bewell

I'm about 4 weeks postop and still on purred liquids and a few mushies. I'm pretty new to this obviously but I think it is very individual. Some eat right away, some are on liquids for 4 weeks.
I tried mushy foods at 2.5 weeks and kept vomiting it right back up. And then, since I irritated my new tiny stomach I started vomiting liquids. I had to re-group, go back to liquids, and start all over.
My doc said if I vomit or get real naseaous it is one of 3 things.
Ate too fast
Ate too much
Introduced a food too soon.
When they say stop eating at the 1st sign of fullness they were right. A few times I think I ate a few bites more and it all came back up immediately.
Being a slow learner, now I take a small sip or bite, wait and see how it feels. Then try another and wait. And now I stop long before I feel full. I can always eat a little more later. The amount of mushy food I can eat is very little. A few table spoons, bite-wait. Bite-wait, can take 10+ minutes to eat. So WEIRD compared to the huge amount I used to inhale! It is so different.

I'm about 4 weeks postop and still on purred liquids and a few mushies. I'm pretty new to this obviously but I think it is very individual. Some eat right away, some are on liquids for 4 weeks.
I tried mushy foods at 2.5 weeks and kept vomiting it right back up. And then, since I irritated my new tiny stomach I started vomiting liquids. I had to re-group, go back to liquids, and start all over.
My doc said if I vomit or get real naseaous it is one of 3 things.
Ate too fast
Ate too much
Introduced a food too soon.
When they say stop eating at the 1st sign of fullness they were right. A few times I think I ate a few bites more and it all came back up immediately.
Being a slow learner, now I take a small sip or bite, wait and see how it feels. Then try another and wait. And now I stop long before I feel full. I can always eat a little more later. The amount of mushy food I can eat is very little. A few table spoons, bite-wait. Bite-wait, can take 10+ minutes to eat. So WEIRD compared to the huge amount I used to inhale! It is so different.

cowgirljane, thank you for your direct and tell-it-like-it-is personal experience.
I'm 63 yrs old and FOR ME that delusional thinking that I can do this surgery AND NOT change my life style and attitude with food is just the crazy attitude that I've done all my life and got me where I was today, morbidly obese and unhealthy.
This is my last chance and I have to be serious, very serious about how I live my life from now on. My attitude with food, my asking for what I need from family/friends which includes avoiding food vacations or illiminating some foods around that are my downfall, and avoiding food fests. I have to do it, especially the first year or so until I reach my goal weight AND can maintain it. (How many just go right back up? I did many, many times.)
I won't be perfect, I know I'll sometimes challenge what or how much I eat but come on, I know what sets me off. I know what food or activity puts me on a downward spiral of cravings. I know what these situations and foods are, so why in the world would I play with the fire I KNOW will burn me, consume me and eventually kill me.

cowgirljane, thank you for your direct and tell-it-like-it-is personal experience.
I'm 63 yrs old and FOR ME that delusional thinking that I can do this surgery AND NOT change my life style and attitude with food is just the crazy attitude that I've done all my life and got me where I was today, morbidly obese and unhealthy.
This is my last chance and I have to be serious, very serious about how I live my life from now on. My attitude with food, my asking for what I need from family/friends which includes avoiding food vacations or illiminating some foods around that are my downfall, and avoiding food fests. I have to do it, especially the first year or so until I reach my goal weight AND can maintain it. (How many just go right back up? I did many, many times.)
I won't be perfect, I know I'll sometimes challenge what or how much I eat but come on, I know what sets me off. I know what food or activity puts me on a downward spiral of cravings. I know what these situations and foods are, so why in the world would I play with the fire I KNOW will burn me, consume me and eventually kill me.

Hi;
I know exactly how you are feeling. No one really knows unless they go through it all. They can show compassion but they don't know really! We are groomed to think that it is going to be a piece of cake ( sorry ) And to a lot it is. But some of us like you like me and some others on here and people I have had experience with have to see things in a different way.
We have to look at everything moment to moment. Day to day, week to week and believe and trust the team that got us this far. Talking to those who have had complications is a way to see that you are not alone. I am out almost 2 years outand still suffer from complications. But I take it one thing at a time. I also concentrate on why I did this and like you said you were healthy. I was too sorta. But I knew it would not be long before I was not.
When the complications started I was unaware of anything much until I came out of a 19 day coma. Then the battle really began. Each day I feel a little different and a little better. Each day I do not second guess why I did this because I already knew why I did this. ( To live a better healthier life style and be around for my grand daughter
It did not go the way I dreamed it would and although the surgeon made me say I could die from this surgery I really did not believe it. Hind sight is 20/20 for us all.
My advice to you if I can give it is to not look at the big picture. Handle it one day at a time. Write down the reasons you chose to do this for you and your family and mark all the changes good that happen to you as you travel this rocky road to fitness and health.
This Wed. I have yet another scope and they want to see if my abscess is healed over from the ulcer and leak I got at 18 months out. Here is hoping for good news.
The million dollar question is whether I would do this again and the answer is yes!!!!!!!!! My life has changes for the better even with all the complications. I can go anywhere. Do anything. Walk for hours and stand for ever. I can sit in a plane seat and don't have to use the big wheel chair at the hospital. i can bend down and tie my own shoes and hold my grand daughter so tight to me that she says I squeeze her too tight....I love it.
I would not trade it for anything. Saying that does not help the moment you are in right now. Right now you are frightened and scared and worried for you and for your loved ones. I understand that all to well. But I want you to know that this is going to make you a different person. Not only in health but also personally it will change you and make you a more tolerant and caring person. You will reach out to others and help them understand that you had to do this no matter the cost. You have not lost your life over it. Others have you know. That does not make it easier but it does help. You see that you are still alive and closer to the goals you set for yourself.
You must be your own champion and do research on what they are going to do next. Ask questions, hundreds of them if you need to until you feel safer.
You will get better and this will pass. But you must calm yourself and let it happen so that you can feel the differences as they happen. Cry if you must but you have to pick your attitude back up. Way up as that is 50 percent of the chance of improvement.
If you need to talk to me. PM me and we can make arrangements. I have done this before for other people on this forum. I am not saying I have all the answers but I know where you are and where you are coming from. We can talk whenever you want.
Jane
hug your fiance tight and tell him this is going to be a bumpy ride but worth it okay!

Not sure who's yelling at who. Those who get their knickers in a knot ... yawn. Skip what you don't like and carry on.
Anyway, back to the topic ...
I, too, was in NOLA last week. Good times.
I am addicted to My Fitness Pal. But even MFP doesn't have calories for a few dishes I sampled last week in amazing restaurants (!!!). So for the first time in 5-1/2 months I couldn't fill out MFP meals on a couple of days.
However, I did pretty much what @@CowgirlJane and others suggested -- I ate Protein first, ate very small amounts of luscious amounts of things I knew I could never find on MFP, and did not overdrink. And I even had a beignet and cafe' au lait at Cafe du Monde. BTW, a Cafe du Monde beignet actually is listed in MFP. I think it's only 175 calories.
Oh ... and this morning (Monday morning) when I did my weekly weigh-in I had lost 1.8 pounds last week. Huzzah!
I also did a LOT of walking all over town, including Audubon Park. That's the great thing about active vacations -- you can get a lot of exercise in. And just because it's there doesn't mean you have to eat it. Or overeat it.
No sure the above means I'm a self-righteous dieting Nazi or someone who sinned with beignets.
LOL!

I started mushies a week ago and had to go back on pured food. I was so anxious to eat some sort of real food, I ate too much, too fast. I vomited a few times after only a few bites of mushed cottage cheese or mushed refried Beans. The vomiting set me back cuz then I was nauseated and my stomach irritated. Even vomited brushing my teeth.
From my experience, take it slow, really slow. Eat a small bite, think baby spoon full, mush it in your mouth even more and swallow a little bit. Let that sit in your new small stomach for a minute then try another small bite.
I am now back with mushies but limited. And only a few tablespoons at a time and it takes 15 min to eat that. I eat from this really small bowl and use a baby spoon. I know, I know I heard that all before I had the surgery but guess I didn't believe that meant ME! 15 minutes to eat a few tablespoons of mushed up food. I could have just inhaled that pre-surgery along with a lot of other food. Well, they were right.
So my suggestion to you, don't make my mistake, take your time and go slow. Try one new food at a time.

cowgirljane, thank you for your direct and tell-it-like-it-is personal experience.
I'm 63 yrs old and FOR ME that delusional thinking that I can do this surgery AND NOT change my life style and attitude with food is just the crazy attitude that I've done all my life and got me where I was today, morbidly obese and unhealthy.
This is my last chance and I have to be serious, very serious about how I live my life from now on. My attitude with food, my asking for what I need from family/friends which includes avoiding food vacations or illiminating some foods around that are my downfall, and avoiding food fests. I have to do it, especially the first year or so until I reach my goal weight AND can maintain it. (How many just go right back up? I did many, many times.)
I won't be perfect, I know I'll sometimes challenge what or how much I eat but come on, I know what sets me off. I know what food or activity puts me on a downward spiral of cravings. I know what these situations and foods are, so why in the world would I play with the fire I KNOW will burn me, consume me and eventually kill me.

cowgirljane, thank you for your direct and tell-it-like-it-is personal experience.
I'm 63 yrs old and FOR ME that delusional thinking that I can do this surgery AND NOT change my life style and attitude with food is just the crazy attitude that I've done all my life and got me where I was today, morbidly obese and unhealthy.
This is my last chance and I have to be serious, very serious about how I live my life from now on. My attitude with food, my asking for what I need from family/friends which includes avoiding food vacations or illiminating some foods around that are my downfall, and avoiding food fests. I have to do it, especially the first year or so until I reach my goal weight AND can maintain it. (How many just go right back up? I did many, many times.)
I won't be perfect, I know I'll sometimes challenge what or how much I eat but come on, I know what sets me off. I know what food or activity puts me on a downward spiral of cravings. I know what these situations and foods are, so why in the world would I play with the fire I KNOW will burn me, consume me and eventually kill me.

okay, and I have to say this - not targeted to original poster, but just in general. That period, maybe 5-8 months post op it is easy to get a little cocky. The losses are coming easy, you can't imagine how anyone could ever NOT lose weight post sleeve... la dee da... life is good! Warning, it does get harder in some ways and i genuinely believe that this window during the first few months, certainly first 6-12 months, you are laying down basic habits and priorities that will set your course down the road. It is never too late to change, but you might be surprised how many people come back to these forums, 2-3 years post op disappointed that they never quite made goal and have started regaining... lots of reasons that happens, but one of them is that slippery slide back to old ways. So, I do encourage people to think about vacations, trips, family reunions, parties etc in terms of "what do I need to do right now" and "how will this fit in with my life for the long term"?
I suggest that my way of handling (stay with basic program "eat small mini meals, Protein first etc, but eat lobster..haha) addressed both reasonably well.

I am 3 years post op and I travel and surely eat "crazy bad foods" sometimes.
Here are my thoughts - take it or leave it - I think that when you do a vacation trip it is MOST important to keep portions small and to not graze. So have that butter laden whatever, but just a tiny bit. don't let yourself munch and snack all day - eat enough to be satiated, eat those 4-5 mini meals (or whatever your program calls for). reason I say this is that you really haven't gone off your routine or caused long term problems, you are just eating higher calorie/higher carb food for a few days and it is much easier to go back to your routine once you get home. If you let yourself "stuff yourself" you will be hungrier and it might be harder to get back on track immediately.
I also try to stay really active on vacation and stay away from "food oriented" vacations. March last year I spent 8-9 days in Mexico, I actually lost weight even though I had been at goal for a year already.
when I drink, I stay away from sugary mixers.
So, this applies probably more to people who have alot to lose. I was determined to get to goal, but had to lose over 150# to do it. what I knew is that the honeymoon periond only lasts "so long" so I didn't drink, didn't go eating junky food and really didn't allow myself food vacations until after getting to goal. I realize this isn't for everyone, but in my case, it was something that was very important to me. That first year post op wasn't filled with fun and frolic for me, it was filled with disciplined eating and exercise. I only share this - not as any kind of judgement - but so that newbies reading this don't think that I lost that kind of weight in that time frame any other way - reality check.

I voted yes, back in hospital. To clarify-
2006 Lap-Band 2006, slip before I left hospital and had to have 2nd surgery to replace band. Never felt OK from that day on, lots of pain and nausea. Lap band did not work for me.
Jan 13 2015 Lap Band revision to sleeve. No problems so far. Some dehydration. Feel much better than lap band surgery. Recovery so far much easier.
My opinion- lap band works for many but not all. And from what I understand there is no way to determine that before hand who the lap band will work for. (may be the same for all WLS) I have always had a sensitive stomach and the lap and just never felt right. The lap-band is gone for me now and that tightness and nausea in by belly is gone.

BELLINGHAM, WA----just had a revision lap-band (2006) to sleeve on Jan 13 2015 at Northwest Weight Loss Dr Montgomery. He was amazing and so is the staff there. Many with WLS themselves. I also like and agree with his realistic pre-op and post-op food plans.
Glad to find this thread for Washington folks. I have so much to learn.
QUESTION: Does anyone know why EVERYTHING tastes so different now? Even Water which I loved pre-surgery and now it's all I can do to get past the weird taste of water. And well everything else too
Best wishes to you all and GO HAWKS!!!

I bought a children's Multivitamin online. Liquid Health childrens multi with no sugar. it was hard to find some without sugar. Got it on lucky Vitamin.com
Surgery clinics are all different but my doc said not to worry about Vitamins for a couple of weeks, just worry about getting better and getting liquids down. I'm 2 weeks out today and just took the liquid Vitamin today.
FYI the Jay Robb Protein powder was the best. But still having a hard time getting any Protein Drink down, even the ones I loved pre-surgery.
You probably know this too, but I got liquid Tylenol.
And gotta say, EVERYTHING taste different post surgery. Pre- I loved Water. Today I can hardly get it down, it tastes weird. It takes some getting used to.
Best wishes to you! And can't wait to hear how you are doing.

HMR Protein is my favorite. 25 years ago I lost 100 pounds drinking it and it was amazingly satisfying. Of course gained that weight back but I still drink the HMR Protein.
HMR is the ONLY Protein Drink I can tolerate post-surgery. The pudding HMR70 actually does taste a bit like pudding.
(yep nursemate2-taste changes dramatically WHY?)
HMR doesn't have as much protein in it but I add some unflavored by Rob Roy.
The HMR Weight-Loss shake Family
HMR 120 Shake – 120 calories in each scoop, with Vitamins and minerals right in the mix HMR 70 Plus Shake – Make shakes or puddings with this 110-calorie, lactose-free mix HMR 500 Shake – Our original 100-calorie shake in convenient single-serving packets HMR 800 Shake – Smooth, rich shake that provides extra protein with just a few more calories

Yup......Had a leak 3 days after the sleeve. Ended up in a coma and a stay of 5.5 months in hospital. Had to date 18 surgeries and/or procedures.
It has just been a barrel of laughs you know!
No regrets though......

surgery is tuesday afternoon. 1 or so PM. Then overnight but discharged at 7:30AM! Not even 24 hours for me.
I know there will be some pain. And getting used to a new tool, diff than the band. BUT I CAN DO THIS! (Saying that for me....)

So, I am hanging out right at my goal weight, which is higher than my lowest weight. I knew this was very likely to happen and so on the one hand, i am okay with it, but on the other hand, I feel fatigued by it. I know that I need to stabilize/re-lose a few pounds to keep that "cushion" between me and the 200s or 300s.... but I grow tired of it sometimes
In the past, that seemed very do-able. Buckle down, go back to basics, do Protein first, do 5:2, change up exercise. For whatever reason, right now, while it seems possible I had one of those pity parties where I asked myself what is fair about me eating a pittance of food, spinning on my bike and yet still struggling to keep a normal weight. I watch others eat a whole lot more than me and I sometimes want to eat with abandon too. The thought crossed my mind... is this REALLY worth it?!??!???
Then, I thought about the people I was comparing my eating to. Example - I went into the office yesterday and did a day long workshop so got to see people eat lunches - large portions and of course Cookies for snack later. The two ladies i sat next to are considerably younger than me - one is obese and the other is morbidly obese by my judgement. I had to remind myself that they are still healthy, but they are heading down my former path and I cannot let myself go back or else i go back to feeling ill, feeling like i was becoming disabled, feeling hopeless.
Anyway, it is worth it, but this is the first time I have ever really questioned it. I think I understand a bit more why people regain years out from surgery. We all know that you have to maintain a healthy lifestyle etc but I am telling you - my experience is that "lifestyle changes" UNDERSTATES the level of effort required. I don't even really eat junk food, but I still need to really watch what I eat - this is beyond "healthy choices" this is eating very small, eating the right things very consistently or else I will regain. This whole thing about an average healthy woman needing 1800-2000 calories a day to maintain is bogus. i don't eat anywhere near that and I know many of my fellow vets that are maintaining don't either.
So, as I used to say, but haven't in awhile...."carry on... what choice do we really have?"

I'm now scheduled for a revision to sleeve next tuesday, Jan 13. I've gone all around this. My doctor has been great. He spent 30 minutes with me on the phone today discussion the pros and cons. He wasn't pushing anything. My band doc was really pushing me to do something and I just went along with it. After the slip I told him to take the band out and I didnt want him to put anything back in. Just let me be. He talked me into it and I've had so many issues.
't good to hear Gauge Mom you are doing ok with the sleeve and they got the band out without issue. Are you feeling hungry?
I just want that thing out of me. The sleeve may have it's own issues but I have to do something. I can't lose the weight myself and if I don't I"m headed for a lot of disability in my senior years.
Turning it over and hoping for the best.

kym, glad you posted. I'm just letting my mind go wild when I read some of this and assume EVERYTHING will happen to me. Silly and very self centered. I'm about 6 hr away and feeling good. I'm ready and feel confident everything will be OK.
This is an important blog allowing people to share there stuff, no matter what. Thanks and see you all on the other side of a healthier me!

So sorry you are having trouble Kym. I hope it's just the blues. Let us know.
"I've got to stop readying this stuff, my surgery is tomorrow and with all the problems it makes me wonder if I should bail. I'm hoping there are many who don't post and are doing fine after a few weeks. I saw some older ladies (like me) 64 yrs or so a week after surgery and they were great. Little pain, drinking and eating ok. I just keep thinking about them."

I was banded May 6, 2006, replaced May 7, 2006 due to slip. Same day. It's very, very rare but it happen to me.
Yes, he plans to do it in one operation. With other revisions he said it took up to 3 hours to get the band out due to scare tissue and then about 1.5 hr for sleeve. He has also removed bands in 1 hr. He thinks it is better to just get it done in one operation if possible. I agree. Not sure I'll go back if I have to do 2 surgeries.

Gauge's Mom-so far is the recovery similar to the band surgery? Is it hard to get the liquids down?
BTW-congrats on the weight loss! Gotta love that!