dsmith_rn

Thank you!! I feel my chest getting tight and I know to stop right then! I have only are refried Beans but less than a 1/4 cup keeps me full forever!

Yes it will change. I had the same worry when I was on liquids.
I get full on very little food, and I stay full for 4-6 hours after I eat, depending on the density of the food. It is so important to learn your body's new cues after surgery. "Hungry" feels different. "Full" feels different. The sensation that tells you to STOP EATING feels different, and in my opinion it is THE most important cue to learn. If you take even 1 or 2 bites more than you should, you will feel miserable for HOURS.
At first I found it very helpful to MEASURE out all my food. 1/3 Cup was my capacity, no more. If I didn't measure my food and ate even a little more....ouch. Now I can eyeball it better, but even more importantly I have learned my body's signal "that's enough," and I stop. Unfortunately, your brain still doesn't catch up to your stomach signals for several minutes, so you can't rely on your brain to tell you when to stop. For some people, they burp. Others, hiccup. Some get a pain in their chest or shoulder, or sneeze, or get a runny nose. You will have to learn your own body's signals. For me, it's very subtle and not a feeling I can really put into words, I just know I have to stop--not one more bite. Sometimes I burp or hiccup, but not usually. I push my plate away, and within 5 minutes I feel the tightness in my sleeve and that feeling of fullness and I'm glad I didn't try to eat another bite.

I'm not sure what sorts of ideas you are looking for, but I'll take a stab at it....
First of all, CUT THE CARBS. Don't eat crackers with your tuna, they are useless nutrition-wise, will make you crave more carbs, and takes up valuable space in your sleeve that is needed for food with nutritional value. Just eat the tuna salad alone, or if you must have something else, use slices of cucumbers as "crackers" or put your tuna salad on a slice of tomato--there's some GOOD carbs!
As to your fluids, try drinking things with different temperatures. I have had trouble with getting the fluids in myself, partly because I had some severe nausea the first several weeks. I drank so slowly that everything ended up room temperature. I have found that if I drink some hot coffee or tea, I drink MORE of it. I have a little heating plate that keeps it warm for me: http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-5569-Decorative-Cup-Warmer/dp/B000E3DTG0/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_d_5 Protein coffee is an excellent way to start the day! Great with a few low-carb protein "cookies": http://www.amazon.com/Kays-Naturals-Protein-Cookie-Cinnamon/dp/B0086UI36O/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1402081459&sr=1-4&keywords=protein+cookies
Also, if something is ice cold I drink more of it, so a frosty chocolate banana Protein Shake from the local smoothie store not only helps with my protein goals, but also my fluid goals. If I put my Crystal Lite Water in the freezer and get it partially frozen, I drink more of it too. Experiment to find out what works for you.
As for your protein goals, just make sure that every meal and snack you have is protein-focused. For Breakfast I have greek yogurt 2-3 times/week. I'm really not a yogurt person, but the health benefits (protein, Calcium, and probiotic-wise) are enough to make me choke some down a few times a week. Be careful of the brand; some are full of sugar and some don't have many (or any) Probiotics, and it's not a good source of protein if it's not greek yogurt.
For Breakfast I will also have the aforementioned protein shake, cottage cheese, egg salad (I can't tolerate scrambled eggs yet), or some corned beef hash. This morning I had a scoop of chicken salad.
lunch is often last night's dinner leftovers, but sometimes I will have a deli roll-up (take a slice of lean deli meat--chicken, turkey, ham, roast beef--and wrap it around a slice of cheese). Eat it cold, or as I prefer, throw it in a hot pan for a few minutes to lightly brown the outside and melt the cheese. Yum! Tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, ham salad, all work for lunch--just stay away from the bread and crackers. You are establishing new healthy eating habits for life right now...do it while it's "easy," during the honeymoon period. Not later when you're struggling with weight re-gain. If you like crab, a crab salad would be great too. I know it's kinda pricey, but you're eating so little it will stretch a long way. Shrimp is an excellent protein source, with a 4-oz serving having 23 grams of protein! I always keep a bag of shrimp in my freezer. I grab about 4 of them, rinse them under cold water for a few minutes to thaw them, then either saute in a skillet, cook in boiling water, or if I'm really in a hurry, nuke them for 2 minutes in the microwave. Chill and serve with a lemon wedge and a dab of cocktail sauce, or chop them up and make shrimp salad.
dinner is something I make for my family and adapt for myself. If we're having tacos, I either eat mine wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of tortilla, or I make myself a "taco bowl" with my favorite toppings, but heavy on the meat and Beans (protein sources). I'll make a homemade meat sauce and serve it over spaghetti squash instead of noodles (my family actually PREFERS it that way now! wow!). I'll bake or grill salmon and have a 3 oz slab of it with a few bites of veggies. Always the focus is on protein first. I made manicotti for the family, but I choose not to eat Pasta anymore (uselessly takes up valuable room in my sleeve, high carbs/calories, makes me crave more carbs), so I put a spoonful of homemade meat sauce in a ramekin, added a scoop of the cheese filling, more sauce and mozzarella on top, then bake it. Totally yummy! I just try to think and be a little creative; my family has had to make some changes on my behalf, but not big ones and they still get to eat stuff they like.
OK snacks.......I don't eat a snack every day; only if I'm hungry between meals and I really try to never snack after dinner. Some Snacks I use: unsweetened applesauce, half a small avocado, sugarfree pudding, half a frozen banana. Those are all low in protein, and most of the time I am protein-focused so those snacks include: dry roasted, crunchy, lightly-salted edamame (http://www.amazon.com/Seapoint-Farms-Roasted-Edamame-Lightly/dp/B0094IXKME/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1402080556&sr=1-1&keywords=edamame), greek yogurt, string cheese or other various cheeses, protein shake, a few tablespoons of nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, etc.), a slice of deli meat, half a Protein Bar.
Most Protein Bars taste like dookey to me, so I had to sample a bunch of them to find ones I actually like. My #1 favorite is Premier Protein Crisp bar in mint chocolate...tastes just like a thin mint cookie! A totally guilt-free dessert! http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Nutrition-Protein-Crisp-Chocolate/dp/B00AINLC5G/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1402080929&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=premier+protein+bars
My other current favorite is the Quest bar in chocolate chip cookie dough (yes, it actually tastes like that!). These are great because they're not covered in chocolate so they keep well in your purse. I always have one of these in my purse for emergencies so that I'm never caught in a situation where I have to make a bad choice. My NUT says to ALWAYS be prepared so that you can make good choices! http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Nutrition-Protein-Chocolate-Cookie/dp/B00DLDH1N2/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1402081110&sr=1-1&keywords=quest+protein+bars
Both companies offer several flavors of their bars, I'm just sharing with you what my current favorites are. I can only eat a half a bar at this point, but these are so good they definitely taste like I'm eating something sinful, only they are 100% guilt-free.
I hope that helps you some. Please come back and update us on how you are doing.
HUGS to you!

Yes it will change. I had the same worry when I was on liquids.
I get full on very little food, and I stay full for 4-6 hours after I eat, depending on the density of the food. It is so important to learn your body's new cues after surgery. "Hungry" feels different. "Full" feels different. The sensation that tells you to STOP EATING feels different, and in my opinion it is THE most important cue to learn. If you take even 1 or 2 bites more than you should, you will feel miserable for HOURS.
At first I found it very helpful to MEASURE out all my food. 1/3 Cup was my capacity, no more. If I didn't measure my food and ate even a little more....ouch. Now I can eyeball it better, but even more importantly I have learned my body's signal "that's enough," and I stop. Unfortunately, your brain still doesn't catch up to your stomach signals for several minutes, so you can't rely on your brain to tell you when to stop. For some people, they burp. Others, hiccup. Some get a pain in their chest or shoulder, or sneeze, or get a runny nose. You will have to learn your own body's signals. For me, it's very subtle and not a feeling I can really put into words, I just know I have to stop--not one more bite. Sometimes I burp or hiccup, but not usually. I push my plate away, and within 5 minutes I feel the tightness in my sleeve and that feeling of fullness and I'm glad I didn't try to eat another bite.

2 Months Today! 56lbs down! Wish I had more time to go to the gym but with 14 hour work days it is kinda hard.

Today i hit Onederland! I'm 4 days short of 6 weeks. 44 pounds lost.

Oh my goodness I am so sorry I hope u r feeling better & on the mend!

Wow! I'm so sorry! And the stomach flu on top of all of this! Oh I hope you don't get it. I hope the reglan helps too. I had gastroparesis shortly after I had my last baby and reglan helped me with in hours. I hope it works quickly for you! Let us know how you are.

I'm sending lots of prayers that the medication works....fast. What's the timeline for you to know if it will work?

I too am thinking of you !!!!!!!!

Diann,
I too am a nurse, and am pre op. As I have been researching this surgery I didn't even think about the prospect of damaging nerves in the stomach... Let's pray this is temporary for you since you are only a month out.
Thank you for sharing, and keep us informed.

I've been thinking about you and hoping you get good news from your doc today.!

Praying the reglan works. Good luck

Oh wow. Im so sorry. Praying everything will work out and you can begin to heal.

Oh honey, I'm sorry you are going through this! I googled this and it is odd because sometimes a vsg is done to cure delayed gastric emptying.....must be confusing and terrifying for you. Wish I had something of value to say. I'll I can come up with are platitudes and those never help. :-(. Please keep us posted.

hi there,
I am a nurse on a medsurg floor. I have worked at the same place since i was 17 years old and 4 years ago went to RN school. I am having my sleeve mainly so i can continue to work and enjoy my life. Heres hoping everything goes well.

Just the fact that you are recognizing that you are having "head hunger" is a great accomplishment! We do not learn all of our new habits overnight. It is all part of the process, but you will begin to learn what works best for you in handling your head hunger vs. your true hunger. Great info above from the others and dsmith_rn too. One other comment I would like to make that helps me a lot--When I'm feeling that head hunger and wantingto eat something that is not the best/healthiest choice, I say the word STOP in my head and then have this mini-conversation with myself. It not that I CAN'T HAVE this (fill in the blank), I CHOOSE not to have it (I am in control of my choices always). That short pause forces my thinking back to using food as fuel for my body, not as comfort for my mind. Just remember for now--one day at a time. You do not have to be perfect. You are just learning a whole new world, and you will do just fine!

Can they prescribe u zofran to take home for the nausea. My surgeon gave me some to take and its been a life saver.

Oh wow. Well glad your feeling better now .hopefully u make a full recovery soon

Boiled eggs are hard for me even without the sleeve, cause lots of gas and discomfort. Hopefully, that is all it is. Keep us posted please..................
I am getting sleeved the 27 of June.................

Oh I hope it all goes well! Hang in there. Hopefully your stomach just needs more time on liquids.

To a point. .... In the sense that we all end up with most of our stomachs removed. But surgeon techniques vary widely, as well as their pre- and post-op instructions, as you mentioned.
For instance, my surgeon does a double suture line to prevent leaks. And he does the leak test during the surgery so you can start drinking as soon as you wake up, instead of making you wait for a swallow test the next day. Some surgeons still do only open procedures instead of laparoscopic!
Since each surgeon is so different and they know their own technique inside and out, that is why it's so important to follow your own doctor's instructions.

i too had this. it was from the scar tissue from pancreatitis i had 10 years ago. i had excessive swelling in my stomach. (it might have just been from the surgery too, i am prone to inflammation) my doc felt sure i needed to be patient, what really helped was acupuncture (3 times a week for 3 weeks) and reglan. (only take reglan short term though, it can have yucky side effects) my doc was right.. somewhere around week 9 i was able to go off the nausea meds and was able to drink and eat a bit without gas, nausea and vomiting. i didn't really feel like everything was OK until month 5 though... so it was s long haul. (feel free to private message me)

actually therapy can change the very most important thing that you need to deal with... your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and choices. seriously, it sounds like there is way more than a "few" issues.. but that doesnt matter.. whats important is you took the time to post here about both your mom and your sister. that means it affects you in some way. that is exactly the kind of stuff people get the most help in therapy for. and obviously it would be for you. everyone is part of a family, no matter what.. and counseling can help anyone cope better with how they are affected by their family.

Just had my upper GI. The Radiologist told me I have delayed gastric emptying. The nerves in my stomach aren't working properly, the contrast just sits there instead of funneling through. This could be a temporary effect from the surgery, or it could be permanent (not good).
It does explain my symptoms, why I feel so full all the time it's hard to get my fluids in. At least I know it hasn't all been in my head. Waiting to talk to my surgeon now to see what the game plan is. I just want to go home.