Iambeautiful

THAT is why I didn't tell anybody but one of my daughters and a daughter in law about it because i knew they would be the only ones that would be non judgemental.... I will never tell anyone that i had this done. Don't let that get to you... please..... you will be ok.... I'm sure..... I had a bad time with surgery but i survived..... She probably really is only concerned for you. I don't know about other people but i always consider maybe jealously is a factor in some cases. I didn't even tell my very best friend because I knew that she'd try to talk me out of it. Have the surgery. Do it for you! You'll regret not having it done. I'm sure that your doctor has put you through all the pre op testing or he will to see if you are healthy enough to have it done..... I've seen so many success stories here and I am so excited about finally beating my weight problem. I now have the tool to accomplish this and I am so happy that I've had it done..... It's been almost four weeks and I've lost twenty five pounds.... it's so encouraging. and I'm not tempted to cheat on this what so ever. I just don't have the hunger like i did before and i couldn't eat a lot even if I wanted to...... I go by fast food places and have no desire for any of it..... the cravings are gone....... I feel so free from this food addiction that i once had!!!!

Every once in a while i have to take just a sip or two to get some food down. I am only three weeks out and sometimes the food feels like it's stuck...... even soft food. I never take more than a couple of sips and never a lot of liquid with a meal but for the most part I never drink and eat at the same time except in those rare situations. I did forget one day and ate too soon after drinking a lot of Water and I felt so bloated. I'll NEVER do that again.....

Didn't you have to lose a lot of weight and keep it off for a year before you could have this done...... your profile pic info here says that you lost 0 lbs but obviously you must have lost a lot of weight to have the loose skin that you had?

I wonder how long after surgery we have to wait to start working out. I'm three weeks out from surgery and my doc said i could ride a stationary bike but he said nothing about the gym yet.

the high fat content on that shake is not allowed on my diet. I need a low fat shake. and low carb ...

Has anyone tried the nectar brand..... I heard one person say it was good. So far all the Protein drinks that i found that are low cal low fat and low carb taste like crap...... any suggestions.....??? I'm tired of spending my money to try out different Protein shakes that are horrible..... The shakes help me a lot to curb hunger between meals and for energy and healing....

@RJ'S/beginning Did you have this problem before surgery and the big weight loss? I am also post menapausal for many years but have not had any dryness problems whatsoever nor pain. I attribute that to all the fat cells that i still have as I'm only three weeks out from surgery and have only lost 30 lbs or so. You see woman store estrogen in their fat cells and it is released as needed I believe. I wonder though if I lose a big amount of weight and as my fat cells shrink and then estrogen may be depleted as well. I also wonder if the use of natural plant estrogens would help you. I would talk to my gynecologist more about this if i were you or research the local estrogens on line. I think the local estrogens come with warning labels too. Btw..... You lost a lot of weight. I'm impressed. I hope I can do as well as you did.... Any tips for what diet you followed to lose so much and how long did it take to lose most of it.... I want so bad to succeed. I'd like the advice of those who have lost an impressive amount of weight. You've lost as much or more than the bypass patients i think. I hope you find a solution to your problem here....

Did you have this problem before surgery and before you lost a lot of weight? I'm post menopausal but don't have any problems like that. But I still have a lot of fat cells left and I think that's why. Estrogen is stored in fat cells and I have an ample supply of Estrogen in my body if i need it from my fat cells. I'm wondering though if I lose a lot of weight and as my fat cells decrease if my symptoms will occur at that time of low Estrogen. Just wondering.

I am so glad that you shared this. I feel cold all the time and I do not have a fever. It's been unseasonably cold here in the midwest but even when it's warmer out , I wake up feeling cold.... I never minded the cold weather so much but now it really bothers me and I use my space heater in my room to warm up. I guess it's a stress reaction to surgery and our body is adjusting to all the changes going on in our bodies. I am feeling chilled now and everyone else seems comfortable as it's a really nice day today but windy. I guess that too will pass in time. I'm only three weeks out from surgery now and still in the healing stage. I had terrible chills when i was in the hospital. Another side effect of surgery that no one can warn you about except for others that have gone through it I suppose!

No one is bickering here except a few... It's not a 'bunch; of us.... all we are trying to do is keep it real and give constructive advice and help each other. I personally don't think it's funny that people are so petty to argue when people are trying to help each other. But anytime there is a forum anywhere there are always the few that like to start arguments. some people thrive on that. I am trying to get well and don't need nor like arguments. That's why I unsubcribed to this forum now.....but the messages keep coming in my E mail..... I DON't find it amusing at all..... it's weird what some think is amusing. I don't like conflict myself expecially when i'm still not well as I'm only three weeks out from surgery...... Yes the person that posted this confession was brave and I think she wanted someone to help her.... get back on track. I admire her for that and wish her and everyone here success..... We all need to be kind to each other but not pat someone on the back if we know they are on the wrong path. I think our advice helped her as she said to get back on track so if she is happy then why do people here want to k eep on with the complaining..... you wouldn't complain if the nurses or Doctor told you that non compliance could lead to complications. Most of us have researched this operation well and know the do's and don'ts and the reasons why compliance is so crucial in the healing stage of the game.... Nuff said

How long did you wait to try those? I'm cleared for puréed but I'm nervous since I feel so full with puréed soups. I'm hungry but then instantly full. I am really wanting to move forward but I feel like I need to be a little farther out to try it. I had my surgery last Thursday.

Mashed Potatoes with a couple of spoons of cream of chicken Soup on top. oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon and stevia or other sweetener. Dannon's light and fit greek yogurt ... vanilla. the individual containers not the large containers has no sugar in it and is low carb. My dr. won't let me have the chicken salad or tuna, refriend Beans or any of that stuff yet. My favorite meal is southwestern style egg beaters I add a little almond milk in it to make the eggs soft as I had problems eating them at first , The milk makes them soft and then I eat it with a wedge of laughing cow cheese.... Also you can take the egg beaters. Measure 1/4 cup and pour into a muffin or mini cupcake pan after you spray it with non stick cooking spray. Bake in toaster oven at 350 until egg rises and is firm and a little brown on top.... it's like a frittata.... and it's yummy. you can either mix the laughing cow cheese in the egg mix or spread it on top of the baked egg when done. It's very yummy but be careful if you bake the egg like a frittata that you eat it slowly.... I can't wait until my five week check up when I'll get to add some real Protein foods like ground turkey, soft chicken...or ground beef, low fat cheese and a few more things..... I am tired of yoghurt and all that but i make the best of it..... I can't have all the foods that some of the others here are allowed on athis stage. I wonder why each doctor has different foods in the phases.... I guess it's good to be careful. I don't think I could tolerate any salsa at this time. I'm afraid to try fat free refried beans.... I think it would make me more gassy than i already am...

I wished that I had done this long ago too..... The only regret I have is that i didn't lose more weight on my own before getting it done..... I could always lose weight rapidly at first on a diet but usually came to a stall and was disappointed by starving myself and still not losing..... Now I feel in control of my eating for once in my life.... it's a great feeling. The surgery is rough at first but it gets better every day. Don't go into it thinking it will be easy because it isn't at all.... no way. I told myself before surgery not to think about it too much.... just do it. If I had thought of every little thing that could go wrong or the possible outcomes or suffering I'd never had done it..... Don't think about it..... just do it. You'll be glad that you did. I am almost three week out of my surgery and it's getting better every day...... I can tell that I'm losing already but I won't get back on the scale until my Dr. visit in nine days.... I refuse to be a slave to a scale. I feel so much lighter already and walkiing seems so much easier than before..... I can only imagine how much better I'll feel later on. Make sure you have a good Dr. that specializes in this surgery and has a great success rate.... I can proudly say that my Dr. is fantastic. I had this done laparascopically and I only have five little tiny spots on my abdoment that are very pink now and hardly noticable that i ever had surgery...... I am complying with what he said about the diet afterwards..... that is crucial to your success. Follow all the directions exactly and you will have success..... It's so much easier now to stay on a diet plan because the hunger is not an issue anymore..... Good Luck.......

P.S Danielle.... if they told us everything that we could experience in detail after surgery then we might not have wanted to have it at all..... Good thing they didn't tell me EVERYTHING that could happen...... I'm still glad that i had it done.... No regrets....

you are like me Danielle.... it seem like the days when i get my food in are the days that i can't get all my Fluid in.... what to do? I'm having a 'drink' fest today and nothing to eat so far..... The Zofran didn't work in itself for me.... I had to have IV reglan as well before i could take my liquid pain meds or I'd vomit them right back up. My DR. said that the nausea seems worse in sleeve patients for some reason than with the bypass patients. Oh great! I also had the hiatal hernia surgery done at the same time so I had more reasons to be nauseated than some I guess. Is the carnation essentials low carb...... I'm trying to stay with low carb now to enhance my weight loss. I've never heard of nectar strawberry mousse.... that sounds yummy.....? Where can I get that from and I wonder how many carbs is in it. I hope anyone reading this posts will realize that this surgery may not be as easy as they think. I had no idea how bad it would be really.... No one told me about the severe nausea and pain..... and the high blood pressure that would occur. I spent 4 days in the hospital and i was told it would only be one day. I'm glad I was at the hospital longer because I would have REALLY freaked out if i went home after one day and was vommitting like i was there for three days..... I had to take prescription nausea pills when i got home too. Lucky the insurance covered it because without insurance the meds would have cost me 240.00 for one script for thirty days. I had to get prior authorization for this med. The insurance refused it at first.... I was panicking because i couldn't afford that much money for one script.....I get very little nausea now thank God but it does hit me sometimes after drinking some of the Protein drinks.... ugh.....

I cannot eat chicken yet but when i am able to .... I am wondering are the grilled chicken strips or nuggets tender..... I'm afraid to eat white meat chicken now as many people have problems chewing and swallowing it. I am only two and a half weeks post of and won't be able to eat chicken for some time. I think at five weeks out i will be allowed to have deli shaved chicken only

I had the EGD before surgery as one of my pre op tests. I swear this was the easiest test of all of them that i had. After they gave me the anesthesia in my IV...... I don't remember a thing. The next thing I know is that I'm awake and never felt a thing. I had no side effects whatsoever but a little bit of a scratchy throat. it was a breeze. The only thing you have to remember is to NOT eat or drink anything after midnight before the surgery and to stick to the diet that they tell you to be on the day before the procedure. I am so glad that i had it done as that is when he discovered that i had a small hiatal hernia which he was able to repair during the sleeve gastrectomy. Good Luck!!!!!

I'm sorry you feel that way @alwaysonadiet. Apparently you are the only one complaining. We are just trying to give 'constructive advice' and if that is considered rude then forgive me. We are all trying to help each other here. 'Stole your picture' ? please.... i got my profile pic from a google search and it's a public domain photo. Now you are the one being rude or do you just want to start an argument here? I'm not playing your game. I'm trying to get well here as the others here that don't want to hear your whining. Get over it!

I have done all my reseach and know that I am not supposed to drink anything (I am on soft pureed foods now) fifteen minutes prior to eating and at least 30 minutes after eating. I have seen that it is reccomended not to drink for at least an ;hour or two after eating. I have been having a lot of trouble getting my fluids in because of this. I HAD to take a sip or two of tea one day because my food felt like it got stuck in my chest while eating.... (esophagus) to get the food down. If we do drink when we eat I know it leaves the stomach faster and leaves us hungry sooner. Some people drink with meals when they want to eat more food. This is not the case with me. I just wish that sometimes i could just have a sip or tow of liquid with my meals..... this is hard for me to get used to. so today I skipped eating any meals so I could catch up on drinking my liquids... I felt llike i did a poor job yesterday of getting my fluids in and have to make up for it today as I started feeling really bad today.... and my urine was dark. I don't want to get dehydrated and end up back in the hospital.... This has become quite a delima for me..... I can't drink fluids fast now like before. It takes a lot of time it seems to drink drink drink and then be able to eat.... then wait.... then drink....... it's now a chore to do all of this. Any suggestions?????

They offer Optisource or Premier Protein drinks..... I had the Optisource protein in the hospital and I didn't like it..... it was horrible or maybe it was just becuase i was so sick then....

It shouldn't even be called 'cheating' It's not following doctors instructions that is the problem here. There is a reason for them adding new foods slowly.... your stomach will not be healed until at least six weeks after sugery. The 'cheating' on a diet before surgery is so much different than trying to cheat now..... you will be cheating yourself from the benefits of the surgery if we cheat and we might get very sick from not following the doctors rules after surgery. I can honestly say that now I have no desire to eat anything that I'm not allowed to eat. Anyway i just don't have an appetitie. I'm tired of yoghurt and cottage cheese too but it does fill me up. I'd be afraid to eat something 'real' and that it would cause me a setback or that I'd get nauseated and vommit it right back up. This surgery has helped me to resist foods that i'm not supposed to eat and I don't crave them anymore...... I'm glad for that.I guarantee you are wrong. There are MANY of us who didn't cheat pre or post op. I chose not to, personally.

I doubt that it would cause a stall... the shake. the stalls just seem to happen to everyone for some reason. It is a bad habit to get into though to eat late at night when you start with food. My problem with drinking or eating anything late....even yoghurt is that it causes me to have acid reflux..... I had hiatal hernia surgery also but those that have the sleeve are prone to gastric reflux so i still cannot have anything at all like a shake or any type of food late at night before i go to sleep.

I am glad that you shared this.... I was beginning to think that i was one of the onely one's that had a horrific time after surgery.... the nausea was the worst part. If I could have only had my clear liquids like Jello or broth without feeling like i was going to vommit all the time, it would have certainly made me feel better. The nurses kept telling me you can't vomit..... but i did a few times. I couldn't help it. I'm sort of glad I had to go thru hell in a way now because when i remember what i went through to have this surgery it makes me want to succeeed with my weight loss all the more.... Sometimes we have to suffer in life to reach or goals and this is no different. Anyone who thinks that this is the easy way out is so wrong. I'm still suffering..... now i can hardly eat anything..... the soft food is good but it's not like having real food. I won't be able to eat a real meal for six weeks post op ...I still have a lot of gas pains and my stomach makes all sorts of weird noises after i eat..... I have ten days to go to get to phase 3..... I am having trouble still getting my fluids in. Today I didn't eat anything yet so I could work on my Water intake. Yesterday I ate three small soft meals but didn't have time to get all of my fluids in because you have to wait so long after you eat to drink....... I started feeling bad last night so i figured that i didn't get enough water ing....... I guess it will get better in time....... Thanks to everyone for your comments.

I am on the soft pureed foods at the moment. I've tried to make it interesting but would like some ideas to make cottage cheese, yoghurt and stuff like that more interesting. I take plain greek yoghurt and add a little of the sugar free lime Jello in it for flavoring and stir it up or whip it up until blended..... it reminds me of key lime pie. Sometimes I add one packet of stevia too it as well because the greek yoghurt seems a little bitter and that takes away from the bitterness. You can add any flavor of sugar free jello to it..... put only use a little and not the whole packet. I used the egg beaters... southwestern style. I poured 1/4 cup into a muffin pan and baked it at 350 degrees in a toaster oven ... convection oven combo until done..... I then scooped it out and put it on my plate. It is like a keish I serve it with one tiny wedge of the laughing cow cheese. you have to be careful and eat it very slow as the first time I tried it seemed to get stuck in my esphagous.... Now over two weeks post op i can tolerate it well.... The thing about eating Protein foods like eggs is that it keeps you stomach feeling full for longer...... than say the mashed potatoes. I have scrambled eggs or mini keish at least once a day. any more suggestions..... I drink the broth from any of the Healthy choice Soups if i want something hot but do not blend them as that counts for a meal and it doesn't keep you feeling full. I don't like plain chicken broth but will strain the solid items from the Soup and just drink the broth from a soup mug.... it's very satisfying. still having the sugar free popsicles too...... not all the time. But they help a lot to satisfy the need for something sweet.....and refreshing.

Wow this is hopeful.... I also had incontinence and had to wear briefs when i went out and I couldn't hold it that long if i had been out too long. I did notice that in the hospital I was able to always make it to the bathroom in time..... At home it seems to be the same now. I only had one incident now when i went out that i had some leakage when standing up walking into the house after being out a couple of hours...... it has seemed to improve. I wonder why??