NovaLuna

You need a certain amount of protein a day and you can't get that with clear liquids alone so yes, you need the protein shakes until you can reach your protein goal on your own. For gastric sleeve I believe it's 50-60g of protein. My own surgery is 80-100 so you have it much easier lol

Well I take chewables due to dysphagia from my EOS so if you're having issues like that maybe try switching to a chewable? Maybe you're just not tolerating the non-chewables for some reason...

Well I never vomited FOOD after my surgery. I vomited blood. For two days. But after that I was fine (my surgery involves a sleeved stomach btw). As for nausea it came and went and still comes and goes. If I go too long without eating I start to feel nauseous. If I eat too fast... nauseous. If I eat too much... nauseous. Everyone is different and their bodies handle the surgery different, but you're only 3 days post op. I'm almost positive the nausea will go away within the next few days. You might have it give you visits like it does to me lol, but even if it does I got used to it and I don't regret my surgery in the least.

When I ate jello my stomach would feel like it was flipping. It was painful and extremely worrisome so I stopped eating jello and stuck to broth and sugar free popsicles.

Are you eating foods with sugar alcohol? Because if I have any excess of sugar alcohol I get really bad gas. All day. No matter what I eat after the fact. You might just have something in your diet that has an excess of sugar alcohol or something else that your stomach doesn't handle well.

Every program has a different pre-op diet. My surgeons pre-op diet wasn't strictly liquid and we were told to have 6-8oz of protein a day (i.e. meat). We were told to have two healthy fats, up to 6oz of dairy (but it'd be included in our protein if we did so), a half cup of fruit and all the veggies we wanted. I still lost 15 pound on the pre-op diet and my surgeon said my liver looked great so... I think you'll be fine. Just try not to stray from your surgeons guidelines anymore.

Well I'm 7 months out with the Loop DS and yes I'd do it all over again. One thing I'd change though if I could go back in time I'd smack myself for trying low carb wheat bread. OMG they tell you that you won't have dumping syndrome with the DS and I call bullsh*t because I had classic symptoms of dumping syndrome after trying that low carb wheat bread. It was soooo bad! Needless to say I now avoid wheat products like the PLAGUE! -_-" I also couldn't eat jello. It made my stomach feel like it was flipping so I couldn't eat it and I haven't tried it since liquid phase since I'm not a fan anyway... Also, I was the odd ball out as my surgeons office said I'm their first Loop DS patient who had issues with constipation. It CAN happen! Turns out my body just absorbs iron really, really, REALLY well so I only have to take 1 multi with iron and two without. My six month labs also showed a slight Vitamin A deficiency, but I'm now taking extra Vitamin A so it's fine now. The deficiency caused an outbreak of my psoriasis though which really sucks. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Edit: I forgot to mention something that I WISH they would have told me about because I freaked out and it turned out to be normal. So with DS and Loop DS you can sometimes vomit old blood after the surgery. I vomited old blood for the first two days (only like five times though) and it was scary the first time it happened because they didn't WARN me! My mom and I both freaked out! Anyway, it may not happen to you because some people are lucky like that, but it did happen to me and I thought you'd want to know it's a POSSIBILITY so that you don't panic if it happens to you. It hurts like hell when it happens, but I'd still do it all over again.

My favorite protein bars are the Power Crunch brand. They're a little high in calories and fat, but I only have one a day and I LOVE them! They're wafer like bars and are deliciously crunchy and 13 grams of protein. The triple chocolate is 205 calories with 13 grams of fat (high I know, but I eat low to no fat in everything else so my nutritionist okayed it) while the peanut butter fudge one is 215 calories with 13 grams of fat and the chocolate mint is 220 calories with 14 grams of fat (the carbs are 10, 12, and 11 respectively).

I'm 7 months out from having the Loop DS. I only recently in the last two or three months or so started feeling actual hunger again. In the earlier months I knew I was hungry when my stomach started making noise. Now if I ignore that symptom I start to feel nauseous and then the hunger pangs kick in. My surgeon told me that everyone's experience is different, because our bodies work different. For example (this is TMI, sorry) I was the first Loop DS patient my surgeons office has had that had constipation issues. No joke. But as to your worry about the hunger... well, your body is working extra hard to shed those pounds and adjust to a new way of life. My metabolism has gone through the ringer and I go through spurts where I feel like I'm eating wayyyy too much. Funny enough that when I feel like I'm starving is when I end up losing more weight that week, which I still find strange. And yes, it's still easy to satisfy my hunger be it a fruit cup or string cheese or protein bar to snack on between meals. I'm still losing weight, even if it's slowed down now so obviously I'm doing something right. If the hunger really bugs you because you feel like it's too soon then I suggest bringing it up with your surgeon and seeing what they have to say about it. Just try not to stress. I know I had instances where I questioned every little thing I did (especially during stalls) but every time I phoned the surgeons office they told me it was normal (barring the constipation, which had even them confused lol) Anyway, congrats on your recent surgery and if you have any questions at all feel free to ask!

I tried numerous different yogurts and the one I like best is ironically the Walmart brand one lol. Light Great Value brand Greek yogurt. It has the same nutritional value as Dannon light and fit yogurt, but tastes better. If Walmart is out of their brand (because people are still stocking up like crazy) then in a pinch I buy the Dannon light and fit strawberry flavor because for some reason I can't stand the peach in the Dannon light and fit brand.

I used to like water before my surgery and now I can't stand it. I drink propel and powerade zero instead.

You started at a lower weight than most. And stalls happen. They are very irritating and disheartening, but totally normal. Stalls can last anywhere from 1 week to even a month, though generally they don't last longer than three weeks, but my longest one was 23 days. Just stick with your diet and it'll eventually break on it's own. Try not to get discouraged. I know it's incredibly difficult not to and you're probably constantly asking yourself what you did wrong. But stalls are normal. They happen far more frequently to me then I'm comfortable with, but I try not to get discouraged myself because my doctor told me stress can slow your weight loss. It'll pass.

I actually didn't start feeling hunger until this last month or two. I'm seven months out btw. And to be perfectly honest, I only actually feel hunger if I've gone about 5-6 hours without eating. That's generally how long it takes for my stomach to be like, "Excuse me, you need to eat. Now!" lol. I get nauseous if I don't eat when I actually feel hungry. But yes, it's much better after the surgery.

You DEFINITELY have to watch your carb and fat intake. Your nutritionist will help you with setting a 'max' amount and a minimum amount you should have with each meal. It's kind of funny though because my nutritionist monitors the other surgeries calorie intake, but I was told my surgery you don't really have to monitor that, but I still do mostly out of curiosity. I generally eat between 600-800 calories a day. My carb intake is a minimum of 15 per meal per my nutritionist and I generally eat between 60-80 carbs a day. But I was eating less than 50 carbs a day for the first 6 months. As for fat, my nutritionist wants my fat intake to be as low as I can possibly get it. But... she knows I LOVE cheese even though it doesn't love me (my stomach has NEVER liked it) and so she's okay with it as long as I stick to mozzarella since it's generally lower in fat then other cheeses. She also okayed one protein bar a day for snack even though the fat content is a little high in the one's I like. So yeah, I'd suggest bringing all of that up with your nutritionist or failing that your surgeons office.

Well, you're supposed to still be on liquids so it wasn't the best idea, but it's too late now. You shouldn't be eating egg muffins probably until soft foods stage which for me was week 3.

Well it depends if your insurance has a weight management program requirement. They made me do a 6 month weight management program, but some insurance only requires a 3 month program while others don't require one at all. My surgeons office was also booked out so my whole WLS journey took 8 months from the first appointment to my surgery date. It's worth it though!

It depends on what pain actually as gabapentin would only relieve NERVE pain. My mom is diabetic and takes it for her neuropathy. It's also a possible medication that they would prescribe to me for my TN if my carbemazepine stopped doing it's job. It's really not a replacement for opioid pain medication and the doctor is an idiot if he prescribed it for that.

Like mentioned above, everyone loses at different rates. It has to do with age, starting bmi, metabolism, etc. I was 32 when I had my surgery and I turned 33 last month. I was 321 on my surgery date and had a BMI of 51.8. I lost 23 pounds the first month ( 19 the second, and then 18, 17, 7, 8, 10, and 7). I'm a slow loser, mostly due to my hypothyroidism. And having my meds adjusted twice already. 26 pounds is really good. Be proud of yourself as you're on track

You could always have your GP switch you to a different surgeons office and tell your GP that you very much don't trust the one you have. And generally you can request a different hospital as well. I didn't actually meet my surgeon until the day of my surgery because their practice is really busy. You can request that they set up an appointment to meet the surgeon, but I knew tons of people who'd used the same surgeon and were happy with their results so I didn't feel the need. The staff in my surgeons office though has nothing but bad reviews. They are REALLY terrible. There is literally only one front office lady who knows what the hell she's doing and the rest don't know up from down so the reviews were always bad concerning the front office staff. And the PA's and NP's they have on staff are hit and miss. There is one that I absolutely DESPISE and refuse to see. I literally saw her one time and she was SOOOOO rude that I told the front office people to NEVER give me an appointment with her. There's also one PA who is really nice but is like always an hour behind AT LEAST. So I don't like seeing her either because you end up in the office for 2-3 hours... -_-" I'm slightly confused about how the surgeon decided your surgery and the hospital you are having it at though because the insurance coordinator asked me before they sent my paperwork in for insurance approval which of the four hospitals they have listed under the practice I wanted my surgery at. I chose the only one of the bunch that I'd been hospitalized in because it was a pleasant experience and I liked the staff. I also got asked which surgery I WANTED. I got to choose. So I'm a little confused as to why you didn't get that option. If your surgeons office doesn't allow you to make that decision I'd DEFINITELY go elsewhere! Unless they put you down for the one you wanted anyway... And... just a note of caution... I lost 64 pounds on my own before my surgery, but didn't bother to even contemplate going without my surgery because I have MANY family members who did the whole dieting route (I'm the first in my mom's side of the family to have WLS) and not a single one of those who went the dieting route reached their goal weight. My mom at her heaviest was 380 pounds. She's 5'4. She wanted to get down to 160, but she plateaued YEARS ago and bounces back and forth between the 230's to 240's. No matter what she does she can't get passed the 230's. So the diet route just doesn't seem plausible. Also my grandma yo-yo diets all the time and can never get to her goal weight. She gets frustrated and then stops dieting only to pack the pounds back on and go through the whole process all over again. My aunt also has the same issue. So just be aware that while you can very well lose a bunch of weight it likely won't all come off without the help that the surgery provides. It's not impossible to do it without the surgery, it's just extremely unlikely.

Go to the arrow at the top by your screen name click on it and it'll bring down a bunch of options. You click "My Surgery" and you can update from there.

My advice is to avoid really carb-y foods like rice or noodles or egg rolls and avoid really greasy foods. Also, watch the sauces because some have a high sugar content. My family is really big into Chinese food and have had it several times since my surgery, but I have avoided it every time because I know how high the sugar and carb content is in the dishes I used to love. I realize how sad it must be to watch your favorite Chinese restaurant close, but don't compromise your diet. Find a healthier option on their menu if you can.

I didn't have mine done robotically, but I DID have that option. My surgeons office has three surgeon and one of them does the robotic sugeries. He's also the highest rated. However, he was booked solid until March and wanted my surgery as soon as possible so I went with a different surgeon. He was my original first pick though. Don't be scared of the robotic surgery. From what I learned you'll actually heal faster and have a better recovery. Embrace it! And congrats on your upcoming surgery!

People always want to butt their heads into your business. I had co-workers asking me why I was still going through with my surgery when I'd lost 64 pounds on my own and my response was that I was going through with the surgery because I knew I would plateau far before my goal if I tried to do it on my own because I have family who've done the whole weight loss on their own as my example. Not one of them reached their goal. I'm the first in my family who has gone the WLS route. But... I was also the heaviest by more than 150 pounds... so there's that. Other than a little criticism about why I didn't just try on my own nobody bothered me about my decision. Also, not to be a downer, but the surgery ISN'T a quick fix. It's a tool. You have to work with it for it to work. If you eat junk the weight won't fall off. You have to follow the diet plan. It's about learning to eat different and having a healthier lifestyle. Can you eventually go back to eating what you did before? In moderation. After you've gotten into maintenance you can occasionally treat yourself, but don't do it all the time or the weight will pack itself back on. That's why you hear so much about the people who 'failed'. They lost the weight and then went back to their old eating habits and packed the weight back on. I have several people as examples of that at work. Also several who have either followed their new lifestyle and kept the weight off and some who have gone back into a few bad habits and gained SOME back, but are still happy with their loss (I work in a company of close to 300 employees and there are about two dozen who have had weight loss surgery. It's VERY common where I work). If WLS is something you feel you need to get where you want to be then don't let the doubters make you doubt your choice. Tell them "It's my life and my body, not yours. So mind your own business". If they don't back off just try and ignore them.

Everyone's insurance requirements is different, but there was a woman who was having the same surgery as me and was going through the six month requirement just as I did. We were both there for our pre-op appointment and were discussing our weight loss. I said I'd lost a total of 64 pounds in that time and she said she GAINED 15. However, we were both approved for surgery. The six months is mostly to prove to your insurance that surgical intervention is needed. I was actually worried that my insurance wouldn't approve my surgery because I'd lost so much on my own, but I was still 321 pounds on the day of my surgery which is still in the super morbidly obese category (BMI over 50) so the surgeon had assured me I wouldn't have any issues. I honestly don't know how your insurance works, but I don't think they'll pass on you.

Don't stop trying! If the surgeon for some stupid reason doesn't approve your surgery then get a second opinion! Don't take no for an answer! I understand feeling like the odd one out in your family, but don't give up like that! I was 389 pounds and 150 pounds heavier than the next heaviest in my family. I had zero self-esteem and have battled with on and off depression my entire life. Now I've lost almost half my body weight and am incredibly proud of myself and I'm only 7 months out! Plus, I lost 64 pounds on my own before I even HAD my surgery! You just have to trust that it'll happen for you! You might end up having to be that pushy patient that just doesn't give up until someone says yes, but trust it'll happen! Try not to get down and try and pump yourself up. BELIEVE it'll happen!