JillianMarie

I agree with Jerry about the low glucose levels, because you aren't eating as much during the day, you need to have a more steady supply of energy. Keep a cold protein shake next to your bed, i put one in a bottle with a lid and put a few ice cubes in it to keep it cold all night. Then if i wake up during the night i can take sips. It helps to keep the blood sugar up. :tongue_smilie:

Angie, i made a batch of sugar free pudding today, with 2 cups of skim milk, and was able to eat the whole batch within an hour. This i should not have been able to do. I will have to start using self control so i dont eat so much. But i am very surprised that 2 weeks post-op i am able to eat this much. I'm sure that solids i wont be able to eat nearly as much. So don't feel bad at all for eating 4-5 oz!!! lol!!

Now i made a big mistake last night- or at least i think i did- and caved in and ate 2 Protein bars. I'm at day 11 post op and am to the point where liquids no longer fill me up (the swelling must really be going down because i can just keep on chugging shakes all day long and they go straight through me). Fudgcicles no longer fill me up, two days ago i went through an entire 24 pack in one day of sugar free fudgecicles! Many people were concerned about me losing too much weight with this surgery, but now i am concerned about not losing anymore because it is so easy to get my calories in. I wanted to experiment with something solid (even though i know it is too soon) to see how it would sit on my stomach. I got two low carb Protein Bars, each was 2 ounces. They didn't have anything crunchy like nuts in them, and they are sweetened with splenda. They also contain 7 grams of fat each, but the healthy fat that helps keep you full longer and helps with your hair and nails. I started by taking a few tiny bites of the bars, chewing VERY well, and slowly. I would take a small sip of warm broth in between each swallow. Before i knew it, both bars were gone, and my stomach didn't get upset whatsoever, and i laid on my back flat all night with no pain or nausea. I woke up today feeling great, no stomach upset or heaviness. I think i will go ahead and start with my mushy stage now, even though it is 3 days early, and see how it goes. I dont want to push my stomach too hard too soon, but right now i am able to get an easy 1600 calories a day on light yogurt, Protein Shakes, etc... and right after surgery i could hardly get in 300 a day. I'm thinking that if i advance to the mushy stage, less food will be required to fill me up and it will sit with me longer. It's getting far too easy for me to go overboard now on calories when drinking the shakes and puddings. I really look forward to adding vegetables and oatmeal in the coming weeks (blended of course), as those foods sound incredible to me right now! lol!! Oh- and chewable cherry Rolaids have been my lifesaver!! They cure stomach pain better than Nexium or Prilosec, and give you your dose of Calcium in one. You can also get the tropical flavored chews, that are an antacid and anti-gas in one. Don't care for that flavor as much but they both work great.:biggrin0:

My paperwork that i received from my surgeon said to remove stitches 10 days after surgery, that seems a bit too soon to me. How long did you all leave your stitches in before removing them? I have the tools to remove them myself once i am ready. Thanks!!

Angie, i had baby food last night (the turkey with gravy) and had to eat 2 little jars to feel anything in my stomach. Each was 2.5 oz, so 5 oz total. Then i felt comfortably full for a while. I don't think you had too much, in my opinion. If it didn't cause discomfort, pain, or nausea, you were probably okay. 4 oz is a very small amount!

I never had acid until after the surgery, in which it woke me up with stabbing pains and nausea. I suppose this was from having an empty stomach most of the time. I took prilosec, but it did not help alone. I started chewing a few (2 or 3) chewable cherry Rolaids every night before bed and since then have not had any acid.

Thanks Tiffykins, I did email both the coordinators for Dr. Almanza but have not gotten responses from either of them. Dr. Almanza did tell me to "graze" throughout the day, instead of 3 tiny meals, have maybe 5. He said i would get hungry frequently, but could only eat about 1/3 cup of food at a time, so to space those meals out every few hours, and avoid drinking with the food. I'm aiming for about 1000 calories a day, not 500. 1000 is still a drastic reduction from what i was used to taking in. (3000 prior to surgery) I'll stick to the guidelines that others have gotten from their doctors, stay on my full liquids for the full 2 weeks, then in a few days (3 days away!!) i'll start the mushy/blended stage, and stay on it for about 3 weeks. I see a GI doctor next thursday, hopefully he can give me some advice as well about when it is appropriate to introduce new foods, and which ones to avoid. You are very right about taking care of the new sleeve, i don't want to push it or risk complications. Thanks!!

That is probably true, that because i am drinking with my food it is moving through far too fast, I'll back off on the liquids around the time that i eat. Your idea of stewed chicken with broccoli and carrots in the food processor sounds wonderful! I will have try that! Thank you for adding a link to those files, i'll print them out and read them! Thanks so much for your help!! :biggrin0:

Before surgery i was eating over 200 grams of Fiber a day, probably a little excessive but it did not bother me. I would get the low carb/high Protein tortillas with 12 grams of fiber each and eat almost two packs a day, and would also add a cup of wheat bran (basically just wheat fiber) to my oatmeal to help thicken it and make it more filling and nutritious. I am about a week away from mushy/soft foods, and oatmeal is one of the first things i want to try. I plan on blending it after it is cooked, or chopping the oats very fine and cooking them very well till soft. What are your inputs on fiber intake after surgery? I know i can't have nearly what had before, but i would like to add some to my oatmeal, and my bowl of oatmeal would last me through Breakfast and lunch (granted i added a scoop of Protein powder or Peanut Butter.) Do you think that wheat bran would get lodged in my stomach, or might it be safe to try out fiberous foods slowly and see how i react to them? I am curious about this because fiber helps maintain my blood sugar, i have hypoglycemia. When incorporate wheat bran to recipies my blood sugar stabilizes. Thanks!! Jillian

Katt- my Dr., although a fantastic surgeon, has provided no follow up care and i have no method of contacting him. They sent me home with paperwork, basically 2 days after surgery i was able to have Jello and broth, and when i got home i was able to have yougurt, pudding, cottage cheese, etc... (so they allowed me to have full liquids once i returned home). The only thing he stressed was eating small portions at a time and chewing well to make sure food is digested. He never stressed staying on "clear liquids" or "full liquids" for a certain amount of time. The only period of time that i was required to be on clear liquids was the day of surgery and the day after. I know that the lady that i went with that owns the Medical Tourism company, had just had the sleeve surgery 3 weeks prior, and she had just started eating full foods, and while we were there she ate heavy food- half of a big enchilada, tacos, etc.... but broke it up into small bites because she got full very fast. 3 weeks out and eating mexican food? It was at the Dr's recovery house too, and he was there and saw her eat it. So i don't think he is very strict with his guidelines. That is why i am asking the opinions of you all, because i want to be safe with what i do eat, but i do feel like im ready for something with more consistency and thickness now, as I am not yet exercising and it would be easy for me to actually gain weight consuming Protein shakes all day long. I need something to sit in my stomach longer so i go longer without eating. I have noticed that if i eat something, as long as it is soft or at least chewed until soft, nothing sharp, and nothing heavy or fatty, and i follow with liquids, it eases right through me. I tried baby food last night- mixed the turkey with turkey broth baby food with some low sugar ketchup (yes i know that sounds terrible) and ate it with measuring spoon 1/2 tsp, slowly. Tasted WONDERFUL. I did notice i felt full MUCH faster than i do on the shakes. A few bites and i felt full. So i stopped, then after a little bit i ate a little more, and did the same again. I feel like i wont have a problem with the baby food as long as i dont eat it too fast, and fast eating has always been a problem of mine because i was a compulsive eater. But i am terrified of vomiting so i take it slow. I'm just a little concerned at this point. Liquids go down too fast and now i am left feeling hungry easily. The normal foods that i would typically eat that are lower in calories and dense in nutrition (grilled chicken, steamed veggies, canned tuna, oatmeal) would easily fill me up in very small portions and be able to reduce my calories quite a bit. But i am not sure what stage i should introduce those things back into my diet, i am not concerned so much of getting sick, as i would chew very well and even puree them, i just dont want anything to get lodged where the internal incisions are. Do you know how long they take to heal? Are there staples inside the stomach? I'm going through some big food withdrawals- as most people probably do after surgery- and the things i miss most are broccoli and oatmeal. I am wondering how much longer i should wait before adding them back in small amounts. I'm willing to blend them if i have to! lol! Sorry for such a long post!!!

Great thank you guys. Yes i will need to start getting in my fiber intake. I get chronically constipated (sorry for TMI) even if i take laxatives, and rely on my fiber intake. Do you know about when or what stage the stomach is healed enough to incorporate wheat bran into something like oatmeal? I want to keep it a "soft" food, but don't want the bran to get stuck like you said. You think around 5 weeks out i am okay to start slowly adding those things back in? I am not yet to that point yet but would like to start planning and preparing for it when i do get there.

Hello everyone- i just had surgery on the 17th (last Monday) and prior to that i had been exercising vigorously for 2-3 hours a day (on the elliptical machine). Since surgery i have no exercised simply because i didn't have the energy and had a hard time getting in enough fluids and calories. I am now able to get in 1200 calories a day through several yougurts, fudgecicles, light juice, tomato juice, gummy Vitamins (which i eat like candy!! lol) and several Protein shakes. It seems that if the food is cold and soft or liquid that i can take in quite a bit now. I only wanted to lose about 30 lbs, and i've lost about 8 since surgery, but don't want to lose the muscle mass that i worked so hard to build up and i know that remaining sedentary will cause muscle loss. Do you think it is safe to start using the elliptical machine again? Perhaps 30 minutes a day and slowly work myself up to an hour eventually? I've got the energy now from the food intake but i am going through exercise withdrawals!! I also don't know how safe it is on the new stomach to use the ellipitcal. Any suggestions?? Jillian

I'm 26 and just got sleeved this month!!

Oh, Katt- Is it safe to take Reglan for Nausea? I have a RX for that as well, it especially helps if i have eaten too much as it helps empty the stomach faster. Have you tried taking it? It seems to work for me however i experience a very weird side effect from it.

I have been feeling the same as you. I feel fine during the day, am able to eat and drink just fine, but then at night i get cold sweats and i actually get quite nauseous. I wake up thirsty and hungry, and drink down some of my shake, then i get awful stomach cramps and have to get out of bed for about an hour and pray that i wont throw up. It's very strange because this does not happen during the day. I have started taking a phenergen and a zofran, and 2 tbsp of anti nausea liquid, as well as chewing up a few (2 or 3) cherry chewable Rolaids at night. It seems to do the trick. The Rolaids seem to help more than anything, especially if you have acid. And they taste great. Is it safe to take a stool softener right now? I feel blocked up and feel cramping (down there) but am unable to go (sorry for too much information!). If it is safe to take them i will go pick some up.

Tlbdab- I just send you a PM. I am also needing a buddy, i got sleeved on the 17th. I do have some tips for you as i was having an extremely hard time eating anything without feeling as it would come back up. I have finally found what works for me (i'm on full liquids now) and what doesn't work. If you would like to chat or talk, check out my email i sent you, i put all my contact information in it. Jillian

I was getting severely dehydrated after returning home from surgery. It is easy to get full on liquids and very fast- and at only 3 ounces at a time, your body just can't get in enough liquid to stay hydrated. I was to the point where i was very dizzy and had low blood pressure, and almost admitted myself to the ER 2 days ago to get an IV. Well, my good friend is an ER doctor, and i told him that i was really dehydrated. He asked "are you vomiting? If not, then keep drinking". Obviously if your stomach has too much liquid, you will know. So i started drinking more and more, and now I'm able to drink about 2 cups an hour. I get uncomfortable and very full sometimes, and experience a little stomach pain, but it goes away fairly fast because it moves through so quickly. I think liquid is different from food because although the sleeve is very small, liquid still runs through the stomach at a pretty fast rate. I also noticed that if i stand up when i drink, i can drink more. Gravity i suppose? LOL. I'd say if you are able to drink more, DO IT. The more liquid the better, you don't want to get dehydrated. If it's not coming back up, it's probably safe in my opinion. :thumbup:

I was worried about getting in enough nutrients in my gummy vitamins, so yesterday i went to GNC and bought a $35 bottle of liquid vitamins called Miracle 2000. It has amino acids, high in B vitamins, everything. Even is cherry flavored. Well, i drank half a capful (half an ounce), and almost threw up. I had to take TWO zofran, 2 tbsp nausea liquid, and a phenergen to keep from throwing up. It was awful. Once the nausea subsided i drank a protein shake to try to dilute the vitamins, i think it hit my stomach too hard and fast. I won't take it again. I'm wondering what their return policy is on that stuff- $35 down the drain on liquid vitamins really sucks. :thumbup:

I got sleeved on the 17th and have been having a lot of trouble getting things down. Every sip of water, juice, protein shake, etc.. that i take, i hear gurgles and growles and every swallow feels like a ton of bricks in my stomach. I am having a really hard time staying hydrated because i can't get in enough liquids going this slowly, even if i sip all day. Also, after only a few bites of yogurt or jello, occasionally it will just hit me and i get nauseated and get the case of the "foamies". Last night i had a couple sugar free fudgecicles, slowly, and yogurt before bed, and woke up at 3am and dry heeved 3 times. Nothing actually came up, but it felt like knives in my stomach and that something needed to come out. Also, my mouth occasionally starts watering and i feel nauseous for no reason at all. Gum makes my mouth produce too much saliva, and hard candies. I have been going slowly and taking very small bites, I feel like i am running on empty because i can't seem to get in more than 300 calories a day and i have absolutely no energy. After i eat anything it tends to go straight through me. I researched "dumping syndrome" and i seem to get those symptoms although i got the sleeve instead of gastric bypass. I am also so paranoid that eating will make me vomit, that i almost want to just push through the hunger and extreme fatigue and go completely empty instead of risking another case of the foamies.This is really discouraging. So far, i've been dropping weight fast, which is great, but i don't want to put myself into starvation mode and i can already feel it happening to my body. I know that i am only a week out since surgery, but right now i feel like i wont be able to ever eat solid foods again. :thumbup: I need some encouraging words please! Has anyone experienced this?

Rogaine has not helped with my hairloss at all. I have been using women's rogaine and will continue it however the hairloss has not stopped. I just took a capful of liquid Vitamins on an empty stomach- very queezy now. Any suggestions on what i should do? I took a Zofran to help with the nausea.

I am also 26, and my hair is so thin that my scalp is very visable. It has always been thin, but only recent has the hair loss gotten to this point. Baldness does not run on my dads side, dad is 54 with a full head of gray hair. Mom has fine hair, but never any thinning. Sister has straight, perfect hair. I seem to be the only one. It is so embarrassing that i avoid social situations just so that my head is not seen. It's really rough. Im trying extra hard after this surgery to take in all the protein i can, chugging my shakes as often as possible so that i dont risk more hair loss. The fear of going bald scares me to death.

I'm taking the Vitafusion Mulit-Vites Gummy Vitamins, and the Lil Critters Gummy Vites, both taste like fruit snacks and real gummy bears. Had no problems with those at all. You can find them at Target and Walmart.

My pain meds also made me nauseated so i am dealing with the pain and also taking Zofran so i can consume more liquids. You sound like you are doing very well for being one week post-op!!

Good to hear that Tiffany! I was just in Chattanooga today, i live less than an hour and a half from there!

I cant take vitamins either, i am going with the gummy vitamins from Walmart. I'm chewing several a day because they are pretty low in the DV of most vitamins. But i am the same with Wannalise, i cant chew them all up at once, without them hitting my stomach hard and heavy. I chew a couple (2-3) at a time and swallow, then a few hours later do it again.