Didjit

14 hours ago, CaribeRidge said:

... drinking a glass of cold Water fast stops the spasm.

Thanks for the tip! I hope to not have another one, but if I do I'll give it a try.

12 hours ago, clsumrall said:

Pickle juice helps spasms as well

er... um... I think I'll stick with the spasm.

Thanks, all, for the feedback. FYI, I did have an echo and a stress test, so like I said all's well there. Seeing my PCP in a couple weeks, so I'll see what he has to say.

I'm a bit post post-op (about 20 months after a VSG) and things have been pretty unremarkable since the initial loss. But recently I've had two episodes out of the blue, unlike anything I've experienced before. The first time, I thought I was having a heart attack. A vague nauseous feeling turned into a chest tightness. It was like the wind was knocked out of me and I couldn't breathe beyond tiny gasps for about 20 minutes. Long story short, it wasn't a heart attack and all cardiac tests showed my heart to be working perfectly. Needless to say, it was scary as hell, and the anxiety that I might be having a heart attack was enough to give me one!

But then it happened again, a few weeks later. This time I really tried to focus on what was causing me distress. I think that it was a muscle spasm, focused in my upper abs and/or mid back. Maybe the diaphragm but it really felt more like a tight band wrapping around my lower ribs, forcing me to exhale; the diaphragm would force an inhale. Stretching and massaging helped a little, but was really hard to do in the moment.

I'm really worried now about it happening while I'm at work or out in public. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I'm wondering if my GI tract triggered a spasm for some reason.

I'm excited.. but coffee? !?!

We've used Blue Apron for a few years now. It has generally worked well for us. The recipes are delicious and easy to prepare. It lets me cook (and I'm no chef) on the nights when my partner (who is a great chef) can't.

But unfortunately we're quitting Blue Apron. We've had just too many problems with late/missing deliveries and missing/leaking/spoiled ingredients. So now we're looking around for a different service. Purple Carrot looked nice, though it's all vegetarian. Also, it appears to run low on Protein and high on carbohydrates. We'd tried Hello Fresh but were disappointed (I guess "Mostly Canned", while more accurate, doesn't have the same ring). Are there any recommendations out there? We're looking for good, interesting, healthy meals using fresh organic ingredients, low-cal, low-fat, high protein.

@Ken S., Unless your changes haven't been pushed out yet, it still isn't quite right. There is a Goal line (red) but it's showing my milestones. My ultimate goal doesn't appear on the graph at all. Perhaps if I didn't have milestones defined? If you look at the attached picture, I have a goal weight of 210, which doesn't appear.

For those who have essentially "leveled out", how long did it take? Obviously everyone has different bodies starting from different places, but from what I gather for VSG it seems that most people lose most of what they're going to lose within a year. Is that true? And is it 6 months? 9? Or do many people take years? (Disclaimer: I know this is a life-long change, and it's not just "bang" and done. Just trying to gauge how low I'll go and how long it'll take.)

@rossthebossAt 2 months out I can only eat about 6 oz. at a time. That's like a small chicken breast and some vegetables. liquids do pass faster. For example if I over-drink I'm uncomfortable for a couple minutes, but if I over eat the discomfort can last a half-hour. That said, I can drink 8 oz. in about 20 minutes. Maybe 10 if I really work at it.

8 hours ago, sally628 said:

How far post op are you ? I'm going on a cruise and will be three months post op.

Only about two months.

I just got back from a week away on vacation, my first vacation since having the VSG. We stayed at a beautiful all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. And like being on a cruise, we were always surrounded by free food and drink.

There's a lot I didn't do "right". I never made it to the gym (though I did swim every day and went kayaking once). I did indulge in alcohol, though never to a sloppy excess. And I did visit the dessert buffet on more than one occasion. But I also made an effort to emphasize Protein, and stop when full, and separate eating and drinking. I was constantly struck by how little I eat now -- just a few bites and I was full. I found myself rearranging the food on my plate to make it look like I'd eaten more than I had. Honestly, there was a little regret that I couldn't "enjoy" the meal like I used to: 2-4 courses with 2-4 drinks. Instead it was a taste of this and that and a sip of wine at the end. But beyond that disappointment there was amazement that I could now just walk away from the food still on my plate, that I could skip dessert or an appetizer and not really care. I even dropped a pound or two while I was away.

For example, I knew that if I had something like french toast I wouldn't have room for any protein, so I didn't bother with the french toast or at least with no more than a small bite. And after all the dire warnings it was somewhat comforting to find that neither my susceptibility or hankering for alcohol had increased noticeably. But best of all I felt so much less self-conscious poolside. I've passed my half-way point with "just" 40-50 lbs to go, and I'm rediscovering favorite old clothes I'd put away.

On 2/18/2017 at 1:11 PM, Montana Gal said:

Dr. Mathew Weiner does a very good video about this and explains it very well.

[Video]

@Montana Gal, thanks for a fantastic video! As top-notch as my surgeon is, there were points in that video he never made clear to me. They key one for me is [paraphrasing] "Don't worry about your stomach stretching. It will, and that is expected. Worry instead about falling into the same traps that brought you in in the first place." Scary, but that is the core issue for us all, isn't it.

Chart display of past weight doesn't handle the goal weight correctly. It seems to assign it to a much earlier date. This makes the resulting chart too wide to be of any use. And if you remove it then the chart is too tall to be of much use

4 hours ago, Carole said:

I've tried to post but not sure where it went when I hit send.

Since my surgery three yrs ago: I was able to try foods again in small amts and take them home.

I found myself with some deaths that were hard on me, lonely and drinking wine. I Need water!

So...got a behavorist and hope to stop using the wine to comfort myself or shut down the brain.

It's basically I need to force myself to drink Water and wine goes down better only two kinds don't hurt my stomach.

It's not that I have to drink it. I feel down and want to shut down my thoughts. what a miracle is has been losing 130 pounds but I know we do gain 15ish back after we eat. My issues is not having the inner motivation to parent myself and take care of my intake! I am the blame.

I do isometrics so will begin to walk soon as the weather is not cold.

I will probably go back to physical therapy for my issues. I have a gym I can go to: I just don't.

I went down to 137 pounds and now up to like 166ish? not sure. I feel better at 150-155.

So: it's all my fault and I have to change it and scared that I can't.

Take care,

Carole

Hi Carole,

I say this without judgement: it sounds like you could really use some counseling, to help with the grief and the self-medicating use of alcohol. And I hear a lot of self-blame, when I think it's amazing you lost 130 lbs! We're not perfect but we do need to be accountable to ourselves. Counseling or therapy can help with that. I don't know quite what a behaviorist does, but changing behavior is easier when you address the underlying feelings that drive the behavior.

Be well,

Chris

I don't think so. As I understand it, the rule is to prevent washing solid food into the intestine before the stomach has broken it down. With a shake there's nothing to break down.

I too was expecting the wine to hit me harder than it did. I'll have to check with my dietician.

My partner texted me that he wanted to go out for dinner tonight. My mind flooded at once with so many different thoughts: What if I can't find something on the menu that meets my diet restrictions? What if "something" goes wrong? How silly will I look as a large man claiming he's full after three bites? I was having a bad day and I didn't want to deal with this; I was having a bad day and I really could've used a glass of wine over a nice meal.

So I made reservations and we went out. I did order that glass of wine, not entirely sure if I was "allowed to" yet. And Oh! that bread looked good, but I abstained. My partner had half the loaf and an appetizer while I sipped meekly from my wine glass. Finally, the Entrees arrived. I'd ordered the panko crusted cod (Not the gnocchi, nor the scampi, nor the fettuccini-anything). It was delicious, but at +3 weeks I could only eat a couple ounces - maybe 1/4 of the dish. And I confess, I did have a taste of my partner's tiramisu.

I'm still learning how to eat less, and judging how much is enough, and knowing when I'm full. I won't lie, it's a bit frustrating, like a circle in Dante's hell, having delicious food in front of me but just a tiny stomach that can't take it in. But I wanted to treat this as practice, and be willing to leave food on my plate and wine in my glass, to pass on the bread and have no more than a spoon of dessert. Generally I think I did well. The fullness still catches me by surprise -- gotta work on that! But for about the first time ever, I came out of that restaurant with something new: left-overs!

Oops, almost dropped the thread here! Yes, I'm dropping about 10 lbs a week. Meeting Protein goals. I've now been cleared for soft foods. I guess I'm not surprised, but it still caught me off guard that a single scrambled egg fills me up. not complaining!

Present!

Side story:

Years ago I was in San Francisco for business. I'd been needing new jeans and coincidentally SF was the world headquarters for Levi's. Problem solved, I thought. Their flagship store consisted of five floors of jeans: "Skinny", "Thin", "Matchstick", "Slim", "Narrow"... I asked where the more "relaxed" styles were. "Oh. umm... I think we still have some over here in the corner." I was led to a single rack with a scattered selection of sizes. Wasn't America largely overweight? Wasn't there an obesity epidemic? Where the hell were these "Matchstick" people? Where the hell were the clothes for the rest of us? I left the store empty handed, in shame and disbelief.

Thanks for the insight everyone. At this stage, I'm focusing on Protein and Water, but I'm so sick of Protein shakes, yogurt, and cottage cheese I'd just as soon not "eat" at all. That's a problem I thought I'd never have! :-D

I'm a little over a week post-op (sleeve) and I'm finding that in general I'm not that hungry. Yay, right? This is one of the changes I was really hoping for, that with the removal of stomach tissue and the ghrelin it produces that ever present voice of hunger would quiet down. So now that I'm experiencing it I'm wondering if it will last. So those of you who are several months or more out, did your appetite comeback? When? And by how much?

I was told to not take the pills whole but to crush them. The extended release was re-prescribed as an instant release (because crushing would obviously defeat the extended release properties). So that was why my single extended release became three instant release pills, which counterintuitively are much larger. But my follow up is on Wednesday so I'm hoping I'll get the okay to go back to whole pills.

And as for the scale, yes, every day. I'm amazed at how fast I'm losing. I'd dropped 20 before the surgery, and I'm down about another 15 after a little more than a week. It's going to be a great summer! :-D

I'm one week out, and I've decided that the worst part is not how much I miss solid food or how tired I am of Protein Shakes, it's dealing with my various medications. Crushing pills and liquid form sounded so harmless. But my reasonably sized single-dose extended release pill is now a double-the-size three-times-a-day powdered misery more bitter than you can imagine. Chased by a mouthful of syrupy sweet liquid Priolosec. I also have some capsules that I have to pinch open for -- that's right -- more yummy powder! At least I've dropped the Children's Tylenol, which is worse than the Prilosec; it's a fruity (like bubble gum, not actual fruit) gooey gel designed to not be swallowed. And after all that I'm too full to have anything actually nutritious. Spring can't come quick enough!

Thanks all. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's just gas, and since I've passed nothing for two days you can imagine the discomfort. But I do feel/hear some movement starting so hopefully I'm at the end. Oddly, it seemed to be the liquid Tylenol that woke things up.

Just has my sleeve yesterday and everything went well. But today I feel awful! The worst part is the crampiness. I think it's gas but it's not moving. Is this common? Suggestions?

@blizair09: Wow!

@Cander: Awesome!

@illailla: Lol!

@Travelher: Way to go!