Papillon

Excellent news!!! The insurance dance can be a real pain in the a**.

The real mind bender for me is using a food scale. We purchased a little eletronic one to make sure we are getting the right amount of things. I still find myself weighing out 28g =1oz and thinking that is NOT enough food. haha Then I pair it with 1/4 cup of veggies and start munching away. By the time I am to the last bite I am full. The scale helps me to take care with my portion sizes and it works great! Honestly, the liquid (2week) diet before surgery was harder than it is after surgery. I miss carbs now and again but it is nothing like being hungry all the time. After surgery I am not as hungry. I do find that when I am bored my first thoughts turn to food but, that is something I am working on changing.

Welcome to the board. My husband went through the surgery at the same time I did. (same day in fact) he doesn't post on the forum but, I wanted you to know there are a lot of guys out there that do this surgery too. : )

The first few weeks I felt very run down however, you have more and more energy each day. It is also very important that you make sure to get your protein in. In the first week you are pretty swollen so the amount you can eat is greatly reduced but this also gets easier as time goes by. I am a little over a month now and I am doing great. I have a lot of energy!! Part of that is being 30 lbs lighter. If you take the time to recover and treat yourself right you will be back up and about in no time. The third day after surgery was the hardest for me. I was very sore and had some pain. It was not unbearable and I made myself get up and try to walk when possible. You really have to take it a day at a time in the beginning. Now, I find myself forgetting I have even had surgery.

if you eat really slowly and take your time the chances of anything getting stuck are much smaller. I have not had any problems and we are beyond mushies now. I did get sick of pureeing everything pretty quickly the good news is that is only lasts for a short time. Follow your doctors guidelines they are there for a reason. If you are going nuts talk to your nutritionist about what other options you have. They have some great ideas sometimes. I also like to use a lot of sauces they help the food glide easier. Just becareful of too much sugar and added things in some of them. I will admit the idea that someone posted about hotwing sauce was well received at my house. A mini hot wing without the grease, count me in.

I made one the other night with shredded lettuce and tomato as the base, like Fleur recommends. It tastes great and you get a little crunch from the lettuce. Not the same as the crunchy tortilla but a lot safer on your healing stomach. With a little sourcream and a bump of salsa it is like a mini taco salad.

Congrats to all my sleeve sisters and brothers out there! I am a little over a month out and feeling great!! I forget that I even had the surgery... I am still drinking one protein shake a day and have started eating the permier protein bar in the afternoon. I was to the point where I could not handle anymore shakes hehe. Keeping my protein up to avoid any problems. I am down about 31lbs and two jean sizes. That alone puts a little more pep in my step.

Congratulations!!

My husband told me the other night "No getting skinny, then finding another man." I just laughed and told him "Not happening, I already put 10 years into you... I am not starting over with hey, what is your favorite color" haha. Seriously though, he should be happy for you. You will be healthier and feel better and want to do more "things" with him.

Honestly the pain is managable... I was on a morphine drip/pump thing for two days and had the ability to push the button (at certain times) to self medicate. This was really nice... The first two days were not too bad, the third day was the roughest for me. If you have a chance stay in the hospital two nights, it is helpful when you feel awful to have someone who will bring you pain medicine. Listen to the doctor and do your breathing exercises. It is counter-intuitive to breathe into a pain in your side but if you do it alleviates the gas pains. Also get up and walk... I know you will not want to and would rather lay there but make yourself get up. The first week was the roughest for me but it gets better each day. Just keep plugging along and pretty soon you will be rocking your sleeve.

Hi Jane~ I know how you feel. It is a hard decision but, I am glad I made it. I was scared before surgery but, happy to say I had a great experience. I have had a few moments where I miss other types of food. I am nearly one month out now and I am able to eat one ounce of meet and 1/4 cup of veggies or fruit. It doesn't seem like much food but honestly I am full. Keep in mind you will still have to face the emotions and reasons that you turned to food in the first place. ( I am sure you are considering this before surgery too) The emotional connection and rush I used to get when I knew we were going out to dinner is gone. I am finding other things to interest me and help me feel excited and happy. One thing that helps is just having more energy now... I am past the recovery phase from the hospital. I took three weeks off of work and I am glad I did. It gave me enough time to really heal before going back. It is a journey! Listen to your heart and you will make the choice that is best for you.

I would talk to your doctor about this... especially if you have not had problems earlier with the same thing. It could be excess acid but I am not a doctor.

I agree with lilmiss if you have a cold you may need to postpone surgery... you do not want to be getting over a bug and recovering from surgery.

wow look at you 6.4lbs from goal you must be sooo excited.

I am a spice freak haha.. so it isn't that hot to me.

Nearly one month out and I am feeling amazing. I am getting used to the size of food I need to eat. I do not feel hungry. There are a few times when I have had short term desires for other foods but the results from my weight loss have made it a lot easier to ignore them haha. As many of you know I am an opera singer. I am happy to report I have not had any problems with my voice. The only thing I am noticing is that I do not have quite the same amount of stamina when it comes to breathing. It is gradually improving though and I am not worried. If you are considering this surgery I urge you to do your research and think about it long and hard before you do it. I have no regrets but I am also very glad I read a lot about the surgery before jumping in.

I am with you ... I had a moment where I wanted to cry because I could not order a pizza. Then I smacked myself hahah... not literally but, I told myself WTF!! The whole reason for me to do this was to get my your know what in order! Sooo... screw you pizza. haha. I am in the mushies stage and I miss other types of food too... what has helped is getting several sauces. So I can have a little Thai peanut sauce with my blended-shredded pork. That gives me a little kick and I eat a lot of veggies. made green beans lastnight with garlic and a little butter and they were amazing.

My husband and I both took three weeks off from work. This last week we have spent more time getting caught up on school again before we go back to work. If you are only able to take two weeks that will work. Like other people said the first week you are pretty tired and need the time to rest. The second week I felt a lot better and went to my classes. This week I feel great! Each day you feel better and have more energy but, the first week especially you will be tired easily. Good Luck to you! I hope your surgery is quick and complication free. :thumbup:

Angie you look beautiful!! Celebrate the 46lbs that are no longer on your person. If you really want to feel the difference pick up a bag of cat food at the grocery story... those are usually between 25-30lbs... You have made an amazing change for your health!! Congratulations!! :thumbup:

All I can say is YES you will see a difference and it will be a good one! :thumbup:

I have also mentioned your name to my husband when talking about this forum. haha For as much as I talk about you ... one would think we were life long friends.

Our nurse advised us to use two methods after surgery. So we picked up some spermacide and condominiums. lol

Wow... our surgeon had us on a 2 week clear liquid diet. That was rough... the nice thing about after surgery for most people is that you aren't hungry. And if you are it is nothing like it used to be. I actually visited my family yesterday and they had a huge breakfast. I had my protein shake and honestly it really wasn't unbearable. I thought briefly about that sausage patty but that was it... It was nice to just see everyone. ,

The best advice I can give to you guys is to stay in the hospital an extra day if you can. I was fine the first 2 days but the 3rd (was rough) and I was happy I was somewhere that I could get help if needed. Also nice to have someone bring you broth when you are tired and feeling crappy. *at the risk of TMI it was also nice to have a bathroom close by* I also think I had an easier time because my husband and I walked a lot the 2nd day. We were both still on morphine so it made it pretty easy honestly. Don't forget to do your breathing exercises... it is counter-intuitive to breathe deeper when it hurts a little but in the end you will be happy you did!! That first week I will admit was a little rough. Not impossible, but you really need to take it easy and take care of yourself. : )

So far I only feel nauseous after I eat. I have been making sure to coincide my meals with meds whenever possible. How far out are y?u?