Mom2IrishTwins

My mother had a million questions before I got it done (5 weeks ago) too. Most of the questions, I had answers for that satisfied her. If I didn't I would tell her, "That's a good question. I'm not sure - I'll look into it and get back to you." And then I would. I knew what I wanted to do and wasn't going to change my mind but she wanted reassurance and I gave her that the best I could. i'm 5 weeks out and I am thrilled with the results - And guess what - So is she! Be patient with her, as best you can - You're her baby. If my kid were having something like this done, I'd be freaked out too. Be sure to point out all of the positive ways in which this will impact your health, too.

I had discomfort when drinking for the first few weeks.; I would say at around the 1 month mark, it became easy again.

So, my surgeon told me, going into this, that 10% of sleeve patients develop Acid Reflux. I went off the Omeparazole last week after taking it for 5 weeks and as soon as I did, the reflux began. Looks like I am in the unlucky 10%. I'm very happy with the surgery so it's a small price to pay, in my opinion. Anyone else developed reflux since surgery?

Crystal Light makes me want to barf. Arizona Diet, Caffeine-Free, Green Tea is all I've found so far that I really enjoy. Any recommendations for other no-cal, no-caffeine and no-carbonation drinks?

Just FYI, the rate of death from the sleeve surgery is less than 1/2 a %.

Yikes!! And congrats on your success - You look great!

From what I've heard, most with diabetes are able to come off their medicine almost immediately after having the sleeve. I would pursue it - The sleeve has been amazing for me.

Yikes, the thought of barfing is way worse than the stuck feeling! I've never had the 'slimes' - What is that?!

I haven't thrown up but I have felt like something has gotten stuck and it's just an uncomfortable, crappy feeling.

I had my surgery on 9/11. Before surgery I had many vices. I smoked - which I quit a couple months before surgery and I ate - a lot. Fast food, etc. For me, when I decided to have surgery, I was deciding to give up everything like that. It was hard for me to get used to the idea, before surgery. Food was my life, really. I looked forward to every meal. What was I going to do with my time? But - I have two kids and a husband and I'm 29 and I need to get my act together before I have health problems. My vice? Caffeine-free Diet Arizona Green Tea? It's the only sugar-free/caffeine/carbonation-free drink I really enjoy. But it's not a vice - I have a couple of glasses a day and i enjoy it more than any of the food I eat. Personally I have not experienced a lot of head-hunger since surgery - I've really not had to battle cravings. Soemtimes I think, "Man, I want a hot dog," and the thought passes as quickly as it came. There are certain times that are a bit irritating. On Saturdays, DH and i would normally go out to eat with the kids. Can't really do that anymore. We went to Panda Express once and I sat and stared at he and the kids eat. Fun! But no, I haven't replaced eating with any other negative vices - except for the gambling.... (kidding)

I don't look forward to it or enjoy it. I'm sure that will change at some point.

lol Totally different - Wow! I am definitely not full - I am hungry a lot but was told that you don't really want the feeling of fullness, just the absence of hunger. Anyway, the weight loss is going great so I'm not going to question it! lol

So I confirmed with my surgeon today because y'all had me wondering . He said my goal right now is 30-40. 60 would be great but I'm fine at this point with 30-40 and he said definitely no snacks - 3 meals only.

I really just want to be a healthy Mom and set a good example for my two kids. I am happy to have this done befoer they start school so they won't have "the fat mom" out of their classmates. I look forward to having the energy to participate in all of their activities.

I was also told no caffeine after surgery as it is dehydrating. With a 1 year old and a 2 year old, I definitely miss my morning coffee.....

It's pretty amazing the differences in recommendations I'm seeing from reading a lot of the posts on here. I'm astounded by the people who are eating bread already!

Like I said, each week, the protein goal increases.

Wow, good for you! (For the fast-losing part!) What causes stalls, any idea?

OMG I know her!!!!

Nope - CA born and raised here!

Some more advice - I'm a stay-at-home mom and we definitely live on somewhat of a budget. In order to get the best price on meats, you have to invest a bit of time in the beginning to find out what the best price is. It may seem tedious but it will save you money in the long-run and just takes an initial investment of time. Here's what I would do.... Go to costco sometime with a notepad (or your phone or whatever) and mark down the price per lb. for the meats you like to buy. I think a lot of the time Costco is the cheapest but not all the time. Next - Take a look at the grocery store circulars you get in the mail each week. For me, the stores who put out the circulars are generally more expensive than other stores but they always have "loss-leader" meats on sale. This week, my store has ground beef on sale for $1.97/lb. Last week they had whole chickens on sale for .69/lb. Look at their meats - find the ones that are on a really good sale that week, as compared to your Costco prices, and buy those. If you can, buy a couple more than what you would need. For example, if whole chickens are on sale and you would normally buy 2, buy 4 instead. Put two in the freezer. The next week, if pork is on sale - Buy 2 packages, put 2 in the freezer. Eventually you'll get to a point where you have every kind of meat you could want but you've never paid more than rock-bottom prices for it. If you need tips for what to do whole chickens or how to cook them (it's some of the cheapest meat you can buy), let me know. If I can answer any other questions about this, I'm happy to. Also - Yes, grocery prices have gone up about 35% in the past 6 months so you're not crazy - Prices are higher but there are still ways to lower your food bills!

Nope, they said 3 meals for me. Regarding the muscle loss, they have protein requirements which increase each week. Currently my daily protein goal is 35 grams which I'm now able to easily take in with fish/chicken.

Ha ha ha.

I was told that at around 3 months post-op, your hair will begin to fall out and you will lose up to 30% of your hair. The reason being that your nutritional intake is so limited, your body starts rerouting nutrients from your folicules to more vital parts of your body. I was told that at 1 year, this corrects itself and your hair will start growing back. This is something I'm not looking forward to (I'm only 5 weeks post-op now) but figure it's all temporary.

I think there is a HUGE difference in your intake at 1 month post-op versus your intake at 1-year post-op so that's kind of a wide range. I'm 5 weeks post-op and I take in between 350 and 400 calories per day. Examples of what my stomach is good with for a meal: 1 egg OR 5 medium-sized shrimp OR 2 TBSP's Peanut Butter. I'm not always 'bursting' but my surgeon told me to simply eat until you are satisfied, not until you are full (or your stomach will stretch). In the first week after surgery, 2 ounces of liquid made me BURSTING-full.