mae7365

I went to my support group meeting last night and this was discussed. I'd say to check with your doctor, but the 1-3 year post op members were saying they take Aleve, Advil, Motrin etc. The discussion basically said those types of NSAID were off limits while your stomach is healing, but ok once you are back to being able to eat anything.

I had the exact same issue - told the surgeon I was sure I was going to die since it felt like crushing chest pain - doctor told me it was esophageal spasms and they would stop about 3-4 days post op. AND THEY DID. Ask your doctor if that could be what is happening to you. Hang in there.....it gets better each day.

If you've ever done Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Metabolic etc., you can call them and they can give you your history. I was pleasantly surprised when everyone I called either sent me the info in email or gave it to me on the phone. I just created a list with dates, starting weight, ending weight and then how much I gained between weight loss efforts. I'm not sure if my doctor's office had to submit it to Aetna, but they had the last 5 years if needed. So if you're like many of us who have tried a lot of different diets, give them a call. I found all the 800 numbers on the internet.

I'm not new/new, but sometimes I feel pretty stupid when I don't understand the acronyms used in this web site. It took me a week of searching to figure out that NSV meant "non scale victory"? Is NUT just short for nutritionist? Is there a list of commonly used acronyms that I can find somewhere? This is a great site.......maybe there's a list somewhere that I cant find?

Done. I'm mae7365

I'm sleeved and I'm required to take any OTC daily Multivitamin. I use Women's One-A-Day gummies.

Research, research, research and talk to people who have had both. Go to support groups in your area and talk to people. For me, 36 BMI on day of surgery, VSG was my best option. And, I had acid reflux for years before surgery. My reflux was really bad post op for the first 8 - 10 weeks. Now I'm doing great. My main reason for VSG was the nutritional data. All I'm required to take post op are daily OTC Vitamins and OTC B12. My digestive system is intact and works like anyone else, just with a smaller stomach.

Your story is exactly why I had surgery last year. I have to be thankful for the co-morbidities (HBP, High cholesterol, sleep apnea, high glucose) since that was what got my insurance company to approve the surgery.......but every condition is GONE at 12 weeks post op. Blood pressure is perfect, cholesterol and glucose are normal and the biPap machine has been returned. I was a low BMI patient (36.1) on day of surgery, but I knew my quality of life and my health were going down the tubes quickly if I didn't have surgery. @@wildGoose Have your other health problems improved since surgery?

Call your doctor's office if you are sure you're getting enough fluids. I waited too long with dizziness, weakness and ended up back in the hospital with severe dehydration. Don't take chances.

I had very crushing chest pain for the first week post op. My surgeon told me it was esophageal spasms and they would end. They did, but I was convinced I was dying at the time. Could itbe the same thing? If you are concerned, I always advocate calling your surgeons office.

Special K protein meal bars (strawberry, chocolate-peanut butter, cranberry walnut are my favorites). 180 calories with 10 grams of protein - not high protein by bariatric definition, but so much healthier than candy for my sweet tooth. They taste really good.

I still use gas-x on occasion. But they were essential those first few weeks. I also never had diarrhea, I had constipation issues. If you are concerned, you should call your doctor's office.

Wow, I'm not sure if I'm glad I'm following this or not. Lots and lots of very GOOD AND CONTROVERSIAL posts. I'll just be the Pollyanna and remind everyone that we are all in this together. We Celebrate each others victories and support each other when we relapse. And believe me, this Pollyanna is far from perfect. I have carb cravings that I've given into a few times over the past 12 weeks. But like many posts have said, I wake up the next morning, brush myself off and get back on the "high Protein, lots of fluid" train.

@jayhawkgirl Do not beat yourself up over 14 pounds. You can and WILL get back on track. Although you have so much sorrow in your life, you also have so many blessings (your improved health, your husbands improved health etc.). This is a great forum to vent (vs. eat), Celebrate weight loss AND non-scale victories like smaller clothes size etc. Welcome to the biggest support group you will find!!!!!

I have a sleeve and my doctor repaired a hiatal hernia as well. For the first 8-10 weeks, I had the "stuck" feeling. In fact, for the first 10 weeks, I usually vomited when I got the stuck feeling. At my one month visit, my doctor told me not to worry about it.......my insides were still swollen, some people suffered from nausea/vomiting for up to 2 months post op and he promised me that he never had a sleeve patient die of starvation. The biggest issue is getting fluids in. I was never able to get the 64 ounces they recommended after surgery, but I'd get at least 48 ounce. I've been GREAT for the last two weeks (12 weeks post op today), so I'm going to assume I've finally healed inside and the swelling if finally gone.

You will loose. I'm 12 weeks post op today and I've lost 43 lbs. I want to loose 27 more, unless I think that's too much. Right now all my skin is shrinking with my body, no hanging skin at my neck and people tell me I look 10 years younger. I don't want to loose so much that I get that "too skinny, sickly" look. So I'm going to keep loosing until my body says no more.......or I say enough!

For me, it was insurance related. I had a BMI of 36.1 on the day of surgery. Insurance required my BMI to be 35 or greater for them to pay.

The sleeve keeps your digestive system intact, no long term dietary supplements except OTC Vitamins, much quicker recovery AND my surgeon said it is the most performed bariatric surgery he performs at this point in his career. I really didn't want my digestive system "replumbed" and the band wasn't even worth discussing due to it's long term failure rates.

I eat because I know I'm supposed to....but could easily not eat and be content. But I do still suffer from the 8pm -11pm "I want something to snack on" syndrome. And it's usually salty or high sugar. I've lost 43 pounds in 12 weeks, but I know it could have been more if I didn't "cheat" every couple of days and have a cookie or handful of pretzel. So, like before surgery, the long term success of surgery is directly proportional to your ability to create a new eating pattern AND find new activities to avoid old eating habits.

You look fantastic!

Plus, you get a lot of fluids while you are in the hospital. It took me a week before I was actually below my weight on the day of surgery.

Been there, done that. Definitely a learning curve.

I'm on a regular diet now, and I can drink (any fluids) significantly more than I can eat. As mentioned, some foods just fill me up faster than others. So I may have 1/2 of food one meal and get totally stuffed at a couple tablespoons the next meal. It all depends on what I eat. Obviously, sliders don't count. I can eat pretzels, chips, crackers and never really get the pressure feeling that I do with Protein based meals. Hence why I try to stay as far away from those carb rich foods as I can. Some days I do have a few pretzels, but I count them out as a serving and limit myself.

B12 sub lingual along with OTC Vitamins every day. Plus, I do allow myself 2-3 cups of coffee every day. But I sleep less since surgery, I have more energy since surgery and I feel so much healthier since surgery.