tinyforks

I had the VSG in 12/23. I chose the VSG over the bypass due to wanting to have children and fearing malnutrition during pregnancy. I had a hh that they didn't tell me about and didn't repair during the surgery (no clue why). I've had GERD since the surgery (never had it prior), so we decided to try doing a hh repair to see if that would help. I had the repair done about a month ago and the GERD is coming back with a vengeance. I think I will need to convert to a bypass, but I want to wait until after having children (hopefully soon!). Major bummer, but I still don't regret doing the VSG.

How are you doing now?

I am 1 year post-op today, and I have (pretty much) hit my goal!
I can't believe it has been a year already, it has gone so fast. To think that this time last year I was having surgery (BIG shout out to Simon Monkhouse), and I was starting a new chapter of my life.
I have learnt that I can adapt to change quite quickly, something I didn't think I was that good at previously. I think we shock ourselves at how quickly we can adapt to our new way of living post-surgery.
The NSVs have been life-saving for me. Every time I am walking about, up hills and at a fast pace, I still catch myself thinking "I can't believe I can do this". Before this I would have to stop 3-4 times just on a short 8 minute walk as the pain in my hips and back was awful. Now I can jog and I can ride a bike uphill!!
I feel happier in myself and in my day-to-day life, and while I may still have a long way to go in terms of being kinder to myself, I am learning to love my body. It is so nice to be able to just think less about what I am wearing, how I will look. I am grateful to feel smaller and to have people not notice me in public (as weird as that sounds).
Next part of my journey is just to see where my weight loss goes, then to look into some plastics in the next year or so, but overall, my goal is just to keep living feeling this free ❤️

Yes! I accidentally dropped my phone into the water when I was getting a pedicure because I set my phone down in my "lap"...and the lap was a gap ?

I hated cottage cheese before and was so grossed out by it. Now I love blending it with eggs to make a high protein omelette. I also add it to a bunch of sauces. Still trying to explore new recipes.

Yes! I accidentally dropped my phone into the water when I was getting a pedicure because I set my phone down in my "lap"...and the lap was a gap ?

Yes! I accidentally dropped my phone into the water when I was getting a pedicure because I set my phone down in my "lap"...and the lap was a gap ?

I hated cottage cheese before and was so grossed out by it. Now I love blending it with eggs to make a high protein omelette. I also add it to a bunch of sauces. Still trying to explore new recipes.

Collarbones --- I really love my collarbones now. Such a wierd thing to notice, but I didn't have them/they weren't visible for so long.

Idk about weird but it was surprising when the towel fit around me again without a gap.

I am on 20 mg Omeprazole daily. I was prescribed 20 mg Famotodine, but it isn't working. I am relieved to hear your surgeon is okay with a low dose. At my 6 month, my surgeon's office wanted me to get off of Omeprazole, but my PCP wanted to keep me on as long as the reflux is happening (for fear of ulcers, cancer, etc.). I was hoping the reflux would have gone away by now, so I am just trying to prepare myself for my 1 year check up and to hear what my options are.
Thank you for sharing the info with me.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

I love this story! Yes, it's funny how "off" my eyes can be sometimes. Just yesterday I was shocked when I fit into new pants that looked WAY too small. This is such a fun process, especially since for so long it was the other way around (not fitting into clothes that looked huge).

I love this story! Yes, it's funny how "off" my eyes can be sometimes. Just yesterday I was shocked when I fit into new pants that looked WAY too small. This is such a fun process, especially since for so long it was the other way around (not fitting into clothes that looked huge).

I love this story! Yes, it's funny how "off" my eyes can be sometimes. Just yesterday I was shocked when I fit into new pants that looked WAY too small. This is such a fun process, especially since for so long it was the other way around (not fitting into clothes that looked huge).

I am five weeks post op and finally starting to feel hungry enough to want a small snack in between lunch and dinner. I was wondering if you enforce the no-drinking 30 mins before/after rule with small snacks. I've been holding firm to the rule and totally understand the rationale behind it, but it definitely is making it hard for me to reach my water goals. I have no problem drinking, but having to give up 1.5 hours of drinking time per meal really adds up! It seems like giving up another ~1.5 hours for a snack just isn't worth it.
How do you handle drinking around snacks? TIA!

Yes, exactly this! My friend and I were crunching the numbers, too! We are both teachers and were joking that we were probably the only ones to taken written directions so seriously ? Thank you for the advice (and the validation)!

I have been following the rule the way @ms.sss has, I have always drank up till the meal but afterwards, I've been hardcore about not drinking till at the very least 30 minutes, but usually go much longer, until I feel my stomach has emptied. The times I have drank after 30 minutes, I feel hungry much sooner so I wait as long as possible. It applies to snacks and meals, any time you have anything other than a liquid, including soup.

You drink you pee. Flush those toxins out. Reduce risk of bladder/kidney infections.I can easily pee 6 times a night & I still average 8 hrs most nights. I still drink during the night every time I get up to pee & get in another 250 odd mls (8ozs).
Even your snacks should be nutrient dense which is why the waiting before & after eating to drink still applies. Don’t want to waste any of those nutrients, esp. protein, by washing them through your digestive system too quickly,
Yes, in the beginning it can be a challenge to meet your fluid goals. But as long as you’re making an effort & are close & getting closer all is good. And it does get easier. Take larger sips, & more frequently.

I did forget to mention that even though I had to wait 30 minutes before and after eating, once I moved on to solid foods, I only had to wait 30 minutes AFTER eating. I could drink up to the point I started eating something. Not sure what the rationale was there - maybe there's more of a risk of nutrients being washed out of your stomach when you're on liquids and/or purees when you drink BEFORE eating, too (which makes sense since those don't stay in your stomach for very long).

I was told drinking before a meal took up space that should be reserved for food. That never made much sense to me since liquids usually move quickly through. But in the beginning, I still waited 30 minutes before and after eating. Nowadays I wait anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour but only after a meal. Depending on the meal. It is quite painful otherwise if I don't.
I would forego the snacks if I had to choose between them and staying hydrated.
GL

I felt like all I did was eat and drink. That was my job, all day long. My biggest problem was that if I slept in or my work was keeping my attention, I'd fall behind on my drinking. I was so glad when I could start drinking more at once. Do your best, just don't let yourself get dehydrated.
I always have water and drink flavoring in the car. I drink best while driving and walking because I have nothing else to do. As some of the others say, I drink up until I.m about to eat. How long I wait to drink after depends on what and how much I ate. I get a warning hiccup if my stomach is full. If I don't stop, my stomach will hurt.

At 5 weeks post op I was just having 3 teeny tiny meals and lots of fluids. When you say you *want* a snack in between meals do you mean that you fancy something in particular (head hunger) or that you can't distract yourself from proper hunger with fluids or random activities, or that even if you do that you still feel proper hunger? 5 weeks would be super early for proper hunger to return!
In any case, and to answer your original question - I stuck rigidly to the 30m before *and* after rule for about 18 months. I found after that that I could drink right up to the point of eating so I relaxed that part. However I still wait for more than an hour after eating before I drink fluids. It seems to prolong my satiety.
Best of luck - I hope you can find your way through.

since the beginning, i found that however amount of liquids i drank before eating solids didn't seem to matter. i could drink as much as i want right up to the first bite, with no issues.
what i DID have to adhere to was waiting 30 mins (sometimes 45) AFTER my last solid bite before i drank anything again. if i didn't, i would feel overly full and maybe barf.

I actually did the math and took it to my surgeons office asking exactly how did they expect me to do it!? I further explained I'd have to drink right up to bedtime and sleep was just as important in the healing process, so if I drank just before bed..I'd be getting up several times in the night. I was told they "know right out of surgery there is no way to get in the entire water requirement." They just want you to try.
My math (basic because I suck at math):
Average "day" (excluding time for activities you can't be actively drinking water i.e. driving, showering, different tasks at work): 12 hours
No drinking water 30 mins before and after and during a meal: 90 mins+-
90 x 3= 270/60 = 4.5 hours per day you aren't allowed to drink
12 hrs a day +- - 4.5 can't drink. = Leaves you 7.5 hours to get down 60+-oz each day
7.5 hours to get down 60oz each day @ 2oz. max each "drink" = .12 to get your sip in. In other words not real easy or possible if you also add nauseous! This isn't taking into consideration snacks (which I didn't do and still don't).
Needless to say they found me funny. I wasn't going for "funny!" Said they'd never had a patient break it down before. I told them I'm a Histologist who manages a laboratory measuring in microns/millimeters/centimeters etc. everyday what did they expect?..
Perhaps they should have done the math before asking patients to do something! I asked who has time for that!? That's when they said to work up to it, its not expected for awhile, to just try..its a goal to shoot for. Eventually you'll be able too. So no worries, just do the best you can!
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