Chele H

I brought an extension cord so my phone and kindle charger could be plugged in at the same time and reach the wall outlet

I lost 10 pounds in 14 days on my pre op diet. 3- 5 protein drinks per day(Premier Proten broth, water and Vitamin Watwr Zero. It was really hard to do but if you really need to take off those pounds it will work.

The only diet I could ever follow without being hungry all the time was Atkins. Lots of Protein and salads. The first 3 or 4 days are REALLY HARD as your body detoxes the carbs but if you can through the first week you will be ok. Good luck, I know how hard it is.

14 months post op here in NJ.....you can ask me anything...in this post or in a private message

I was 200lbs, I am 4'10" my BMI was 40. I am now 123lbs, BMI of just over 25. You can lose 50 pounds, 80 pounds, 100 pounds......that all depends on you and how you eat after the surgery.

You could have an impaction and liquids can make their way around it. Read this article and call your surgeon. http://www.livestrong.com/article/19376-signs-symptoms-impacted-bowels/

Absolutely.......I actually walked right out of my shoes one day on the steps at works. I laughed so hard. I used to wear 7.5 or 8 wide. Now I can wear a 7 or 7.5 medium

What are you doing on the elliptical???? You just had major surgery, you need to rest and heal. As long as you are getting your fluids and Proteins I think you are OK. It is very normal to be tired and lack energy. The only exercise I did for at least 2 weeks was walking.

Take little nibbles of the chewy calcium, chew it a little, let it melt in your mouth

I just looked on their website because I was so excited about a more affordable option that isn't gigantic pills. They list the Calcium as "tricalcium phosphate" on the calcium gummies. Not sure what that is and how easily out bodies absorb this. I was told specifically calcium citrate because it does not need a lot of stomach acid to be absorbed. Anyone take these Citrical gummies? Anyone get the OK from their surgeon or nutritionist? I woukd love to take them instead of the pills.

Are you taking an acid reducer? It helps with the hunge, which sometimes is actually excess acid.

YES!!!! It takes some getting used to and you will have a lot left on your plate but once I was cleared for all foods I had a little taste of everything on my plate, I was full and satisfied. I still want to eat just to taste things....surgery works on your stomach, not your head. The need to taste things has nothing to do with hunger. That is something to be worked on.

Flat as a pancake!

The calcium citrate pills are to be swalloed whole. You can also get Citrical Petites if you have a hard time with large pills but I think you have to take 4 over the course of a day. You should only take 500mg of calcium at one time any way so whether it is a chewy or a pill, you are going to be taking multiple doses per day. I just didn't want to pay so much for the chews and save a bundle using the pills.

Most of the chewy ones in Walmart, Costco, etc are calcium carbonate, not the right kind. I take Walmart brand calcium citrate pills. They are pretty large but I have no problems. The pills are whole lot cheaper than the chews. If you want the chewy ones you can try the Bariatric Advantage ones(a little pricey) or Calcet Creamy bites. I found them on drugstore.com. They are a little cheaper than the Bariatric Advantage and drugstore.com wil email you with discounts. They come in chocolate and lemon. The lemon tasted the way lemon Pledge smells to me.....No Bueno!!!! The chocolate was not bad.

Wear a turtleneck sweater.....lol. I feel your pain....I have lots more wrinkles on my face now and let's not even talk about my batwings! But, it's all better than being morbidly obese.

I drink half caff...no problems

I was weighed fully dressed and I did not take off my shoes. I just squeaked by the minimum bmi of 40. Wear heavy jeans if you can. I wore my Uggs which are heavy. A roll of quarters in each pocket??? ; ) If you are that close, honestly I would say gain a few pounds...we are all experts on how to do that! Just an FYI.....many people say the insurance companies take your starting weight but my surgeon told me not to lose any weight at all because I was so close and he didn't want to risk it if one of my weigh ins I dropped below a 40 bmi. Good luck, I hope all goes well.

Can you add unflavored Protein to your broth? Maybe that will fill you up more. Are you on Clear liquids only? No Protein shakes yet? You can try the Isopure clear Protein drinks from GNC. I have never tried them, some people like them. The protein might hold you for a little while. Also, are you taking an acid reducer? Sometimes acid can feel like hunger. Good luck, you can do it.

Wake her up.....seriously.....a sip of water hurts to swallow and your surgeon says to go to the ER and you are waiting?????

They have answering services for patient emergencies every day of the week. If the surgeon does not return your call, go to the ER.

PLEASE call your surgeon. He or she is the ONLY person qualified to answer your question. Hope you feel better soon!

PLEASE do not seek medical advice here.....you are so early out if surgery, it could be anything, it could be nothing. PLEASE call your surgeon's office. Good luck, I hooe you feel better.

I did not choose the lap band because of it's extremely high complication rate and it is not permanent. I didn't choose bypass because I didn't want a lifetime of Vitamin malabsorption. I felt the sleeve was the perfect middle ground. I urge you to attend one or more educational seminars hosted by bariatric surgeons. Gather information on all surgical options, talk to current and former patients(most seminars have patients attending for this purpose), ask questions. I attended 3 before I decided which surgeon to use and was comfortable with my decision and haven't regretted one day! Good luck!

Also, I want to add that my surgeon used staples, surgical glue and he oversewed the staples and glue to reduced the risk of a leak.