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My ekg was abnormal. I was told my heart was too slow???? The nurse said it was slow like an athlete. Since I am not anything like an athlete I just had to think of some witty remark. I said quite proudly that I had been lifting 300 lbs every minute of every day for a long time and perhaps that was rather "athlete" of me! But in all seriousness, I did have to also go for a cardiac clearance and there were no problems whatsoever. Lots of simple things can make it abnormal. Try not to panic....let them be extra cautious for your sake. I'm sure it will be fine and if it isn't at least it's being found out now and not in an emergency room. You'll do good, keep your chin up.

I've always wondered if a stalker would be flattering to me or not. Do let me know how it goes for you :)!

You don't lose weight as fast with the sleeve as you do with a bypass. It's a better, healthier route in the long run. Ten pounds plus each month is very nice, really. Sure, you will see some who lose more or less than you, but you can't really compare yourself to anyone. Here's some food for thought since food for your tummy is in short supply :). Your body's metabolism is in the shitter 'cause it thinks your dying. Your system is still recovering from major surgery even though the roughest part is most likely past. You probably spent some of those three months less active than normal and you still may need to work in more activity to boost that metabolism. Don't step on the scale as often as you are because stress over progress is not helping your progress! I'd even scale back to weighing once a month. Do things like track calories or take body measurements. Measure your food to ensure continued support of learning true portion sizes. Instead of relying on a scale to give you positive feed back, rely on yourself to "know" you are doing the things you need to do for better eating, and living. If you step on a scale one week and it doesn't tell you the numbers you want to see, then you might actually hurt your progress by refusing much needed protein, good fats and calories. You actually do have to eat in order to make magic happen, plus you don't want your hair falling out and clogging up you drains! Oh, and your co-worker is toxic. What a horrible thing for them to say to you. I'd create some distance there because you don't need to be thinking about those words in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. It is normal to have some anxiety about the speed of your progress. You just agreed to have your body cut open, your stomach butchered into a wee little banana, and your whole life changed forever and ever. You want results and you want them right now :). I do too lol, but I know I am doing the right things for my body, I'm eating very healthy, I kayak on the ocean, I walk on the beach, I do my eliptical even though that is way too boring for me and now when I watch tv I work out with free weights mindlessly. I lose 10 lbs a month too and I have so far to go still, but ima not worry about it. Chin up, you will be amazing! Wait, I mean, you are amazing--try to believe that.

Gross, slimy, nasty furry foul food. Its white too..isn't white bad??? Nature keeps trying to kill them too...google it. Pestilence has tried several times to wipe the world banana crop and genetic modification keeps those raincoat wearing suckers in the market. You know what's sad too, my new tummy is shaped like a banana!!!!

Adding my support to Miralax. This is so gross to say, but it seemed for a long while after surgery that every third day was a gross bathroom day. Ducolax is more violent on my guts than Miralax is, but both cleaned me out. Good luck! Oh and, this may just be me, but Knorr's Chicken Broth granules mixed in a warm cup of water seemed to be a good fall back trick and while it is high in sodium, you probably won't be getting much salt for a bit so a cup of this now and then helped things to move believe it or not.

I could NOT sleep laying down for a couple of weeks. My husband went right out the minute we got home from the hospital because while I was in the hospital all I did was sit in an easy chair or on the side of the bed. He presented me a lovely lazy boy easy chair and I was able to sleep slightly reclined. It was not perfectly easy or anything, but much much better. I couldn't have anything cold or even cool to eat or drink for a good while. Most of what I drank was lemon or raspberry tea with a little sugar free sweetener and just warm. My protein drink was and actually still is to this day...room temperature. Even this far out I'm not very crazy about hot or cold going down. But my tummy healed poorly sadly. NO REGRETS tho! All will be well. You do need to walk, but I wouldn't push yourself this early. Let your body heal. Frequent but short walks should be just fine and increase the duration as your pain subsides and it will! No reason to be an athlete yet. I do hope you will feel better very soon. It seemed like for me, there was pain pain pain and then on the 6th day I woke up and I didn't need anything for pain anymore. There is one thing I thought I might mention. While the constant nagging pain subsided within the week after my surgery, I did continue to feel pain each time I took a little liquid/food. I could feel my tummy do a painful "clench" I guess? This was very frequent and my doctor gave me something called Levsin to melt on my tongue. It literally stopped this awful cramping from happening and the quality of my recovery improved soooo much. Hugs! It will get better.

My surgeon required 2 weeks pre op diet with the last three days being clear liquid only. I do suspect that some doctors just want you to eat their food because it might be easier than letting you try to fumble through select choices on your own. The goal for me was high protein, no sugar with calorie and quantity restrictions. I had a list of foods including serving size to help me make my eating choices and Premier Protein Drinks was a daily part of the eating schedule. I cannot imagine having yucky food packets to eat, but as others have said, don't risk the postponement of your surgery and DO talk to the nutritionist. Maybe you just might have some liberties after all :). You do want that liver to shrink, two weeks or four weeks might be a call your doctor makes depending on how much pre weight you've lost already, or it may just be their programs requirement. I do know my doctor said that if he got into me and found my liver too big to work around, then he would have to close me up and try again after more dieting. I was so terrified that would happen I ate perfectly just as they wanted lol. On a side note, I'm so very glad I'm in the program I'm in. My insurance didn't even require supervised dieting for a length of time before surgery, but my surgeon required an aggressive reduction in my bmi and adequate education and demonstration that I could eat in a way that would make the transitions after surgery easier on my body physically and mentally. I was 5 1/2 months preparing for surgery and all of that time was considered "pre-op" diet. The last two weeks was simply a little more restrictive, but it was still including the same kinds of foods I'd been eating from the start save the last three days of clear liquid, which admittedly was the hardest part. Having read many many posts on these forums about the head trips people go through after surgery with the new restrictive portions and limited varieties of foods tolerated, I can honestly say my surgeon was really looking out for me by insisting on delaying surgery and making HUGE eating changes in advance. I didn't go through all the mental anguish of food lose and addiction issues after my surgery. It was very tolerable in that respect. I would NOT like having to eat packets of food as you are and for as long as you must especially when that will not be your diet post surgery I'm sure. I am so long winded when I post! Sorry for that. Consider this a supportive commiseration! How wonderful that you are so close to your date. I'm excited for you! Try to be patient with your doctors' diet requests. Its really such a short time to comply over the grand scheme of things. You will be so happy as time goes on.

Dear Friend, Listen to your body and your mind. This decision is HUGE. Should you have it? Which surgery should you have? What will happen to you in the future? How will you feel after surgery? There is MUCH uncertainty and if you are questioning yourself now, it is worth it to continue to think on it. You have time. I'm so glad you are thinking hard on it. This is the only body you will ever have and there is more than one way to show how much you love your life and your body. I knew beyond a doubt that I needed surgery. I spent years trying to be successful on my own. (My whole life really.) I thought as you did, that I SHOULD be able to do this on my own! Why can't I??? I started trying to get surgery at 30 and was easily defeated when the doctor said "no." Then I tried again at 35 and again at 38 and each time, I was defeated by doctors who felt they knew me better than I knew myself. All this time I was dieting and trying with all of my heart and mind and will power, but I just couldn't do it. In fact. I kept getting heavier and heavier. Finally at 43, newly diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and a body that literally felt like it was winding down to be done for this earth, I was able to get my doctor to help me get the appropriate referrals. I wish, wish, wish they would have helped me years ago, before I really began to fall apart. This is one thing I would encourage you to think about. How is your health and how has your resolve been in the past as far as weight loss goes. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do this on your own, but also be careful not to let your life carelessly disintegrate while you try to be the responsible person we all wish we could have been. I learned after surgery something I couldn't see or understand before. There was this insatiable appetite I was battling. It was beyond my control--a complex issue of mental and physical and social disfunction. I learned there is a line that can be crossed where there is virtually no return without a miracle. And..I don't believe in miracles so surgery was my only option and I knew it before and understood it later. It is difficult to explain, but after the surgery it was as if I learned for the first time, what it was like to actually choose to eat. There isn't this drive ruthlessly grinding me through food and controlling my thoughts, my actions and my whole damn day. I'm so scared that one day, that might take me again, but at least now, I KNOW. At least, I have a chance now and I will do everything I can to make it worth it--and believe me, I've paid a very steep price. My friend, if I knew in advance what would happen to me after surgery, I would cry and cry, but I would still go through with it. Please take the time to read my profile about my surgery and recovery. I don't want to put all that here in this post, but you'll understand why I tell you that I'm so glad you are thinking about it carefully. Things can go wrong. Unexpected events can happen. If you've tried hard in your life to make things right with your health and you haven't been successful, then surgery may be whats best, but you do it because you know it's the right thing for you. You're fully informed and the risk that you take is worth the potential reward. I wish you the very best and should you proceed with surgery, I hope you have a speedy recovery and zero complication. Should you wish to continue your endeavor to adapt a healthy life on your own merit, I give my best regards and thoughts to you. It's something I wish I could have done myself.

I absolutely love Healthy Choice Premium Fudge Bars. I can find them at Costco, Sams Club and even Smart and Final. They have no sugar added and are 100 calories. I let myself have 1 in a day sometimes I only eat half at a sitting. Depends on how my stomach is feeling. It is such a treat to have tho!

I quit sugar and simple carbs 5 months before surgery. If I had any carbs, it was oatmeal, whole wheat and so forth. I also started counting every calorie I ate and keeping track. This because I knew I over eat and I needed numbers in black and white to keep me straight and honest with myself. I also quit caffeine and anything carbonated. Just let all that go. It really made the transition after surgery so much easier for me. My tip for after surgery would be to cook "wet" dishes. Since you cannot drink during a meal time, you don't want to try to struggle with eating dry meat or veggies. I did things like make spaghetti sauce with ground turkey mixed in. No NOODLES of course. I make a lot of different soups and I blend up a lot of veggies so they are easy on my stomach. Try exploring some wet dishes you can make now so you have some ideas for post surgery.

My heart goes out to you so very much. I just had a stent placed in my stomach for stricture 1 week ago and the nausea is so terrible I can't work. It will be there for 6 weeks! I find myself just sitting staring into space sometimes because the Zofran and the Scop patch are making me dizzy and loopy and down in the dumps. I can't drive anywhere and I don't even trust myself to take walks alone because my legs feel noodley. I wish the very best too you and I know exactly how hard it is to deal with constant nausea.

I wish I hadn't told anyone. Prior to surgery I told close friends at work and one of them let it slip by mistake. Everyone knew within a week. At first I ran into overwhelmingly positive people, but then the few who seemed to know better about it all were warning me against it, telling me it was dangerous, telling me I "should" do this on my own. Those were very unwelcome opinions. The very worst comment came a few weeks ago. I have been having trouble with a stricture in my stomach and its been a gambit of unfun experiences still happening. One of those people said to me, "See, I told you so." My husband told his family even after I asked him not too. I was so upset to find out he did this :/. I had to be forgiving, but that was hard for me. Good luck with your choice.

One of my favorite things to puree is black, pinto, kidney beans with their juices. Add chicken bone broth ( I make my own) Puree some chicken, red bell pepper and onion and add to your bean puree and reduce on low heat until you like the consistency. A little salt and garlic powder helps to enhance the flavor along with a little cheese. I only eat about 3/4 a cup of the finished product, but I get some good protein, veggies, wonderful starch and a little fat. Also, my husband will eat it with chips so I don't have to have it everyday for 2 weeks lol.

White potato is on my list of choices as long as its a serving of starch and not getting in the way of protein needs. Also, as long as its not filled with fats like butter :). Cauliflower is lovely.

I bought the isopure unflavored and found the same thing. I'm going to try blending it into fruit and yogurt smoothy. Maybe into some mashed potatoes too. For being unflavored it reminds me more of baby formula.

That kinda sounds a little like head hunger and old habits. It took me a number of weeks post surgery to FINALLY see the difference between true hunger and mental hunger. I'm not sure what finally clicked to help me differentiate but it happened and it was like a light bulb going on in my mind. The best way I can explain is that most of the eating you do is driven by habits and desire. Because your tummy is so tiny now you can't really give in to these things to the extent you did before which is lovely. Be patient with yourself and give yourself lots of love and pampering in ways that don't involve eating. You're trying to break yourself of long practiced bad habits. When you feel crazy about eating something that will hurt you or harm your progress, revisit all the things you want from this WLS. Better health, maybe better relationships, more stamina, more acceptance. I'm sure there was a very good reason you had that first conversation with your doctor to begin this whole change in your life. Try to keep that forward in your mind. Forgive yourself and keep moving toward a better life.

I too am sick, sick, sick, of sweet flavored protein drinks. Optisource is a non dairy protein drink with a good reputation for bariatric purposes. Also, I just ordered up some non flavored protein powder by Isopure. I'm hoping to be able to add it to "just warm" soups and broths to help with those pesky protein goals. We shall see had unflavored it really is :). Fingers crossed.

Dear Friends. I have followed almost every topic on these forums since I started this whole process back in September. I come to these forums daily because its nice to hear from people who completely understand you, but I offer my apologies for being selfish and never sharing back. I should have long ago. This has been such a personal and private thing for me I could hardly speak of it, but now I need help so I have a lot of making up to do to all of you who take the time to help others on their way. I will try to be a better supporter! So, I had my VSG in the end of February and I thought everything was going just fine until about a month ago food didn't seem to want to stay down anymore. I thought I was doing something wrong and I was embarrassed to say anything. Maybe i was trying to eat too much or not chew enough or something. My doctor had me do an upper GI and right in the middle of my little banana stomach is a tight stricture. I am waiting for a call from a specialist my doctor works with to set a date for an endoscopy where they plan to place a stint into my stomach and hold the stricture open I guess, or stretch it? He said I maybe sick from it for the six weeks they leave it in. Yesterday I was feeling very brave about it all, but I woke up this morning feeling very nervous. I went right to the internet, but I couldn't find anything about using a stint with a stricture. I was hoping maybe one of you have had this experience and could offer some TRUTHS about the road ahead for me. Don't sugar coat it, I do better if I know the facts. Thank you for sharing anything you can. Also, to those of you who might read this and are planning your surgery still. Please don't let this topic scare you off or create worry. I wouldn't change anything even if I had the foresight of knowing I would have complications. I have no regrets, I'm just a little scared of what I don't know and this is the best place to bring my questions.

Thank you for you kind words.