JamieLogical

Did he give you any advice about what to eat/drink before and after? Edit: Actually, this seems like a question I should ask my nutritionist. I'll shoot her an email!

I would advise getting used to putting protein first with all of your meals now. That's something that will take some getting used to. And start getting creative with your protein options, because chicken at every meal will get old fast! Now is a great time to experiment with recipes and different food preparations. Also, it's a great time to start getting more active, even if it's just walking. Everything you can do NOW to improve your health will just make your surgery that much safer and more successful.

The one I really loved was being able to go on all the rides with my nephews when we went to Dollywood this spring! I'd gone there in spring of 2014 and could only fit on ONE of the roller coasters.

Could you buy a new refillable bottle somewhere? Luckily (?) for me, I was addicted to Water LONG before my surgery, so I have practically had me water bottle super glued to my hand for years. I never leave home without it. Seriously.... I take it in my car with me even if I'm just running to the grocery store! It's been to three different countries and about twenty states with me! You will definitely get more in tha habit of having yours with you and you definitely won't forget on your next vacation!

Don't panic. Self-diagnosing on the internet is a slippery slope! Definitely talk to your doctor, but wait for a real diagnosis. Hopefully you can get it figured out!

My sister and her 4 kids are staying with me. They range in age from 2 to 9. I eat less than the 2 year old for dinner most nights! Last night we had "make-your-own" subs. They all had rolls, deli meat, cheese, onions, avocado, lettuce, tomato, etc. I just had a little roll-up of a couple slices of deli meat, two slices of cheese, and some mustard.

I am technically allowed to drink 20 minutes after eating, but I usually have to wait at least 40. I am just SO full from the food that it takes that long for my stomach to empty enough for the water to fit. I assume there wasn't any sugar in that tea you were drinking? PS: 110 grams of chicken plus two egg rolls sounds like a LOT to me. I can usually only do about 4 ounces (112 grams) of chicken and nothing else in one sitting and I'm 11 months post-op. But since you are male, you might have a slightly larger sleeve than me.

@@Ravend26 I think the VAST majority of us have been where you are. I've lost and regained hundreds of pounds over the years. The best I did was 90 pounds in one year, but then I lost and regained and lost and regained all the way back up to within 10 pounds of my starting weight by the time I finally decided to have WLS. You have to make the decision that is best for YOU and filter out all the noise. The decision to have surgery is between you and your doctors.

Before my sleeve, I used to donate blood pretty regularly. I had this whole routine of drinking a bottle of apple juice and eating some pop-tarts before hand in order to be well hydrated and make sure my blood sugar wasn't low. I decided I would wait until I was 12 months post-op before donating blood again and that is about a month away now. The Red Cross calls me a couple of times a week wanting to schedule an appointment, so I am thinking the next time they call, I'd like to schedule something for September. I'm a little worried about not being able to get enough calories/sugar in before and after donating now that I've been sleeved. For one thing, I hardly ever have sugar anymore and I'm worried trying to load up on it before I donate might actually make me a little sick. Has anyone donated blood post-op? If so, what did you do to prepare and recover?

Looks like I'll actually be able to contribute to this one before it fills up! Will do it on my lunch break when I have access to my credit card! I am so happy to see some real action finally being taken, so that these people can maybe find some peace and future victims can be spared!

I think you are MUCH better off until you are done losing weight and have maintained for at least a couple of months. Some recommend a year of maintenance, but I think 4-6 months would probably be adequate. I had breast lift with augmentation after losing 90 pounds a few years ago. I since regained 80 of that, ultimately got sleeved, and now I am below the weight I'd been at when I got them done. The weight regain and loss definitely took a bit of a toll on the lift part. They are saggier again now than I would like them to be and I'm considering a revision. In any case, my point is that it's best to be at a stable weight, because additional weight loss or gain after the procedure can effect your long-term results.

I agree with @@vincereautmori that talking to your PCP should be your first step. Also, try to find out what your insurance might or might not cover. The reason I chose to go to Mexico for my surgery was that my insurance only covers WLS if you have a documented BMI of 40+ for five years. I had lost 90 pounds "on my own" back in 2010/2011 and gradually re-gained, re-lost, re-gained, and re-lost my way back up to within 10 pounds of my highest weight. But since it took me a while to get all the way back up there, my BMI had been well under 40 for big chunks of the past 5 years. I didn't want to have to stay fat for another 4-5 years just to have my health insurance pay for my WLS, so I opted to self-pay and spend that 4-5 years at a healthy weight instead! PS: OCC is a surgical center.

You should be! That stuff is seriously addictive and hard to kick!

Have you talked to your surgeon? I would guess that would be the first step.

I don't have a full body progress pic from recently, but here is a pic of my husband and me at Niagara Falls this past weekend, versus a picture of us a few years ago with both of us at our heaviest. He's lost about 50 pounds since then, just through diet and exercise and I'm at a little over 100 pounds lost (67 post-sleeve):

I have progress pics in my gallery. I haven't taken a new batch because I'm so close to goal now that I just keep telling myself, "might as well wait until I'm at goal".

That would probably defeat the whole purpose! I'm guessing they are missing the crunch of crackers and the ability to CHEW some food. I know I missed that a lot during MY liquid phases! Fear not! You will at least get to do some chewing when you are on to soft foods. Hang in there! As for crunch, I wasn't allowed anything crunchy until THREE MONTHS post-op. That was brutal.

I had my surgery with Dr. Ariel Ortiz of Obesity Control Center (OCC) in Tijuana and I was happy with my decision, but there are a LOT of great surgeons in Tijuana, so it's best to do your research and find the one that best suits your needs. BariatricPal is actually affiliated with several surgeons in Tijuana, offering a range of prices and services. Definitely think about whether you would prefer to have your surgery in a hospital or in a surgical center. Also think about what your budget range might be. And remember to factor in travel expenses in your budget.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will have to check into this Zero Water. I had no idea this was available. This is the thing I saw at Costco. Don't remember off-hand how much it cost there, but I would imagine it was close to Amazon's price. One thing I though was kind of cool about it was that it included the little water testing meter thingy: http://www.amazon.com/ZeroWater-ZD-018-23-Cup-Dispenser-Filtration/dp/B003QXM3U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438890502&sr=8-1&keywords=zerowater+water+filter

@@ssflbelle What about just getting a filter pitcher for your water? My water is filtered through my fridge with a PUR filter, but I've used those pitchers in the past and they seem to do pretty well making tap water palatable. I recently say a commercial for Zero Water (I think?) that's even more filtered than PUR or Brita. Saw one at my Costco and thought about getting it for my parents since their tap water is terrible, but I haven't actually tried it yet.

I was in the exact same boat as you post-op. I wondered if/when I would ever feel "normal" again. It was the main question I asked and sought answers for on these forums. I would say that I started feeling a little better once I was allowed soft foods at 18 days post-op. I was NOT feeling normal yet when I went back to work at 15 days post-op. I felt very fatigued all of the time at that point. By about a month out I was doing a lot better, but still struggling from time to time. Then once I was allowed solid foods, it was quite the learning experience to figure out what and how much I could eat. So it's baby steps back to "normal" or at least a new normal. There will be a lot of adapting and adjusting, both physically and emotionally. Hang in there! Patience is your best friend in these next few months!

I think that once you are healed up from the surgery, carbonation is probably okay if it doesn't cause you gas/discomfort. But like others have said, soda is terrible for you and we all conceivably got WLS to become healthier, so if you can use this opportunity to kick your soda habit, you will be just one step closer to your ultimate health goal.

I had breast lift with augmentation after losing 90 pounds a few years ago and I have zero regrets as well. One of the best things I ever did for myself!

Once your hair starts falling out, there is little you can do to stop it. It's falling out NOW due to things that happened MONTHS ago. It's very common to lose hair post-op. Anesthesia, low protein intake, and rapid weight loss all cause hair loss. As a WLS patient, you've had all three of those, so it's a triple whammy! The good news is, if you were diligent about getting your protein and vitamins in early on post-op, the hair loss should be brief and minimal. Mine lasted about a month and a half.

I cut out caffeine during my pre-op diet, because I knew I wouldn't be allowed to have any for 30 days post-op, so I wanted to not be dealing with caffeine withdrawal at the same time I was recovering from the surgery. I obviously haven't drank any soda post-op, but I was literally counting down the days until I was allowed my coffee again on day 30!