kulita

Is that normal? Well, our bodies are trying to find the new normal, LOL, and we aren't letting it It may be normal for you since you have not been nearly as active as you were before surgery. If you are really concerned about your heart rate ask your DR. Personally I try not to worry until I have to worry, otherwise I will start stressing over everything. Follow your Dr's guidelines and you will have more success!

Aw, I was getting hungry at night too. My Dr. told me to take the Nexium around the time my hunger is kicking in and to drink a small protein shake. You are doing great! Also, look into your protein shot and make sure that it is quality protein without collagen and it contains at least the 9 essential amino acids. Awhile ago, there was a big rush about the shot because they are small but they weren't good quality. I would hate to see you waste your money

First off how can you write "SLOW RECOVERY" as the title to this post? You just had MAJOR surgery! Not everyone will bounce back right away. You have lost a lot of weight in a very short amount of time and are not eating nearly as much as you used to. Start sipping Protein shakes more often. Don't expect to "down" them in less than 15 minutes. Take your time and sip it over the course of 30-45 minutes and that may give you more energy. Also taking Vitamins will help a lot (take with your Dr's approval) esp. the B12 To be very honest it took me about a month before I felt 100% completely normal. I did feel better around the 2 week mark but I still felt tired.

Most protein shots or bullets are made with Protein collagen and NOT Whey Isolate. Some are a combo of both but it isn't entirely regulated by the FDA so it could be a mix ratio of 1:10 swinging in either direction and in between the ratio. My point is that even though they seem attractive, if they are made with collagen it is not going to help build and sustain muscles fibers and you may end up losing valuable muscle tissue, giving you a "wasted away look". Something to keep in mind is that vital organs like your heart and diaphragm are muscles and NEED good quality protein in order to function at its best. If it is the smell of protein shakes that you can not stand tell your NUT ASAP so you and her/him can work together at finding proper nutrition for your needs.

Hey I have a very good friend who had the RNY in 2004 and she NEVER had any symptoms with dumping. DO NOT use dumping as the ONLY reason for you to choose between the two surgeries. You may have dumping or you may not with either surgery, Please be well informed. I agree with checking into the RNY sister site too

Food for thought (*insert knee slapping laugh), some people can experience dumping like symptoms with the sleeve too.

Wow, I left for a few days and found this thread revived and onto a different subject. Can you drink soda? Bottom line: Just ask your Dr, and then decide if you want to follow their guidelines or not. On here... some say yes and others say no. Good luck to you all

That is AWESOME!

11 lbs is great! Some people only lose around 3 others lose around 20. So I would say if you are around those numbers you are doing great! There are other factors to keep in mind, such as exercise, and the amount of weight you need to lose too.

I did the pre op liquid diet but I agree it is not really like what you will experience post op. Yeah you will drink liquids for a bit post op but the amount you can drink is not the same, and neither is the feeling of fullness. Also there is an odd connection that you have to adjust to rather quickly when you see a regular amount of food vs the amount you will eat. Right now, I eat about the same as a toddler. There isn't any way possible I could have prepared and lived off of a pre op diet in that manner. I would have gone crazy and starved. Honestly, there is a lot of information out there now. When I started this process in 2005, the RNY and the DS were the standard and the Lap band was just starting to become big. Even looking back at how much info I have collected over the years, there really isn't any way to come to terms with 85% of my stomach being removed other than to follow the guidelines from my Dr. and try to adapt. I don't have any major complications just yet (I do have a superficial blood clot in my wrist from an IV) and I don't expect any, but if I did, I am guessing that I would accept what has come to be a part of my life and move forward. A lot of people are also glamorized by what they want to look like, and are often not really thinking about the reality of what to expect. I won't lie, I thought about being healthy but I also thought about being a smaller size. I mean before surgery my husband and I looked like we could fit the image of "Jack Sprat and the wife who could eat no lean". That is embarrassing especially since he has a lot of public functions to attend to. So I also thought of how I would look after surgery, but I imagined myself looking like a sharpei puppy, LOL. So far, I am far from a sharpei

Stupid "Enter key" Sorry about that short post.. Talk to your Dr and see if he/she can uncover what is causing your malaise. It may just be something really small and simple. Also my email is gihan.hoke@gmail.com Can I get an invite to the group?

^ Talk to your Dr about getting some blood work done.

I everyone.... checking in. If you have a stall try eating some avocado that might help. Under my profile in one of my blogs I have an article about how avocado can help with weight loss.

Kim, Do you have any updates on your case yet?

I had a psych eval done and I had to visit with a Psych Dr 3 x. I have been on my journey since 2005 too. BUT I never regretted it. I did say around day 2 or 3 "OMG, What have I done to myself?" in the hospital because I was having so much trouble getting in water. I think a lot of us have probably thought it or even said it aloud more than those who have posted it on the boards, and like me they soon realize that it is a long process. A few months of discomfort and pain (for some) to get to a ultimate healthy lifestyle.

My stomach made a lot of sounds for the first 2 weeks and by the 3 rd week it drastically died down. However, even though I was taking my PPI's 2 x daily I was still feeling hungry around 2 weeks post op. It was a controllable hunger though, not a "I can't stop myself... I am a like a horse with a feed bag going to chow down all the way to town" hunger. See, not all of the ghrelin will be removed from your body. A tiny bit may remain in from your stomach (depending on how your DR stapled your sleeve..sometimes this hormone receptor is not in the same EXACT spot in each person's stomach) and it is definitely produced by the pancreas as well. SO, you may feel hunger, but it should be controllable. If you have ingested Protein and are drinking an adequate amount of liquids and are still feeling hungry, then chances are that you probably are dealing with Head Hunger, or a minimized form of actual hunger.

I had a slurpee the other day. I loved slurpee pre-op and now that they have sugar free ones, I thought I was in the clear. WELL, I'm not. I only had a few sips and then my stomach starting hurting. Apparently, slurpees have carbonation in it. SO... for all of you slurpee lovers watch out for this one.

At 2 weeks I was drinking about 80oz a day and staying around 600cals with 70 gm of Protein. That was EXTREMELY difficult to do. Now, I am over a month out and I drink about 100 oz of Water, over 80gm of protein, and stay around 800 cals a day. It still is difficult but I use my head hunger to my advantage and save it for my meals which takes me about 30-45 min to eat. Remember each body is different. Follow your Dr's guidelines and you will do fine.

Yes, it happens to me. So I try to eat breakfast and lunch a little later in the day and taking small shakes in between so that I can eat dinner and have a shake before bed if I really need to.

^ I am in the same position. I can literally eat much more than I expected. I tracked it for 2 days via myfitness pal and saw that on those 2 days where I ate to fullness (not stuffed) I ate close to 1400cals!! So after those 2 days I went back to my normal 650-800ish cals. You are definitely correct in stating that we must have control over our minds and actions. I can't rely on Mother Natures hunger cues because I am often tricked by Father Time's quick and instant head hunger, which is then followed by Baby Slumber (NAP!) So, I must be very aware of what I am putting into my mouth and savor each bite slowly in order to conquer the partial beast that remains inside of me.

The antibiotics are helping with the swelling and minimizes the pain. The knotted/corded feeling under my skin is still there though. On Friday I made an appt to see my Dr. again and hopefully there is nothing to worry about. In the Er they told me that normal clots usual go away within a month so if you have had one for longer than that PLEASE bring it to your Dr. attention. Additionally, if it is causing your pain notify your Dr or visit the ER straight away. Err on the side of caution.

Yup it is dilly beans. So delicious!

My experience is very similar to nat3185's. The major bruising came from the many Heparin doses, and from my incisions.

can you get phenegran or zofran? It may help a bit.

It is a little hard. I am not sure if your pre-op was like mine (2 shakes and a 350 cal dinner with salad) What I did was break up my shakes so that I drank less more often. Basically, I was drinking a 4 oz shake in every 2.5 hours and in between drinking lots of Water and crystal lite. Try that and see if it works for you. Also, you may want to get a variety of shake flavors as you may get tired of one particular flavor quickly.