MyGastricSleeveLife

Welcome! Feel free to ask questions & use the "search" feature too! I just had my sleeve done 2 weeks ago today & couldn't be happier with my decision! I have a blog I'm doing for my journey that is listed in my signature if you want to check it out too.

As far as now, before surgery, find something else to do to keep you busy instead of eating.

I'm 2 weeks out today & haven't had the munches at all. I know some people say they still get the urge to munch on stuff, but I haven't yet. For me, it's been night & day as far as before & after surgery! With a smaller stomach & the main hunger hormone being removed from our bodies, life is a lot different! I'm still on "full liquids" so I don't know first hand yet, but from all I've read it's pretty hard to overeat with the sleeve without getting sick anyway. Of course, you can still make wrong food choices, but completely binging will be a thing of the past.

Surgery might be the best option, but it might not be. I feel it was right for me, but I've also said that if I could've done it without surgery I would have. If I had a friend who was a trainer & would work with me for free (or highly discounted rate) & work with me enough to get me to lose, then I would've done that in a heartbeat. Back in January, I joined Gold's gym & paid for se training sessions. The trainer I chose had a good nutrition background too. He got me eating healthier & working out more, but the pounds still were not coming off, which is why I started considering surgery again (I had considered it about 18 months ago too). He was baffled as to why I wasn't losing. When I told him about surgery, he said he thought I could have had more results with more work and consistency, which is probably true but I couldn't afford to have him train me 3-5 times a week! However, if I had a friend who would train me for free or for a price I could afford and who would work with me on nutrition too, I would go for it and see what happens! Of course, I don't know what things you've tried already or what struggles you deal with and maybe surgery is the right choice for you. I know it was the right choice for me. If it is the right choice for you, maybe you can sit down and explain it to him and explain why you feel it is right. If he still doesn't respect your decision, then it's his problem & you've done your part to explain yourself. Good luck no matter what you decide!! Hopefully he will understand either way.

Not necessarily. Your body is still getting used to everything. Are you doing measurements too? I've been at the same weight the last 4 days, but yesterday when I did my weekly measurements I found out that I lost 6.75 inches throughout my body this past week!! Sometimes the scale doesn't move but inches do. Our bodies are still in shock from surgery & from changing eating habits. You could be holding on to water weight or could be gassy or any number of other things could be influencing it. Just keep following your plan & don't stress over the number so much, especially since stress makes us keep weight too!!

I remember being rolled in to the operating room & seeing the big lights above me & having them tell me to move from the stretcher to the operating table. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery & was really groggy & had sharp pain & someone asked me how my pain was & I said 8-9. They gave me some fast-acting pain medicine & told me they could give me that every 5 minutes. I kept falling back to sleep & waking up & they'd give me more medicine. I don't remember actually being rolled up to my room, but remember waking up in my room later. Once in my room, I had a pain pump I could push for pain & I did use it some, but my pain never got more than about a 2 for me once in my room. I didn't have much gas pain that many people talk about. I really feel I had a great experience overall.

Welcome! Definitely take time to read a lot here and go to a local support group if your doctor or hospital has one. I just had my surgery 2 weeks ago tomorrow & am very happy with my decision. Feel free to check out my blog (listed in my signature) if you want also. I think I've been kind of lucky to not have had much pain & haven't had any "head hunger" yet. Although there is a long road ahead, I would suggest trying to eat healthier now (if you haven't already), and also cut out any soda and/or caffeine you current consume (if any). I'd suggest starting a multivitamin if you don't regularly take one. The healthier you are before surgery, the easier your recovery will be. Feel free to ask any questions you can think of. I'm happy to help if I can & there are many who have more experience that are more than willing to help too! Best of luck on your journey!

I think I'd be upset too & would have told her that she is the one who isn't eating "normal"! If we were all eating normal and healthy, then we wouldn't be overweight in the first place! I've tried to do it on my own with various programs and have not been successful. Even with just "diet and exercise" I couldn't lose weight - even being committed. If I could have done it without surgery, I would have, but I truly believe that surgery was the right choice for me and I couldn't be happier with my decision now that surgery is done. There are a few people I was worried about telling and I've gotten some interesting looks from some people, but so far no one has been negative. Some people have just said "oh. okay" and have dropped the subject. I'm sorry that she was that negative about it. I would have just explained I did what was right for me, but I know it's not right for everyone. I wish people were more understanding.

I got the sublingual liquid. It doesn't taste all that great, but it's tolerable.

Welcome! I had my sleeve done 2 weeks ago tomorrow & couldn't be happier with my choice! Good luck with your journey!!

Oh - and I've always done my regular protein drink with water instead of milk. I'm glad that seemed to work for you.

I like grape frost & pineapple banana the best. They still have an aftertaste to me, but I can tolerate it. I usually mix 1/2 a bottle in a water bottle with 1/2 water & crystal light to lessen the aftertaste somewhat. I also found that room temperature is better than cold, at least for me and the aftertaste.

They did a bunch of blood work and I think it was in one of those tests. I know some people have an ultrasound too, but I didn't have one, so I think it's from the blood tests. However, I never actually asked how they knew.

I think both these depend on your doctor. I've heard various stories on here and from people who have had the surgery done locally. My surgeon said no gum because of fear of swallowing it and also because when we chew, our stomach acids start going & there's nothing in the stomach to digest if we're chewing gum. The psychologist I saw before surgery who had the bypass done said popcorn is a slider food for her, but my doctor didn't actually have any guidelines for it.

I'm not positive, but I think it's because of the carbs & heaviness of bread. I've read on here that a lot of people can't handle bread with the sleeve, at least for a while anyway. I'm still on full liquids though, so I haven't tried bread yet.

Most doctors eliminate caffeine becaus it is a diuretic and can cause our water intake to be pointless. I used to drink 2 cans of Pepsi Max a day & thought I needed it. However, once I stopped drinking them, I actually felt a lot better & had more energy than I thought I would. I did have some headaches because of withdrawal, but that was only for a few days & then I felt better. My surgeon says no caffeine for life after surgery. There are others who say its okay "in moderation" after the initial 3-6 months or so. I know people who have had my surgeon who have switched to decaf coffee or who still have coffee despite his recommendations. I plan on following what he says. As you lose weight, you'll get more energy anyway & shouldn't have need for caffeine.

Mine said as soon as the incisions are healed, which he said is normally 2-3 weeks. I'll be 2 weeks out tomorrow & still have some with scabs, so I'm going to wait a little longer. He said I could do more heavy exercise at 4 weeks, so even when I get in the pool I'll be careful what I do for a while. It will be nice to just get in though!

I second the measurement thing! I've been at the same weight for 3 days so far, but I do my measurements weekly & found out today that I lost 6.75 inches throughout my body this week (3 of which were in my waist)!!!

Oh, there are also a lot of other protein drinks out there to try. A lot of people use the Isopure clear liquid too. I don't like the aftertaste of it, but can tolerate it enough to use it sometimes. GNC sells it. There is also an ispopure powder that is a regular protein shake, not clear, that I've seen some people use too. If you look for protein shakes make sure you look for whey protein isolate because it absorbs more in our bodies than the concentrate type.

My pre-op diet was limited to 650 calories, with at least 70 g of protein, and less than 60 g of carbs & less than 15 g of fat. Because I didn't haw a fatty liver, I could've eaten regular food if I wanted & could stay within the guidelines, but I was going through final exams then and didn't want to try to figure out everything that much, so I stuck mainly with Chike protein shake that I got from my surgeon's office. I also had crystal light throughout the day & some SF jello. I lost 12.6 lbs in 2 weeks then.

In addition to what others have said, are you doing measurements too? I weigh daily & do pictures & measurements once a week. I've been at the same weight for 3 days this week, which I think is just from my body getting more used to my change from clear liquids to full liquids, but when we did my measurements today we found out that I lost 6.75 inches throughout my body this week! You need to rejoice in how far you've come already and in the little triumphs along the way!

The Bariatric Coordinator at the hospital told me that as long as I wasn't getting nauseous, then I wasn't drinking too fast. He didn't say how much at once though. I usually keep a water bottle full & take sips every few minutes throughout the day. I eat a cup of broth or soup in about 30 minutes usually. The first day home it took me 90 minutes for a cup of broth, but now it's only about 30 minutes. As long as you feel okay, I think it's fine. Just don't push it.

Awesome in so many ways! Congrats!!

Are you in Prilosec or another PPI to reduce acid in the stomach? Sometimes that can be mistaken for hunger. Are you constantly drinking something or are you trying to drink/eat and wait a while? I was told not to do the "don't drink 30 minutes before and after meals" only once I got to the puréed/soft food stage. Therefore, what I've been doing is that I have a Water bottle I fill with a Protein drink (diluted) or with crystal light & I sip from it every few minutes throughout the day. I don't use it while I have soup or pudding or popsicles, but any time I'm actually not eating something, I'm taking sips. I don't feel any actual hunger. I do feel an "empty" feeling when I get up in the morning or after I get up from a nap, but even that I don't consider hunger like some people do, it's more that I know my sleeve is empty and I need to eat/drink something. I'm constantly sipping when I'm awake & don't feel hungry or deprived at all. Even once I start my puréed stage, I'll be constantly sipping up until 30 minutes before a meal otherwise I won't be able to get all my liquid in during the day!

I'm 12 days out from surgery & haven't had any problems. I've had very little pain. I can't chug liquid, but don't have any issues if I go slow. I'm getting in all my liquid & protein most days. I'm still walking slower than I did before surgery, but I'm moving more each day and feeling better each day. I'm tired, but I go to bed early and take a nap if I need to so my body can heal. I have not had any real problems and hope I never do. Everyone is different, but not having any issues is just as normal as those who do have issues.