Shanny

My doctor's plan says not to have tomatoes until 4 months post op. I don't know why, but after the cocktail sauce incident, I will NOT be having them anytime in the near future!

I'm only 18 days out of surgery. I know that I can't have tomatoes until I'm 4 months post op. I'm struggling because I love them so, but it's what I have to do. What I didn't realize is how many foods have tomatoes in them. This weekend I went I had pureed fish, that was really soft so I had a bite, chewed it like 400 times and swallowed. I never once thought about the fact that cocktail sauce is tomato based.That little taste of cocktail sauce is what started the worst acid reflux that I've ever had in my life. My throat has been bubbling, and I can't swallow. Even liquids are getting stuck in my throat because of the indigestion. Now, I love tomatoes, but I've made a serious effort to stay away from them. I totally wasn't thinking when I did that. In fact, none of us at dinner were. We were talking and laughing and going on as business as usual. Not only do 1/2 of my favorite foods have tomato sauce in them, but I really have to mindful about Soup, stews, ketchup, A1 sauce...everything. Hell even the Laughing Cow cheese has sundried tomatoes in it. My favorite food is trying to kill me! First baby food brocolli and cheese, now this. Now I have to take Maloxx for 2 days and be on Clear Liquids until it passes. It's not that I can't stay away from tomatoes but I honestly didn't think about it. Now that I know how much tomatoes hate me, I KNOW that I'll think and rethink and overthink everything I eat to make sure it doesn't have any tomato in it!

I'm sorry that you're feeling so horrible. I had surgery almost 3 weeks ago, and I'm still asking myself the same question. In fact, until I saw your post I was thinking about writing about my regrets. The pain gets better after about the 3rd day. I stopped taking my pain killers on my 2nd day home from the hospital. In the beginning you'll have good days and bad days, trying to relearn how to eat, and remember that it's going to take your stomach time to learn how to digest things. That's the problem I'm having. This is a life changing tool. Hang in there!

You can buy it at Amazon.com, or at Neighborcare Pharmacy, too. I get it at the pharmacy because they sell it for $15.99, and there's no shipping. Chocolate works well for me. I don't like the unflavored at all!

Since I have a bit more energy, I decided I want to start exercising. I'm not comfortable with the idea of going to a gym. Still have that fat girl fear that everyone there is looking at me. So, I decided I'm going to do it at home. Since it's cold as all get out, I'm not walking around the lake yet. When it warms up I will - when it gets too hot, and the bugs come out, I know I won't be doing that anymore. I only get a good 2 months in with the walking thing before nature and my allergies put a stop to all that outdoors stuff. What else was there to do? Buy some stuff! I got my tax return, I'm worth a few dollars, aren't I? I started off small. I got the Gazelle, and the Gold's Gym mini stepper. They should be delivered by Tuesday. I'm so excited. I would love to work out at home, while watching TV, or listening to music. Since my son moved his computer in his room and out of the den, I have the whole room to do whatever I want. Since I got two pieces, my girl and I can workout together. She's been doing the exercises she learned in the Navy with me, and now we'll have some eqjpment to really push ourselves, too. I'm excited! Wish me luck!

I had this problem, but post op on the clear liquid diet. My doctor said it was from the protein deficiency. Hang in there. It gets better.

@ Tiffykins - thanks for all the info. I had decided yesterday after the hellacious night I had that I was eating Soup today. I notice though when I only try to do full liquids, I'm hungry. Plus I have to ingest more to get the Protein. At least with the puree I'm in pain, but I'm not hungry . I guess it's a little heavier so I'm satied. Granted after about 4 bites I'm pretty satied anyway, but with liquids, I'm hungry again about an hour later. I guess I'm afraid of "overeating" with the liquids, even though I'm only getting in about 4 - 6 oz at a time, depending on how thick it is. I'm going to pay attention to how I'm taking the Nexium and try staying on the full liquids for a little longer to see if that helps. I just wish I could burp on my own. Yesterday, it seemed that drinking Water before I ate, was the only thing that made me burp, but that was more of a hunger thing. I swear, it seems like as soon as I get one stage of this sleeve figured out, it's time to be on the next stage and then I'm back to square one. Yes, I'm losing weight, but this thing is so frustrating. My body doesn't seem to be cooperating with the 'rules' that I'm supposed to follow. I'm afraid winging it is going to do some damage or I'm going to undo everything that I learned over the course of the pre-op. There's a support group meeting on Tuesday, I'm definitely going. I'm so confused about this damn thing!

With my program I am on the puree foods until Wednesday, then I go to soft foods. I only have to be puree foods until Tuesday. As much as I hate eating at this point, I wonder if I'll ever be able to go to soft foods! This crap is annoying. I'm not really paying attention to how I take the nexium. I'm going to start paying more attention to it tomorrow. I just take it in the morning with my other meds and Protein shake.

I'm on Nexium. Maybe I should switch to prilosec. I'll also try putting the fork down. I'm desperate because this is awful!

I had my surgery 16 days ago. When whenever I eat, unless it's clear liquid or yogurt, I get indigestion. For an hour after I eat, no matter how finely pureed, chewed, soft, or whatever it is, or how small the bite, or how many times I chew, I get horrible indigestion that feels like I have to throw up. Everything feels like it's stuck in my chest, not even in my stomach. I still have to walk around, and a half hour after I eat when I'm able to drink I can push it down it bit, but it stays stuck for a good hour. My girlfriend usually has to rub or pat my back until I can burp, then I feel better - I feel like an infant. How long does this horrible side effect last? I have to eat, but the indigestion is so bad it makes me not want to eat at all!

I use the Gummyvites that you get at Costco. My doctor said they work fine, plus they have 200% Vitamin D (I'm deficient). Plus, this week they're on sale at Costco for $7.99 a botttle for 200 instead of $9.99 a bottle.

So, I had my sleeve done 2 weeks ago, and outside of the initial surgery pain, I haven't had any. That is until last night. Last night my incision on my navel started hurting, and it's a little swollen on one side. Today, my stomach, right above my incision (where my actual stomach is) hurts. It doesn't hurt all the time, it's just sore when I sit. I haven't done anything. I haven't eaten anything that I'm not supposed to. I haven't been exercising vigorously. It's just irrating me. It's not bad enough to call my doctor, but if it gets worse I will. Should I just chalk it up to healing irritability?

I'm glad you can drink. I'm 14 days post op today and it still takes me about 45 minutes to drink a 8 oz Protein shake. I am able sip more Water at a time, but everything kept getting stuck and I belched a lot. When you start eating you will notice a difference. My doctor wants me to eat at least 4 oz of food. I'm still working on getting 2.5 in. Me and my sleeve are fighting a serious battle. Good luck!

In the end we waited 10 days. I still don't have as much energy as I did, but that's because I can't get the drinking and Protein thing down to a science yet, but we're still modifying things a bit. So far, so great!

I'm mostly sticking with canned tuna and canned chicken and blend it. I make tuna salad or chicken salad. Use about a tbsp of fat free mayo (I like the lowfat mayo with olive oil), and seasoning. I've also blended some brocolli florets, and used the laughing cow wedges and melted them over the broccolli. It doesn't look good, but it tastes really good. I'm addicted to those laughing light cow cheeses!

Congrats! You both look great!

Can I tell you how pissed I was to see the email and then have everyone come to my office to ask me what was going on and if I was okay. I honestly didn't want anyone except for the 2 people that needed to know and the 4 people I wanted to know to know anything about it. I'm going to take these two weeks to get me together and let the chips fall where they may. Thanks for the advice!

My doctor made me take a drug test for nicotine before he would do my surgery, so I had to quit smoking. With no food or cigarettes, I had no coping skills. I had to get my meds readjusted with my shrink to keep from biting someone's head off. For me, I decided that I wanted surgery more than I wanted a cigarette. It was HARD, but it can be done. Just look at your goal and let that be your motivation for not smoking. I think the 2 days liquid diet was harder than not smoking. Good luck!

That's a good one, too!

Yeah, I'm thinking that I'll eventually disclose the entire thing. I just don't want anyone to know yet. It's pretty noticable though, so I have to say something.

I still have 2 more weeks before I have to go back to work, but I'm already scared to death about going back. I only told a handful of people why I was going out. I told my boss a partical truth about my surgery. I told her that I had to have stomach surgery and that I had to have an ulcer removed. It's not a total lie. I did have stomach surgery and the part of my stomach that an ulcer in it was removed during the sleeve procedure but, I just didn't tell her that I was also having weight loss reduction surgery. She's in her 80s and I really don't think she'd understand or would have given me the time off. Granted, she liked to make little quips, like, "You need the exercise, take this upstairs for me." But that's another story for another time. So anyway, I wanted my time off to be low key, but she sent an email to entire place telling everyone that I would be out for 2 weeks for a medical procedure and recovery which made everyone ask me what was going on. I told them that I had my ulcer taken care of. I know, omitting the truth is a lie, and I have never considered myself a liar until this point. But, now, the truth is going to come out. I'm scared to death about it! What am I supposed to say? Legally I don't have to say anything. But in the closeknit community that we work in I have to say something. Should I just say that I had stomach surgery and had my ulcer taken care of? Should I just fess up? If I do that then I'm going to have to tell my boss the whole thing. I'm already having nightmares about this. Since I can't eat, in the last 2 days I've started smoking again. I only have 2 coping mechanisms, food, and smoking. I only go to therapy once a week, so the other 6 days I'm on my own. I don't know what to do or why what other people think is so scary to me. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time trying to be invisible, that now that I'm changing and they can see me, I don't know what to do.

Before I had my son 13 years ago, I was a size 8. I was always "thick" but shapely. In fact, I was shaped how most black women that I know are shaped (I am black, btw). I had thick thighs, wide hips, a big butt, small waist, no stomach and DD boobs. I was also 130 pounds and 5'2". One of the things I loved the most about my short frame was my long neck. Well gues what? I was just sitting in my room and happened to look up in the mirror and there it was. My neck has resurfaced. The fat is gone from around it, and I can actually see it again. It looks weird to me, because I haven't seen it in so long. Or mabye it's because I've never noticed my collar bone be that prominate before, but whatever the reason, my neck is back. Maybe all this sipping and nasty ass Protein Water is worth having my neck back!

I have United and they covered it.

So today makes 8 days post op. I went to the doctor today and I got told off. Apparently, I'm dehydrated. I'm not getting in enough fluids or Protein. Now, I can average about 2 oz at a time. Yet, he expects me drink 64 oz of Water and get in at least 50 grams of protein. How in the hell am I supposed to do that? The first 3 days I was so nauseous that I popped the nausea pills like candy. I drink, but I can't drink that much. My stomach won't hold that much. Before surgery, I could drink gallons of water a day. Now, 20 oz is about all I can do. He told me to set a timer and to drink 1 oz every 5 minutes while I'm awake. How am I supposed to do and get in 50 grams of protein? I HATE the protein suppliments. I don't like fruit flavored water. I either want fruit juice or water, not both. They don't make water flavored protein water. And the protein powders are too sweet. Do they make protein pills? He made me do blood work and I have to go back next week. If I'm still dehydrated he's threatened to put me back in the hospital with IV fluids. I can't figure this damn sleeve out! I worked my butt off to lose weight for the surgery and did everything that I was supposed to do for surgery. I don't want to throw it all away now. Does it ever get easier? Does it ever just fall all into place? I know that in the long run I'll be thankful that I did this, but today I'm seriously looking for the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow!

How did the CHinese food work for you? DId you get sick from it? How long post op were you after you ate it? When I can have soft foods I really want some but I'm afraid that it might make me sick.