enigmachik

I'm still a newbie and in the planning stages of my surgery. I have a question on drinking liquids after surgery.

I drink a lot of Water. Like I guzzle Water. But I know I won't be able to take my big gulps anymore. How much can you swallow at once? A tablespoon?

Also, in order to get enough Protein and stay hydrated, does this mean you have to constantly take drinks of what ever Fluid you have?

I'm not even sure if I should be posting on this topic but everyone here has had surgery already and has experience.

Thanks!

In the beginning you won't be able to drink more than the tiniest sip at a time. As the days go on, you'll be able to drink more and more. It will be a very slow but steady process. Now at six months out, I can pretty much guzzle water just like I used to pre-op.

This too shall pass. The discomfort you are feeling will pass. Likely your sensitivity to sights, smells, and tastes will wane as time goes on. Hang in there, it gets better! Truth be told, there are days I wish I was still disgusted by food the way I was in the beginning. It was so easy to only eat the right things because it was more or less a chore, rather than a pleasure. Now at six months out, I can eat anything and I have to fight myself not to pick up old habits.

You had your surgery last February? Most people have the hormonal issues way earlier in their journey than this so I want to double check.

The definition of a stall is three weeks or more without a downward change in your weight. Since the last time your scale moved was on day ten, this doesn't even qualify as a true stall yet. I know it's frustrating, but you are barely three weeks out of the gate and your body is in total freakout mode. The last thing it is wanting to do is give up the weight. But guess what? It will have no choice. Soon enough it will do what you're waiting for it to do and the scale will start moving in the right direction again. Hang in there!

She means in one sitting. You can still get way more than that per day, you just have to break it up. Get 20 grams now, 20 more grams in a few hours, 20 more grams a few hours after that etc...

Yeah, it's always a risk because everyone is an individual and has their own reaction and outcome to surgery. That said, for me, it was totally worth it. The acid I had after surgery wasn't fun, but it really wasn't that bad either. It was well controlled with over the counter meds. If you need something stronger prescribed, you can always do that. Those early weeks can be a little tough for some, but almost everyone would do it again in a heartbeat. VSG is the best decision I ever made. It was a tough decision and a scary one, but ultimately, it was the right decision for me.

In the early weeks after your surgery, I don't think the excess acid is due to what you are eating, after all in the early weeks, you are on a liquid diet and aren't eating much. Rather, I think the acid is partly because the stomach is for a short time still producing enough acid for it's larger former self instead of it's new trim self. lol. Also, I think the acid is just part of the body's response to the trauma of the surgery. What you eat can exacerbate this, but even people who eat the mildest things often have issues with acid early on. Once you have fully healed, then at that point excess acid will mostly be because you have either eaten too much or eaten something your stomach doesn't tolerate well, but in the early days it's just part of the recovery process. For me, I had acid reflux for about three months after surgery, but then it went away and I haven't had any issues since, thankfully!

Ulcers are a possibility if excess acid isn't treated. Not everyone has issues with heartburn and acid reflux after surgery, but a lot of people do (at least for a few months). As long as you take your acid reducers, this shouldn't be an issue. Whether, there is a greater risk of stomach cancer in VSG patients, I have no idea. I would love to read a study on this if anyone is aware of one.

One thing about the staple line where they cut away the majority of your tummy; in the early months, yes this area is fragile and must be treated with care. However, once it heals and scar tissue forms over the staples, this part of your stomach actually becomes stronger than the rest of your stomach lining because there is denser tissue there from the healing process. Hopefully, that puts you at ease some.

The rational side of me says to go ahead and switch things up as long as you don't go overboard.

The irrational side of me says, No way, you can't do that! It's not fair to me because I had to suffer through TWO WEEKS of only Clear liquids on my pre-op diet. That's right, no shakes, no yogurt, and certainly no tuna. I got crystal light and Jello for two weeks. Surely for my injustice, you should also suffer!!!

I occasionally drink diet soda without issues. I have to drink it slowly, but it's fine. My surgeon has no problem with it. This is one of those areas that surgeons disagree on.

• I confess that I miss Taco Bell so much that when I drive past one I make my passengers have a moment of silence.
  

omg, this made me laugh so hard. I hear ya, girl. I hear ya

I know you're frustrated and expected better results so far. I want to try to encourage you that at just over three months out, a 31 lbs loss is actually a very good loss! You're losing about ten pounds a month! I know some people have lost faster, but that's not a bad loss at all, especially considering you've had several stalls and still lost that much. I think you are going to lose just fine, it just may take a bit longer for you than for some others.

Just curious, have you tracked your carb intake at all? Some people are super carb sensitive and they need their carbs much lower than others in order to lose. I'm not sure if that's the case for you, but it's something to look into. Don't get too down on yourself. This is a long process; a marathon, not a sprint. Just keep plugging away doing what you're doing and the weight will come off.

Another thing, don't say "I have failed" because that kind of negative self talk will only hinder your progress. The more you tell yourself you have failed, the more likely you are to start acting like you have failed and that can't be good for long term progress. Don't beat yourself up, from the sounds of your post, you haven't done anything wrong! You are doing all the right things, therefore you haven't failed. Keep your head up. Take things one day at a time. Remember that even a slow loss is still a loss. hugs.

I'm 18 tooooooo! You're the only other 18 year old I've seen on here! It makes me happy to know I'm not all alone! I understand just about everything you wrote here!

I confess that I'm a little jealous of these 18 year olds. hahaha. I'm sure there are challenges to being sleeved so young, but what I wouldn't give to live my 20's over without being obese! All power to you gals. Make sure to enjoy the next few years of your life!!

I am the type of person that hates personal questions. I'm really introverted and don't like conversations that focus on me so I've always been very private about everything. It's just who I am. For this reason, I have become a master at pushing food around my plate to make it look like I've eaten more than I have. It is not uncommon for people to take half their food home, so when I go out to eat, I subtly push all the leftover food to one side of the plate and clear out a good chunk on the other side to make it look as though I ate about half my food. No one ever questions it. They just ask me if I want to box up the rest and take it home. It saves me from having to have awkward conversations.

I'm 33 and although I've had some relationships in my life, I don't think I've ever been truly loved.

I have not been asked to do any research studies for bariatric surgery, but I have done paid studies on lots of other things in the past. It's a nice way to give your opinion and experience on things while making a few extra bucks on the side.

I think it's a lot, but I also don't think it will last. In the first week a lot of people lose a ton of Water weight so I'm guessing that's what's going on with you. I think you will start losing at a rate that is closer to average within a couple of weeks. I would only be concerned if you continue to lose this quickly for three weeks or more.

BTW, Congrats on joining the loser's bench! You're off to a fantastic start!!!

There are many people who go through a stage where they ask themselves, "WTF have I done?!?!" lol. The thing to keep in mind is that the VAST majority of people who go through this are not yet at a point where they can eat normally (our new normal) and this really needs to be taken into consideration when reading any post that may sound like a regret. The truth is that almost 100% of people have NO regrets once they are fully healed and eating normally for a period of time. This journey takes a toll physically, mentally, and emotionally; especially in the early weeks. Once life gets back to normal, most sleevers are incredibly happy with their decision. I for one, am ecstatic that I went through with the surgery!!

I know that you are frustrated and it seems like you should be losing faster, but you are actually losing at a VERY good rate! Seriously, you are averaging 4.75 lbs a week!! Do you even realize how fast that is??? You need to wrap your mind around the fact that you are losing VERY rapidly, NOT SLOWLY as you seem to think. The sooner you realize this, the happier your journey will be. If you cannot make yourself stop weighing every day, I recommend you do two other things: 1) Do not compare your losses to anyone else's. 2) Do a little search on this forum to see how many people have posted this same topic over and over again. Read through some of the responses. Better yet, check out the profiles of some of the people who posted about stalls early on in their journey and look at how far they have come since then. I guarantee you that despite their fears, they kept right on losing. You aren't going to be the one person that fails at this, I promise. You just have to be patient. The weight will come off when it's good and ready to. Hang in there!

The other thing you can do is go to the mall or big department stores and walk there. They might be a bit crowded for the next few days, but shortly after the holiday returns they will be virtual ghost towns. It's nice when you need a little change of scenery from your living room. lol

Bravo for not jumping into bed at the first opportunity. Honestly, it's a rare gem these days. My understanding is that sex is much better after being sleeved, but I've yet to actually experience it myself since my surgery so I'm only going by the many threads I have read on here rather than from personal experience. From what I've heard, even a bit of excess skin won't put a damper on the improvement in sex that comes with a smaller body. In either case, I wish you and your future hubby all the best!

Are you still on pain meds? A lot of pain meds have a side effect of messing with your vision. Mine did! If that's the case, your eyesight will go back to normal after the meds are completely out of your system.

WOW! That's awesome!!!

Do a youtube search. There's a ton of videos there that do a great job explaining what it is.

Welcome to the board!!

I'm sorry to hear you had such troubles with the band. There are many people here who have gotten revisions from the band to the sleeve and they all seem to be MUCH happier. I'm sure you will love the sleeve! It's great to have you here and good luck!