cajun

Dr Aceves did not recommend any bowel prep. But I tried to really limit myself to clear liquids for two days before surgery, just so my bowel would not be full of stuff that would cause more gas. I had very little gas post op.

Donedidit, since you had a VSG, and not gastric bypass, you don't necessarily need vitamins for life. You certainly don't need potassium unless you have some wierd potassium problem. I think Jane thought you had a gastric bypass, and they may need potassium because of chronic diarrhea. Most VSG surgeons recommend a multi vitamin once a day when you are able to tolerate solids. If you are a "senior" like me, your doctor may recommend calcium. I suggest you get all the recommendations from your surgeon because 'the norm' for most may not apply to you.

It takes a long time but eventually they become nearly invisible in most people. I had laparoscopic gallbladder surgery 10 years ago and could not even see where the scars were anymore. Now I have new ones from the sleeve. I'd rather have the scars than the fat, that's for sure!

You've already lost 1/5 of your excess weight and have not even had surgery yet. I'd say you are doing great! keep it up!

Doghouse, How are you doing now? Did all the problems resolve? I am 62 and am 7 weeks post sleeve. Had a few bumps but nothing severe, and have lost 50 lbs from my highest weight...30 since the surgery. I felt weak the first two weeks but once on mushy foods and enough protein, my strength returned. This week I forgot to take my nexium one day and woke up vomiting that night...first time since the day I got home from surgery that I have vomited. Bet I won't be forgetting the nexium again. I hope you are doing well and your naysaying friends have changed their minds!

Isn't it wierd? I feel the same way. It's a chore to think up something to eat. Sleevehood is wonderfull

congrats for doing it, dondidit! You'll be glad you did!

I've had a little burp slip out with no warning in public occasionally too...it is embarrassing and very wierd...no warning at all. Guess it's better than a fart though!

I've had knee and hip pain for years. Had arthroscopic knee surgery about 10 years ago but still, due to my weight, had pain. Now that I am sleeved and have lost 50 pounds, I do not have anymore knee or hip pain. It is wonderful! The sleeve rocks! My highest weight was 288. When I started the pre-surgery diet I weighed 280. Today....238!

I pretty much lived on clear chicken broth which I made myself and strained to be sure it was totally clear; and sobe lifewater, various flavors, which I diluted 50:50 with water because it tasted too sweet. You can dilute apple juice also like this. There are other Vitamin water beverages that are also clear. I like the sobe lifewater because it does not contain aspartame which gives me a migraine. I found it for a dollar a bottle at Target. You can buy chicken broth but I preferred to make my own so it had more flavor, and I froze the chicken/veggie part for later to use in my mushie stage as a cream soup. If you can see through it and it has no particles in it, it is a clear Fluid.

I drove the day after I got home from the hospital, which was 5 days post op. I went back to work after 2 weeks. Once started on mushies, my energy was much closer to normal.

Hang on to that doctor...2 hours spent with you? He's worth his weight in gold.

Awesome DeeDee. ;cool beans!

Welcome to the loser's bench! Be very careful with advancing your diet prematurely. Cottage cheese and peaches and milk (even blended) are not clear liquids...if you don't take it slow as prescribed by your surgeon, you risk creating a potentially life-threatening leak. Did your surgeon advise you of all the reasons for the gradual advancing in the diet? I know it is hard to tolerate clears for a week but it is essential to give the staple line all the time it needs to heal. We'll all be worried about you! You can do it...just read all your surgeon's instructions and follow them to a T. Call him if you have questions. Don't risk ruining your sleeve and endangering yourself. We'll cheer you on when it gets hard...keep in touch with the forum and you'll get a lot of helpful advice.

I got mine from Walmart. shows Wt, percent water, and percent body fat. It also saves data on up to 2 users. Under 50 bucks.

Last I checked my Cigna would not cover VSG. Considered it experimental. I was self pay and really was glad that I did not have to do the 6 month wait, multiple evaluations/tests etc, then choose a surgeon that they had on their list. I wanted to "get er done", and choose the surgeon I thought would do the job well. Am glad I did.

AWESOME, NORMA! YOU ARE DOING GREAT! Soon you'll have a "new" revised knee as well as a new tummy. Not to mention a brand new bod! You are going to be one awesome chick!

Not meaning to be a philosopher or anything, but I don't think any amount of cosmetic surgery can bring happiness...it just might us feel better about ourselves...my personal thought is we need to be happy before we have any fixin up done...then we will just be more happy. Some people are never happy and any amount of change or good fortune cannot make them be any different. I'm sure we all know some people like that...sad to say. It may sound strange, but I did not think of myself as fat until the last several years when my weight began to interfere with my activity. As long as I could keep on doing what I wanted to do I was ok with it. If asked my weight I would alway say, without thinking, 160...then I'd realize it was really 260...it's a part of the subconscious denial process I guess. I just kept perceiving myself as the 160 pounder...honestly. It is wierd. I always "carried my weight well" until this past year...and when that changed, I began to face reality. (an early grave if I did not find a way to fix this problem). One of my physicians suggested bariatric surgery and I said "no thanks". But I am grateful that he put that "bug in my ear". I began doing some research, found this forum, and the rest is a very happy history. What a diversion from the cosmetic surgery discussion...anyway, just thinking out loud with my friends here. Thanks for listening.

I love theJay Robb chocolate, and I mix it in 8 oz lactaid milk. I also add a splash of banana extract. Tastes great. 33 gms Protein per shake!

U'i, It's not so bad really. The apple juice flavored dye (Water soluble, not really barium) was a 6 ounce glass and I was told to drink it in one hour on the day after surgery. I almost finished it, one tiny sip/burp at a time...it was sweet/sour and kinda strong but not unbearable. Then the next day I drank a different water soluble dye, about two sips only, and watched the flouroscopy take pictures of it going through my sleeve. It tasted nastier than the other stuff but it was just 2 small sips so tolerable. I really think those liquids had the laxative effect, causing the "purple peacock poop" for several days after i got home. Cleaned me out really good! Really, those events were not so hard. The hardest day for me was day two when I was feeling good and walking all around, not asking for pain medicine because I 'felt good", but then it hit me in the afternoon...I had a "meltdown", was hurting and nauseated all of a sudden. I received pain medication and nausea medication immediately when I asked for it, but should have asked for some sooner...it was my own fault. Just thought I was invincible I guess. We nurses are the worst patients!

Lib, how are you doing. I recall that you had a kinda rough start.

I was still having some post surgical diarrhea spells at that time, and was tiring easily, taking naps. I would have been miserable myself, at Disney that soon. And mad that I could not do all the things I wanted to do there because of needing bathroom and rest breaks. Just me. it was hard to get in all the fluids, and walking around at Disney would have meant I would need even more fluids...nope, could not have done it comfortably.

I like the Okios fat free plain. Much more dense and smoother than Fage. I love it. I add some Stevia sweetener and some blueberries for a treat. It also goes well in Soups to make them into a "cream soup). Lots of protein!

We seem to be having more people on the forum who are having serious problems following their diets, and I think some of them are not aware of the possible serious complications. There are also some who don't seem to be aware of the importance of choosing a surgeon who has performed a sufficient number of VSGs to be an expert. * "Complications rates have been shown to be higher and weight loss was less adequate in locations where the experience was less than 300 patients". I hope that everyone who has had complications will post their story in the complications section so those who need to learn about what can happen will have a place to read about this, and learn more. Maybe the information will help someone else avoid some of the serious and life-threatening problems that others have faced. Some of our posters have had the courage to report that their complication was not the surgeon's fault, but theirs, because they did not follow the surgeon's recommendation. I hope others will follow that example, and help others who are struggling.

You are doing great. Soon your knee will be fixed and you will be feeling so much better. Hang in there.