MyGastricSleeveLife

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.

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.