Starry*Night

Happy New Year!! What gift are you giving yourself this year? For me, it was getting vsg. I started a few months before the new year - started losing weight Oct 17th, had the surgery Nov 26th, and I'm now down 40 lbs before January 1st! I want to give myself my health back. I'm resolving to eat food that feeds my body and soul instead of my cravings, to feel the highs of being exhausted after good physical activity, and being able to do the things my weight held me back from before. What about you? Perhaps next year we can come back to this thread and see how we've all made out!

I'm allowed unsweetened applesauce with meals to wash things down in place of water, so I could certainly try that. I'm allowed to eat fruit now if I limit it to one serving a day, so perhaps I could try a banana - I haven't tried any fruits yet, I've been staying away from the sugar. Great ideas!

Aw thank you guys, your kind words and advice mean a lot! I'm feeling much better, I'm almost human lol. I've managed to get down about 60 oz of liquids so far - yay! I need to get down more cause I've lost about half of it, but I'm thrilled I get to stay home tonight instead of going to urgent care ?

Definitely don't answer if you don't feel comfortable doing so. I would recommend, though, that if you don't want to share your weight loss, you might not want to share that you had bariatric surgery - people are curious and asking how much weight you've lost after weight loss surgery is going to be a natural follow-up question for most people.

I think it’s because of where it’s located - position and angle is impossible to reach otherwise! So interesting, learn something new every day. I'm thrilled that you had such exemplary NSVs on vacation. I hope to experience the same one day!

They said drink Pedialite, don't take an anti-diarrheal, and eat bland food and stay away from dairy. I wasn't able to talk to my surgeon's office about what to eat - that was from urgent care. With stomach bugs all the foods that are recommended are crackers, bread, rice, noodles... all things I can't have. I tried eating some turkey yesterday, but like all the liquids, it ran right through me and came right back out. That said, I'm happy to report I got the saltines and they're actually making a big difference. I'm really glad I got them. I had to break a couple rules (eating the saltines, and drinking while eating - I figured since they're mushy they'll flush right through my pouch like a purée, which at the moment is what I want - something easy to digest) and it helped me get down a lot more Pedialite, calmed my stomach, and I haven't had to go to the bathroom in an hour or two. I think it's saved me from having to get an IV again, cause before I had them I just couldn't keep the water down. I'm just glad I listened to you guys. I was just not going to let myself have anything, but this stomach bug is terrible and I had to find a way to keep liquid down. Now I just can't wait till I feel better so I can get rid of them and get back into ketosis! lol. Even though I know this is NOT recommended and it's not something I'd normally ever do or recommend, I'm glad to know that I CAN do this in an emergency if needed.

I originally thought the same thing. I mentioned it at my pre-op class, and they said most doctors won't convert it to DS anymore and will convert it to gastric bypass. I was also surprised when I heard this - I don't know the details of how it's done, the DS seems more logical to me since the sleeve was a precursor to DS

THANKFULLY I haven't been throwing up (yay for zofran) - it's all been coming out the other end. But it's bad. I'll take a drink of Pedialite, feel a sharp pain in my lower abdomen about 20 seconds later, and then have to go to the bathroom and it all comes back out. And that's if I can make it to the bathroom in time... if I manage to sleep, all bets are off, I have no control. Been like this since Thursday. I ran it by my surgeon yesterday and at first they said it was dehydration, but as it kept going throughout the day they said I likely had a stomach bug and needed to go to urgent care to get checked out. When I was there they hydrated me, ran labs and gave me potassium, and told me to come back there faster next time if this doesn't get better - which sadly it isn't. Moral of the story, don't try to be a hero and make it to a get together when you know you shouldn't go just to make others happy - I did and that's how I picked up this stomach bug.

To be honest, I thought I'd be totally fine without help - but when the time came, I ended up needing it. Nurses weren't as helpful as I'd hoped. I didn't have anyone with me the day of surgery or night of surgery, but the next morning I called my mom and begged her to come - I just couldn't do simple things like plugging my IV in after taking it for a walk around the hospital (bending over was tough), and it was so helpful. That first night at home I also thought I'd be fine alone, but no - I'd recommend having someone there if at all possible. TL;DR: You'll probably be fine without someone, but your life will be easier with someone.

Thanks @elcee. I woke up this morning really trying to get down fluids and I still can't keep them down, so it looks like I'm gonna have to head back for an IV again today if I don't get better soon. I really wanted to abstain from crackers cause it makes me feel like I'm failing my post op diet (they're not allowed on my diet, and I have been relentlessly good about following my diet completely, I'm a perfectionist and this kills me), but I'm going to get some to see if they help soak up some acid in my tummy or something - my stomach is just so awful right now. If they don't help or don't make it better I'll toss them. Although I'm just thinking - if I can't drink while I eat them, and they're a slider, I don't know how much it will help me with getting more liquids down. Hopefully it'll just help soak up some acid or something. Gah!

I had no idea you had to hang upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone! Why is that?

Hey guys, Who has gastric sleeve and then manages to catch a stomach virus? This girl! I was sleeved just over a month ago, and caught a stomach bug on Christmas. Think food poisoning - that's what I'm going through right now. The toilet is my new king and I am its loyal subject. I now know why it's the porcelain throne. I know saltines are a bad food to eat - they're a slider and they're empty carbs - BUT they're supposed to be good for settling the tummy. They're what I've aways had to settle my stomach. I could really use that right now. I'm leaning towards not getting them, but is getting them a bad idea? For perspective, I had to go to urgent care and get 1.5 liters of IV fluid today because anything I drink comes right back out the other end - I can't keep any fluids down and got dehydrated. They advised I stay away from dairy - there goes my yogurt and cheese, my easy sources of protein - and I don't really want to eat regular food right now.

Unless the person is someone close to me and I can tell they really were sincere and meant well with the statement, I don't engage. In my case, I'm a food addict - it's like telling an alcoholic to just stop drinking. No ? Sherlock ?

I don't have any trouble with food (sleeved 11/26), still have trouble with liquids though

How's everyone's weight loss going? My 1 month post op was yesterday and I've lost 14 lbs

I am so blown away, congratulations!!

Are you drinking all your water? It will help. Otherwise, it tends to take time for that to pass, so try not to overexert yourself

I didn't realize I should buy tickets to the gun show to view this post! Omg, I did not expect that!!! You look 20 years younger ? CONGRATULATIONS on getting FIT!

Therapy. You'll benefit from therapy to work through your issues. You know it's not coming from actual hunger - it's coming from an internal desire to eat, whether it's for comfort or for taste, or habit. I am the same way. Many of us are - it's what we call "head hunger." You'll have to work through your other issues that cause you to eat, and therapy is a good place to start. For me, I've started exercising. Exercising releases those feel good hormones just like eating does, so it's a great replacement.

Drinking has been harder than I ever thought it would be. I still can't get down all my liquids. I also still have less energy than I thought I would. Eating has been easier, and everything else has been easier. Living life - moving around, cleaning things, maintaining my home, etc has all been easier than I expected, quicker than I expected it to be.

HUGE NSV guys, I'm so excited and had to share!!!! I cycle for my exercise on a stationary bike instead of walking. I started with the resistance at 0 and recently bumped it up to 1 - it's a big difference and I'd have to stop every 1-4 mins to give my legs a break. Well TODAY, I was able to cycle at that resistance for 45 mins straight!! AND I was able to peddle up to 30mph when I'd push it for a few mins every so often to break a sweat! By the time I was done, I was sweating and out of breath, and guess what? IT FELT SOOO GOOD!!!!! This must be the euphoria people feel after working out!!! I've never felt it in my life and it feels AMAZING!!! It also really relieved some stress. What victories have you guys been experiencing?

This thread really makes me want steak ?

This isn't super exciting, but I love ground turkey with shredded fat free mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. Tastes like a cheeseburger!!

I think you nailed it for me. The weight loss is so rapid that even though I'm happy with how my body is looking, I'm not used to it because it changed so quickly. Because I'm not used to it, I'm not confident in it. It's like putting on a new pair of roller skates - you're not used to them yet so you don't feel comfortable showing them off.

I still have a hard time getting water down, but lemme tell you - I can eat food noooo problem. Maybe it's time I trade water in for a steak ?