momohime

I follow the plan given to me by my NUT, which is eating 1/4 cup or 1 oz of food at a time for the first six months. I'm basically three months out and that's all I eat. Can I eat more? Yes. The thing is, just because I can doesn't mean I should. I drink two Protein shakes and eat twice, which ends up being about 75 grams of Protein and 500-600 calories a day. That's the calorie range my NUT gave me, although she was kinda noncommittal about it too. I haven't had any problems with hunger, aside from cravings/head hunger. Also, I still have issues with stomach acid even on Prevacid that feel like hunger pangs.. but once I learned to not confuse the two, I've done much better.

You will find people here who eat more or less than that, depending on their recommendations. You will lose weight if you're only eating 700 calories. You will also lose weight if you're eating 1200 calories. Obviously, one will be faster than the other.. Whatever you end up with, just make sure you're getting your protein in.

The biggest thing I notice about your post is the statement, "My stomach is letting me do it.." You've got to take some personal responsibility and not expect your sleeve to do all the work. Sometimes managing hunger isn't just a physical issue, it's a mental one too. Schedule another appointment with your nutritionist. Go talk with them, ask them questions, and make a plan. When you have a plan, you won't have to second guess yourself and will be much more confident in your choices!

Haven't heard of it as a common issue.. but the vagus nerve is super sensitive, so it doesn't seem too far out there. Even simple things like pooping (pardon my French) can cause a vagal response. I think symptoms of AFib usually include rapid heartbeat. Adding salt on top of that is only going to increase your BP and make things worse. Since your HR is slow, that's probably why salt is suggested. Salt will increase your blood volume/fluid, which should also increase your pulse. Even if your sodium levels were normal-high, it's less about that and more about keeping your heart beating at a higher rate than it is currently.

Also, dizzy spells when standing up could be because of orthostatic hypotension. When you stand or stretch, it can cause a temporary drop in BP which gives you a head rush kinda feeling!

It depends on what brand of Vitamins you get. My NUT told me chewables were the best because they were easily absorbed and suggested Celebrate brand. She gave me a sample and I thought they were pretty good, so I bought a huge container (3 month supply) of the multi-vitamins with Iron and the Calcium supplements for about $90. Those were the only Vitamins that I was told I needed. No extra Bs or anything like that, but depending on your lab work, you might need to adjust what you're taking. Anyway.. most bariatric vitamins are gonna be around $70-$90 for a 3 month supply. The most popular brands are probably Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage, so you can check out their websites to look at what's available for how much.

I would highly suggest NOT getting a huge container prior to surgery though. Get a small size and make sure you can take them before you commit to buying in bulk. I liked Celebrate before surgery, but after surgery I didn't tolerate them well at all. I tried taking them with food, with a shake, it didn't matter what I did.. They ALWAYS made me really nauseous and it got to the point where I was getting physically ill just thinking about taking them. I thought maybe pill form would be better for me and bought a small bottle of the same brand.. Nope. Still got sick. I finally switched to Flintstones and, while they're probably not the best and I still don't particularly care for them, they're better than nothing. At least they're cheaper, I guess.

Same for Protein shakes too, by the way. Don't buy big till you know you like them post-op. Your tastes can definitely change, especially after being on a PPI for a while.

I was given Prevacid and Zofran after surgery. The Prevacid came in capsules that I had to take apart and the Zofran was a disintegrating tablet. They both tasted horrid and I was never so happy as when I could actually take pills whole again. I think one of the worst parts was that the bitter taste just lingered in my mouth for a while, nothing could get rid of it.. soo gross! My pain med was a liquid though, which was your standard icky cherry medicine flavor. I don't think any of it is going to taste good exactly, but you can definitely call your prescribing MD to see if you can get a different formulation. Either that or just tough it out for a couple weeks till you can swallow pills whole. (I recommend the former.)

Honestly, I think using NSAIDs sparingly is probably ok. It's when you have a chronic condition and have to use them daily, like you usually do with arthritis, when it's probably best to use something aside from NSAIDs. While I didn't take them on a daily basis pre-op, I did take Aleve and Advil regularly for pain. When my surgeon did my sleeve, he said I had already started to develop gastritis. That's why I personally will not take NSAIDs anymore, although I wish I could just because they're so easy/readily available.

As far as being ok with the future and no NSAIDs, because so many of my immediate family members have arthritis I already knew there were alternatives for treatments other than NSAIDs. My grandmother, mom, and dad have osteoarthritis and my grandfather has ankylosing spondylitis. He takes second line treatments, which have worked well for him. I haven't developed arthritis... yet. I think the majority of my back pain is from poor posture and my stupid boobs. I'm hoping that losing weight and a possible breast reduction will prolong the inevitable for me.. but it was still a trade-off that I was willing to accept.

Arthritis runs in my family and that was one of my concerns with being unable to take NSAIDs in the future. Aside from topical NSAIDS, there are other types of medications used to treat arthritis including steroids, DMARDs, and TNF blockers. It's definitely worth it to talk with your MD about!

Crushing extended release medications is a really bad idea, so it's best to switch. My surgeon told me not to swallow pills whole for two weeks, but said that after that it was ok. I talked to my prescribing MD and she wrote for two weeks of a different version of the current medicines I was on. When I finished those, I just want back to my regular meds.

It would be in your best interest to talk to your surgeon/PCP about extended release medications though. Surgery might affect their absorption rate and efficacy. A lot of the time, like Kup said, they'll switch you to a different version of the same thing.

I was told by my surgeon to never use NSAIDs of any kind because of the potential to erode your stomach lining. Never, as in, do not use for the rest of my life. They even gave me a list with the names of all the meds I'm supposed to stay away from. I mostly used Aleve and Advil for pain, but have switched to Tylenol. Tylenol works ok for me for some things, but definitely not for others. I'm more than likely going to have to get a prescription Migraine medicine to deal with my headaches.

As with pretty much anything though, different surgeons recommend different things. Although it won't help your with your headache right now, you should definitely bring the subject up with your surgeon to get his opinion on the matter.

My cover story ended up being having my gallbladder removed. I never wanted to tell people about my sleeve, but I didn't purposefully want to straight up lie about something else either.. When I was initially asking my charge nurse about what I needed to do for my FMLA, one of my coworkers walked in and heard me say I was planning on having surgery. She caught me in the breakroom later and asked me what I was having done and in a moment of panic, that was what my brain came up with. Now I'm stuck with it... oh well. I guess it works.

For my FMLA, none of my managers needed to have a diagnosis or anything like that. I just had to tell them "surgery" and my MD sent in paperwork confirming how much time I needed off.

I only hope to have as much success and look as good as this lady: http://themeiamnow.blogspot.com/

Perhaps surgery is "not medically necessary" because you don't have a PCP of some sort to recommend surgery/validate your surgeon's recommendation. Or maybe you do, but their records aren't up to insurance standards. Insurance companies are generally not on your side and are sticklers for their requirements. My surgeon's office was very specific when they told me about doing my 6 months, down to even telling me how my GP was supposed to code my visits. Since you didn't meet the 6 month diet requirement, insurance could say no because.. well, they just can. I don't say this to bum you out or anything.. Honestly, I don't think it makes much sense either. I could totally be wrong, but don't lose hope yet! If that is the case, it may be possible for you to still do your 6 continuous months and still be approved for surgery. If your insurance won't cover your visits, you can usually talk with your PCP's office and arrange a self-pay option.

Either way, it sounds kinda like your surgeon's office dropped the ball a little bit by not clarifying anything with you. It also sounds like they were pretty certain you would be approved, otherwise why send you to the cardiologist.. I'm actually a little surprised they aren't working harder on getting your insurance to move forward. I was denied initially because I submitted pictures instead of 2 years worth of height/weight records. Once my claim went to an actual agent and not just through their automated system, I was approved.. so there's another possibility as well.

I think you might receive a denial letter from your insurance that might explain things better, but I would still call your surgeon's office to see if they can explain exactly why you were denied. You could also call your insurance company directly and ask them. I can't offer any advice other than that because that's as far as my experience goes, but I really hope you get everything worked out one way or another!

Scar tissue should break up over time. I've tried to massage my incision sites 2x a day and none of them feel hard under the skin anymore. I don't spend a lot of time doing it.. maybe a minute or two at the most for 5 incisions.

All you can do for a stall is keep on going. Some people will vary up their routine.. so if you're exercising 30 minutes a day, bump it up to 45 minutes. Or you can eat more/less calories and see if that makes a difference. Personally, I didn't make any changes because I didn't want to push myself too hard so soon after surgery. Apparently, a stall at 3 weeks or so in is super common.. so I wasn't too worried. I figure I'll use the aforementioned methods for the next stall I come to though.

I started losing again between week 4 & 5 and haven't stopped since. Including my stall and all, I've averaged about 20 pounds lost per month so far (I'm a little over 2 months out now) which I am still incredibly pleased with. Just stay on track and you will start losing again!

I weigh all my food before I eat so I never have to guess if it's too much. So far, doing that has worked out really well for me. I haven't been hungry either, although I do still have head hunger and weird cravings at times. I use a timer before/after to make sure I can start drinking again as soon as possible afterwards and that helps as well (although, it might be a bit anal!).

I did drink a Protein Shake too quickly one time and it was just a really uncomfortable feeling. It felt like something was stuck in my throat.. not like heartburn, but just like it wouldn't go down. I got nauseous and had to sit pretty still for a while until everything settled. It just.. was not a fun experience at all that I don't really care to repeat ever.

When stuff starts oozing out of your incisions, it's understandable to be concerned! It sounds pretty much like the typical type of drainage you'd expect to see after surgery though. Did you have a drain or no? I had a drain in for 24 hours after surgery and that's pretty much what the Fluid that came out looked like. After it was removed, the site seeped for a few days afterwards. They sent me home with tape and gauze and everything turned out fine. It even healed nicely. As long as the edges of your incisions stay together and the drainage isn't discolored (like green/yellow) or smelly, it's probably ok. Just follow your surgeon's advice!

If you're sick anyway, IV fluids probably aren't going to make you want to run out and Celebrate.. but they should make you feel a bit better. It's not an instant fix, they'll probably be given over the course of a few hours or so. Sometimes you feel crappy enough that you just know you need to go, no matter what they do or how long it'll take. Other times, it's not so clear. In those cases, it never hurts to call your MD and ask their opinion. I think that would be a good idea under the circumstances. Or if there's an urgent care around you that you could go to, that might be a good option too. Good luck and feel better!

My go to foods so far have been: scrambled eggs, tuna salad, chicken salad with high Protein cream cheese, deli meat, fat free cottage cheese with just enough spaghetti sauce mixed in to give it some flavor, pork tenderloin or pulled pork, light string cheese, grilled chicken, pintos and cheese, light greek yogurt, and of course.. protein bars/shakes.

I dunno.. Honestly, I would shop around for another surgeon. Requiring 50 pounds after he agreed you had a slow metabolism? Something doesn't seem right about that. While it's true that all surgeons are different and require different things, that really just sounds excessive. I wonder what his "requirements" would have been if you had agreed to the surgery of his choice.

You're doing great so far.. it just takes time. It took me 5 hours to finish my first Protein drink. That was a lot of fun.....
There were two things that helped me. For the first few days, I was in a recliner.. but getting up and down still hurt a little bit. I got a small pillow and used it to splint with whenever I had to do something that put tension on my incisions and it helped me a lot. Also good for coughing/sneezing/deep breathing and what have you. The other thing.. I had a big insulated cup that I kept ice Water in. I only had to fill it up twice to get in all the fluids I needed for that day. I had a 4 oz measuring cup that I would pour what I was actually going to drink in, twice an hour or so.. that way my Water would stay nice and cool, and I wouldn't have to stare at this big glass of water that I just knew was going to take me forever to finish. Might seem silly, but having a smaller glass made drinking easier. I still felt like I was CONSTANTLY having to drink something, but I didn't dread it as much and I could at least see my progress.

I guess too.. if you're still sore from surgery, don't be afraid to take something for pain. If you don't have any prescription medication left or when you run out, Tylenol children's fast melts are a pretty good choice early on. The kid's liquid Tylenol was horrible to me, but the fast melts weren't too bad..

Anyway.. just keep going! You just had surgery after all.. totally normal to be going at a snail's pace for a little while after that. You'll feel better every day though.. At two weeks out, I was pretty much back to doing whatever.. so you'll get there!

Well.. He doesn't get it, but that doesn't mean he can't be supportive.. In a certain sense, you are going to have to have some will power. Junk food isn't going to ever go away. The temptation will always be there. WLS doesn't prevent that. Expecting your husband to follow a strict diet isn't really realistic either. However, that doesn't mean he should just willfully eat junk in front of you..

The liquid diet part is the hardest to get through.. Even though I wasn't really hungry at all, I still had this desire to just chew on something real. Talk to your husband. Tell him it won't always be such a struggle, but you're only 10 days out and you need time to adjust. You just had surgery! They don't give you this time off for nothing. Use it to rest and recover! Hopefully, he can manage to be a little more understanding.. I would really suggest going on a cooking hiatus, at least until you can move on to solid foods. Your husband can fend for himself for a little while. When you can start eating small meals, start cooking healthy foods for you that your family will also enjoy. It's totally doable. If that's not enough for your husband, he's still got his stash that he can eat separately.

My SO isn't overweight either and still has fast food basically every day.. the smell is enticing, but at this point I also know how crappy I'd feel (physically and mentally) if I indulged in the same stuff. I still get random cravings for foods regardless of what he's eating. I'm learning to manage my head hunger though. One thing that helps me is telling myself that Taco Bell will still exist when I'm a healthy weight and staying away from it now is way more important to me than anything else at the moment.

Ugh.. I feel the same way. I just bought a gym membership.. I know I need to get started. I've never been in this particular one before and just the thought of everything being new just fills me with all this stupid anxiety.. I've always had issues with anxiety though, so I know for a fact that once I get that first step over with I'll be fine.. I've never felt like I was on display or being looked at funny or judged while at a gym. Still, I've been putting it off. I've been to other gyms before though and most of the machines are the same. I have to admit, they're actually kinda fun. Once you get the hang of it and feel comfortable going, I think you'll enjoy it. Cardio was the boring part for me, but seems like you have that covered since you have an amazing hubby that walks with you every evening!

I think getting a trainer would be a good idea too. They'll help you get acclimated to all the equipment and whatnot. Your first experience will also be much more personalized and it'll give you an idea of what you need to aim for with your gym routine. You can decide later if you want to continue with them or not.

Seven years ago, I was a size 6/8 which put me between 130 & 140 pounds. I was happy with that.. I'd be happy with that again. In all honesty though, I would really kinda like to get down to 110-120ish though. Not exactly cause I want to be that skinny forever.. but it seems like if I could get down that small, I'd have less fat to deal with and maybe my skin would shrink up more? That might just be hopeless, but ya know.. a girl can dream. After that though, I could just focus on working out, building muscle, and maintaining diet wise until I got to a size that looked curvy and fit. That's really my ultimate goal no matter what.

You're going to get positive and negative responses no matter what.. I didn't tell most people about my WLS, but just from my weight loss alone I've already gotten good comments and bad. I was really big and unhealthy before, so I kinda feel like everyone should be supportive and happy that I've lost weight.. that still doesn't stop some people though. In the span of one night at work, I had one co-worker tell me I looked amazing, my face and arms were so much skinnier, etc.. Then another one said I was pasty, my eyes looked sunken, and I didn't look like me anymore. I don't know why people do that.. but they do. You just gotta let that type of thing roll right off. Only you know what's best for you. This is your decision and you're doing what you feel is right. Screw everyone else that disapproves!

Honestly, it really sounds like something you should talk to your MD about. It might be diet related, which is affected by surgery.. but still, I don't think what you describe is a common post-op symptom.

Eating till you're stuffed can stretch your sleeve. It doesn't matter if what you're eating is healthy or not.

It's recommended to eat small meals every 3-5 hours, so if you're feeling hungry in that time period it doesn't necessarily mean it's because your stomach is bigger. I guess the most important question to be asking yourself is are you actually hungry or is it head hunger you're experiencing? I would really suggest measuring out your portions.. at 2 months out, you should still be satisfied with eating about 1 oz or 1/4 cup of food.

You've done great so far in losing the weight you have.. just stay on track and keep it up!

I had VSG, but still had to pay $600 up front that wasn't considered a co-pay and didn't count towards my deductible at all. Honestly though, I would have paid more and been happy. Yeah, it sucks.. but it's still so worth it.