castiel

Mine started the day after I got home in December. It was light though. I have PCOS as well, and I went 9 months without having it. This month it returned around the same date as when I had it in december. It was much heavier and I dreaded the first two days of it because those were the worst. I'm hoping with time they'll get lighter. (I actually miss not getting my period, but part of the reason I had this surgery was to finally do something for my PCOS)

This is one of mine too. I usually have to use beach towels to make sure it wraps and covers me completely!

I really really hate that I can't drink with or after a meal :[ It's been the hardest thing to deal with post-op. It does push the food through faster (apparently) and it also takes up too much room in your stomach with such limited space to get in all your protein needs

I'm going to have to take a look at my multivitamin and see how much iron is in it. I have an appt with my surgeon on friday so I'll ask him about it. Unfortunately I don't think he's going to order blood work for me. I'd like to know how my levels are.

Is anyone else feeling emotional? I don't think I was an actual food addict, but I do have PCOS, and I'm just wondering if my hormones are out of wack. Everyday I feel like crying or just laying in bed and I can't explain why. I don't miss food that much and I find it hard to care to get in my protein and water

I was searching the forums for being cold and this one came up! I find, post-op, my extremities (hands and feet) get cold very fast. And it's winter time here at my university. They get so cold it's actually painful. It was 19 degrees today and even though I had gloves on, I had to feed a meter. My hands hurt so bad from the cold I almost wanted to cry walking to class! So yes, I can totally relate to being cold (I even have two pairs of socks on in bed right now lol)

-tuna fish -egg salad -chilli -thin sliced deli meat -sliced cheeses -beans -soups -google shelly's ricotta bake (although the mozzarella i found a little hard to digest so go easy on sprinkling at first)

Yep, the first 3 weeks post op, I could sip and sip with no issues. I could finish 16 ounces in under an hour. But once you move to soft foods and solids, you'll feel restriction, and you have to balance not drinking before and after eating which makes getting everything in harder

I'm at another stall this week, so I changed my goal to 15 pounds from 20. I hope this stall will break soon!

It really depends if it's financially better for you. You could wait for your insurance to kick in and cover the surgery, and you have to go through the insurance hoops too. You have to ask yourself: do you need the surgery ASAP or could you hold out another year? Then again, if you have the surgery now, in a year from now, you'd be closer to goal.

I had a dream post-op that I ate too much and I tore my stomach staples open. That was scary. I find post-op, I have more intense dreams now.

I work out at the Y when I'm home. It's low key compared to chain gyms and they offer free classes if you're a member. You have to weigh the pros and cons like location and hours. Which has better ours and specific equipment you might want to use.

My nut told me that most of her patients can't deal with the taste of clear protein the first week and to not worry about it. But my clear liquids consisted of: -chicken broth (wonton soup was a life saver from a restaurant) -powerade zero or gatorade zero -crystal light -water

You definitely need to go to the ER and get set up with an IV and a possible pic line. Seek a second opinion. The doctor didn't find a stricture? What are you eating that makes you throw up? Is it everything?? or something more specific like chicken or dairy? Can you eat pureed vegetables?

Chili: 1lb of ground beef, 2 cans of Campbell's tomato Soup, 2 cans of dark kidney Beans. Add as much chili powder as desired. It's tasty and not too spicy or has peppers or other spicy stuff which might aggravate the sleeve or acid reflux (although sometimes tomato products do that anyway) Tuna fish with some mayo and red onions

64 pounds in 4 weeks?! WOW! Congrats! I would definitely say getting in all my liquids is really hard. And not drinking after meals or even with them is still a huge issue for me 4 weeks post op. I'll get the hang of it eventually. As for the baked chicken, maybe you should try pureeing it until you can try again at week 6. Or what about canned chicken? That's softer and mushier!

I can say it does get better. I'm almost a month post op, but I've had no complications and only some days do I feel tired or crappy. Try getting in all your Protein and remember to hydrate. I don't know how your diet works, but I'm already on soft foods and I feel almost normal while eating. It's just a matter of measuring stuff so it doesn't get stuck or feel like it's rising back up in your throat. GOTTA CHEW AND GO SLOW. Savor every bite. It will get better. You just have to keep telling yourself that.

I don't really know how your insurance works, like after you gain the 8 pounds, do you have to wait two years? But looking at the number, it's only 8 pounds. That might not even be a full pant size. That seems so little for a procedure that you'll lose within the first week post-op. If you are really considering that this surgery is right for you, I think it would be worth it (but that's just my opinion). 8 pounds for a life time of a healthier you.

Hi Hannah! I see that you're 19 and I just wanted to say this is going to be an incredible journey. You have so much ahead of you! I'm 21, and I've met people who've had VSG and they said they wish they could've had it when they were our age. I'm hoping this procedure is going to help our health and be a preventative tool for common health issues like high BP and diabetes when we get older. I know it's rough now, but I'm going to be a month post-op on the 17th and I've been blessed with a relatively easy surgery and a great recovery. No nausea or major issues following my diet/eating foods. Sometimes I still get pains, but just remember to take everything slow. Even getting up and out of bed. I've heard that a heating pad can help with pain to relax your muscles and may become your best friend. I hope you were prescribed pain meds too. I wish you a smooth rest of your recovery free from issues and complications. Best of luck! If you need someone to talk to feel free to PM me :]

I haven't updated my blog in a few days. I worked out on Friday and was finally able to get my heart rate low enough to burn fat. Granted I only rode the bike for an hour, but hey it's better than me doing high cardio and only being able to do 30 minutes without my muscles feeling like they're not even in my legs. I headed back to college on Sunday. It took me forever to unpack, but I was left all alone on what I should make for dinner. I didn't feel like going through the whole process of making chili or defrosting chicken or fish. So I went to one of my quick food options: Barber Foods Chicken Cordon Bleu. 250 calories for a 5oz piece (a little high in fat) only 11 carbs and 24 grams of protein! http://www.barberfoods.com/Our-Products/Category-One/chicken-cordon-bleu.aspx I popped that in the oven for about 35 minutes and bam! a fast meal ready to go when I was unpacking. Perfect portion size. Unfortunately, at the time I misread the label and thought it was 4oz and I tried to eat the whole thing. It was only in the last few bites where I could feel it come back up. It's weird, I don't get nauseous or feel like I need to throw up, it just keeps rising in my esophagus but never gets high enough for me to help get it out. Even gagging myself doesn't do anything. So I don't know. After last night's episode of having that feeling of food rising, I realized I need to measure my food. I just have to do it. I've eaten a whole cup of chili before with no issues, and then I was forcing myself to fill my mug only half way for about 4oz instead just because I knew I was supposed to do 1/4 cup servings but I was doing 1/2. I felt like I was eating too much or maybe forcing myself with only a bite or two too much and having that rising feeling. This is why it's important to measure, so you don't over eat. I was just eyeballing it, BUT NO MORE! I made tuna fish to bring for lunch in between class and I packed a baby wedge of cheese that had 6g of protein. I had a few bites of the tuna late last night while making it so there was less for today. I ate the tuna for lunch and half the cheese wedge. My internship didn't start today, so I found that out after I went in. I went back up to my room, waited a bit and drank a muscle milk light and the other half of the cheese wedge. I later ate 4 crackers with 2tb of peanut butter. After my last class, I made myself some ground beef with taco kit seasoning. I got out my 1/2 cup measuring scoop and put the meat on a little plate and sprinkled it with cheese and salsa. I started eating and I was getting these weird pains. So I was only able to eat half (or in this case 1/4 cup of food) without feeling too full. I think the 1/4 thing was right. My eyes are still bigger than my tiny stomach. I'm adjusting and learning. I'm only going into my second week of soft foods. I'm eating the rest of the beef in 2 hours or so. I'm trying to get in all my protein because I'm still not losing weight even though I thought my stall was over. Then part of me was wondering, by not measuring my chili and other foods, was I getting too many calories? Or I could I not be getting enough? It could also be the spices causing me pain. I'm just not sure. The other thing is that I don't own a scale at school. So I won't be keeping track of my weight loss. I have a doctor's appt on the 25th so I'll find out if I lost any weight then. I'm also going to start exercising at my school's gym on Wednesday. They're open til 10 or 11 and my school's gym is PACKED. I peer into it every time I'm on the shuttle and there's barely any equipment open. I figure going later is better because not a lot of people want to work out late at night. I'm a night owl so I don't care as much. I think my best work out days will be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. I don't party or go out on the weekends (not like I can drink now hahaha), so I'm hoping the gym will be barren in the evenings. Here's to hoping!

I was home a lot during my first two weeks of liquids just recuperating, but I must admit I spent a lot of my time in my room in my bed just surfing the web and watching movies and television. Netflix helped a lot. I tried to avoid eating situations whenever possible. (even napping during my family's dinner time haha). Granted, I'm a college student, so not doing much is okay. Maybe when your child eats their snack you can be in the kitchen (or wherever they eat) doing something else like straightening up or purposely leave something undone so you can do it while they eat to distract yourself. Reading helped pass the time too! Edit: Whoops! I thought you meant post-op not pre-op! Still try to distract yourself. Good luck :]

my NUT told me that when in ketosis (or having a low carb diet) smells become stronger and that I might not be able to stand them smell of certain things or the scents would be very strong, so maybe that is why??

I bought the chocolate peanut butter, however, I didn't get a peanut buttery taste! it tasted more like a vanilla waffer type taste. so I added a table spoon of peanut butter and some flax seed and it was much better!

I'm heading back to college and classes start this week. (Monday and Wednesdays I go from 830-4 with no break!). So I'm already thinking about things I can make and shove in a lunch pail. One thing I recently bought was the laughing cow mini babybel light cheese. it has 50 calories and 6 grams of protein with 0 carbs for an itty bitty piece! perfect for our tiny stomachs. I know cheese can bind you up, but if you could throw in a few pieces in a little insulated lunch box, these might be something to help you through the day. I also bought a few packs of those little tuna to go things, and you just don't eat the crackers. it's small and full of protein. I think I'm going to be relying on protein shakes for a while because I'm still not getting in all my protein and water. NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY! especially when you have to wait 30 mins before and after eating to drink again and then in a few hours you have to eat again so you have to stop drinking. IT'S AN ENDLESS CYCLE haha. I hope you can work a schedule out for you. Maybe you'll have to prep stuff the night before you start your day

Have you tried the protein mixes at walmart? they're about 16-20 dollars for a 2lb tub. I've had the six star protein vanilla and i would mix that with coffee (or decaf in our case) and it'd work just like a creamer! didn't even need to add any sugar! tasted great and didn't have a horrible taste. i also just bought their peanut butter flavor, but it wasn't very peanut buttery, so i added a table spoon of PB and some flax seed and boom PB flavor galore. tastes pretty good and a nice change compared to the nectar chocolate truffle.