nmck

There is method to their madness. First of all, fruits are a 'treat', natural sugar or not, it's sugar, and many have little seeds that can get lodged in that line of staples inside you gut. Not fun, I'm sure of it. An egg will be soon, but from what I understand many people have a hard time with them, some for a while, some forever. Be patient, and take it from someone who has NOT had diarrhea since surgery, enjoy being able to go......I've had the other problem since about week 3, that is over 3 years now. All this Protein, sure does get me and a lot of others on here. You may WANT something more, but you aren't going to die of starvation, I assure you. You do not NEED anything more than what your doctor or dietitian tells you you can have.

Me either. not understanding why I can't blend up a smoothie in my blender and drink it (liquids are whatever you can get thru a straw, or so I was told once). I would even add a scoop of Protein powder. But dr says no. No fresh fruits/veggies until the 3rd month.
liquid is liquid is liquid, or so I see it. But you'd better listen to your dr. Don't want any complications (like a leak at your staple line from adding food too fast). They have as much education s they do for a reason.

I'm doing so much better and I am really hoping to leave the hospital today! I wanna go home!

Sitting here waiting for them to take me back to get undressed. So calm with just my mom and I here. Very nice. Wigging out on the inside but it is more relaxing that she isn't wigging out too....good luck, Sleev Buddies! See ya in the sleeved side!!!!

This cracks me up- I don't remember posting this, LOL! I made it home from the hospital & all is well but when the nurse was pulling the drain tube I almost passed out. For some reason the tube was stuck. After a shot of morphine & deep breaths, the RN pulled it out.

Surgery went well. Dr only used 4 incisions vs his normal 5 because my liver shrank so much during my 3 week liquid diet that he didn't use a retractor. Starting ice chips later today. Thanks vst for all you encouragement.

10 minutes til I head to the hospital! Can't wait to hear from my fellow same day sleevers. Hope they are all successful and we have a quick easy recovery!!

Getting sleeved tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can't believe the day is finally here. I hope I can sleep. Good luck to everyone on this board. I find a lot of comfort here and am glad to have people to share this experience with.
Tomorrow is the first day of my new life!
Watch out world!

Getting ready for my surgery tomorrow! So excited and less nervous than I thought I would be. I guess I'm just really ready for this! Pre op diet went better than expected. I was hungry, but the Protein Shakes were filling. Keep me in your prayers!!
Sent from my iPad using VST

What r u talking about. Beans tastes good with anything. Lol

Cfbarre- how are u doing today? Pray u are recovering .

Its 30 calories for a Small bottle. I think it might take me all week to finish. Thank you guys so much for always replying. I am trying to get my liquids down. I am Having à lot of troubles with that! How bout you guys

Thank you me as we'll. my surgeon just came to check me and he told me that I had been bleeding internally and I had to have two blood infusions but he could not locate where I was bleeding. The hospital staff has been great and I being closely watched and feeling so much better.

U kno what really rocks?! The "stockings" that massage ur legs!

I don't think they know anything. I think they advise against it because they see a risk that it could stretch your sleeve. Some Drs don't say never again but many do because the risk is too great for them I think. I personally gave up a raging habit and have not considered picking it back up.

I have not had any issues with Vitamins and they have been checked at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years out. My program requires a lot of vitamins and I am very compliant at taking them. And I eat a well balanced diet with low fat Protein, whole grains, vegetables and fruit.< /p>

I am 9 days post-op and just told mu hubs today that it worried me how much more easily I could drink my Protein Shake, and my Clear Liquids. But since I am starting purees now, I had some pureed chicken and broccoli (pureed together) and that set off the restriction feeling big time!1 tbsp was all I could do. I think the pureed chicken/broc has more texture than an egg. I think you are likely to feel more restriction as you eat less soft stuff. Also, I'm watching the clock to not allow myself too long of a time to come back to a meal.

I didn't have tons of pain, but that's b/cI took my pain meds! I also needed a nap a lot! At 2 days out I was still in the hospital. Even now, 9 days out, I needed a nap after folding laundry and straightening the toys in the toy room.

I smoked heavily for over 40 years, between 2-3 packs per day. I have had 5 major surgeries in my lifetime. With each and every one I have had postoperative pheumonia, extended hospital stay and slow healing.
When I was researching the sleeve I learned quickly that quitting was a requirement with most surgeons. I resented it for a while and actually almost didn't procede with the process over it because I thought I couldn't quit and didn't particularly want to try. I had tried/failed many many times. Truth be told I didn't want to quit. I enjoyed it and it had become a part of who I was. Maybe strange but true.
Then one day I thought about it on a deeper level. I looked at my pack of cigarettes and realized that it is what is standing between me and the opportunity to have a life changing-saving surgery. I thought " little rectangular box filled with chopped dried leaves has had more power over my health than I have and I have given it that power. I'm taking that power back today."
After long hard consideration I decided to give it another try with one difference this time. I would not give myself permission to fail. I wanted the surgery and this habit was the object in my way. I decided to try vapor cigs.
I purchased a kit with 4 vials of vapor liquid. I had the largest bottle made up with 25% less nicotine than full flavored. The 3 remaining bottles were made with 50% less, 75% less and 0% nicotine respectively. I puffed them in order reducing my nicotine intake until I was getting none. I puffed the 0% one for 2 weeks with the puffing spread out over longer periods of time. That was to break the hand to mouth habit we (smokers) all seem to have. That can be as hard to get past as the nicotine and can lead to weight gain because we replace food with the cigarette in the hand to mouth motion. It worked. I can say that not only do I not smoke, I don't even think about it. My husband still smokes and I am not bothered by it at all. I am not one of those x-smokers that spend my free time on a soapbox preaching the sermons of Hellfire and damnation to all of those that continue. I get that we are all adults and the choice belongs to each of us. I am one of those that knows very well how hard it can be to quit. I offer the method that worked for me to those of you that want to try it. If it doesn't work for you I encourage you to see your PCP for help with other methods. Its worth it.
The end result was that my surgery was 8 days ago. From the moment of surgery on my oxygen readings were consistenly 100%. There was no pneumonia to add to my recovery plan for the first time in my life. I can focus on my weighloss. I can take the walks I need to take without getting winded. I get a certain satisfaction from knowing that while my body begins to look better outwardly it is healing inwardly as my lungs work to return to their normal state. I have a sense of self-pride in completing a challenge that has eluded me thus far. The money I save in cigarettes will now be stashed away in my personal new wardrobe stash. My children's memory of me from this point on will be of healthy living practices that will hopefully be incorporated into their lives as well. I have no doubt there will be more benefits to come.

I just boughtone yesterday!! I used a 20% off coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond and my total was $84. I pureed a couple of things today and thought it worked well. I used it to make my Protein shakes and my kids' morning smoothines with no issues.
We bought it to replace the magic bullet we've owned and used a LOT for 7 years. (My kids drink their Breakfast EVERY DAY courtesy of the magic bullet!) The nutri-bullet is definitely a step up in power and quality over its little brother the magic bullet, and I am confident we made the right choice.
Also, my brother is themanager at BB&B where we purchased and the ninja wasonly $40 more. I asked him which to buy. He said they get hardly any returns on the NutriBullet, and more returns on the Ninjas. Not a scientific review, but I trust him to sway my decision.

I agree that the DS sounds super scary to me b/c of the degree of malabsoption. Even the RNY was more complex than I wanted. I would consider revising to RNY if I was unable to lose weight, but I think maintaining it will likely have less to do with my surgery and more to do with my own habits, so I'm trying to work on those seriously. For me, DS wasn't even a consideration.

I agree with a lot of Paul's post. There is a huge reason you see so very few real vets around here. You see a large number of people that post all day, every day for most of the first year...and then they drop off.
Anyone remember Tiffykins? Or Diva? Or even O.T.R.? Hey, my buddy ButtertheBean isn't around as much anymore, either. And PdxMan? He's one of my heroes. They are hardly here anymore, and many don't show up at all. Even cheerleaders like Lissa or regular posters like Catracks are gone!
And let us not forget that it basically falls to a handful of people that are reasonable, with sound experience, to give a lot of the support here. I figure upwards of 75% of the posters here are not regular. They come in, post a vent or complaint or a yay me post and boogie onward without a thanks or a farewell. This is a community of TAKERS with very few people that actually give their time or experience. I can attest to that as most any time I have asked a question I've gotten a handful of responses - more people manage to "like" my post than bother to help me answer a question and quite frankly, it's frustrating to see that a post about sex drive or hating your sleeve can generate hundreds of replies when people have REAL questions or REAL concerns that actually matter. Seriously!
FACT: It is absolutely EXHAUSTING to give your time, effort, advice and experience here. If you're the voice of reason and don't couch your responses in perfectly P.C. encouragement, people actually attack you for trying to help. See, you're supposed to help - you just have to do it the "right" way.
Utter B.S.
I have gone back and forth on this one, myself. I have had super ultra politically correct and supportive months and months where I get so sick and tired of it that I post blunt, hard truth. I've been told I make people scared to post. Well, my opinion? Stop posting silly things. Really - it's embarrassing to everyone here to have the value of this entire community and the easily accessible information diminished by silly, immature posts or by the same darn questions over and over again.
If you want to post a question and already know the answer or already know that nobody is going to okay your poor choice DO NOT LOOK FOR VALIDATION HERE.
But in all honesty? These aren't even the questions that get me anymore. It's the (HT, FYE) hubris of some people.
In the last three days I have read some of the most insulting comments by people that, comparatively speaking, have almost ZERO real experience with the sleeve. I'm glad you're here contributing after four to six months, really, people. That's super swell. But it takes quite a bit of chutzpah to assume you know every challenge on the road ahead, and to insult people for not walking the exact same path as you.
People are not stupid because they eat foods that aren't ideal choices. They're human. This is not all or nothing, there is not only one proper way to achieve and maintain. Do not assume that your way is the only way or that if someone chooses a more moderate approach that they're wrong, they're going to fail, and they're stupid.
Because that's what I'm seeing.
You think this is super easy and anyone who struggles or loses slowly isn't trying hard enough? Come tell me that in a year, or two.
You think the answer to everything is more exercise, more Protein or more Water? Gee, thanks for that. I'm sure nobody ever considered it.
You think that every pound you lose is gone forever, because the only way to stop losing or regain is to go on an ice cream orgy? Ha!
You think this is as simple as eating the "right" foods and getting exercise? I only have crude responses to that. Because this person - the person that says this - is a hypocrite. Because this is the abuse that was heaped upon us by family and doctors prior to our choice to have surgery, so give yourself a nice pat on the back to being absolutely unhelpful, and yeah, a hypocrite.
Look - it's a line to walk. Insult the vets and lose the vets. Ask a question, expect answers. But watch how you ask and answer things, too. I try to be more considerate and thoughtful nowadays. I still have my moments. But people are more likely to listen if their hackles aren't up. Everyone that disagrees with you isn't stupid or wrong.
Paul is a tremendously successful vet and while his approach and mine are different that does not mean that one of us has to be wrong. It means we have two different viewpoints and two different sets of experience we can and do use to help here.
And hey, while I'm thinking of it, lurkers and infrequent posters should consider contributing here a bit more. And hey, to those that are constantly stirring up issues and being argumentative, try to keep your high school drama and clique garbage to yourselves, and, as I tell my five year olds "pack up your bad attitudes and put them in your pockets." All the attempts to prove you have the one perfect and correct answer by going back and forth does is alienate people.
Ya'll make me crazy sometimes.
Good post, Paul. None of the vets here are here to give validation for poor choices.
~Cheri

Paul, I love your posts, both here and in the Facebook group. As a 10 year lapband vet (and recent revision), I've been down that road and see people headed there themselves and I cringe. I know exactly where that train leads and I refuse to enable. I refuse to act like those mind sets and habits aren't detrimental to any WLS. I HAD those mindsets and I kept those habits through 10 years with my band. I wasn't part of an online community then, and I didn't have the "A*holes" telling me to knock it off and do MY part to make surgery work for me. I had "supportive friends" who told me to "listen to my body" and encouraged me that I was eating "so much less" of those bad foods, so it wasn't a big deal. I am part of a community this time around, and I am so thankful for the A*holes. The ones who refused to let me do this without hearing all the darkest parts and who would smack bad foods out of my hand if I fell back to those habits now. It's a*holes like you who made me understand where I went wrong and what I had to do this time, to be successful. At only 2.5 months out, I'm nowhere near a sleeve vet, but I suppose I am a "WLS vet" and now I'm an a*hole myself, when needed. I wish someone had been for me the first time around. Who knows how things could be different for me now. Took me a while to get here, but I couldn't be more thankful to the a*holes like you!!!

Paul,
I can't tell you how many times, especially early on I've slammed shut the screen on my lap top, or gone to bed angry by something on this forum. My husband laughs at me and asks why I am letting the internet make me angry, but I could not have said it better than you just have. I get angry because I don't want people to fail at this. I also don't want new people researching the sleeve to think it's ok to cheat, and not change, and to say 'well this person is doing it, I can too', and develop bad habits because other people poo-poo the boasting of failures. I got yelled at the other day because someone said they were giving up and eating zebra cakes everyday...well if you want to do that crap, do it away from here, and don't expect a pity party! We all know what we need to do, we all jumped through hoops to have this surgery, and I also believe we should all be respectful of it, and successful. Good for you for being an a**hole. I commend you.