msb-001

Thanks for your reply. Even though you are entering your third phase, don't pressure yourself to drastically modify your diet too quickly. Ease into things. And I don't know I would use the occasion of a family visit to make dramatic changes. That is best when in your own regular environment so you are comfortable if you eat something that doesn't work for you. If folks know you have done this surgery, they will understand. And if not, just say you are on a doctor prescribed diet for whatever reason (GI issues, meds, whatever makes you comfortable). You owe no explanations to anyone really. I will say that you may experiment with some new allowed foods that don't agree with you. Knowing I could east sliced meat if I wanted to, I tried one of my daughter's lunchables which had sliced turkey with sliced cheese. That was NOT a good experiment. It sat there for at least 30 minutes and was on the edge of being sick for most of it and then finally it passed. My new sleeve sent me a message (loud and clear) that I was not ready for meat much beyond soft ground or well cooked meat like meatloaf or soft burger, etc. Suffice to say, no deli meats, chicken, or steak for me for a good while! I have read posts that say your sleeve will let you know what works. I now take that seriously. Anyhow, slow and easy in entering a new phase is best. Good luck on your family visit.

Hello All. So comforting to hear others experiences, so I thought I'd add mine. My surgery was on 8/21 and I was in the hospital for 2 1/2 days. My pain was actually well managed and my providers were aggressive about controlling post-op nausea. I won't lie, my first week was rough but not unmanageable and certainly in retrospect nothing that has made me regret doing this. One week of discomfort, mostly made manageable by meds is certainly worth a lifetime of potentially improved health. So if you are having pre-op doubts, don't let them overtake your decision. I confess to having many pre-op questions and can remember that "what the hell I am doing" thoughts right up until they rolled me to the OR. But knowing what I know now, 3 weeks plus in, I am very glad I did not let those fears stop me from doing this. It's perfectly normal to be really (really) nervous (read scared) pre-op. But it really will be OK. As for post-op, I am down 30 lbs from my 2 week pre-op diet to date. I didn't take an actual surgery day weight ... but my guess is that I am down 20 lbs from that. My highest recorded weight was almost 340 in the years leading up to my surgery and I was 327 when I started the pre-op diet. I weighed in this morning at 297. I don't consider this spectacular weight loss but when I reflect, I have been killing myself to break though the 300 lb barrier for I don't know how long. And now here I am, so that is something I am reminding myself to celebrate. My next big near term goal is 275. I think it helps to set small incremental goals rather to focus on the ultimate end point. As far as my food experience, I am through liquid only, and then pureed foods, and now have started to expand my food choices to include soft meats (hamburger, meatloaf), chili, quiche, eggs, and the like. Premier Protien shakes are still an important staple of my diet both because they are easy and give me a huge assist in getting enough protein (30 g per shake ... which is hard to beat). It is a huge adjustment for me that as I eat a meal, I am so limited in volume. I am not used to becoming full from so little food (or even ever being full) and now that comes so quickly ... it is weird and sometimes a bit of a downer. My head says, lets eat a good size meal and my stomach says we are done after 7 or 8 bites. Very strange. And while I am struggling with this some because the old me would be able to eat so much at a sitting, I also realize this is a great blessing to have this limit and also not to be constantly hungry. So on the net, I am appreciating the limit my sleeve is providing. Even though I have a long journey to go, I am very glad I did this. I just hope my weight loss is reasonably on track. For those, still thinking about doing this or in that initial first few days post-op, hang in there. It gets way better fast ... of that I can promise. Good luck!

Kate, I am 2 weeks post op and feel the same. I thought I wouldn't be hungry at all and I find the opposite. Two themes I've noted on reading the forums are 1) that sometimes hunger is actually excess acid and means I may need more meds for stomach acid and 2) that until I progress to some more substantive (e.g., whole) protein food, I might not feel as full. I plan to ask my bariatric nurse for advice and you might want to do the same. The other theory I keep hearing about is "head hunger" but that didn't seem very informative as one could argue I had "head hunger" versus physical hunger pre-op as well. Anyhow, its early in the journey but this caught me by surprise as well.

Well, that's enough to make anyone feel down. Hang in there, I think you will quickly start to feel much better once the infection passes. Good luck!

Hang in there. I am two weeks post op and moved to puree food and have had tuna, hummus, mashed potatoes, butternut squash soup, and refried beans with a small amount of melted cheddar cheese. I seem to be able to eat generous 3 oz portions without a challenge although I can feel that is right about on the edge of what I can eat even though my "appetite" says I might like to eat more. Anyhow, it will continue to get better and better. The all liquid part plays with your head and can make you feel hopeless ... but it passes quickly.

Two weeks post op, I have been eating tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, hummus, butternut squash soup, and mashed potatoes plus of course the ubiquitous protein shake. I am mindful on the "salads" as far as the fat content (e.g., mayo), but so far, these are the things that have worked for me in puree stage.

In 4 days, I will be 2 weeks post op with my sleeve. The first week was predictably difficult on my all liquid diet and I struggled to get enough protein and liquids. My surgeon authorized me to move to pureed foods after 7 days and since then, I have been feeling much better. I have been sticking to 3 ounce meals -- about 5 times a day -- and have been eating various pureed items such as butternut squash soup, sweet mashed potatoes, tuna salad, egg salad, hummus, etc. along with at least one protein shake a day. I feel like I have a notable appetite and was somewhat surprised by this since I've read that in the first few months, there is usually little to no appetite and you would have to be reminded to eat. Anyhow, I am wondering if having an appetite and even craving some of the pureed foods I am eating is unusual this early? Thanks for your insights.

Hello. I am 2 1/2 weeks post op and just started on puree foods. I am eating 3 to 4 ounces every couple of hours. A mix of tuna salad, egg salad, butter nut squash, and hummus, as examples. For today, I have registered approximately 71g of protein and 975 calories. Does this feel in line with typical. Too much? I am aligning to the post op guidelines my surgeon provided ... but I do want to make sure I am not consuming too much as far as number of meals and therefore calories. Thanks for any input.

I was sleeved on 8/21 (Monday) so tomorrow will be a week out. I spent two nights in the hospital and then home. I will say that the post-op pain and nausea was well controlled with lots of meds. However, once I was home, the great challenge for me was a constantly upset stomach (slight queasy feeling with it) and having a really hard time with the all fluids diet. I just go so tired of drinking my meals and generally having my stomach in turmoil. That said, it is getting just a little bit better each day and I will start pureed foods the day after tomorrow. I have never been so anxious to taste some hummus or some tuna salad.

Thanks for these encouraging words. I really appreciated it at a moment where I was feeling a bit low about my upset stomach, my difficulty in getting in enough protein, etc. Appreciate your post.

I got a bad case of chills and related shaking in the hospital on the second day. I think it was a combination of lack of sleep, stress, anesthesia side effects, and stress. I experienced twice more in the subsequent days, but less and less. The Docs checked me for infection and there was none. I do agree, this is something you should contact your doctor for so they can check it out. But just to say, I had some rough cold chills and trembles during those first few days and now it appears to have receded. Good luck!

Well. I was sleeved on 8/21 and have been at home for two days now. I was unlucky enough to have to leave the hospital with a Foley catheter in place. Fortunately, I was able to have that removed yesterday and that was a great relief. That complication caused me substantial added stress post-op and heading home. That did interrupt my walking a bit, so I have not done that quite as much as I would have liked, but I am starting that up again now. My incision pain is manageable even though I am mostly off narcotics. However, my stomach continues to feel like it is doing flips and I have uncomfortable bloating and gas in my belly. I am talking the gas pills they have given me which I suppose are helping ... but it is still very tough. I don't feel great because of that and the energy level is low. I can tolerate the protein shakes less and less but do seem to do well with broth (with added protein powder) and tea. I can't say I am hungry per se, but I started craving tuna salad today for some reason. I would love a tuna salad sandwich. Go figure ... the oddest things. But I will be sure to start my puree diet with tuna salad and some mayo (assuming the mayo is allowed to moisten it up for the puree part). I don't have any regrets, but this first week has been hard on me on lots of ways. But we need to hang in there together, because I know by reading many other post-op posts that it quickly gets better,

Well, its very normal to be a bit freaked out when that call comes ... it makes it a reality that this can truly happen. But focus on the enormous health benefits this surgery will yield and how much better you will feel with less weight. That is what got me through the 2 weeks pre op, the night before op, and now 3-days post op. It is a challenging and at times scary journey but I believe will be well worth it in the end. Read some of the success stores on this Board. That was able sustain me as well. Good luck to you!

Very normal. I had my surgery just three days ago. The first two days had its moments, but coming into day 3, I am home and its going well. My pain is well controlled as is the gas with a host of meds they send you out with. As for the pre-op nerves, I went through multiple waves of this and continually debated should I do it, should I not. But at the end of the day, I thought of the consequences of not doing it in terms of the future health problems that most likely would occur and I kept on. It is not a minor surgery and there will be some challenges. But the worst is the first few days after surgery and it isn't anything that isn't manageable. So what you are feeling is very normal and just the process one goes through to get from here to there. Good luck!

I had my sleeve 48 hours ago. And the other posters are correct. There will be some discomfort. But my hospital aggressively managed for pain and nausea. The gas pain (mostly in my shoulder) was a nuisance but not itself that bad. I did have some belly gas pain which was uncomfortable and came and went. But again, aggressively managed with meds. You will have some uncomfortable moments to be sure, but I experienced no what I would call severe pain. Good luck. You will make this OK!