kranky813

Do you think it's possible that why "Eat Whatever You Want" he meant that you can eat solid foods such as meat, dairy, cheese, veggies, fruits, etc... Instead of fried foods and crap foods? The reason that I ask this is because my surgeon said I can eat what ever I want but I know he meant I could go to a regular solid food diet but still a healthy diet. I have been seeing this surgeon for over a year and we know each other very well. He would not do the surgery without knowing I was going to be careful about what I eat when I was given the go ahead. Use this tool to help you, don't use it as a get out of jail free card because, trust me, you will gain it back.

UGH. Frustrated today. I have been at a 200lb stall for almost 2 weeks now. I just want to see that scale hit 199. LOL. I haven't seen 199 since I was a kid and it's so close but still feels so far away. Ok, vent over.

@@ThickFit504 Glad to hear you are on the losers bench! Just think, you are half way there to feeling much much better. Just a few more days to go, you can do it!! Walking really does help you heal quicker so don't be scared to take a walk

I made a mix with mine. 8oz of Isopure, 8oz of Powerade Zero - same color, and 8oz of Water. I drank 2 of those a day every day in the first few weeks. I couldn't deal with the chalky feeling it left in my mouth.

So you have a lot of really great advice here so I can only add a little bit of my story. I HAD what I thought was a great support group of friends. I have 3 friends and my husband who know about surgery. Honestly once it happened that all turned to crap. Don't get me wrong, my husband is as supportive as he can be. But as a woman (and I hope I'm not the only one) I wanted my girlfriends to talk to. My one friend was so negative about everything I put in my mouth - I can't eat sugar free pudding or cream Soups because they aren't healthy - Um... I am following my surgeons advice, what does she expect??? My 2nd friend is super jealous, she has been trying to lose weight for years. She doesn't qualify for surgery but hates the fact that I didn't either but paid out of pocket. The 3rd one just sort of avoids me because she really wants surgery too but with owning her own business she can't take the time off for recovery. I seriously lost my 3 best friends within a month after surgery. Again, my husband is as supportive as he can be. To be honest he's a little selfish, he always has been and tends to put his needs before anyone else's. He hunts, fishes, does taxidermy, etc.... he was gone a lot in the first few weeks after my surgery. I think he just didn't know how to deal with me being in pain, or frustrated or what ever I was feeling because I am the strong one in the household. I will say that if I ever really did NEED something he was there for me but I really needed to NEED it. LOL Anyway, my point is that I did it without a great support group of people in person. I have my friends here on this site and they have given me all the support and guidance I have needed. I also have a great Surgeon and Nurse that are available when ever I need them to be. Seriously, I paged my nurse at 9:30pm 9 days post op and she talked me down from the ledge. (if you haven't heard the emotional rollercoaster you go on once you start losing fat can be a little overwhelming) She seriously talked to me for about an hour and got me through it. This was my nurse.... LOL. Think about why you are doing this surgery and what it is you want to gain and honestly... screw his family. They can butt out!

Not to be the scary one here but watch this VERY VERY carefully! My mom had a wound like this after stomach surgery and when she would call/talk to her surgeon he just said to pack it and rest. It got so bad and infected that they had to do another surgery (different doctor) and it took almost an entire year to heal. She has a horrible scar on her stomach and lots of scar tissue underneath. Take this very seriously and if you feel like your doctor isn't giving you proper care or not being aggressive enough get a 2nd opinion or go to a specialist. Best of luck!

HOT Mama! You look incredible! Can't wait to get to where you are now

I haven't dealt with what you are going through but I would ask your doctor to prescribe you a med called Levsin. It's a pill that melts in your mouth and stops the spasms. I only had to take it 3 times a day for 5 days. It was a lifesaver for me. I know some people who have had to take it for a few weeks. Ask him about it and see what he says. As far as time off of work I took 5 and a half weeks. I probably could have gone back a little earlier but I was so tired and weak all I wanted to do was sleep for hours. Sometimes it's still hard to get through the whole day without a nap. I try to get to bed about 9-10ish and get up around 6 so I am getting a good 8 to 9 hours a night. Everyone is different, I might just like to sleep. It will get easier as the weeks go on. One month is typically the turning point where you start to feel good. I am 7 weeks out and feel pretty good. Good Luck!

The only thing I can really tell you is that I started feeling restriction once I started solid food. I still chew it up really well but once I get to about 4tbsp I know I need to stop. I didn't feel restriction on any of the liquids or pureeds. I will also tell you that I can guzzle liquids like no tomorrow. I found out by accident. I took about 5oz at once because I was really thirsty and once I swallowed the "oh crap" moment hit me. It passed right through. Although I will NEVER do that again just for fear of damaging my sleeve (7 weeks post op). So many people have given so much good advice so instead of repeating it I will just say be very careful.

Ok, quick stats - 7 weeks post op. Eating Solid Foods. Getting in Protein and Water (well a little light on water lately but working on it) So here's the question. I have noticed my hair start to shed more than usual. I have very long, thick hair. I knew it was going to fall out and am prepared for it, however I have a hair appointment the end of October where I go in and get my usual color and highlights. Is the bleach they use going to make my hair fall out more? Is it going to really damage it? If so what about just coloring it? I can go dark for the winter months but just need to be prepared. Also - prior to surgery I have a thing going on with my stylist where we are growing my hair down to my butt. It's something I have always wanted to do and she says I have the perfect hair for it. If it gets too bad how do I explain to her what happened without telling her about surgery?

Try Flintstones chewable. I take one in the morning and one at night. I do have to take a B12 and Calcium chewable as well but they all go down just fine.

You seem more advanced then I was but here are some soft/pureed suggestions: Ricotta cheese mixed with some mozzarella cheese and then Tomato Basil Pesto sauce Refried Beans with some cheese and taco sauce pureed homemade chicken noodle soup Tuna with chipotle Mayo Pureed chicken with BWW Garlic Parm sauce Honestly I pureed everything. Hotdish/Casserole, Chili... etc. Anything I had for dinner with my family was pureed and then I took out my 2 tbsp and put the rest of the puree in the fridge for another meal.

It's called Aqualert: Water Reminder H20 You can set the reminder as often as you want. I learned to hate that reminder but it got my water in

Everything you are experiencing is very very normal. I cried for days after surgery. I didn't want anything to do with eating or drinking after surgery and ended my butt back in the hospital for 3 days for severe dehydration. So even though you don't want to, even though you would rather do ANYTHING else - sip, sip, sip. I downloaded an app on my phone that buzzed every 7 minutes to remind me to sip my Water so I wouldn't have to go back to the hospital. Please sip. The reason you feel like this has a lot to do with the hormone dump you are experiencing. Your fat stores a lot of hormones and when you start to drastically lose it (such as in ketosis) those hormones are set free in your body and you go a little haywire . It will eventually calm down and you will start to feel better. I wish someone would have let me know about this prior to surgery so I would have been better prepared, but such is life. I am 7 weeks out and feel pretty good... almost 100% normal again. I am still a little tired and lack some motivation but other than that things are going well and they will for you too. GERD - I experienced a lot of GERD after surgery. I had heartburn every night and was miserable for about 2-3 weeks. I kept taking my meds for it and occasionally a tums and now it doesn't bother me at all. I also had it pre surgery so it took a while for my body to catch up and not make as much acid in my stomach as before. If it doesn't go away let your doc know so he can prescribe something a little stronger for you. Good Luck - Hang in there, it does get better.

So yes, the one thing nobody told me was how horrible I would/could feel the first week after surgery. Day of Surgery and the day after were fine but the week after that was miserable. It wasn't so much the pain I felt because there really wasn't pain I just felt like the world was ending and there was nothing I could do about it. It had a lot to do with the hormone dump you get after surgery. Also trying to sip Water or anything really sucked. It was hard getting anything in and I got dehydrated and ended back in the hospital for 3 days. Now - fast forward to day 9. I hit the turning point and started to feel a lot better. No more crying my eyes out. It was easier to drink fluids. I was feeling much better. Now - fast forward to 1 month out. I feel really good. Not quite normal, but getting there. I am getting used to my little sleeve and how to figure things out. Now - I'm at almost 7 weeks today and feel almost normal. Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself to drink 64oz every day. I have to remind myself to eat 3 times a day because I honestly forget. I am down 36lbs and my clothes are not too big but certainly loose. And I am so happy I made this decision. Knowing what I know now (that the first week was hell for me and I cried every day and regretted my decision) I would do it again in a heart beat. Love my sleeve!!!

You might just be one that is slower to heal and get going. My doc had me on Clear Liquids for 2 weeks and then full liquids for 2 weeks then pureed for 2 weeks. I am on regular food now and have not had an issue at all. I would recommend going back down to liquids. Clear except for your Protein shakes. If your Protein Shakes make you nauseated here is a little concoction that I came up with: 8oz of Isopure Zero Carb ready made (they are in the glass bottles) 8oz of the same flavor Powerade Zero 8oz of Water Mix it all together and sip it. It gives you 13 grams of protein and your liquid intake at the same time. Don't feel bad about being tired. I was tired all the time until.... well I still sorta am. It gets better though. I remember in the beginning I was so scared to nap during the day because as you stated you lose precious hydration time. This will get better too. Try backing off of the food for a while and see if that helps the nausea. Right now all you need is the liquids and some protein.

Try to break your Protein shakes up into 3 portions a day and have one between each meal and the final one after dinner. That might help you with headaches and cravings. If that doesn't work ask your NUT about Snacks. Mine was very strict on 3 meals a day and a Protein shake. When I told her that we eat an early dinner she suggested the protein shake thing or one snack before bed. Something like a sugar free Popsicle, sugar free fudgepop or sugar free pudding. Something lite that would help me. If it's protein you need I would say some hummus or cottage cheese.

Ask your doc for the Lortab liquid pain meds and the Zofran (it melts in your mouth) for nausea. My nausea was so bad and I didn't drink and ended up in the hospital for 3 days right after I returned home from surgery. It sucks, but sip. You can download an app that reminds you every (however long you decide) to sip. I set mine for 7 minutes. I hated that stupid app but after I started using it I didn't have to go back to the hospital and I only needed it for a week or so before I started drinking normally again. Also, try different temps for liquids and different flavors. I need hot liquids at first, I even heated up my Water. Now it has to be icy cold. I bough some grape crystal lite and found that it was disgusting (even though I loved it before surgery) I ended up getting some blue Powerade and some apple juice and diluted it half and half with water and then heated it up. Sounds gross but it worked like a charm. Try a few different things to see what works for you.

Congratulations! If you haven't heard the first week is hell It gets so much better though! Sip, sip sip and walk, walk, walk. At first it was easier for me to drink hot things. Even hot Water was easier than cold. I would heat up water and put lemon in it. As the previous poster said it gets cold quickly. I bought one of those mug warmer things that you plug into the wall to keep my mug of water/tea/broth hot. Worked for me. It seemed to sooth my insides. Now I have to drink Ice cold stuff. If it gets too warm I find I don't drink as much. I have 3 bottles of water in the fridge that I alternate between when one gets too warm for my taste. Try different temperatures and find out what works best for you. Hot and Cold aren't going to hurt you one bit.

Ice, Ice, Ice!! I was having weird left sided pain and my surgeon said to ice it for 20 mins then rest for 20 mins - repeat. It worked wonders the next day the pain was completely gone. They move a lot of things around in there when they do surgery and sometimes the scope they use can bruise things. Try the ice, you will be amazed at how better it feels.

So, I'm a little different from the other posters and I should say I am only 6 weeks out. I have already seen my life change in so many ways. food was a part of everything for me. My date nights with my hubby, my celebrations, sad times, angry times it revolved around every single thing in my life so that had DRASTICALLY changed. My hubby and I have to find different things to do on our date nights. Once a month we take turns planning a night out. It usually involved some fancy restaurant, a movie (with lots of popcorn) and then some bar to have a few drinks in. Great conversation and just time to us. Now we have to challenge ourselves. (so far only have done one date) He planned it and it was going on a long walk around the path on the lake. Holding hands, chatting. We had dinner before we left the house. Grilled chicken which I pureed mine. We brought Water bottles and a blanket and sat in the park. It was really nice. I am planning the next one and we are going rock climbing at an indoor place. My friends have changed. We don't go out to the bar and have a few anymore. People act a little weird around me (the ones that know about surgery) but I know they don't want to over step boundaries or want to include me in what they are doing. It's just a little different now. I still do all of the things I really enjoy in life. It just makes it easier to do. I spend a lot of time during the day focusing on me. Am I drinking enough, have I eaten enough Protein, have I gotten my steps in, etc... that part is drastically different from how I lived my life before. It can be overwhelming at times but It's getting easier with each day that passes. And it's also nice that when I do go out to eat, I know what I am getting. I don't have to agonize over the creamy Pasta or the greasy burger and fries. I am getting the chicken breast. Easy, done. Lastly - things get better. My boss brought me on a 3 mile walk at work yesterday to catch up. She is a runner and very fit. I was able to keep up with her all 3 miles. No breaks for me. I can carry laundry up 3 flights of stairs without being out of breath and keeping up with my kids is so much easier. So yes, for me it's a DRASTIC LIFESTYLE CHANGE but it's all for the better. I don't regret anything.

I told my 9 year old that mommy's tummy wasn't feeling well and that the doctors had to go in and take out the "bad part" or "part that was sick". I explained that they had to cut out part of my stomach on the inside so that is why I have to eat this crazy diet until I stomach is all better. I tried to keep it simple in her terms so that she understood. I didn't talk about the weight part of it at all. She doesn't need to worry about that part of it. Kids at school are so mean and call her chubby - she is not chubby in the least bit but actually tall and very lean. So I didn't want her to think that SHE needed surgery to not feel chubby. I want her to focus on how beautiful she is and how eating right is healthy for her and all of us. I am cooking better and we are becoming more active as a family. So in the long run I am hoping to instill positive vibes and practices. I don't want her to learn the bad behaviors that put my in the position I was in. IMO

Thanks everyone! You all have actually shed a lot of light on the subject. Things I never really thought of before. I do have to admit that for the first few weeks after surgery I was really focused on me. Getting me better, learning this new lifestyle. I think (I can only assume) her biggest problem is that I am not going to be her weekend drinking buddy. My hubby and I go out to her house every weekend and have some beer, grill some tasty food and sit around the bonfire. I have completely changed in the past 6 weeks. I don't drink, can't eat those fatty burgers and brats and am so FREEZING lol. She may be mourning the loss of that. But that doesn't mean I haven't been a friend to her. I still go out to her house for bonfires. I bring my Water bottle and food that I can eat. Maybe it is that I am her "fat friend" and she is nervous that when I lose the weight people won't notice her as much. Who knows. What I do know is that she sent me a text last night saying she needed "a break" from our friendship. I just responded with "ok" At this point I think I have lost my friend. But when I think about all of the negative things she has said and done over the past few months I really am "ok" with her taking her break. I am an AWESOME friend and honestly, it's her loss I'm glad my surgery make us both losers.. at least mine improves my life PS. 200lbs today.. karma wanted me to wait one more day to hit ONEderland, hahaha

It's my first week back to work this week and I ran into and old coworker (hot one I might add... too bad I'm married) anyway he looks at me and says, "Damn Girl! You look so skinny, what are you doing?". I got the goosebumps, it was the first time someone mentioned my weight loss. It felt SO GOOD! I did a little happy dance inside I just told him I was doing high Protein, low carbs and smaller portion sizes. I didn't lie exactly

I cannot believe how tired I have been lately. I could seriously sleep all day and all night long. I don't know why I am so tired lately. I am almost 6 weeks out. Get my Protein in and my Water. I am currently on solid food. Why do I sit at my desk and pray to go home to talk a nap every day. Will the exhaustion ever go away!