Justinh125

If it's your incisions call the doc. Otherwise it might be hormonal but still probably wouldn't hurt to make sure everything is ok...

Someone in another conversation asked me this, and I thought I'd just throw it out there for anyone in the pre-op stage. Remember, this is a surgery that a surgery that will permanently change one of the most important things we do as living beings (fueling up so we can provide nutrients to our organs to stay alive.) If you have this surgery, your life will never be the same, so I think it's entirely reasonable and normal to have questions, and I'd be suspicious of a surgeon that doesn't want to answer questions. This is not a small or trivial thing, and your surgeon and his/her team will presumably be well compensated either by you or your insurance or some combination of both. So as far as I am/was concerned, they owe it to you to answer all the questions you have for as long as you want. I would suggest asking about things like the pre-op diet, the typical results for that surgeon, the percentage of patients that have any complications of any kind at all, what kind of post-op care is included with the cost of surgery, typical recovery time, what size "bougie" the anesthesiologist uses, and what kind of diet they expect you to follow post-op... As my mother always reminds me, "it never hurts to ask."

I'm at 7 weeks post-op and have the same issue. After getting the food I'm supposed to get, it's hard to find room for all that fiber that I'd like to have. So things can get difficult if I don't try to stay hydrated and get at least a little fiber. I'm not gonna lie, it's tricky and apparently not uncommon....

Do not worry! I was closer to 10lbs heavier at the same point in the process...so I completely understand...The doctors told me it was because they give you a ton of i.v. Fluid to prevent dehydration since you can't eat or drink much at all in the beginning. But all is well...in time, I'm sure you'll see the weight start to come off, and possibly faster than at any other point in your life. Make sure you are walking as much as you can and follow all your doc's post-op instructions to the best of your ability and I'm sure you'll be fine.

Thank you for this support. I'll keep talking with my doctors to make sure I stay on the right path.

I would cook a few scrambled eggs and then pick out some lowfat cheese and spice it up with greek seasoning. Pureed, I thought it was delicious!!

So I've noticed that sometimes it feels like there's pins and needles in my hands and throughout my skin...almost like there's bugs crawling in there. Obviously it's not a full-blown hallucination or anything like that...I know it's just a strange feeling. Thus far, it doesn't seem to correlate to blood glucose...my blood sugar is very consistently right around 100mg/dl (exactly where it is healthy) Additionally, it sometimes happens when I've eaten, and sometimes not...doesn't seem to matter. Time of day doesn't seem to matter. It just comes and goes. The only thing it seems to be consistently correlated with is byproducts of ketogenesis in my urine. I buy those "keto-sticks" and whenever I feel the "pin-prick" feeling, I also notice those sticks turn dark purple quickly. I know that means my body is in a ketogenic state, and that's not inherently bad...it's burning fat for fuel. But I have this lingering feeling that it might be a sign of something wrong....Does anyone else ever get the "skin bugs" and what did you do about it?

A good friend of mine is doing well recovering from some substance abuse issues, but I'm not sure at what point i should tell him he's ready for VSG....what do you guys think? He has a "sponsor" and seems to be working the 12-step program well, but I'd hate to see anything bad happen to him...

I dunno....when I ever I use one it turns dark purple almost immediately at 6.5 weeks out. If you're going through ketogenisis, you'll have certain products as a byproduct. I'm sure you understand this as a scientist. Nothing changes over time in terms of the byproducts released in urine...and you can certainly tell in your breath too. In fact, they are now encouraging alzheimer's patients to maintain a ketogenic diet because it seems to help delay the progression of the disease....so it might be good for your brain too!

I've never been able to tell the difference, but wanted to be able to. What does head hunger feel like vs. "real hunger." I'm not sure if I experience both or if I mistakenly perceive it all as real hunger when it's not.

I've never been able to tell the difference, but wanted to be able to. What does head hunger feel like vs. "real hunger." I'm not sure if I experience both or if I mistakenly perceive it all as real hunger when it's not.

I'm not smart enough to understand what the heck you just said, so I'll delete my posts and will promise to never discuss such matters again.

I'm not smart enough to understand what the heck you just said, so I'll delete my posts and will promise to never discuss such matters again.

Listen to Ms. Yvette on this one. You are NOT a failure, and making a change for a healthier lifestyle is always something to be proud of!

Listen to Ms. Yvette on this one. You are NOT a failure, and making a change for a healthier lifestyle is always something to be proud of!

Yep. It's gotta be your call...only you can decide how important the issue is.

Yep. It's gotta be your call...only you can decide how important the issue is.

String cheese works nicely in a pinch

String cheese works nicely in a pinch

Oh yeah, you don't want to put cream and sugar and all that in there....you'll end up drinking calories that way. Don't go drinking one of those sugary drinks you get at the coffee shops.

Oh yeah, you don't want to put cream and sugar and all that in there....you'll end up drinking calories that way. Don't go drinking one of those sugary drinks you get at the coffee shops.

I was sleeved on 8/21 and talked to my surgeon for my 6-week last Monday (9/30.) I explicitly asked him about coffee, and he said it was fine as long as I make sure to sip some extra Water to make up for the diuretic effect. The way he explained it, the "no-coffee" restriction is more important for gastric bypass patients due to the re-routing of their intestines....obviously that doesn't happen with our surgery. That being said, I'd tell anyone to respect what their own surgeon told them to do. If I hadn't asked, I'd be under the impression that I'm not allowed to have it. But my surgeon was quite clear. I then asked if there was any food or drink that I should always avoid. While he of course wants me to stick to healthy eating, he said that unlike his gastric bypass patients, there's nothing in particular that will make me sick or cause complications.

I was sleeved on 8/21 and talked to my surgeon for my 6-week last Monday (9/30.) I explicitly asked him about coffee, and he said it was fine as long as I make sure to sip some extra Water to make up for the diuretic effect. The way he explained it, the "no-coffee" restriction is more important for gastric bypass patients due to the re-routing of their intestines....obviously that doesn't happen with our surgery. That being said, I'd tell anyone to respect what their own surgeon told them to do. If I hadn't asked, I'd be under the impression that I'm not allowed to have it. But my surgeon was quite clear. I then asked if there was any food or drink that I should always avoid. While he of course wants me to stick to healthy eating, he said that unlike his gastric bypass patients, there's nothing in particular that will make me sick or cause complications.

I should also point out that before surgery, I was averaging between 3000-5000 calories a day, and wasn't gaining or losing weight at that amount. So for me, even 1200 is a profound reduction and I figure if it takes me 3000 to maintain (at my previously higher weight,) 1200 is probably still low enough to lose. I've found the post-bariatric diet to induce ketogenesis fairly constantly. I've confirmed it with those Keto-sticks you can get at the pharmacy. Given the way the reagent strips react, I figure my body must certainly be breaking down fatty-acids for fuel. Maybe you get some of those and see if you are in a ketogenic state.

I should also point out that before surgery, I was averaging between 3000-5000 calories a day, and wasn't gaining or losing weight at that amount. So for me, even 1200 is a profound reduction and I figure if it takes me 3000 to maintain (at my previously higher weight,) 1200 is probably still low enough to lose. I've found the post-bariatric diet to induce ketogenesis fairly constantly. I've confirmed it with those Keto-sticks you can get at the pharmacy. Given the way the reagent strips react, I figure my body must certainly be breaking down fatty-acids for fuel. Maybe you get some of those and see if you are in a ketogenic state.