BajanSleeve

I am following this topic. I am 13 days post op and I find I can drink a lot of soup and drink at the same time without pain. I thought the idea was that it would be too painful to put too much in but perhaps there is another reason. So I am also wondering if I am drinking too much. I have 6 to 7 oz of soup for a meal. But I don't hit my water/liquid daily quota - only reach about 45 oz. I did mistake a couple times and gulped a drink and it was uncomfortable but not hugely. Interested to hear what others say. Sometimes I feel as if I might fail on this VSG if I can already consume so much

Girl, use that picture to motivate you to stay on track! This photo is on my fridge to do just that

I ate one square of dark chocolate today

Somehow I had the notion that persons who did WLS were not supposed to do exercise. I had a local friend who did by-pass and she gave me this impression. However the hospital I did my VSG with told me explicitly that I MUST start exercising after week 2 by taking walks/treadmill at least 25 mins a day. The paper information they gave me encourages accelerating exercise from week 4. So WLS is not the magic button that maybe some of us thought it would be. (including myself in that one!) There is no way around balanced, disciplined living where we have to burn calories and restrict intake of food in order to progress and kick weight loss to next levels. It will be difficult for me to break old habits of being lazy and not walking but I am looking forward to pushing myself next week to change that. I am sure I will get incentive to continue when the scale reflects the effort. I wont make the assumption that you have not been excising 7 weeks post op. But if you have not I hope you are encouraged to. I'm hoping this forum will help me be more accountable when I start because its not one of my strongest areas of discipline

I’m sick to death of the Optifast shakes!!! I have GOT to find a recipe for a Protein Shake that I’m actually going to like! I really like the flavour of these protein shakes Nature's Best Isopure Zero Carb Protein Powder, 100-Percent Whey Protein Isolate, Strawberries and Cream. They also have cookies and cream and banana cream (yum). I find the flavour really good and are 25 grams of protein per scoop which is very high.

I agree. The surgery and the recovery part has been easier than I thought. But adjusting to new eating and dealing with the hunger has been the hardest part for me, so far. In addition I am diabetic so trying to adjust insulin levels without going hypoglycemic is also an additional challenge. So I have been erring on being on the high sigh. I've wondered the same thing too but if you try to eat more than you can you will defiantly know that your stomach has been decreased! The pain you feel will remind you I just wished this hunger hormone would chill out more than it has. Based on what I had read I anticipated that I could feel much less hunger than I actually have

I am exactly 2 weeks out of surgery today. I am in the phase 2 stage so pureed foods but still liquids per say. My greatest challenge is maintaining the 500-600 calories in this stage! Good gosh, I mange 700-800 calories. My protein powder alone is 176.10 calories alone to make my 80 grams of protein a day quota. I am no where near meeting my 64 oz liquid a day. The highest I have managed is 45 oz and that includes soup and protein drink including flavoured water. I feel like my life revolves around drinking. My parents returned to Barbados with me for a month to help me recover. I have actually been cooking some meals for them and having to go out to meals with them and family. Its very hard because just the smell alone makes me want to dive into food. However I learned a lesson last night. I fried some local fish last night for them and I ate just the smallest bit - maybe 2 1/2 inches long and an inch wide and boy did my stomach feel like it was backing up into my chest! I shall not be doing that again until the solid food stage. I have not lost weight in 3 days now

Thanks Medic. I am not on any oral diabetic meds. I used to take huge amounts of long acting and rapid acting together, am and pm, but that was when I was uncontrolled. To me this is a guessing game now...…...I am still obese so even with a whole lot less calories I can still get high. I was at 23 last night! I took 30 units of rapid acting and I woke up at 12.3 today so that is not bad. I just have to keep guessing the dosages based on numbers...…..its nerve wracking. I did use long acting yesterday in the morning but just 15 units

I use an antibiotic powder to help the healing. Never a cream. I am diabetic so I needed the extra help to ensure there is no infection. I bought bio oil to use on my incision scars and on my stomach, thighs and arms to help minimize weight loss stretch marks

I gained 4 lbs the day after my surgery. It took 6 days for my stomach to deflate to a semi normal size after all the gas they had pumped in it. I would not pay too much attention to the scale until about day 7. Give your body time to get out all of that gas and the water that was put into your body via the IV

Gatorade is recommended but I personally don't drink it because of the artificial ingredients and colouring. I buy EmergenC vitamin packets and mix it into my water with crystal light pure. If you are having loose stool I also recommend you add an electrolyte tablet into your water mix asap. I ordered the electrolyte tablet off of Amazon Nuun Active Hydrating Drink Tablets, Juice Box Mix, 4 count were the ones I got off Amazon

What exactly are you still experiencing? Pain when you eat?

My VSG was May 29th so technically a May sleeve albeit at the end . How did everyone's surgery go? Mine went very well, no issues. I am in phase 2 post op. I feel hungry all the time though. I am having difficulty keeping the 500-600 calorie range. Its more like 700-800 :/ I am surprised at how much I can drink at one time and I certainly can comfortably drink more than 4 oz of soup. More like 6 oz. I am starting to feel like there is something wrong because I feel like I can ingest more than they say I should be able to comfortably. How are you all doing?

Thanks for the encouragement. It really is a small world isn't it? Sadly over the years and with construction the beach at Mullins is almost non existent Its such a pity as I remember it being one of the best beaches on the Island in my 20's. If you come here again, give me a shout

Thanks for those kind words. I really appreciate them

I had a similar issue with coughing. I am so glad that I bought the elastic belly support band which I have used when I flew on the plane, when I am driving and when I go out. It helps stabilize and support your belly and minimizes pain with movement, coughing, any little jerks or bumps. You should look into buying one. I got mine off of amazon prime. If you are interested I could private message you the link from amazon.

I am 48 years old. I have been morbidly obese for about 7 years and obese for 20 years. My mother died in 2015 of diabetes and obesity related illnesses which culminated in her dying while I prayed for her in the ER at only 65 years old. My grandmother died in the same hospital of diabetic complications and an amputated foot at only 53 years old. I am a type II diabetic and was in total denial. Was not controlling my glucose levels, was not eating right, not exercising and was developing the SAME issues that my mother experienced. Both of my feet were swollen, discoloured, pressure blisters and red dots all over them from poor circulation and diabetic neuropathy. I had constant pain in my body from sore joints and uncontrolled sugar levels. High blood pressure. No energy and could not stand up more than 5 to 10 minutes max without needing to sit. I was going on job interview after job interview for the last 2 years, qualified and experienced in the positions I was applying for, but not getting the jobs. I started to sense it was my weight - employers whether they will say it or not are concerned that your weight will impede your ability to do work efficiently and if your weight will be a health concern that will result in numerous sick days. I did not want to end up like my mother and grandmother but I was heading there FAST. I am at the age where my weight was so high, and my hormones so whacky in pre-menopause, that the idea of being able to loose 100 lbs on my own was completely overwhelming to me. I live in a small Caribbean Island and our dollar is lesser than other countries and really did not know how I could afford help. I have not been insured in 12 years because of the diabetes. I foster dogs for a local animal shelter and I also have 7 recuse dogs. One day the shelter represented came to visit a couple puppies that I had adopted and she took a few photos of me and the dogs. When she sent me the attached photo I cried and cried and cried that night. I always knew I was big but it was like I lived in a strange kind of denial of HOW big I really was. Seeing that photo opened my eyes and I had an 'ah ha' moment and knew that I HAD to do something to change the trajectory of my life, otherwise I would end up in an early death just like the women in my family. So from the next day I started to change my diet drastically. I began to cut out useless carbs, stop buying my snacks, cutting down my portion sizes, stop allowing myself to eat the sugar treats whenever I wanted them. I started to see a change in my glucose levels from the next week and until the end of March I was more in control of my sugar levels but weight was not really coming off. In April I started to FEEL better because I had changed my eating habits but knew I needed an intervention to help me get off the kind of lbs I need to loose. So I found great reviews for a bariatric hospital in Mexicali and the cost was SO CHEAP compared to other countries. I started researching and corresponding and booked gastric sleeve surgery the end of May 2018. It was a long journey to get to Mexico from Barbados but I never looked back. I would not recommend the kind of flying I had to do after surgery because its hard on your system (and blood pressure) but I did what I had to do. I think everyone comes to that 'ah ha' moment when you honestly are just sick and tired of being sick and tired and fed up of not being able to live a full life and being bound to medication. I view the VSG as an intervention and an opportunity to 'reset'. The year or so it will take to loose over 100 lbs will give me the time to learn new habits, get off of insulin, be mobile again to do exercise and LIVE LIFE again. The time for my body to heal from the inflammation, get my heart healthy again and to learn to eat to fuel living and not eat for the sake of comfort. We have the choice to take control of our future with the KNOWN obstacles that morbid obesity brings. Sure a car could crash into me but that is a different thing to dying from diabetic complications, heart attack and amputations because of weight! I was in a RUT!!! How my rut looks may be different to yours but the point is that WLS helps with the leverage you need to begin getting out of the rut. I'm looking forward to my healthier future

I'm new here but wanted to welcome you to this forum where from what I can see you will be encouraged. Good for you for making the bold step to get surgery! You and I started around a similar weight. I was a few lbs more. I understand what you said so well - just wearing the same thing - feeling so frustrated that is difficult to make the effort. But you know what? You did make the effort and you have begun the steps to a new life! All of us here 'get it', we understand the obesity struggle I hope that you are able to get some therapy and counselling assistance. Sounds like you have some things you have been through that surely you have looked to food to comfort you through it. I have not had such terrible experiences as you, but I have had trauma. Those things are root reasons to why we use food as a crutch. Working through the emotional issues is equally important as WLS so that we do not return to old habits rooted in our emotions. Are you able to access therapy? Praying a safe surgery and looking forward to celebrating your progress with you. Hugs.

Posted Saturday at 08:24 PM (edited) I just had Gastric Sleeve surgery 10 days ago at Mexicali Bariatric Centre (MBC) at the Hospital Almater in Mexico. Dr. Rodolfo Wilhelmy and Dr. Edgar Campos were the main surgeons. I can't sing their praises enough! Their team has dedicated pre-surgery contacts who answer every single question imaginable and walk you through what you need to get to Mexicali every step of the way. They pick you up either from the San Diego airport or a near by hotel and take you to the hospital in Mexicali which is about a 2 hour drive plus border crossing time which is longer leaving Mexicali. You are also taken back to the San Diego airport after your surgery (all included in your package) The Almater Hospital is on par or even better than some hospitals in the West. Its modern, has a lovely atmosphere about it, the nursing staff is very professional, very kind and sweet. There is an English speaking liaison assigned to the Hospital who takes you through each process. Some of the nurses speak a bit of English but I had no issues because I used an English/Spanish translation ap. All of their equipment is top line, modern, extremely clean and I thought it was decorated very nicely (lovely art pieces ). The doctors were attentive, engaging and they checked on you regularly and they spoke English. You get a private room with ensuite bathroom which is very nice. There is a 3 seater couch and lounge chair in your room which your travel companion can sleep on and stay in your room. You also have the option of renting a near by hotel room for your travel companion which mine did and she took a taxi to see me daily. If you stay at the hospital, bring bedding for the sofa (blanket, sheet). I brought my own blanket for a mattress pad and my own blanket as well as a body pillow. To me, comfort is necessary when in pain. I would recommend you bring a clip on light to clip to the side of your bed as well as a small extension cord so that you do not have to get up and down to switch on lights when you are in pain, especially for when your travel companion is asleep. I never had any doubts about MBC whatsoever. They have great reviews and I felt safe and comfortable in the hospital and I had confidence in their skills and facilities. Their cost was SO MUCH cheaper than the USA and Canada, even including all the airfares I had to pay. To me, it was worth the effort to get all the way to Mexico from Barbados. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a shout.

I just had a fantastic experience at Mexicali Bariatric Centre at the Hospital Almater. I posted about it in the Mexico forum. I can re-post it below. I certainly have no issues with my experience there at all

What an inspiring post! Well done for keeping the weight off and creating a whole new lifestyle. Well done for running for cancer. You look fabulous! Gave me something to aspire to. Seeing successful weight loss photos and stories really does encourage

I was hungry 2 days after surgery! I was so confused about this. I was HUNGRY all the time! I thought you were not supposed to feel hunger with the smaller stomach but apparently that is not the case with everyone. I am 12 days post surgery and the good news is that I have found that now that I can eat things with more substance I get fuller faster. So I do get satisfied with a lot less. The 10 day liquid only period is quite difficult from my experience but then again, different doctors and hospitals seem to give variations on post op diets. I did liquid only. You just gotta push through the liquid only phase and know that you have something to look forward to after that period. The edge gets taken off the hunger as you progress through phases 2 and 3

Everyone seems to have variations in what their doctor/hospital recommends for post op diet. I was told to stay away from dairy and milk products until day 10 because they cause nausea and stomach upset. I'm wondering if the dairy in the yogurt and protein shakes are giving you these issues. Buy some flavored electrolytes to put in your water. They help when you have the runs and are not getting that much liquid - also help even out blood pressure.

I am 12 days post op end of May. I went 2 days without weight loss. The doctors at the hospital I went to encouraged me to start the treadmill at the end of week 2 to jump kick weight loss. The stall seems to happen with increased calories in phase 2. I lost 27 lbs pre and post surgery but already seem to be stalling. I was told that I needed to do daily walks for a minimum of 20 minutes a day from end of week 2 and onwards with increased exercise from week 4. I guess movement is a necessity to keep the ball rolling, not only calorie restriction

We have to be able to live life realistically, right? Its not every day that you are going to be able to bring your packed lunch. I don't think that half a veggie burger was a difficult splurge. Good on you! I have been a food addict for 20 years. I worry that if I went to a fast food place that I would not be able to control myself from going back again and again. Like putting a crack addict in a crack house.