DonRodolfo

The bad news: most prescription meds don't come in a chewable form - two that I take I have to crush beforehand and as you can imagine they taste nasty! Vitamins, however, come in chewable form. Prepare yourself to take the following for the rest of your life: A chewable Multivitamin twice a day - avoid gummies. I use Centrum Silver chewables, but you might not be old enough for those. Calcium Citrate - 1500mg daily. This must be 3 tablets spread out across the day, can't take them all at once. I use Celebrate Calcium Plus 500 Chewable from Amazon.com. If your doctor says you need an Iron supplement, that will change how you take these. B12 sublingual - 500mcg daily. It MUST be in sublingual form which means you put it under your tongue until it dissolves. I use the Spring Valley brand from Wal-Mart. Your other two choices are B12 injections (I think these are once a week) or B12 administered as a nose spray.

I told the anesthesiologist before we went to the operating room that I cannot breathe when I am flat on my back. I expected to wake up in some sort of recovery room inclined enough that it wouldn't be an issue. Instead, I wake up on my back with my arms and torso still strapped down, me struggling to prop myself up, and the anesthesiologist yelling at me "STOP FIGHTING, STOP FIGHTING!!!" My memory goes fuzzy and next thing I remember is that I'm inclined, feeling groggy, with an intense gas pain in the front that won't go away, a slightly sore throat, and realizing I wasn't in as much pain as I expected. They offered me pain meds and after the first hour I started feeling better and better. My wife walked the first lap around the nurses station with me and I was able to do the rest later on my own. I had issues with oxygen and inability to urinate but the nurses kept working on me until I could. I didn't get much sleep the first night but I still felt better and better. I was discharged around 11am the next morning. Somewhere along the way the intense gas pain went away and turned into some soreness around my abdomen. The liquid hydrocodone helped immensely. I ran out yesterday and started taking liquid Tylenol and it's been all good. I never experienced nausea even once and I had absolutely no pain issues with my incision sites at all. Oddly, my sleeve doesn't allow me to drink Water too fast but I can get a Protein shake down as fast as I could preop.

Relax. 3lbs a day is a lot, your body probably needs time to catch up. It's called a stall and it will pass.

Really? Perhaps you could explain to me what my larger issues would be? I'm a week postop and I have yet to ask "what the eff did I do". I don't have any regrets and I'm well aware it won't grow back.

3 to 4 hours. It could have been shorter had I got there at 7a when they opened, but no, I had to sleep in that day.

shake it and let the gas escape. Keep doing it until it no longer hisses when you open the cap after shaking it.

Ignore it, it'll come off. Don't fret.

I recommend that you start a new thread asking this in the Mexico forum. Lots of people have had it there and you shouldn't have any issues getting your questions answered.

If you're talking about the visit to the hospital about a week before your surgery, at mine they took blood for labs and did a chest xray. They wanted to do an EKG but I told them I had had one in February by the cardiologist in the same building. They said they would get the result from him. I spent more time waiting to see different people than I did actually doing things. All in all, non-eventful.

The worst part of surgery for me was the first hour postop. Besides feeling groggy I felt a gas pain that would not go away. As soon as they started giving me painkillers it got better. From the point that I got to my room it got better by the day. One thing I want to leave you with: don't fret at any weight you gain in the hospital. I gained 6lbs and freaked out . A week postop and the 6lbs and a little more are gone.

Sorry, I don't think there's any such thing as a protein capsule. But you must figure out a way to get that protein in or it's going to be a rough road. Might I suggest some Unjury UNFLAVORED protein mixed into some Crystal Light? Also, the Syntrax nectar brand has many "fruit" flavors you could try. I'm particularly fond on the "Roadside Lemonade" and "Caribbean Cooler" (tastes like Pina Colada) flavors. I'm just curious - did you have a 2 week preop liquid-only diet or were you allowed to eat anything you wanted until the last minute?

All message boards have spammers - but this one was really bad at it!

My doctor required that I used Bariatric Advantage brand shakes preop (I had to buy them from him ) but I was free to use whatever I liked after surgery.

Stay away from New whey protein shots. 1) your body can't use that much protein at one time and 2) New Whey uses collagen protein which is considered incomplete. There are lots of threads here at VST discussing this. There is a product called Yes Whey - it tastes much better and only has about 23g of protein - the good kind.

You're not trying to drink them as fast as you did preop, are you?

After a day like today here at VST, not sure what is worse - a virtual STD or being accused of being preachy and judgmental :lol:

Do you think she would have been impressed at the size of my incentive spirometer?

Was hoping to have a little fun at her expense tonight.

Darn it - I started a new thread in her honor http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/82235-my-name-is-faith-am-21-years-old-girlwe-made-to-be-together-forever/

Anyone else get this private message from Faith010?

WTH?! I thought Faith was my special friend. She messaged me and everything! I've reported that post in several threads but no response.

Try some psyllium Fiber (metamucil) instead, it helped me with constipation during my 2 week preop diet.

I don't think you have anything to be worried about. My surgeons office made it seem like this happens sometimes and it just means you'll have to take an iron supplement. One thing to keep in mind is that you can't take the iron supplement and your Calcium citrate at the same time because they cancel each other out. Otherwise, you'll be fine.

I've never experienced this, but I thank you for posting it just in case something similar happens to me.