dalhousieDream

If you can finish, you absolutely should for the nutrition. Hit that Protein goal! You're eating so few calories it doesn't matter! That's my opinion anyway! I'm almost 6 weeks out from bypass.

I get the struggle.
but I remind myself that a lot of this is temporary- I’ll be able to enjoy foods again with my family, in moderation in time. In the meantime, I’m so happy that my recovery has been remarkably smooth so far.

Glad you are feeling better. It is really important to pace yourself & be aware of portion sizes while you are in the healing & recovery stages. A lot of nerves were cut during your surgery so your signals don’t get through or if they do, they’re different to how you usually experience them.
Yea, I have heard of people who have progressed through their staged return to eating more quickly (not skipping as such) but always because their surgeons advised them to do so & see how they go. There are also lots of people who return to a previous stage because their body just wasn’t ready even if they were progressing at their plan’s rate.
The cravings are another matter & should never influence how quickly you progress through the stages (they’re in place to protect & support your healing tummy - remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy/digestive system together). A craving, where you want to eat a specific food, texture or flavour, is a head hunger & not real hunger (when you don’t want anything specific & just want nourishment). Are you wanting to eat because you’re seeking comfort, because of stress (common after surgery) , boredom or other emotions, habit, thinking you should be hungry because you’re eating so little, etc. Look for a distraction. Head hunger usually doesn’t last. Read, craft, play a game, watch a movie or show, have a warm drink, go for a walk, or do some other activity like clean out a drawer or a shelf in the pantry, ring a friend, check out social media or this forum. They won’t necessarily stop the cravings but do help manage them.

Aren’t you allowed clear broths/consommés? Just Water seems a little extreme but all dictums are different.
It seems some experience Constipation & others diarrhoea & some het a very I tersting combination. I had one very bad, no warning, extremely smelly & black diarrhoea attack. Literally got up to pee, took a few steps & whoosh. It’s the blood from the surgery, high stomach acid, all liquid diet & just your sensitive digestive system. It will get better … & then the constipation will begin 😉.
My friend had quite a bit of diarrhoea (wet farts are real). Her surgeon advised her to buy disposable underwear before her surgery in case this happened - best advice she swears.

Hello everyone,
I finally got to have my surgery this passed Monday. I had a vertical sleeve done. Pre op I went from 255.9 to 239.6 so very excited for that. Sadly that's not the reason I'm writing today. Sorry in advance this may get TMI.

So for me it is day 4. I called my nurses because I had only been on Water this whole time and just felt awful. They told me to just rest get some Protein water and apple juice because even though I was following the liquid diet to the letter my body needs those to function.
What I wasn't warned about was the bathroom issues. I literally take a sip and almost instantly to and hour later I'm upstairs with bad bathroom issues. My stomach feels like I have a kicking baby in my abdomin and the gurgle wow.
Did anyone else experience this? How long did it last?
It sucks. One more thing to worry about. My doctor said it will balance out once we get more food in me starting Tuesday. Help me survive the next few days. Please?

I am still alive !! HAHA

I did that a couple times early out, too. Isn't it funny how we just mindlessly used to eat? Just out of habit, I would pop something in my mouth while on the phone like you were or just even seeing something on the kitchen counter.
Old habits die hard!

Fainted. I went to the store to purchase food for the upcoming pureed stage. It was all going well until my body decided it was to soon for me to out and about. Luckily, my husband was with me and responded quickly when I told him I felt light headed. I fainted in the middle of the aisle. It was scary and makes me worry about what would happen if he wasn't there.
I've been drinking my fluids and meeting my nutrition goals. Anyone else experience this?

This is what I experienced. I spent the first 2 weeks just sitting in a recliner sipping. After 3 weeks off I returned to my job and went straight to bed exhausted when I got home. It was another week or two before I felt like I had normal energy levels.

Hi,
I'm 5 day post op and have ZERO energy. On a clear liquid diet until Tues, complete with a min 60 grams of Protein from shakes. I am now able to get 60-70 g protein daily and drinking all the Water I can tolerate.. I also have 1/2 cup diluted 100% grape juice to get some carbs. Is it normal to be WIPED OUT even after naps and the daily recommended protein and water?? I almost feel weak like I have the flu but know I don't.

I was 68 when I had my sleeve. My BMI was not high enough to have insurance pay for it, so I self-paid at great expense! I only wish I had done it years earlier - I hadn’t realized it was an option!

Hello, I'm preparing for surgery and being over 50, I wish that I had started this journey sooner.

Forgot to mention that I am 60yo. Are there any older gastric sleeve patients out there?
Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes it does get better. At the moment you’re healing from pretty major surgery & everything is swollen, tender & sensitive. Diarrhoea, nausea, low energy, light headedness, difficulty swallowing are all pretty common post surgical experiences. You’ll find in a month or so it has passed.
I had a terribly embarrassing diarrhoea experience on day 3. Got up to pee, took a couple of steps & oh gracious no. Gush. No warning at all. It was dark from surgical bleeding & had a foul odour. I had just the one attack but a friend had it persist for about a week. Beware ‘wet farts’. Her surgeon had recommended disposal knickers - she said it was best advice.
I also had a lot of swelling in my throat making swallowing everything for Water to meds a struggle for a few days. It was pretty much fine by day 4.
It’s important to at least be close to your fluid goals. Dehydration is a real issue for us after surgery. Try warming your water, shakes & other fluids. Warm drinks tend to be more soothing & easier to swallow. I was allowed green or herbal teas - they were fabulous. Don’t worry if you sip on your shakes & Soups for ages as long as you’re getting them in. I also used to dilute them to make them thinner & easier to tolerate (esp the shakes which were disgusting after surgery). Bonus was I was consuming more Fluid.
All the best.

Yes, it's miserable, at first. But, it will get better. I had diarrhea - bad - at first, too. Once you start eating more solid foods, your poop will firm up. Don't push it by trying to eat. There's a reason why you're on a liquid diet.
This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it WILL pass. Hang in there.

It happens to most people. It’s your body reacting to the stress of the surgery, reduced caloric intake, etc. Your body has just temporarily taking a time out. Your weight loss will start again when your body is ready - usually 1-3 weeks. Stick to your plan & breathe. Don’t stress yourself more. Take some body measurements. Some people notice a change on a tape measure even if the scale doesn’t move.

Did your care team instruct you to weigh yourself daily? That would be too much for me to weigh myself daily since our weight fluctuates.

Also a sleeve and also ended up taking 2 whole weeks off. And even after that I was really really tired at the end of a working day (sedentary job) so honestly it took me 3 weeks to get back to my baseline. I echo what the others have said about arranging some flexibility in advance if you can at all. Best of luck with your surgery. It's absolutely life changing.
You will love it after you get over the initial pain and stuff.

I had a rough time. I had diarrhoea, nausea and swelling on my internal stitches. I stayed in the hospital 6 days. I was quite ill for a month. If I worked, it may have taken me 2 months to go back. While I have been on this site there have not been many who took so long to recover but it does happen. My age and disabilities didn't help.

If you like tacos another idea is to make some taco meat, I use ground turkey and Ortega seasoning and/or warm up some refried Beans.
I do taco meat and/or beans in a serving that I know I can eat, (1/4 c right now, I'm also 8 weeks post op)...then I put some shredded Mexican blend cheese on top and some mild taco sauce (don't want to shock the new tummy with spicy stuff yet).
I dump the refried beans into a storage container and pop it in the fridge so I can keep using it until its gone, same as with the taco meat. Then for the next few days I have taco meat or refried beans, or BOTH to add some cheese to, warm up in the microwave and then top with taco sauce!
My foods are super repetitive, too...but that's okay, cause I like them Looking forward to next week when I am on "easy to chew" foods! Going to wrap lunch meat in a lettuce leaf instead of eating it straight! Like a sandwich!

I am 1 Week Post-Op today. Yesterday, I just balled up on the floor and cried because I felt so hungry and weak. I had to remind myself that, yes, this is going to be tough, and it’s ok to feel down. ... and that my next snack was in less than an hour . Drank some Water, entertained myself with a puzzle, and just waited it out. Feeling a lot better today. And have high expectations for this afternoon, when I have my first post-op control with the surgeon and the nutritionist. Please, please, please... let me add SOME variety to my meals!

I followed my plan. It was tough going at times, but I did follow it. You'll be eating more-or-less normally again at some point (albeit smaller portions than you were pre-op), it's just these first few weeks and months that can be challenging. I toughed it out. I was tired of being morbidly obese and just wanted the weight GONE!

Does anyone else have health anxiety regarding this surgery?
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I'm so worried about developing stenosis, blood clots, or sudden heart failure! I made the mistake of looking into the death statistics and the most common deaths from gastric and how it mostly happens up to 4 weeks after surgery due to those causes. Age range 32-54 and weight 285-400+
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Likely overreacting, but it's a huge worry of mine. I'm constantly checking my incisions and moving just to avoid it. I read we're high risk up to 3 months post op.
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I had surgery Feb 2nd 2023
*~☆AnxiousMommy☆~*

I’m one week post op still on liquid shakes very little sugar and I’m having the worst experience ever why would that be ?

Im a 3 yr old sleeve and i still dump (excess sugar is my personal kryptonite).
As i got further out my sensitivity to sugar decreased. Where before just a couple sips of a sugary sake had me on the bathroom floor, alternating ends to face the toilet (no joke) and knocked me out for a few hours, now its more like 1/2 a scoop of ice cream will suction me to a couch or chair for 30 mins or so, likely followed by a liquid poop followed by an exhausted power nap.
(oh, and sprinkle in some temp fluctuations, sweating, racing heart, difficulty breathing to both scenarios above)
do i like that i dump?! H*lls, no. It feels like death. BUT i can appreciate how its just another tool to keep me where i’ m at. An annoying tool yes, but an effective one.
Like those above, i’ve learned what i can do to avoid it, its just part of my habits now (i.e, I don't eat too much, too fast at a time; I make its not on an empty stomach; etc...)
…:also i have an awesome fam who often test bites food and drink for me to report on its sweetness level before i have a go at it. I also notice that Mr often asks to share a dessert plate with me which I suspect he does to eat more of the dessert than I do…..he was the one that had to pick me up off the bathroom floor and carry me upstairs to bed that fateful first dump night…i guess it spooked him and does not want a repeat performance.