Proud2BMe

I take a B12 pill. My levels are perfectly fine. I think much of this stuff you hear is nonsense designed to get you to pay more money for products you don't need.

At this point you should be on Clear liquids. Protein shakes fall in the "full liquid" phase that comes next. The rough break down is as follows: 1st week - clear liquids 2nd week - full liquids 3rd week - puree stage 4th week - soft food stage 5th week - normal food Your doctor may have given you different advice but this is the general standard. As far as Vitamins, use chewables.

You don't have to buy fancy, high-priced Vitamins, just so you know. I use Centrum chewables. The Sleeve doesn't have any malabsorption aspect like bypass does. So you can get buy with normal vitamins.

Very typical. It's called the three week stall, the average time people experience their first weight loss stall. You need to eat more calories though.

Like many of us, you are addicted to food. You are an addict and so the behavior is not uncommon. Now the key thing to note is that you must take control after your sleeve or else you will risk failure. The sleeve is just a tool. You can use it properly or you can cheat and get around it's restriction. So use this as a learning lesson.

Go to the very top of the page. Click on your screen name and go down to "My Tickers". Then create one.

Go to the Pre-Op sleeve forum and read the pinned topics. Lots of useful info there.

All normal. If the liquid seeping is clear you are in the good. If it stinks or has puss then it's infected. The sharp pains from drinking is probably just from the inflammation caused by the surgery. Your super-restriction at this point does not reflect the real level of restriction once your inflammation settles down.

It's called Water intolerance. It's common but usually only temporary. You over come it by continuing to drink it. Eventually it will go away. Take sips all day long and increase the amount you sip with time. Soup recipes are relatively easy. I'm sure you can whip up multiple ones. Just focus on broth, meat and non-starchy vegetables.

If you truly are exercising 5-7 days a week with only 700 calories a day then you are not getting enough calories. You would need to increase your calories in order to lose weight. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but it's true. If you exercise a lot but don't get enough calories in then your body will hold tight to your fat reserves and not give it up. I would either increase my calories or reduce the exercise to 2-3 times a week. Alternatively you can eat carbs for a couple of days, perhaps the weekend, and then go right back to the low-carb diet for the work week. The shock of eating carbs and then not eating them works for many people in stalls.

That's not good. I fear you are setting yourself up for failure. You are likely malnourished. I understand you feeling sick but to refuse to eat because you don't find food appealing and refuse to drink Protein shakes because you don't like the taste are warning signs that you may be damaging your body. The thing about stretching the sleeve is that it will let you eat more. So when you do start eating you will be able to eat far more than most patients who have not had their sleeve stretched. However, stretching the sleeve is the treatment if there is a stricture so maybe that's what you have. Honestly, I would suggest you try more Protein Shakes. I've found the inexpensive ones from Walmart, like Body Fortress are the best for me.

Unfortunately reflux is a side-effect for many sleevers. I didn't worry about it because I had reflux before the surgery. You will need to continue to take you meds. In time it might mellow out but you will likely have bouts with it the rest of your life.

At this point you should be on only Clear Liquids. Your Protein requirements shouldn't be worried about until you are on the full liquid phase where you can drink Protein shakes.

Nope. Your symptoms can also be a result of being malnourished or not getting enough key Vitamins and minerals. Talk to your doctor. You might want to switch brands as well.

Can we eat popcorn? Yes. Should we eat popcorn? No. It has far too many carbs and is a known slider food, meaning that it's possible to eat a ton of it because it just slides right down our sleeve and does not produce restriction. I can tell you that I messed up once and went to the movies and gave in and ordered a large popcorn. I thought I would have plenty to eat over the next week or so. I ate half of the bag right then and there and the rest that night. If you are going to eat popcorn only eat it as an occasional treat and do not make a permanent part of your normal diet.

I didn't. I've heard it from others though. It's usually not a biggie. The only thing I remember was lying down on the table and then waking up in a dark room thinking the surgery hadn't taken place yet. I was excited about the surgery and was anxious to get it done. I've heard other peopel have been given a valium but honestly it's not needed. More and more of sleeve surgeries are being done as outpatient.

What I did was to save up the entire sum of what it would cost and so when I was ready to pay my deposit I didn't have to then worry about having the rest saved up. Most companies will give you the total so it shouldn't be a problem.

It depends on the company and why you were denied. If you were denied over something trivial that can be corrected then it may not be a problem. If you were denied because you don't meet the qualifications then you probably don't stand a chance. Check with them and find out.

Self pay is also an option, just so you know. I had mine done in Tijuana and the experience was just the same as if I had it done in the states.

Is it normal? No. You, like most of us, have a food addiction and have not yet began to take control of it. Please realize that even with the surgery you will have to take control of it or you will gain it all back, if not more.

In my area it would have cost me about 20 grand for self pay. So I went to Tijuana. It was great. I would do it again in a heart beat. I ended up only paying $6,700, which included the sleeve, having my gall bladder removed and 2 first class flights.

Well, I would consider the surgery the starting point, not the finish line. But that's me. I had very little pain. It just felt like I was punched in the stomach. Having the drain removed 2 days later was the most painful part of the entire thing. I tried the expensive Protein shakes and Vitamins but then settled on what I could easily obtain in my area, which is Body Fortress and Centrum chewables, both from Walmart. Both do the job.

Standard tummy tucks can produce undesirable aspects, such as "dog ears", so you might want to consider the 360 degree version. Your post sort of implies that you plan on gaining a lot of weight with your future pregnancy. If so, please know that you don't have to!

I doubt they test for weed. They do for nicotine.

Excess skin is determine upon how big you are as well as genetic factors and has no bearing on what surgery you have.