Cherrybomb

I have Medicare & Medicaid and just had the sleeve on 4/3. My Medicaid picks up for all the things not covered by Medicare so I'm not sure which one actually paid for it. I do know that my surgery never costed me a dime. I didn't even have co-pays for appointments. In my case, at least, it was in their best interest to cover it. For years I have been taking over $3,000 a month in prescription drugs. I'm down to taking only 3 now that total less than $300 a month.

My surgeon's rules say we can have small sips with food. I have tried to drink more while eating, but it never works out so well. It makes me feel painfully full and feel like I have to burp.

She may have some kind of complication making things worse. Everyone I have read that was in severe pain, there was something else going on. If that's not the case, there are always people who like to whine for attention and sympathy. My husband is still whining about pain from a car accident 21 years ago. I never had any real pain past the day I came home from the hospital. It could also be that she just has a low tolerance. You usually see this in women that have had no children yet. She may be spending to much time dwelling on it and perceiving every little feeling as pain.

Cottage cheese, imitation crab meat, tuna, and cheese as a stand alone. For Breakfast or lunch everyday I have just cheese. Prior to surgery, cheese was a condiment of sorts. Now it's the main course. Pre-op, I never even tasted cottage cheese or fake crab.

He saw them on Monday of this week and said they look okay. He said if I had been getting enough Protein in the first couple of weeks they would have healed faster. They all looked healed under the glue until it fell off. It came off at about a week out.

April Sleevers, how are everyone's incisions healing? I am 4/3 and my biggest one is still not healed. I believe the super glue stuff fell off too early and let it gape open, which is making it take longer. The rest are all healed.

I've been wanting spicy food since surgery also. A couple of times I've had hot wings. I don't eat the skin and just dip small chunks of meat into the the hot sauce and then ranch. So yummy and high protein too!

I threw out some of my clothes that are older and I've had for years. For some of the newer, nicer things I have I am planning to use my sewing machine to take them in some. I have quite a few things waiting on me to do it since right now I only have a couple of things I can wear. My dad said he would buy me all the new clothes I need on the way down, but I feel bad taking him up on it just yet. When I get to over 100 lbs lost, I may let him buy me a few new things.

I started real food at Day 6. I only at a max of 1 tbsp at a time at that point to avoid stress on my sleeve. My paperwork said not to eat more than 3 or 4 tbsp but I played it safe since I was starting food early. When I was two weeks out, I moved up to 2 tbsp max, which is what I eat now. At my post-op appointment on Monday, I told my surgeon I have moved to soft foods due to inability to drink Protein without vomiting. He was okay with it as long as I kept to small amounts, chewed well, and counted my protein grams to ensure I was getting enough.

I can't do the protein drinks either. I am 3 weeks out and getting all my protein through food now. I eat cottage cheese, fish, tuna, eggs, cheese, and other soft proteins. I track my food on myfitnesspal to make sure I make my protein goal each day.

Well, apparently I'm the problem patient. I'm 3 weeks out and have bites of all three. I had the toppings off a small piece of pizza, ate popcorn one night on Ambien, and ate one tiny brownie when my husband baked some. I'm steady losing weight, 72 lbs since February of this year. I just log my foods at myfitnesspal and make sure to get my Protein in. If I start making certain foods off limits completely, I will go insane. My sleeve only holds about a tablespoon of solid food so not a big deal to me at this point. According to my surgeon's diet, I am still supposed to be on pureed. He let me move forward due to my inability to drink Protein drinks post-op. I chew very well and the only things I cannot eat yet are bread and raw vegetables.

I just messaged a friend about this exact thing this morning. I have never been so focused on my diet in my life. It is an all day, every day, struggle to get in everything that is needed. Even without complications, I feel overwhelmed most of the time. It's just not possible be the 100% compliant patient that I thought I would be. My sleeve only holds so much at a time. It's stressful when I finish every single lacking in some way. As nice as it is to watch the pounds roll off, this is not an easy journey. I sometimes wonder if it will be like this for the rest of my life. It would be nice to think that someday I can just live a normal life without thinking about food every waking moment. All that being said, I would do this surgery over again in an instant. Even if I have to spend the rest of my life forcing fluids and Protein, it's worth it. I can just hope that it becomes more second nature and less of a hassle.

You're not being a baby. That is a LOT for one person to go through. Not sure I would have anything positive to say or post if I were in your shoes. Wishing you all the best and thanks for posting the angel story.

I was 3 weeks yesterday and just broke a 5 day stall. I was getting around 400 calories, then my surgeon told me that I could forget protein drinks exist if I could get 60 grams through food sources. I stepped up eating to around 700 calories (almost all protein) and it also broke my stall.

I can so relate to this! At 3 weeks out today, I haven't felt hunger as I knew it before. I also haven't felt full in the same way. It's so strange to get used to. When I eat too much or too fast, I feel it as kind of a pain in my stomach rather than that old full feeling. Just TODAY I have started to realize I may have an empty stomach feeling too. It feels similar to the "full" feeling but on a much smaller scale. Of course, I could be interpreting it all wrong. I'm just generally confused about what's going on now.

Thanks! I am only 3 weeks out, so this is all still new to me. I hope I eventually get it through my head. Thanks so much for posting your story. I was needing some hope today and you gave that to me.

Sign me up as another slow learner. I usually catch on to things quickly but for the life of me, I can't remember to eat slow!

Congrats on your date! I wasn't positive that I would go through with surgery until I was in the recovery room. The entire year of my pre-op appointments it felt like just something I was thinking about more than something real. Even on the OR table, I was deciding if I should actually go through with it, but then I woke up in recovery. Honestly, if I had known how easy it was going to be, I wouldn't have spent so much time debating it. The worst part is the pre-op liquid diet. I expected pain that I didn't have. This was my first ever surgery at the age of 48 so I had no idea what to expect. I feel like I wasted a lot of emotion on worrying. By Day 5 I was back to my normal life. I wish I could have done this 20 years ago.

I've been walking since Day 1. Yesterday was my 3 week post-op appointment and I asked my surgeon if I could do more exercise yet. He responded, "You can walk faster." LOL

Wow, you rock! Congrats on amazing success and best wishes to continue on your journey. Just reading your post has already helped me mentally.

Insurance covered mine, no copay. I just chatted with the doc for about 30 minutes about my weight history. No tests or papers to fill out. Like someone earlier mentioned, ask your surgeon who they usually deal with. It would be easier, and maybe cheaper, with someone who does this everyday.

I have no idea, but only about a tablespoon of food fits in it.

I chewed up cheese crackers and spit them out.

I know you've probably heard this a thousand times, but it gets easier about the 3rd or 4th day. It's still the hardest part of this whole surgery process. If you can make it through that, the rest is easy.

I'm 12 days out and have yet to have a Protein drink. I don't feel like I can EVER drink one. As soon as I start thinking about it, I feel like vomiting. I have been eating soft protein sources like cottage cheese and Beans, yet nowhere near the 60-80gm I am supposed to have. I'm not sure I ever got that much in a day, even when I was over eating. So, I keep reading that it's the protein that makes you burn pounds. I'm worried that without it, I will not lose or lose very slow. Has anyone had success without actually using Protein shakes?