dsmith_rn

You just have to ride it out. Remind yourself that it is temporary, and that as you lose fat and gain muscle, that muscle weighs more than fat! A stall is your body's way of trying to set a new weight "setpoint" for itself and it will do this several times as you are losing. I went through a stall that lasted 5 weeks! Don't be discouraged, stay on the path and trust your surgeon and your sleeve.
Whatever you do, don't use a stall as an excuse to "cheat"!
Hugs

Just found this nurse forum. Its great that we can all support each other as we are usually the one giving the support. I'm a travel LPN have been for 15years. I am self pay for Tijuana. Had a big panic attack last nigh. My date is 10/21/14. I decided to take the train from Iowa and make it a fun adventure, spend a few extra days in Tijuana before heading back by train. I am getting so scarred. All the what ifs are hitting me. I put down my deposit yesterday so I think that's why it just all became a reality. No backing out, it is what it is.

Try to have patience with yourself and your new tiny stomach. Don't stress about the protein! The only thing you need to focus on right now is Fluid INTAKE. Your body has enough stores of nutrients to get you by for several weeks. This is what my surgeon told me and it was such a relief not to have to stress about counting protein grams in the beginning!
I still don't count them. I just make sure each meal or snack is protein-centered and i eat very few carbs, no bread, Pasta, rice, crackers, tortillas, etc.
Fluid intake is still difficult for me, i average around 30 oz a day or so, but i am healthy, feel great, labs are all normal. I'm off my BP meds and blood pressure is totally normal, my lipids too. My sleeve healed very nicely and i adore it.
The first 2 months are tough, don't kid yourself. I was unprepared for how difficult it would be both physically and mentally. I had buyer's remorse about the surgery, bigtime. I cried and chastised myself for doing it. But trust me, it gets SOOOOO much better! It's hard to be patient, I know this, but it will pay off!
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. And CONGRATULATIONS on taking this positive step in your life!

Hi,
This is my very first post. I've been a nurse for 32 years. I've done a bit of everything, MICU, ID, apheresis, neonatal ICU and currently I'm working in the reconstructive surgery clinic at a breast cancer center. I was sleeved Tuesday, August 26. I'm just 3 days out. I'm struggling to get in any Protein. I have nausea and stomach cramping. I guess I just need to hear from someone that it gets better. I'm able to drink Water and herbal tea and a little bit of protein. I'm just really concentrating on fluids so I stay hydrated. Any encouragement would be appreciated.

Sleeved 4/23
HW: 270
SW: 250
CW: 191
Starting size 24 XXXL
Current size 14/16 L
It's so exciting... I went out and found a beautiful dess off the rack at the bridal boutique for my sons wedding in October!! Waiting a little bit to do alterations! Haha hoping to drop 11 more pounds by the wedding but we'll see.
Have had absolutely NO issues at all. Never been sick... Never had a bad reaction to food... Only tylonol cold once right after surgery. Wish I did it years ago!! Best thing I have ever done for myself! Woot!!

Surgery date: 4/25
Day of surgery: 240
Today: 193
Old size: 2XL/20-22
Current size: L/14
*Off my blood pressure meds with normal BPs
*Lipid panel normal (I went from a heart attack risk of twice the average person, to now half the average person)
*All labs normal, no deficiencies! (I take my vitamins! )
I eat good food, just not much of it and i never have room for dessert (which is a good thing). Tonight i made BBQ chicken pizza. I made mine on a small, low-carb tortilla and ate half. It was delicious! For Breakfast i eat greek yogurt or eggs or high Protein oatmeal or a Protein shake, I'm used to it and enjoy those things. I break it up by adding various toppings, flavorings, etc. It's nice to eat a little bacon and not have to worry about my cholesterol. I take my lunch to work; lunchmeat and cheese rollups, grilled chicken, tuna salad, half an avocado, cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil, cottage cheese with various toppings, cheese sticks, nuts, Protein Bars....that kind of stuff. I feel great and get compliments all the time.
The sleeve is the best thing I've ever done for myself. Wish i had done it much sooner!

Just wanted to share with you all pics of my new Lauren's Hope medical ID Bracelet. It just came in the mail and I love it! It is of high quality, and the pictures just don't do it justice! My medical ID reads:
DIANN SMITH, RN
GASTRIC SLEEVE 4/14
NO BLIND NG TUBES
NO NSAIDS
SULFA ALLERGY
As post-ops, we should ALL have one of these! Last thing I want is some ER nurse in a hurry poking a hole in my sleeve with an NG tube.
The medical ID plate has lobster clasps on either end, so I can easily change the bracelet to another one of their dozens of styles from the sporty to the whimsical to the elegant. I plan to order several more to go with my whole wardrobe! If you're interested in checking out their selection, the website is www.laurenshope.com

I have a wallet card too, but i know medical personnel are trained to look for med ID bracelets, they don't necessarily go digging through your wallet right away in an emergency. Also, i don't always carry my bulky wallet with me.

Surgery date: 4/25
Day of surgery: 240
Today: 193
Old size: 2XL/20-22
Current size: L/14
*Off my blood pressure meds with normal BPs
*Lipid panel normal (I went from a heart attack risk of twice the average person, to now half the average person)
*All labs normal, no deficiencies! (I take my vitamins! )
I eat good food, just not much of it and i never have room for dessert (which is a good thing). Tonight i made BBQ chicken pizza. I made mine on a small, low-carb tortilla and ate half. It was delicious! For Breakfast i eat greek yogurt or eggs or high Protein oatmeal or a Protein shake, I'm used to it and enjoy those things. I break it up by adding various toppings, flavorings, etc. It's nice to eat a little bacon and not have to worry about my cholesterol. I take my lunch to work; lunchmeat and cheese rollups, grilled chicken, tuna salad, half an avocado, cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil, cottage cheese with various toppings, cheese sticks, nuts, Protein Bars....that kind of stuff. I feel great and get compliments all the time.
The sleeve is the best thing I've ever done for myself. Wish i had done it much sooner!

Surgery date: 4/25
Day of surgery: 240
Today: 193
Old size: 2XL/20-22
Current size: L/14
*Off my blood pressure meds with normal BPs
*Lipid panel normal (I went from a heart attack risk of twice the average person, to now half the average person)
*All labs normal, no deficiencies! (I take my vitamins! )
I eat good food, just not much of it and i never have room for dessert (which is a good thing). Tonight i made BBQ chicken pizza. I made mine on a small, low-carb tortilla and ate half. It was delicious! For Breakfast i eat greek yogurt or eggs or high Protein oatmeal or a Protein shake, I'm used to it and enjoy those things. I break it up by adding various toppings, flavorings, etc. It's nice to eat a little bacon and not have to worry about my cholesterol. I take my lunch to work; lunchmeat and cheese rollups, grilled chicken, tuna salad, half an avocado, cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil, cottage cheese with various toppings, cheese sticks, nuts, Protein Bars....that kind of stuff. I feel great and get compliments all the time.
The sleeve is the best thing I've ever done for myself. Wish i had done it much sooner!

Sleeved 4/22/14
HW: 231
SW: 220
CW: 162
Start size: tight 16, XXL
Current size: 10, L (some M)
Start BMI: 38
Current BMI: 28
I have recently stopped tracking food...I knew I didn't want this to be "another diet" and didn't want to track everything I put in my mouth as I tend to get obssesive. We will see how the no tracking goes...I will go back to it if I start gaining.
I also promised myself to not freak out over stalls and, in general, I have been good at this...I still weigh every day and my weight loss looks like the dreaded "stair steps"...down a little, then stall, down a little more, then stall. I know this is normal.
I am loving my new confidence, I change clothes several times a day just because I can!, I bought and have worn my first bikini ever and don't give a rat's a$$ what my saggy skin looks like! So glad I took the leap of faith and had this surgery! I know I am going to struggle, but am looking forward to struggles that aren't weight obsessive...I have spend 40 some-odd years with nothing in my brain but my weight, food and my appearance...it's time to start living and experiencing life's ups and downs without that monkey on my back!

I'm glad I found this group! I'm an RN with an oncology nurse certification. I've worked in general medicine, neurosurgery, oncology, management, and now informatics. I will complete my master's in nursing informatics in December of this year. I'm scheduled for my surgery on 9/15 and am so ready to make this change. Lots of good things happening!

I just had my 3 month post op appt ( surgery was on April 30) I'm down 92 lbs!!! My starting weight was 402 and now I am 310!!!! My surgeon told me he looks for me to lose another 90 lbs by the end of next April !!! Super excited!!!

Today I hit wonderland!!!! Sw 278, sw 255, currently 199.4!! Surgery was April 8th. So excited!!

My surgeon and NUT don't recommend any particular type of Vitamins. They are only a supplement, most of your nutrition (minerals, etc) should come from food. I don't take viactiv because it is Calcium carbonate which isn't well absorbed. I take calcium citrate, Wallgreens brand, petites. For a Multivitamin I take Vitafusion gummies with hair, skin, and nail support (extra Biotin, lutein, etc). I also take sublingual B12 , 2 a day because my energy has been low and my surgeon said you can't OD on it and 10,000 IU of D3 because my D was very very low.
On the positive side I'm off my BP med and I've lost 40 lb in the last 2.5 months, putting my BMI at 33.
I still have nausea from time to time if I don't chew well enough or eat something too greasy or just not tolerated so I have to be careful what I eat but I'm pretty happy with my diet. I'm used to the tiny portions now and I feel like food doesn't have the power over me now that it once did. That first month was pretty rough though, much harder than I expected, so you new people should be prepared for that but keep in mind it gets WAY better so hang in there and be patient!
Also I was in a stall at 206 lb for 2 full weeks. My surgeon said to expect that as my body was trying to establish a new setpoint. Also I was losing fat and gaining muscle and just hang in there and stay the course. I didn't do anything different, but this week the stall broke and I lost 6 lb!
The new folks: your job is to concentrate on fluids and Protein. That's it. Worry about the other stuff down the line when you are cleared for regular foods, but always be mindful of your fluids and protein intake.
Good luck everyone!

I want to strongly encourage you to use this time wisely. You are setting yourself up for bariatric surgery failure. If you don't make those healthy choices now while it's "easy," you won't do it later when it's harder. You've got one shot to do this right. Make healthy eating a habit and you won't struggle with it later.
You don't have to be "super-healthy"all the time. Just make smarter choices. Once a week allow yourself a SMALL indulgence, without guilt, and the rest of the time make good choices. Fill up on quality Protein FIRST and there won't be room for the bad choices--easy!
The sleeve doesn't give us license to eat whatever we want. It's a tool that makes it easier for us to make smart choices. Use your tool!

What kind of Vitamin are you looking for? A Multivitamin?
My surgeon has me taking a Multivitamin, sublingual B12, Calcium citrate, and vitamin D3 every day. For the multivitamin I take "Vitafusion Multivites plus hair, skin, and nail support". It has extra Biotin, Lutein, etc. for hair and nails. These are raspberry flavored gummies, you take 2 a day and they're not bad. You can get them at Walmart or costco and I think Wallgreens has them too. I take Bariatric Advantage sublingual B12, cherry flavor. The "calcium citrate with D3 petites" is generic Wallgreens brand pill. I take 4 a day, and even though they say "petites" they're not that small so I split them up taking 2 of them earlier in the day. I have tried some of the chewables, but most of them are Calcium carbonate (which is far less absorbable by the body, stay away from it), they didn't taste too great, and after eating 4 of them I would feel full, bloated, and nauseas so I switched to the pills. I had very low Vitamin D pre-op so I also take 10,000 IU of "Sunlight D3" per day, by Journey (this and the B12 can be ordered from bariatriceating.com or Amazon).
Hope that helps!

It's a decision on your part. I have found that every time I am going to eat, I have a few decisions to make. It this good for me? Am I running behind on my Protein today, so need to make a different choice? Am I really hungry?
Once it really hit me that it's MY decision, I found it very empowering! Just because that candy dish at the satellite pharmacy is there, doesn't mean I have to grab a snack-size Snickers out of it! Some days its harder than others, and on those days I just tell myself "I choose not to eat that TODAY." Maybe tomorrow I'll eat it. Maybe not. My decision today, right now, is what's important. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Once I've made that decision I feel so good about myself!
And if I want to eat but I'm not hungry, I just tell my stomach "You're not hungry, you're bored. So SHUT THE F*CK UP!" (Pardon my French)

How is everyone doing?
I had a bumpy ride 3 weeks out but I'm much better now. I'm careful what I eat but I'm used to the small portions now and happy/satisfied with it. I've had a few people call me "skinny"! It's been decades since anyone called me that.

The only thing you can do is try different ones until you find one you like. Everyone's tastes are a little different. Or you can make your own at home; there are a few different recipe books on Amazon for Protein Shakes. If you pre-make them in little ziploc bags they can be thrown together quickly in the morning.

The only thing you can do is try different ones until you find one you like. Everyone's tastes are a little different. Or you can make your own at home; there are a few different recipe books on Amazon for Protein Shakes. If you pre-make them in little ziploc bags they can be thrown together quickly in the morning.

Hi all, I thought I found this group once before but then could not find it again until just now. I am 74 and a retired nurse after working for 35 years. I did mostly Labor and Delivery in 3 different hospitals, then finished up doing Hospital Nursing Supervisor.
I had my gastric sleeve surgery in February when I was till 73 and all the people I met were a lot younger. I feel great and have lost 61 from my highest weight. I had a very good surgical experience without any complications. I am still experimenting with what I can eat as sometimes I have diarrhea right after eating, salads seem to be one thing that causes it. It still amazes me that I can leave food on my plate or throw it away as I was raised to clean my plate which of course caused a lot of my being overweight most of my life. I really had a problem with Portion Control sweets and bread. Now sweets do not taste good to me at all.
Happy to have found this group again.

I have been reading all these posts with great interest. I was totally supported
during the initial post op few weeks when I felt horrible! I had surgery
on the 18th of February and for about 3 weeks- I was not myself. in the
ER twice for dehydration and UTI. then- like a fog clearing- I gradually
and more gradually felt better. I am now 4 months out and have lost 45
pounds. I am 60 years old this coming November and am so happy I finally chose
to have this procedure. I feel 100 times better-- more energy; less depressed
; no more heartburn or stress incontinence. I am a mother baby nurse
on a very busy unit and we run all day! Protein Bars, yogurt and turkey
jerky are my go to foods. I am thrilled that I can eat whatever I want but
am choosing much healthier options-- the other stuff just isn't as appealing
anymore. can't fit in much exercise yet but know I need to . I encourage
you all and appreciate the thoughtfulness you put into your words- it means
a lot-- whatever stage we are in.
Joanne
northern California

I am fortunate to have enjoyed nursing for 18 yrs. i want to get the sleeve at the end of August. I will see the surgeon next week fir the 1st time.

It's a decision on your part. I have found that every time I am going to eat, I have a few decisions to make. It this good for me? Am I running behind on my Protein today, so need to make a different choice? Am I really hungry?
Once it really hit me that it's MY decision, I found it very empowering! Just because that candy dish at the satellite pharmacy is there, doesn't mean I have to grab a snack-size Snickers out of it! Some days its harder than others, and on those days I just tell myself "I choose not to eat that TODAY." Maybe tomorrow I'll eat it. Maybe not. My decision today, right now, is what's important. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Once I've made that decision I feel so good about myself!
And if I want to eat but I'm not hungry, I just tell my stomach "You're not hungry, you're bored. So SHUT THE F*CK UP!" (Pardon my French)