BLERDgirl

Relax. Positive thinking is your best friend. I have had zero problems and I was over 400 lbs and when sleeved.

My entire experience has been insanely easy. I kid you not. I did my homework, followed the doctors orders and felt secure in my decision. Going into surgery I said a little prayer in the waiting room and was completely calm. No nerves at all. Surgery went well. The one draw back was they couldn't get a vein for an IV so I ended up with a PICC-line instead. Having that in my neck was awkward, but not painful. I woke up having to go to the bathroom from the IV fluids. My stomach/abs felt like I had done a vigorous workout the day before. I never needed to use the morphine pump or any pain meds so I was able to get up and walking in recovery. Hospital stay was fine I was started on liquid Protein and veg breath. I was also given ice ships to suck on. I tolerated everything with no problem. Since I've had no issues with pain, gas, constipation or nausea. I got bored with the Protein shakes after the first week, but I have been able to eat everything so far. I was cleared to drive after 2 weeks, cleared to resume Water aerobics after 3. Best decision I ever made.

Your body weighs different at various time throughout the day depending on activity, food eaten, whether or not you have a bowel movement. That's perfectly natural. Even weighing yourself from one day to the next will show weight fluctuations. Unless under doctor's order's you really don't need to weigh yourself more than once a week. I only weigh myself at doctor's appointments. Instead I focus on eating right, getting my fluids in and exercising. I've shown a loss at every doctor's appointment and never have the stress that comes with looking at a variation of a few ounces on a scale.

You may physically be recoped enough to return to work but the drinking/eating part takes a while to adjust to. That's why a minimum of 2 weeks is recommended. If your work place is conducive to drinking every 2-3 hours then you may be okay.

My doctor started me on Colace stool softener in the hospital. Talk to your doctor and see what he suggests.

Liquid proteins like Prosource nocarb mix well with water.

Step away from the scale. It's only 2 weeks. Your body is still adjusting to major changes. I only weigh myself at the doctor's. Instead I focus on getting my protein and fluids in. Start exercising if you can or at least walking regularly.

Your nutritionist should review the diet stages with you. Every program is a bit different. My program gave me a handbook at the first appointment with the doctor that walked me through everything step by step from pre to post op a year out. It also reviewed supplements and Protein shake choices. Hopefully within the next 3 weeks your they will go over this with you. If not, make sure to ask. Don't expect pain. Some of use make it through no problem. I woke up feeling perfectly fine. My stomach/abs felt like I had done a really vigorous workout the day before but that's it. I never used the morphine pump because it just didn't hurt that bad. Besides the less doped up you are, the easier it is to get up and walking. At home you'll need to focus on drinking Water trying to get your protein in. Clean your house, make a bunch of casseroles and you'll be fine. I would start buying single serving Protein drinks. Buy them in as many varieties as you can find. Look for ready made, powdered and liquid Protein. Most can be bought at drugs stores like Rite Aid/CVS, specialty shops like GNC or Vitamin Shoppe, even Whole Foods. Some will need to be bought online. Only buy enough protein to last 2 weeks. Sometimes out taste buds change post op. You don't want to be stuck with a case of something you hate. Get a variety and get an unflavored version that can be mixed with Soups or broth.

I already wear a medic alert bracelet since I have life threatening allergies. I plan to get a new on and add my VSG info to that as well. Another poster recommended a website called Lauren's Hope that has a nice selection to choose from. Given my medical history I'm also considering purchasing a USB medic alert.

I don't do artificial sweeteners. I like cooking up a half a cup of fruit like fresh peaches or cherries with half a tsp of brown sugar. Cook it slowly in a nonstick pan. As the fruit breaks down the natural sugars come up. Serve the whole thing over FAGE 0% greek yogurt. It satisfies my sweet tooth and I get 12 - 18 grams of Protein at the same time. It makes a great post gym. Your body needs protein post work out and your metabolism is still churning high enough to burn off the sugar.

Pain was minimal. It felt liked I had done a vigorous workout the day before and was a little sore. Honestly I've had worse menstrual cramps. Thankfully I had no gas pains at all.

I think everyone should go through with the psych evaluation. It's not just a matter of mental illness. A good psych eval should get you to thinking about how to begin to change your thinking about food and the relationship you currently have with it. It wasn't that complex. It was a 30 page questionnaire and then I had a chat with the psychologist for about an hour. I was glad I did it.

Sure I'll go in. Username Milaxx

At 6 weeks I was cleared to eat as tolerated. I don't make those giant sales I used to but I can do anyway from a half to a whole cup of romaine or baby greens with either an egg or mock chicken. I don't used salad dressings, I just splash a bit of lemon juice and olive oil on it.. So have tolerated it well. I have a salad a few times a week.

That is awful! No one at my doctor's office has ever put a number on my weight loss. They've expressed the same happiness & encouragement each time I have been there. I've had f/u at 2 weeks, 6 weeks & 3 mths. Each time the loss was different. (26, 6 & 15) . I like that the nutritionist takes the time to review my diet and make suggestions. She even asked me to come to the support group since she felt I would be a good example to some of the pre-ops.

There was a huge thread full of tips not too long ago. Try doing a search. My biggest advice is to relax. Not everyone has pain or bad gas. I'm a firm believer in positive thinking. Just hope for the best.

That's subjective. For every person that like Isopure, you'll find another who prefers muscle milk. You need to taste them for yourself.

A few basic stats. Your BMI, your age, and co-morbities or medical issues that make you a good candidate for WLS. Do you have a primary doctor to help you through this process? That sort of thing. We can't help you without some basic info.

Just an update. I tried that Sparkpeople chair workout on Sunday since that's typically a non gym day for me. It's a nice core workout. I'm sure even modified it would help that gas move.

I have 6 or 7. I have a radical hysterectomy laparoscopically years ago and had 3 incisions from that. One of those abcessed and is a little larger than the others. The rest are from my sleeve.

I'm 51 as well. It's early for me but I think my main problem will be my thighs. I think my arms might've okay and maybe my belly. However I never covered my fat arms. If it was hot, I was sleeveless. I even went strapless on a few occasions. Right now I'm working out regularly and wearing compression yoga pants & body shapers to hold things in.

Mine didn't either but I've seen several posters say they got it.

If you indulged over the holiday's that's just a bell that can't be unrung. Just get back on your plan and move forward. No sense beating yourself up over something you can't change or undo.

@hco7416 & @@ojibway - Sorry you don't feel ready. However you do need a positive attitude going into this so perhaps it's for the best. As for support system. I'm not sure how key that is. If they didn't agree with the surgery they knew better then to tell me because they know how I am once I have made up my mind about something. I think it's important to have people who don't sabotage by teasing your with food, but most of this is up to you. I didn't even tell my family until a week or 2 before surgery. I am pretty self reliant and I prefer to handle things on my own. Sure, I did my research but I made this decision on my own. I will say to their credit they were there for me once they knew which was helpful with getting rides to the hospital form the procedure. I just knew this was right for me. Post -op my insurance covered me for a visiting nurse. As for horror stories, yes they exist, but if you look hard enough, even a simple trip to the dentist can turn into a nightmare. I will say I wouldn't advise a newbie to read this site. The people with complications tend to be more vocal. Personally I had a really high BMI and was over 400lbs when I was sleeved. My doctor even had me get an IVC filter just in case. I had absolutely NO problems. I was up and walking in recovery and had no issues with gas, pain, constipation, nausea, vomiting or anything else. I never used the morphine pump and didn't fill the script for pain meds because I didn't need it. I had no pain. It felt like I had done a really vigorous workout, but honestly, I've had worse menstrual cramps. I was able to drink with no problem from day 1. My doctor's protocol is 2 days inpatient. I was asking to go home after 1. I have had no issues with drinking my Protein shakes other than the typical boredom with the shakes after 1 week of full liquids. I even discharged the visiting nurse after my 2 week follow up. I went in on Thursday, was discharged on Saturday, had my first BM on Monday and have been regular ever since. I was cleared to drive at my 2 week follow up and returned to Water aerobics 3 weeks after surgery. I use MFP and log my meals/water, and I work out at least 4 days a week. I am losing weight steadily and feel terrific! @@Sleeve101 - getting your protein & fluids in along with exercise is key. I hope the follow up appointments with your team help you get on track. I wish you all well. BTW - if anyone is on MFP or Vivosmart feel free to friend me. My username is Milaxx

I agree call your doctor and have that checked. I've never heard of anything like that before.