BajanSleeve

I am 5 weeks 1 day post op. Today and yesterday my appetite was SO HUGE! I felt so hungry, like really hungry and now I am finding that I can eat a lot more than I could in previous weeks. I know I have gone over my calorie allowance and this is what I was scared of, that my sleeve would stretch and I would start to be able to eat more than I should sooner than I should. Just being honest here. Its confessional day. I had expected my appetite and hunger pangs would have diminished greatly after VSG but they really did not. When I was researching the surgery that was one theme I read about a lot but in articles. I regret that I did not go to forums like this where real people who had gone through the surgery were giving feed back. So I admit that I have great disappointment that my hunger did not subside the way that I had expected it would based on reading about the VSG. Today (so far) I have eaten: a very large cup of tea, milk and sugar - a piece of toast with butter and avocado - 2 cups of blended soup - a pack of popped chips - a protein bar - a fiber one bar - 2 short bread biscuits - 2 large squares of dark chocolate - about a 1/4 cup of macaroni and cheese pie (a Barbados thing) and drinking my large drink with protein powder in it and its only 7.05 pm! This is likely 1200 + calories and I am only 5 weeks post op. So some of these things were things I had in the house before I travelled for surgery and now they are all gone since I ate them today and yesterday So yeah, I can hear folks saying well don't keep junk in the house! I pray I have the strength not to binge on bread, potato or the crackers I keep for the dogs or something...………..maybe I am getting my period...…….I really don't know why I was SO hungry these days and shocked I could fit so much in I am having a real wake up call that future weight loss is not going to be magic. The stomach restriction is not as much as I thought it would be and if I don't watch what I eat and start exercising seriously, major weight loss is not going to happen. HELLO! This is not a walk in the park...…….you still have to work for weight loss There is no getting through weight loss without self discipline not even with surgery...……..sigh...……...I feel discouraged today and scared that I have spent thousands of dollars for something I had a wrong expectation about. Does anyone else feel like their appetite is raging?

Thank you for that! I actually have good energy, but it’s the chest pain. Nothing will pass my esophagus so it is so painful to ingest anything. They might even make me stay another night to try to fix this. It’s so unbearable That sounds serious. please make sure you insist this is well taken care of before they release you. let us know what they say. ill get all maternal and start worrying

you can have sugar free popsicles, sugar free jello, water down the juice, decaf tea with no milk. The liquid only stage is quite rough to get through but you only got to get through 10 days of it. Make sure you add electrolytes to your liquids which will help you a lot with the weak feeling you are getting and will help to stabilize your blood pressure which can get very low a couple weeks post op. I started to drink the glucerna ready made protein shakes from day 8. I just watered them down a bit so they were not so thick. Those SAVED me because I was feeling so hungry. Strawberry is my favourite, then butter pecan, chocolate and vanilla in that order. Everyone's preferences vary. But those really helped me survive the liquid only period. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N20Z1KJ/ref=twister_B01CTYE2VC?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

@California joe There is tons of information on the internet to help guide you. It seems that each doctor recommends slightly different to the next but its generally the same. Mine was liquids only for 2 weeks and then by 3 weeks I could add more things like milk, yogurt, blended vegetables in my soups, a teaspoon of peanut butter etc. I am still eating pureed only foods at 5 weeks post surgery. I cant tolerate whole meats yet only blended in soups and I can eat very little solids like pasta or rice, only about 4 spoon fulls. From what I gather you just test yourself as the weeks go on as to what your body likes and can tolerate. I can't tolerate eggs at all and they really hurt when I try to eat them. You will learn what you can eat by what your body will tell you within the guidelines of each week. Some people tend to stay in one phase for longer than others because that is what is working for them By week 2 you should be adding protein powders to your drinks. I use the unflavoured protein which mixes into any liquids - your tea, drink, soup, etc. The protein makes you feel more satisfied and gives you more energy. I posted the link to the protein powder I use. It does not change the flavor of your food or drink https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/genepro-medical-grade-protein-powder-2nd-generation

@AshAsh12 Congratulations!!! You did it! whooohooooooooooo The hardest part is over and you are on your way to a great new beginning. You were my starting weight so we are on this journey at a similar starting point Make sure you have some electrolytes for the first 2 weeks. It helps with dehydration and helps to keep your blood pressure stable newly post op. Don't be shocked or surprized if you find yourself feeling very weak and no energy for the first 2 weeks post surgery. That is a common thing for not just VSG but coming out of any surgery. Also keep your eyes on your blood pressure because it can drop low post surgery and that also makes you feel weak. The electrolytes also help stabilize that. Looking forward to the progress updates

I would rate my recovering at an 8. I have been really surprised at how much easier it was than I thought it would be. The first 3 days were the worst in terms of pain and discomfort. The only major pain I had was the night following my surgery when I did accept the morphine. I refused pain medication thereafter because the pain level went down so much from the following day and I wanted to be alert. The soreness from the incisions and the soreness from being stretched by the gas they pump into your body was the most discomfort for me and it lasted for about a week. Every little move when walking or driving hurt and that is why I am glad I bought an abdominal binder Overall I am quite pleased at how much easier the VSG was than I thought it would be

They took my drainage tube out 3 days post op. Every doctor has a different way of doing things. I have read that a lot of US doctors do not even use a drainage tube. So just ask your doctor first. In my opinion a drainage tube is a good idea to help prevent infection and all of that pus and gunk from collecting inside of you. I would insist on one. It hurts when they take it out but not THAT bad. Its about 1 minute of pain as its coming out

Isopure also tastes great! Both the unflavoured and flavoured. Really smooth

I am 4 weeks 3 days post op. I am feeling SO good! I have more energy likely due to loosing 32 lbs and bringing my blood sugar levels more under control. I struggle with gas BADLY! Today I had such bad gas that I vomited when I tried to drink my soup. That was my fault because I did not have anything at all until 12:30 so the gas built up big time. Lesson learned. I went through a 10 day stall at the end of 3 weeks where I did not loose any weight. But it broke and I have lost almost 5 lbs since. My clothing is very loose, I have to change underwear size and some pants I cant wear at all. I have gone down 2 pants size. I went through my box of clothing I put in there because they were too small and washed a whole bunch of things. One pair of pants is even slightly big so I better get some wear out of them. It feels SO GOOD to fit into my smaller sizes. I don't track my calories exactly because I make homemade soups and don't know what calories they actually are per serving. Its usually 1 1/2 to 2 cups that I drink. I have not been totally strict with myself either. I will eat some dark chocolate and I ate one of two tiny bite pecan thingies. I am guessing I eat between 700 to 900 calories a day. Still cant seem to eat meat and certainly not eggs (they hurt!) I need to be more strict with waiting 30 minutes after I eat before I drink

Happy, when your starting weight is lower the weight loss numbers are not as bulk as the folks who start with a heavy number. You have lost 4 lbs every week and that is not too bad at all. When I reach your STARTING weight I would be ecstatic to loose 4 lbs a week

Hi everyone. I drank liquids only for today and at 7 pm I tried the soup again and I was fine. No nausea. It was soup that I have had before so it was not new. The more I think about it I believe it was severe gas. I did not have anything at all until 12.30 today because I had a workman here and I was outside working with him. I think too much gas had built up in my system. I have learned a lesson that I have to have something in the morning to break the gas

After having been sued, I am sure some watchful north Americans will stay on their tail. That is my hope

It makes why question why Bariatric Pal would offer these powders for sale if they are questionable? hummmmmmm

Gosh, I never even knew about this protein spiking thing. I found this but it does not list Genpro? I did see a 2016 suit citing Genpro however that was 2016. Its now 2018 and I am assuming that they would not continue to make the claim and be ALLOWED to do so if they were not supplying what they purport AFTER a suit https://proteinfactory.com/protein-spiking-list/

I found this but it does not specifically cite Genpro - maybe the ultimate parent is in here? But apparently a lot of protein powders are spiked according to this? Geez https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexmorrell/2015/03/12/lawsuits-say-protein-powders-lack-protein-ripping-off-athletes/#396667577729

@sillykitty can you post links of the suit claim? I have not heard of it. I would like to research it

Well that was weird. I sat down to have my blended soup as I have done for a week now, ate about 4 spoons and all of a sudden I was very nauseous. I just threw up and this is the first time I have done that, seemingly unprovoked, even though I feel as though I have very bad gas. Can gas actually make you vomit? I am 4 weeks 3 days post op and have never thrown up so this has kind of throw me for a loop. Has this happened to any of you? Vomiting without really eating?

Hi @annie93. I have posted the link from this website of the protein powder I use. Its expensive but its 30G of protein per scoop which saves you money in the long run because you get more protein so that you don't have to use more scoops as other brands which have less protein per scoop. Plus I do find that it has no flavor and does not change the taste. The only thing I have noticed is that it does not blend as well in hot items. You have to make a paste with it and then add the hot to it. But it works perfectly in cold or room temperature drinks. You have to mix the protein up really well as soon as you add it to your drink because otherwise if you leave it for a bit it will form little protein flecks. I mix my daily drink at the beginning of the day with 2 1/2 scoops of this particular protein powder and that is my entire protein quota for the day right there. perfect! Buy some and give it a try - I am sure you will be pleased https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/genepro-medical-grade-protein-powder-2nd-generation

I relied on my binder heavily 3 weeks after surgery. I was extremely sore from surgery and being stretched by the gas. Any small tiny movement really hurt, especially the first 5 days after surgery and the binder really helped minimize the pain from movements

I am now 4 weeks and 1 day post VSG. I am not really loosing further weight and I know I have to reign in on my calorie tracking and start an exercise routine I joined fitnesspal to track calories and I am starting the treadmill for 30 minutes a day from tomorrow (my doctor recommended exercise from 4 weeks) For all you VSG'ers, what would you say is a realistic WL target to set monthly? Or what did you personally loose each month for the first 3 months post surgery? I know we are all different but just wanting to hear individual experiences as a guideline. I was told that the first 8 months after the VSG is the magic window when I should focus on loosing as much weight as possible and being strict with myself. I have set 10 lbs as a goal to have lost by the end of July. That is 2 lbs per week. Being that I am only supposed to have a maximum of 1000 calories per day more like 900 idealistically, I figure 2 lbs a week is realistic. Looking forward to your feedback, especially female VSG's in your late 40's (like moi)

Whooohoooooo !!!! I know what an achievement that is. I started smoking at 12 years old and smoked on an off for all the years after. I would go through periods of quitting for a few years but starting again. I have been cigarette free since 2009. Personally I believe that the true motivator is when you have that ah ha realization at how truly bad smoking is for your body. You are literally killing yourself and knocking years off of your life. The older we get, the worse it is for heart attacks. Would you drink poison? nope. But yet we need to see each cigarette the same way - poison. Chewing gum helped me. The nicotine patches helped. The mental associations were the hardest - smoking after eating, after a cup of coffee and those types of things. But the patches took the edge off. Staying away from other smokers is HUGE. I always caved when I would get around friends who smoked - I would be like - just let me bum ONE off of you. That would be my biggest advice - stay away from other smokers You CAN DO IT! Take charge of your health. We are in control of our future I'm cheering for you!!

@ValJean Aww thank you very much Val. I will take that virtual hug. I appreciate your encouragement.

From what I have read it will be about 3-4 months. I am 4 weeks post op tomorrow and I still cant eat more than 4 tiny bites of solid food without it hurting. But yet I can eat soft foods quite fine. I ate a whole banana this morning. Very soft foods I can eat comfortably. I can easily drink 7 oz of blended soup with blended meat in it. But a piece of potato or a tiny piece of meat its very painful. I did have a slice of soft bread with peanut butter yesterday and it was not difficult or painful to eat at all but I was very full. Eggs on the other hand I cannot eat at all!!! Oh its horrible - SO painful and they feel as though they stick in your throat and chest. And I love eggs so I am hoping 3 to 4 months in I can try them again Early days post op (first 3 months are the hardest)

@lbug oh gosh, what happened to your spleen? I am 4 weeks plus post op and still cant get in the 64 oz. I think you have to gradually build up to it as I have noticed the more time goes on, the more liquids I can manage. Putting electrolytes in your drink early days post op really makes a difference. Hope you are feeling much better now

Sorry to hear its been so rough. The first 24 hours after surgery were rough for me too but thankfully it got better quick. I used these nausea patches immediately after surgery and they really worked. I had NO nausea. Maybe you could get some and try https://www.amazon.com/MQ®-Motion-Sickness-Patch-Count/dp/B00S9FSPOG/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1529646300&sr=8-4&keywords=nausea%2Bpatch&dpID=51pk4y01SHL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1