Berry78

I used Dr. Illan (for a virgin sleeve), had a wonderful experience, and there were no hidden fees. They'll give you the straight-up costs. Something to really think about, is that yes, another surgery will knock some weight off (likely the 50lbs you've gained), but it may not get you all the way to goal.. and even if it does, it's not guaranteed to hold you there. A lifestyle change is required for long term success, even after a more severe surgery. It would be good for you to get to the root of your issues.. the mind game is the hard part of bariatric procedures. Realizing that the surgery and initial post-op is actually the easy part. Good luck, whatever you decide!

I think it's to do with the "honeymoon period" and set point theory. When you undergo surgery, you wake up with a new set point. I'll use me as an example. I was holding my weight steady at 305lbs before my preop diet. This was my preop set point. As soon as I went through surgery, I awoke with a new set point, which is probably around 200lbs. (It's impossible to tell what it is, so that's just a guess based on statistical evidence from other bariatric patients). So, the body WANTS to get to 200lbs. Weight loss is easy, because the body is helping it along. During the transition from surgery weight to 200lbs, this is the "honeymoon period". But, my goal is currently 180lbs. So if I hope to go under the 200lbs, it will be up to my MIND to get me there, since the body is only helping out until 200, and will stop. I'll have to count calories, exercise.. do whatever I can to lose weight, the same way as I would have, had I never undergone the operation. I expect the biggest change from honeymoon to not-honeymoon will be hunger. I'll probably become a bottomless pit, because that is how I always felt on diets before. But now, at 3.5 months post op, I have learned some new ways of eating, some more coping mechanisms, etc.. so my hope is I can go forward, and be successful with my newly learned behaviors and smaller stomach... when I exit the honeymoon period (hopefully still a few months away..).

Pretty sure this is the worst idea I've read on this board. (Timing-wise anyway). I was gonna say you probably need to go to the hospital for some IV fluids. The gym should be reserved for people that are (and have been) meeting their fluid, protein, vitamin, and calorie requirements for several weeks straight. In my opinion, people that are eating less than 1200 calories have no business in the gym. (There are plenty of people on this board that will disagree with me). Walking around air-conditioned malls and grocery stores is a *free* way of getting comfortable exercise. Leave your money at home if you're worried about spending too much. House cleaning can also be a decent workout, and you'll get a clean place, to boot! At least around my place, there is always a project that can be tackled. Even if you don't believe me, be sure to ask your surgeon about whether to join a gym. Their advice is always more important than random strangers' on the internet, anyway.

If I ate 8 times a day, I'd never find time to drink! Lol. I'm 3.5 months out, and eat the same thing each day: Breakfast: 4oz cottage cheese Lunch: 1 egg and 4oz beans Snack: 1oz nuts and piece of fruit Dinner: 3-4oz meat or fish Snack: 4 oz cooked spinach Most days I miss at least one meal or snack. The missed food is what I eat for breakfast the next day so I'm making sure I get my nutrients. My kitchen scale had given up the ghost, so I went without for a few weeks. I got a new one, and it works much better! So happy! I've gotten pretty good at guestimating 4 oz, but like having the scale.

I don't think you read the update. Scroll back up a few posts. The daughter is doing very well, and the mother is being very supportive.

You are quite welcome!

"Clog your sleeve" LMAO .. picturing a little plumber going down there with a plunger... The first 8 weeks is an exercise in keeping food in your mouth until it's runny and smooth. If you do this, there isn't enough bulk to clog anything. I could eat a spoonful of peanut butter at about 8 weeks out.. just took my time licking it off a little at a time. No problemo.

This is a bit difficult, since I followed my plan (so the plan told me what to add and when). Basically, try and keep to one type of consistency for a week at a time, and by time you are 8-9 weeks out, you'll add in everything. So, starting today, make sure everything is a runny puree consistency. Smooth, thin, will run off a spoon. Add liquid if things are too thick. (You can do tuna or beef in the blender if you want.. puree is about the texture, rather than what you are eating.) At 4 weeks, you move to thick and smooth. Like greek yogurt. Will stand up on a spoon, but still no chunks. At 5 weeks, you move to soft chunks (like unblended split pea soup). You'll need to chew a bit, but everything should turn to mush in your mouth. At 6-8 weeks, you move gradually into firmer and firmer foods. Raw veggies are one of the last things you add.. especially raw carrots, cucumbers with peels, etc. It might take longer than 8 weeks to bring some of that back in. I knew it was ok to advance to the next stage when I could eat the current stage relatively quickly and without discomfort. Anytime you try out a new food, just take a small bite, chew it well, swallow, and wait to see if everything is ok, before taking the next bite. Your tummy will tell you when it doesn't like things. If you overdo, and end up vomiting, go back to liquids for a day to rest your tummy. Wait at least a week before reintroducing something that didn't agree with you.

I'm sorry about the other responses you've gotten. We frequently have people come onto the board, looking to stir up trouble, and sometimes we mix up the honest folk and the troublemakers. It's hard to quite tell what happened to your brother in law, other than it sounds like he got a leak, and these other complications came from that. Leaks are pretty much our worst nightmares, because they ARE so dangerous. There used to be someone that posted here that had leaks. He ended up with a complete gastrectomy (where they simply remove the entire stomach and attach the intestine to the esophagus). He recovered really well, and was able to resume a normal life. There are several different types of weight loss surgeries, so we've been wondering what type your BIL had. Pneumonia can be very dangerous, so I know how worried you must be. (My own father died from it). The best thing you can do right now is try and be upbeat and positive around him. Hopefully he can still appreciate a good joke and smiling faces. Just try and feel out the situation to see what will make him the most comfortable.

The rare person ends up with that kind of trouble with the sleeve. Most people are much more comfortable than that. Personally I am as comfortable as I was preop, I just get full sooner. There are foods that don't agree with me, but it isn't a big deal. I just experiment with what works and what doesn't.

Water is something you can increase as you are comfortable. There is no reason to limit your drinking to one ounce if 2 ounces is comfortable.

Glad you called the nurse. Hopefully it's just something to do with strapping you to the table...

In my opinion, 6 days is too soon. Docs all have their own plans, but mine did things slowly and it worked great for me. 3rd week everything was purees; like yogurt, split pea soup, mashed potatoes and the like (for consistency). Week one was clear liquids. Week 2 was full liquids.. So the purees opened up a new world One thing that you shouldn't overlook is the idea of taking things slowly, and don't hesitate to revert back to the easier foods. If yogurt is working, great! I found my tastes had changed so much that I could tolerate plain yogurt, no sweetener needed. YMMV

Yeah, I never felt it until it hit the shoulders either... weirdness!

Lol, you must be feeling bad to worry about offending us ladies! Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Gas pain can be the pits. I didn't have it bad, but it was up in the shoulder, and couldn't tell that from muscle pain. The good news is once it's up in the shoulders, that it has nowhere else to go, and it should start subsiding soonish. Just keep on walking, and know that it should be feeling much better by this time tomorrow. {Hugs}

My rule of thumb with yogurt was a 1 to 1 ratio, protein to carbs. So it sounds like yours is pretty good. The first month (to me) is about healing, not weight loss, so do what you need to. When you are on solid foods, it will be much easier to transition to higher protein/lower carb choices.

It's one nice thing about this board, that we do hear all sorts of stories. The terrible, and the beautiful. Each of us has our own story.. leading up to the surgery, as well as after. I hope your brother in law knew that, as with any surgery, complications were possible. They are relatively infrequent, but ultimately that doesn't matter when it is YOU that is sick (and it sounds like he got the absolute short end of the stick ). I don't know how much you know about the process of weight loss surgery, but this type of surgery is reserved for people that are at least 100lbs overweight, and either are, or are likely to suffer health consequences from their obesity. Surgery is a last resort when diet and exercise haven't produced the desired long-term results. There is usually a 6 month diet, psychological testing, physical testing, nutritional counseling, psychotherapy, etc. It's a BIG deal to meet all the requirements to even qualify for the procedure, so chances are very good that your brother in law knew how big a procedure it was, before going under the knife. Me personally, I was pretty much at the end of my youthful, useful life. My health was on a downhill slope that wasn't going to end well. I HAD to leave the dangerous path I was on, and I was willing to risk my life to do so. I think most everyone that has this surgery would say the same thing. Again, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother, and I hope that the doctors can fix him up! As long as there is breath, there is hope.

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your brother's complications Hope he gets to feeling better soon!

Trust me, don't bring protein powder to add to the soup. A single meal without protein isn't gonna kill ya. Potato soup, french onion soup.. something along those lines will work well. Even ordering a sweet potato can work, just take tiny bites and keep it in your mouth until it's nice and smooth/runny. Do try and avoid anything like chicken noodle soup. It's soft, but those noodles... (maybe it's just me, but I can't handle noodles even now, and I'm 3.5 months out). Even the broth has noodle juice in it.. so doesn't work for me. YMMV

How far out will you be? I went out for the first time at a regular restaurant 8 days post op. I ordered a hot tea and a glass of milk. Got some strange looks from the waitress, but I just explained I was on a liquid diet. Was fine after that.

You HAVE to tell someone about your surgery in case of complications. It can be a friend, or whatever.. but if you get sick and need to go to the hospital, who will drive you? Who picks up your slack if you become bed-ridden? Who is taking care of your daughter? Chances are excellent that none of these things happen.. but things can and do go wrong, so you need to prepare yourself and at least one other person for those possibilities. People that live by themselves can afford to keep it all a secret, after all, if they get sick, it only impacts themselves. But people that live in a house with others have to tell at least one person in that house (or someone close by that can come over and help). And if you live alone with your daughter, then you definitely need someone nearby that can help make sure you are well enough to take care of her. Once that is all sorted out, it's easy enough to hide the surgery from others. Always eat (drink!) alone. If you are moving gingerly, explain that you fell down some steps while on vacation, etc. Good luck!!

Not sure how much your tummy can hold, but the trick with keto, and other low-carb diets is to actually limit your meat/protein to 3oz, 3 times a day, and fill up the rest of the time on green veggies (add some nuts or cheese to round out your protein goal}. Test it out to see how much green stuff you can eat after eating 3oz of protein. If only a bite or two, then eat your protein and veggies separately. 3 oz of raw spinach and 3 oz cooked spinach look very different in the bowl.. see which one you can eat more of... I mention spinach, specifically, because I'll eat about 4oz cooked, and stuff is like a laxitive for me. (I do add a teaspoon of oive oil and a splash of vinegar and some spices for flavor). Green veggies need a little fat to help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins.

Thanks! LOVE blueberries!! And red raspberries taste much better now (postop)!

I second what Navigating said. It counts the "liked" content.

I'll join you in your bean discussion. Preop, I actually made a post here, voicing my concern about beans being highly recommended post-op, but that I couldn't tolerate them, digestively. Magical fruit, my ass! Lol. BUT postop, I eat beans every single day, and don't get gas from them at all (or at least not significantly). I'm soooo happy about that, because now, beans with eggs on top is my favorite meal! (Eggs in a little butter, cooked over-medium, so the yolk mixes with the beans.. add garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper before cooking. Yum!) I don't add salt because even plain canned beans have salt from the canning process. It's amazing how the surgery really does change us, in so many ways. We don't just look different and act different, we ARE different people. It's the strangest thing, but I swear it's true. I've lived in Maryland with my hubby for 18 years. Never thought much about it, but suddenly I'm looking at Alaska as a place I could just up and move to! It's like, craziness! Now, I don't actually think I'll move anytime soon (and not actually Alaska), but I do feel much more motivated to make a ton of changes. Before surgery, it all would have been too daunting...