redemmy

Pour some Ensure protein plus in a water bottle you can't see through and sip on your liquid dinner while pushing food around, maybe nibbling here and there, and i doubt anyone will notice. And if they do, just have a practiced response in your back pocket that you're comfortable with. Examples: "ugh, my stomach just hasn't been right the last few weeks. But it's fin, my Dr. Is working with me to make it right...*change subject. That is NOT a lie, but you're not divulging more than you're comfortable with.

Get yourself to your PCP for some xanax or valium! I'm serious- you must manage the stress to avoid ending up in the hospital yourself for malnutrition and/or dehydration. You WILL get through this; be the mother that your baby relies on, the one that is invincible (in his eyes), the one that will hold him tight when he's vomiting and losing his hair.

This would be a good time to talk to a therapist before your brain takes you in a direction you're not prepared for. Body image is such a tricky topic for us ladies and how we define/view ourselves is very much tied to our appearance (unfortunately) in varying ways depending on our cultural, spiritual and educational background...probably even class (again, unfortunate but true). Don't get too out of sorts before finding someone to talk to that has some background in this area. Maybe the person that did your pre op psych eval?

Agree 1000%! Do you follow Scibabe on facebook? Love love love her posts on the "food wars" - she advocates for science/research based informed decision making about food choices.

That sounds like a load of horse pooh to me. The condition you're describing is rare. If hcg levels are going up and you are sexually active and a woman of child bearing potential, then you are probably pregnant.

This is what i would do (and have done under similar circumstances during my first pregnancy): walk into the Dr. office with or without an appt Monday morning and demand to see that doctor to discuss the test results. Tell them you won't take no for an answer because it's having a significant impact on your overall health and wellbeing, thereby impacting the health and wellness of your unborn child. A month will simply not do.

My aunt passed away 2 years ago of complications resulting from alcoholism. She had WLS about 10 years ago, and i do believe it was the sleeve but not 100% on that. I'm not sure whether alcohol became her vice after surgery or whether it was a medley of issues (probably the later), but what i do know is that it all happened in a flash really. I mean, 8 years is a relatively short amount of time to drink yourself to death and i can't say that i believe having had the WLS wasn't a factor in the excellerated prgression of her disease. What i know is that we, people, while different on so many levels, all share a common problem that we have sought medical help for- our addiction to food. I can see how easy it could be to swap one bad habit for another. I love drinking and eating. Only 9 days post op and I am terrified of making poor choices again...food, drink, all.of it. At the same time, i have had.moments of fear that I'll never be able to indulge it all again. Also terrifying. That is all.

Friendship 1% small curd cottage cheese has 15 g protein / half cup. It's my favorite cottage cheese and they do make a low sodium line.

Thanks for the input ladies! I actually think it might be the pain meds judging from timing of their occurrence. Thyroid was fine a week ago per pre op blood panel and i still get periods like clockwork. I'm still in quite a bit of pain on day 4 so I'll just have to suck up the flashes i think.

Day 4 post op, CW 215, HT 5'2"

I have a 2 and 4 year old. Made a lot of plans in advance in order to comply with the no lifting rule for 4 weeks post op. The 2 year old is going to be the hardest for sure, but he is out of the crib, can get up/down stairs by himself, out of highchair and with minimal help can get in and out of his car seat himself. I'd strongly advise you have a plan in place- have another adult around as much as possible and encourage your 9 year old to help with lifting the toddler (for diaper changing and such).

Had mine this morning and agree with other comments. Don't want to highjack this thread but might be helpful to read recently posted day 1 experiences since yours is tomorrow: i was in a good amount of pain (highest 9/10 and lowest 3/10) in the shoulder and in right upper quadranr where the biggest incision is, but the nurses and docs switched me to dilaudid instead of morphine and it made all the difference in the world. Now I can slowly get out of bed without excruciating pain. I already feel 10x better than when I came out of surgery this morning!

Oh wow, you're getting discharged same day? I'm going in tomorrow morning for my procedure and my surgeon's policy is 2 nights in hospital for the sleeve. So funny how different all the surgeons out there are! ...and happy to hear things went well!

I think you should call your surgeon. I recall mine saying something about the possibility of getting twisted stomach that mimics flu-like symptoms. She said "don't always assume it's just part of the healing process" and to call when in doubt. I'm following those orders post op for sure.

I'm having surgery next Thursday and my surgeon doesn't have me on any special diet until the day before surgery, which is clear liquids only. Have to stop all NSAIDS (except tylenol), vitamins and supplements tomorrow. Then only take my alergy and antidepressants/antianxiety meds the day of surgery and hold all others. Funny how different they (surgeons) all are. Do you think it's based more on the individual patient and number/severity of comorbidities or just plain old preference?