AvaFern

I'm 1 month and 4 days post-op and while grapes have not been a problem at all, chicken took some re-adjusting. As long as it's moist and I'm careful about how much I eat, I seem to be fine. Dry chicken though or even baked chicken feels like my esophagus is choking, gagging, and puking all at once. Ideally it will get better. When I was first sleeved I also felt like the grocery store was a funeral, but after just a few weeks I feel like things are improving. It's really nice to be able to enjoy a few bites of something and be completely over it without a desire to eat any more. I feel like I can enjoy food without the misery of know I'm going to gain weight if I eat it.

I don't know if you know how to play the card game Bridge or not. One of the rules of thumb is that if you need your partner to have a certain card in order for you to win the game then you play the game as though your partner has the card that you need. If you don't play that way then you lose the game for sure. If you do play that way and your partner doesn't have the card, then you would have lost no matter what you did. If you don't play that way and if your partner does have that card, then you lost when you could have won. If you do play that way and your partner had the card, then you win.
I think that's what you should do here. You should not take this personally. Just assume that the problem is something that your friend is going through, and be supportive and understanding. In other words be a friend. If you're going to lose the friendship anyway, then you'll lose the friendship. On the other hand if it's possible to save the friendship by being there for your friend, and you are holding back to keep yourself from being hurt as badly, then you might lose the friendship when you could have saved. If it's a good friendship, it's worth taking a lot of emotional risk to save it.

Yea, I agree - it's definitely not all rainbows and puppydogs...yet. But if you think about it we are still babies...so fresh outta the hospital, really! So I think, easy does it. All good things in time!

Hi - I'm 4 weeks post op tomorrow and the sipping of Water and chunking of food going down sounds like exactly where I am. The softer the food, the easier it is to go down. The chunkier and i know I'm only going to be able to get in a few bites before I am full. The couple of times I knew I overdid it is when I could just feel it sitting in my esophagus. So my experience has told me: small bites. slow bites. It is frustrating because as you add more foods, more "normal" foods after the liquid phase, you just want to eat! And enjoy it! I've been cooking a lot, and it's hard to cook for us sleevers in small amounts. I invested in a lot of tupperware..small containers...for leftovers. As far as your pain changing or worsening. I know abdomen muscles take a long time to fully heal and they are involved in almost all of our movements, so it could be that you've just strained your incisions. I would definitely throw my doctor a ring and just ask what they think.

It went well, thankfully. I had a few nibbles of everything and a few sips of champagne. I skipped the first selection of wine, so the waiter took my glass which really worked out well. My boss did ask why if I wasn't hungry and I used the antibiotic excuse, in that I wasn't sure how drinking and food would affect my stomach since I seemed to be a little sensitive to the antibiotics. Everyone knew I was on antibiotics for my tooth, so it worked out great. I also made my half a glass of champagne last the entire night so I was able to toast to everything without actually drinking anything.
In the end I had a few bites of appetizer, a few pieces of Pasta, a few bites of salmon, and about a spoon of creme brulee. I felt a bit sick after dessert, but nothing unmanageable. I was very relieved to know I can pass myself off as eating like an almost-normal person in public even at only a few weeks post-op.
Thank-you to everyone for your suggestions- it was much appreciated!

It went well, thankfully. I had a few nibbles of everything and a few sips of champagne. I skipped the first selection of wine, so the waiter took my glass which really worked out well. My boss did ask why if I wasn't hungry and I used the antibiotic excuse, in that I wasn't sure how drinking and food would affect my stomach since I seemed to be a little sensitive to the antibiotics. Everyone knew I was on antibiotics for my tooth, so it worked out great. I also made my half a glass of champagne last the entire night so I was able to toast to everything without actually drinking anything.
In the end I had a few bites of appetizer, a few pieces of Pasta, a few bites of salmon, and about a spoon of creme brulee. I felt a bit sick after dessert, but nothing unmanageable. I was very relieved to know I can pass myself off as eating like an almost-normal person in public even at only a few weeks post-op.
Thank-you to everyone for your suggestions- it was much appreciated!

Lol!! Ummm.... I think she is trying to say,
(I) Went out(, now I'm) in trouble(. There was) no cheating (, but) he is still mad ( at me.) ( I think it might be) time to buy sex toys (.)

What you're feeling is normal! I had never had surgery before and mine was on 9/9- I was completely freaked out! I also felt miserable after surgery and for about the first week and I was convinced that I had ruined my life. Now 3 weeks post-op, I feel exactly the same as I did before the surgery. Nothing hurts, I don't feel sick, I eat a lot less than I did before but my energy hasn't suffered, and I am very happy that I had the surgery done. You just need to remember that each day it does actually get better and soon enough you will feel great and excited for the future!

What's on your "Fat Bucket" list? You know, all the stuff you couldn't (or wouldn't) do cause you were too big?
My list:
1. Be able to buy store bought Halloween costumes, not improvise with sweatpants and bunny ears. I freaking love Halloween! *DONE!
2. Be able to ride roller coasters & fit comfortably. DONE!
3. go zip lining
4. Be able to buy something from Victorias Secret
5. Be able to shop with friends without having to make a Detour to a "fat store". *DONE!
6. Climb a rock wall and be able to get off the ground
7. Ride go carts *DONE! 8. Run a 5K......not because someone is chasing me with a butcher knife, but just for fun. *DONE!
9. Sky Dive!!!!!
10. Soak in the bathtub without my fat rolls touching any & all sides of the tub. *DONE!
11. Parasail
12. Ride jet skis
13. Go mudding! (4 wheeling, baby!)
14. Compete in a mud run
15. Go roller skating again
16. Go for a nice long bike ride
17. Go caving
18. Go hiking. *DONE!
19. Go scuba diving/snorkeling
20. Go horseback riding. (YES, I was too big to ride a horse!) *DONE!
21. To be able to dance for hours & not have to stop cause I am sucking wind *DONE!!
22. Go rappelling
23. Wear sexy heels. *DONE!
24. Go to a Water park & ride everything & not just the lazy river.
25. Wear a bikini.
Now, you go! What's on your fat bucket list? Doesn't have to be 25. Give me as many or as few as you want!

SKinnyGirl, How frightening, not to be able to eat when you need to supply your body with nutrition. I am wondering if you can freeze ensure or make an popsicle with it so you can easily get the nutrition down. Frozen seems to be helpful. I work Hospice and often I make health shakes for the older people who are not eating well. I always put a cup of ice cream in 4 ounces of ensure and blend until smooth. I have never had a person refuse the health shake and they are getting a load of calories and nutrition. Might be a way to sneak some calories easliy back into your diet. On the happier side I have an idea that you look wonderful and you are going to beat this non eating thing, as you beat the fat. You need to know you are strong or you would not have undertaken this journey and done as well as you have. You figured out how to lose the weight, now you will figure out how to stop losing weight..

Me too! I bring straws with me because I can sip my way through a lot of fluids with a straw, but as soon as I have to drink regularly, I feel like giant chunks of air get stuck in my esophagus. Straws are totally what has kept me from becoming dehydrated.

I didn't tell a single person before surgery and after surgery I told my three best friends, all of which I trust to not tell a soul. I used vacation time at work, however had it been questioned I would have said that I had a medical appointment (if I had to miss a meeting) and that there was no way to schedule it another time. Legally, they're not allowed to ask you what your appointment or surgery is for, although they may require a doctor's note...which is a matter of googling the doctor's name to find out your surgery.
There's nothing wrong with keeping your surgery private and your job is legally obligated to respect that.

Just a quick update. I had surgery January 23, 2013. I weighed 274 and am 5 ft tall. Now, a little over 8 months out, I've lost 131 pounds and have 18 pounds to go to my goal! I weigh 143 right now. I'm really excited! I'm still not used to being smaller and I really don't see myself as being as small as I am until I see pictures! I feel great and have no health issues anymore! Love my sleeve!
Here's a before/now pic
.

great info and insight thank you very much this was a concern for me but your info was very enlightening thank you so much and good luck with your bjj and mma i might want to jump into that some day looks like fun

My doctor told me as soon as I wanted it.. but that I should bear in mind that I shouldn't lift anything heavier than 15 pounds... I spent far too long speculating exactly WHAT type of sex he though I'd be having where I was lifting more than 15 pounds.... Anyway I resumed my activity after 2 weeks.. but that was just because I didn't return home to my bf until two weeks after surgery because I was staying with my sister.... If he had been around.. I would have felt great to resume relations after three or four days.

I didn't have shortness of breath or bradycardia, but I had a hard time taking a deep breath for almost a week after surgery. I was concerned that it was something other than gas, but it went away at around the same time as the pain that I knew was gas went away. I thought I had ruined my life the first few days after surgery. I had never had surgery before so I was not at all accustomed to how horrible I would feel. As of tomorrow I will be 3 weeks post op and I feel great. Each day really does get better. I hope you're feeling better soon!

I've been sleeved for almost 3 weeks now and I asked my doctor about carbonation just yesterday. He said "if it hurts, don't drink it- otherwise enjoy". He said he tells people to stay away from it a lot because they want people to avoid sugary sodas. I like seltzer Water and it's nice to know I can have it again if I want to.

The first week after surgery I was freezing, especially in my arms and legs! A friend who is a nurse told me that a lot of her surgical patients report being really cold right after surgery and she thought it may have something to do with the anesthesia. I'm two weeks out now and I feel like I'm back to my normal body temperature. I live in Florida though, so it's kind of hot here at the moment either way.

Me too! I've only been on soft foods for 3 days now, but I don't feel awful- in fact I feel really decent. I am a little curious as to how my entire life people have been onto me when I was on my 800 calorie diets, but now it's totally acceptable to have even less than that. I don't quite know where the cut off is between acceptable and starving.

My fantasy was to wear a size 6. Last month, I was shopping at Old Navy. Took 2 pairs of white skinny jeans into the dressing room, 8's and 10's (knowing the 8's probly wouldn't fit but hopeful). I walked outa the store with a 6! I think they were mistagged - they were in clearance. It's the only 6's I can wear, but my fantasy definitely came true. They were only $8 but I probly would've paid $100 for em! They are definitely my fav pants now - just cuz they're a 6!
Dreams really do come true! And I'm still 26 lbs from goal so I have many more to come. Maybe a size 4 in my future? Unreal!

We went to a hibachi grill. The one that cooks the food in front of you. Well this place apparently puts teriyaki sauce on EVERYTHING. Ugg. My scallops & shrimp blew out my a 15 minutes later in their bathroom. Later when I took my daughter to the bathroom they had an 'out of order' sign on the door! LOL. Seriously? It's not like I **** all over the wall.... I didn't miss the toilet. I PROMISE! We made a hasty retreat and never went back. Sorry Kobe Grill.