CSchulden

I saw my nutritionist yesterday and we had this very discussion. Plateau's will happen and you may not see a drop in weight for a couple of weeks at a time. Your body needs time to adjust and reset and understand what it's new normal is. Stick with the plan, keep active. They say look for "non scale victories" which, frankly, annoyed me. What better victory is there than the scale going down? My nutritionist said that we've been trained to rely on that scale but that isn't the only measure of success. I had a plateau at 4 weeks too (I am 6 weeks out now). I had taken my measurements the day before surgery and chose to check them at the 4 week point. 9 inches down. That felt HUGE! Go through your closet and try on a few outfits. No doubt you will see a big difference in your clothing. My meds have been cut down considerably because of my 6 week labs. Throwing out those pills felt better than any number on that scale. Just know that the weight you've already lost has improved your life considerably. You've lost 20 POUNDS! That's AMAZING!!! And you will lose more. Look for the little things and the ways your life has already improved and that will help refocus your momentum from that annoying, menacing little scale. Best to you!!!

I wish you the best for a speedy recovery and healing! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Sigh, sadly yes. I am 6 weeks out and I'm having chicken issues. Just can't stomach the stuff anymore and I could a week or two ago. My stomach and tastes have completely shifted since the surgery, fortunately for the better. Maybe try the eggs again in a week or two and see if it's just a phase your belly is going through.

I had this discussion with my doc today. It's perfectly normal and common. The recommendation is to bundle up and sip something warm. It may eventually go away, or not, just depends on you. I am 6 weeks post op as of yesterday and mine is gradually going away. Good luck!!!

Sounds like a normal healing process. But if you begin running a fever or if the incisions become very red, swollen or start to weep, contact your doc immediately because that can mean an infection.

I understand that feeling of wanting food, but not being able to eat it. Those first couple of weeks are super hard. Today marks 5 weeks for me and I am still figuring things out. Here are a couple of things that I tried that helped: Cream of chicken Soup - gives you some satisfaction for any salt craving Skim Milk Cottage cheese - oodles of Protein (10-12g per half cup) Okios Greek Yogurt - a nice boost of protein there too (11-13g per 5 oz cup) There's also something called Getatein - it's a cup of Jello but it packs in 20g of protein into a little cup. They are insanely expensive and the taste is "acquired", but if you can get it down, it's pretty good especially in these early weeks. You can find it on Amazon. I use Premier Protein shakes - 30g protein per shake. They come in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. They really aren't too bad. Also can be found on Amazon or at Sam's Club. Best of luck and if you discover any additional tricks, please let us know!

Welcome! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Please keep us posted with how you're progressing. Sounds like you have some amazing things to look forward to!

Have you tried scrambled eggs? I've had turkey meatballs and turkey meatloaf. Do you like tofu? I made a chicken pot pie but without any of the "pie" part, so really just the innards. Chili worked really well also. Also, baked potato or mashed potatoes.

Yoga is amazing. I can't wait to start practicing again. It's very much at your own experience and pace. You will be amazed at how quickly your body responds to it. You will put a lot of pressure on your wrists, so be aware of that. And don't force a pose. Stretch your body, but don't force it. You'll get there. Start with a beginner class and work your way up. It will do wonders for your relaxation. I wish you the best of luck with it. And I hope you enjoy it.

All of my physicians recommended the sleeve, especially my gastroenterologist. He said its the best aligned with natural anatomy and the Vitamins and minerals consumed will be absorbed normally, unlike with the bypass. If you over-eat with the sleeve, you feel lots of pain so it does give you a signal to stop eating. And you'll naturally want to stop eating once you're full. I got my surgery on 12/28 and am still finding my new normal. For me, it was the perfect choice. I do know others who have had the bypass and feel like they made the right choice also. I think you need to determine what things matter most to you. I didn't want my internals re-routed so I chose the sleeve; that was the culminating factor in my personal decision. I think you'll be equally as successful with either option. Consult your other docs during your evaluation phase. Some have very hard opinions about which option they think is best. Overwhelmingly, mine recommended the sleeve based on my situation and health.

Congratulations!! You look fantastic!

My surgeon's office also has an ARNP who handles follow up visits. My insurance hasn't had a problem with it. Often my children see one when they go to the pediatrician and the insurance covers everything fine. Always good practice to double check with your insurance though.

I got mine three days after my surgery. I was shocked I got it at all honestly and I felt the same way. I just thought it was kind of normal post surgery and didn't think much of it. I am expecting it within the next week and will let you know if anything changes this time. I read it sometimes takes the body a few months to fully heal from this surgery, as I imagine all of your systems kind of need to reset. I hope it's just your body's way of readjusting to its new, gorgeous self. Keep us posted!

I had the sleeve on 12/28 and I feel fantastic. I've lost 22 pounds since the surgery (i have 71 total to lose). Your body will definitely tell you what you can and cannot eat. I'm on the pureed foods now and anything remotely not pureed, my body tells me to stop. I agree, a switch turns on where eating becomes something you have to do rather than want to. It's silly to say not to be scared. I sure was too. And there are frustrating moments. But I promise you, you will see results. Use this tool like its intended and you will see results. You will amaze yourself at what you can accomplish. And you will have a new life! Best to you. Please let us know how you are doing!

You are doing fantastic! What a great non-scale victory for you! Thank you for sharing your inspirational story with us.

I've struggled with poor eating habits for as long as I can remember. I am a product of a mom who used to pack me a Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich, a snack cake and a bag of chips in my lunch every single day. Fruit as a quick snack option didn't exist. We didn't always have fruit, but we always had Snacks in a corner cabinet of our kitchen. All of our problems were solved over a cup of coffee or tea and a coffee cake. Sunday afternoons were spent watching football with a giant bowl of ice cream topped with potato chips and Doritos. At the movies, we always got the biggest popcorn and largest drink and finished it. My grandmother made me bacon and butter sandwiches as a treat. Needless to say, junk food represented a lot of things to me; family, comfort, love, life. In high school I was very thin. I took it upon myself to eat better and exercise and I succeeded. I looked and felt great. Then I got into an abusive relationship and my self-confidence was shaken to its root. To this day, it hasn't completely recovered. In college, I turned to beer and pizza and packed on a quick and stubborn 25 pounds. But I still wasn't fat by any stretch. Moving into the real world was a challenge and I ballooned in weight. Poor choices, little money and lots of alcohol contributed to adding another 70 pounds to what I'd gained in college. Then I met someone. He was interested in me, even though I was over-weight. He helped me gain some much needed pride in myself and confidence that I'd been lacking. I lost 90 pounds. Fast. But that didn't mean I was eating right. I was just eating painfully little. Soon thereafter, I reconnected with a wonderful man I'd met in college. The man I'd always hoped I would marry. And before long, we were engaged. Happiness made me chubby again. A wedding made me slim again. A honeymoon baby helped me pack on 65 pounds. But once I gave birth to our beautiful daughter, I worked to lose all of the baby weight and I was successful. I battled with postpartum depression. I battled the demons from my abusive relationship. I won. Then I discovered I was pregnant again. All of my newly discovered happiness, I literally devoured. I gained 80 pounds. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I gave birth to another perfect, healthy daughter. But this time, I didn't lose the weight. Not an ounce. For ten years, I've held onto an extra 80 pounds. I had another daughter four years ago. During that time, I was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes and I was warned that I would probably remain diabetic after this pregnancy. That should have been a wake up call, but it was not. My blood pressure began to escalate out of control. That too should have been a wake up call, but was not. The doctors had to deliver my daughter early because of my hypertension. She was five weeks premature. She swallowed amniotic Fluid during her delivery causing her to develop pneumonia and she had to remain in the NIC Unit for 10 days. Those were the most difficult days of my entire life and should have been a wake up call. I felt guilty that had I not been hypertensive, this wouldn't have happened to her. But after she came home, I still didn't change my ways. In January, 2015 I decided to get a full physical work up. I hadn't done it in a while. It showed I had serious blood pressure issues, high triglycerides - so high they were immeasurable, I was diabetic and had an extremely fatty liver. I refused to believe it. I took the medicines I was given sporadically and chose not to follow any sort of diabetic diet. I would work it out myself. But I didn't. In April, 2015 my father passed away unexpectedly. It was said his diabetes was a contributing factor to his passing. The grief was and still is overwhelming. He was my best friend. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him and miss him. Finally in September, 2015, my family doctor told me that if I didn't do something soon, I was going to have a stroke. My blood pressure remained out of control, as did my diabetes and the triglycerides. I was experiencing a lot of reflux as well. Not to mention, I was feeling horrible. She recommended Dr. Louis Balsama. He changed my life. I learned just how horrible my health was as I went through all of the pre-surgical testing required to authorize the surgery. While my BMI was on the low end of what would qualify someone for surgery and I didn't have over 100 pounds to lose, my overall health was so poor that I quickly became a candidate for surgery. During the pre-surgical testing I also learned I had sleep apnea and I had high cholesterol. I was put on 13 pills per day; 4 pills per day to control my blood pressure, 5 to control my diabetes, 3 for my cholesterol and triglycerides and one for irritable bowel. This doesn't factor in the over the counter Probiotics and acid reflux medications I also used. I refused to live this way any longer. On 12/28/15, Dr. Balsama saved my life. He gave me a gastric sleeve. I am incredibly grateful for what he's done. Recovery was not the easiest. I was in pain, I got angry, I got frustrated. I got over it. I had 71 pounds to lose to be at a proper weight for my height. As of 1/18/16, I am down 21.5 pounds; 30% of my excess weight is already gone. In 14 pounds I will reach 50% of my goal weight. My BMI has gone from a 36 (Obese 2) to 32 (Obese 1). Soon, I will just be overweight. I no longer have sleep apnea. I no longer have acid reflux. Of my 4 blood pressure pills per day, 2 have been eliminated entirely. The dosage for 1 has been cut in half. It is anticipated that as a result of some upcoming blood tests, some of my other pills may be cut or eliminated also. In only 3 weeks. Imagine what will happen over time! I still have quite a journey ahead of me. But in 3 short weeks, my life has already changed for the better. Don't give up. Yes, this was a drastic step but it's not a magic bullet - it's a tool. Use it wisely and it will serve you well. If you don't use it as intended, there will be undesired consequences. Be smart, be diligent and be good to yourself. The surgery was the easy part, now work for what you want and you will achieve it.

Bless you - what an amazing person you are to do that for her. I hope you don't mind, but I will keep your family in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm glad you've seen such incredible success with your surgery and your results! Keep up the great work!

Thank you for your kind words of support and encouragement. They mean a lot.

Yes! I had the sleeve the same day as you. I feel fantastic and have seen some incredible improvements. How are you feeling?