Anna Nim

Your nerves were cut during surgery so don't rely on any "fullness" cues to tell you to stop eating for a while - at least a month. Stick to the measurements from your practice's guidelines as far as how much to eat at a time - don't go over. However, if you start to feel things "stack up" into your esophagus, stop and wait for the next meal. Also, I'll often even now get a single hiccup or my nose will start running - weird but that is now my cue to stop eating because another bite and i'll end up miserable. For now, as long as you are meeting Fluid and Protein goals and taking your Vitamins, you'll be fine nutritionally.
also, initially - i just always assumed it was head hunger and when it came over me (it was intense day 7-20) I started an activity. Preferably for me an activity with my hands - hard to eat and knit or color at the same time! I just needed something to distract and reset my brain. For a lot of us, eating is a boredom activity so we have to learn to combat the boredom in another way.
Hang in there! There's a lot of new feelings to sort out during this phase but you'll figure it out!

@@Monigirl76, I don't really recall, but I imagine the opening would be in front. In either case, take a second robe and put it on over the first in the opposite direction until it's time to take it off.

I start to feel gurgling that I describe as a pot starting to boil and then get the hiccups or start coughing.
The words "head hunger" are always on my mind. So I stop and wonder if this is just my head hunger cravings or real hunger.
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What does full or full-ish feel like early on?
I'm only a week post op, but I'll try to describe my new feeling of fullness. I've found that it feels much like that pressure one feels before a burp.
OR
Have you ever swallowed a large amount of an icy cold drink at once and felt that stabbing pain travel with it down your esophagus? Just a blip of a similar pain tells me it's time to stop.
I think the most important thing, for me, has been to be aware of how much I've already had and to go slow, slooow, sloooow. I'm accustomed to horking my food down like a hound dog, so this is an exercise in patience.
You'll get it Anna Nim, just listen to your body and keep checking in.

This is what I do:
Hunger- start an activity and reassess in 15 minutes. I find that I have a hrd time distinguishing between idle time and hunger.
Fullness- this is tricky. I find that measuring my food and not having more than 4 oz on my plate (3:1 / protein:carbs) helps.
At first it was just 2ozs. I use a tiny spoon and fork and eat very slowly. Chew everything, keep food in my mouth. Learning to SAVOR. It takes me 15-20 minutes to finish my small meals. If eat slowly enough I will feel satisfied before I empty my plate.
Pain: pain (and nausea and burping and sweating) means I over ate. It only took once for me to know that I never want to fell that awful again, and it was just one or two bites more that I should have had.
You might want to thin Greek yogurt for a while. It's really big sticky lump of food.

I just had surgery this morning. So far my sleeves name is MF'ing Beyotch (subject to change)

Hmmm I don't have an official name, bit the first things that come to mind are "cock blocker" and "hater" lol just when I get a good bite in, the "cock blocker"/"hater" comes and ruins what could have been an enjoyable meal. Like literally three bites, and the sleeve shuts $hit down lol. Never thought I'd be happy to have a "cock blocker"/"hater" in my life permanently ????

I named mine Moaning Myrtle...because of all the sounds she makes lol

I named mine Stevie (Stevie the Sleevie). The relationship gets better with time. Especially since you know your relationship is permanent.

After explaining my surgery to my 5 year old son he looked at me and said 'So you have a FrankenTummy?' So from that day on my sleeve became FrankenTummy.

I'm an OR nurse, and you will come into the OR wearing a gown open to the back with nothing on under it. We're always very careful to avoid exposing any more of a patient's body than needs to be exposed. For abdominal surgeries, your gown is pulled up onto your chest, or a sheet/blanket is placed on you and then the gown removed under that and the sheet folded up, and the sheets/warming blankets over your lower body are folded down to around your hips, then your skin is prepped and draped. At that time, you're completely covered except for where the incisions are made in your abdomen. In MY operating rooms, no one lays exposed on the table for no reason. Patient dignity is always on my mind.
I've prepped, circulated and/or scrubbed on more cases than I can count and I honestly don't remember any details or really anything about a patient's body other than what was the focus of the surgery. For bariatric patients, I know they're generally heavy, generally have the procedure done laparoscopically and that it almost always goes quickly and with no problems.
Oh, I would remember @ 's note to the surgical team Those patients are the best!

Yeah...that "inny" navel/belly button. You'd be amazed at the flecks of crud we find deep in there. But to everyone, no need to feel embarrassed, for whatever you've got has already been seen in the OR: there's nothing new under the sun. [Though, one time, I had to remove a good size crystal ball from... a woman's 'secret garden'. Yes. That was a first!!]
RE: Shaving...mostly now, patients should not do their own shave, to decrease the risk of nicks and infection. Your doctor will advise; but usually, not recommended for the patient to do.
Catheters: Since most of the cases don't last that long, urinary catheters are not inserted if they have you urinate just before taking you to the OR. But again, surgeon preference, and what they feel is your specific need. If you might be a complicated case, and/or will take longer, then, yes.

For surgery it may be necessary, for a dental visit it is never acceptable.

@@theantichick
You should tag this post to your 'signature line', like you do with the 'easy way out' one, as it is THAT helpful.
It also does not have the shaming aspect that so many of the responses to 'i ate xyz' that others post.
Like I said, I done messed up xmass eve, and had already got my own message and fear before I turned on the computer.
What I would love to see (just random talking, not directed at you), is weekly menu suggestions. I went to Pinintrest and was disappointed (ads, too much food porn, not enough heart of the matter). ..course I am just now starting puree, so I need to bide my time. LOL.

So glad that you made the decision to be sleeved. I toiled over this decision for 5 years and finally said hay I have to take care of me. So I did. 3 weeks post op down 21 lbs and I am now a resident of onederland. God has been so good to me and I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity to be healthy again.

See there ... you have this under control. Leave the chocolate alone for now though, lol.... you will do just great. I can tell you are so full of life. You got this!!????????????

I would have pains when my sleeve would get completely empty post-op that kinda felt like hunger pains. And I would get queasy and have an odd bubble pain behind my breast bone if I drank or ate too fast. For the first couple of weeks, the answer was to always be sipping on something - Water or Protein drink. That kept something in the sleeve, kept me hydrated, and the sipping (and I mean REALLY TINY sips) kept me from drinking too fast and getting pains. It's a learning experience to be sure.

HAHAHAHA! Right? After I taught public school, I found myself repeating EVERYTHING I SAID. REPEATEDLY. I am also a parent. We repeat things/talk to ourselves a lot, don't we?

LOL. Yes, we'll see. I get frustrated like everyone else, especially when vets are getting attacked for simply trying to offer common sense. But I'm pretty stubborn. And very used to repeating myself, as I'm a parent and a RN. LOL.

What a great question! I am fascinated by how many people can identify the moment they decided to change their lives! It brings a tear to my eye.
I remember the day that I nonchalantly decided to suspend all my judgment, all my fear, and "feel "how it would be if I got the surgery.
To my shock, I experienced a sensation of this great opening of space inside of me. It was expensive and it was light. That was the moment when I knew I needed to look into this more seriously.
Following this catalyst was a series of inner events in which my subconscious kept producing beautiful images of how happy and free life could feel if I were thinner and able to engage with it. This quickly tipped me over the edge and I made my surgical appointment.
It's now a bit over a year later and I'm down 130 pounds, living a completely new lifestyle that would have been impossible before, and finding myself much more outgoing and social and I was able to be at 320+ pounds.
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With all the other sub forums here, it should not be hard. It could be called Gastric Sleeve for Millennials who need a Safe Space.

I think half a cup of anything is too large of a serving at two weeks out. Fage yogurt is a great suggestion. Personally, I would pass on the cream of wheat as it won't help with hitting Protein goals unless you mixed in Protein Powder.

why won't mom stay home and watch the kids so hubby is available to help you?

At the end of the day, it all depends on your program and their rules. Follow the rules. If given none, then ask just to be sure.
Some 'cheat'. I agree that it is 'cheating', because they broke the rules and got away with it. That is why they can post about such actions. Some others broke the rules and ended up being hospitalised for weeks. Those ones rarely describe their actions as cheating.
Anyway, know that there are consequences for all actions.
I forgot I was recently sleeved and tried to move a couch last week, an action that took a mere 3 seconds, yet I felt the pain for many hrs.
Instructions are given for real reasons.
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Its worth it even if only one person listens.
Oh and worth posting everytime someone posts, 'I ate pizza after 3 days', 'I ate a hog roast on the way home from hospital;, 'I ate 5 packets of chips (crisps in the uk) on day 2 because I couldnt stand another day without chewing anything' types of posts.
Thanks to the OP