3Pugaliers

A back scratcher!! The pain meds always make me itch so I packed a back scratcher and was so glad I did. It was a life saver. And I totally agree with @Creekimp13 about the Biotene. My doc told me to pack this and it was also a lifesaver. Those 2 little items really made a big difference in my level of comfort while recovering from the surgery.

Best wishes. This surgery is the best thing I have ever done. You will be glad you did it!

One thing that I have not seen anyone else mention... I had terrible nausea and also wondered "what have I done???". When the zofran and other anti-nausea meds didn't work, my doc ran some tests and I ended up having my gallbladder removed. My sleeve was in September 2o14 and the gallbladder was removed in December. So it took about 3 months to figure it out but once the gallbladder was removed, the nausea was immediately gone. Since then I have lost 110 lbs and never looked back. Best thing I have ever done for myself!!

It's worth asking your doc about. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Hi all.... Just checking in with the September 2014 Sleevers. Today is my 2 year anniversary!! I lost 110 pounds total and have maintained that for over a year now. Living at 120 everyday feels GREAT! Having this surgery is truly on of the best decisions I have ever made. It has been life changing.

Sending out love to you all!!

It is so exciting to see everyone doing so well! I was sleeved on 9/30 and have lost 103. I have been in maintenance for about 2 months now and I'm loving this decision. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

My best advice for making the hospital stay more comfortable is to pack a back scratcher and some Biotene dry mouth spray. The pain meds make me itchy so my back scratcher was a life saver. And after surgery you can't eat or drink anything so your mouth will be unbearably dry! My doc let me use Biotene dry mouth spray.

The 20 oz. Gladiator only has 1 carb, 0 sugar and 45 grams of Protein at 180 calories if you don't add the 2 fruits that are optional. I have a 20 oz. strawberry Gladiator every single day! It is the only way i can get all my Protein in. I'm about 6.5 months post op. I just found these and started this about 2 weeks ago. I cannot tell you how much better i feel every day since I have added these smoothies to my daily routine. They have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry Gladiators. I have tried all three but like the strawberry the best by far.

I had three different gallbladder tests which all came back normal. But we eventually removed the gallbladder anyway because nothing else seemed to make sense. The report back from pathology after it was removed was that my gallbladder showed signs of chronic inflammation, had stones (which didn't show up on the sono), and had a benign tumor inside. After having it removed the nausea and vomiting greatly improved. I am 6 months out and still have some "episodes" but nothing like before I had my gallbladder removed. The moral of my story is that "normal" gallbladder tests don't mean that there is nothing wrong with your gallbladder. I'm thankful that I had a doctor that was willing to believe me and my symptoms over the test results.

Has anyone tried any spray Vitamins? I get "sick" feeling with chewables and liquids. So I was wondering if any of you have tried the spray vitamins and what you think of them?

I was sleeved on Sept. 30. I am down 85 pounds today. I've had a couple of short stalls but nothing that had me worried. But I can still barely eat anything. I can't even eat a whole egg at once. I'm getting about 35 gms of Protein a day and around 500 calories. I'm 5 months out and feel like I should be doing better than that by now. But I'm so thankful for the weight loss.

I was going to mention Biotine mouth spray but someone else has already covered that. I strongly recommend it.

The only other thing that I would add that hasn't been mentioned already is to bring one of those little wooden backscratchers. The pain meds made me itch and my husband brought me a backscratcher....it was a life saver. Nothing worse than trying to rest and recover only to have an itch that you can't scratch. My backscratcher came in really handy!

Get a new PCP. You need to surround yourself with supportive people that won't derail your success.

Hey Sept 30 sleevers! How is everyone doing? Excited to be starting a new year and a new life? I know I am. Two weeks ago I did have my gallbladder out and it has made all the difference. I feel 100% better. I'm no longer nauseous 24/7.

I would love to hear how you all are doing and how much you are able to eat at this point. I can still only eat about 3 or 4 bites of food before I'm full.

The doc says I can eat whatever I want at this point but I find I cannot tolerate salads. I miss salad. What foods are you guys having trouble tolerating if any?

Happy New Year to you all!

Hi all.... Wondering if any of you had your gallbladder out after the sleeve? I am having my gallbladder out on Dec. 23. All of the tests came back normal but I have such intense nausea that I am still not really eating anything and I am almost 12 weeks post op at this time. We believe the bile from the gallbladder is refluxing back into my stomach. My surgeon would like to see me eating something at this point. So we are taking it out to see if it will take care of the nausea. Hope so!!

I have fibro and neuropathy..along with several other non muscular illnesses...i had my surgery Sept 23. 2014 have lost 50 lbs to date.. i have reduced my pain meds some but still have my flares.. one thing is the fibro fog..seems worse post sleeve...

Great job on the weight loss!! I would agree that the fibro fog seems worse after the sleeve. But I still think everything will improve over time.

The stall is over! Yay! The scale has moved the past two mornings.

@@3Pugaliers I've had a rough couple weeks myself. Started on soft food and as of yesterday have transitioned to full foods (I can have salad and carrots...but I'm scared to. lol). For me the struggle has been not constantly watching the scale and not being disapointed that it's not moving faster.

I know the biggest problem is exercise. I really have to get disciplined about that...and discipline has never been my strong point.

Sorry to hear about your hospital visit. What did the doctor have to say? Did you get your gall bladder out?

No gallbladder out yet. Having another test run next week. The sonogram was inconclusive.

But I am really with you on the scale thing. I have stalled and it has been 2 weeks since the scale has moved. That is very discouraging. but everyone on this site keeps saying that its just a stall and the scale will move again so I'm holding out all hope for that.

I have started eating a little food. And it is actually making me feel a little bit better I believe. I am totally scared of the raw veggies too! But I miss a good salad so much.

With the fibro, i don't exercise much at all. It's just to exhausting for me. So my weight loss is goign to have to come mainly thru the food choices I make.

Ha... i just looked at your ticker and we both have exactly 51 pounds to go! How are you feeling? I'm really tired still but again, it seems to be getting just a little better each day. Hang in there girl and I will too!

Hoping for the next few weeks. I'm very nervous about a flare up, too.

How soon after surgery did you start *any* type of exercise, like walking, Water aerobics, etc?

I have not really started any exercise yet. I am 6 weeks post-op today. I do feel a little better each day. But i really thought i would have more improvement in how I feel by now. The weight loss is going well (40 lbs so far) but the feeling better is taking a little longer than i thought it would. But I do improve a little bit each day.

A 3 alarm flare up is a pretty accurate description! But I know it will pass. So I hang in there. Actually I felt great in the hospital and a week or so post op (great pain meds). Good luck with your surgery. I don't regret my decision for one minute.

Yes i do have fibromyalgia. i have been looking for someone else that has fibro to go thru this with. I am a little over 5 weeks out and have lost 39 pounds. And although I believe it will all get better, I am having a really hard time post op. I am beyond exhausted and have not managed to work a full week yet since the surgery. I am having pain in my right side and have been having tests run...of course everything comes back "normal" (as it always does with fibro patients). I don't think I have lost enough and recovered enough to start feeling the benefits of having more energy and less pain. But that is certainly my hope and one of the biggest reasons I had the surgery. It has been tough for me so far but I am really hoping that it pays off in the long run.

Sept 30 Sleevers.....Has anyone had a stall yet? i am having my first stall and it is really hard not to get discouraged. As soon as i introduced foods and stopped being on a full liquid diet, i quit losing. I'm considering gong back on liquids only but I can't do that forever!

Lol... Love the elbow story @@PartOfMyCharm!! There are so many changes that we never expect! I've had a rough couple of weeks. I spent one night last week in the ER getting 2 liters of IV Fluid. And tomorrow I am going in for some tests because I can't get my liquids down due to severe constant nausea and I have a pain in my upper right abdomen. The doc suspects I may need to have my gallbladder removed. I haven't even started soft foods yet. Still on liquids only. But even with all that, I am so glad I had the surgery. I can see good things coming down the road. So I'm just hanging in there.

3Pugaliers have you talked to your doctor about the nausea? They should be able to prescribe some anti-nausea meds for you. Hope you feel better soon.

Summer

Yes I have been taking a nausea prescription every 4 hours but sleeping upright has seemed to help more than the meds. I am feeling a little better each day though. Thanks!!

I wished I had planned for more time off work. I was off the week of surgery. The following week I worked from home and this week I am back in the office. Honestly I need one more week I think to be feeling good enough to be back at work. I'm having severe nausea and it is a real struggle to get ready for work each morning. I have started sleeping upright in a recliner with a neck pillow to hold my head up and that seems to be helping with the nausea. But again, I wished I had more time off to let my body rest and heal.

Absolutely this happened to me! I was so bummed. My surgery was on the 30th and I came home from the hospital 8 pounds heavier than when I went in. It is all of the IV fluids that they pump in you. When I got home I dropped that and then some. I am 1 week and 2 days post op and have lost 20 pounds total to date. So don't fret, I did and it was nothing to fret over.