Jerzygurl

I had surgery 12/02/13--1 month post op tomorrow and I had dissolvable stitches in my main incision (just below my belly button) only, the rest was all closed with surgical glue.

But in that one spot, the stitch was was sticking out last week, then it hardened slightly and fell off on Monday. it's all smooth now, no pain, no stitch.

It will go away when it's ready.

Edited to say:

I agree with Catherine though, it you have severe pain, oozing, redness, etc then you need to call the doc.

Good everyone. Well my stay in the hospital has been extended till Friday at the least because my swallow test was inconclusive because I'm so very tight right now. Third day of not eating or drinking anything just have to swab my mouth and spit it out. Kind of scary and yeah makes me wonder why I did it. if I were not having spasms in my chest and heart I could come home tomorrow so please continue lifting me up in prayer, its greatly appreciate. Gn all.

Hang in there Deez! This too shall pass!

Hey Everyone,

Happy New Year!! I am hoping everyone will have an incredible 2014!

I'm a little stressed out myself (does not negate that 2014 is going to be incredible!). I will be seeing my surgeon tomorrow and my primary care doctor on Monday and will be talking to them about some of this stuff but I do want to post here to see if anyone else is experiencing what I am.

So I have been dehydrated. I'm not experiencing dizziness but my skin feels like a reptile and my urine is pretty dark. I'm at about 50 ozs of Water a day which helps somewhat with the color of my urine. However, I feel like something is wrong with my body. Something feels off. For the last two days I've had some sensation in my lower back which could be due to the dehydration. I'm not sure. In any case, I am anxious about it.

My second issue is I've been getting acid reflux pretty badly. Sometimes I can't even sip my Water. I started taking antacid otc med about three days ago to combat it somewhat. Without it, I wouldn't even be able to eat the little I am eating. It is annoying and I'm praying that it doesn't last for a long time.

Is anyone else having similar experiences? I absolutely DO NOT regret the surgery at all. I know the body is a very mercurial thing and issues arise. But it's nice to not be alone.

Again, Happy New Year Everybody

Robin

You are not alone. I had no acid problems until recently, so doc told me to buy Prilosec, take one in the morning and one at night, and also to buy Gaviscon and take a dosage twice a day. It has helped tremendously. I was kind of surprised that the acid showed up because I haven't had any acid reflux problems for well over 8 years. Just strange that it decides to reappear after surgery.

As for the skin thing. My skin is very, very dry and in the winter even drier still but I have noticed that it seems even drier now, even with all the water I'm consuming. Is it a side effect from the surgery, I'm not sure.

You should try getting more water in because you don't want to end up in the hospital from dehydration. Your urine shouldn't be so dark. Hope the doc can help you figure it out.

Good Luck.

A portion of my booty and a whole bunch of Junk food.

Don't forget to take your measurements sleevers! I'm doing it every two weeks, some are checking once a month. It is important because we all eventually hit a stall but if we are shrinking still, it will keep us motivated and less frustrated.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone... May this be a wonderful and healthy new start for us all!!

Question: Does anyone count there calories? If so how? Because I know that I never eat all of anything. From Jello, to apple sauce, pudding, refried Beans, anything!!

Yes, I count everything i eat. I use My Fitness Pal. There is a huge database of most foods but you can also create your own foods by listing the ingredients you use and you can adjust how much you had. So, applesauce is usually a 4 ounce serving. If you only eat half, you would change the serving to 0.5 for half. I also bought a food scale and I measure out all of my food. On My Fitness Pal, you can also use your smartphone to scan the barcode of any food label and it will automatically load the numbers for you!

Hope that helps!

BINGO!

Question: Does anyone count there calories? If so how? Because I know that I never eat all of anything. From Jello, to apple sauce, pudding, refried Beans, anything!!

Yes, I count everything I put in my mouth. I track it all in my fitnesspal from a cup of Decaf tea with two packs of stevia to a tablespoon of salsa and a scoop of Protein Powder. Right now, NUT has my cap of calories at 700. I've gone over maybe 2x, but mostly I stay below or around 600.

It's good to measure and track that way you can see the whole picture.

My fitnesspal really is a great tool.

I had my surgery on 12.12.13. I feel pretty good. Remembering to drink, is hard. I have to make myself do it. I'm also having trouble taking all the medication and supplements. I've reached the pureed food stage. It's not too terrible, but I would like to chew again! The Food Network and the Cooking Channel has turned into porn for me...

Has anyone given any thought as to what they would like to do about exercise? I'm thinking Yoga. I ordered a mat etc. I wish I wanted to run. I don't.

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Spinning is great and I miss it so much, can't wait to get my energy levels back up for it

Same surg date as you, 12.12

I've tried hot yoga in the past and boy is that a challenge but so refreshing

Sorry can't do any spinning. Tried it and that seat (if that is what you want to call it) was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever had near my backside...lol

I had my surgery on 12.12.13. I feel pretty good. Remembering to drink, is hard. I have to make myself do it. I'm also having trouble taking all the medication and supplements. I've reached the pureed food stage. It's not too terrible, but I would like to chew again! The Food Network and the Cooking Channel has turned into porn for me...

Has anyone given any thought as to what they would like to do about exercise? I'm thinking Yoga. I ordered a mat etc. I wish I wanted to run. I don't.

O.M.G. @ the Food Network..lol I love the show Top Chef and while I was in the liquid only stages and watched it, I wanted to bite the TV screen..ha ha ha..

As for exercise, I hired a personal trainer, he has me doing cardio and light weights plus resistance training.

YAY!!!! Doing the Happy Dance for ya! Happy New Year!

I've battled and beat cancer 4x--lost my hair twice from treatment and I have scars already from previous surgeries.

I'd rather lose my hair to process of losing weight instead of chemo treatments. I'd rather have scars from sleeve surgery to remove part of my stomach to aid in weight loss, opposed to removing organs for me to actually stay alive.

On a grand scale--what we will endure is a small thing and well worth it in the long run.

Straining does more to hurt your colon--try taking some MOM to ease the transition.

I found out today that me and spicy aren't going to get along well anymore. Experienced my first dumping syndrome today after ingesting some spicy Soup. Oy! Talk about bathroom issues...

Good Luck Monday sleevers! We will be here waiting for you and rootin' you onward.

HW 347

SW 327

CW 301

I'm really excited. I've lost 46 lbs since 10/21/13 and 26 since 12/16/13. Im hoping to lose these 2 lbs before New Years. Last week when I checked I lost 10.5 inches and went from a 24/26 pants to a 20 pants.

'

It's amazing how close our stats are...even down to the pants size. I went from a 24/26 to 20's too. Actually pulled out a couple of old workout pants and wore a pair of them to the gym this morning. Haven't been in those for at least 2 years. The scale moving is great, but it's good to track your inches too. When the scale goes into stall mode (and we all know that it will), it's good to keep track of the inches to not get totally frustrated.

Wonderful Job Sleevers!!

I tried putting a packet of raspberry lemonade crystal light in it and it was like I hadn't even put it in...blehh..do u know if that's how the "unflavored" Protein powder tastes?

I suppose every person is different. I've gotten used to the taste of the Isopure (not the Coconut flavor though..bleh). I can drink them straight or mix them up with crystal light or Mio and still love them. The plain Protein powders don't bother me either. It's actually made the ingestion of my protein much easier. But again to each his own. You won't know until you try. Someone recommended the ABB banana Creme Protein Drink because it has 50g of protein and fewer calories but I couldn't stomach it...even in the blender with half of a real banana and Torani Syrup. Just Gross...lol

Anyway good luck.

Try diluting them with Water or putting them in the blender with some davinci or Torani sugar free Syrup and ice. I put the blue raspberry flavor in my Magic Bullet cup with a few squirts of Mio berry and ice....turned out well.

Right there with ya! My Multivitamin and the Life Water I'm drinking are giving me enough B12, should I add a tablet? Maybe it's a lack of Protein. I'm not at 60 grams/day yet. I'm around 40.

***************

Quickest way to up your protein intake is to add some plain protein powder to your broth, puddings, Soups and some Liquid Protein to your water. It will get your numbers up without having to ingest a lot more food.< /p>

The above info I received from the NUT and my Sleeve Mentor when I was struggling with it and it has worked like a charm.

It definitely helped. Doc also said, the body is still recovering from the trauma of surgery, so tiredness is normal, at least for a little bit.

1. Keeping the house free of bad foods. If I don't bring it over threshold then it can't cross it.

2. Hitting the gym at least 4x a week.

3. Drinking a minimum of 64 oz of Water every day.

4. No late night eating (this is a real life changer for me because I was a late night/midnight snacker)

5. Not succumbing to the pressures of my life by turning to food as a comfort.

6. Taking my supplements and Vitamins religiously.

7. Telling myself how wonderful and beautiful I am every morning.

30lbs post op--I'll take it..lol Haven't been able to do that on my own since Noah stocked the ark!

I'm hitting the gym 4x a week too, so I think it's helping. I'm dreading the coming stall though, because it is inevitable.

I signed up with a personal trainer yesterday to do some strength training and toning exercises. He worked me out good yesterday, I feel it in my legs today. Feels like I'm carrying around lead weights..oy!

Weighed in this am, down 4 more!

HW 348

SW 330

CW 300

Anyone else exhausted? The last two days I've been SO tired. I'm 11 days post-op and am eating nothing but Protein and drinking liquids all day. Thoughts? Tips?

Anyone else exhausted? The last two days I've been SO tired. I'm 11 days post-op and am eating nothing but protein and drinking liquids all day. Thoughts? Tips?

You could call your PCP and get a B-12 shot. I finally got one yesterday. I was feeling draggy this week, upped my protein at the advice of my NUT but still went in and got a shot.

I'm questioning what have I done to myself...I can barely handle this pain on my chest whenever I drink water.. went to walgreens and bought some zentac...to see if it helps. I also noticed I was not mentally ready for this surgery (sleeved Dec 18th 2013) I want to eat.. and have tasted sweet potato, mash potatoes. ..but I feel terrible. I don't want any more Protein Shakes or broth. I don't know what to do. All I can do is pray...There is no turning back I know..I just want to feel better and eat what I want without pain..sorry don't mean discourage anyone I just don't know what else to do

This is a support group. We are here to support you. Never feel bad about expressing what you're going through. It will be okay. It will level off and you will get where you need to be. Don't beat yourself up. Maybe you should try adding some Protein Powder to your puddings and broth to fill up more. It's probably head hunger and not real hunger. We must remember this is a serious adjustment to our previous life style. We must be patient with the process and with ourselves. Also try adding to flavored Liquid Protein to your Water and sip it all day long. That way you kill two birds with one stone!

Hang in there..I think buyer's remorse is a normal emotion.

Thanks so much Atlanta for updating the list. I admit I fell behind in keeping up with that and the other thread as well.

Just an update on the pounds lost thread...we're getting super close to having a goal weight loss of almost 10,000 pounds. As of today, we are at 8,641 pounds to be lost. That is unbelievable...I remember when I was hoping for 5,000 pounds.

If you are still interested in joining the weight loss party, the thread can be found here:

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/288367-december-2013-sleever-pounds-lost-log/

We'd love to have you join!

Wowzer!! Lovin' the Losses!

Mnwin, thanks for a great job! You and AtlantaRed are simply A-W-E-S-O-M-E!