Rena's got this

I am moody....borderline depressed. Not quite sure why, since I seem to be fine with my loss to date. I'm thinking I should just go to the doc and let her put me back on Welbutrin. And for your other comment...my boobs seem to be shrinking along with the rest of me, but since they weren't that big to begin with....I'm noticing it more!

I only do low fat in sour cream, sometimes in cheese and definitely 1% milk. I have to have the real deal when I eat anything with mayo, which is not much these days, since I don't eat sandwiches. I will have a sandwich again some day, maybe even soon, but no fake mayo for me. Someone mentioned a mayo substitute called something like "So Creamy" that I purchased, and it is pretty tasty with a mustard twang to it. Perfect for hotdogs if and when I decide to try one again.

I also live alone except for 1/2 of a week when my kids live with me (joint custody). I am also 57 and had the sleeve on February 25th. I have had absolutely no problems with it, and have done relatively well with my weight loss to this point. I have to say however, that I do miss food. A lot. Especially when food commercials are shown or I get an exceptionally tasty looking email from Betty Crocker in my in-box. I am now to the point where no foods are off limits to me if I can tolerate them, and I have found so far that there is nothing I can't tolerate. I do feel a restriction, so I don't overeat anymore. When I get full, I notice that I'll start hiccuping, but haven't had any nausea related to the surgery. I did this for my health, mostly, and it is going well. So when I measure the annoyance of not being able to eat more than 1/2 a slice of pizza or a bite or two of a hamburger with getting slimmer and healthier, I'll take the annoyance anytime. Now, before I start getting reply's saying what the heck am I doing eating pizza and hamburgers at only 7 weeks out, my answer is, I don't. Only once did I eat 1/2 slice of pizza, and I haven't yet tried that hamburger. I usually eat Protein first, then veggies, then fruit and then carbs. It is the thought of having the pizza, hamburgers, etc. that I miss. I'll admit to trying out a couple of fried shrimp and a couple of french fries, but found that my tastes have changed, and I haven't had them since. So you need to seriously look at how much you enjoy larger food servings and compare it to your desire to be healthy and decide which one means the most to you. Decide if it is something you can do, and if you are willing to do it. It isn't the easy way out, that is the truth, but it doesn't mean you have to give up enjoying food totally either. Good luck to you which ever route you take!

It wasn't a fried twinkie was it?

I'm scared to even try my bike. The last time I got on it, I thought the tires were going to burst, and I couldn't seem to maneuver it well. I haven't always had the best luck with bikes anyway. When I was young and in college, I bought one to ride around campus. I rode it for the first time from my campus apartment to the campus post office. When I arrived at the post office and stopped, I forgot to put my feet down and both me and the bike promptly fell over. It was soooo embarrassing. Think I'll stick to walking for now.

Ok...I'll bite. What the heck is a favicon?

I would stare at her for a second, then slowly say "would you say that again?". When (if) she does, then I'd say "Wait, I want to get a tape recorder, my REAL friends aren't going to believe what you just said to me!". She would probably be making a hasty retreat at this point.

I know! It helps me sleep so much better also. Once I put on that mask, it acts like a sleeping pill and I'm asleep within minutes. My sleep prescription will be out of date next month, and I'm supposed to go see the doc to have it renewed. On one hand, it would thrill me not to need it any more, but on the other hand... will I have trouble falling asleep if I don't use it?

Yes, we are all concerned about our welfare, and it doesn't hurt to remind people that they are still healing, but sometimes text doesn't come across in the way you intend, and it can sound like a put down if you aren't careful with your words. I can call myself stupid, but I'd rather nobody else do it! Maybe if people read their words aloud, and imagine saying them to someone's face before they hit that post button, they might think twice about what they wrote. I nearly swore off this site recently due to some "helpful" criticism. I was already depressed, and those comments just made me feel worse about myself rather than helping.

That made me laugh.

I miss it all...food in general. I get hungry for something specific, and really want it, but if I give in and start to get what I wanted, suddenly I don't want it anymore. Its frustrating. For example, I really want a tomato sandwich, but if I get up to go make one, suddenly, I don't crave it anymore. Same thing with any foods, especially when I watch food commercials. Right now I'm getting a bit depressed because I don't have food to turn to, and I'm not sure what else to do. I have so many leftovers in my fridge right now that it is scarey. I'll probably wind up throwing all of them out. I made some saute'd mushrooms, ate a bite, and there they sit in the fridge. I can tolerate most any kind of food, just don't want them. I guess I miss eating a whole meal like I used to eat.

My rant for today.... GAWD! I am HUNGRY!!! And sleevie whispers to me smugly..." and your point is? "

I had really bad reflux before my sleeve. Found out that I had a hiatal hernia, which the surgeon repaired during the sleeve procedure. I have had absolutely no reflux since the surgery. It is wonderful not to have to eat Tums and Prilosec all the time. I've heard that the sleeve procedure is sometimes used as the first surgery for those really overweight individuals, with the bypass being the second surgery, once they have lost a certain amount. My sister in law had the bypass done last April. She is now 114 pounds at 5'2" and says she still has problems getting enough Protein down. She has gotten a little two thin in my opinion, and I think she is concerned about the malabsorption problem. I am only 6 weeks out, but have not ever had problems taking pills, even while I was still in the hospital. They did tell me not to take nsaids however. I think those are rough on the stomach. It all comes down to what you are most comfortable with. I'm happy with my decision.

I don't track, except maybe in my head. I keep a guesstimate of how many carbs, fats, and Proteins I've consumed, but if I'm off, its ok. I'm not obsessive. The only real effort I'm making at this point (6 weeks post surg) is in getting Protein and Water. I've done ok so far. I thought I hit that dreaded 3 week stall, then I got a tummy bug and boom... lost 6 pounds overnight. I'm positive most of that was water, but I haven't gained much of it back, even though I've rehydrated myself. I wish I could track, I've even gone so far as to load myfitness pal onto my smartphone, but haven't even started using it yet. I don't think that tracking capability is in my brain.

I'm wondering if you might have an esophageal stricture. I have a friend that was sleeved the day after I was (Feb. 26th). She has had a lot of problems eating, and has lost around 43 pounds to date. She went back to the doctor yesterday and had her esophagus dilated. It is to early to see if it is going to work, but she is excited to see if she can start on regular foods now that she has had this done.

I gained about 6 pounds of Water weight during my hospital stay. It took me a good week for that to all pass. Now, I estimate that I'm losing about 5 pounds a week.

Take a small travel pillow to hold against your stomach when you either cough or have to get up. They will get you up walking rather quickly. You may want to take a robe, the hospital gowns may not cover your backside. I forgot mine, and once I had to take a sheet and make myself a toga before I could take my evening walk in the hospital... lol, it was fine. I took slippers, but didn't need them. The socks they put on me were enough. I didn't need the reading material I brought, slept a LOT.

I had a stomach bug last Thursday with a lot of diarrhea. It took me a while to re-hydrate. The next day I went back to work, but a couple of times I got really dizzy. I'm totally convinced that it is because my Fluid intake was low and I had lost a lot of fluids the prior day. Made me realize how important it was to stay hydrated!

Ok yall...please pretend that I never responded to this topic. I realize it was meant for those 6+ months out.

My doc allows soft foods/solids from 4 weeks out. I was experimenting with those foods to see what it would be like now, and am pleased to say that they are not going to be a staple in my diet. With the solids, I made sure to chew, chew, chew until they were like mush. Protein drinks are my staple, even now. I have done pretty well with the weight loss so far at 30 pounds in 5+ weeks.

I am 5 weeks out. chicken (dark meat only) is no problem for me. I haven't tried a lot of things yet, but scrambled eggs are fine. I can eat a few bites of bread with no problems, just find that I don't want more than a few bites. This is good because I was addicted to bread before surgery. I tried a doughnut once, and found that while I tolerated it ok, it took me more than three days to finish just one, so why bother. I'm not even tempted to try rice. I didn't care for ice cream before surgery, but my dad had some Blue Bell strawberry ice cream that was heavenly. I enjoyed it, and I also know that I won't go out and buy it. I haven't tried steak yet, or hamburgers. Just looking at them makes me full. I made some hamburger helper for my son, and could eat a couple of bites ok, but it isn't going to be a staple for me. I had a couple of fried shrimp with a few french fries. Tolerated it ok, but it just didn't taste good, so that is off my menu. It is going to be interesting to see what my menu will be like in six months.

If you have had any past surgeries, you can compare your recovery to those. I had a few surgeries in the past with no complications, and this one was the same... no complications. Good luck to you!

Have you had your thyroid checked? That can stall anyone's weight loss. I gained quite a bit of weight before the doctor finally did a thyroid function check and discovered that my thyroid wasn't functioning well. After getting on thyroid medicine, I no longer felt exhausted, and was able to hold my weight without gaining more. I just couldn't lose any however. After the sleeve surgery, I'm on my way down to what I consider my normal weight! Can't wait to get there!!

Great post beautiful. People need to know the good and the bad. I am one of those lucky ones that had no complications, but like you say, everyone is different and reactions to surgery are personal. I had a couple of surgeries previously with no problems, so I didn't expect problems with this one either. Yesterday, I caught a tummy bug and spent the day in the bathroom vomiting, and with a bad case of the runs. I now know what it feels like to vomit with the sleeve. I have a much greater appreciation for what those people went through that were nauseous from the beginning. It ain't fun at all (understatement!). I'm glad you are doing better. Keep up the good work and the good attitude. I was sleeved a day before you were, and feel like a new era of my life is beginning.

I put a tablespoon of PB2 in one of my Premier Protein drinks. I couldn't drink it, it tasted really bad to me. So now, I have this almost new can of PB2 and I won't be using it unless I can come up with something else to put it in.