kwikwits

I had a lot of trouble getting in enough grams of Protein for at least the first 4 months. I also had a real tough time transitioning to mushy foods. They made me sick immediately. Every transition towards solid food was a challenge for me. Sounds like you aren't getting enough calories but at one month out expecting you to get in 1000 calories daily is to me unrealistic. Plus it takes nearly one year to be completely healed. I was still swollen at 4 months and longer - my surgeon had me getting in as many shakes as I could - which was hard enough and the suggested adding calories with Soup. A few of the bariatric Soups that have high protein aren't bad tasting but you can make your own too. Try making chicken soup and purée some of the boiled chicken and putting it in your portion of soup. I am talking a very small portion of soup...I. The beginning a 1/4 cup took me more than an hour to eat... Warm it up in the microwave and keep taking a teaspoonful or less. More calories will give you more energy. Your doctor maybe doing the endoscopy because of you other physical complaints just to see if you have a stricture or are very swollen. S/he wants to see if there is a physical issue with your sleeve that is making you feel so sick. It doesn't mean stretching your sleeve will be necessary he is just being cautious.

Good luck. Asks lots of questions if your surgeon. And keep asking questions on VST. We have all been there... Everyone has a different experience. I was nauseous for months after I was sleeved - my nausea fairly constant though less intense lasted 6 months. Other people topped feeling nauseous right away. Try doing little things to stay hydrated and get in as much protein (ie. calories) as you feel you can without feeling sick. I was no where near 1000 calories daily after 1 month - no way.

I was sleeved 20 months ago. I have lost 138 pounds. I am much more sensitive to cold because I lost all that insulation. Also while your body is burning up (using your fat stores for energy) you feel colder. Fat insulates us...it also uses more energy to move a bigger person so you exert yourself more & harder and work up a sweat. When I weighed 296 I was always warm from just moving myself around. Moving a158 pound body takes much less exertion. Bring a sweater even if you never expect to feel cold. After 20 months I still have to remind myself I get cold easily.

VSG or any weight loss surgery isn't the easy way out. WLS has a very high mortality rate for elective surgery -- so we are risking our lives just by getting on the operating table. So you make it out of surgery alive -- then you spend the next 6 months it was for me -- figuring out how to eat with this new banana shaped stomach that holds not very much food. I struggled with solid food. I was nauseous constantly. I couldn't eat anything but Soup comfortably for nearly 6 months. I developed gastric reflux that I never had before my sleeve. I had other digestive issues that took time to resolve. Four months after surgery my hair fell out -- not some of my hair but the majority of my hair fell out.

How is this the easy way? I am 15 months out of surgery -- I have lost 125 pounds. I have to work on my desire to compulsively overeat or eat for emotional reasons every single day. Yes, my sleeve makes me acutely aware of feeling full. Yes, taking to big or fast a bite of food at the beginning of a meal can mean my meal is over until the food has moved down my narrow redesigned stomach. My GERD continues to be a problem but I'm more used to it. I am healthier. I don't take any medication anymore. I feel better. I can walk around, climb stairs, take walks, be active without having joint pain or shortness of breath. I extended my life and improved the quality of my life.

It doesn't count because I did it with the help of surgery? Tell the people who say that to "cheat" and have weight loss surgery and then tell me about how easy it was.

Being healthier and living longer and better is what counts. How you achieve that is your own business.

Greetings NY sleevers! Last year there were not so many of us here on VST -- and considering the Empire State is pretty

darn big I was worrying NY wasn't being represented. Glad to see there are more, and more NYers on VST.

I had my surgery on June 1, 2011 at NYU with Dr, George Fielding. Surgery was fine. 3 day hospital stay. My big issues were nausea and trouble switching to solid food. I was eating Soup for a long, long time. But everything that was problematic improved over time. I learned to be patient. Everyone is different adjusting to their sleeve. Even now after one year -- there are times when I either take to big a bite, or eat fast or who knows what -- within minutes of eating my stomach hurts. It doesn't happen frequently but when it does I know in a few hours I will feel better and try eating some food again. Now I worry when I can eat more often -- formerly morbidly obese people have LOTS of issues. I still worry my sleeve is magic and suddenly the magic will wear off and I will eat myself back to nearly 300 pounds. Maybe that fear will motivate me to keep finding non-eating self soothing behaviors!

I wish everyone just starting out a lot of luck, patience and perseverance.

EJ

It is never too late to be healthier! I am 57 years old and had VSG surgery on 6/1/11. Nearly 9 months later and I have

lost 118 pounds. More importantly, my blood sugar is normal, my cholesterol is 188, my ratio of HDL to LDL puts me at

the lowest risk for heart attack and my back, knees, ankles and feet don't hurt and don't swell. I walk fast everywhere,

I bound up and down steps and I feel terrific. VSG and the weight loss it facilitated shave at least 10 years off my age.

I look younger and feel younger. I sleep better. I eat better. The foods I used to crave constantly no longer appeal to me.

I quit drinking soda two weeks before surgery...and I haven't gone back. I don't even like soda now and I've tasted it.

Now, I eat a little bit (2-3 ounces) mostly Protein every 4 to 5 hours -- if I feel hungry. There are always left overs. I still prefer

Soup to many solid foods. If I eat too fast or take bites like I did before surgery I can feel full pretty quickly. There isn't anything

I can't eat. I just eat a very small amount and I'm satisfied. I was a quantity eater -- I was a compulsive eater -- I never stopped

eating until the food was gone. I could eat a dinner out and come home to eat another dinner. When my surgeon told me VSG

would make me feel less hungry my response was "who eats from hunger?" I ate because I was happy, or sad or it was rainy or

it was sunny -- hunger had nothing to do with my eating. Now, my sense of fullness is impossible to ignore. I don't get sick but

I know when to stop and I know I can eat again in a few hours IF I WANT TO. I don't feel deprived one bit. I still enjoy good food

but in much smaller amounts. When dining out I eat appetizer portions. Some things I can eat full portions (there are still leftovers)

like sashimi or mussels. They don't take up as much space in my new banana shaped stomach. I don't eat many starchy carbs --

not because I am an anti-carb zealot -- but because they fill me up too quickly and I prefer filling up with protein.

I am a criminal defense attorney -- actually I am the Public Defender here in NYC. Today, I wound up representing a former client

from 2007. I told his mother that I was half the size I was back in 2007. She greeted me in court and said "You said you were half

the size you were in 2007, I disagree, you are a quarter of the size you were back then." The truth is -- sometimes I don't recognize

myself. My whole face has changed along with my body. It does take some getting used too -- but looking better is just "gravy" --

I did this so I could move without hurting, not feel breathless all the time, and not worry I would die prematurely.

I am rocking my sleeve & I am pushing 60 years old!

kenbr14 - Dr. Ren is excellent -- she is bariatric surgery super star! Dr. Ren is now Dr. Ren-Fielding because she

is married to my surgeon -- Dr. George Fielding. The only reason I didn't use Dr. Ren is because Dr. Fielding used to be fat -- he has been lap banded since 1999. When I initially had my surgical consultation with Dr. Fielding I was going to get the lapband. It was Dr. Fielding who suggested VSG. He even told me to make an appointment for a 2nd surgical consult so I could research VSG and see if it was for me. I had my surgery at NYU June 1, 2011. They will keep you there for 3 days to make sure you aren't "leaking" i.e. bleeding internally. I have been very pleased with the NYU Weight Management Program since my surgery. I am down over 100 pounds from my heaviest weight and 101 pounds from what I weighed when I first went to NYU for my surgical consult. VSG was right for me. Currently I can eat just about anything (but my tastes have changed drastically since I was 100 pounds heavier) -- I can't eat a large amount of food. I can eat 3 - 4 ounces of food -- possibly more when it is sashimi. I prefer to eat Protein mostly but I'm not totally carb free -- I just can't eat much so I prefer to fill my sleeved stomach with Protein first -- also I feel that carbs make me fill full faster and I haven't gotten in the grams of protein I need to keep healing (it isn't 1 year yet so I still need protein to heal my surgically altered stomach) and to keep me losing weight. I am still losing weight but slower than I was in the first 6 months. I had lots of different issues transitioning to solid food but in time things got better and easier. My only side effect that continues is I developed gastric reflux -- which I treat with omeprazole (Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid). I don't eat as many tomatoes, or citrus as I used to because of their acidity. I take a B12 sublingual tablet daily too because taking a ppi (proton pump inhibitor) interferes with your ability to asorb Vitamin B12. More importantly, I feel great! No more high cholesterol, my blood sugar is normal, I don't take any medications anymore. My knees don't hurt, my back doesn't hurt and I can move quickly and easily.

Good luck to you on March 1st!

On 12/22/11 I weighed 195. Today, 1/17/2012, I weighed 187. I have stalls and then I drop some weight. I'm losing more slowly than I did when I was heavier. I can eat most foods. I can eat about 3 ounces of solid food at a meal. I feel like I can eat Soup and sashimi the easiest and the most volume. I am trying to eat more veggies and fruit. I don't eat starchy carbs because they fill me up and reduce the amount of Protein I take in at a meal. I'm not carb adverse I just choose to eat protein first, then veggies. I was never a big bread eater. Pre-surgery I did eat Pasta pretty often. I don't miss it. I am having more urges to eat some of the crap I used to eat. I'm a believer in harm reduction. If I want a salty snack I may eat some nuts, pretzels or 100 calorie bags of microwave popcorn. If I crave sweet I will have a small portion of sorbet or a cinnamon cookie. I have gastric reflux which I didn't have prior to surgery but it is getting better. My doctor says I may "grow out of it" as time passes. Most of my negative side effects (nausea, stomach aches) have improved or disappeared. Best thing is my joints don't hurt anymore. I move easily and quickly. I don't huff & puff when I walk. I've gone from a 26/28 (often a 30/32 in tops because of my arms) to a 14/16.

I was sleeved on 6/1/11. I have lost 98 pounds including 19 pounds pre-op.

I'm just beginning to explore the possibility of having VSL. The research I've read on-line says one can reasonably expect to lose up to 50-70% of their "overage" in the first year. For me, that would be roughly 70 lbs (which would DELIGHT me!).

Are your results meeting your expectations, seriously?

I would really be happy just to get to 180lbs (down from (260 lbs). I don't have to weight 160 lbs.... does that sound reasonable? Achievable?

I think everyone loses weight at their own pace so comparing weight loss can be frustrating. I am down nearly 80 pounds at 5 months but for someone barely 5 ft. 1in. I was fairly large at nearly 300 lbs and I believe my body was thrilled at the opportunity to shed some weight. I haven't had "stalls", but because eating solid food has been a challenge (even this far out from surgery) my body may have gone into "starvation mode" and is hanging on to pounds for survival. I know you have to "eat" to lose. My "fantasy goal" is 160 lbs -- and I think that is possible -- realistically I'd be happy if I'm merely "overweight" and no longer "obese".

Try not to get too caught up in a numbers game -- measure success by how much better you feel, you move and enjoy living, being lighter.

Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment!

I was sleeved on June 1, 2011 by Dr. George Fielding at NYU Medical Center in New York City. I am down a total of 62 pounds including pre-surgery weight loss. Initially I had a lot of problems eating. Now I am much better but I can't eat citrus, or fresh tomatoes, or most acidic fruits and veggies. I started getting mouth sores. I have had 3 after NEVER having a mouth sore before. Dentist prescribed topical paste to treat them. Could this be the sign of a Vitamin C deficiency? Has anyone else gotten mouth sores post surgery?

I refuse to weigh myself more than once a week. The most gain I've shown is 3 lbs. I kept slipping back and forth recently between 236 and 233. Then suddenly I went in one week from 236 to 231. I'm hanging out at 231 now for a week.

Oregodaisy,

I'm with you...if I get a neck waddle then I'm off to the plastic surgeon. I am down 62 pounds since 6/1/11 from my highest weight. I could be down another 10 or 20 by the fall. My skin is doing okay so far. I mean okay for a 56 year old woman with pretty good elasticity.

I love hearing about everyone's success with the SLEEVE!

Thanks for the stories and the support!

VSG changes lives for the BETTER!

On 8/17 I will be 11 weeks post surgery! I haven't felt this good since I was in my 20s and I am 56 and a half years old!

My feet never swell up, I don't huff & puff, I don't sweat like I'm dying, I have so much energy my friends can't keep up. My cholesterol is normal, my sugar is normal, my blood pressure is much lower but not normal yet. I feel LIGHT ON MY FEET! Walking is fun again. I can go up and down stairs easily. My heart rate only increases when I really move myself -- aerobics, running, climbing stairs. I can barely sit still on most days! My sleep is better. I don't stay up all night.

The biggest negatives for me are reflux and nausea BUT THEY ARE IMPROVING CONSTANTLY. It is very freaky not being totally driven by food and eating and that is taking some getting used to. Getting full, getting sick, sliming are all new and challenging.

I WOULDN'T GIVE MY SLEEVE BACK OR GIVE IT UP IN A HOT NEW YORK CITY MINUTE! This sleeve gave me my life back and I am so thankful I learned about VSG!

So I am officially sleeved as of Monday, the 8th. I've never had any surgery except when I was two, so it was a surreal experience to say the least.

However, I'm having issues eating or drinking right now. I take very small sips and small bites of soft food and it hurts when it reaches my sleeve. It feels like a ball in my chest, like I'm having a painful contraction as it goes down. Is this normal? How long does it take for this to go away? It's very uncomfortable, it almost makes me dread eating anything.

Thanks for any thoughts!

I am sympathetic to your discomfort. Immediately after surgery and then again even one to two months post surgery I was having a lot of pain, nausea etc from eating. Here is what I did and it seems to have worked for me. Check with your surgeon, nutritionist etc.

First 6 weeks I just drank Protein shakes, sucked on ice pops, ate sugar free Jello. That was all I could tolerate without feeling awful. Remember they removed 85% of your stomach and you have a long staple line that needs to heal. Other people may be able to eat soft foods etc BUT I COULDN'T EAT ANYTHING THAT WASN'T liquid (SHAKES), FROZEN Water (ICE POPS) OR THICK Water THAT COULD DISSOLVE IN MY MOUTH.

Stop trying to rush eating. You will get there and have less issues if you just move very, very slowly. I am 10 weeks out of surgery (sleeved on 6/1/11) and still do best with broth, sashimi (rice and seaweed are hard for me), cooked fish, tofu, poached eggs, hard boiled egg yolks, soft cheeses in little bites. I still get sick from egg salad with lots of mayo and tuna salad etc. Those people who claim to eat a steak days after surgery are either not telling the truth or they stuck the steak in the blender. Oh, after you get totally crazy from the sweet shakes, try marinara sauces, cottage or ricotta cheese, and some melted mozzarella cheese together. GO SLOWLY -- EVEN SOFT food TAKES UP MORE SPACE THAN liquid FOOD.

Be patient. You will heal and unswell. You had major surgery -- drink the liquid Protein Shakes. Food will come when your stomach is ready. Your mouth doesn't call the shots anymore.

I am down 60 pounds from my heaviest weight, 50 pounds from my surgical weigh in, and 31 pounds from the day I was sleeved. I don't huff and puff when I walk. I have enormous amounts of energy and for the first time in years my cholesterol is below 200.

Please know you will be able to eat more soon. Hang in there.

I can't imagine eating the way I used to eat. I can't fit much in right now. When does that change?

Me too!!! My two cents....http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/expert.q.a/07/29/weight.surgery.sleeve.jampolis/index.html?is_LR=1

kwikwits

I am taking prilosec at least twice a day. I prefer to take it before bed so I wake up with less heartburn and nausea. Then I take it again around 1pm for my afternoon bout of nausea and reflux. I am trying Prevacid which is Lansoprazole another PP!.

I am trying to find a PPI that is fast if taken once I'm feeling the burning from GERD -- omperazole isn't as fast acting as I'd like. I am trying to schedule the medication so that I don't have intense GERD symptoms throughout the day. I have enough trouble with nausea.

I very rarely had heartburn before I was sleeved. I had the stomach of a goat before my sleeve and I weighed nearly 300 lbs. So now I'm down over 50 pounds and have to take some medications. I'm willing to make the trade off to live into my 80s!

My food monster has been vanquished by NAUSEA AND GERD!

You know I never imagined in a million years that feeling ill could STOP my desire to eat and eat compulsively -- BUT IT HAS! I can't eat very much--some things only 2 ounces some things even less...two things happened fairly consistently;

1) I get very nauseous or I start out very nauseous when I wake up in the morning;

2) If I drink even a sip of Water while eating something -- I start to SLIME

3) I am NEVER hungry!

The nausea is getting very old very fast. Dr. says I only had 85% of my stomach removed 7 weeks ago -- which isn't that long ago. I maybe nauseous for 6 months to 1 year out of surgery (YUCK). I take my drugs compazine, omperazole and now ginger tea and ginger gum (natural no drugs). I have been told I MUST EAT Protein BECAUSE I'M GOING INTO STARVATION MODE AND I NEED TO HEAL AND HEALING NEEDS PROTEIN! Here is my guide to protein...

Tofu is a great idea -- easy to get down and a great source of Protein.< /span>

Ramen -- I don't do the noodles because they take up too much space and I need the protein -- but Ramen broth totally rocks! Plus good Ramen places will have fish cake,

hard boiled egg, very soft pork slices (chashu) and then give broth refills! Takes me nearly two hours and I can't finish the broth but I get in a good deal of protein. Sashimi -- I can eat a sashimi appetizer in about an hour or so. Getting about 16 - 28 grams of protein depending on what types of fish and how much I can eat.

I have lost more than 50 pounds including the two week pre-surgery diet. I feel the best when my stomach/esophagus is EMPTY! I am flying without a net so to speak -- not having food as an obsession is very odd -- I am less NUMB -- which means I get angry, frustrated and annoyed more easily! I sometimes don't know what to do with myself. Most planned eating experiences with others (going out to eat some place I liked before I was sleeved) haven't been so great. Everything tastes and seems different. I can't eat anything greasy and really don't want to now that I realize it tastes bad to me. I find myself "fearful" of feeling ill outside of my home -- not 'cause I may vomit -- because I don't -- I have SLIMED on the street -- but because I HATE FEELING NAUSEOUS AND HATE FEELING LIKE FOOD IS STUCK IN MY THROAT/ESOPHAGUS.

Just remember -- eat slowly. Really focus on and taste the food while it is in your mouth -- the bulk of digestion takes place in the mouth. Plus if your taste buds are feeling as deprived as mine are -- food tastes so intense now -- like my taste buds were on LSD! A Tomato tastes like the most amazing thing ever...it is very different. I guess I didn't pay attention to what the food actually tastes like.

As for the amounts I eat -- they are laughable. In the beginning the amount of food I would eat was so meager and the risk of feeling sick during and/or afterwards so great it just didn't seem worth the risk! Now I can accept that 2 or 3 spoonfuls is all I can eat at a time. Every time I order food out I want to take a picture of what it looked like when it was served and how it looked nearly the same when I asked the server to pack it up for home! Only when I feel really, really sick do I ever think "WTF did I do to myself?"

I can't help thinking my insurance company paid my surgeon to give me an eating disorder...I wonder if I will ever feel hungry again?

Go easy on buying a lot of Protein shakes. After 2 weeks of Protein Shakes before surgery (my doctor makes you do a two week liquid reduce the liver diet before surgery) and then 3 weeks of Protein Shakes after surgery -- I can't even look at them and frankly my assets are in liquid shakes right now.

I wonder if I can sell them on craigslist or ebay????

I haven't felt "hungry" since before surgery. I don't get hungry. Sometimes I remember liking some kind of food and I think it would taste good to try it -- but I'm usually disappointed. Partially because it doesn't taste like it used to taste and partially because I can't eat very much of it.

I am 6 weeks out since surgery. I am having issues with nausea and not being able to eat very much. Before being sleeved I never let feeling too full or feeling sick stop me from overeating. Now I sometimes start the day feeling so nauseous I just can't "risk" making myself feel worse by eating something. I never, ever felt that way before or thought that way before. I told my surgeon I didn't think there was anything STRONGER than my desire to eat and to over eat. I guess I was wrong.

I am finding being at odds with food and eating very strange. The nutritionist says I have to "force" myself to eat Protein so I can heal. For all these years I had to "FORCE" myself to STOP eating -- I never would have predicted this. I am afraid to eat other foods I used to like the taste of or feel comforted by -- baked potato, fresh Tomato, goat cheese, bleu cheese, corn on the cob, a hamburger -- once I realize there aren't any foods that taste like they used to or comfort me like they used to I think I will be very sad.

So sorry to hear you are back in the hospital and feeling crappy! I hope by the time you read this you are home with your family.

I hate that swallow test so much...bad enough you have to drink that awful stuff BUT HAVING TO STAND ON THAT LITTLE PLATFORM IS JUST ADDING INSULT TO INJURY....

Are they sure you don't have a stricture? When I was having problems moving to soft foods and described feeling anything I "ate" just sat either at the bottom of my throat or the top of my esophagus -- the doctor wanted to make sure I didn't have a stricture. I didn't have a stricture -- but I'm still swollen

and inflamed. broth and ice pops are my mainstays. Sometimes it is easier for me to have a popsicle than evening trying to drink Water.

I worry I'm not getting in many calories. How can I lose weight when I barely eat anything? When I do eat --- it is Protein, Protein, protein. But I don't think I've broke 300 calories if even that. I am so "afraid" of feeling sick from eating -- that I rather keep my stomach empty. Since I never 'feel" hungry so that isn't an issue.

I never thought eating/stomach aches/chemistry/etc would be my issue. I used to have the stomach of a goat -- I could eat metal! Now a half cup of wonton Soup (sans wontons) and I'm in the toilet all night feeling my life pass before my esophagus.

I hope you are feeling better and home. My advice is to keep an eating journal -- so you can remember

what you ate and how it made you feel. Otherwise you just forget! My other piece of advice is to EAT very

slowly. Even if that first taste is AMAZING...slow down because it doesn't take very long for your head to realize your full.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to cheer you up and cheer you on!

Estajo

Now that is a great NSV!

For all these years assuming I have girly parts has

been a huge leap of faith! I can't wait to meet my va jay jay!

Fortunately, there have been persons in my life willing to perform

reconnaissance missions and verify.

My surgeon was Dr. George A. Fielding at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, NY. Dr. Fielding is the weight loss surgeon to the "stars" having performed lap band surgery on NY Jet coach Rex Ryan, and Khaliah Ali (daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali).

I chose Dr. Fielding because he used to be morbidly obese. In 1999, after performing about 600 weight loss surgeries in his native Australia, Dr. Fielding, at 42 years old, weighed 320lbs, had asthma, reflux, sleep apnea, depression and heart arrhythmias. Dr. Fielding wrote about his experience being the weight loss surgeon and the weight loss surgery patient.

http://thinforlife.m...everyone-dreams

http://thinforlife.m...e-him-big-loser

Dr. Fielding has been instrumental in the development of laparoscopic surgery and has taught the techniques to surgeons around the world and has published more than 150 journal articles, abstracts, and book chapters. Dr. Fielding met and married his wife, Dr. Christine Ren Fielding also a distinguished weight loss surgeon while, at NYULMC -- now they are a NYC weight loss surgery "uber couple" often being mentioned in NYC gossip columns!

Dr. Fielding is an arrogant, albeit, very charming, SOB and one hell of an excellent surgeon -- he also had me pegged as the "go f-yourself" kind of woman I am -- I was going to get the lap band and within minutes of meeting and talking to Dr. F he told me "the food restrictions you are going to have with the lap band are going to make you rebel" -- he was right. I didn't know much about vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Dr. Fielding suggested I do some research and have a 2nd surgical consultation. I did my homework (right here on VST!) and knew getting sleeved was the right procedure for me. Dr. Fielding does love being a weight loss surgeon -- as the fat keeps melting off my body, Dr. Fielding is my biggest cheerleader and is often giddier about my rapid weight loss (6 weeks post surgery and I've lost over 40lbs!) than I am!