drop in your first month. The norm is to lose a big chunk if you didn't do a pre-op diet, and a more moderate amount of weight if you did one. Good luck, and my advice is not to beat yourself up too much if you don't achieve your goal of 30-40 pounds, because anything you lose over 10 pounds is a bonus victory. But learning to track your food and eat in moderation now will be very useful to you post sleeve. ~Cheri

Miralax (or the generic). Mix with any liquid and you'll have relief. ~Cheri

Agreed. If you plan your day and get plenty of rest the night before this shouldn't be an issue at all. Many people don't even take a full three weeks to recover! ~Cheri

I'm so sorry you experienced a leak. I hope that you continue to improve and are feeling better soon. You are not the first person to experience this, and I suggest you check out the complications board to see if you can find other people that have successfully overcome this type of setback. I've seen a number of people struggle with complications in the beginning only to go on to recover and be happily sleeved. Best wishes to you and your family. ~Cheri

Congrats! ~Cheri

Nothing wrong with enjoying fruit instead of cake or ice cream to celebrate! These days the fresh fruit tastes better to me, anyway. Congrats on a great start! I'm always in awe of folks that start to enjoy exercise post surgery. It just didn't happen for me. In any case, you're looking great and doing fabulous. Keep it up! ~Cheri

Everyone is different. I'm two years out, maintaining beautifully and easily (even while in early pregnancy) and I embrace the idea that moderation is key. I cannot live on a diet forever. I cannot tell myself entire groups of food are off limits for life. I cannot say that a particular type of food is the magical reason I was fat. It would be a lie. People talking about trigger foods and uncontrollable eating if they dare to eat a carb or calorie out of line? That sounds like perhaps they didn't work on the emotional aspect of their obesity and on their disordered eating. They cut calories and carbs and got to goal...and now they're trapped in a lifestyle that has no give in any direction. That may work for some people, for a lot a of people it's just asking to fall off the diet wagon, and hard. Dieting helped make me fat. The endless cycle of binges and purges involved in watching every single calorie and frantically exercising to take off the extra calories in a handful of Doritos. The failing of willpower when I realized that I simply could not stand the idea that I was banned from carbs for life. The feeling like a miserable failure (and the resulting comfort eating) whenever I'd take a misstep. Knowing I can eat what I want means a lot to me. It means that I don't feel deprived, ever. It does not mean that I sit around eating cheesy poofs and drinking soda all day long. It means I eat like a normal person. I eat to plan about 95% of the time and give myself some flex in that other 5%, and I'm happier for it. I think that in the beginning, people should stick as closely to a high Protein, low carb diet as possible. By low carb, I mean actually eating enough carbs to have energy and not lose your mind. Around fifty grams or so a day. It's hard to eat carbs in the early months, anyway. As your capacity for food increases, so should your intake of everything, in equal amounts. I eat 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat, roughly. That's what works for me. I simply upped the calories once I hit goal to maintain. I'm not regaining weight and I'm not having trouble maintaining. It's very individual, though. Track to your body's needs. Some people do not lose weight eating as many carbs as I do, and some people need more than me. Track your food, add in what you need to feel good and reach your goals and cut back if it slows your loss. It's actually very easy to do. For every person that can point and say "moderation" made that person regain, I can point to another story where someone simply dieted their way to goal and regained. This sleeve is a TOOL. Not just a tool for weight loss. A tool that can help you overcome lifelong habits and disordered eating. Use it for it's maximum potential. The reason people regain weight isn't because they ate popcorn or bread. It's because they didn't ask themselves WHY they were eating it and figure out how to stop doing it if they weren't hungry. Use the sleeve to learn control, and be healthier all around, not just thinner. ~Cheri

Runny nose and hiccups, here. If I overdo it, a sense of fullness in my chest. If I really overdo it, I get lightheaded and dizzy and will shortly have to toss that last bite or two up. Certain foods like tortilla, pasta, bread and rice can take me from okay to serious discomfort in just one extra bite, so be careful to listen to your body. ~Cheri

He'll adjust. My husband likes big women - big all around, not just a big behind. I did this surgery for myself and my health. As I've lost weight his idea of attractiveness has gotten smaller with me. I'm still his beautiful wife and he's still happy. At various times on the journey we had to sit down and talk to each other so that he'd feel like his opinions were being heard and I think that's important. Because none of us would want our s/o to do something that made them less attractive to us, right? That said, losing weight is better for our health. My husband has expressed some sadness over my smaller size but he's also much more attracted to how outgoing I am, how much more confident I am and yes, a lot of the clothes I now wear because I'm not busy trying to hide my figure. And as added reassurance, what used to be a pancake butt about a year ago is now a nicely shaped behind, even if it is smaller than he'd like. Strength training (lunges and squats with weights) can help. He may like your behind. But he loves YOU and YOU will still be there after surgery. ~Cheri

Any time we eat when we aren't hungry, there's something else triggering it. Any time we "feel" hungry because we're doing a specific activity where we usually eat, there's another tie that we need to examine. There is nothing wrong with not seeing what the causes are prior to surgery. But it should be every sleever's goal to be healthier, not just thinner - and that includes mental health and dealing with any emotional or habitual ties to food. It's easier to see your behaviors once you're sleeved, I promise. And if you don't simply deny them and if you try to understand them and overcome them, you'll find yourself in a great place to maintain once you're at goal. I know you're right! And if anyone actually reads what I post (no telling, I kinda ramble on a bit!) they know that I don't even think "real" ice cream, in moderation, is a problem. I eat whatever the heck I want, with the exception of things my lactose intolerance won't allow. But Eggface is freakin' awesome, and her blog will help newly sleeved people or folks still trying to lose not feel so restricted. I still make those bites! You are absolutely right. I should have qualified my statement and I usually do. I was a fat girl from a long line of fat women, so genetics has some role. But I was also a girl that learned how to binge, emotionally eat and how to hide my feelings in my food from my family. I do think that genetics plays a role, but I also think that here on VST the vast majority of people are also experiencing disordered eating that needs to be worked on for long term health and success. ~Cheri

If it's controlling the acid, it's working for you. If you develop any of the signs that it's not doing the best job controlling acid, just switch to another brand. It does work for some folks, and apparently you're one of them! ~Cheri