VSGAnn2014

Yup. You're normal. And you'll figure it all out. Really. I promise. It's just a bit overwhelming the day after surgery. Tonight, just sip your Water (as much as you can) and try to get some rest. You've weeks and months to get your new life all the way to "normal." I'm nearly 3 months out, and at this point I feel VERY comfortable navigating this new way of life. But one of the things about "this new way of life" is that it's full of phases. You keep learning new things at each phase. Everyone will tell you ... "It gets better." And it does. Just repeat that to yourself: "It gets better." A LOT better.

No drain for me either. My surgeon doesn't do 'em.

Just do what you're supposed to do. Don't get creative. It will work.

I'm not a coffee temperance union member. However, pre-op I cut down from 2 cups/day to 1/2 cup a day. I combine that with 1/2 cup skim milk in a homemade "skinny latte". I cup back so gradually that I didn't notice the difference. And now my morning skinny latte feels just as stimulating as my 2 cups used to feel. Gradual changes are pretty much the secret to effective habit changes.

P.S. Early on, while your stomach is still swollen from surgery and hasn't calmed down yet and completely healed, that stuffed feeling in your chest *could* be (emphasis on COULD be) that you've eaten too much and that food is stacking up in the lower part of your esophagus. This is something that lapbanders have been known to do. It takes a while to know when it's time to quit eating. In my experience, waiting for a "full" sensation is not the way to do it. By the time you feel full, you've probably already eaten a bit too much. Would love to hear from others who are further out post-op about their take on this.

Don't know whether to laugh or b***h-slap some of you. Do you actually expect that your post-op experience 3 weeks post-op, 6 weeks post-op, 10 weeks post-op ... etc. is what your life is going to be like forever? Have you not noticed how much your experience has already changed from when you were more newly operated on? Why wouldn't you expect your enjoyment of food to change? For those of you who think you'll always hate food, go find some threads about how people 2 years out are struggling to lose the 10-20 pounds they just gained because they're enjoying food too much. My major point is this: Every stage of this journey is different than the ones before or after it. My "job" during this journey is to learn what I can from the stage I'm in, maximize the benefits of that stage, and minimize the threats of that stage. And yes, of course, we all like to rant sometimes. But jeez ... if temporarily missing the joy of food is really so terrible, then go buy some Ben & Jerry's and slurp that down. Sorry, but this rant comes to you from a 68-year-old who wishes she'd had the opportunity to change her life 30 years ago with VSG surgery like some of you guys now have a chance to do.

"I will miss Luby's." I don't understand why relatively new VSG patients (10 weeks out) think that what they are able to eat now is ALL they will ever be able to eat for the rest of their lives. Six months from now, a year from now, two years from now ... we'll be able to eat a much broader array of foods (and more) than we can eat now. That doesn't mean we SHOULD eat as much as we could possibly eat then (and that's a WHOLE other topic), but we'll certainly be able to do so.

Here's what worked / still works for me when I need to augment my protein: * Dannon Greek Oikos low-fat vanilla yogurt (the packaging is blue; the 5.3 ounce cups are a good size) * GNC Lean 25 Swiss chocolate shakes (comes also in vanilla and yogurt); if it's too *thick*, thin with skim milk or even Water. Buy at GNC healthfood stores (buy and try a single one before buying a case of 12) * Skim milk -- cold, warm, mix in Soups, however it works for you

Good heavens, no -- no regrets. (I had the sleeve.) Did not want either of the other two major WLS options (band or bypass) and their respective baggage. A.

This never came up in my conversations with my surgeon pre-op (I had surgery 12 weeks ago). I didn't use one. I had an easy-peasy recovery.

Oh, boy. I've written before, and I'll say again, that I think overweight / obese people have an unusual need for approval from others for their personal decision to have WLS. Tell 'em it's your decision and that your decision has already been made and you welcome and would appreciate their support. Then say that if they don't support you (and if they won't go to the trouble of educating themselves about what this surgery is actually about) then you don't want to hear their opinions. And be clear that you mean what you say. And if that doesn't work, just explain that you will see them later when your weight loss journey is over. Adios. You won't want and you don't need negative influences as you proceed on this journey.

One of life's essential epiphanies: If he/she doesn't love you, don't get mad, sad, or even. Just accept it. You cannot make someone else love you. It really is impossible. And here's the really big epiphany: One of the most pathetic ways to waste your life is trying to make someone love you. Ugh!

The actual good thing about colonoscopies is that they detect cancer and save lives and give those of us who have family histories of colon cancer great peace of mind.

Makes sense to me -- you join a gym, work out, build muscles (they weigh considerably) and stop losing weight. BUT ONLY TEMPORARILY! The muscles you're building now will burn up more calories to maintain them (as you continue to work out). So your long-term benefits from building these muscles will be more weight loss in the future. The scales stalling now is ONLY temporary. Make sense? Congrats on getting into a bona fide workout routine, btw.

Outstanding! I wish there were a kayaking class here at our pool.

Web site re-dos -- ai yi yi! Good luck.

@@MzGee ... we were sleeved the same day. I'm sorry you're having such a tough time with food. For the record, I have never thrown up, and food doesn't make me sick. Perhaps your surgeon or nutritionist could give you some ideas about how to approach food differently? Best to you.

I had no staples on the outside, and no drain. Frankly, that sounds awful. I had only incisions that healed rapidly.

Seriously?! I'll guarantee you that nobody here is going to send your mother a Facebook message and say: "Hey, your daughter must be dead, since she hasn't posted lately on a social media site I frequent." Notifying next of kin in case of death is what airlines, hospitals, doctors do. If you want to leave a message for your parents in case of your death, hire a lawyer who can forward your message/letter on to them in the case of your death -- and leave your lawyer's name as the contact person at the hospital when you check in. Or let your attorney know a month or two after your surgery is over that you're not dead and ask him not to send the letter to your parents. If you're going to go this route and let no one know, then you have to make some grown-up arrangements. This is not a Facebook matter.

Can you get out of the house? Do you HAVE to be a stay-at-home mom? Can you get a full-time job? Can you volunteer? Can you get into therapy? Can you lock the refrigerator? Can you stop buying food that tempts you? ................... What's stopping you from doing what you know you need to do?

Yes, "RJ" who is a veteran poster here had massive complications and was in a coma for a long time. Others here have had tough times and come back. So yes, there are recoveries from events like this. I hope your friend finds her way back to health.

I think you're doing fine, Tired. Three weeks out and I was also ready for food and starting to tolerate. You should continue talking to your food and telling it to behave. (I liked that.)

In praise of yogurt ... I love vanilla yogurt, especially with berries.

Oh, no! If I were, I'd act like less of an asshole myself.

OK.