Vabeachlady

I'm not sure if it is OK for you. If you are able to have cheese i would think it is OK if it isn't breaded.
I'm 4 months out and recently have been taking a jalapeno string cheese stick, wrapping it with a couple of slices of lunch meat and heating it in the microwave until the cheese melts. About 14 g of Protein total.

It's the little things that count! I can now:
-cross my legs. Don't do it often because it doesn't feel natural yet. :-)
-put on socks without being a contortionist to bring my feet up high enough to get then on,
-bend over and tie my shoes!
-walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator
Might be a little TMI on this one, but I can wipe front to back now and haven't been able to do that in years.
Finally feeling better after problems with dehydration and will start walking again. Life is getting better every day!

I just did it. It didn't seem to accept anything until I clicked that I'd like to receive emails. Then got a page to share on FB then ultimately got screen saying I'd get bar in 4-6 weeks. You may want to try again.

It's the little things that count! I can now:
-cross my legs. Don't do it often because it doesn't feel natural yet. :-)
-put on socks without being a contortionist to bring my feet up high enough to get then on,
-bend over and tie my shoes!
-walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator
Might be a little TMI on this one, but I can wipe front to back now and haven't been able to do that in years.
Finally feeling better after problems with dehydration and will start walking again. Life is getting better every day!

It's the little things that count! I can now:
-cross my legs. Don't do it often because it doesn't feel natural yet. :-)
-put on socks without being a contortionist to bring my feet up high enough to get then on,
-bend over and tie my shoes!
-walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator
Might be a little TMI on this one, but I can wipe front to back now and haven't been able to do that in years.
Finally feeling better after problems with dehydration and will start walking again. Life is getting better every day!

I slept in bed but had several pillows that propped me up like in a recliner. I had to sleep on my back for about a week. Getting up from the bed was a real bear!
Had a laparoscopic hysterectomy several years ago. The incisions were similar to my bypass incisions (just a bit lower). They were very helpful in telling me how to get out of bed without hurting myself. After I remembered that, it was much easier to get up. Here is a video I found tonight that might help you.

You need to find the Protein that works for you. Remember that Protein in and of itself has a flavor, when one says "unflavored" it means it's not had a flavor such as vanilla or chocolate added to it. You'll be drinking it for a while at this stage so experiment with several. If you go to a Vitamin store they typically sell single servings so you can try several. Also search this site, there is a listing somewhere of companies that will sent you "free of charge" a sample of their product. I wouldn't recommend too much meat at this stage. Even at 9+ months out I have a problem digesting it. Good luck.

It is difficult to get in the Protein in the beginning. I tried mixing in the powders by hand shaker. That didn't provide the proper consistency and as a result tasted very bad. I began using a Ninja (single serving) size blender. That mixed the powders well. It also gave me the chance to add other ingredients to the Protein shake. When you add a banana to the mix, it dramatically improved the taste of the Protein Shake.< /p>
There are a variety of Protein powders out there. The secret is finding one that taste the least offensive. For me that was Muscle Milk Light (vanilla Creme).
Another problem that I encountered was that immediately after surgery, I became lactose intolerant. So I could not rely on milk or milk products for protein. This condition went away after a couple months.

It's the little things that count! I can now:
-cross my legs. Don't do it often because it doesn't feel natural yet. :-)
-put on socks without being a contortionist to bring my feet up high enough to get then on,
-bend over and tie my shoes!
-walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator
Might be a little TMI on this one, but I can wipe front to back now and haven't been able to do that in years.
Finally feeling better after problems with dehydration and will start walking again. Life is getting better every day!

It's the little things that count! I can now:
-cross my legs. Don't do it often because it doesn't feel natural yet. :-)
-put on socks without being a contortionist to bring my feet up high enough to get then on,
-bend over and tie my shoes!
-walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator
Might be a little TMI on this one, but I can wipe front to back now and haven't been able to do that in years.
Finally feeling better after problems with dehydration and will start walking again. Life is getting better every day!

I shopped at Khols yesterday and bought size 24 jeans and before surgery I was only able to shop online. I started at 453 and now at 277.

Walking into a clothing store and being told your too small for our clothes we only carry size 16-32 . Even though the body is shrinking the brain has to catch up .

Thanks for the replies. The post was more of a rant than complaining. Again I stress I am thrilled I had the sleeve, I knew about some of what to expect, I knew my lifestyle choices would change. The main reason for the post was balance. I understand when you say you don't want to post the negative stuff, you just want the upbeat success stories and all that good stuff. All of that is great, it gives hope and promise however only posting the good stuff is not reality. People do not come here to get a "Disneyfied" version of WLS. I WANT to know all the shit people have to deal with. If every other post is a "I got out of surgery Tuesday, back to work Thurs and running a marathon by Sunday" .... It makes the vast majority feel like failures before they even begin. I want to urge people to post all your crap as well as the good stuff so this site can be more balanced than it currently is!

I can understand that you think most of us only post the good things. I'm one of those people because, rude as it sounds, whiny people annoy me so I try to spare others from my own complaining. In the end, I made the decision to get the sleeve, and as such, I own the consequences. Also, complaining about something never has really gotten me anywhere, so that may be the rationale behind why people tend to post more positive than negative.
So...for your list. chocolate and sweets make me insanely sick, but plain old boring ice cream is way easier to eat than Protein. At 15 months out, I still can't choke down more than 1/3 of a chicken sandwich and sometimes this makes me very annoyed. I am not hungry fortunately, however I do get head hungry occassionally and I find myself munching away on things I shouldn't eat. Yes, the same food gets boring...but there are a lot of ways to switch it up. Honestly, I like being skinny more than I like exciting food, but at the same time I've found ways to eat a pretty big variety of food as long as I don't get too crazy (Peruvian ceviche put me on a 6 hour puking bender that I will never do again). Yes, Protein bars and shakes are gross- I don't eat or drink them and I never have. My goal is to try this more often though in the future...go check out the post "Does anyone actually like their Protein Drink?" I posted that the other day and people gave me excellent suggestions.
My breath doesn't stink and once you move into solid foods, yours won't either. Use a toungue scraper until then. A big reason your breath stinks now is because you don't have the mechanical act of chewing things that scrape your toungue and eliminate the bad breath. That part will improve once you get to go to normal foods. Nope, you don't lose weight that quickly, but if you stick with it, you will eventually get to goal. It's a basic process of math- more calories out (exercise and just the process of living) and less calories in (which is what your sleeve is for).
Yes, sometimes I wish I could really sit down and enjoy a good hearty meal. Then I think about the fact that the size 4 dress I'm wearing fits me beautifully and I like the way I look in mirrors now. I can have a few bites of whatever I want and then I am full. The volume of food I gave up has given me the life I had given up on before, and I can still eat whatever I want to, just in smaller portions. I would say that is a fair trade.
So you're right...sometimes it seems like everyone here is sunshine and daisies, but at least for me it's because I choose to own the decision I made to have surgery and I recognize that complaining about it does me no good. I am very happy with my sleeve decision and while it comes at a cost, the reward for me has been more than worth the aggravation.
In a few weeks you will start to have normal food and a year from now you will most likely be ecstatic with your decision. Like anything in life, that which is most awesome, is not that which is handed to you on a silver platter. Your silver platter right now has mushy food on it...this time next year it will have a few nice bites of good food and you will be eating off that platter wearing something you could only dream about now. Enjoy the process....I promise, it will all be worth it in the end.

I've been having lots of nausea since my surgery. I'm not over eating but am having a really hard time getting Protein and liquids down, it makes the nausea worse. I'm wondering now if it has to do with the hiatal hernia repair that was done during my surgery.
The dr. said I didn't need medicine for GERD because I wasn't having symptoms. I'm now thinking that what I have been thinking was nausea might actually be GERD presenting itself a little differently. I'm not having reflux just the horrible nausea.
Anyone have issues with "nausea" after having hiatal hernia repair? What did you do?

I'm so glad you cleared that up! I was very.worried about you. I should have figured that out on my own. I couldn't stand Protein either. It's very hard to get enough in. To this day I have to make myself get enough in. I'm sorry that you are having the same issue. The Protein Shakes seem to really
upset the stomach after surgery. I am glad you feel a little better. Do you think you went back to work to soon? If you feel like a nap, then take one. Your body heals while you are asleep. Maybe your doctor can give you a note for another week or two. I think you need more time to recover. Also, you did a great job of weight loss before surgery! Just wait until you see what you can do now! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Maggie0210

Don't you want to slap someone when they say this regarding our WLS??
There is NOTHING easy about what we have done. Not only have we had our guts rearranged but eating, as we knew it for our entire life, has changed. We have made the ultimate sacrifice and will continue to do so for continued success. I have had people tell me this, and the others tell me they could never do what I have done because they are not ready to give up the old way of eating. We still have to count our calories, get exercise, make wise choices etc.
I have a sister that I finally told about 7 months out. She has just lost 30 lbs, and commented to me that she "did it the old fashioned way".
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Precisely why I told so few people.

So a little update I s'pose.
I was finally able to get up the courage to do something progressive. I went to a free WLS seminar held by our hospital. I felt like a moron because I showed up the first time on the wrong day and ended up having to wait 2 weeks over the holiday season for the next one... But it was worth meeting all the amazing people there and also comforting to find out the surgeons have had 0 deaths in the 10+ years they've been doing WLS.

Anywho, the seminar really helped my subdue my nerves since they provided everyone with a to-do list (which is what I need in order to get ANYTHING done, ever.)

So on friday I have an appointment to talk to my doctor about having surgery, and to check up on my H. Pylori and see if it's gone now (which when I went to my first meet and greet appointment with my new doctor, we discovered the H. Pylori and began treatment.)
And then our hospital also requires you take 8 classes before considering you for the surgery, so I was signed up for my first one while at the seminar.

So I feel like I'm finally on some sort of path in the right direction. I hope this keeps up.

I had one before surgery, one the next morning then injections at home for 7 days. Was really worried about doing them, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I may call tomorrow. Thanks.

Had surgery 12/1 and got to go home the next day. I've had no problem getting liquids down, can even tolerate the Protein. Problem is the pain. I've had several abdominal surgeries before but this one takes the cake. I used the hydrocodone Acetaminophen elixir as often as I could until yesterday. My tongue got sore and swollen. Read that was a side effect so I stopped it. Today my throat is very sore and it hurts to swallow. Even Water. Abdominal pain is maybe a 3 out of 10 until I move, then probably a 5-6.

Top that off with my abdomen being SO swollen that sweat pants I wore for a surgery 4 years ago (at my largest size) are so snug I don't have to even tie them.

Thanks for the comments. It's interesting that some surgeons have their patients use blood thinners and some don't. I'm not afraid of it hurting...afraid of just doing it. If I watch needle when I get a shot or give blood, or even watch someone else, I get very faint.
Good advice on the pain meds. Surgery nurse said essentially the same thing. I know everyone is different in pain tolerance, how long did you need pain meds?

Two days and a wake-up! Excited and scared but oh so ready!

I'm still pre-op (surgery on 12/10) I made it through fixing the meal with no problems. I even made it through the eating of the meal (I had a half cup of green Beans and a Protein shake). It was afterwards that I ran into problems. I walked into the kitchen to clean up afterwards and just turned around and walked back out. Told my husband that I just couldn't handle all that food. He had everyone fix a plate of leftovers to put in the fridge for dinner and then proceeded to put up the rest of the food and then washed all the dishes! I really love that man! ????

Great job restraining yourself. I totally caved and had a bite of homemade macaroni and cheese (the dish I was requested to prepare)