Tiffykins

Lisa, I think you're doing really great. I avoided raw veggies and fruits until 3 months only because they are high cellulose foods, and more difficult for the newly healing sleeve to move out. I am stumped on those research articles about stretching. Our laptop crashed a couple of months ago, and I lost so much of my stuff. I'm sorry I can't find them. I've been digging through my old posts, springerlink, pubmed, and all the other sites that were my go to sources, and I'm at a loss as to where those articles are at. . . Laughing cow cheese was a go to food for me as well.

Donna, vent away, we're here for you ! ! ! It's not out of the ordinary to have a down day. The best thing in the world is that tomorrow is a new day for you. I just noticed you are in Minot, and that is the one place a lot of guys that are stationed down here get shipped to after their assignments here are over. It's so cold up there ! ! ! But, I have been told it's a great place for families. Hang in there, you're doing great, you will make your goals. If it will help, set some small goals, and then build them as you move forward.

Don't be freaked out. Not every single patient experiences this, so do not let this one temporary side effect scare you out of surgery. These things happen, it's better to know about, and be prepared so when/if it does occur you are not taken by surprise. This is not life threatening, this is a benign condition and is directly related to the fact that I dropped a huge amount of weight in 8 months. We're talking about 135lbs in that time period so remember my body went through major changes. Something has to give, something has to clue us in that something is off. I admittedly was being a scale whore, and avoiding sodium at all costs. I was barely getting in the recommended mg per day of sodium to avoid Water weight. Lesson learned, I shared my experience so others could learn from it, or seek medical attention if they were suffering the same symptoms. It's temporary. It's not going to land me back in the hospital.

I have not personally. But, the number one piece of advice I've seen, read, and had confirmed with my ob/gyn is that you have to get out of ketosis. Meaning, you have to eat carbs, take your Vitamins, and do your very best to get in calories. The baby will get what it needs from your body. You have to ensure that you feed your body so you physically will not suffer. How far out are you from surgery? And, how far along would you be if you are pregnant? Could you have been possibly pregnant right before or during surgery and the test just not come back positive that most surgeons require a couple of days before surgery?

I'm glad to be here. During my recovery, the members here were my saving grace, and I'm just happy to be here to help. I honestly never thought I would feel "normal". I never thought I would be able to enjoy eating out. The band really jaded me when it came to eating out. But, I just hung in there, listened to the vets and pushed through, and jumped every hurdle. I wasn't going to let a speed bump turn into a roadblock. I wanted to WIN, and I wanted to WIN big. The only thing I knew to do was be faithful and true to myself. Never doubt your own strength, and always lean on us when you want to give up or have a down day. That's what we're here for, and I hope you know that you can always, anytime message me privately if you need to do so. I haven't been checking in as frequently. Life really is kind of taking over, and I find more and more that my pc time is getting less and less. But, I'm not opposed to sharing my phone number for texting or phone calls. I'm pretty much attached to my phone. VST just sucks on my IPhone and I hate trying to reply to stuff on here via my phone. You aren't the only one that hates protein. I tried and puked over 22 different brands, flavors, varieties, so you are not alone in that department. Protein supplements just do not work for everyone. Hell, I even went to soy protein trying to get something in protein wise. Yeah, that sucked and it was a no go for me. My surgeon finally told me " stop pushing those things, stay hydrated, once you get to mushies, you'll get your protein." Thank goodness for him because he was 100% correct. Taste is a very subjective matter. I mean, I love ketchup, but can't eat tomatoes to save my life. Seriously, I'll eat Ruffles potato chips with ketchup if I'm craving it, but you'll never see me eat a raw, cooked, steamed, diced tomato. Craziness, I tell you. Texture is also pretty subjective. Some people love that thick, milkshake consistency crap. I didn't like milkshakes or malts pre-op. Post-op those things were just torture. So, just because 89.99999% of sleeve patients love their Protein drinks, I promise there's those of us out that think they were invented by the devil himself and could never tolerate any of them. I am still finding protein samples that I order over 2 years ago in my kitchen drawers and cupboards because I had so many different varieties and flavors trying to find one that didn't make me puke, or taste like wet cardboard with sawdust sprinkled on top. Cheer up my friend, you're well on your way to a fabulous life. I promise right now that little flicker down that tunnel is the light, it'll get closer every day, and then one day, BAM, you've arrived, and living life. We all were or will be newbies at some point. We all share that common bond of "holy crap, what have I done?" Now, I think back and say "holy crap, I'm never hungry, wearing a size 4, have a rockin' little body (at least in clothes lol), and I actually do not obsess about food." That's the best feeling in the world ! ! !

There really aren't stupid questions except the ones that want to know why eating a bag of doritos 2 days post-op is against the rules. . . In all seriousness, what you are experiencing is going to change every week. With each passing, day, week and month things are going to change. You're going to have rough days, go ahead and mentally prepare for it. At 14 months out (in 2 days), I still have a rough day here and there. It's really difficult to think ahead 3, 6, 12 months and see eating, drinking, life general different than how you see it right now. But, believe me. You will not be doomed to 3-6 bites for the rest of your life. You will not have pain, gas or discomfort with every bite. If those issues do not resolve, you'll need to seek medical attention. Something clicked for me at the 6 month post-op mark. I'm not sure what it was, but life in general was just easier. I was able to eat a bit more than I could at 2-3 months out. food started tasting better. I felt better, and overall life just started happening. Currently, I pretty much forget that I had surgery. Eating the "smaller" portions is just a habit at this point. I know what I can and can not eat on any given day. I know how much I can eat at most restaurants, and even out socially at barbques and potlucks. For example, we had a barbque on Friday afternoon with my husband's squadron. I had a burger (no bun), 1.5 slices of american cheese, 3 dill pickle hamburger ovals, and a handful of Lay's barbque chips. Now with that being said, I took an hour to eat. I ate half the burger patty with 1 slice of cheese, and a few chips all of it with lots of mustard and mayo. The burgers were fatty, and pretty greasy so I knew that I'd need to eat slow to avoid making a trip to the port-a-john(I don't use those nasty things). It took me about 30 minutes to eat 1/2 patty, 1 slice of cheese, and some chips. I sat there with a napkin laid across my plate, socialized, took pictures of the group, walked around on the beach for about 20 minutes. Then, I decided I would eat a bit more. I finished the burger patty, and had a few more chips. Over the entire time, I would say that it was closer to 1.5 hours from start of my eating to me tossing my plate in the trash. I ate, did all that other stuff, then ate again. My stomach hurts after eating only if I eat super fried foods like fried chicken strips, or chicken fried steak (which goes down so fabulously, but eww it makes me sick). I don't fry anything in my house, and haven't for years. My body gets pissed when I feed it craptastic food. I run best on Protein, but hey, I'm a fat girl at heart regardless of what my pant size reflects. I still love food, and always wills. The one thing VSG has done for me is give me that control. I can eat 5 - 8 cheesy poofs and be satisfied instead of the entire bag. Right now, just focus on each meal, one meal at a time, each day, one day at a time. I promise, the future is bright, and life is fabulous post VSG. Just give your body some time right now to adjust.

You're doing great ! ! ! 1. When do you think I will be able to have sushi? I AM DYING HERE! HAHA - We already talked about this one LOL. See how your body tolerates it, go slow, and I hear the sashimi works great. The rice might be uncomfy just eat slow, and see how your body reacts. First signal of discomfort, stop. 2. They doctors told me to stop drinking 30 mins before my meals, not to drink during my meals, and to wait 30 mins after my meals before drinking. I have been doing this, but i find it annoying and hard to do at time. Is this something that I will always have to do? Or is it mostly in the first X amount of months that I have to do this? I have never had to stop drinking before my meals. With my band, I had to because liquid fills up your pouch, but we have stomachs so I was instructed to just not drink with my meals and to wait 30 minutes after my meal. 90% digestion occurs in the intestine. Drinking while eating will push the food through, and you may experience some hunger sooner if you flush the food through. I sip with a meal on occasion. I can fit more in. I still DO NOT experience hunger, but if I drink when I eat, I can fit more food in at this point. Early out, there really isn't room for liquids. It might be uncomfortable to drink. A couple of sips to wet my whistle after spicy/salty food never hurt. I took a big drink on accident once, and it hurt and caused some cramping. Lesson learned, sips are okay, big drinks not so much. 3. Will I ever be able to have Sprite or 7up ever in the future. I am not much of a soda drinker at all, and I realize it does stretch your sleeve. I'm talking a soda every once in a while. The only time I had soda was when I would go out to resturaunts or something. Lately I have been craving sprite (it's wierd), but do any of you down the road (6+ months post op) have soda at all? Also wondering for New Years about the soda thing cause I usually mix alcohol with soda, by then i will be almost 7 months post op. - I drink soda. I've drank soda on occasion since being at goal. They're empty calories, it hasn't caused my sleeve to stretch at all, and I enjoy a soda here and there. My surgeon doesn't believe it'll stretch the sleeve anymore than eating bread, Pasta and rice will stretch it. I can eat the same amount of food right now that I could at 7-8 months post-op. There hasn't been any change or negativity from me drinking soda. I'm not an advocate to go against doctor's orders so check with them. For my program, nothing is off limits for life. Moderation is the key. I drink rum/cokes regularly without issue. Well regularly, on the rare occasion that I go out drinking, that is my preference. I drink socially without any ill effects. My suggestion on drinking post sleeve is to drink at home first. It might hit you hard and fast the first time. At this stage for me, my alcohol tolerance is back to pre-op.

Eating Well After Weightloss Surgery There's apparently several others available, but I'm going to buy the USED version of this one and see how I like it. I took a peek inside the table of contents, and it looks like there are a lot of yummy recipes that myself and family would enjoy. It has over 140 recipes for WLS patients. Y'all know I've become a little obsessed with new recipes, and thought I would share this find with everyone here. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569244537/ref=oss_product#noop]Amazon.com: Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery (9781569244531): Patt Levine, Michele Bontmpo-Saray, William B. Inabnet, Meredith Urban-Skuros: B[/ame]

I'll preface this with the fact that I have been a seafood hater for as long as I can remember. I'm super paranoid about cooking it, yet alone actually liking fish. But, my surgeon recommended that I increase my seafood intake so I'm trying. Crab Stuffed Flounder Recipe - Allrecipes.com I changed a few things with this one to #1 cut the fat, and cholesterol, and #2 for what I had on hand and my personal tastes. But, for the most part kept it the same. I used brummel brown spread in place of butter. I nixed the crackers, used 1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs, and used light miracle whip instead of mayo in the crab mixture with 1/3 cup of green, red, yellow sweet peppers. I also sprinkled the flounder filets with lemon pepper seasoning, and added 3 Tbsp of Tony Cachere's cajun seasoning and fresh grated Parmesan to the crab mixture. I did NOT use the egg yolk/mayo topping. I baked the filets with the crab topping for 12 minutes, and then stuck them under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp up the crab topping. You can cut the carbs back by using the crackers. The panko bread crumbs equals 3gr of carbs per serving. 1/2 cup of panko has 24grms of carbs, I used 1/4 cup, and it made 6 servings. Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds flounder fillets 1 cup crabmeat - drained, flaked and cartilage removed 1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt ground white pepper, to taste 3 crushed saltine crackers 1 egg white 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 egg yolk 5 tablespoons mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon dried parsley Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rinse the fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Combine crab meat, green pepper, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, white pepper and the crushed saltines. Combine the egg white and 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. Stir this into the crab meat mixture. Brush the flounder fillets with melted butter. Place in a lightly greased, shallow baking dish. Spoon the crab mixture over the fillets and drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake the fillets at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. While the fish is baking, lightly beat the egg yolk in a small bowl. Stir in 5 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Remove fish from oven and spread this mixture over the stuffing; sprinkle with paprika and parsley. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake until golden and bubbly, about 6 minutes. Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving Calories: 309 | Total Fat: 21.3g | Cholesterol: 131mg Nutritional Information Crab Stuffed Flounder Servings Per Recipe: 6 Amount Per Serving Calories: 309 Total Fat: 21.3g Cholesterol: 131mg Sodium: 435mg Total Carbs: 2.1g Dietary Fiber: 0.2g Protein: 26.5g VIEW DETAILED NUTRITION About: Nutrition Info Powered by: ESHA Nutrient Database I have no idea what the nutrition facts would be with my changes. But, I'm guessing the fat grams would be way decreased due to the lack of mayo and egg yolk. This was super yummy, and I was able to eat 5 ounces of the crab and fish combined.

Glad to hear you're doing so well ! ! ! I agree the band surgery was way more painful than the sleeve revision. My main issue is where the stupid port was, and it was surrounded by a bunch of scar tissue. Cheers to you, and hopefully the clears are keeping you entertained.

YAY YAY many congrats chickee, you look marvelous ! ! ! Keep it up, you'll hit that next goal in no time.

There are other conditions that can contribute. If the increase in fluids, and sodium did not resolve the issue, our next steps were for me to see a cardiologist. Luckily, it has resolved for the most part, and I have every 3 month follow ups to follow my BP. I never had bp issues pre-op. Never high, never low, pretty much 110-120/60-70. When this started, I thought it was directly related to not eating enough or a deficiency in some vitamin/nutrient. My sodium level was on the "low normal" end, but still within the normal range, and everything else was fine. Orthostatic hypotension is supposedly pretty common, and a benign condition.

Completely serious. I had been restricting my sodium intake as well bc of Water weight. Once I started drinking regular gatorade, some 100% grape juice, and it's completely resolved. Occasionally, I might have an episode if I hop out of bed too quickly. But, you can webmd.com orthostatic hypotension to see the symptoms and solutions.

I was diagnosed in March with Orthostatic Hypotension. Essentially, it's low blood pressure due to a sudden change in body position. Typically, standing up quickly from a reclined position, or bending over at the waist and then popping up quickly. My PCP pulled labs, and all was perfect. The way they diagnosed it was had me lay down take my BP, then sit up quickly, take it again, then I waited 10 minutes and then stood quickly, and take my BP again. The numbers dropped significantly with the biggest drop in my numbers were from lying down and then standing up. It was in the neighborhood of a 20 point drop between the numbers. My pcp instructed me to increase my Fluid, sodium intake, and my activity level. I also had to make a effort to not get up too quickly. I was having 3-10 episodes per day, and once I bumped up my fluids, and my sodium the episodes resolved. My bp is still borderline low around 90/55 typically. My PCP also said that due to the rapid weight loss, my body is trying to adjust, and the receptors for bp are in the neck. So when we stand up quickly, those receptors are confused. I think that was the basic explanation. Check with your doc and get some labs pulled to ensure you're okay in that department.

I could get in 5 servings a day if I wanted to, but I try to focus on Protein because my body runs best on more protein than it does veggies and/or fruit. I rarely eat fruit to be honest because it's sugary, and just leaves me feeling blah. I will eat watermelon with a steak. I know that sounds gross, but it's a cool combo on a hot summer day. I might get close to 3 servings of veggies a day. Especially on days that I eat an entire salad without the chicken. I sneak a lot of spinach in our diet through meals so I'm sure that helps my veggie serving counts. But, other veggies, I try to get what I can and go about my day. I'll take a multi for the rest of my life. I did it pre-band, and love that my PCP and surgeon that all women in our children-bearing years need to focus on a high quality Vitamin and calcium citrate supplementation so we don't have to play catch up once we hit middle age.

My program said no raw fruits or veggies until 3 months post-op so you may want to check if raw veggies are considered soft foods with your dietary guidelines.

If they are web links that convert to PDF, you should be able to post the links and then we'll be able to load the links into our web browser. If they aren't web links, like the poster above, the title, author, publication number will all help us locate the articles. Thanks for sharing.

I've read that there is about a 10% rebound regain even with some patients that are over 5 years out. If a study doesn't include bougie used, surgeon experience, more than 20 to 30 patients and other contributing factors such as patient's medical conditions such as PCOS, and insulin resistance, the results can be really skewed. I love studies and stats as much as the next person, and relied on them heavily for my decision on VSG for my revision, but I didn't let a 10% rebound regain deter me from having surgery. Here's a recent study on VSG with 5 year results of a mere 26 patients. Sleeve gastrectomy as sole and definitive bariatri... [Obes Surg. 2010] - PubMed result Also, if you talk to some DS patients from several years ago, they'll even share that they can not eat nearly the same amounts that they could pre-op. Their stomachs were left larger because of the "switch" being done, but I've never read from any VSG or DS patient that they can eat more 1-1.5 cups of food per meal, and that is 1-1.5 cup of mushy/slider foods. The DS has been performed for over 20 years, and the VSG has been performed around 10 as a stand alone procedure. Within the last 5-8 years, the technique and standard of procedure has been tweaked, honed, and has been perfected. We'll see better long term results once the studies are released with the smaller bougie sizes that have been used in the last few years. I think sometimes we forget that natural thin people, especially women, have to still watch what they eat, and include exercise to remain at a healthy weight. The sleeve is only going to do so much. The rest of it is on us to maintain those healthy choices, and keep moving. I honestly do not know 1 single naturally skinny woman that can eat like I could pre-op, and not have a huge ass. I mean, let's be real here. If naturally skinny people could eat like I could pre-op, they wouldn't be naturally skinny. We can't expect to just skate through life post-op, and not have a consequence by making horrible food choices. The sleeve isn't going to keep you from gaining weight. Not shoving craptastic food in your mouth and staying healthy is going to keep your weight in check. *Disclaimer* You used in this reply is the "general you" so no one gets offended or feel that I'm pointing a finger at any one specific member.

Can you just share it here for everyone to enjoy? Would it be possible to just copy and paste the article here? If not, can you at least post the link?

It's tough when we lead hectic lives. I completely understand, but I've tried to go through even some of the fast food options that fit the bill a little better for me. If you need to grab quick and easy, try hitting the Taco Bell "healthier" options such as the chicken soft taco with no sour cream or ranch sauce. Some Taco Bells offer a grilled chicken taco with a corn tortilla opposed to the flour which will cut calories, and up the Protein. Even if you get the flour tortilla the chicken option is better than their beef as they use the lowest quality, highest fat ground beef of all the mexican drive thru. Try to cut condiments such as ranch, and mayo, choose mustard, or salsa. I went through some of the most popular fast food/drive-thru menus published online to give me an idea of what is the "better" options available. Most of these establishments have the nutrition facts right on the web so it's a bit easier to sift through what will work better for us. I purchase Butterball ground turkey that is 93% lean, but when I really look at the calorie, protein and cholesterol counts of both turkey and lean beef, they are pretty much identical. And, let's be honest, ground turkey tastes like cardboard. I know it's supposed to be the better alternative, but when I cook with it, I only use it in casseroles, and things that pretty much disguise the cardboardy taste. My husband and son are the furthest thing from picky, but even they aren't huge fans of ground turkey. I prefer venison and bison, but venison is hard to come by in Florida unless we go hunting, and that's nearly impossible here, and ground bison is outlandishly expensive. I only buy ground turkey when I have a coupon for it. For the hot dogs, the turkey franks are a better alternative with less fat, and calories. For me, I forget to eat still, and honestly I run myself too thin sometimes, and have to grab something easy. This is the salad I grab at Panera Bread, I can only eat part of it. If I eat most of the chicken, I can only eat 1/3 of the lettuce, I can eat more of the lettuce if I skimp on the chicken, it just depends on my mood. In my losing stage, this is exactly how I ordered it. No dressing, didn't eat the corn, and here's the nutritional comparison. Losing stage take off the dressing and the corn, and see just how many calories, fat and carbs are cut. Panera Bread - Nutrition Calculator I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the chicken cuba hot panini, I cut the mayo, and only eat 1/2 of focaccia bread. That cuts over 1/3 the calories, and A LOT of the fat. I can only eat 1/2 of this sandwich, and I pretty much peel off half of the ham off my half I eat for lunch. I don't think they allow substitutions on the hot paninis for bread choices, but their other sandwiches can be subbed for a better bread choice. Here's the nutrition facts for that sandwich. Panera Bread - Nutrition Calculator I love the nutrition calculator that Panera provides because I can pull stuff off of and see exactly what I'm getting. You can add substitutions, and play with it to make it "better" for us. I'm just trying to give you some ideas on what I do when in a pinch. Of course, being prepared and making stuff at home is the best choice because you control exactly what goes in. But, for real life situations, and hectic schedules, just making some tweaks in menu choices can really help cut the stats on convenience foods. If you're still losing, being active, working out, your calories are probably okay. Just try to watch your fat and carbs, and feed your body "right" and it will reward you.

Mine lasted 3 solid months. Some report up to 6-9 months of the losing phase. Mine started at 3.5 month post op point.

You betcha, and nopers, no pb'ing, no sliming, no puking, no icky food getting stuck. I eat bread, meats, Pasta, rice, sushi, potatoes, tortillas, wraps, umm just anything other than scrambled eggs and pork chops. Neither of those settle well with me, I do not do any of the "band" things, but they both sit very heavy in my sleeve so I don't eat them. I don't miss them LOL

The initial swelling subsides, and the tissue forms to the "banana" shape after several months. It's not really stretching. I mean I guess it is to an extent, but essentially they're using an instrument no bigger than a marker as a measuring guide for the stapler to dissect the fundus, and our stomachs can not stay that small forever. After the first 4-6 weeks of liquids, and then mushies, the stomach becomes acclimated to that consistency of food, and then onto regular foods. My stomach is at max capacity for life, and most sleeve patients will hit that stage between 7-12 months post-op. My surgeon explained that it's not stretching really like what we see with pouches. It's like a man's trifold leather wallet. When they first get it, it's tiny, then after several months, wads of cash, receipts and several credit cards later, it stretches to an extent, but it reaches a point where it can't go anymore. That's kind of like what our stomachs do over that first year.

I have not, nor have I seen JerryVic around? ? ?