Butterflyhigh

So glad to hear of everyone's easy post-op period! I was a nervous wreck going in to this. I had all of these elaborate plans laid out for how I would take care of myself after surgery. I had very little pain, slept for two days solid, never felt nauseous (except once after eating one bite too many), slept on my sides immediately, can drink Water with relative ease, and have had pretty regular bm's! I had a breast surgery done six years ago and that was 100 times more difficult than this. I do tire easily and have some ugly bruising at one of my incision sites. That's about it.

I am one week into the pureed part of my post-op diet. My body seems to be asking for simple ingredient things. Ricotta cheese has a lot of Protein in it. Cottage Cheese. I mix in fresh strawberry puree. Cream Based Soups. In a box. Mix in unflavored Protein powder. (I had roasted red pepper tomato bisque and butternut squash) Refried Beans. The soups were the easiest for me at first. shake the box, pour out 1/4c, heat for 30 seconds. They are thin and the slight warmth felt soothing to my sleeve. Today I really started feeling like I needed some type of meat. I pureed some tuna salad and it was delicious.

A little update...it's been about a week since I started pureed and just like the majority of responses, I can do 3-4 oz of something very thin and only 3 oz of anything a bit thicker. My full feeling happens at that junction where the esophagus meets sleeve. I can actually feel the food pass through that area and either go right down to the bottom of the sleeve (in the beginning of eating) or stay towards the top (towards the end of my meal). One bite too many and that bite stays at that esophagus/sleeve junction just waiting for enough space to slip down further. I don't perceive it as painful and it hasn't made me vomit but it is uncomfortable. I bet if I took another bite or two I would be in vomit territory...there would be no where else for it to go. I do not pan on testing that theory out.

I have two daughters who are very different from each other in many ways. My eldest is 13 and I raised her as a single mother. I have been aware of my bad eating habits and where I learned them from young adulthood so I treated food differently when raising her. I never made her clean her plate, no soda pop, no sugary treats/cereals/drinks. I taught her to eat just until she is not hungry...not until she feels stuffed full. I never used food as rewards. As a result she makes healthy food choices (except for those awful ramen noodles she loves so much), does not turn to food for comfort, and eats only as much as her body needs. She is a size 0-2. My youngest daughter is being raised by myself and my ex-husband. From a very young age when she was in her highchair still, I realized that food was being presented to her differently. Her daddy's mother fed people to show her love...you know the type of mother. She would pile food on people's plates, insist they eat more and try this or that, and in general just express her love by feeding them. I noticed he started doing that too. Food time was fun time. He worked a lot so dinner time was special time spent with the girls. My little one associated food with fun and good feelings. She was also told a lot to finish her plate, just get one more bite in, and no dessert until you finish your food. Now at age 4 I can see the effects. She LOVES food...I mean more than normal. She gets good feelings from eating. She eats very fast and has very large portions for a child her age. Because we are now divorced it is very difficult to help her view food differently. I try to teach her to eat slowly...completely chew and swallow before taking another bite...pay attention to her tummy and stop eating when she's full...it's okay to leave food on her plate...always eat the Protein and veggies first....food is not a reward. She is a perfect little girl, not overweight, but she is in the 95th percentile in weight and height. That just means that she is at risk for having a weight problem as she ages. She is right on that line...it would be easy to cross the line into overweight. I am concerned about her. Her dad and I are trying to be on the same page, but you all know how hard it is to change food perceptions. A major way he shows his love is by feeding her and buying her things. He is a wonderful and loving daddy, but this is frustrating and sad for me to see her being set up for future problems with food.

Hey all! I am day 11 post-op and had my first bad food experience. I've been on pureed since monday and have kept it very simple. Cream soup, ricotta cheese, refried beans, pudding... Today I pureed one meatball with some gravy. I don't think I thinned it enough with the gravy. It went down like a lead weight. It felt like the food was sitting in the spot where my esophagus meets sleeve. I ate less than 2 oz and felt slightly nauseous. My sleeve felt so full. Yuck. I ended up laying down for about an hour until it seems like the food passed through. Think I'll go back to the one ingredient foods for a bit longer.

Sometimes success makes other people uncomfortable. Some people are insecure and enjoy seeing someone else fail. it seems like this really ugly piece of human nature.....the desire to see a person stumble and fall. I think it's rooted in jealousy and insecurity. The opposite is being self-assured, strong, and not threatened by other people's successes. Truthfully, there is nothing you can do about other people's reactions and thoughts about you. I know how difficult it is, but somehow you have to tune them out. Don't allow their judgments and hidden opinions to infiltrate how YOU view yourself. My family is this way. I have done my best to not allow their judgment, envy, and criticisms affect me.....but unfortunately in some cases the only way to protect myself is to limit my contact completely. I have a sister that I deal with only on the rare occasion. She is the most judgmental person I've ever known and being in a room with her is like having a snake waiting in the grass for you. Part of me making healthy decisions for myself is limiting my exposer to toxic people. If you have a strong support in your mother than keep close to her and keep emotional distance from the others. Good Luck!

Just move forward. I was so scared sitting in my hospital bed waiting for them to take me back. Try to relax. Keep the image of yourself at your goal weight in mind. The recovery is really not too bad. Daily it gets easier. You will be able to eat all foods again, just in phases over time. Once you get out of surgery and on the mend, life will be more normal than you are thinking it will be. Keep us updated. Good Luck! surgery in 2 hours having second thoughts

Amazing!! Oh, I can't wait to have the same experience! You're looking great!

Every surgeon is different. Mine also only restricts water 5 minutes before eating and 30 minutes afterward. I'm so glad too! It makes getting water in a bit easier.

Every time I sip anything and it hits bottom, my sleeve instantly starts to gurgle and make little bubbly noises. I actually kinda like this because I feel like I am getting "in touch" with my sleeve....like I'm getting to know this new piece of me. I'm a hippie. I hug trees too. haha

Yea, I am. But I don't think it's hunger pains. At first I though that it was hunger, but then I realized it's just the fact that my poor stomach has been cut down to a sliver of it's original size and it acts weird when food/liquid is added. I started to 'perceive' it differently. When I take a spoonful of Soup I can feel it hit my stomach opening, enter the sleeve, and all the bubbling and gurgling starts. Whatever air was in the tiny sleeve gets displaced which causes me to stretch my torso out which helps the air escape as a burb......at least that's what it all feels like to me. I think we've been so programed to "feel" hunger that it is what we automatically associate any tummy sensation with. Logically I know I am not hungry. I have really started to see how 'head hunger" can be perceived as a true hunger. These first few weeks are the perfect time for us to hit that RESET button on our brains in regards to food. I am leveraging this short honeymoon peroiod as much as possible to retrain myself and my perceptions.

What does your nut say about this? Are protein shakes going down for you okay? You can pack a lot of nutrients and protein into one 8oz glass. Have you tried different pureed foods that are easy on the stomach such as cottage cheese, sf pudding, or cream based soups? You can sprinkle protein powder in any of those. Everyone heals differently and you are still really early out. Some doctor's still have their patients on clear liquid at 15 days. Getting your hydration in at this point is the most critical, the nutrients come a close second.

What kind of veggies were they? Some veggies make people gassy, maybe that's it. My nut said to keep the pureed meals simple for the first week or so. She said as in a case like yours, you can't tell what the offending food was. Could be chicken, could be one of the veggies...which veggie? She also said if you don't tolerate it well, don't eat it again right away but reintroduce it in a week. Your body will probably handle it differently. I know my body and sleeve seem to be changing daily as to how much I can drink, which pureed sits heavy vs light, how many ounces I can eat, etc.

No. It just means you are healing and your sleeve swelling is going down.

I am 5 days post op and feel pretty darn good. I've been living on chicken broth with a bit of hot sauce added, diluted apple juice, and jell-o. I would love to have some warm vegetable broth but it's not technically 'clear'. However it is the same thinness and consistency as the chicken broth. I only have a few more days of this phase so it's no biggie if i can't sip the veggie broth...but it sounds really wonderful right now. I have a call in to my nut but am really curious as to what other's have sipped on in the clear liquid phase.

Great suggestions! I can't wait to try those out, especially the chicken with satay sauce. I started pureed yesterday. My tummy is telling me to just go with easy one ingredient stuff. I started with 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese. It went down very smooth and easy. I've had sf pudding and a tomato bisque. Both were a welcome change from clear liquids. Today I was able to eat 1/2 cup of the bisque. Took about 30 minutes. Right now I am trying refried beans. They are so tasty but heavy and dense. I think 1/4 cup is all I will be able to do. I am drinking water so much easier. I can almost do normal sized drinks...not gulps, but a slow measured drink. I WANT to gulp though.

I have the NutriBullet and love it. It is so easy to set up, use, and clean up. I can make a smoothie and clean it all up in one minute. It is powerful enough to blend up carrots with little effort, but I admit to using it much more for softer items so i can't vouch for how long the blades stay sharp with regular hard veggie use. The cups travel easily. It is time efficient, easy to use, and does the job.

Having pain after this surgery is normal. It will get better day by day. Don't eat anymore ice cream. That's not a good way to start your journey. I had to throw that stuff out of the house because I was afraid of giving in to my cravings. Good luck!

I just had my sugery last week. When I started this journey I was hovering around a 35 bmi. On the day of surgery I was 32 bmi. I have been as high as 40 and have bounced around for years. I have no co-morbidities. I have a strong family history of diabetes, HP, sleep apnea and cancer....all either as a result of or compounded by obesity. I have battled emotional eating and serious binge eating for almost 30 years. I feel like I've been a slave to my food addiction...like there has always been this heavy ball and chain wrapped tight around me. No matter what is happening in my life...it's right there weighing me down. No matter how good things are...that heavy chain is always something to drag around daily. Daily. I am so tired of living with this. I first started looking into the band 13 years ago. Two years ago I decided to do vsg. Many many many of my concerns and questions revolved around my low bmi status and the pros vs cons and risk assesment. There is hard science available on the benefits to people with bmi's 30-35. Greater short term success rate, greater long-term success, lower risk of complications, easier recovery. We can stop the co-morbidities before they start! I also have two children. In part, I did this for them to. I want to be an example for them...show them what healthy eating is. How can I do that when I am always stuck in a binge/shame cycle? Too much emotional stuff is tied up in food. I feel like I have to break this generational family cycle (I learned from my mother, she learned from her's). Attitudes towards food is a Family Legacy and I wanted to change what that legacy was for my daughters. I am 8 days post-op and for the first time in my life I feel like someone has come and cut away my lifelong ball and chain companion. I feel so free! I feel like I can finally have the upper hand in this constant mental battle against food.

Yes. And I'm only 7 days post op!! It's my crazy mother. I should never have said a word about VSG. I wasn't going to....and I don't know what happened! I just totally spilled all the Beans three days before surgery. Stupid me. Today she called and told me to: "Be careful not to loose too much, you know how your face get's all wrinkly if you loose too much. You don't want to look sickly. You don't want people to think you're a walking anorexic. My God dear, how will you explain this sudden weight loss to the neighbor's? I don't want to look at you and not recognize you. You're not even as fat as your Aunt Ciss! If you loose more weight than your sister it may make her feel bad. Just don't loose too much." WHY OH WHY did I ever say anything to her?!?!

Yes, it is hard. Talk to them first, right away, and get a ballpark cost. Be prepared for in excess of $3000. Ask them for the costs of: embalming casket price ranges funeral home rental and what is included (do they speak or do you have a pastor to speak) transportation to gravesite cost of gravesite if not already purchased headstone pallbearers funeral programs (the handouts they give to the mourners) obituary That is a list to get started on. Also....depending on your family belief's, cremation is much much less expensive. On the low end it could be a several hundred dollars. On the high end you can get into the thousands.

I was very shaky up until yesterday. Today I added in pureed foods and I fell much more solid. Had a BM today!! Whoo Hoo!! Actually...I fell a bit guilty at how normal I feel. No pain, no gas, no trouble sleeping on either side, no trouble drinking water, no extreme fatigue (but I have been napping each day). I've had two moments of stress where, pre-surgery, I would have binged on food to control my emotions. Suddenly after a lifetime of shoving feelings down with food, it is completely impossible to do that! It certainly makes me realize where my focus and work need to be directed at. The physical healing is just a small small part of this process. The emotional work is just beginning.

So sorry for you during this stressful time. It is very hard on the caregivers/family members and oftentimes there is not enough support. Please take care of yourself through this difficult time. The funeral business in a business. You cannot forget that. As kind and compassionate as the people are, they are salesmen and you are a vulnerable customer. Plan as much as possible beforehand. It sounds like you are doing that. Figure out your budget and then go have a sit down with them. Oftentimes people feel that in order to honor their deceased loved one they must get the biggest and best of everything. The funeral director will always show you the upper-medium to top of the line items first. They will pull out all of the trim packages and bells and whistles. Just be prepared. Figure out what your approximate budget is and go in well in advance of his passing. Tell them you are on a fixed and tight budget and how can we make this a beautiful service within a reasonable price range. This way you will have plenty of time to ponder and price compare. Also...let them know that you are price shopping. There is a large margin of up-charge on funeral items especially the casket. There is nothing at all wrong with negotiating for the best prices. In my family we do cremation and that is several thousand dollars less than a typical burial. The decision to bury or cremate is very personal to families. It is good that you are think of this now. It is prudent and practical. I've lost nearly everyone in my family to cancer including my father five years ago. The decline is a very hard thing to go through for everyone involved. Hospice is probably one if the best organizations in the nation. What they do really matters to people in their end-of-life process. Use them as a resource. Be strong and try not to neglect yourself during this time.

I'm having issues with my ex-husband telling the children that "Mommy doesn't want us all to hang out with Tracy" who is the new girlfriend. Well of COURSE I do not want them to be introduced yet...they've only been on four dates! Wait a few months, see if it's going to be a possible long-term relationship, and THEN make the introductions. Ass. But now he has the children mad at me about this. Anyway...up until last week when I had surgery I would feed my frustration by filling up with food. Now I am sitting here in the house, sipping on 4 oz of clear liquid at a time, and feeling this actual physical/emotional PULL towards the fried chicken place down the street. Because I am not shoving these feelings down with food I am left to just sit with them. My jaw is tight, I'm gritting my teeth, I feel like screaming (I did a few times already), and I'm just at a loss for what to do. Maybe take a nap? I'm only six days post-op so I'm kinda fatigued anyway. I've tried getting lost in a book but my mind keeps going back to this stressful issue. Same with watching a movie. I've taken an hour long walk around my property but this strong strong desire to eat eat eat will not go away. I think that as soon as I am clear to exercise I will be taking my butt straight to the gym. Straining, sweating, and grunting actually sound really good right now. And actually.....writing this all down has made me feel a bit better. What do you do when these moments hit and you can no longer turn to food to drown out the emotions??

That is nearly 8 lbs per week! When have you ever lost 27 lbs in 3.5 weeks before? I'd say you're doing pretty darn good!