mae7365

I had severe chest pain whenever I would drink anything for the first 3 days after surgery. My surgeon told me it was esophageal spasms and would go away after a few days. He was right. I guess they are caused by swelling from the surgery and when anything hot or cold hit the esophagus, I thought I was going to die. That could be what your daughter is having and why the surgeons aren't as concerned. I know it felt like I was dying and no one seemed to care. The biggest issue is dehydration, so hopefully it will stop soon and she will at least stay hydrated.

I use Syntrax Matrix with 4 oz of sweet almond milk and 4 ozs of water. I like the Mint Cookie and Cookies & Cream. The sweet almond milk is low in calories (40 calories in 4 oz) and it gives the shake a really nice flavor.

I joined the gym since my husband retired in January and I need something to do besides entertain him......but I do agree that I loose weight when I exercise and it is great for stress. I go there when I'm feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, emotions etc. I find that exercising really does clear my mind and reduce my anxiety level.

Four months post-op sleeve and today I dropped into the 150's! 159.8 to be exact, but I haven't seen the 150's since 2005. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to have this surgery last year. It is life changing in so many ways.

You look awesome!

For the first 6-8 weeks, your stomach is still swollen from surgery. I know that food was not high on my list for the first couple months. I just ate very small portions - like 1-1.5 ozs max until I was feeling better. Remember, the most important thing during those first few weeks is staying hydrated. Drink Water (or herbal tea like I did). I ended up back in the hospital at week 3 for I.V's and potassium since I ended up getting dehydrated. From that point forward, my doctor told me to eat when I was hungry and not eat if I didn't feel it would stay down. As long as I focused on water, broths, sugar-free juices and very thin Protein drinks I was fine. I made it through and I'm now 4.5 months post op and doing extremely well according to my surgeon last week. It will get better. Just be patient with yourself and your new, smaller stomach.

Immediately for me, but my taste did seem to improve over time. My issues are with consistency and density of food now vs. taste. Some really dense Proteins like eggs taste good, but they sit in my stomach forever. I wasn't a fan of red meat and steak pre-surgery, but absolutely love it now. On the other hand, I loved chicken before and now I can take it or leave it. BTW, I'm 4.5 months post-surgery.

My pre-op diet was high Protein, low carb in order to "shrink" my liver. My surgeon said he does that to make finding the stomach easier and reduces the risk of "accidentally" nicking the liver during surgery. I only had to do one week, but every surgeon is different. I didn't need to do Protein shakes, just keep my meals/snacks high protein. I admit that I didn't do that great on my pre-op diet, but had no surgical complications. I think some surgeons actually want patients to lose weight during the pre-op diet before they will do the surgery. Luckily, my surgeon wasn't that strict since I didn't loose a pound that week.

I get dizzy, light headed when I go too long without eating. My NUT told me to make sure I eat at least every 6 hours to keep my blood sugar levels high enough to avoid that happening.

I eat 1/2 cup Special K High Protein cereal with almond milk about 3 times per week. 10 grams of protein in 3/4 cup serving.

I see my doctor next week for my "3 month" (it's actually 4 1/2 month) check up. I keep a log of my weight loss by week and month just to keep me honest. This is my weight loss over the past 4 months. Is this typical for VSG patients? It seems that I'm losing 1-2 pounds per week since the first month. I've always been told that is a healthy weight loss. Is that still true for VSG? My surgeon never really gave me any type of expectations for weight loss, so I'm pretty naive as to "normal". I plan to ask him when I see him next week. Any thoughts are appreciated. Month 1 31.3 Month 2 6.9 Month 3 7.0 Month 4 6.6

Had a visit with my surgeon yesterday. At 155 lbs (down 56 lbs from day of surgery), I asked him what he would expect my goal to be and if my goal of 140 was realistic. This was his answer: I could stop right now. I am at a healthy weight (even though I'm still overweight by BMI standards), all my labs are good and I am off all medications and CPAP machine. From his standpoint, I've met his goal for my health. Anything I loose now is for vanity. Of course he was quick to point out that there is nothing wrong with vanity, but doctors view weight loss success by improvements in health, not clothes size. I left his office inspired. I'm sure I'll loose more weight in the next few months, but I felt so proud of what I've done in the past 4.5 months. I think my obsession with the scale has become less important and the NSV's will be celebrated. Like today I'm wearing my 5'10", 145 lb daughter's size medium top from Forever 21. Now that is a VICTORY!

120 pounds in 8 months????? Put the scales away and just keep doing what you've been doing. Very impressive results!

I'm not a veteran, but it sounds like you know what to do. It's a tool, not a miracle cure. It's so easy to eat around the sleeve with sliders and liquids. Sounds like going back to the basics is your solution. Good luck. I don't want to discourage you, because I know weight loss and maintenance will always be a challenge.

I have 71 lbs total to lose and I've lost 55 so to date. So far, the skin seems to be tightening as I loose weight and exercise. The only problem area is my upper arms, but even that skin appears to be getting firmer as my muscle increases. But, I know people in my support group who have had to do skin removal. But these were people who have lost close to 200 lbs. I also know my NUT told me that younger people have more elasticity in their skin and therefore the skin will tighten up better.

My email is mae7365@gmail.com Fitbit.com is not allowing me to add friends at the moment, so I'll try again later. Feel free to send me a request at the email provided. Thanks for all the responses.

My surgeon reminded me that the first couple weeks after surgery the stomach is still very swollen and really only holds 1.5-2 ounces of food. I imagine you filled that small stomach with food that isn't liquid and doesn't just pass through. I know I did that when I first started soft food. Just keep an eye on what you're eating and listen to your new stomach.

@@TammyDTM I am feeling wonderful. Went shopping with my husband yesterday for some new summer clothes (I live in Florida) and had to go down another size. It's just such a blessing to have this opportunity to enhance my quality of life!

I live on leftovers. A kids meal at Outback lasts at least two days. And I LOVE it! My biggest food expense is now my Protein powder and Protein Bars - and it's not that much money when I consider what I ate pre-sleeve. I eat "real" food, but in smaller quantities. Some foods, like eggs, are very dense and they fill my stomach very quickly. Greek yogurt - I can eat a 6 oz. container with no problem. Just be patient, don't over eat in those early days as that will definitely make you feel uncomfortable or even sick. Good luck and enjoy your new food experience.

I'm 18 lbs from goal weight and down 53 lbs since surgery. I pulled out my size 12's and they are actually big at this point. I do have size 10's in storage and I suspect that's where I'll end up once I hit goal. And yes, I've been as low as a size 8 in the past, but don't plan to get down to the 120 lbs I weighed when I was that size.

@@MamaTo3inNH You mentioned not being able to find a Protein supplement that you like. I was exactly the same way until I heard about, and tried, Syntrax Matrix, which I purchase from vitacost.com I've tried the Cookies & Cream and Mint Cookie. I make it with 4 oz Almond Breeze vanilla and 4 oz. of Water. They are really good. 23 grams of protein in 140 calorie. I now drink two shakes per day along with a protein bar and I'm consistently getting at least 80 grams of protein per day. I found an online coupon that worked and the items were delivered in 2 days.

I love the quotes. My son is suffering with depression and alcohol abuse and has recently decided to seek help. I sent him these quotes as they are relevant to so many life decisions. Thank you for sharing.

I was also fortunate that I had been under my primary care's supervision for weight loss the six months before I had the surgery consult. So I to skipped ahead to nutrition/psych eval and EGD. I have Aetna, and Aetna makes their approval decision upon the weight and BMI at the time of consult and submission for approval. Therefore I didn't have to show any additional weight loss between my consult and day of surgery. I was only required to eat a high Protein diet for one week before my surgery. So I really had no specific diet that I had to follow between consult and the week before surgery. I was a low BMI patient (36.1) so I did have to be careful to not loose weight that would have put me under the 35 BMI cutoff for Aetna. As far as lap band or sleeve.........ask your doctor how many lap bands he's doing each week vs. VSGs? When my doctor told me he was removing more lap band than placing them, that made up my mind immediately.

Ditto. I wouldn't say that this new life style is easy, it requires daily maintenance and planning. It is mostly forgiving, but doesn't tolerate a lot of "bad" food choices before you know you're off track. I'm so very happy with the new, healthier me. I'm only 4 months out and I hope and pray that the choices I'm making now will stay with me for the rest of my life. Lots of walks, gym time with my husband or daughter, logging my food intake are all part of the new me.

Stay strong. Nerves are absolutely normal for any surgery. Just know that you will be so much better once you've made it through surgery and the post-op period.