carolinacrumb88

Hey yall... sorry for the TMI but I need some suggestions. I literally have not had a bowel movement since a day before my surgery 8 days ago... I am still on full liquid so have been doing protein shakes and yogurt etc., but nothing! I have reduced my percocet intake to 1 every 4 to 6 hours and I know that can really contribute too. I have used a stool softener/laxative for two days now and nothing. I called my doc and he recommended milk of magnesia but I don't think I can stomach that stuff. Anyone else struggle with this right after surgery and have any suggestions? I am drinking Celebrate ENS 4 in 1 shakes which have fiber in them too but clearly not enough :/.

Hi there... I had my lapband removed and the gastric sleeve done in one surgery 7 days ago and am struggling with the all liquid diet. It is difficult to tell when I am full, but I stop after 2 to 4oz regardless for fear of stretching out my pouch. I am beginning to feel really hungry and want to eat something with nutritional value! I am going to call my doc and nutritionist tomorrow to ask about the possibility of moving up to pureed sooner... maybe trying ground turkey put in a food processor with a little broth. Did anyone else get this hungry and crave real food after 7 days out?! Would love to hear about other's progression.

@@ckj I am so sorry you are feeling crummy I have read that this happens to some patients 1 to 2 months after surgery as your body's way of attempting to conserve energy in the face of severe calorie restriction. Unfortunately, the only way to push through this is to exercise (which sounds absolutely awful when you are already tired!). Take it slow and one day at a time. It sounds crazy, but the more you exercise the more energy you have. Start by walking just ten minutes a day at a fast pace, then increase as you can. I feel your pain because I have a condition called hypersomnia which is basically excessive daytime sleepiness where I always feel tired and the need to nap. I take a medication called concerta to regulate this, but even then I am still pretty tired alot; however the more often I walk the better I feel and more energy I have. I hope you are able to push through this soon and feel better! Know you are not alone

@@SuperDave haha I would never eat meat that has been out for more than a couple of hours... I was asking if it was ok to want to eat meat when I was only 7 days out from surgery

Hi there... I switched from the lapband to the gastric sleeve 9 days ago and I am feeling stuck! I was dropping weight like crazy the first few days home (I was in the hospital for 4 days), but already seem to have "plateaued" which is INSANE and makes no sense. Day of surgery I weighed 279lbs and Saturday I weighed in at 273lbs... but I havent lost any more weight since! I am full liquids still and eating between 400 and 600 calories a day AND walking at least 30 minutes a day. Has anyone else had this issue?! I am thinking maybe its because I have not had a bowel movement since the day before surgery (although have been taking benefiber and a stool softener!)?! Could it be Water retention or my body going in to shock and trying to store fat because not getting fed?! I just feel like its physically impossible to maintain 273lbs for 4 days when I am consuming so few calories. Here is what my days have typically looked like: Morning: Drink 8oz of water or crystal light, wait 45 minutes, then drink a Celebrate 4 in 1 ENS Protein shake (150 calories 25g protein) Mid Morning: Drink 8oz of water or crystal light or Vitamin crystals Lunch: Drink half of a premier Protein Shake (1/2 would be 80 cals and 15g protein). Wait 45 minutes then drink another 8oz of water Afternoon: Eat 3 to 4 oz of greek yogurt (100 calories 12g protein). Wait 45 minutes then drink more water... Dinner: Eat 3 to 4oz of pureed chili (100 calories 10g protein). Wait 45 min then drink more water Snack: Finish other half of premier shake ((1/2 would be 80 cals and 15g protein) Any thoughts? :/

Good to know! Thanks for sharing

Thanks for the recommendations!

So I actually talked to my doctor today and he said I could try some soups like chili etc if I pureed them well. I was able to tolerate 3oz of bison chili and it was amazing and this is the first time I am not hungry since surgery!!!

Yep I am drinking protein shakes but they get old pretty quick. Have also been drinking chicken broth. Just gotta stick it out until next monday when I can move up to pureed things and have yogurt etc!

@@erenee I am so sorry you are struggling with feeling restriction When I was banded this was a huge issue for me (even with 8 cc of saline in band!) and I am terrified about it happening with my new sleeve too. I am only a week out so only time will tell, but I can't imagine how frustrating it must be! But you are NOT a failure... 2lbs is no big deal as we usually fluctuate between 2 and 5 lbs in water weight a day, and at least you are aware that feeling full is an issue for you. Hopefully you and your doc can figure out whats going on... are you sipping or drinking while you eat? Know that you are not alone. Wish you the best.

I was banded in March of 2012 and last monday (March 23 2015) I had the band removed and the gastric sleeve done in one operation. The surgery went well, BUT I was in the hospital for 4 days and 3 nights because I was in alot of pain (much more than the band surgery had been), was throwing up a bit of blood, and could not keep down liquids for the first two days. I am amazingly doing much much better a full 7 days later and am on full liquid diet doing just fine and walking 30 to 45 min daily. I am still very sore (to be expected), but overall it wasn't awful. I would say doing it all in one surgery is just more of a shock to your system and stomach so expect a bit more time in hospital.

@@BLERDgirl It was an accident... my internet was down earlier and said that it didn't actually post so I retried here and then my old post turned up. Shrugs.

@@sharonintx haha thank you very much for your very honest reply I definitely ate a bite of my fiance's chicken yesterday (like the smallest morsel that could be called a bite and chewed it to a pulp) and dissolved a ritz cracker in my mouth and ate that. We are human and imperfect and it makes me feel alot better to know that others have done things like this too and survived (and done well!). I am going to try to stick to my doc's recommendations as best as possible, but once again, we are human!

@@McButterpants and @@CanyonBaby Thank you for your responses... very helpful! I actually didn't end up with the pump catheter thing (which I was grateful for because I would have had to pull out myself after going home!) but yes, everything is so new right now and so different from how I felt when I had lapband. Hunger and feeling full are soooo different and strange. I am now starting to get this little "burp" that seems to be a good indicator that I should stop and then I feel good and not overfull. I know each day will get easier but my stomach seems so confused right now (as expected when 85 percent of it is suddenly gone!)

@@liannatx thank you for your response and encouragement! I know a week will fly by to the pureed stage but definitely tough being at home on all liquids. My graduate school spring break was last week so tomorrow I will be back to the books and I work in a few days too so that should hopefully distract me.

Hi there fellow sleevers... My name is Caroline and I just recently had my lapband removed and got the gastric sleeve done this past monday. I switched because long term the lap band was not working well for me... Anyway the surgery went really well, although I was in the hospital for 4 days 3 nights because was throwing up blood and unable to keep down Water the first 2 days. I have been at home since thursday afternoon and am struggling with the full liquid diet. I understand that my stomach is probably very confused and the nerve endings are in total shock, but I am having a hard time with knowing when I am full. It seems to be getting a little better each day (more signals that tell me I am full) and I have now been able to eat thinned cream of wheat and thinned mashed potatoes. I have lost 5 pounds since surgery, but am feeling really hungry again. My doc has me on an all liquid diet for the first two weeks and it is definitely the pits. I am going to talk to my doc and nutritionist tomorrow to see about if I am able to progress to anything else right now in pureed category. Would love some input as how others progressed (My surgery was 7 days ago, Monday March 23 2015). Warmly Caroline

@@McButterpants Yes, I agree. I should perhaps edit original post bc I think I am not asking what I want answered correctly. I am going to talk to my doc and nutritionist tomorrow (and before eating anything new) but was curious if others were as hungry as I am and craving real food this early.

@@CanyonBaby I understand this because I used to post here when I had lapband often, but regardless wording can be a bit more sensitive/less accusatory. I completely agree with what Bufflehead posted, but it was indeed a harsh way of putting it and it was misconstrued bc I was just asking for other's experiences (not asking for permission to eat what I want) and this is discouraging because i feel misheard.

Thank you all for your replies. I am going to call my nutritionist and doc tomorrow to ask her. But I think you all are right, a majority of it is head hunger :/ Wouldn't actually eat anything like that without talking to them but was curious as to how others recovered. Will stick to my Protein shakes until then (le sigh).

@@Bufflehead I am not asking for others permission, I am just curious as to how others were at day 7 out and if it is crazy to even be wanting to eat meat this early. I am not going to do anything without talking to my nutritionist or doctor first but thought this was a safe place to ask others about their thoughts and experiences further out with gastric sleeve without being chastised.

I am pretty sure she will tell me to wait, but I am sooo hungry haha I know some of this is head hungry but all liquids has been the pits. I am going to call her tomorrow.

You are being too hard on yourself... I was in the hospital last week for 4 days 3 nights when most are out after 1 night! But it is AMAZING how much better I feel now just a few days later. Don't push yourself past what you feel you can do (dont want to rip stitches!) and just feel it out day by day. Just getting on the treadmill is great a week after surgery. You will be able to do a little more each day! You got this PS I am one week out as well

Congrats you look amazing!

I am a week out of surgery and I am also struggling with how to tell when I am full... however it seems to get a bit easier everyday. Like someone else mentioned, I seem to get a burp and that has been a good indicator that I am about done. I have also sometimes gotten a little pain and know I need to stop as well. I have overdone it with Soup already once (eating a bite or two more after the burp) and it came back up.