Butterflyhigh

Thank you. Does Full feel the same as it did before? When I think of feeling really full I think of that bloated, stretching your upper body back to allow more room, heavy stomach feeling. Is it the same? I've felt that way a few times on Clear liquids but I think it was gassy air bubbles not a full stomach.

Oh, Thank You so much! Your words brought goosebumps to my skin and tears to my eyes. Everything you mentioned are things I know will be catalysts for positive change. I need to add yoga and daily meditation. I know deep within that meditation is the key to opening myself on many levels. I think part of me is scared to go there...otherwise I would have already started. Having this VSG is part of releasing my demons and emotional shackles. Now I feel like I am free and can move freely forward. Mindful Breathing. I just read this today in a book (Living Buddha, Living Christ). The way to still the emotions, acknowledge them, and then let them flow away is through Mindful Breathing. Thank You for your wonderful words of encouragement!

I am not on any PPI's. My gurgling is not painful. It's not even really uncomfortable other than I may have to stretch out my upper body to allow an air bubble to come up. Most of my stomach was just removed. I expected some kind of weirdness for awhile.

Yeah.....what's up with the bloating? For me it's my tummy and it gets bigger and bigger as the day goes on. I quit drinking cow's milk years ago because it would cause me to bloat like this. I haven't had anything but clear liquids in six days and I'm not gassy at all. Water retention maybe?

Oh cool. So at the very least you've met a new friend who can understand your struggles. That's awesome! See if a nice friendship can grow...and then see if anything else can grow from that.

Haha. Yeah me too. Except I met him about two month pre-op. I liked him, he liked me...but I had this hugh secret surgery looming! I didn't plan on dating anyone until after the first few months of adjusting to my new sleeved lifestyle. He was such a nice guy, but ultimately I decided that right now I just want to take care of ME. I don't want to spread myself thin (pun!) trying to build a new relationship while working so hard on my physical and emotional transformations. Plus...I am envisioning getting to goal weight and being so damn hot that I will have a bevy of men to choose from. haha

Hi! I've been thinking about this too. Realistically, at some point I will find myself without another quick option other than hitting a drive-thru. My plan is...look for grilled chicken sandwich, no bun. A few places have chicken salads. Taco Bell could work if you got a steak or chicken quesidilla and only ate the inside, not the tortilla. Wendy's has chili or grilled chicken salad/sandwich. In & Out or Five Guys could be small cheeseburger with no bun. Jimmie John's would be GREAT because they will turn your sandwich into a lettuce wrap. I'm working on a list for myself which I can refer to when those occasions happen.

So glad to hear you are now on the other side! The day of surgery I was so drugged I hardly remember a thing. The second day I was sleepy and gassy. Every day gets better. Today on day 6 I feel very good...no gas, no pain, no sluggishness. Please keep us posted!

Thanks all! This was a good exercise today in the power of emotional eating. I've never been in denial that I eat to 'feel' better...but I've never been unable to eat when those times hit!! I walked, read, played piano angrily, keep sip sip sipping, watch an hour of tv, and took a nap. I don't feel so bad now. It is scary how powerful the urge to eat was. It tells me a lot about where I need to focus my mental work and healing.

Four ounces of chicken broth with hot sauce added, four ounces diluted apple juice, and one ounce of Jello....and it took me over two hours to finish it all. I am dreaming about the pureed stage! Can't get here fast enough.

Wonderful!! It is really wonderful to hear about the big changes in life which you are already experiencing. Image all the future moments you have now because of this surgery. Congratulations! Well done.

Hot! Wowza! You're results are fantastic! Congratulations. Well done

You MAY gain the weight back. That is possible. But if you don't do this you will CERTAINLY stay fat, right? This will give you the best chance you're ever going to have at loosing and maintaing weight loss. Of course, as you hear over and over again, it is only a tool. It is a very powerful tool that you can utilize in your efforts to be healthy, but the ultimate success will be determined by the decisions you make. Figuring out and understanding why you eat when it's not necessary will be key in concurring this battle once and for all. Spend time researching the procedure but also on doing some real soul-searching so that you can address the REAl reason why weight is an issue.

I was very worried about this too. I am now 5 days post-op. and this is what I've done to try and limit the exposure to 'real food'. I have several tiny tupperware containers that I fill in the morning with chicken broth, veggie broth, diluted apple juice, and Jello. I am surrounded by them during the day, they are easy to grab, and it's easy to count Fluid ounces. I stocked up on easy microwave dinners that the kids can eat so I don't have to handle food much. Next week when I move towards the pureed stage I'll do the same thing except with lots of homemade meals that I will feed to the kids and then puree for me. Also...I am really trying to emotionally embrace this 'empty' feeling that I normally want to shove full of food. And it IS emotional. Please try not to chew and spit because it will just drag this whole purging process out. The longer you go without those foods the less of a hold they have on you. Chew and spit is like hitting the RESET button and starting from scratch again. But how AWESOME of you to be Self-Aware enough and Real enough to call yourself out on this!! That shows you are done being in denial and are a strong woman who can totally conquer this tough stage of the process.

So sorry for you! Adding more liquids will probably help the nausea. My doc wrote an Rx for anti-nausea med's to use as needed. You could ask your Dr. for that. During my pregnancies I would place one mint leaf underneath my tongue and keep it there for a few minutes. The sickness would immediately abate and become so much more manageable. Mint is widely used as a natural anti-nausea treatment.

I usually do have freezer bags full of chicken, beef, and vegetable broth. But I fell way behind the ball in getting that stuff ready for post-surgery. I bought some low-sodium organic vegetable broth and it is just what I needed! I measure out 4 oz of Water, chicken broth, diluted apple juice, and now veggie broth in these tiny little Tupperware's in the morning and then get busy cycling through them all day long. Adding the vegetable broth has made getting in more fluids today SO much better. Thanks all!

Dr. Curry uses a 36f bougie. It's a bit larger than some other doctors. He stated that in his experience a 36f gives strong restriction with a lower chance of leak complications. Sorry about the yeast infection. Have you researched it? I wonder if it's the large amount of drugs they just pushed through your system? How are these extra days in the hospital affecting your Real Life? I feel like being at home, in my own bed, working in my own kitchen is healing and comforting. I wanted OUT of that hospital bed as soon as I came around. I am sorry you are still there. I will PM you my contact info. It would be great to chit-chat about this via phone. Hang in there lady! A few little bumps on your way towards a Freedom that you've probably never know is going to be well worth it.

For one year, many years ago, I did this whole raw food cleansing diet. I mostly drank vegetable juice which I juiced myself. I remember consuming somewhere around 500 calories per day and virtually 0 Protein. Not only did my hair NOT fall out, it was in the best condition of it's life! As were my skin, teeth, and nails. It was the incredible amount of living nutrients in the fresh veggies that I was juicing. My nut and I have discussed this and she is clearing me to raw vegetables (juiced only) and with Protein powder added much quicker than usual.

Day 5 and I am doing well. I've been taking a long nap each day and just totally focusing on getting as much fluids in as possible. So far today I've logged 37 oz. I will probably hit 45 oz today. I have not had one second of a regret! I feel like this was an act of self-love, bravery, and an investment in my physical and emotional health. Folks like us ROCK!

I am 5 days post-op and just woke up from a three hour nap! The first two days I hardly did anything except sleep. I've been much more awake for the next three but have taken nap each day. Right now all I am doing is measuring fluids, sipping fluids, taking it easy, and measuring and sipping more fluids. I noticed more energy after I focused on getting in more warm chicken broth. It gets better every day. Your body does a lot of healing while asleep. Listen to what it's telling you to do, but don't neglect the hydration.

Congratulations! I have had two previous cosmetic surgeries in which I was a total nervous wreck the night before. So bad that the doc called a small Rx of valium in. Literally sick with nerves. This time, however, I was just excited! This is much much more than a cosmetic procedure, but I think I feel as if this is a necessary decision for my health vs. plain ol' vanity. For the most part I have been alone for recovery (I'm 5 days post-op) and it has been fine. I still have soreness at the incision sites. I have to be careful about bending over and protecting my stomach from cats and kids. Uncomfortableness, maybe some would perceive it as painful, gas under my breasts. That was gone this morning. I can sleep on both sides now. The biggest thing has been counting fluids. I am measuring out 4 oz. of broth in tiny tupperware containers. I keep a cup of Water with me which holds 12 oz. There is another mug with 14 oz that I keep in the kitchen with little 1 oz cups. And there is Jello. I continually cycle through the tiny little containers all day long. Another thing...I see you are a low bmi like myself. My doctor said surgery would be easier, recovery would be easier, immediate results would be seen quicker, and long-term results better. I battled myself for a year on the ideas of "Am I too small for this? Is this too drastic?". The hard science is there to back up the benefits for people who do wls between 30-35 bmi. Good Luck tomorrow!! You will be seriously groggy the entire day. Day two will be when you feel like you are really starting to move forward.

I think it sounds like you need to put that dress on a hanger and hang it on the outside of your closet door. Use it as motivation! Look at it as a reward! You will certainly fit into a 14/16 and will probably end up smaller. I am ordering three different dresses from the same type of store...high end, high quality, and ubber cute...in a size 12, 10, and 8 and I am hanging them up so I can see them and look forward to wearing them. You're head is just having a hard time believing you will be a size 14. You didn't waste any money. You WILL wear that dress soon. Congratulations!!!

So, I've been single (divorced) for about a year now. I made the decision well before the end of my marriage to have VSG. I also made the decision to not get romantically involved with anyone new until well past my surgery when I am completely healed and past the awkward questions stage. I am now two weeks away from my surgery date and have decided to tell NOONE at all about this. Not my family (gossipy backstabbers) nor my close friends (skinny successful dieters who wouldn't understand this drastic choice I'm making). So what happens a few weeks before surgery? I meet a great guy who is toooootally into me and whom I could get totally into as well. Damnit! This is not part of my mission statement AT ALL. I am not supposed to meet anyone for at least another six months! How am i going to continue to see this man without telling him about my surgery? And telling him is out of the questions because we have so many shared friends and it's really not fair to ask him to keep such an important secret. I think I can make plausible excuses as to why I'm not eating 'normally' for a few weeks and I can actually disappear for the entire month after surgery because I am vacationing at my summer home to enjoy recovery away from the normal stresses of life. BUT, what about the several small scars on my tummy? How bad will they look a month later? Will they be inconspicuous if I am naked in a dimly lit room? Ugh. I HATE that I'm not being honest with people. I really do. But considering the type of people that are around me (mostly my family) I still think keeping it secret is the right thing to do for me personally. However, this new man has made things much more complicated then just disappearing for a month and telling people about my new eating habits. Soory...there is no question here (except the short scar related questions). Mostly it's just a rant. And I guess it's not really that bad of a rant since my biggest problem is telling the man who is crazy about me that I am having a surgery which many people aren't't lucky enough to have covered by insurance or be able to afford out-of-pocket. First world problems, I know.

Day One: Came home from hospital veeery dopy and tired. No pain but LOTS of trapped air. Sipping is very uncomfortable. Had a significant hiatial hernia repaired which they said will cause me the majority of my pain. Day Two: Took Vicodine on schedule throughout the day. Slept the majority of time. Only awake for about 4 hours total. Could only get apx. 24 oz. fluids down. Feeling tired and shaky. Day Three: Stopped the pain med's. Too much sleepiness. Not much pain but incisions are very tender, have to protect them from jumping cats and cuddly kids. Better on fluids but it's still very uncomfortable when liquid hits my sleeve. More energy today. Day Four: Got up and drank four oz. of diluted warm apple juice over the course of 20 minutes. Went down so much easier than the previous days. Incisions are still very tender but they don't look bad or infected, just sore. My goal for fluids is 60 oz. and I hope that the diluted apple juice will help me get there. I've had a few moments of 'head hunger'. My daughter was eating a bologna and cheese sandwich and I wanted a bite so bad....but the thought of chewing actually made my stomach act crazy and made me nauseous. I am looking forward to having yogurt and pudding next week when my pureed stage begins. One thing I've caught on to.....as soon as I sip a fluid I have to jump up and walk. When the liquid hits my sleeve it feels like it displaces a big air bubble. The walking actually helps the air come out as a burb. So it's Sip...Walk...Burb...Repeat. All in all my surgery team said I am having an excellent recovery...very positive, low pain, no regret. My doc assured me that starting at a low bmi would cut any risks in half and cause recovery to be much smoother. So far so good! I am wishing everyone else a speedy recovery!!

Hi! I live just east of Cincinnati. My surgery was four days ago, June 9th, with Dr. Trace Curry. Are you pre-op or post-op? What are some of the challenges or fears you are experiencing?