IrishEyes

Cant wait to join all of you on the losers bench, Oct.18th I will be there with all of you!!!

Day 4 today, got home yesterday, surgery on Monday. Gas in my left shoulder doing better-passing gas from below but no BM yet. Ate puréed turkey and it was actually good-my mother mixed in some broth and gravy. Stomach rumbled like a wild beast! Walking around my yard, still weak, but getting better.

Had my first today. Never trust a fart. First i peed the bed while vomiting. Now nearly pooped the bed farting. Good thing I an still in the hospital. Talk about tmi

I have a feeling your going to do great!

Holy cow Tamara! That's fantastic!!!

I take turkey pepperoni and a slice of 2% cheese (cut into tiny squares to fit on each pepperoni) and then put oven on broil and cook for 5-10 mins depending on if you like more of a soft or crunchy pepperoni
I bet if you added a dollop of pizza sauce to each pepperoni that would be good, like mini pizzas!

Laughing cow cheese!

Hard boiled egg with a bit of Mayonaise
Shrimp
Shrimp Alfrado over angel hair Pasta
Tomato Soup with a blip of cheese
tuna with a bit of mayonaise
Lentil soup/ Split pea Soup
oatmeal
Yogurt
Almonds and walnuts
Hummus
Cottage Cheese
Cheese

Hey All... i'm 3 mo post op (almost) and feel like i eat the same stuff a lot.. i'd like to start a "list" of high Protein healthy Snacks... things we can grab and go or prepare and grab and go.
I'll start:
Turkey or Ham with a little cream cheese spread on and rolled up (yummy with olives in it too)
Handful of Nuts (pistachios, almonds etc..)
Piece of string cheese
Greek Yogurt
Hummus and veggies
sugar free pudding
sugar free Jello

I am almost 6 months out now and have had all the thoughts and frustrations described. I found if I got on the scale daily I would get more frustrated. I set up 1 day a week to check my progress and that seemed to help. My weight loss has dropped considerably over the past month but I know I am at the point that I will start leveling off. I also had a slow start and had a lot of expectations going in. Your body will catch up with the reduced calories as time goes on just stick to your program and you will see. The weight didn't come on overnight and it isn't going to come off that way either.

Today I am 13 days post-op and experiencing pain. Up until the night of day 10 everything has been going pretty smoothly. Then in the middle of the night (3 nights ago) I woke up out of a sound sleep with doubled over pain. Took about 45 min for it to go away. It was strongest when I woke up and gradually faded. I was able to take liquid pain mess (hesitant to swallow ANYTHING) and used a heating pad on my belly. I also took gas-x strips and had to pass a lot of gas.
The 2nd night it happened twice and the discomfort stayed with me a bit yesterday. Luckily I had my first post-op appt yesterday as well. Driving to the appt I was talking to my Mom (she is a nurse) about it. After ruling out things like I am tolerating food fine and no acid issues, she found it strange it only happened when I was sleeping. She guessed it had to have something to do with my bi-pap.
After telling my surgeon about it he immediately said "yes, I believe it to be you bi-pap and I need you to STOP using that until you can get the settings adjusted. I fear it may be pushing air into your tummy and extending it and you are still very much in the healing process right now."
Last night I slept without the bi-pap and no waking up with pain at all.
I placed a call to my pulmonologist and they are sending the settings to the bi-pap distributors. Just waiting for the call to take it in and get it adjusted. It has the capability of being programmed to adjust to my body changes but the Dr never sent in the prescription for that adjustment to be made prior to surgery.
I haven't ever had any pain eating since surgery. The same thing I had for dinner monday, I had for lunch today and it was so painful I had to stop and lay down with the heating pad. I am doing that now and it is feeling better. Guess I will go back to basics for awhile. I had been able to progress to soft food, which is only a few days early by my Dr schedule.
I'm afraid some damage may have been done. Praying it isn't too bad and subsides in a few days. No other trouble so not too concerned to call Dr just yet. If it gets worse or anything else changes I will. He didn't seem too, too concerned yesterday as long as I stop bi-pap and I have.
I am posting this for mostly post-ops that use any machine for sleep apnea. I wish I had known this was a possibility. I would have stopped the first night it happened.
Thanks for your time. Hope this helps someone and spares them pain and possible complications, that would have been worse for me had I not caught it so soon.

Today I am 13 days post-op and experiencing pain. Up until the night of day 10 everything has been going pretty smoothly. Then in the middle of the night (3 nights ago) I woke up out of a sound sleep with doubled over pain. Took about 45 min for it to go away. It was strongest when I woke up and gradually faded. I was able to take liquid pain mess (hesitant to swallow ANYTHING) and used a heating pad on my belly. I also took gas-x strips and had to pass a lot of gas.
The 2nd night it happened twice and the discomfort stayed with me a bit yesterday. Luckily I had my first post-op appt yesterday as well. Driving to the appt I was talking to my Mom (she is a nurse) about it. After ruling out things like I am tolerating food fine and no acid issues, she found it strange it only happened when I was sleeping. She guessed it had to have something to do with my bi-pap.
After telling my surgeon about it he immediately said "yes, I believe it to be you bi-pap and I need you to STOP using that until you can get the settings adjusted. I fear it may be pushing air into your tummy and extending it and you are still very much in the healing process right now."
Last night I slept without the bi-pap and no waking up with pain at all.
I placed a call to my pulmonologist and they are sending the settings to the bi-pap distributors. Just waiting for the call to take it in and get it adjusted. It has the capability of being programmed to adjust to my body changes but the Dr never sent in the prescription for that adjustment to be made prior to surgery.
I haven't ever had any pain eating since surgery. The same thing I had for dinner monday, I had for lunch today and it was so painful I had to stop and lay down with the heating pad. I am doing that now and it is feeling better. Guess I will go back to basics for awhile. I had been able to progress to soft food, which is only a few days early by my Dr schedule.
I'm afraid some damage may have been done. Praying it isn't too bad and subsides in a few days. No other trouble so not too concerned to call Dr just yet. If it gets worse or anything else changes I will. He didn't seem too, too concerned yesterday as long as I stop bi-pap and I have.
I am posting this for mostly post-ops that use any machine for sleep apnea. I wish I had known this was a possibility. I would have stopped the first night it happened.
Thanks for your time. Hope this helps someone and spares them pain and possible complications, that would have been worse for me had I not caught it so soon.

Neil, I think you may have completely missed my point. You are so obsessed with being "right" and with the populous. If you really want to have a p!$$ contest, then go add the "likes" on my posts and you will see the nubmers even up a bit more.
You still have not responded to my lasts posts, either. Can you do that without being a smart @$$?
Your pride and ego have gotten the better of you in this discussion and blinded you to the points being made. I don't know how I can get this across any clearer, but I'll try one more time.
I completely agree with your original post. Even the one you had before you edited it and softened it up. People should not obsess about falling off the wagon. But you were suggesting that they do not need to follow the Drs guidelines, and I disagreed. I do believe that is irresponsible and to tell people otherwise could have negative consequences in their lives. Can you not see this?
It is my opinion, from my personal experience and reading thousands of threads over the last 17 months on this and other sites, that you are in the minority as far as the foods you are able to eat so early on. I am amazed at what you are able to eat and know that because of this, you will have an easier go with this journey. Since you state that you have read all of the pre- and post-op threads, what do you think? I tried to progress to what you are doing and there was just no possible way. You were able to drink more the first week of surgery than I was after the first month. Am I saying everyone is like me? No way, but surely you don't expect everyone to be like you, either.
You got your back up when I said that if you were saying all this stuff for the sole purpose of stirring the pot, you were a troll. Believe it or not, there are people like that. I've been on forums and bulletin boards since before the WWW existed and have come across many. They have nothing better to do with their time. I was merely saying that if that was your intention, to get everyone riled up. You were a troll. If that wasn't your intention, then you were not.
Please don't read my posts so defensively. As stated in my previous posts, my intention on this forum is to share my experience as I know it. I worry about the person researching the sleeve and reading a post like this and think they do not have to follow their Drs guidelines.

Umm, I'd like to make an observation here.
I've noticed that there just doesn't seem to be any long term (over 1 year) success stories from people who start out not making a major dietary & lifestyle changes.
The thing you have to realize is over time some bad habits are going to creep back into our daily life. And nobody is going to stay as vigilant as we start off.
This is where the major difference comes in. If you start off with "I'm just going to eat less" and over time you become less focused, where does that leave you? Conversely if you make radical lifestyle & dietary changes, and over time you also lose some focus, where does that leave you.
Consider it this way. If you couldn't swim and were going out on a boat that has proven to be less than seaworthy, would you not take a lifejacket?

I also can't imagine a Dr telling his sleeve patients its OK to be eating a meatball within 2 weeks of having surgery. Sorry, but I think I am calling BS on this. I'm not just talking from my personal experience. I tried eating eating ground turkey meatball 1 month post-op ... no way. Too painful. 2 months post-op, same thing. I believe it was at 3 months I could handle it, and tried a ground beef one and it, too was painful. 6 months before eating beef was OK for me.
At our nutrition seminar, our NUT told the story of a man who had a steak 1 week post-op and died. I don't think she was making the story up to put the fear in us and after having been there, done that, I could see how having a steak post-op would have killed me.
I don't think I am the norm, nor was I atypical, but I just can't fathom ANY Dr suggesting the kinds of things you are saying. Now, if he is just directing these things at you, that is something else altogether. To suggest that others should throw caution to the wind and do it too is just irresponsible. If this is what you are suggesting, then I gotta mark you as a troll and not a true VSG recipient who wants to come on a WLS board and f*ck with a bunch of people's heads.
Maybe I'm in left field, here, but ...

@sleevmaster. Sorry, I feel no aggression so apologize if it feels that way. It is my opinion! that's all. Will help those who feel the same way and we are all different. I do list sources. They are from my mom my brother, my brother's bariatric surgeon best friend and my surgeon and my nut.. Not trying to stir any pot, but I read a lot of the posts and too many people are really driving themselves nuts. Prob helps to know that some docs put you on foods on day 2, meaning, don't worry about cheating. .Many have written on here and agree. That's all. I'm a motivational speaker and trainer by trade, so that's probl where you are getting my confidence/perceived arrogance from :-)

Ok. Rules are SOMETIMES meant to be broken. So, Here's the deal. I am 2 weeks post op today. I am one of those who had zero issues and had a smooth ride from recovery room to date!! This post is not intended to mean I am sure I will have a long term good go at this! It also doesn't address the future, but really ONLY the many threads that I have read regarding the preo op and post op liquid diets and the Pre and post few weeks Do's and Dont's!
I have read almost every post on here before and after surgery, lol. Here is the point that I will explain. Your/Our obsession over following diet rules is what got us here in the first place.. isn't it?? I mean, it's great to have black and white rules.. Do's and Don's. can and cant's.. That's why we were ALL great on Atkins (remember the carb counting obsession), and South Beach (remember how carefully we chose the meals), weight watchers, low cal, grapefruit, slimfast , yada yada yada......RIGHT?
Sure, it worked. THEN WE WENT OFF THE WAGON and got sick of the rules and restrictions and put weight back on (and then some).... That's because it was a DIET.. Why do so many of you do that on here? I'm not judging, but trying to help! Yes, it's easier for me, since I have had no issues. I come from a strong medical family (i had bio as a minor,4 docs and 2 nurses in immed family) and I always love to understand WHY the rules are in place. If something doesn't make sense, I want to know why and not just follow a rule because it was put out there.
My surgeon told me that "rules" are on here for the lower end of reaction spectrum. meaning, many need not follow them, but since 30%, for ex, will have issues with some things, they want to make a general rule......
As EVERYONE says on here, as well as EVERY doc, ALL OF US ARE DIFFERENT! We heal differently, We tolerate pain differently, foods differently, weight loss differently, etc..... EVERY SINGLE ONE So, the rules need not be applied to the T!
Now, as a caveat and from feedback so far on this post, this is not an excuse to eat junk NOR stay on bad habits. I don't mean to enable anyone. here is what BUTTERTHEBEAN wrote:
"The only reason I say "enabling" is because I think there are some people waiting in the wings to hear someone tell them it's okay to eat whatever they want. They haven't tackled their food addictions and they are hoping for "permission" to go back to their old ways. I know there are some that can learn to eat "all things in moderation." I have no problem with that. For me, I chose to embrace my inner health nut. It's not fear or weakness or lack of self control...it's the desire to live a long, healthy and active life. I'm not depriving myself, or sacrifing. The things I'm doing and the life I'm leading now feel way better than eating pizza and cupcakes ever did (even in moderation). By that I mean that food did not give me pleasure (never did, I just thought it did), so I no longer look to food to satisfy my needs, except nutritionally."
Ok... Back to the post. Specifically, here is what I have had debunked by my brother (Anesthesiologist for bariatric), My mom (nurse and nutritionist), my bro's good friend and bariatric surgeon, and my surgeon..........
* Yes, the liquid PRE OP diet is not to be messed with. It sucked, but we need the liver to be soft and looking like liver in a supermarket. That will happen in most cases with one week.. Many docs do one week only and many do 2 weeks..... So, if you have a 2 week doc, don't worry if you cheat a little and wants some low calorie food.. It's OK!! have the Soup... etc. I didn't cheat as mine was only a week and I did not want to have a lifetime of liver issues if it was frail and broke a bit/injured while being moved for my surgery....
* Most docs on here POST OP put you on liquids for 2 weeks.. Why?? NOTHING medical. Really? Many docs, including mine, put me on Clear Liquids only day 1 in the hospital and then put me instantly on pureed foods (tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, greek yogurts, ricotta cheese, etc).. Yes. DAY 2! He does this for EVERY patient.. He has had NO MORE COMPLICATIONS than anyone else ever.... It is NOT true that eating this will cause a leak.. It can't get caught in you stitches, lol, as they are on the outside and you can't see them even in your stomach.. The ONLY risk is a)that you eat way too much and thus can cause leaks, so don't do that. and that is WAY too much. Meaning you go out of your way to test the limits. As any surgeon will tell you, stretching the stomach to break the staples is no easy task.... easy enough to follow that rule .. and the risk is that you get nauseated.. Ok.. we are all different. Some take 90 minutes the first time they eat to get down 4 oz of chicken salad.. I didn't . I got it down in 15 min and could have done it in 5..... But the point is, listen to your body. start slowly and if you tolerate it, then screw the rules.....
What does this mean? It means so what if you doc put you on 2 week post liquid. That is soo hard.. so, do it mostly, but don't obsess about cheating. have a friggin plate of tuna salad.. It will taste yummy.. Add some great yogurt. If you can handle it, you are good to go! I did.. They also want you on this liquid to max your weight loss for motivation up front? do you really need that?? I don't care if it takes me 1 more week than you to hit the same goal? Frankly, I decided to keep my calories around 800ish anyway for my first 2 weeks. It was a little hard, but nothing like your liquid nightmare and i lost as much weight... I'm now on 1200 cal full diet plan (less hard carbs and hard veggies) as of last night.
I've heard people say they are craving one Dorito chip.. Then the advice replies were "lick the cheese off" or "take a bit and spit it out...." LOL. Really? This is your diet/lifestyle for the rest of your life. HAVE A CHIP.. See if you get a lot of gas.. Chew it well.. If not problem, then enjoy the one chip. You got here because you at a half bag . One or three chips won't kill you! You need to find a way to eat what you will do.. The docs want you to build your healthy habits now.
*The first year is where you get your max weight loss- Ok. For sure,, so, as noted, build your healthy habits now.. but make it last. So, if I want a Dorito chip. I have one or two.. On my pureed phase, my kids had pretzels at a game. I took 2 small ones....I had a qtr of his hotdog meat.. The point is, if we can seriously lower the number of calories we eat (which, for me, they figured i was eating between 3500-4000 per day and needed to be at 2400 or so.. Now, with 1200, which believe me, with the sleeve is a mini feast, I will be eating half the amount and will lose a lot of weight. So, yes, build good eating habits and i'm working on good food choices that I can live with! Can I eat white bread. Damn right?should I// nO?? it's a waste of calories and spikes your sugar and appetite. But, I sure will if i want a hamburger or great sandwich. A month ago i would have had 2 cheeseburgers and 2 hotdogs at a bbq. .So, guess what, i'll lose weight. Can't make it a daily thing.. But, again, stop obsessing..
*Eating and drinking slowly eating- well, you don't HAVE to eat slowly, but as we have been told our whole lives, eat slowly so that when you are really full, you know it! Also, you need to see what your bod can tolerate and if you eat too quickly, you may not have realized you were about to puke. If you can tolerate it, you can eat and drink quicker than others, but not a good idea for reasons mentioned. so work on it, but don't obsess.. At the hospital, they told me I had to drink in in little tiny medical cups a few cc evry 20 min. I laughed, as Water went down easily in recovery even. ALL NURSES TOLD ME NO. When I saw my doc, i asked why I can't just drink as I can tolerate it at home and get my 64 oz is. HE said dont' chug, but do whatever you can do without discomfort. So, 8 oz bottle of Water went down in 5 minutes... etc....
*Chewing your food- ALL true... We have that banana sized stomach.. So, the doughy breads, and stringy veggies and large pieces of non chewed enough food INDEED often get stuck! Not stuck like a lap band, but rather, they move toward the pyloric valve and are too big to pass through it, since there isn't as much acid, etc in your stomach and, well, the route to the valve is now MUCH shorter.. So, it sits in front of it and as soon as the next item goes there, it waits in line. your body puts out gas and then knows there is a problem, so will signal you to vomit it up. not fun... So, chew! All true! Also makes us take longer to eat and thus enjoy the tastes more than ever and have the full signal sent to our brain while we are still eating or pretty close to that!
*Caffein is bad... Ok. Google whether it's an appetite suppressant or stimulant.. It's hysterical.. You'll get equal replies from GREAT sources that say the opposite. I WANT my one cup a day. I'm not an addict. I asked. I am now sipping on my first REAL one. It is indeed a diuretic for some. So, drink a half cup more water than a day! If you feel it makes you hungry after you have it and you don't want to hold back, then stop the coffee.. It doesn't for me. It does for some... But what will you be doing in a year from now??/ There is NO medical reason why you can't have caffein after a few weeks
*ALCOHOL is a no no for 2 months. NONSENSE.. Again, just there so we don't put empty calories. BUT what if I WANT one drink or two on a date tonight?? I am told, go for it, but just know you will have ingested 400 wasted calories. Ok. I get it, but I WILL drink in my life, although never drank a ton and that was not the cause of most of my weight.. Watch the calories and don't do it twice most weeks.. Or if you will, then cut back a bit on your Snacks, etc. Anyway, looking forward to a martini with my date tomorrow at dinner.. Oh, most people on here for a while, will tell you since there is less food to bind with alcohol, it goes into your intestines/blood stream much quicker and you get a nice buzz faster with less! way cool!
* Most other rules and comments on here are just not universal and again, if you feel the NEED to cheat, then well, cheat! How can it be cheating if this will be your new life! WOrk hard at right food choices and don't make this soooo hard. The harder you make it, the more YOU WILL revolt and end up going off the wagon like the good old days... Since I have had no pain, etc and pretty much eat what I wanted (and cheated on my puree period even), I feel this is just toooo easy. I hear so many of you struggling (not because you have pain, but because you want to break a rul) and so many of you "supporting them" to stay strong, that I just wanted to add this post! Also, again, much of the medical advice that our well meaning friends on here provide, just isn't true. Sorry, but it isnt.
I hope this helps some of you enjoy your Pre and Post diets much more than you may be now!
Best, my friends!

I'm 5 weeks out and only down 18. I promised myself u wouldn't be one of those folks that bemoans my slow weightloss, but it's getting hard to stay positive. I try not to compare myself to anyone else, but it's hard. At least I'm not gaining, right?

Yes it was 7 days! My tolerance is pretty low I havnt had an alcoholic drink since sugery so I was careful I did drink way to much champaign one night it snuck up on me real quick! 4 pounds a week is a lot that's why I was do surprised I normally lose about 2 a week.

Fantastic transformation!! This is what its all about! We feel the change happening but when we see our befores and afterwards, we feel it in our hearts too! Your doing such a great job! And your so beautiful! Congratulations! You have inspired me to now take before pics. Wasn't going to do it, even after family and friends begged saying "you'll never be this size again, there can't be a do-over for a before pic". I never felt the desire. Seeing your transformation has changed my mind. Thank you!

Hello everyone I had my surgery last Wednesday, I am 38 years old married with three kids my weight was 103kg, my height is 173 cm and my body mass index 33. I did the operation in Kuwait, Royal hayat hospital
I went to hospital at 7 am The surgery was for 40 minutes and then in recovery room for one hour, first day I was ok but in bed and wasn't allowed for any food or drink until next morning thats when the dr told me that my blood results are fine ,he encouraged me to start walking and to sip apple juice and Water and jelly. After 2 days I went home feeling tiered with head ache things were improving every day and I feel much better today.
Still feel tiered and my main problem is the heartburn and reflux the dr prescribed Gasec-40 which I did use for the past 4 days and have felt better.
So excited about the weight I lost so far 6 kilos woohoooo
Just wanted to share my story and I hope to reach my goal the healthy way with no extra skin

Hello, my name is Sara and I have finally decided to share my VSG story. I had the VSG procedure on 12/28/2011 and I have my 9 month post op check up next week. I was 309lbs when I went to have a consultation appointment with my surgeon back in September 2011. I always considered myself as healthy except for my weight because I didn't have any comorbideties.
What really got me wanting to do something about my weight was when my husband was in a motorcycle accident (June 2011) and he was diagnosed with diabetes. While in the hospital and dealing with his diagnosis, he turned to me and said "if any one should have diabetes, it should be you, not me". He's 6'1" and weighs about 225 and I am 5'4" and I weighed 309. That comment he made was the final straw. I was finally going to do something about my weight and knew surgery was my only option because I had tried to do it on my own so many times before and failed.
I waited until he was all healed up from his accident and on my birthday (September 1) I called Dr Castro's office and set up the appointment that would ultimately change my life forever. I was was very fortunate to have such great insurance because I only had to do 3 month nutrition class before they would approve my surgery. The dr did have me also do a psychiatric evaluation, but that was all I had to do.
A week before I finished the 3 month nutrition class, my dr's office went ahead and submitted my case to my insurance and that next week they had the approval and I had my surgery date and had to go in the next day for the pre op appointment and start my pre op liquid diet.
I remember the day of the surgery like it was yesterday. I was so scared because I had never had any surgeries before and I have 4 boys and was so worried that something would go wrong and they would be left without a mother. I have never had any broken bones or anything. The dr and his team came and talked to me and got me to relax and I don't remember much after getting in the OR and them getting me situated on the operating table.
I was up and walking just 4 hours after surgery and have been moving ever since. I've lost a total of 135 lbs and my current weight is 174 lbs. I've gone from a size 26/28 to a 10/12 in just 9 short months. It has been such an amazing journey and I'm so proud of how far I've come and all the work I have done. For once in my life, I finally have some self esteem and my life is changing everyday for the better. I just got a promotion at work which has allowed me to finally afford to hire a lawyer so I can finally file for a divorce. I won't go into a lot of details, but the marriage has been very bad for a long time.
I always stayed because I never thought I could do any better. Now I finally believe I deserve to be treated better and I actually love myself enough to finally let go of all the bad stuff and do what's best for me and my boys.
I'm excited to see where I'll be at my 1 year anniversary (which is only 3 months away). I only have 34lbs.to go to reach my goal weight. The surgery saved my life in more than just my weight. It was the best decision I have ever made for myself! Sorry for the long story and thank you for taking the time to read it!

Well..now I have heard of a doubting Thomas..but not a jumping Jesus ..although I bet he jumped at some point in his life...LOL!

Im also going to Mexico to have surgery, and im right in the middle of choosing a PCP. I am choosing a PCP that I like, AND that is supportive of my decision to get sleeved. Its much easier if your doc supports you in your choice to get WLS. They're much more likely to work with you regarding blood tests/labs, follow up etc....If i had a PCP that refused to order a blood test because I had surgery, I'd say, "screw you...time to get a new doc!" :-)
Good luck!