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Arabesque

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Everything posted by Arabesque

  1. Arabesque

    How long?

    Generally full healing takes about 8 weeks but of course some are a little faster others take a little longer. There will be some abdominal swelling from the surgery & being poked & prodded, your organs being shifted about & the external wound areas. Again recovery is very individual. If I remember correctly it took me about a week. Some abdominal swelling is from the surgical gas (it’s not in your tummy but the abdominal cavity) which you will slowly breathe out over about a week or so. They also pump you full of a lot of fluid so you may be retaining some fluid from that. It can take a few days for you to pee it all out. Some shakes can cause bloating from the lactose or if they contain sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol. Erythritol, isomalt, etc.) Some find if they sip too quickly they can swallow air & become bloated & gassy too. GasX can help with any gas. All the best.
  2. Are you taking anti nausea meds to help? Multi vitamins can cause a lot of nausea so they may be contributing. Make sure you take them after you eat. If you take additional iron separate when you take them (multi in the morning the other at lunch). I used to split my multi - 1 in the morning the other at night. Water can almost seem heavy which may make it harder to drink too. Add a herbal tea like ginger (which may help with the nausea) or similar or green tea as an additional liquid option. Have you spoken to your surgeon/team about there nausea?
  3. It’s not easy for everyone to hit that 64oz goal the first couple of weeks after surgery. I certainly didn’t. You’re about 2/3 of your goal which is okay as long as you are making an effort & are slowly but surely increasing your intake. Don’t forget you can include your shakes, soups & broths in the liquid stage. After that include only the extra liquid you add to a soup or shake, etc. (e.g. say your shake recipe is mix with 250ml of water but you add 300ml so count the extra 50ml). Also keep water by your bed & sip through the night. I sip every time I get in or out of bed (which is often cause a layoff peeing 😁) & can get in another 8 - 10ozs or more. Set a reminder alarm on your phone so you sip every 5+/- mins and always keep water or other liquids close to hard. It eventually becomes a habit. You’ll be hitting that goal easily before you know it
  4. Lots of nerves were cut during your surgery so the messages/signals you used to feel around your eating rather aren’t getting through or are distorted. It’s why it’s so important to stick to the portion sizes and timing for eating/drinking you’ve been given. It takes about 8 weeks to fully recover from the surgery & the nerves are healed. It’s then too that you may start to feel your restriction (a tightness across your upper chest). It’s a good opportunity to become more aware of more subtle signals around having had enough or too much to eat or drink. I still ask myself do I need the next bite or sip or do I just want it & I’m five years out. Also when your signals do come back you may notice they’re different. Sneezing, runny nose, hiccups, etc can all be your new signals for having eaten or drunk enough. A gurgling tummy,or hunger pangs aren’t in most cases a signal you are hungry. They’re usual a signal that your digestive system is working. I don’t know why but the gurgling & growling seems much louder after surgery. Mine are very loud & yes I still get them (it’s happening now). I say I have a poltergeist in my tummy, rumbling, grumbling, squelching & rattling the chains. My younger nieces & nephew think it’s hilarious! All the best with your recovery.
  5. Arabesque

    Odd presurgery diet

    So it takes about 6-8 hrs for food to pass from your tummy through your small intestines to your large intestines. It takes about 36hrs in total for anything you eat to fully leave your body (pooped out). I’m going to presume you’re having gastric bypass which involves surgery to your small intestines (sleeve doesn’t) so not eating for 6 hours before sort of makes sense. However, saying that every surgery I’ve had was nil by mouth from dinner the night before regardless of time of surgery. I know people who are told nothing after midnight, who get up & eat a meal at 11:30pm. I had a pelvic MRI last week & it was nothing for 6 hours before which was odd because the images the MRI took of the pelvic region of course included the large bowel which would have been full of waste which was odd to me. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Check with your surgeon. Only way to be sure.
  6. Never too late to give away or donate from your freezer. Then you’ll have plenty of room to freeze single portions of anything you cook. In a short time you’ll have a variety of meals you can simply defrost & heat. I usually only cook twice a week from scratch, freeze several portions then I ‘shop’ dinner from my freezer. Tonight I’m having pork schnitzel from the batch I cooked last week. Once defrosted it will reheat in 30/40 seconds & I only have to prep vegetables. I use zip lock bags for my single serves: any meat cuts (steak, lamb cutlets, etc.) plus soups, meat balls, bolognese, anything really. I even cook a mini roast, slice it up & freeze individual portions in the bags with gravy. Easy to write on the bag what it is & add a date so you remember when you cooked & froze it.
  7. Arabesque

    London Baby!

    Wearing them now 😁. Fitted tops of course. Wear them around the house in winter with sweaters and cardigans. I secretly love (not so secret now!) seeing my skinny legs reflected in my glass doors. Like you, @SleeveToBypass2023, it took a while to accept the skinny, non thigh rubbing kegs were mine, but now it’s good motivation to stay on track. Have a wonderful mini break in London @MrsFitz. Just think next time you visit, you may not need your scooter & you’ll have many more. wardrobe options. Yay!
  8. Arabesque

    Vomiting for hours after food

    Oh you poor thing. Vomiting is the worst. Just throwing some ideas out there for you to consider. It’s not uncommon to develop some food intolerances (usually always temporarily) after surgery - lactose & sugar alcohols in artificial sweeteners being the most common (often in protein shakes). Could this be a possibility? It can be sensitivity to other foods or ingredients too. It’s not uncommon to develop spasming in the stomach & digestive tract after surgery. Again this is usually temporary but the body & mind can be unpredictable. My dad experienced chronic vomiting after chemo & his doctor explained that sometimes the body/mind thinks vomiting is a normal behaviour. It just takes time to break the habit. Don’t let your surgeon or support team brush you aside. Malnutritiion, dehydration are a possibility with vomiting like you’ve been experiencing. This is some information about spasming you may find interesting. https://renewbariatrics.com/stomach-spasms-after-gastric-sleeve-surgery/ Hopefully, it will get even less frequent & it stops for you soon.
  9. Arabesque

    A long story . . .

    The incontinence could have developed because of the catheter they likely inserted during surgery. It may have irritated your urethra. This usually is only temporary. Keep an eye on it though & watch you don’t develop a UTI. Oh & it’s often quieter here on the weekends. Don’t know anything about instagram sites but if they’re like many Facebook sites the information, advice & support isn’t all that great. All the best with your revision. Keep us updated on your progress.
  10. Arabesque

    Gastric sleeve outfit home

    I wore home what I wore to the hospital: a loose thigh length top & pull on trousers with elastine. The pants fit snuggly (not tight) a little above my wound line & I actually found them supportive around/against the wound line. Also knew they’d be easy to fold down if they did put too much pressure on the wounds & the top was long enough to cover the folded waist. My wounds were in line with my belly button but some sit below the belly button - you never know where they’ll be exactly. If you’re worried I’d go the dress route. All the best with your surgery.
  11. If you’re in the purée stage whatever you eat should be a thick but still a bit loose in texture or dollopy like yoghurt. If you want to blend or grind meat add gravy or stock to get the texture thin enough. Minced meats with a sauce or gravy like meat loaf, meat balls or bolognese without pasta are great in soft food. If you’re allowed potatoes they should be mashed. I lived on yoghurt, instant rolled oats, scrambled eggs, thicker blended soups during that stage as I found puréed meats unpalatable. Did even eat baby food twice. A lot of people eat egg salad (mashed eggs & mayo) in this stage. Think of a baby transitioning from milk (liquids) to thin cereals like Farex, baby food, etc. (purées) then soft foods like slow cooked stews, minced meat dishes, sausage, etc. Congrats on your weight loss so far.
  12. Arabesque

    HELP

    Depends on the type of smoothie. One you make yourself with protein powder, milk, yoghurt, a powdered flavour if you use plain yoghurt, a little allowed fruit & you control the ingredients - okay. But a purchased one I’d question. Check the nutritional value & ingredients of any you buy. I used to buy a yoghurt smoothie drink from the same company that made the high protein yoghurt I ate. The nutrient value was similar but with more protein (30+g) & more natural sugars (not added) from the milk added to the yoghurt to thin it to a drinkable consistency. Then I bought a different one but the added sugar content was so much higher & the protein content was very low. I used to buy them before I realised how easy it was make the yoghurt smoothie drink by simply blending the high protein yoghurt I liked with milk. What does your plan say? If it doesn’t say, check with your nutritionalist.
  13. Never heard of protein gel supplements (energy ones without protein but not protein ones) but people do add unflavoured protein powders to broths (bone broths are best), cream soups, consommés, etc. As you progress you can add protein powders to any liquid or runny based food like yoghurt, instant rolled oats, decaf coffee, etc.
  14. I ‘m one who doesn’t. Stopped them with my surgeon’s approval at about 8 months. Mind you I only had to take a multi vitamin from my surgery & a Vit D for a couple of months. Had very regular blood work (about every 2 months) which was consistently good. They continued to monitor with 3 monthly blood work which continued to show I didn’t need the vitamins. 5 yrs out, still monitored, bloods every 6 months & still no need for vitamins. The only thing that was picked up due to the regular testing was that I drop a little in Vit D in winter (makes sense cause I hate the cold & hibenate or wrap up completely then) so I take them just in winter. Probably always did drop a little then.
  15. Arabesque

    Food Before and After Photos

    Happy birthday @GreenTealael. We’re almost twins. My birthday is Sunday. Won’t say how old I’ll be but getting close to one of those scary decade ages. 😁.
  16. Arabesque

    Food Before and After Photos

    Another one of your niece’s amazing creations @GreenTealael?
  17. Arabesque

    Dumping Syndrome is Dumping!

    I can end up all sweaty & flushed in the face when regurgitating with the foamies. Even developed petechial haemorrhages after one particularly harsh experience. (There was something stuck down low & my body struggled to bring it up.) Wasn’t pleasant.
  18. Arabesque

    Dumping Syndrome is Dumping!

    This sounds like the foamies not dumping. Food that is too dry or coarse or if you eat too much or too quickly will set off the foamies. Sometimes a food sensitivity can set it off. Food gets stuck or you’re over full. Can start with coughing or throat clearing, runny nose, maybe your restriction or a tightness, extra saliva & then maybe bringing up the excess thicker saliva & finally maybe regurgitating the stuck or excess food. It usually passes quickly once the food is brought up or moves down. The symptoms are triggered more in the upper tummy region so simply put everything (the offending food, saliva) moves upwards until maybe or eventually vomiting/regurgitating. Dumping occurs by eating foods with too much sugar or high fat that passes rapidly into the intestines. The symptoms are triggered from here so simply put everything moves downwards so maybe or eventually diarrhoea.
  19. Arabesque

    The Dreaded Calorie Talk

    I only got to about 600 calories at 6 months. Took me another year to get to 1300. Yes some programs, encourage people to consume around 1000 calories at about the 3 month mark. But you can only eat what you can physically eat. I even had that conversation with my surgeon at the 8 month mark when I had pushed up to about 900. He understood my position and was happy I was working at increasing my calories even though it was a slow process. I eat about 1500 calories now which according to those BMR calculators is about what I would need to consume for my age, height, activity level & to maintain my weight. It’s plenty of food. I don’t feel hungry. Some will say you need to get your calories up or your body will go into starvation mode & you’ll stop losing. Didn’t affect me like that. Didn’t slow my losing more than what is expected to happen. Didn’t stop me reaching my goal or exceeding it. But we are all different so your experience and needs may be totally different. If they do say increase your calories, don’t tie yourself up in knots about it. Just slowly increase your intake as you’re able. It naturally increases as you progress anyway. Those recommendations are based on averages too. Remember the recommended calorie intake for a woman is 2000 calories. I’d be as large as I was if I ate that much. lol!
  20. As @AmberFL suggested, I’d start tracking your food intake. You don’t have to do it religiously to begin but just to start the routine & also get an idea of what you’re eating (nutritional value, calories & portion sizes). Then you could make small changes over the next few months like adjust your portion sizes, swap out some cooking styles or ingredients to healthier ones, try new recipes, drop a snack, etc. Also an opportunity to start to reflect on your relationship with food. Do you eat to comfort or sooth yourself (when you’re sad, stressed, anxious, angry, etc.)? Do you crave certain foods when you’re bored? Are you an hormonal carb or sweet? Do you have any eating habits like always snack at the movies or watching tv or have to have cake or a muffin with your coffee, etc. And so on. And, yes, start incorporating some activity into your week. Good opportunity to try some different things to see what you enjoy. You don’t have to embrace everything all at once. Simple small changes are always easier to adopt & adapt to than jumping in the deep end. You have time before your surgery. Second the advice not to buy up big in protein shakes. A temporary change in your taste buds is very common after the surgery and many find a flavour or brand of shake they enjoyed before the surgery in the pre surgery diet is disgusting after. Things can become too sweet &/or salty, the texture can be off putting and for some it’s the smell of certain foods. It can last upwards of around 6 or so weeks. I’m in Australia so none of the prolonged wait you have to go through. My surgery was not quite 4 weeks after I first met with the surgeon so I didn’t really have time to do anything - lol!
  21. Arabesque

    Endoscopy Success!

    Yay! And I’m glad the Sister apologised. (Bet your heart dropped though when you saw her at the sister hospital & realised you’d have to deal with her and her attitude again until she apologised.)
  22. Arabesque

    Dumping Syndrome is Dumping!

    This sounds a little like what I occasionally experience if I rush my breakfast or have it too early. General weak feeling, a little nauseous, doesn’t last long. From what I’ve worked out it’s related to hypoglycemia specifically reactive or postpradial hypoglycemia which can occur if you’ve had stomach surgery like us. It occurs after you eat unlike hypoglycemia which occurs when your glucose levels drop because you haven’t eaten. ( I have this occasionally too which I manage by eating regularly & taking electrolyte drinks with me if doing anything more strenuous than usual.) They think your body produces more insulin than you need to digest what you’ve eaten which then cause your glucose levels to drop which is why it occurs shortly after you eat. Maybe the bite or two of dessert or chocolate, signaled your body to produce additional insulin to process the sugar??? I don’t have added sugar in my breakfast but of course there’s natural sugars in the milk & blueberries which I think triggers mine.. Generally it doesn’t occur as often as it originally did which could be being more careful about situations that can cause it or just time since my surgery. Wouldn’t give up about not being able to have a small sweet treat at some time in the future. Worth a conversation with your doctor anyway.
  23. Arabesque

    Food Before and After Photos

    Ooh, I enjoy crumbed calamari @Tomo. (Can’t see your pxts though. ☹️) Have to admit I buy it pre prepared & then air fry it. Only have it rarely as it’s processed & is impregnated with far more oil than I like.
  24. Arabesque

    Changes

    It may not be available in the dosage I need @SleeveToBypass2023. Plus I need progesterone too & the estalis patch has both. I don’t mind the twice a week. I just set a repeated reminder on my phone - Wednesday morning & Saturday night. I had an acupuncturist tell me yesterday I should get off HRT because one of my fibroids has grown recently. Two things I dislike: men giving advice about menopause & its treatment when the advice downplays the symptoms & effects and anyone who says HRT is bad for you. He even said he’d cured fibroids with acupuncture. I call BS on that one. Just think you could have had acupuncture & not surgery & a hysterectomy for your fibroids @SleeveToBypass2023. Grrr! Just fix my golfer’s elbow. Sorry, hijacked your original post @Dchonlee.

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