Creekimp13

Lindsay....I had the exact same experience. Had an abnormal upper GI with Barium, had endoscopy, they found chronic gastritis. Blah blah... I never experienced any symptoms of acid reflux, but was told I had it. I had a sleeve. I love my sleeve. I have still not had any symptoms of acid reflux. The only thing to be concerned about...is the results of your biopsies to make sure you don't have Helicobacter Pylori. Unless you have severe GERD, this shouldn't change anything. No worries. And interestingly, it wasn't until surgery that they discovered I had a pretty decent sized hiatal hernia...which they fixed. I'm told that can help reduce acid reflux.

Nah, you won't. Just one of those weird variances between groups.

My doc had a hard firm limit the first week of 4 ounces per hour. I'm not shitting you. 16 hours a day, I was drinking one ounce per 15 minutes for the first 7 days. Second week, we had a 8oz per hour limit.

Kathy, you tease...

LOL. Glad you're having moans of ecstasy, Fluff:) On day six, no less!

Dragon....you and your wife should research these two questions: What percentage of people who lose weight with diet/exercise alone keep the weight off for five years? What percentage of people who lose weight with surgery keep the weight off after five years? When you find the answers, you'll know with certainty the best course of action.

A year ago I would have agreed with this whole heartedly. I hate when people lie about liking foods they don't like...and when they lie about not missing/wanting the foods they were so attached to...they got fat on them. I have always been someone who prefers ugly truths to pretty lies. I love food. Food and I have a deeply intimate attachment. THAT SAID... I've gotta disagree with summerset on this point. I think there are a wide ranges of experiences and I'm absolutely shocked to have had a different experience than what I anticipated. There are a lot of foods I used to use for comfort...that I have turned to for comfort again (yep, I'll admit I have...in carefully measured quantities...I still wanted the stress relief and comfort of eating them on occasion) Something in my physiology has changed. They don't work anymore. And it makes me kinda freaked out. Sometimes I feel like something akin to an alcoholic in a warehouse full of beer. No matter how many bottles I pop open and take a swig....it's not beer anymore.....it all tastes like iced tea...and I don't WANT iced tea. I can take a bite of chicken pot pie, or donut, or BigMac, or chocolate turtle pie....stuff I used to freakin LOVE....and it fails to bring that little release of serotonin like it always has. It fails to caress my insides like love. it doesn't make me feel better. It just goes down empty and makes me feel both stupid (for doing it) and sad (because the sensation is missing...the relief is missing) The up side...is that it's not hard to stop. Who wants more than a bite or two of abject disappointment? I'm running fewer experiments. If a bite of donut doesn't work, a bite a cake isn't likely to, so why bother? I'm not saying I didn't LOVE eating this stuff before...I'm not saying I feel accomplished to have "conquered it"...cause that's not it...I don't feel like that. I'm saying that it kinda scares me and upsets me that it doesn't do much for me anymore. The magic is gone. Something CHANGED. My guts or parts of my brain involved with eating....feel alien. I think there's more than meets the eye...to what happens to people with these procedures. And I think individual experiences vary widely. I never expected to feel like this.

My plan includes low glycemic breads, brown rice and protein pasta. I use chick pea based bowtie protein noodles in my chicken soup now. Very little taste difference, and much better nutrition.

if honey didn't bother you in the past, it will likely be ok now. You might want to get pasturized honey and wait a while on raw honey. Raw honey can be infected with Botulism spores which are usually not a problem for healthy people, but could be a problem for someone recovering from stomach surgery. Also, keep in mind that honey is pure sugar. 64 empty calories per Tablespoon...so be careful of using it purely because it's so nutritionally awful. Carb counters won't like the 17g of carbs per Tablespoon. (that said, I'm not a carb counter and have used honey a couple of times since surgery) But yeah... a pasteurized filtered honey.....should be safe for you to use sparingly.

Just go. If they haven't talked about a diet outline to follow yet, you're flying blind...so they'll be pretty forgiving. That said...once you get some instructions and are expected to make the changes...it's a good idea to follow through to prove you can. It won't be a big deal. Go to your appointment.

We don't have any carb limits and are, in fact, encouraged to eat low glycemic carbs very early. One of our first soft foods is mashed potatoes...regular or sweet. We're encouraged to eat 1000-1200 calories a day as soon as we can. (I did at 3 weeks out) We are supposed to get 60+g of protein per day We eat six 200 calorie meals per day. (eventually transition to bigger meals, lighter snacks) We are told to avoid high glycemic carbs, only one caffeinated beverage a day...the rest should be decaf. No NSAIDS. Alcohol and carbonated beverages are both treated as something you can have once in a blue moon, but should not be part of your regular diet because they have poor nutritional value and high empty calories. Empty calorie items....sugary foods, added sugar, alcohol, soda...should be consumed at no more than 75 calories total per day....and should be avoided altogether if possible. We eat low glycemic bread (sourdough, pumpernickel, whole wheat), lower glycemic brown rice, and protein pasta. We eat fruit early and regularly. Veggies and fiber are encouraged. We're cleared for almost all foods at about 6 weeks. We take a multi vitamin, B12, B Complex, and Calcium

Average loss will depend a LOT on your Excess Weight. Figure your excess weight by subtracting your goal weight (or your normal BMI weight) from your weight the day of surgery. Say you have 100 pounds of excess weight. If you are having an AVERAGE experience...at 3 months, you can expect to have lost around 33 pounds. At 6 months, around 50 pounds. At 12 months, around 65 pounds, and 18 months...around 70 pounds. Some people lose much more weight than average. Some lose less. people are individual. LoseBig....you do seem to be losing much faster than average for someone with 114 pounds of excess weight on the day of surgery.

Depends on the insurance company. Only way to know for sure is to call them.

I just use a regular bathroom scale. If you need something with a little higher capacity, I've seen 400 pound scales going for about $150. You could see if your PCP minds you stopping in to check your weight. They usually have good scales at reputable gyms, medical weight loss centers...even the YMCA. Best wishes:)

I was told to wear just a gown. In Pre-op, They gave me a blanket for my butt half for extra coverage. LOL. Socks at my hospital were color coded "safety socks" so we had to wear what the hospital gave us. As soon as I got to my room, I went to the bathroom and slipped on some PJ bottoms. Felt perfectly comfy roaming the halls in my gown and PJ bottoms....and "safety socks".

You're doing it for these people....because they are important to you, you love them, they are your most important relationships and hurting them horrifies you. They matter to you. Protecting things that matter to you....is self interest. You are doing this for you because you're doing this for what matters most to you. Different way to look at it:)

I was so hungry a week after surgery I could have eaten my leg off. Dishearteningly hungry. I was starting to feel really desperate. After getting on pureed and soft foods, I felt a lot better. Got my calories up to 1000 per day at week 3 and haven't felt hungry since. I get 1200 or so per day, now, and feel really good. Never hungry. This where I'll stay for the next 15 months or until I reach goal. It does get better! You're in the home stretch:)

I'm about three months out. I've already tried sushi, pizza and bread. I used to love them all. Now, it's just weird. It's so different. These foods are not that enjoyable anymore. They're not "relief" anymore. Wish I knew how to explain what happened to me after surgery....because it's sort of disturbing and really difficult to put into words. And I remember reading posts like mine and thinking the poster sounded fake...and like they were trying to talk themselves into "being good". And that's not what i'm saying at all. I get what you're saying in your post....and from the perspective of someone pre-surg...I totally understand your desire to hang on to a little piece of your comfort/celebration food habit. But from my perspective post surgically...I've gotta tell you....you will very likely change in ways you don't expect. I'm not saying..."i'm proud that I don't enjoy naughty foods anymore because I'm self disciplined and make better choices!!" I'm saying... "I loved food. Food was a tool I used to cope with stress...and now, it just doesn't work...and while I'm grateful that I seem to be breaking the addiction.....it sort of scares the hell out of me. Losing an emotional crutch is very very hard. Sometimes I feel kinda lost. it's unsettling." Sometimes I really wish I COULD enjoy eating bread and pizza in the same way I used to....sometimes I wish I had that coping mechanism back. Sometimes I wish it still tasted so amazing that I could block everything else out for a while....like I used to. But your body changes. I don't crave sushi anymore because I know the rice is too much...It won't feel good. I don't crave or want pizza for the same reason. Once in a while I crave a little fresh baked bread. A ver y little bit...a tiny half slice of whole wheat is good once in a while. But cold bread holds no interest for me anymore...and I was such a bread addict. All I can say here...is that all of your preconceived notions about what you'll want and what you'll feel like after surgery....are probably really flawed. You're wondering if you'll be able to find your happy eating place again someday...and enjoy foods in the same way you always have. The answer for me...was no. Everything has changed. When your stomach only holds a few ounces....party food isn't an important focus of your life anymore. For better or for worse...your life and your relationship with food...change significantly.

I discussed it at length with my doc. He was the one who said take it with Tums, and never more often than once or twice a month. He also suggested the liquid might be a better choice (also take it with Tums) because it's absorbed faster and doesn't sit in the stomach as long. The Hard Fast advice...is to not use it anymore because ulcers are just so bad for us. It's probably not worth the risk. But if you do ...use is sparingly, less is better, use the liquid, and pair it with Tums....to be as safe as you can.

Also keep in mind that this whole process is hell on our hormones and emotions. Things that might not have even registered to bother you in the past...could make you feel very sensitive now. There's a whole process of losing a comfort crutch (food) that is a little unhinging. We get a little frayed around the edges. That being said....your mom could be more supportive, and your hubby could be less oblivious. A pox on both of them! LOLOLOL

Keep your calories around 1000-1200. Don't eat processed food. Limit high glycemic carbs to 75 calories per day or less. Keep your protein over 60g a day. Eat raw fruits and veggies....the fiber will grow healthy gut bug diversity. Keep a food journal. Cook meals from simple ingredients. And here's the big one, and the hard one... Be Patient. Stalls are normal....and maddening.

Everything will be fine. Just talk to your nutritionist about everything that's been going on and your concerns about your BMI disqualifying you. S/he will have a solid answer about that...or will be able to get one for you.

If you're having doubts....you might want to wait. Alex wrote a great article about deciding when you're ready: https://www.bariatricpal.com/magazine/646-five-signs-that-you’re-not-ready-for-weight-loss-surgery/ Then again...people do get nervous at the last minute...even when they're very committed. It's common. Try to trust your saner self who has been jumping through hoops for months trying to get this done. Eating will change...a lot...after surgery. The feeling, the urgency, your preferences....will likely change quite a bit. Yep, you'll have screw ups. But they probably won't be as big as the screw ups you've had in the past, and you'll learn from them...cause eating will change for you. You won't feel comforted from it as much anymore. And it really sucks to feel overfull and nauseated from too much sugar....so you do change your habits. You can overeat with sleeve. You can gain everything back if you don't stay focused. That said....MOST people will lose 70% or so of their excess weight and typically only gain back about 10% of their excess weight. That's the average experience. You can do a lot better than that...or you can do worse. You get out of it what you put into it. And a little bit is luck....just how your body responds and how your hormones change. Best wishes moving ahead:)

Jello slides right through. When you start food with texture, you'll know more about your restriction. Don't worry, there is no evidence anything is wrong.

So sorry you're experiencing this:( On the plus side....you can use the extra hours you're awake to stay well hydrated. Be careful of sleeping too much and getting behind on your hydration. I know it's tough. I promise it gets better in time.