Lee

AJW, thanks for the info!

I had to wait a month to take capsules. I'd call your doctor. I took my first vitamin capsules this week and puked them right back up. The capsules can be hard on the sleeve.

Hi Connie, I just passed my 5 week mark this week. It looks like you're doing terrific. I love reading about your NSV's! You've done better than me with the weight loss as I've let go of 19 pounds since surgery morning.

My Kaiser (N. California) plan calls for three meals a day, no snacks and no protein supplementing. I have chosen to add a protein shake most days because early out after surgery I can't eat enough food to get my protein up to levels recommended by other plans. I know that the body needs protein for healing and want to give myself every advantage.

Hi Pennie, I notice that I feel a little more sluggish after eating. This morning it happened after a protein drink as well. Maybe our systems just have a more difficult time digesting right now. I don't feel like napping, but I do feel a bit of an energy drain. Eating is seeming like a chore these days. Hungry and need to eat but never know how I'll feel afterwards.

Donna, I'm not going to make it to PW today. I was in SAC earlier in the week and have to return on Monday. Just too much driving for me. Tamra, Atkins is pretty easy as it takes away the hunger. I've been doing it since surgery and since we can't eat big amounts, the protein is very filling. I have a feel the real challenge for you will be staying away from the coffee. You can do it! Good luck with your move this weekend. It's a beautiful day here. I'm going swimming for the afternoon. I didn't stretch yesterday and I'm feeling stiff in my legs, so the swimming should help. There's a big Oakland Marathon being run right past my house today. UGH on the traffic, YAY on the runners!

Slebme, I was Sleeved on a Wednesday and was off the pain meds by Monday. I also had a hernia repair at the same time. I think I was on pain meds longer when I had my gallbladder out in November.

Oh yeah, I'm a Sudoku fanatic! :biggrin0:

AJW, can you tell me more about how you're using Medifast? Have you done that since surgery?

Hi Maxcat, I didn't pick up any hobbies but I also didn't have a liquid pre-op diet. I had to follow a 1200 calorie diet from the time of my orientation until surgery day. I've heard people talk about picking up more exercise, crafts, shopping (which can be dangerous) etc. One thing that I did do was clean out my closets and get rid of things that were already getting too big. I did a lot of clothing donations. I also unpacked boxes of clothes that were size 16 and 18 because I hoped it wouldn't be long until I could wear them. If you happen to live alone, cleaning out kitchen shelves of foods that won't be appropriate post-op is also a good use of time. Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

Yup, commando! I didn't know I'd have a catheter, but I woke up to having one. Never knew they put it in and really didn't even feel them removing it.

Ash, congrats on making your way to goal! Mo and Pat, so sorry to hear that you're both lacking restriction. Ali, how are you feeling tonight? Tamra, are you ready for the big move tomorrow? I haven't done much today besides get on the treadmill, catch up with my TiVo and read. And I guess answer my work cellphone about 25 times so that counts as work. I think I'm coming to the place of mourning food. Most everything is upsetting my baby Sleeve at this point. Even my vitamins came back up. I think I have to get back to some very easy foods that stay down. I know that refried beans are not on the list, but I did have 1/3 cup for dinner with a touch of melted cheese because I needed it to soothe and stay down. It's supposed to be gorgeous tomorrow, so I'm planning an afternoon at the pool. YAY for Friday night!

I didn't bother wearing any undies to the hospital because I knew I wouldn't want to wear them home either. I just showed up in my loose sweats and slip on shoes.

Dalal, we can talk about it when you get closer to your surgery date. There are lots of fun things to do in the Bay Area and lots of great fun that are day trips away like Napa, Half Moon Bay etc. Will your husband be with you? This is so exciting for you!

Congrats on a fabulous first ten days! Aren't you so excited?

Hello, I'm a little older. I'm 59 and had my surgery last month. I'd vote to do it together. I was in hospital for one night (Wednesday), one night home alone, then my 36 year old son flew in from NY to spend the weekend with me on Friday. It was great to have a little distraction. He virtually never left the house except to go for walks with me or down to the gym. Being on Clear liquids for 5 days, the full liquids for 10 days there was very little to buy in order to be prepared. My son left on Tuesday morning and I was back to work from my home desk. I worked 1/2 to 3/4 of the day the first week, then went back into my office full time after that. We all heal differently but this wasn't too much more difficult than my gallbladder coming out last November. Learning how to eat again with our new Sleeve is the trickiest part. I think it would be so much fun to have a partner to do it with. Walking together, preparing food together etc. I really didn't need any help and would have been fine even if my son hadn't come home. He was more of just a distraction and to keep me from getting bored.

Hi Dalal, There are several people over on obestityhelp dot com that have used Dr. Cirangle. If you go to that site, look for the VSG forum. I think that MacMadame occasionally posts here. She is very pleased with him. I can think of several people over there who have used him. He has an excellent reputation. He's in my area and I would probably have wanted to use him if my Kaiser didn't cover the Sleeve. Oh golly, I see that you are coming to my neighborhood. Will you be traveling alone? Do you know where you will be staying post-op? I hope that you are allowing for a bit of site seeing post-op if you are new to the area. Do you know what hospital you will be in for your surgery?

Dan and Angel, congratulations to both of you for your successful surgeries! Enjoy each step of the way and let us know how it's going for you!

Heather, it's hard to predict how our kids will grow up but I think that giving them a healthy start with wholesome food is a real bonus. My son too grew up without candy etc. For many years I had huge organic gardens back in the 1970's. When I was a child I went to gardening school, not camp so I loved raising all our veggies. We've always been a home with fresh organic food. Very little was ever processed as we cooked from scratch. The only time Zach got fast food was when the soccer bus stopped on the way to a tournament. He's 36 today. Has been a professional soccer player in South America, has been a professional Muay Thai boxer in Thailand and to this day eats healthier than anyone else I know. I love when he's home visiting because the foods he prepares are always fresh and wholesome. His meals of choice are huge salads for all three meals a day. Unfortunately being in grad school again, he rarely is home enough to prepare all his meals. So regardless of having heavy parents, it's possible for kids to grow up with great eating habits.

Pammie, I hear ya on having to find out what works and what doesn't. You're so right, it's a fine line between how much to chew and when to stop eating. I figure this is a learning curve and at 5 weeks out there's been so much to learn. I think I'm going through the "you need to just freakin let go of the last bite syndrome". I'm a pretty fast learner. Last night I just spit out the last bite of salmon because a little voice said... i bet that's the one too many!

Hi Heather, I went to Baja Fresh. I think it's on Laguna. It's a great place for us post-ops to eat as you can get a small side of any meat/fish and also get a 3oz serving of beans. I got their grilled shrimp and then got lime slices from the salsa bar to squeeze on the shrimp. They were very yummy. The small side of shrimp and beans was more than enough for 2+ meals. Cheap at $5.50! The Elk Grove meeting was very unstructured. People talked a lot about Diabetes pre and post op and how to be careful about meds etc. Mostly people just talked over each other. I was not at all impressed with the unstructured attitude, but I was made to feel very welcome. There is some great weight loss success in the room and many with long term success. Next Monday the speaker will be a Plastic Surgeon for anyone interested. Heather, I'm going to be in Elk Grove again on Monday night but I think you're always in the gym. I have an invitation to dinner at a former Boss/friend's home, but think that I will probably cancel because after teaching for 8 hours, I'm not all that social. If you happen to be free/not in the gym, let me know please. I'd love to meet you. I'll be at the Holiday Inn right next to Mimi's on Stockton off Laguna.

John, I've had a couple of episodes of eating what must have been one bite too many and it did come back up. I was grateful that it did because I felt better afterwards. Three butterflied shrimps are too much... really? I seem to be at two ounces of dense protein. Maybe I was just testing it more this week? Dunno but tonight I spit that last bite of salmon out because I was afraid it would be too much and that was the last bite of 2 ounces. Didn't have anything else with it, just that. I know that the book says we can have 1/4 to 1/3 cup of protein, then a little fruit or veggies, but there's hardly room for that after the protein.

Why not just tell him that this is a personal decision made by your doctor and you, based on your health needs and risks. Let him know that the entire world wants to discuss your decision, but that it only causes you undue stress. Ask him to be supportive as a family member, but to keep his opinions to himself as they aren't helpful because he's not your physician.

Tamra, trip was good but I find that restaurants give me "one bite too many itis". I have to get that in check. I always think I can have that last bite but it pushes me over the edge. The Sleeve is not friendly to "one bite too many". I did make great food choices though. I found a Mexican place near my hotel, where I could get an order of grilled shrimp and black beans to go. I just kept it simple. Candra honey, I'm so sorry to hear you sounding so down on yourself. Forget the number on the scale for today. What can you do to get back on track, one meal, one hour at a time? How can I/we help you with that? I hate to see you struggling and feeling down.

Faithful, I'm so happy to read that you're home and doing so well! Please keep us updated on how you're feeling.