mb20mom

Thanks, Tiff. I didn't think dumping sounded quite right. Today I had a few grapes and got the gurgly burpies right away. I take Pepcid every day and tried switching to Prevacid once but didn't notice any difference. I suppose I could try Nexium. Does it sound to anyone like some sort of glucose or insulin reaction that's happening? I stopped eating fruit because I get so hungry right after eating it, and I thought that might be an insulin response of some kind. I was never diabetic, but maybe I've developed something, I don't know.

It will seem like a very long wait to get to your surgery, but you really do need this time to get into a new habit of eating healthy and trying to lose weight on your own. I had to wait almost a year and had to attend weight loss group classes each week and weigh in, and honestly without all that I can't imagine being mentally prepared for surgery. Thankfully I was successful with the diet stage before surgery, so transitioning to eating after surgery was easy. But for those who jump right into it, they must have a huge adjustment that they're not ready for. Be thankful that you have the time and change your eating habits now. Good luck on your journey!

You guys are scaring me. I've been trying to believe that it just won't happen to me. I'm 3 mos out and I know it could start any day. I've always wondered though, is it the act of having the surgery that does it, or is it actually rapid weight loss that triggers it? If you had the surgery but lose weight very slowly, I wonder if it would still fall out. Anyone know?

I'm three months out and feel hunger all the time, usually 1-2 hours after eating. It seems a little better just the last couple of days though, so maybe it will be getting better. But what a disappointment it has been.

Actually I was researching the hormone ghrelin yesterday, and learned that our memory retention is greater during the release of ghrelin, and since ours is reduced after surgery, it's not uncommon for wls patients to experience a decrease in memory efficiency. Remember the old theory that students learn better on an empty stomach? That's because ghrelin is released when the stomach is empty. Here's a quote from the article I read: "The biochemical effects of ghrelin induce morphological changes of the hippocampus and in turn have long lasting behavioral effects such as memory retention. The increase in synaptic plasticity within the hippocampus, guarantees memory efficiency and thus the body uses ghrelin to enhance the important memory process."

I'm one of those who experiences hunger...all the time..It usually hits me within 2 hours after eating. I've been on Pepcid since day one, even tried switching to Prilosec and went back to the Pepcid. I still have hope that it will get better after the 3 mos mark (next week). I feel like I'm eating constantly which is what I was hoping the sleeve would eliminate, so pretty bummed about it. It did get somewhat better when I removed some of the carbs I was eating (banana, yogurt). I know it's not head hunger. I just thought this was going to be a little easier, but it still takes a lot of discipline, planning, willpower and exercise to keep losing.

I drink coffee every morning, so I don't know why you couldn't have iced tea. Being dehydrated is worse than having a little caffeine, in my opinion. I've had a little pasta without any issues. It's not my first choice though, as it's really taking up valuable space in our tummies that could be better filled by protein. Before surgery pasta was my favorite meal choice, and I could eat a ton of it. But now if I have a few bites it just seems like wasted calories. I don't worry about it making me want more of it since I can't eat much of it anyway! Try the mac and cheese, you'll enjoy it and your sleeve won't let you over-do it, yay!

I took off 2 weeks from work and the opportunity to rest was perfect. Still got tired easily due to lack of calories, but it gets better.

I had surgery thru Kaiser and it also took almost a year to get thru all the hoops. From Orientation to Options classes was 2-3 weeks I think, and my classes lasted 24 weeks. From end of Options to surgery was another 3+ months. I had the surgery at Kaiser Harbor City.

It actually gets better and better. I can almost "guzzle" 2 to 3 swallows at once now at 10 weeks out.

You should be cleared to eat anything this far out. I eat salad with no problem and you were sleeved before me. My advice is to try the veggies and see if you have any problem, but you should be completely healed and shouldn't have any food restrictions, at least that's what my surgeon explained. That's going to be the best salad you ever had, huh!

I know exactly how you feel. Lately I feel like a bottomless pit. My main reason for getting this surgery was to eliminate hunger but my hunger seems as strong as ever and it is such a nuisance! I may be over on carbs, but I didn't get the surgery so I would have to follow the Atkins diet either! I eat a pretty balanced diet but I'm tired of being hungry an hour after I eat. I'm trying to be patient until after 3 months since the hunger seemed to change for some people at that time.

We were told during the Options classes that Kaiser will pay for a panniculectomy if the PCP approves it due to rashes. However, I've heard that those can be pretty ugly since there's no tightening done. Basically sounds like they just cut what hangs and staple you back together!

Scrambled eggs were my favorite thing, especially with cheese melted on top. I remember having applesauce, mashed potatoes, ricotta bake (like lasagne with no noodles) egg salad, and I still love putting bananas in my yogurt. There are lots of different flavors of single servinge applesauce now...check on the canned fruit aisle. That first bite of food...I remember thinking I'd died and gone to heaven...enjoy!

Doesn't it piss you off when you sit down to eat something really really good (my husband made lasagne the other night) and you realize after bite 4 that you can't do another bite? Before I would have polished off 2 servings! Then after a few minutes of being so full the "pissed off" turns to satisfaction and you get thankful that you can't eat 2 servings anymore!

What kind of drink is it? Is it Muscle Milk? Have you tasted Muscle Milk? I still don't get how people think that stuff tastes good, I thought it was pretty nasty. Whatever it is you found, you may want to buy a single one at the grocery before buying a case of it at Costco...plus your taste preference could change after surgery...mine didn't at all, but for some it does. Good luck with your surgery next week!

Hey don't worry about it. Stater Bros. had fun size bags of Snickers on sale for 99 cents...who can pass that up? They were good, I got it out of my system, and I still lost 2 lbs this week. So be human and eat some jelly beans and you'll be done with it. That's why we didn't get the bypass, remember?

I had my surgery at Kaiser in Harbor City just before they changed the Options program to 12 weeks. I had to attend classes for 6 mos and it was another 3 mos waiting for the surgery, so it was a very long journey for me. The fact that you have successfully lost so much weight is going to be a blessing for you after the surgery. I think for those who jump right into it they are not prepared for eating right, which you still have to do following surgery to continue losing weight. The surgery will allow you to continue dieting with that little extra advantage you need to finish the job. Keep reading this site, as I learned more here than I did at the Options classes and you want to know all you can before making your decision. I started out wanting the LapBand, and thank goodness I changed my mind because of all that I learned here. Good luck on your journey, and if you have any questions about the Kaiser process, just ask! Peggy

Your concerns are totally normal and I had them too. And I will be honest with you, many of us had regrets immediately following surgery, but not now. At 2 mos out, I can eat anything I want and have had zero issues with food tolerances, other than some foods feel better in my tummy than others now, so I just prefer not to eat some things. Luckily I had given up diet soda a while ago in anticipation of surgery, but I took a few sips of diet rootbeer the other day and all I noticed was quick burping. And don't worry about the quantity of food you can eat as being a problem because you'll be satisfied and won't want anymore. You'll finally feel in control of your food choices and one day you're going to realize that food doesn't mean that much anymore anyway. Good luck on a great recovery! You won't regret it.

Good luck tomorrow! **scooting over on the loser's bench**

Yes I remember having that burning pain. I had to hold my belly up while walking. If I let it go it felt like I would rip something. But it goes away. One day soon you will wake up and realize it is gone.

Hallelujah! That's exactly what I needed to hear about the hunger. It's been so frustrating to deal with. Seems I get hungry 1-2 hours after every meal. I switched from Pepcid to Prilosec but it made no difference, so today I am trying 2 days of neither to see what the difference will be. I have an appt. with the surgeon in 3 days so I will discuss with him. Thanks so much for posting about this as you have given me more hope to believe that it will eventually end.

I remember my first week or two feeling a great remorse for never being able to eat my favorite foods again. But I can tell you that the way you feel now versus the way you'll feel a month from now is so different. The mushie stage seemed to last forever and when I could finally eat anything I wanted, I tried some of the things I had missed but it didn't feel as good as I remembered before surgery. You suddenly feel like you're in control of the food now because those cravings go away. It's a little empowering actually. Right now you're swollen, a little exhausted, hormones are making you depressed a little and you don't feel good. Just give it time, really. You are going to feel so much better soon and you won't remember how bad it was. You did the right thing for yourself. It's our little secret weapon and we are lucky to have it. Good luck on your recovery.

Ya, tell me about it! My main motivation for surgery was eliminating the hunger, and I still get it! I'm jealous of those who post and say they forget to eat because they're never hungry. But for some it happened after 3 mos out, so I'm still hoping it will kick in. But at least the cravings are gone. Heavy starchy foods don't sound good anymore like before, nor do sweet things. I think I prefer clean and lean now, like chicken and veggies.