JamieLogical

Over what period of time have you "gained" this 3 pounds? If it has just been a day or two, it's likely Water retention. A million things can make you retain water... sodium, carbs, hormones, dehydration....
If it's been more like 2-3 weeks, they that is some cause for concern. We would need to hear more about what you are eating/drinking and what your activity level is like to evaluate what might be the problem.

Over what period of time have you "gained" this 3 pounds? If it has just been a day or two, it's likely Water retention. A million things can make you retain water... sodium, carbs, hormones, dehydration....
If it's been more like 2-3 weeks, they that is some cause for concern. We would need to hear more about what you are eating/drinking and what your activity level is like to evaluate what might be the problem.

At 4 weeks out you are already exercising intensely enough to get dehydrated? I wasn't cleared for intense cardio until 60 days post-op. If you aren't physically able to drink enough to stay hydrated, then I would cut back on the exercise until you are. You might also consider something like G2 or Powerade Zero. They are both low-calorie, but have high sodium, so they can help re-hydrate better.

When it comes to faces, it does seem like a lot of us go through phases where we look a little sunken and sickly, but it does seem to even out eventually. Age seems to have a lot to do with it. For younger people, the skin and plumpness seem to bounce back eventually in maintenance. For older people, they can end up with some sagging skin in their neck and jowls.
But I will say the same thing about this as I do to the people who fear hair loss and loose skin... no one ever died from it. People die every single day from obesity-related illnesses!

When it comes to faces, it does seem like a lot of us go through phases where we look a little sunken and sickly, but it does seem to even out eventually. Age seems to have a lot to do with it. For younger people, the skin and plumpness seem to bounce back eventually in maintenance. For older people, they can end up with some sagging skin in their neck and jowls.
But I will say the same thing about this as I do to the people who fear hair loss and loose skin... no one ever died from it. People die every single day from obesity-related illnesses!

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that any damage my omeprazole might be doing to my kidneys is nothing compared to the damage my obesity was doing to my joints and pretty much ALL of my major organs...

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that any damage my omeprazole might be doing to my kidneys is nothing compared to the damage my obesity was doing to my joints and pretty much ALL of my major organs...

Gad you are healing up well! I can't say enough about how happy I am that I got my boobs done. They have served me well ever since!

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that any damage my omeprazole might be doing to my kidneys is nothing compared to the damage my obesity was doing to my joints and pretty much ALL of my major organs...

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that any damage my omeprazole might be doing to my kidneys is nothing compared to the damage my obesity was doing to my joints and pretty much ALL of my major organs...

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that any damage my omeprazole might be doing to my kidneys is nothing compared to the damage my obesity was doing to my joints and pretty much ALL of my major organs...

Many many people opt to self-pay for various reasons. In my case, my insurance required a documented BMI over 40 for five years. Well, I had managed to lose 90 pounds on my own a couple of years prior to researching surgery and had gradually gained it back. My BMI had just crept back up over 40 when I decided on surgery. I wasn't about to wait five more years at that BMI before having my VSG. I felt like the insurance requirement was punishing me for at least having *tried* to lose the weight without surgery.
You should check out the Mexico & Self-Pay forum here on BariatricPal:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/486-mexico-self-pay-weight-loss-surgery/

It's very normal to be nervous about the surgery and what life will be like post-op. I think all of us go through a mix of nervousness and excitement.
As for some good puree ideas, this site has some good recipes (especially the baked ricotta!):
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

I highly recommend you take some time to do your research of surgeons in Mexico if you decide to go that route. There are some excellent surgeons and facilities there, but just like in the US, there are also some hacks. My surgeon and facility was excellent, but more on the pricey side for Mexico. BariatricPal actually partners with a couple of surgeons in Mexico as well. The do the vetting and due diligence for you and offer competitive pricing. You can find out more about in the forum I linked you earlier.

Here's what my soft food diet looked like:
Breakfast: Protein shake
Morning Snack: String cheese
Lunch: scrambled egg or shredded meat (pulled chicken or tuna salad)
Afternoon Snack: Greek Yogurt
Dinner: same concept as lunch
Evening Snack: Protein Shake
In the very early stages I couldn't fit in the morning and afternoon Snacks, but I worked my way up to them.

Here's what my soft food diet looked like:
Breakfast: Protein shake
Morning Snack: String cheese
Lunch: scrambled egg or shredded meat (pulled chicken or tuna salad)
Afternoon Snack: Greek Yogurt
Dinner: same concept as lunch
Evening Snack: Protein Shake
In the very early stages I couldn't fit in the morning and afternoon Snacks, but I worked my way up to them.

@@sonkat5355 Everything you are describing really is completely normal. Pain in the chest when swallowing, fatigue, difficulty getting all your fluids... Almost all of us go through that. It will take 2-3 weeks for the esophageal contractions to ease up when swallowing. The fatigue lasted me until I was on soft foods and could get more calories in. For the fluids you really do have to sip, sip, sip ALL DAY long. Constantly be sipping. Marching in place made it a little easier for me, but it was tough. Does get a little easier every day, I promise.

Many many people opt to self-pay for various reasons. In my case, my insurance required a documented BMI over 40 for five years. Well, I had managed to lose 90 pounds on my own a couple of years prior to researching surgery and had gradually gained it back. My BMI had just crept back up over 40 when I decided on surgery. I wasn't about to wait five more years at that BMI before having my VSG. I felt like the insurance requirement was punishing me for at least having *tried* to lose the weight without surgery.
You should check out the Mexico & Self-Pay forum here on BariatricPal:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/486-mexico-self-pay-weight-loss-surgery/

Just posted this in another thread this morning:
It's important to remind yourself that you made the decision to have surgery when you were in a logical/rational state of mind. Last-minute jitters are common, but they are emotional and irrational. Don't let them deter you from following through on a decision that you made after a LONG period of research and reflection.

Actually, the no drinking 30 minutes before eating is really only an issue immediately post-op. Water moves through a fully healed sleeve in a matter of seconds. So if you drink even right up to the time you eat, the Water is out of the sleeve before any food gets to it. When people still have internal swelling, the water can be slower to move through the sleeve and can make people feel "full" preventing them from being able to eat their food. Thus the need to stop 30 minutes prior to eating.
The no drinking AFTER eating is critical though. Like @@Mooseknuckle said, it can flush the food through your sleeve faster or make you feel uncomfortably full because it can't get past the food that is already in your sleeve. It's a bad situation all around. I actually end up waiting closer to 40-45 minutes after eating most of the time just because I feel too full to drink any sooner than that, even at over 2 years post-op.
And I'd be remiss to not mention that you should never ever drink WHILE eating. That waters down the food and makes it pass through the sleeve more quickly, allowing you to eat more and eat around your restriction.

This one drives me CRAZY. I bet hundreds if not thousands of people DIE every year because the social stigma against WLS deterred them from getting life-saving surgery.
First of all, we all know there is nothing "easy" about WLS. It's weeks/months of misery and recovery and takes a lifetime of commitment and hard work.
Second of all, even if WLS was "easier" than doing it the "hard way", why is that a bad thing? As a society, don't we strive for efficiency? They are always coming up with ways of making every aspect of life quicker and easier. So why is "easy" bad?
Thirdly, it really seems to be a double-standard when it comes to WLS versus other medically necessary surgery. You never hear anyone saying that getting a knee replacement is the "easy way out". "They should just walk it off and fight through the pain." So why is getting surgery to correct other medical issues okay, but WLS is not?

Congratulations! Don't freak out if your weight loss stalls a bit in the next week or so. Almost all WLS patients experience a stall in their third week.

It really will get better day-by-day. In two weeks you will look back and not believe how much better you are doing. In the moment it feels like eternity, but it really does go quite quickly.

Mine definitely got better and less noticeable over time. You are still swollen and healing. If it's still happening at 3 MONTHS out, then you can start to worry it might never go away.

From a medical standpoint, there is definitely such a thing as "too skinny". A BMI of under 18.5 is considered "underweight" and puts your health at risk.
Some people also fear they may LOOK "too skinny" depending on their body type and weight distribution. But that's a much more subjective issue. For me, I feel uncomfortably skinny when I am under 160 pounds. I like having some curves and some muscle. Others are content to get much lower. It's an individual decision.