theantichick

That actually depends... if you're in the first few weeks after surgery there are foods you can eat that can absolutely cause physical issues and jeopardize the safety of the staple line. There's a REASON for the food progression from liquid to puree to soft to full post-op, especially when you have a staple line that's healing the length of your stomach. Eating anything not on your surgeon's list in the first 2 weeks is potentially dangerous. You can have a leak or an abscess if a particle of food gets trapped in your staple line and infects. And most sleevers don't actually have dumping syndrome. A significant number of bypass patients don't even do it. So it can't be counted on as an aversion technique.

I agree that there's no need to beat yourself up over something that's already done. And no, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. However, I am a registered nurse, and I have to take exception to some of the things being said here. The post-operative diet progression instructions are given for VERY good reason - the patient's healing and SAFETY. As my surgeon says, it's a little surgery on the outside, but a VERY BIG surgery on the inside. The entire length of your stomach has an incision with staples and has to heal. Eating things outside your surgeon's post-op diet progression orders is not "cheating" on a diet, it's violating your prescribed post-op instructions, and it can have very serious consequences. Anyone saying that there's no reason to worry, simply doesn't know what they're talking about. It is very true that many people can eat things not on their post-op diet orders and not suffer any consequences. But it is also very true that a few can suffer leaks or abscesses that can land them in the ICU or worse because of it. We are not being overly dramatic when we say these things. @@huskergirl1972, it is more likely than not that you have suffered no damage from this. However, it's important that you understand the gravity of deviating from your doctor's diet progression orders for the first several weeks post-op. Until your surgeon has cleared to a full diet, your incision has likely not healed, and you are vulnerable to complications. Your surgeon can tell you specifically what to look for in terms of complications, but the biggies are very sharp pain that is much worse than the pain you've had so far post-op (and usually very localized to one spot), very fast heart rate, dizziness (especially when standing up) and fever. If you develop those symptoms you should call your team and consider going to the ER. The post-op diet is hard, especially the first couple of weeks when it's liquids only. But it is only a short time, and it is for your safety. Please work very hard to follow your surgeon's instructions closely until released to a full diet.

I had issues with shakes after a while. Try different shakes - before surgery I liked the Protein powder shakes, but after surgery I could only tolerate the ready to drink Premier Protein ones. So try different stuff. Also, after surgery I had better luck with the more clear fruit drink protein stuff like syntrax nectar, I liked the roadside lemonade and would freeze it in ice pop type sleeves to make it easier to tolerate. Also, put Protein Powder (unflavored) in anything you do tolerate - like bouillon, yogurt, pudding, etc. And focus on fluids. While protein is super important, it's even more important to stay hydrated. Good luck, it does get better, just hang in there and keep trying!

I have RA/PsA. I had to go off my meds for surgery and had a slight flare after surgery but my inflammatory markers are slightly down now. And less excess weight makes my joints hurt less. The early indicators are that the meds are now working better. sent from mobile device

Be sure of which version of Excedrin... most contain aspirin which is a blood thinner.

Drink lots of Water, it helps flush the system, and sometimes the headaches are from both the caffeine withdrawal and from mild dehydration. Take some ibuprofen or other pain reliever if you aren't prohibited for some medical reason, and just hang on, it gets better.

I have loved having an IUD. The only factor that might affect the pill's efficacy is the hormone dump as the fat stores are lost. I would check with your surgeon and see what s/he says. I think they generally believe the pill remains effective, they just want people to be aware that people who previously struggled with fertility can suddenly become very fertile with the hormone dumps associated with the weight loss, and that a reliable method of birth control is absolutely needed following surgery.

It looks something similar to what we gave patients when I was a nurse in a long term care facility ICU. Since the supplier also supplies nursing homes, I suspect it's chemically very similar. In which case it should at least provide the Protein and building blocks to support healing, since that's the reason we gave it in the facility.

Those look interesting. I've sent off for samples. I know some nutritionists don't like collagen Protein supplements, but I would think it wouldn't be bad as extra protein if most of the diet is coming from whey or food sources.

If mixing it into a hot liquid, you will probably find that it clumps up and gets nasty. I found if you mix it (preferably with a blender) into warm Water or milk first and then mix THAT into the hot liquid, it works really well. I used regular bouillon cubes that way when I got sick of sweet cold stuff post-op. I personally don't like the texture change when mixing it with puddings and yogurts and stuff, but I'm super-sensitive to texture. It didn't seem to change the taste at all, which is what most people focus on. You can even mix it into regular cold drinks to boost the Protein, it just usually makes them cloudy and sometimes a little thicker.

Good luck on your recovery! My parents weren't thrilled about my having the surgery, but now they are seeing me down 66# and are asking my advice about my dad's sister having the surgery. Just keep on doing your thing, and they'll see you made a good call!

Most doctors provide a list of what they consider part of the "full liquid" phase. For my doctor, it included anything that was liquid at room temperature without chunks - so pudding and Jello (sugar-free) were included as well as greek yogurt. Any Soups without noodles or vegetables or other solid chunks, and all broths, bouillons, etc. and of course the Protein shakes and drinks. When I got tired of the sweet, I found that I could add unflavored protein to bouillon by mixing it with warm Water in my bullet blender before stirring it into the hot bouillon. That was a nice change from the sweet and cold stuff for me.

I'm only 4 months out, but I'll have days where I just don't feel like eating. Like @@OutsideMatchInside, I will go back to Protein drinks and focus on fluids for a day or two, and usually I get my appetite back, and then some! I would worry if it lasted longer than a day or two. Since you just said you think you might be getting sick, that could certainly be it. I would only be concerned because you said it was feeling like food was getting stuck. If that sensation doesn't resolve, it is definitely something to check out, because I've read you can develop strictures later on. But like you said, if it's a sore throat it can be a similar sensation, in which case just focus on staying hydrated and get as much protein through drinks and similar as you can.

My apnea seems to have resolved (I still need a sleep study to confirm, but I'm not snoring and my symptoms have subsided), my blood pressure is normal without medication, and my auto-immune arthritis is slightly better with my inflammatory factors slightly down. My rheumatologist suggested the VSG because the stomach tissue that is removed is responsible for large amounts of inflammatory hormones, as are the fat stores that are lost as we lose weight. You'll probably already know this, but high Protein diets are the norm post WLS with people pushing VERY high protein goals at you. With pre-existing kidney damage, you're going to be a special case, and will need to work with your medical team to determine what the right protein goal for you is, and don't listen to anyone other than your team. But my health is definitely better after surgery, and it's continuing to improve. There's a really good chance yours will too Best of luck!!

I was told anything M&M size or smaller was fine (and I assumed she meant the non-peanut kind). I take an Omega that is a huge capsule, and I didn't take it for a couple of weeks until I was on purees. My doc and I went through my meds and agreed that all of my prescribed meds were an appropriate size and were needed, and that the ones that were a size problem were supplements that would be OK if I missed for a few weeks. I don't know if you're taking the Omega 3 as a prescribed medicine for a condition or as a supplement, so I can't advise you whether or not to take it, so if in doubt call your team and check. But generally it's OK to skip supplements for a while unless they're essential to treat a specific medical condition.

I was just talking about this with my parents last night, when they asked if I thought my aunt should get the surgery. Right now I am fully aware that I'm in the honeymoon period... from everything I've read and been told, the weight will practically come off regardless of what I do. What will prove whether or not I've made the right changes in my life is what happens after the honeymoon period is over. So while I cannot do low-carb/ketogenic, period, and what I have been doing seems to be working, I simply won't know for another year to 18 months if it really has, or if it was just the honeymoon glow. So I'm VERY careful advising people to do what I'm doing. The majority of the successful vets have NOT done what I'm doing, which makes me very cautious about saying my way is better or even a viable alternative. Ask me in a couple of years and I'll be able to make a more informed statement. All I know is that I am doing better than I was, so I'm working on continual improvement, and hoping it's enough in the long run.

I talked to my therapist last week about what to do when my emotions are wanting food. She asked me what other kinds of things soothe me. She recommended I make a list of these things in my journal, and when I'm wanting food, go to the list and pick something else to try. It could be journaling, watching my favorite movie or show on Netflix, reading my favorite novel, cuddling up with my favorite blanket and teddy bear... nothing is too silly or juvenile because it's usually a hurt kiddo inside that we're actually soothing. It could also be something rhythmic because that soothes part of our brains... like music (listening or playing), crafting (I knit and it's VERY soothing unless it's a lace pattern LOL), or even going for a walk. So what kinds of other things comfort you?

Your surgeon will discuss the different surgical options with you and your medical history and if there's a clear indicator of one surgery fitting your situation best they'll let you know. They'll go over the things that have to be done before the operation, some are insurance requirements (if applicable) and some are to ensure the best surgical outcome: referral from primary doctor, bloodwork, EKG, nutritionist/dietition visit, supervised diet, pre-operative diet, EGD (procedure to look at the stomach to see if there's any ulcers, hernias, or other structural problems), etc. They may talk about what kind of diet will be needed after the surgery so that you heal properly afterwards. They'll give you handouts and other information to help you make your decision, and tell you what the next step is if you decide you want the surgery. It's all very painless and they very much want to help you make the best decision for you.

@@Anna Nim Oh, my gosh, what stress. I hope they're backing off now that it's done?

I preferred the Syntrax over the Isopure hands down. I got the variety pack here at BP's store, I'm pretty sure. I don't remember if I found the variety pack on Amazon or not. I got several things here and several at Amazon, wherever was the best price and availability. I did the variety packs for several brands, and it was the best way to go about it, even though it was a large cash outlay.

LOL. As a nurse, I will just say you'd be amazed at what some people will do. But yes, I totally agree. Sex wasn't on the table (so to speak) for a couple of weeks after, and I had a good recovery.

Just you wait. I'm coming for you!! Bring it. LOL.

Read The Easy Way Out (link in my sig) It's my response to detractors for the surgery. I had the thought pre-op that I was doing well on my pre-op diet, shouldn't I just keep doing that? But I'd had years to do it that way, and some success but never keeping it off, and there's scientific reasons for that. It's true that this surgery is one you can't take back. There's no reversing it. So you need to be sure. But I can tell you I had the same thoughts, and I'm 4 months out and am SO GLAD I did it.

I've had friends gain back from lapband and bypass both. I can already see where I could "eat around" my sleeve if that were my intention. It's all about dealing with food issues. For instance. I knew a couple who were both well over 500 lbs each. They went together to get lapband but refused the offered therapy, because they just knew they didn't need anything like that. They actively talked about how they still drank sugared sodas, ate ice cream, and ate cream-based Soups because those foods would slip by the band and they could eat as much of it as they wanted to satisfy their cravings. They would go to the all you could eat restaurants and eat, then go to the bathroom and purge, eat some more, and repeat because they wanted to get their money's worth. They freely admitted they had issues with food, but refused to address those issues, but complained because the band wasn't making them lose weight. SMDH. Except for those for whom weight is strictly an issue of portion control, there is typically a huge element of emotional eating involved. Whether it's bingeing (with or without purging), emotional eating, or simple overeating, a common crutch for emotional issues is to stuff it down or bandage it with food. While most of us aren't as open and vocal about it as my two friends were, we will tend to do basically what they did... find ways to "eat around" whatever WLS tool we put in place. Our sleeves won't stretch, per se, but if we extend our meals we can shovel more in on top as food is being processed out, and eat more at a sitting. If we eat less dense foods, we can pack more in. If we graze all day, we can eat ridiculous amounts of calories. If we increase our tolerance for fatty and sugary foods and drinks and choose them, we can eat more calories. There's two main things people can do to avoid this. One is to clean up their environment so they're not tempted to go off track. If bread/pasta/carbs lead to overeating, don't have them available or don't allow them in the diet at all (one reason many people stay on the low-carb plans). Don't keep high calorie/low nutrition foods around. And so on. The other is to use therapy or other tools to dig down and figure out what's driving us to use food as an emotional crutch/bandage and fix the underlying problem (or find a new crutch/bandage which is why there's so much crossover addiction in the WLS community). The reason WLS fails (IMHO) is because people believe (or are led to believe) that WLS is a quick fix and don't know to, or aren't willing to, do the work. And that work is needed for successful weight loss, whether you use the WLS tool or not. WLS is a great tool for a number of reasons, but that work can't be avoided. And it's not easy. Which is why weight loss fails. So ultimately, my long-winded post sums up to this.... WLS fails for the same reason weight loss fails.