ShrinkyDinkMe101

Sleeved 02/26/2013 by Dr Fernando Garcia in Tj Mx. Down a total of 57.8 pounds. SW 232, CW 174. scale will sometimes slowly move back and fourth. This is the frustrating part. Keeping under 1000-1200 calories. Trying to exercise 2-3 x week. I feel great just wish I were losing a little faster. Oh and I'm 5'1.
1st pic the week before surgery.
2nd pic from today

If you have a chain called papa murphy's near you, they have a "delite" crust, it's as thin as a tortilla, and is amazing. It's like 1/2 the carbs of a thin crust, and bakes nice and crispy. They are a take it home and bake it place, and like subway they have the ingredients on a bar, they assemble the pizza in front of you. It's a favorite of my family. We love the chicken, spinach, and artichoke with creamy garlic instead of red sauce.

Oh I just love Dr. Kirk!! Who's doing your surgery? I had Varnell and love him! Work was okay yesterday. I had to go to the nurses office and lay down around noon. I'm still very sore but the weight is dropping off! Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!!

Dr Walton did my surgery on 7/30. Down 18 pounds and feel great! Have had no problems at all! Post op just consisted of a clear liquid diet the day before, and no liquids after midnight that night. Also have to buy an anticeptic wash called Hibiclens and wash your stomach with it the night before and morning of surgery. When you get there they will make you take a pregnancy test (urine sample) and blood work, then you sit in the waiting room a bit. After they call you to the back you are weighed, and an IV is inserted pumping fluids and some medicine that makes you a little drowsy. They also give you an anti-coagulant shot in your belly to prevent blood clots. Then they wheel you off. At this point I just remember being in the surgery room for about 2 seconds and then I was out cold (this is when they give the general anethesia and intubate you (run a tube down your throat). I woke up in recovery and was VERY out of it!! They immediately put compression socks on your legs and you have an oxygen mask for the first half hour or so. After you start to be more alert they bring in fluids (broth, tea, Jello, propel) for you to start drinking, you need to use the bathroom for them (urinate), and a breathing apparatus you need to blow into every hour to prevent pneumonia. Then when you are ready (I was groggy for about 4 hours after surgery and slept off and on), they have you start walking. Every hour! Seems like by the time you finally get your compression socks on, your IV untwisted, and lowly ease yourself back in to the bed, it's time to walk again,lol. The nurses were absolutely wonderful (not to mention a very cute male nurse who worked the night shift,lol). Best hospital experience ever! I don't think you can ever really be prepared for this surgery til you go through it. For the first 3 or 4 days I mourned food, wondered if I did the right thing, etc. This is all normal. Just get past the head hunger and liquid stage and you will be fine! Now, 2 weeks out, my head hunger is gone, I can "drink" Water for easily than those horrible sip sip sips ALL DAY LONG, and I have moved past the liquid stage and finally get to chew!! No regrets! Hope this helped a little. Please message me if you ever have questions or need anything! Good luck!

Good luck and well wishes returning to the real world!

I got through a hurdle yesterday.........a huge party....was originally thinking of not going or leaving before dinner because I'm still on clear liquids......that and I haven't told anyone but one sister and DH about the surgery.......hubby was afraid it'd be hard on me.....but it wasn't.....I had my bottle of Water and sipped, sipped, sipped.....odd not to have had any solid food for nearly 3 weeks and not care either.....had a great time...and only one person noticed I wasn't eating.....told her my stomach was doing flip flops (well, it's true---the noises it makes now is amazing)

I don't have the time and experience that you do, but I realized today that "breaking up with food" is a lot like breaking up a guy who is bad for you. You do it, but at first, you miss the loser! He wasn't the nicest guy and he was really, really bad for you, but there was this something cute about him...and those flowers he used to bring you...awww!
I don't know why I didn't realize it would feel similar to breaking up with someone (something) that you loved.

Rice ain't nice, to wife and I anyway.
Steak and white turkey meat can get us if we don't eat slowly and chew like contented bovines.

I'm on full liquids day 3-14. It's basically 4 oz of liquid protein/hr, then 4-8 oz full liquid/hr....every hour from 8 am to 8 pm. I'm just trying to get two 8 oz shakes in and whatever liquids I can. I am not loving the shakes right now. Went to go see Elysium this afternoon....everybody had a snack but me. Beforehand, I had some Panera French onion Soup no cheese or crouton and strained out just the broth. It actually tasted pretty nasty. I found myself longing to eat a turkey sandwich . I had a bottle of water at the movie. Not hungry, but food is starting to look good again.

I'm on full liquids day 3-14. It's basically 4 oz of liquid protein/hr, then 4-8 oz full liquid/hr....every hour from 8 am to 8 pm. I'm just trying to get two 8 oz shakes in and whatever liquids I can. I am not loving the shakes right now. Went to go see Elysium this afternoon....everybody had a snack but me. Beforehand, I had some Panera French onion Soup no cheese or crouton and strained out just the broth. It actually tasted pretty nasty. I found myself longing to eat a turkey sandwich . I had a bottle of water at the movie. Not hungry, but food is starting to look good again.

I'm supposed to have 48-64 oz fluids & 45-80 grams Protein. For me that means at least 16 oz Protein Drink and 32 oz water. No more than 8 oz per hour. I've gotten in almost half of my requirements by mid day, but I've been sipping constantly since I woke up. I want to take a nap, but worried about staying hydrated.

Thank you and I sure will. Just taking it day by day. So happy the nausea is gone!!!!!

It's really a matter of taste, and tastes change after surgery. As above, I suggest you try different products. Don't go out and buy 12 assorted bottles of Isopure, because one is as bad as the next. You'll find people here that love it so it's really a personal thing. I liked the EAS Advantedge RTD shakes during my pre-op liquid diet, but now I'm not so sure. There is no easy way through this. Sometimes you just have to think of it as medicine.

Sleeved 8/2 home 8/5 and I am doing well. On full liquids. Still trying to get my Water and Protein down. It has not been so easy. Pain is minimal and I am walking good. I can not wait to be a skinny minney! Lol

Thanks for letting me know, it sounds like we are having similar experiences. The doc changed me to loratab for pain today. I am drinking a slim fast Protein drink they have me right now, small sips and they are staying down!

Things are a lot better. My lungs are clear and my fever is down. Just trying to sip and walk. Thanks for checking.

Can you bring a little cooler?? Yogurt, cottage cheese, SF pudding, SF Jello - things like that could all fit in a little cooler. You could bring a shaker bottle and your Protein mix, or pre mixed Protein drinks. Is it just for one day that you'll be traveling??
On the road you could get a scrambled egg, Soup etc.
Good luck!!

NO! it is not going to always be like that..At first you can only take in a little....all is new and your stomach is cut out so it is like putting liquid in an open wound.....
It will heal and you will be able to drink almost like you used to before surgery....On the other hand you will never eat like you used to again..You will start out with very little intake and then your stomach will start to tolerate more...Up to a cup max...no...some take in one cup and a half....
It will get better and better trust me and you will be very happy with the new you......You have started your journey to the new healthier you.....forward girl, it will get much better!!

Hey everyone I had my sleeve done 6th as well. I came home last night and have been doing fair. I am so sore still on the left side of my abdomen and find it hard to stand up straight or deep breath. Anyone else with this? Also trying to take in fluids as best as i can but Its difficult! Did they tell u how many ounces a day of Water we should be having? I was quite groggy while I saw the nutritionist and now I'm having a tough time remembering. I love this app and so happy to have everyone to talk to. Anyone else have a drain? Mine comes out next Thursday I can't wait ! I do notice I'm very bubbly gassy and crampy everytime I take sips of anything I can feel it actually go through my stomach. Very strange I hope it passes.

Im so grateful to have been able to have some great success with this surgery...my highest weight was 370 in October of 2012 i had surgery April 15th 2013 and today August 8th 2013 i stand 6'3 235lbs with no complications God is awesome and im letting anyone know that making this decision is a start at a new life!!!! :-)

Never in my life have I had food spoil since getting sleeved (6/19/13). Since I'm just eating a 1/2 cup at each meal there are plenty of left overs, food savers have plum full both the freezers , I use to be the one that ate the left overs but now I've learn to buy less and my food bill has gone down. So far I lost 65lbs and feeling pretty good about myself.

Well, I never thought it would happen, but it finally did. I was sleeved early on Monday morning. Just some observations for those that might not have had surgery yet.
1. You probably won't remember when you went to sleep. My surgeon gave me some anti-anxiety drug through my IV, not because I was anxious, but it is standard procedure. Apparently I was saying some pretty funny stuff that I don't remember before they gave me the drug that puts me to sleep. I remember (vaugely) being wheeled back to the operating room but I don't remember when I passed out.
2. I was really worried about being sick and nauseous after surgery. I'm not sure if it was drugs that they gave me, but I wasn't nauseous even one time.
3. I didn't feel any pain while I was lying still in the bed in the hospital. There was pain when I moved, but I really didn't have to use much of the morphine pump for the 24 hours or so that I was in the hospital after the procedure.
4. The only really painful part for me was when they pulled out the drain above my stomach right before I left. It feels really freaky and hurts like hell for about 3 seconds.
5. My surgery was at 8:15am on Monday and I left the hospital at about 11am the following day. I went back to work the next morning. Note that I don't recommend this, and it was only because I have a desk job that I did this. But I really felt kind of lousy all day because I started to get sore in the belly area. Soreness will increase after you leave the hospital, but only for a couple of days (at least in my case)
6. Make sure you have an enema kit on hand for 2-3 days after you get out. The morphine will make you even more constipated than the liquid diet did. I had to use an enema when it was finally time to go. Not a great experience.
7. You're going to have to sleep on your back for the first few days. I'm a side sleeper, but I couldn't go more than a couple of minutes on my side before it got painful. If you have sleep apnea and haven't been using your cpap, you'd better break it out again because sleeping on your back makes the apnea worse.
8. On Wednesday, I realized that I couldn't take two sips of Water within 30 seconds. If I did, the second sip would stop right above my stomach and sit there for a few seconds before it finally went through. And it didn't feel good while it was sitting there.
9. It is very strange to not be physically hungry. I'm definitely still "head hungry" where if I see a cheeseburger or something I definitely would love to have a bite, but if I stay busy, I would never even think to eat. I've still got swelling so I don't know if it will always be that way, but it sure is nice at the moment.
10. I was a smoker before this, but I stopped a few days before surgery. I know I was supposed to stop before that, but I cheated regularly. I will say that I don't have a desire to smoke after the surgery, and not just because it is dangerous to do so right after. It seems like the body having to adjust without food is also helping me to adjust to not smoking.
11. On the morning when I left for the hospital, I weighed 327 lbs. When I got home, I weighed 330 lbs. This is because of all the IV fluids you get in the hospital. On Tuesday evening, after being out of the hospital for half a day, I weighed 322. I literally peed out 8 pounds of Fluid in a few hours. This morning (Friday), I weighed 318 lbs. I had a one week liquid diet before surgery. So:
11 days ago: 338lbs
After one week on liquids (surgery date): 327
Today (4 days post op): 318
That's 20 lbs in 11 days. Yay! That level of weight loss won't last but it is nice at the moment.

They did lab work and a CT with contrast at the Dr office. Can't rule out a leak or stricture so I'll be spending my night at the hospital for IVs for dehydration and further testing including an upper GI scope. Pray for me please sleeve friends.