MyGastricSleeveLife

Your surgeon should tell you what pre-op tests you need. From what I've seen, most people have a sleep study done if you haven't already had one. I have sleep apnea already, so I didn't need another sleep study. I just had to bring my CPAP machine to the hospital. If someone has undiagnosed sleep apnea, they can die any time with or without surgery, but the surgery probably enhances the apnea, especially while on pain medicine. Many people who have sleep apnea due to obesity are able to come off their machines once they lose weight. If it was because of sleep apnea, that's understandable if she wasn't using a CPAP, but if it was other kinds of complications, like a leak or something she should've felt pain & checked with her doctor.

Before surgery, I've seen my weight go up 5 lbs from one day to the next because of a high sodium day. Usually, if I drank water & watched my sodium it would be back down those 5 lbs within a day or two. This is one reason I like to weigh myself daily because I use it as a learning tool to see how my body reacts to different foods and water intake & such. Even stress and poor sleep can influence weight. I don't stress over the numbers, but use it to learn more about my own body. Take it easy & don't stress over it. Just get back to basics & you'll lose it again quickly. :-)

I did this so I can live longer and be here for my kids longer than I could if I stayed morbidly obese. Yes, this lady's story is a horror story and is rare, but it can happen. However, you say she died of complications. I don't know the whole story, but she should have tried to seek medical care if she felt there was something wrong. It seems like she didn't if she died at home. Ultimately, we all have to make our own decision and live with what we choose. I'm 11 days out from surgery and I would do it again in a second because I already feel so different and I felt horrible mentally and physically before. I've said before though, if I could have lost weight and kept it off without surgery, I would have done so. However, I truly feel surgery was the right choice for me - but it is not the right choice for everyone.

Mine said I could get in the pool at 2-3 weeks as long as my incisions were healed. Then, I could start doing weights & such at the gym at 4-6 weeks depending on how I feel. I'll be at 2 weeks post-op on Monday & am planning on going to the gym to walk, but not do other things yet.

I had a leak test the morning after surgery. It was nasty stuff! I understand the reasoning behind not having anything else to drink before then, but I also think it's a bit cruel for that gross stuff to be the first thing we drink after surgery!! I've heard of some people who ended up throwing up because of it. Luckily, I didn't do that, but it was still very gross. Worse than barium!

It depends on your doctor's guidelines. I was sleeved on 5/14 and have to be on clear liquids for 2 weeks - so until Monday. I can't add creamy soups & pudding & protein shakes. However, if you are on full liquids already, then tomato soup & other creamy soups without chunks of things, and SF pudding are okay - at least according to my guidelines. Every doctor is different though.

I think your doctor is crazy! You're doing great!!! Sorry he came across that way! Keep doing what you're doing & ignore him!!!

I'm only 10 days out, so I don't know what my long term results will be, but I love my sleeve already and would do it again in an instant!! If I could have lost weight & kept it off without surgery, then I would have, but I couldn't & I'm so thrilled with my choice!!

Are you on Prilosec or another PPI to cut down on acid in the stomach? Sometimes that is mistaken for hunger. However, quite honestly, you're going to be sipping all day to get in all your fluids. I bought some water bottles without straws since my doctor doesn't want me using straws & I just have it filled with crystal light with Beneprotein packets & sip from it all day. I normally take a sip every 5-10 minutes or even more often sometimes. Our tummies are much smaller now so gone are the days of drinking 20 ounces in 5 minutes & then going a long time without a drink. I'm not what I would call hungry, but now 10 days out I can feel when my sleeve is empty and I need to get something in it. It happens more when I get up in the mornings than other times though since I am usually sipping throughout the whole day, but if I go more than 30-45 minutes or so without being able to drink something, I do feel that empty feeling since I'm still on clear liquids now.

yep, I'm right there with you! I was sleeved on 5/14. I've been going to bed early (around 8 or 8:30 PM) and getting up at 6 AM due to necessity. However, I've usually been taking at least one nap a day & sometimes two. I work from home & it's really flexible, so I'm kind of lucky that way. However, I'd love to get away from naps, but I know my body needs time to heal. I can't start my vitamins until Monday & I know that will help too. Hang in there & try to get all your liquid in since dehydration can cause fatigue too. If you're already on vitamins, make sure you take them too. Every little bit helps. As we keep losing & increase our food, it'll get better!!

Sorry - I missed the fact that you said it was another country. Sometimes I read pretty fast & miss some details. I wasn't saying it was necessarily wrong anyway - I was saying I didn't think all of them agree. Definitely all of them in the US don't agree on lots of details with our diet progression after surgery!

Thanks for sharing! I was just sleeved last week & am so happy with my decision!!

Good luck! Hopefully, they approve you quickly! I was self-pay, so I didn't have to worry about that. I'm 36 (almost 37) and have 2 daughters, ages 12 & 8. I want to have as much time with them as I can & that's one reason I did this. I'm now 10 days post-op and can't be happier with my decision! Good luck with your journey!!

For me, warmer (but not hot) worked best. I heat up my broth, but not too hot. When I have jello & popsicles, I warm them up in my mouth before swallowing. I do the same with water/crystal light. Sorry you're having problems figuring out what works best for you! It does take time sometimes. With popsicles or jello, I move the bites around in my mouth to pretty much liquify them before swallowing. They've been my saving grace through this clear liquid stage!

I've used beneprotein packets to add to my broth and crystal light to increase protein in those things. Sorry you've had complications!

I ran across a post the other day where someone shared this old post about starvation mode and how it doesn't actually apply to us in the weight loss stage because we have so many fat stores in our body. It's a really interesting article - http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/33349-1200-1500-caloriesreally/page__p__291866#entry291866 I also read another post the other day where someone said they were told to do only 3 meals & only use Protein drinks and Water between meals during the weight loss phase & then during the maintenance he moved to doing 3 meals & 2-3 Snacks. That made a lot of sense to me, especially since during maintenance I'd think we shouldn't rely on Protein Drinks as much as during the weight loss phase. As far as being against protein drinks, that's not completely something that ALL bariatric dietitians agree on because my dietitian is a bariatric dietitian and she encourages using protein drinks. As far as calories before surgery vs calories after surgery, whoozisanyway, our metabolism changes with surgery, especially because of the smaller stomach. We're not going to ever be eating like we did before even if it was healthy before. We need different amounts of calories and nutrients now. As far as only getting in 500 calories, that is why my surgeon and dietitian suggest using Protein shakes between meals to increase calories and protein. According to them, when I'm on regular food again, I should be getting 800 calories MINIMUM per day. 500 was okay for the first 2 weeks after surgery when I was on Clear liquids, but not for long term - at least according to my surgeon and dietitian. Everyone is different & I think it's important to understand that just because one person loses at 600 calories doesn't mean everyone will. There is someone on my surgeon's support group that said he told her to eat about 800 calories one day & then go up to about 900 for one day and switch back and forth to keep her body losing & that's working great for her now with her exercise routine too. However, that's not necessarily his advice for all his patients. It takes time and trial and error, but you need to find what is the magic solution for you - not based on what someone else does.

Wow! I had to pee on my own before they'd let me go, but I didn't have to pass gas! They asked if I had, but didn't require it. I don't think I actually passed any until I was home a couple days! Sorry they made you stay for that!

I like the way sarahcc put it - I don't consider it hunger like before, but I can tell when I need nutrition, especially first thing in the morning, but it's definitely not what I consider hunger, which is why I put that I don't get hungry in my first response. :-) For me, it's a completely different relationship with food now & nothing like before! I now eat for necessity & not for desire or because it controls me. Now I control me!!

Mine was 5/14. I lost 12.6 on my pre-op diet & have lost 10.8 so far in 10 days (I weighed the day before surgery as my starting point). I had my first post-op appointment today & he said everything looks great. He still wants me technically on clear liquids until Monday so it's a full 2 weeks after surgery, but he said I could use regular protein drinks now instead of just Beneprotein and Isopure clear drinks if I wanted to. He said that the first 2 weeks are the most likely for leaks & if there is a leak they don't want much to leak, so I can't start soups & pudding & other stuff on the full liquid list yet - it sure did feel good to have a regular protein drink this afternoon though. I diluted it & ended up taking about 2 hours to drink it, but it felt great!

If you have friends, you can see status updates they post & some people make their food diary public or just for friends to see & it's nice seeing what other people eat. It's a way to encourage each other. If you go to Community, then the sub menu of Find Members, you can add people by their username.

Have you been walking? If it's surgical gas, then walking is the only thing that will relieve it, Gas-X won't. There is also a lot of swelling and a lot of extra fluids we are given during surgery. It can take time for the swelling to go down and fluids to leave, so some people take more than others to lose all that extra weight from surgery. Hang in there!! Good luck with your appointment.

I'm not in the same situation, but my surgeon said that if I had a lot of reflux, he wouldn't suggest the sleeve because the sleeve can aggravate and increase reflux. I only use Zantac once a month or less, so he said he thought I'd be okay with the sleeve & so far I have been, but I'm only 9 days out from surgery so far. Hopefully someone else who has been in a similar situation can share some thoughts.

for mine, it falls under the pureed/soft stage, but it could be different for yours since every doctor is different.

Depending on your diet & lifestyle before, it is easy to lose a lot on the pre-op diet. I was eating fairly healthy beforehand & still lost 12.6 lbs on my pre-op diet because I was limited to 650 calories a day on it!

It's very normal at this point. We just had major surgery. The stress of surgery on the body alone and the healing process can cause fatigue. Add to that the fact that most of us are only consuming 500-700 calories (if that) right after surgery, we definitely are tired and need our rest. If you're taking your vitamins & getting in your protein & fluids, things will continue to get better though!