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I'd also do Miralax for a few days as it's very mild. I also bought a Squatty Potty a week or so post-op, and that's really helped. It's a stool that wraps around the front part of the toilet to give you a bit of extra leverage and improve bowel positioning for going, and it's been very helpful. Once I moved to real foods, constipation became less of an issue, and now I go several times a week again.

I didn't have a drain, but having one placed was at my surgeon's discretion and wouldn't be decided until surgery. I assume if there was bleeding or fluid around the surgery site, he would have placed one. We learned about them at the final pre-op nurse visit/surgery education class. Did you not have such a class?

Marfar -- I'm wondering if you're hitting all of your basic goals at this point, and if adjusting to that first might produce the results you want. I've watched your posts for a while now, and I've seen you say you revised to the sleeve to be able to eat what you want and not feel like you're on a diet. I also know you eat out a fair bit (based on your posts), and I'm just wondering if these months out you're still tracking calories and macronutrients. My family eats out a fair amount, and those restaurant calories are so sneaky! Perhaps add back some shakes to ensure Protein goals are being met, and become more restrictive on calories and carbs until you're losing again.

I had surgery the same day as you, and when I've tried things like rice and crackers -- carby things -- they seem to swell and I feel sick and unable to take in anything else. My doc says no to all those things for the first year, so I really do avoid them for the most part (had three gluten-free crackers with some chicken salad and a couple of tortilla chips as part of a Cajun oyster dish, and I tried some rice with scallops), and I think because of that, I'm able to take in meat-based protein without issue. Even with that said, I've only lost eight pounds in my second month since surgery. 27 pounds in the first month, 8 in the second month, 35 pounds since surgery, and 52 pounds altogether.

I was a tight size 26 and 3X at my surgical consult, and I slipped into a pair of size 14 jeans today. L/XL on shirts. I've attached a pic of the size 26 pants I wore to my surgical consult. They were so tight, they have permanent crease marks and the button busted (they were held closed by a big safety pin). I've also attached a pic of me in the size 14s, the same ones laid over the size 26s. I'm only eight weeks post-op, and I can't recall eve being smaller than a size 12 in my entire teen/adult life, so I'm moving into uncharted territory. So crazy!!!

I'm at 215.3 today.

It was good! All the flavors I wanted without all the painful rice swelling.

I do! He was a little over 9lbs at birth, and he's a nursing champ!

My restriction was not lifting/carrying my 26 pound 6-month-old for three weeks (nothing above 20 pounds). I could hold him if someone handed him to me, just not lift or carry. I was able to get some help in the first several days, but by the two-week mark, I had no help and no choice. I didn't carry him in his car seat, and only carried him when I absolutely had to.

I don't know of a Wegman's. I asked at Market Street, and will check a couple of specialty markets in the area.

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry! I follow your posts, and I am just heartbroken to read your news. Absolutely praying for you.

I'm 8 weeks post-op, and I tried a sample of sushi, so a couple of regular pieces without issue. I had rice alone on another occasion, and it was too filling, but the rice around the two pieces of sushi I ate sat fine. Be careful overdoing it because (1) accidentally overfilling on rice hurts as it seems to swell, and (2) rice for some can wake up that carb monster and complicate your continued journey. Recently, I ordered two rolls made without rice, and I split the order with my husband. I've heard you can order rice-less rolls wrapped in cucumber or soy paper, but this was my first time to order them like this, and I wanted to taste of the seaweed. They also sat fine, and they had the flavor I was looking for. This particular restaurant didn't bulk the roll up to replace the rice, so it was a pretty pricey indulgence. Not too much food there. I asked the sushi chef at my local grocer of they would make a rice-less roll for me (to get that cost down), but they wouldn't. Going to try a couple more stores before paying restaurant prices again. (Here's a picture of my rice-less sushi.)

Yes, 1mjs -- it's normal. Mine felt like little flashes of icy fire and extended around my left side (where my biggest incision was) and into my back. Doc said it was healing nerves that extend laterally around the body. A few flashes on and off for about a week, then nothing more.

There are several people on YouTube who've had their gastric sleeve placed on France. Hopefully someone here will respond, but look there too for experience.

I bought a Squatty Potty about two weeks post-op, and I'm SO glad I did! I've not had a problem with constipation or regularity since. I'd been looking at buying one for a long time, but couldn't justify the cost. I had a step stool in the bathroom instead, but it just wasn't a very effective help. After a couple of trips to the store post-op for all kinds of meds and tools to help me go, I decided to pull the trigger and buy the Squatty Potty. I bought the three pack from the website, so they were only about $20 each, and NO KIDDING, so easy to go. I'm not using any o the MOM, Miralax, Colace, etc. I bought early on, and I go several times a week with ease. no constipation or hemmeroid issues, though I average about 85g of protein each day, and my WL has not stalled once.

What a fun feeling, Misty! Way to go! Can't wait to have a similar experience.

I found the info on another Dallas thread:

David -- best of luck on your upcoming surgery! I had surgery seven weeks ago at Baylor GV, and they have a monthly support group meetings open to both men and women. I know there are many other support groups in the area, but I've not attended any others. I hear there's a good patient-led one in Frisco. Maybe someone will pop in with specifics.

My start weight was 267.2, height 5'7". I'm seven weeks post-op, and my weight is now 216.3, so down 50.9 pounds (34.1 pounds down since my surgery date). I have had zero complications, and in my case, this surgery has hardly even been a disruption. Nothing I've ever done to lose weight before has ever been so effective. I still worry that I wont lose the other 81 pounds I need to lose to get to goal, but I'll keep doing my best and working this tool, and we'll see what happens. If the first seven weeks is any indication of what the rest of my life will be like, I'm pretty well set up. So far, I love my sleeve!

I'm seven weeks post-op, and my doctor's office wouldn't give me a calorie range either. They just told to to eat to restriction, no more than 3oz meat and 1oz veg per meal. At least four opportunities a day to eat. Minimum 60g protein, and minimum 64g Water daily. From the first day I could take in protein, I was taking in 85g. I average that now, and from time to time, I get up to 100-105g/day. Based on info I've seen around here, I've somewhat imposed a calorie restriction, and I find I take in about 850 calories for 85g. protein, and I work to limit myself to 60g carbs daily.. I'm losing regularly and I haven't stalled yet, so my nutritionist is good with what I'm doing. Tracking on My Fitness Pal is very helpful as calories really can be quite sneaky.

My weight today was 216.3, so down another 2.3 pounds this week. Down 50.9 pounds total at 7 1/2 weeks post-op.

Checking in. I'm seven weeks and two days post-op today (sleeved 12/03/12), and I'm 50.5 pounds down. 33.7 pounds down since surgery day. Surgery consult weight: 267.2 Surgery weight: 250.4 Current weight: 216.7

I've also chosen to be discreet about my surgery. I've told a very tiny number of close friends and my husband, but no one else (and only those because in case I needed some help with kids the first few days out or had complications). I'm almost 50 pounds down at 7 weeks out, and people are saying things like, "you look great!" One lady said I looked thinnish, and someone else commented that I was melting. Fortunately, I've been able to laugh it off and change the subject or deflect the attention in some other way, so I've been able to remain private without having to lie. I'm eating regular foods again, just in smaller portions, but not such minuscule amounts that I'm drawing attention to myself. People have seen me carting around a 64oz. Water bottle and walking for exercise, so I'm sure many people just assume I'm dieting. I don't see any reason to correct them. Eventually, I imagine I'll be more open with people, but not while I'm still working to figure my baby sleeve out. I don't need opinions and objections, nor do I want to be scrutinized. If you don't want your private business to be public knowledge, don't make it so. It is absolutely possible to avoid the topic without being dishonest. Something I absolutely will not do is directly attribute my weight loss to anything besides the specific hard work I'm doing. I did answer one person's questions by saying something like, "I've made some big, drastic changes." Not specifics or details, but an entirely true statement. I will never try to profit from my WL or directly attribute it to anything else. For example, someone I know participated in a WL contest where she was given three months of free personal training, nutrition advice, etc. and she worked really hard and lost about 50 pounds. Now, though, she sells Advocare and implies that she lost weight strictly by using those supplements. Perhaps they were a part of a bigger plan, but so were the hours and hours of free training and bootcamps and nutritional counseling and diet monitoring and accountability that not everyone can afford. Her hawking some magic product on this side of the weight loss seems unbelievably dishonest. Don't be like that, but do feel free to mind your own business while encouraging everyone else to mind theirs. Best of luck to you!

I'm seven weeks out, and within the first month, I had to pick up some smaller clothes from the thrift store (don't want to invest a lot in transitional sizes). At about 5 weeks post-op, I pulled all the 22/24/26 and 1X/2X/3X out for donation, and left in the 18/20 and L/XL. Had to go out again this last weekend for a few more things as the 20s are now too baggy on me. I picked up a 16W pants to move into, but they already fit! Need to go out again for more 16s, and maybe some 14s and 12s.