magpie26

My mom had WLS surgery 12 years ago and I wasn't for it actually, then I saw how happy she was and how high her self esteem was. I guess I just worried about her then. When I decided to have it she was very supportive (duh!) and my siblings were too. I told my close friends and they were kinda supportive but they told me they could never do that to their bodies(they are both overweight), so after I had it about 2 years later I just didn't tell them. My doctor was not great either, I wanted a referral and the first thing she said to me was "you know, 50% of those fail" yeah, I switched doctors. I never announced it on Facebook, and my mom tells her sisters everything, so they know but they're b*thches.

Duodenal switch! Wow you rock! That's a tough one. Ugh the smells, the smell of coffee makes me gag, but I never drank coffee anyway. Lots of smells make me gag, it's lovely. I'm three months out too, I hate the waiting to drink part, mostly because I have trouble getting my fluids in. I have an issue with carb cravings, that's why I stay as far away from them as I can, but if I have any kind of sweet thing, it takes me a week to stop craving sweet stuff or even crackers but I don't give in, I know my triggers. This only happened because of a bite of my daughter's birthday cake! Ugh. I hope everyone is doing well, I'm in the midst of a stall that started about 4-5 days ago

My surgery was 4/17. I had 2 stalls one lasted a week and the other about 10 days. I started to eat stuff recently that was on my nutritionist's list of "some people may not tolerate it" like corn, big NO there. I tried deli turkey, nope. I haven't thrown up from food disagreeing with me since starting puréed foods and that was day one and that was it. So now I try new things only at home. Otherwise I'm doing pretty well, I journal, I keep my carbs and sugar low and TRY to eat slowly. Since the start of my pre-op liquid diet (that's how my doctor measures it) I've lost 56 pounds. I fight hunger pangs since day one, but I haven't let it get me, I haven't cheated yet only hard thing is getting my fluids and social situations.

I had that issue, when I forced myself to eat, even a protein shake or something like yogurt and then a little more solid stuff my nausea stared to get better. It seemed like when I ate dinner, which was my only real solid food, it was the best I felt all day. I'm not saying you should do that but it worked for me, funny how it randomly came on on week 4 ish. Totally sucks but I'm zooming towards my goal. Getting close to halfway there!

So it's Sunday, and if I was you I know I would check the scale even though people told me not to. How are things going? An issue I had too (I know it's TMI) was I pretty much never pooped either. I was on a liquid diet for 2 weeks pre-op too, then clear fluids, then full liquids THEN puréed then FINALLY soft food. It took me some time to lose at first but then it started and stalled and started again (we all will have annoying stalls) now I'm on a streak of great loss. You'll do great! Go slow with soft food.

I had pretty bad pain, I cried and yelped when I got in and out of bed or when I got up off the couch, which I couldn't sit on because i was uncomfortable for so long. In reality it was just a few days, but I walked a lot and it wasn't just gas. It got better, I stopped taking the meds and kept shuffling around. The first few days were rough for me though.

Chapstick, baggy pants, baggy shirt, chargers for my kindle and my phone which my husband used because I was doped up and slept, and hair ties and deodorant. I wouldve work the same clothes i came in out, but the pants were zip up and who cares about a bra? Honestly, if all I brought was my cell and Chapstick I would have been fine. I made sure to leave with a "barf bag" just in case, I was nauseous, I don't do well with anesthesia.

In the gastric sleeve general discussion there is a thread that's rate your recovery. Most people had a really easy recovery, and not much pain at all. The key is to keep active and walking around, which with a little one you won't have a problem with. If it was me, I would get a little help maybe the first couple days. I'm 11 weeks out and I have teenagers so I was lucky to have them on school vacation to "help" me. Make sure to ask your surgeon if you'll have a drain so he won't yank on it or worse, my kids just thought mine was gross but from what I've seen a lot of people didn't have one. The recovery i suppose is just different for everyone, some people don't have pain just gas, some people are just uncomfortable and some people feel nauseous and some feel awesome.

I constantly forget to drink my fluids! Granted I'm 11 weeks out but if I don't drink 8 ounces first thing in the morning it's a bad start for me. Your body is all sorts of confused and your scale is your worst enemy right now. Drink your fluids, I seriously have to put reminders on my phone (still!) all day long! It's going to happen, you won't be fat forever, I thought the same thing. I sometimes still think that because I've lost 53 pounds since April and I'm only 1 size down in pants but I'm like 4 in tops. It will happen, put your scale away for at least a few days and you'll step back on it and you'll have gone down like five pounds. It happened to me just a few weeks ago after a almost 2 week stall.

It's easier for me when I'm not at home and at someone's house because i don't shut up. At home I eat too fast because nobody talks so I have to remind myself to chew slowly, putting my fork down helps too, the old weight watchers move. I also cut my food up into tiny bites still and sometimes still use a baby fork or spoon.

I disagree about the head hunger. I have absolute real hunger, and maybe she does too. I know the difference, I can tell the difference and it does happen with this surgery. I take double the acid reducer per my surgeon and it helps some but if I don't stay on top of it, I feel like I'm starving especially before dinner. @BajanSleeve I make everything from scratch, it's such a pain to figure out the nutritional information, I use a recipe builder on the internet, sometimes myfitnesspal my I don't like/use that app, I use baritastic but their recipe builder stinks. I love in a very rural area too, there are a lot of black bears here but I bring the dogs, but I bet it's exceptionally hot there right now. I understand how it feels to feel hungry, my surgeon assured me it would go away in a month, the next visit he said by month 2, month 2 he said "well, it just happens in 10 percent of sleeve patients" Monday is month 3. I was a huge water drinker, I'm kinda not into it anymore but I force myself to do half my fluids as water and I'm liking it more now. The other half is Crystal light or something.

I can't eat sugar, and I can't really have those floury, refined, junky carbs such as crackers, or and good bread, chips, even pasta. If I eat any of those things now I will crave it and want it for weeks. I broke the habit but then had some cake at a wedding and then some of my husband's candy the next day and a bite of ice cream the next. Tiny bites won't kill me but I was left wanting cheez-its and Ritz crackers and junk for a week. I haven't wanted that stuff for months.

@Purple girl I was about 4.5 weeks maybe 5 weeks out and I started to get really nauseous, I've been pregnant twice so it did feel like morning sickness. I didn't vomit much, mostly constantly dry heaving. But the nausea was relentless, they have me Zofran and didn't seem too concerned. I saw my PCP, she gave me compazine cause the Zofran didn't work, then we tried one other med. My nausea lasted about maybe 2 weeks, then went away. I have no idea what brought it on, but they didn't tell me to go back to liquids I just kinda did on my own. Hopefully it will be like mine and just pass. I regretted my sleeve for awhile because of that, but not anymore.

Your surgeon gives you goals, or in my case, my nutritionist. She said about 2 pounds a week. But with stalls and fluid retention and all the stuff that happens in life I don't think there is a goal. After 2 stalls in only 11 weeks I've just said to myself, "it's going to be what it's going to be" because I know I'm doing what I'm what I'm supposed to be doing, although I'm not getting enough fluids sometimes and I should exercise more but I do more everday. My mom, who had WLS, 13 years ago keeps saying, have you ever lost XYZ amount of pounds in X amounts of time? The answer is always no, so now I roll with it.

I found out last week that you should try new things at home, especially the things on the list that your nutritionist gave you. I never had a problem with corn before...or milk... liquids get old af, but before you know it you'll be eating a lot of the things you ate before, but hopefully with better choices.

Late to the party, I feel the pain of being actually hungry (y'all have seen me say in so many times in sure). I'm 11 weeks post op, I've been hungry since practically coming home from the hospital. I've scanned through this thread, and I'm giving my 2 cents. After my liquid phase was over I decided to go gluten free, I don't do any bread or crackers or anything like that, gluten is an inflammatory substance and I have arthritis in my hands and knees from Lyme disease so no thanks. I'm not diabetic though. Anyway, I'm hungry A LOT. I've cut out most carbs, sugar and I've found (PS, I had a wicked sugar/carb addiction and being severely depressed doesn't help) I don't crave carbs or sugar anymore. I eat my meals, which are protein and vegetables I rarely eat fruit because of the carbs berries I do eat occasionally. I do not give in to the hunger, I have one snack (maybe) a day which is protein. I drink water or decaf unsweetened tea if I feel hungry between meals. I keep my calories under 1000, I just don't give in to that hunger beast. There are days I will sit with the cabinet open but then shut them. I have 2 teenagers and a stick of a husband and they all are adapting to no snacks, I also have 3 dogs that get dog bones. I keep a food journal and have the calorie king book my nutritionist have me. I will not eat bread or any sweets. I eat low-fat cheeses, I make my own Greek yogurt, honestly I'm sick of almonds. I've lost 53 pounds so far, I have to really start exercising, but you can do it. I lived off toast, crackers, coffee, peanut butter m&ms and cigarettes forever, oh and Coca-Cola. Use this tool and kick some ass!

64 oz?! I guess every doc is different! I can't remember how many I was supposed to get in but I think it was 24-32. But I remember that. I'm almost 3 months out and I STILL feel like getting my fluids is a full time job. The 30-30 rule gets me but drinking more at once is so much easier. I'm still amazed when I see some people here drinking over a gallon of water!

My drain didn't hurt coming out but it felt incredibly weird, and I agree with you, I would rather have a drain than not have one and have that fluid leak inside me. After the first time cleaning/emptying it I didn't care about it, it was just a nuisance.

Haha! I had SEVEN incisions, staples, a drain and a bonus I'm part of the lucky 10% that gets to still be hungry after being sleeved. At least it's not like the pre-op hunger. I'm sometimes surprised that people didn't have drains, there was a lot of fluid that came out of that mo-fo.

Corn can be tricky anyway, some of our new stomachs can tolerate it and some can't to start off. I'm 11 weeks and mine says no. I get 70-90 grams per day. I almost always add a protein powder, I add beans, low-fat cheeses to eggs and whatever i can. I'm the beginning i think we all just eat our protein and try to eat some kind of veggies, I barely get them in. I eat Greek yogurt and add a scoop of protein powder to it. I have to hit 70+ and right now if I need a shake (blech) or powder, I'll do it. I'll also eat last night's chicken etc for breakfast.

Honestly, I'm always great with pain, I'm a champ. I was in agony with my sleeve though. I took my Tylenol and walked and took my gas meds AND my oxys and I was pretty miserable for about five days. I couldn't get in or out of bed, couldn't sleep well, couldn't sit comfortably anywhere, I tried walking around the house all the time. I took my pain meds at night until probably day 9 because of the lower right incision, then I just felt better. My drain was in for 8 days!! That was extra fun. I also had staples, not stiches or glue, which makes for extra cool scars.

Still being hungry when I was told by all the professionals "you won't feel hungry anymore". It's like a nagging aunt, but I don't give in and like above, I try to keep to a meal/snack schedule and I plan MY meals out but the family meals too. going out of social situations are hard now. With people i know it's not a big deal but maybe I wanted to save my food and they just eat it, or I'm at a party and there's nothing that I've tried yet I panic, because lately my stomach has hated two or three (or more!) Things per week and I run to the bathroom. I'm scared that's going to happen. I do bring my own emergency stuff though and hide it in a coffee cup. Nasty or snarky comments from peop!e I kinda know I am not fond of. I'm 11 weeks and 52 pounds down so I'm noticeable

@mandmom the liquid diet sucks, I bet we all will admit that. BUT it sucks for 2-4 days, you'll lose anywhere from 5-20 pounds (possibly, I lost 17) . It makes your surgery SO much safer so your surgeon can maneuver around your less fatty liver, and personally I think it helps prepare you for the next stages post-op. Most likely you'll be on clear fluids for a few days, then a diet very similar to your liquid diet for a few weeks and then hopefully progress slowly from there. All surgeons are different, but I feel like if you can get through the pre-op diet you'll rule the world because I don't care what anyone says, every single day after WLS is an adventure.

You'll come out of the other side of the OR doors a new person! Welcome to the club!

I have gerd from one of the medications i take I'm on prilosec? Omeprozole? For it. But I had the sleeve, it's not worse unless I eat super acidic foods, but they've doubled my dose because I'm one of the lucky few that experience hunger all the time after surgery when the grhelin is supposed to be gone, so extra acid reducers may help with hunger. I'm sorry for your gerd. I heard it gets better with your type of surgery .