Sandy17051

hey!!! I was actually just looking around on facebook for a group to join! My name is Sandy, I'm a 47 yr old mother of two, grammie of two. I'm from central Pennsylvania.I started my journey December 17,2012, had my sleeve surgery August 8,2013. From surgery until today I have lost 113 lbs. I have gone up and down in the last month, driving me NUTS!

I asked to have mine out. They did an ultra-sound on me about two months before surgery and found a few gallstones. My surgeon suggested having it removed because due to rapid weight loss it could cause more gallstones and would need to have it removed at a later date.

My sense of smell is on over-drive anymore! It seems like more food smells are making me want to gag. I can't stand the smell of anything fried, extra sweet (IE: pancake syrup), and spaghetti. I am a little over 7 months post-op and it seems like I'm not liking the smells of many things more than right after surgery.

I gave in and tried some ribs about two months ago (surgery was 8-8-13), I got horrible sick afterwards. I thought for sure I was going to vomit, it was so so close. I also gave in about a month ago and tried a grilled hotdog, I cut the skin off and thought the middle would be fine. NOPE! It felt like it was logged in my stomach and wouldn't digest. I actually felt like I had a huge rock laying in my stomach. So now even just the smell of hotdogs or ribs makes me want to gag. So far I can't do anything with red sauce, which is good in a way, no pizza, no spaghetti, nothing covered with barbeque sauce.

Get the junk out of your house! replace it with fresh fruits, veggies, sugar free jello's and puddings. When I feel I need something sweet I'll grab some fruit or I'll get some of the sugar free Water flavor packs (crystal light) and add to a bottle of water. If I crave something salty I'll eat some granola or a few sunflower (unsalted) seeds.

When I get "Full" it feels like my stomach is going to explode. It's one feeling I don't like, so I eat very slow and tiny bites, when I drink I take sips, this seems to help. Another feeling I don't like is when I get hungry, my stomach growls so loud and it actually feels like I got kicked in the stomach, and I at times feel like I'm going to pass out.

I get that once in a while since surgery. Mine usually flairs up when I've been sitting for too long. I just get up and try to walk it off, if walking doesn't help I'll stretch out like on the couch or in bed. My doctor said it's because our legs are used to carrying around all the extra weight and now the muscles are relaxing more. Not sure if I want them to relax!

I am almost 7 months post-op, I can't eat any red sauces (spaghetti, pizza, barbeque) just the smell of them makes me sick in the stomach. I was having major issues with steamed cauliflower but now I can eat it just fine. I have problems with forgetting to sip my Water, I tend to gulp and that's when my stomach feels like it's about ready to burst.

I slowed down about 2-3 weeks after surgery, but then all of a sudden the weight started coming off again. Now I'm at almost 7 months after surgery and the weight loss is slowing down. I'm getting frustrated too! I'm doing everything right, following doctors orders to a "T". I'm going to try adding more time to my bike (stationary) riding see if that helps

A lady at the one support group I attended before surgery had a lot of hair loss. She said it was because she didn't get enough Protein after her bypass surgery. I asked my doctor about it, and she said it could happen, but it would have to be a lot of protein that wasn't eaten. I was scared to have my hair fall out, so what I've been doing is making sure I eat a protein (meat) for every meal. I'm 6 months post-op and so far so good

I like doing foil packets on the grill. I get a piece of foil, but a little "I can't believe it's not butter" down, then I put chicken breast, veggies, steaks, fish, pieces of sweet potato, anything you like. Then I just add a little bit of Mrs Dash (low sodium) or just a little bit of pepper and sea salt. Once you have your goodies in the foil, fold it up so nothing leaks out. Cook it on low, flipping a few times until the meat is done. You could also do this with the Tyson grilled chicken breast strips and frozen veggies, it just won't take as long. One thing I have been doing, when I cook meat for myself, I always cook extra, then I put it in a freezer bag and freeze it. That way you're one step ahead for the next meal. When I go out to eat I order a big salad with the dressing on the side and ask for a small plate. I'll get the rest to go and it will end up being at least 3 or more meals for myself. One thing I have found since surgery, I'm planning ahead with every meal, trying to come up with creative ways to make food.

I am 6 months post-op, I had the same problems, feeling like I was starving myself. My Doctor told me to make my protein shakes with ice and put them in a blender (I used a ninja). Make them a little thick, almost like a Frosty from Wendys. That way you are still getting your protein and it makes you feel full. Eating the shakes with a spoon seemed to make them go down easier also. My first night home after surgery I thought I'd be able to sleep in my bed. The pain meds knocked me out but the next morning when I went to get up, I cried it hurt so bad.My boyfriend had to bring a chair in to put beside the bed so I could slide myself onto the chair and then he slowly pulled me up to a sitting position. After that I was in the recliner for a little over a month.A friend of mine had sleeve surgery in November 2013, she told me to keep her mind off of eating, she joined all kinds of sites for sleeve surgery, like this one. She said going into chatrooms and blogging about her experience helped keep her mind off eating.

you'll do fantastic!!! I am now a little over 6 months since surgery. I was like you before my surgery, worried, scared, excited plus whatever else emotions/thoughts hit me. Some of the things I did before surgery to keep my mind off of it was I cleaned, and cleaned and cleaned this house more. I it needed it done, it's good exercise and I wouldn't be able to do it after surgery for a while. I also took time for me. I read some good books, watched the movies I liked (I live with my boyfriend and 20 year old son), and I danced. When I was cooking and cleaning, I cranked up the tunes and away I went. Of course I was home alone lol but it made me feel good! The Protein shakes...egads...I started mixing the Protein powder in with some vanilla yogurt, or even added a few chunks of banana and made them into a milkshake. The day before surgery the only thing I did was made sure my bag for the hospital was packed, all laundry done, and I made my bed (the recliner) and got my little area ready for when I came home. After my surgery when my son and boyfriend went back to work, my boyfriend fixed me up a small ice chest to keep beside the recliner. I kept bottled Water in there so that way I didn't have to keep getting up to get a drink. One thing my hospital had me do was drink water out of those little plastic medicine measuring cups. Like the kind you get on top of a bottle of nyquil. They had me drink 8 oz per hour to start. Those little cups were nice, I could sip on them and still keep a track of how much I was drinking. Now I use them to make little cups of Jello, almost like a jello shot but without the alcohol. They're good for quick sweet craving fixes. Like jencovi said "don't stress it", having sleeve surgery was the best thing I ever did for ME! Sandy