lizonaplane

I am two weeks post surgery and I have been sooo hungry. I kept being told I wouldn't be hungry after surgery... I have been constantly hungry. I just started soft solids today. I think it's a bit better... but even the refried beans hurt a bit. I only had a tablespoon or two, eaten a tiny bit at a time. I guess, see if it gets better with solid food?

I'm glad it went well... I'm hoping I can date without needing PS because after the pain I had from the sleeve... I hope to avoid having to go under the knife again if at all possible. I have a semi-ex-boyfriend, but I'd like to trade up to a *real* relationship at some point in the future. I like dating, but I don't like the saxy time. Not because I'm embarrassed about my body, it just doesn't work for me. I keep hoping that will change...

Hrm... I haven't had any itching on my incision sites. I'm two weeks out. I'm generally an itchy person, so I'm not sure why. I had a tooth removed a week later (unrelated) and the stitches there itch sometimes. Hope you feel relief soon!

I had sleeve. I'm eating my first solid food right now - a cheese stick. I'm taking tiny bites and chewing them to paste. It's kind of gross, but the real problem is that I had to have a tooth removed the week after surgery (not related) and so I can only chew on one side and even that is uncomfortable. Of course, now that I've had a few tiny bites, I can feel a pain in my chest!

I'm so jealous - I was looking forward to no longer liking sweet things and not being hungry. This has not at all been my experience. I have been hungry all the time and yogurt has been too tart even with the artificial sweetener in it. I'm hoping it improves once I get to start solid foods later today.

The sleeve was my first time under general anesthesia (I had had twilight anesthesia for a colonoscopy before). They put the oxygen mask over my mouth and then the anesthesiologist said "I'm going to put something in your IV that's going to feel spicy". And I thought, "what on earth does that mean?" Then two seconds later, I thought, "Oh, that's what that means." And then I remember my body moving and feeling nauseous and I remember someone talking to me and then struggling to open my eyes and looking around the room and seeing my mom and realizing I was still alive and being happy, but then immediately falling back asleep.

I'm two weeks out. I had a fair amount of pain the first few days home from the hospital (Like having done a zillion sit ups as someone else said). It made it hard to sit up from lying down, and walking was painful as my stomach hurt when it "jiggled". Today is my last day on liquids and I'm having no issues getting my fluids or protein in. I'm hungry, but less in the last two days (maybe because I'm finally back at work and have things to focus on?). I had lost about 23 kg prior to surgery and I've lost about 5kg since surgery. I'm 160cm and 41 years old. When I woke up in the hospital I had a bit of gerd, and now I'm taking omeprazole (always prescribed by my clinic for one month after surgery). Having GERD after sleeve is a big concern for me, as I occasionally had reflux prior to surgery if I overate. I had to have a tooth removed a week after surgery (unrelated) and it's much more uncomfortable than the surgery at this point. Yesterday I went for a 3.2 km walk, and I was basically at my old (slow) speed. I was a bit more tired than I would have been prior to surgery, but it was also after my first day back at work. I think you need to consider your past unhealthy eating issues and work with a therapist to determine if this is a good idea for you. While I had had some vomiting and overexercising in my past, that was in my teenage years and very minimal. Many people do not get to their "goal" weight with surgery and if that will trigger unhealthy behaviors for you, that's something to consider.

Also... how are you preparing the fish? Are you breading it? Frying it? Broiling it? Poaching it? Are you using sweet or fatty sauces? This can all make a difference. What veggies are you eating and how are you preparing them? I think it will be very helpful to discuss with the nutritionist. Good luck!

Yes, I was also prescribed Ondansetron sublingual (brand name is Zofran). I only needed it the first few days (I had sleeve), but I was very glad to have it. Also, the chili might not have sat well. Good luck!

Did they prescribe something for Nausea? Like Zofran (ondansetron)? Are you still on liquids? Did you call your surgery center? This seems like something they need to be aware of. I'm glad you have an appointment tomorrow. I am two weeks out and I have no trouble meeting my liquid and protein goals. (although I am hungry a lot). If I eat too quickly or too big gulps I have pain, but I'm still on liquids. I really think you need to talk to your surgery center, and definitely focus more on liquids than protein. Sip, sip, sip, all day long. Keep a drink right by you at all times. Try different drinks and different temperatures of liquids.

Congrats on the next stage of your journey! Let us know how you're doing!

I think it depends on the environment you work in. I work from home, so obviously not an issue. Some people, like those who work in nursing or retail, may have rules against drinking/eating while on duty. In this case, it's best to talk to HR or a manager about getting a doctor's note to allow them to eat/drink while working. After surgery, it's not possible to eat and drink quickly, and you will need to sip all day to get your fluids in. If you have an active or outdoors job, it's even more important to be drinking a lot. I'm not sure why a smoothie in particular would be difficult to drink at work, although you'd have to have someplace to wash the container so it doesn't get gross. I assume you would make it at home? Probably for the first few weeks/months a smoothie wouldn't be the best bet as it's too much fiber and not enough protein; a protein shake is better for that (personally I can only tolerate the premade kind because the ones make with powder always seem gritty to me). I also am eating a lot of yogurt; maybe you will need a small lunch bag/box that is insulated and some ice packs which you can buy cheaply on Amazon.

Find a way to have other things in your life that make you happy besides food. And other ways to cheer yourself up, and soothe yourself. Food can be enjoyable, but it can't be the center of your life. If your family celebrates with food, make it clear to them that you need to find a new path. Find an inspirational TV show, learn a new skill, listen to podcasts, make jewelry, paint your nails, something else to give you joy besides food.

I had a "TAP block" or something during the surgery, so I didn't have too much pain in the hospital, plus they gave me IV tylenol and some sort of NSAID they said was safe. They sent me home with an opioid and told me to take tylenol every 8 hours as needed. I took an opioid pill once a day for three days and I didn't need it anymore, but I did have to take the tylenol for a while. I did have a fair amount of pain, especially when sitting up or when getting up from lying down. That was just in the first week. By the end of the first week, it was so much better. At two weeks, I can already sleep on my stomach.

I didn't lose much during the pre-op diet, but I didn't expect to. I had already lost almost 50 lbs, and the preop diet wasn't that different than what I was already doing it except slightly more extreme in terms of low carb and low fat. I still got to eat real food. I lost a few lbs in two weeks. In the two weeks since surgery, I've lost about 12-13 lbs. I wasn't expecting to be hungry after surgery, but I am more hungry now than I was pre-op. I have heard this gets better once you get to eat solid food. I sure hope that's true! Good luck!

Definitely wait to see what YOUR surgery center allows. You can ask them to send you the list ahead of time so you can go shopping, but don't shop based on what other people's surgery centers allow. Everyone's center is completely different!

I'm so sorry this happened to you! That was one of my biggest fears going through this process, as I kept hearing it was happening to others. I hope you are able to get back on track and use this time to practice post-op life a bit and that your surgery will be rescheduled soon!!!! Good luck!

Yes, walking made me tired until a few days ago, and I didn't drive until almost 2 weeks out. I don't ever like to drive, so that's not exactly surprising. We were told not to drive for 4-5 days.

My surgeon says you can drink until you eat, then if you need a sip of water to moisten your food/mouth, that is okay, but then no drinking till half an hour after. I tried doing this a few times before surgery, and it was annoying as heck, but tolerable. I'm on liquids only till tomorrow, but once I start solid food tomorrow afternoon, I'll be waiting the half hour. Mostly because I'm afraid of barfing or feeling uncomfortable.

You can also try fish and ground turkey/chicken/beef. Those are soft, per my plan. Good luck! I can't wait to try some solid food tomorrow! And... have you tried using protein shake in your coffee? (If you drink coffee). I mix 5.5 oz (half a protein shake) with about 11 oz of iced coffee and it tastes pretty good.

YES! I am two weeks out and I'm so hungry. It's actually better today since I'm back to work (sedentary, work from home) so I'm distracted. I'm eating about 550 calories a day and I could eat more. I've heard it gets better once you can eat solid foods, so I'll know more tomorrow. Also, I had a lot of pain and gas the first few days, but now it doesn't take very long for me to drink a protein shake (longer to eat a yogurt, but I also had a tooth removed, so that is painful), maybe 15 minutes. It took me almost an hour the first night home to take 10 pills but now it's less than five minutes. I can drink a swallow of water that feels like a real mouthful, but I still can't guzzle or drink a full glass in one breath like I used to.

Could you just drink a protein shake instead? Or a yogurt? Or add protein powder to soup? I don't start soft food till tomorrow, but those are pretty hard! I'm sure you're pretty sick of protein drinks and yogurt (I sure am!), but what I think things like tuna and deli meat have more protein than the atkins bars. I love the S'mores ones myself!

I am just 2 weeks out, and I haven't had any issues yet, but maybe you're just not into water right now? Have you tried drink mix packets in your water? I find that I get sick of plain water so I make sure a lot of my fluid is decaf coffee mixed with protein shake, or water with a drink mix packet (I don't like Crystal Light but the Starburst ones are great!). I am able to get about 80oz of water or more a day if I like what I'm drinking. Also, consider the temperature. Would an insulated thermos help it be more appealing?

Yes, stalls are normal, and sometimes it's best to just let them take their course, but you can also try to "mix it up" a bit. Try to eat a bit more for a few days, or increase carbs, drink more water, change your exercise routine. Try taking your measurements instead of your weight for a few weeks to see if that makes you feel better. If you're always eating the same thing for breakfast, try something different. I don't know why, but sometimes changing things helps us get going. Also, track your calories for a few days to see if you're really eating what you think you are (you will have to weigh/measure all your food to do this right).

.Um... I doubt that the brand of protein drinks is the reason. What are you eating besides the protein drinks? If the majority of your calories are from food and not a protein drink, that's likely the issue. I use both premier protein and fairlife nutrition plan (or fairlife core power, if I'm out). I also tried muscle milk light, but they're pretty gross. They all are around the same, nutrition wise, although the source of protein is different, and premier protein has added vitamins and minerals. I tried a lot of other protein drinks - like vegan ones and powdered ones - but the tastes/textures were intolerable to me. Also... you probably shouldn't be eating 3-4 protein drinks a day unless that's what your doctor/dietician has recommended. It's more protein than you need and that can cause problems. Try one protein drink and two healthy meals. If you are working shift work, that's really hard, but try to "meal prep" to have things for a whole week or buy things that are easy to bring with you, like string cheese, deli meat, tunafish, cut up bell peppers or cucumbers, nuts, etc.