ouroborous

It's actually a known side effect of a couple of medications. I'd definitely ask your doctor, as it can also be a symptom of some pretty bad things. It's probably not, but still -- talk to your doc.

May I ask how old you are? I just ask because apparently age plays a big factor in how much your skin snaps back and stuff.

Well, I don't have man boobs now. I'm just fat (there's definitely a difference; my girlfriend's boss, who weighs less than me, has a spectacular set of man boobs). I was hoping that folks knew of ways to prevent them. I think I'll give the tricep workout a shot. It can't hurt, right?

I would wager that with a flu and VSG, hydration would be super, super, super important...

It's funny how many people react this way. When you compare the risks of VSG to the risk of staying obese, VSG wins hands down, and yet still well-meaning relatives are scaring people away from VSG left and right!

Well, of course, your doctor should be your first source of information, BUT at this phase, you should definitely focus on hydration more than protein. You won't get deficient enough fast enough to get in trouble, whereas dehydration can land you in the ER pretty quick. As to the swelling, everyone heals differently, but I really turned a corner around 6-7 days out. Now (11 days) my stomach is barely tender at all.

I love these too! This is one of my primary sources of protein these days

Congratulations on the weight loss, and congratulations on the pooping! I know that both of those can feel like major accomplishments after sleeving

Yes, absolutely. This is a sleeve forum, so you're likely to hear mostly pro-sleeve comments. HOWEVER, almost all of the band/sleeve comments I've heard here have been incredible relief at getting the band out and sleeve in. I've heard this at my weight loss surgery place, too. Again, not scientific results, but after a while it starts to stack up. Also, some people do have SERIOUS complications with the sleeve. It's NOT a minor surgery (although for most people, it's smooth sailing). For those folks, the sleeve can be a nightmare -- although to be fair, that's more about surgical technique and just plain bad luck than anything else. What really struck me about the sleeve vs. band when looking at the medical research is that for the sleeve, almost all of the complications are in the first month or so. Mostly post-op stuff. For the band, the complications are life long. Meaning you can be going along fine and then BAM -- port flip, or adhesion, or something. With the sleeve, if you get over than initial hump of risk, you're likely smooth sailing. So yeah, if you look hard enough, you will find happy banders and unhappy sleevers. But I chose the irreversible sleeve over the reversible band because the vast majority of patients do better with the sleeve, have better long-term results, and have fewer long-term complications. That's what sold me. I'm not trying to bash the band, and I'm glad if it helps some people. As Jachut pointed out, the band works very well for some. However, reading everything I've read, and talking to the folks at my surgical center (which does both procedures, so has no financial incentive to bash one), the sleeve was the hands-down winner.

The irony is that I think that every single person who's had the sleeve worries that they will be the ONE person that it doesn't work for. I know that I was having that fear this morning (11 days post-op) until I realized that I've been losing about 1 lb a day without feeling hungry or even working too hard at it! I feel like all I've been doing is snacking and grazing, and I'm still losing 1 lb a day. Yes, it's irreversible. Yes, it's scary. But it's SO worth it. I never had the band, but from what I read on here (and have heard first hand from folks at my weight loss surgery place, which does both band and sleeve), I wouldn't get a band if you paid me.

It's likely that you'll regain a little weight after you hit your target. This is sort of a natural physiological thing with age. You can fight it by watching what you eat and exercising more. In some ways, this is no different from the old diet and exercise routine; the big difference is that with the sleeve, it is much, much easier to be "good." You just can't shovel food in like you used to. If you try that, you'll be in a world of pain, and probably puke. Also, you don't get really hungry, despite not eating much. Admittedly I'm in the "honeymoon" phase (11 days post-op) but I can tell you that despite eating less than one-third or less of the calories I used to eat, I have not once, since surgery, been hungry. Period. This makes it much, much easier to do the right thing and eat only healthy stuff. Let's face it, that's the problem with diets, right? We can all lose weight through a massive effort, but keeping it off is so hard because if you're like me, you're hungry all the time! But after VSG, you're almost never really "hungry" -- in fact most sleevers apparently have to re-learn how to be "hungry." For my girlfriend, it's a sort of run-down feeling that lets her know she needs to "fuel the machine." For me, it's kinda getting sleepy. Either way, it's NOT the old constant stomach-growling starving wolf feeling! So no, the VSG isn't a magic bullet. What it DOES do is let you lose lots and lots of weight fast, and (most important) give you a tool that makes it much easier to KEEP it off!

Great info! Thanks! I'm especially going to look into the flaxseed; I have diverticulosis and need lots of fiber. If it doesn't taste fishy (I LIKE nutty!) then it sounds perfect.

Good to know they have O3 chewables! Could you PM me or post back here when you have an update? If they're not disgusting, I might want to get some!

So, I'd like to be one of the 67% who don't need to have their g.b.'s removed post-op. I've been doing a little research on things that seem to protect the g.b. during rapid weight loss, and here's the list I've come up with: Omega 3 fatty acids seem to help. Not sure what I can consume that has these; I don't like sea food and I'm not sure if/when I'm allowed to have nuts. In the solid phase? Fiber: according to my nut., ground flaxseed is a really good choice for fiber for sleevers. Downside, it has a fishy taste. Upside, it apparently has some Omega 3's and Omega 6's! Fruits and vegetables: check, I'll consume as much as my sleeve allows, although learning which ones I can tolerate will be a journey in itself. Ursadiol: well, apparently this is hepatotoxic and insanely expensive, so this is probably out. Low sugar: yeah, I'm going to be avoiding sugar for obvious reasons, so this might help. Alcohol: interestingly, 1-2 drinks a day seems to *protect* the gall bladder. But I can't have any alcohol on my healing sleeve, and besides, 1-2 drinks a day is bad for me in other ways, so... no. Coffee: apparently coffee is good for the gall bladder. Not caffeine, COFFEE. I wonder if I should drink decaf for a while just to get this benefit? Plus, it used to help me to remain regular (BM-wise), so that sounds like a recommendation. Any of the medical types know any other advice? Edit: source is http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_can_gallstones_gallbladder_disease_be_prevented_000010_5.htm

Yeah... I'm really sorry to hear about all the trouble she's been having, by the way. Me, I'm just a hypochondriac.

Actually, are you straining to go, or just no need? I was straining for a few days before I had my first solid BM. I didn't strain too hard because I didn't know what that would do to my sleeve, but I was pretty bound up. I got really constipated on my low-carb pre-op diet.

It's pretty normal to not have much going on for a while after the sleeve, according to my surgeon. It took me almost a good week to have a solid BM after my surgery. Now at 11 days out, my bowel movements are about every other day. I'm sure that as I eat more, and more solid food, it'll become even more regular. So, I wouldn't worry, but definitely ask your doctor if you're concerned.

So, here's an actual question that my last "I'm not losing fast enough" whinge didn't actually touch on: how do I figure out what my target calories should be during my loss & maintenance phases? For reference, I'm a 39 y.o. male, 6'1 (and broadly built). I'd reckon that I've been eating around 1200 calories per day lately.

So, I AM losing weight, just not very fast; in the past 5 days, I've lost about 2 lbs. I know that in the long term, they recommend dieters not lose more than 3 lbs per week, but I'm less than two weeks out from a sleeve surgery, and I'm on an all liquid/puree diet. My girlfriend is a sleever too, and she's astounded by the volume that I can eat without discomfort. A lot of this is due to the fact that I heal extraordinarily quickly, but I think also some is due to the fact that I'm larger than her -- my sleeve is larger. I still don't think I've felt hungry since the surgery. I'm just eating periodically due to a feeling that "I should probably eat something" and boredom. Boredom is a factor because I've been working from home for the past week (really unnecessarily; I could have been going in to the office probably by Tuesday of last week). When I'm bored, I graze! My sources of calories are denser than I thought, and they're all "slider" foods (by necessity, since I can't consume solids right now). I just did the numbers on my morning Protein blender smoothie, and it's about 500-600 calories (310 cals 3 scoops EAS Protein powder, 160 cals 2 cups of skim milk, 160 cals 1 cup frozen blueberries, pureed). That's an AWFUL lot -- I'm going to switch to the Premium Nutrition Protein shakes that we have, which are a little less net protein (30g vs. 40g total in the smoothie) but a LOT less calories (160 cal total). Also, my girlfriend bought some full-fat baked potato Soup from Safeway which is delicious (when pureed), but it's still about 400 calories per serving! Honestly, as I think about it, eliminating the blender smoothies (aside from once in a while as a snack or an "I need to eat a calorie" thing) and getting back to a routine at work should be all I need to kick start my weight loss. So... never mind! Edit: and I did the math. From my pre-surgery weight of 315.something (on the doc's office scale, which is about 2 pounds LIGHTER than my at-home scale), I'm down to 303.8, in 11 days. That's almost a pound a day. Probably a bit more than that if you adjust for the weight differences in the scales. It's not a race; I may not drop 100 lbs. in the first three weeks, but a pound a day is QUITE fast enough, thank you!

I'm a CHAMPION worrier! But I also know the odds and have techniques to combat anxiety.

I just went through the fever. It's normal. As long as it doesn't spike up and stay over 101, and as long as Tylenol controls it, don't worry Also, do your deep breathing exercises -- they'll help with anxiety as well as fever, and they keep your lungs clear

Okay never mind, it's just incision pain. I took a walk and that calmed my mind. Exercise is the best thing ever for anxiety. It's even better than Xanax! Edit: part of the reason that I got worried was (a) the pain happened a few minutes after eating, and (:thumbup: my incisions felt fine (just a little itchy) yesterday, so I thought it was weird that they'd hurt today. But, they do -- oh well!

So, this morning I've been having short, sharp pains on what feel like the surface of my stomach a little while after eating. The pains are (to my) right of center. They are not high enough or intense enough to be gall bladder issues (and besides, it's likely too soon). I've got a little rapid heartbeat and flushing, but honestly that's likely due to anxiety more than anything else. The pain is... minor, just worrying. It feels about like a bee sting or less. I guess I'm worried about a pinhole leak. However, the fact that it's right of center would militate against it being a leak, right? Or is the leak pain one of those "phantom" pains that you don't feel where it happens? Also, the pain is very minor and localized. Finally, it's not radiating. My stomach is gurgling a lot this morning, and it feels like my incisions are a little sore (for whatever reason). I'm just being silly, right?

Oh yeah, I second the heating pad idea. It's been better than the narcotics for me for minor pain! I swear there's a psycho-somatic component too; sometimes I would feel better just knowing the heating pad was on me, even if it wasn't warmed up yet!

I'd go, but I know that I'd be too tempted to lift weights and probably hurt myself. I can wait for a couple more weeks rather than run the risk of injuring myself and being out of commission for a month or longer!