kulita

I'm with OTR on this. Syntrax's nectar and unjury seemed to be the best for me. Closely following this is Jay Robb, which is made from egg white protein.

I agree with serenity. This surgery requires you to be very focused on everything you put in your mouth. With that said, within 2-4 weeks after the surgery you should be able to still care for him.

I had a tearing sensation whenever I sneezed. For some reason it seemed that I could sneeze when I was full, so several times a day I had to sneeze and then.... OW! Other than that the only other lingering pain I had was on my left side, which felt tender.

I laid in a recliner for the first 2 weeks. My left side was sore and tender. Then I moved to the bed with me propped up with pillows. I am almost 3 weeks out now, and it is getting a lot easier. My left side is still a ta tender but no where near what it was.

Travel.... like in flying? If that is the case you may want to err on the side of caution and not fly for a month afterwards to reduce the possibility of blood clots forming.

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery. Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, veggies, complex carbohydrates, then fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

What a journey you have been on! I am glad that the stents are put in and you are doing much better. Things are going to get a lot easier from here on out.

Ok Don't laugh, but I take 5000mg daily. I know that seems a lot but I was assured that it was ok.

Getting dehydrated was one of my biggest fears and in fact was part of my reason for not leaving the hospital. I had a 4 day stay. I told them that I would not leave until I knew for certain that I would not dehydrate when I went home. The 1st day of surgery I was sleeved at 0800. By 1000 I was in recovery and I was on orders to take nothing by mouth for 1 whole day. Day 2, I could barely get in 4 oz per hour... thank you IV!! Day 3 I could get in around 4 oz per hour. Day 4 I was getting 6 oz per hour. Fast Forward to almost 3 weeks and I can get in about 4 oz in about 5 minutes!! and about 17-10 oz in an hour. I NEVER thought that was going to happen when I was in the hospital. In fact I remember thinking "What have I done to myself?" It really does get better. Don't worry until you have to worry. {{{hugs}}}

Ooo I almost forgot to tell you that while I was on liquids I did have a lot of tomato soup with shredded cheddar in it. That seems to be my fallback on this stage too.

For me my puree stage is mixed with soft foods like scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, and such. These foods are so soft that after I have chewed it 15 times it is basically pulverized in my mouth. Remember you need 3 parts to make it "Soft foods" = Soft, Moist, and Tender. Is your puree mixed with soft foods? Here is what I ate today. BF- Cottage cheese Lunch- Smoked salmon (lox) with cream cheese & capers Dinner- Grilled artichokes & hollandaise

for soft foods, I personally would wait on the PB and bread, however if you want try it, make sure it is in a very small bite and wait like 5 minutes to make sure it isn't giving you a heavy feeling.

Some people really... and I mean REALLY like it. From my experience (both personal and with others) many go with unjury or to vitacost for Syntrax's nectar. I wasn't too fond of the Nectar juices but I will try them again now, that I am post op. I do still enjoy the Nectar chocolate Truffle, vanilla bean torte, and strawberry mousse

For it to be a true stall/plateau it has to have lasted for at least 3-4 weeks. I know it can seem discouraging to not see the scale move, but you are better off not even using it. In my profile blog I have something about the science of using avocados to move stalls along. Eat some avocado with every meal for 1 week and the scale should move.

I was told no massages for 1 month to reduce the incident of breaking off any blood clots that could have formed... even though I had like 9 doses of heparin with my hospital stay.

Jaynasean, are you ok now? Did you get your questions answered?

You can stretch it out but it will NEVER be the size it once was~ This came directly from the Dr. Cirangle with is attributed to developing the vertical sleeve and it's improvements. Also, I have been unable to actual find medical literature to prove that this does exist. In my blog I actually have a video that shows both a new sleeve and a sleeve that is a few years old. You can see that it is bigger but it is nowhere near the size that it used to be. http://www.verticals...ur-new-stomach/

I was just advanced to soft foods and the first thing I ate was greens and baked mac & cheese! To me they are soft... not like steak, and I was able to tolerate it. For me, food is a social thing. I love not only the good food, but the good company of friends and family. During gatherings or picnics there is nothing wrong with taking a small sample. Also, if you really want to avoid it you could up your protein a bit and go with your own meals already packed... but my family would see this as an insult, and if my mom were still alive she would tell me to save what I brought and eat her food, and I would gladly oblige. Does everyone in your family know about your surgery?

He ya go, enjoy the video and info. http://www.verticals...ur-new-stomach/

^ me too. In fact I am not so sure that I want all of my butt to go. I like the cushioning and so does my hubby

^ those Protein shots are not made of quality protein. They are made with collagen and not whey. Your body does not process collagen the same way as whey isolate and will flush it through. Don't waste your money. Go with

Don't laugh.... I thought the W meant "wide".. I always got this size because of my big ol' booty and they seemed to fit better.

My NUT said to eat 3 oz of protein first, then 3 oz green/red veggies, then any starches last. If I try it this way I will be less likely to eat the carbs as I should be full on the protein and veggies, however, if I do have room it may be for 1 bite of starches. A lot of people on here do limit their carbs to maximize weight loss, but they don't completely eliminate them. Chances are high that these people are getting their carbs from milk, veggies, and fruits.

If you eat to your hearts content then you may make it difficult for the surgeon to maneuver around with an enlarged liver. This could result in an OPEN surgery or worse complications. I have heard of Dr's canceling the surgery and postponing it until patients dropped a few pounds mainly so that the liver can be a little lighter. I do understand you feeling this way though. A lot of people do think like this. I know I did with almost every food. My thinking was GOD help me if can't have dragonfruit or a cheese & sausage plate in a month. I was/am a HUGE foodie. I LOVE food- GOOD FOOD. See, my problem was not eating bad/junk food. I just ate Waay too much of good food. I mean I mostly shop at Whole Foods and farmers markets. I enjoyed the company of my friends while eating too, so, food was my social friend. What I can say is this, eventually you will be able to eat most if not all of it again, just in smaller bites. Take this time now to think of how you came to the stage where you needed this surgery to begin with. I know you had your lap band removed for various reasons ... but why did you get that one? THOSE are the reasons why you should be thinking of helping your body along to do it's best for a successful surgery and recovery. Remember food can still be your friend just not your lover. If you can survive with the lapband, I know you will do GREAT with the sleeve. I wish you lots of luck with your upcoming surgery. PM me if you need to chat.

The only thing that has given me a sick feeling is the Crystal lite fruit punch. Eck! For some reason I have had a low tolerance of many foods with lots of coloring. This drink has lots of red dye #40.