gettingthere

Thank you! I wonder why they didn't report the ghrelin levels at 5 year post op since they followed up the patients up to that point? Maybe it is in the main body of the article. I read an article (I can't find anymore) that said that ghrelin levels are reduced after a person eats and that in obese patients, ghrelin levels were very low (I guess for those who snack a lot?). I wish I could find it!

Hi Tlmiller2971. The death of somebody close is bound to bring up a variety of emotions. You recognised that drinking so early after your surgery was not wise, so just forget what happened and think forward. Don't be too hard on yourself. Give yourself time to grieve for your friend. My only advice is for you to try and separate the feelings of loss due to your friend's death and the feelings linked with the lack of food and alcoholic drinks that would have been your crutch pre-surgery. You will have to find a way to cope differently from now on. Sorry for not being more helpful. I send you a big hug.

No idea, but I guess the research about how the body compensates is still underway! if you find out more please let me know. I would also be interested in what your neurologist says about the memory issue. Thanks.

On the plus side, it seems that the body compensates for the sudden loss of ghrelin from the stomach as shown in this article based on people who have had total gastrectomies. On the down side, ghrelin is also involved in bone formation. Of well!..... better look after our pancreas then! http://physrev.physiology.org/content/85/2/495.full#1._Total_gastrectomy The stomach is the major source of circulating ghrelin. Total gastrectomy, as is performed in the treatment of gastric cancer or sever gastric ulcers, was shown to decrease the plasma concentrations of ghrelin to ∼30–50% of those of pregastrectomy when measured at 30 min after the operation. This concentration gradually increased to ∼70% of the level before the operation. These results indicate that gastric ghrelin production accounts for ∼50–70% of circulating ghrelin but that this percentage is subject to compensatory production possibly by the intestines and pancreas. It has been suggested that gastric factor(s) may control bone formation, since total gastrectomy sometimes induces osteopenia. Synthetic ghrelin agonists, GHSs, have been shown to directly stimulate osteocyte growth. Thus ghrelin may be involved in the gastric regulation of bone formation.

I searched for this thread after I found an article that scared me on the role of low ghrelin levels in the development of Alzheimer's disease. It seems that more and more research is being done on this. This is from Nov 2011 and I am trying to get hold of the whole article. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21983104 Shame I hadn't seen this before I got sleeved!

I am over 6' too and I used to shop at a specialised shop called Long tall sally (http://www.longtallsally.com/). Unfortunately I haven't been able to for a very very long time due to my size so I look forward to buying some of their trouser suits for work!

Very useful. I am more in the "little but often" school of thought and that is what my NUT advised.

Hi. Wore mine to go shopping a few days ago for a couple of hours ( I am 3 weeks out) but had a pain at stomach level and on upper left side when i came back. I can only think my inside got compressed in a smaller space and my internal wounds didn't like it. It took a few days to settle down. Haven't done it since.

I also got coffee with a lot of low fat milk in hospital and it is on my allowed list as long as I don't use sugar. I have 2 cups a day.

Being able to cross my legs to show off the beautiful and sexy slimfit shoes I just bought

bought this a while agao and it works if you do the exercises everyday day for a long time! http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Maggio-Facercise-Muscle-Toning-Appearance/dp/0399527834/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325408721&sr=8-2-spell There was a DVD with it but lost it.

Thank you! Can't wait to try this. I will be on mushies next week.

Not there yet, but that is what I am looking forward to: standard sized seats (in cinemas, aiplanes, restaurants etc..) are not intruments of torture.

Hi Tina that is so nice! I wish you the same and more. Love you back! Have a great year.

Welcome Amyaviceseeker! I was on liquids at 8 days too. Do you drink enough? Sometimes what we think is hunger is mostly thirst and it is important to keep hydrated. Proteins tend to reduce hunger, so how much protein to you take in? You will need a diffferent diet to you son's until you get used to your sleeve. Do you have a nutritionist? Would be worth asking him/her.

Welcome back Happy1957, I am so gald everything went to plan! Well done. I look forward to following your progress.

Don't have many bariatric products over here in the UK, so I am relying on body buiding protein powders and whatever my supermarket sells.

What a transformation! Well done! Also, what a beautiful couple you make!

Hi, I am post op and I only have soup and the protein shakes. I buy the soups I likes and strain them. Brocolli and stilton is one of my favourite!

You are in my thoughts. I am sure all will be well and you will soon rejoin your family.

look at this video, it contains a really good explanation of what a bougie and shows you how it is used:

I agree with runner, go back to the stage you should be at. Take your surgeon and nutritionist's advice, you have your whole life to eat normally, a few weeks' liquid and mushy food is a small price to pay for proper healing! Also, ask your bariatric team about your symptoms. You can't beat the peace of mind they will be able to give you.

Thanks Rootman! With 0.4g/lb, I need 125 grams per day, so I need to aim a bit higher rather than lower for the moment.... great!

Hope you all had a great Christmas! I am only Two and a bit weeks out and have no problems drinking. All the instructions from the nutritionist were about cramming as much protein as I could in the early days. I am still on full liquids so I have low fat milk and a number of protein drinks throughout the day. I usually stop counting after the 70 g protein mark. Today I looked in this and I had 700-800 cals and up to 120g proteins. Is there such a thing as too much protein? Should I cut down?

Hi CowGirlJane, I am new to the forum and my op was mid-Dec. I am also worried about leaks. My surgeon told me that leaks can be found months later (he showed me an article that described 2 cases of leaks folowing LSG, one at 6 months and another at 9 months after surgery. He said that was why I had to follow the feeding instructions and the no alcohol and smoking for a full year..... yes, he managed to scare me! He told me that a sudden spike in temperature, abdominal pain and feeling unwell would be the sign that I needed to ring him asap. I saw there was a whole section on this forum about complications but I don't dare go and have a look!