katikati

Do any of you happen to know if it's common to be put on your right side during VSG? I don't know if I was or not. I'm two months out, and I still have a little numbness and pain on the outside of my right upper arm just below the shoulder. It's not bad, and it doesn't hurt unless I press on on it, but it's definitely there. All I could think of was that maybe I was rolled on my side for a while on the hard table. There's just no way it's still soreness from shots. There was never a bruise of anything. I'll ask my surgeon when I see him, but I don't see him until next month and I'm really curious about it.

Don't worry about the coughing. They made me cough every hour in order to get my lungs clear and prevent post-surgery pneumonia. If it's hurting your tummy when you cough, brace yourself by holding a pillow to it, and then try for some healthy coughs. The more you can cough, the sooner that'll go away. Congratulations on being on the other side!

That is all. Thanks for listening. *bangs head against wall*

Does anyone know of any simple foods to add to get a protein boost in my day? I know that many people add unflavored protein to their meals, but I'm looking for something different if at all possible. I have a hard time tolerating any powdered proteins. I'm falling short on my protein most days, but I don't want to add anything that's going to add anything but protein. I have room for more calories, as I'm averaging about 450 every day. I just can't quite eat enough at a meal yet to add more meat.

I was able to start swallowing my pills whole the day I left the hospital. When I showed my surprise about this, my surgeon said that's why I chose the sleeve, so that I could do thinks like that! I have had no trouble with pills at all, and I even swallow them two at a time sometimes (capsule size). He just said if they're very large to cut them in half.

I know every surgeon's prescribed diet is different, but something I was advised to do once I advanced to mushies was to eat dense Proteins only, and then a little mashed veggie from a very short approved list, if there was room. I'm one of the few sleevers who don't eat yogurt. Greek yogurt is actually on my list, but I burned myself out on yogurt pre-op, and I don't care for greek yogurt. Eating the dense proteins (tuna, salmon, chicken) fill you faster and stay with you longer, as opposed to yogurt which I imagine passes through a little more quickly. However, if you're on your surgeon's plan, and you're taking your recommended amounts, it sounds like there's nothing to concerned about. I found the consequences of eating too much last night and it was horrible. I was sick to my stomach, I just felt this tuna sitting there in my esophagus trying to decide if it was going to go upstream or downstream. It was a tense half hour or so, to say the least. I have been able to finish a full serving my Protein, even though I've really wanted to. It's hard to leave a third of that meat in the bowl. However, today I had food for Breakfast for the first time instead of a Protein shake, and I was surprised that I actually was able to finish the whole thing! (2.6 ounces.)

What the fuuuuu... ?

... you have a dream about buying a handful of Fiber One bars to eat.

I feel like my lifelong reality has been brought to the forums, where I say something dumb like, "how many beans should I put in my mouth?" and all the attention has gone to the skinnier, prettier girl in the room.

...

I've read a lot of people saying that they had refried beans with cheese and sour cream during their pureed stage. Can someone give me the amounts on these? I'll be using low-fat beans, 2% shredded cheddar, and low fat sour cream.

He may be yours now, but I will always be his first (person to give him 5 stars).

What's your username on MFP? I'll add you.

How exciting for you, MissFae! I wish you the very best during your surgery! Do let us know how it went. Regarding adding friends in MFP, I can only tell you how I do it on my computer, and I assume you're using the app if you posted from the waiting room. However, maybe the process is similar. It certainly took me a few minutes to figure out how to add by username. Go to the MFP page, click the Community tab, choose "Find Member" below that and to the left, then enter the username in the farthest right box and hit search.

I may be weak, but I'm not gullible. NO HAMBURGER FOR YOU!

Friend requests sent to each of you. Thank you!

Aw, thank you so much, you're so sweet! I PROMISE this was not a ploy for ratings. I really do hope that maybe an admin will read this and take it into consideration. Of course, I realize that VST may use a pre-built platform and that they don't have an option to remove the profile ratings, but it's always worth a try.

I know I did. I'm weak, easily-swayed, and can't stand for someone to feel bad about themselves, jokingly or not. I had to do it!

Not anymore! Consider yourself rated. I guess if it's going to be there, I might as well engage it. It's an honest rating too, because I personally adore your posts and your personality.

I understand having the five star system to rate forum topics, groups, etc. However, having it to rate an actual person feels so, I'm not sure... icky? Judgmental? Rude? Classless? We all have worth in various forms. I'll tell you, I didn't think anything about it until I visited my own profile to update my weight and saw that I had been rated four stars. I'd like to say that it didn't matter to me, but it kind of hurt. Don't get me wrong, if you knew me in person I'd probably be found to be a two star individual on my best day, but this is a place I come to for acceptance, because we all share a huge similarity in our journey. I come here to speak openly and honestly about my struggles and victories with my sleeve, and to post questions without fear of ridicule. I guess it just bothers me. And, no, this is not a plea to visit my profile and rate me. It's a desire to have this aspect of the site removed all together.

Hey, fellow sleevers. I've been on MFP since my surgery, but now that I'm tracking actual foods instead of just a daily liquid intake, I think I would enjoy having some friends on there. Does anyone else here use it?

Oh, also, how long should I wait between bites? There's nothing in my handbook about that.

Well, I did it! I had my first bite of food in a month. I mixed up just under 3 oz. of albacore tuna with a dab of mayo for more moisture, then promptly set the bowl down and stared at it, afraid to take a bite. I laundry list of possible outcomes was going through my mind, but I finally picked up the fork and took a tiny nibble, then chewed it until there was really nothing left to swallow because it had just coated my mouth. I waited a while and then took another bite. I won't lie, it tasted wonderful and I was so relieved and happy to get to be eating something. That feeling does scare me. I don't want to get too much emotion tied back up in eating, but I did enjoy it immensely. I didn't get sick at all. My stomach felt slightly strange. Kind of a pressure in my chest similar to when I first began taking liquids in the hospital, but nothing bad. The one thing I was concerned about it is I expected that I would feel full after just a few bites. I ate about half of it, so about 1.5 oz. and then stopped. The thing that I noticed is that I suddenly felt the need to let out a big sigh, and that reminded me of when I used to sigh heavily after stuffing my face with so much food. So, I decided I'll see if that is my signal for fullness. Is it surprising at 4 weeks post-op and having my first food to be able to eat that much, or is that about average? I'm so afraid this won't work. I'm so afraid I will find my body is tolerant of too much food. I know I have to work my sleeve and follow my meal plan, but there is a reason I had this surgery, and this is imposed restriction. I need it if I am to succeed.

I will show you, but try not to be too grossed out. It's not as horrible as it looks. It only hurt once in a while (bending, sneezing, etc.), and it was painless when it was removed. The surgeon removed it about two weeks after my surgery. I didn't even have to lay on the bed. He clipped the stitch holding it in place, wrapped some paper towels around the exposed part of the tube, and pulled it gently until it was all out. He told me I'd have to clean inside of it with peroxide and a q-tip until it closed up, which did not sound exciting to me. However, I went to clean it the next morning, and it had already closed up. Whew! Was so glad to be off the hook with that one. Oh, and the tube that is outside of you is about a foot long and there is a rubber bulb at the end that is about the size and shape of a large lemon. I had to open the top and empty it twice a day by squeezing it into a plastic cup they gave me that would measure the drainage in cc's. Then you squeeze the bulb and close the top, so that there's a little suction in the tube. When I was in the hospital, they kept the bulb safety pinned to the inside of my hospital gown. At home I did the same and kept it pinned to my shirt. Ugh. It is so frustrating getting pictures to display on this site. Here's a link to it in my gallery: http://www.verticals...17416-img-2224/