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YAY Lynda!!! I've got a cozy spot on the Loser's Bench just for you!

Good Morning Team, I'm looking forward to my call from Robin this morning. Maybe soft foods are in my future! Tomorrow I'm seeing Dr. Baggs. It's a little earlier than one month, but that's what they scheduled for me. Dr. Baggs told me that I don't need to see my PCP for followup until I have other reasons to go see her. I guess throwing out all my medications means she doesn't need to monitor me. I too am so freakin sick of pureed foods. Nothing tastes good. I'm still jealous of John's weightloss! :thumbup: John and Tamra, I hope you get over your colds soon. CoCo, I was so sad to read about your arm wound. Are you ready for tomorrow? :ohmy: How's everyone else? *waving hello to everyone*

Hi Kara and welcome! Thank you for sharing your story. My surgeon had only done 20 Sleeves prior to mine. He had never had a leak. The Sleeve is new to the facility that I went to but the surgeons had performed 100's of other Bariatric Surgeries. I didn't think that Kaiser would start offering the Sleeve if they weren't qualified. I totally trusted my surgeon going into this. Everyone's stories are different and I'm sure you'll get lots of responses. Please keep us updated on how you're doing!

I just wanted to say hello and welcome you to VST! I've been using the GNC Optimum Nutrition Rich chocolate Flavor. I also have Chike Protein powders but don't like them as well post-op as I did pre-op. Muscle Milk Light in the RTD container is ok. It tastes like chocolate milk. I got them by the case at costco.

Hi AJ, Welcome! I had to laugh at your post because I wanted to go to sleep and wake up on day 4. First sip for me didn't come until my leak test 24 hours post-op. It really didn't hurt. I had to drink some concoction so that they could view it going through my Sleeve. I wasn't allowed Water or ice chips until after the test. After that was done, I had to sip 8 oz of fluids (took 4 hours) and then they let me go home. It wasn't bad at all, just strange. By day 5 I was working on 64 oz a day. You'll do just fine!

Gra8py, I'm glad you're figuring out what works best for you. I was a vegan from 1989 to 1997 and loved it. I went raw vegan from 2003 to 2006 and thought it was great. I have the juicer, deydrator and every raw book. It will be interesting to see how this surgery plays out in the coming months/years.

Breek, on the day of my surgery, my surgeon threw out my Blood Pressure and Cholesterol meds. Done! I really understand your fears. I'm 59 years old and have had three surgeries in three years. Ankle repair July 2008, Gallbladder November 2009, and VSG last month. I came through each surgery easily. I sat down and weighed the risk factors prior to committing to VSG. I realized in the end that the risk of not having the surgery was greater than having it. My family has a history of kidney failure, heart disease and stroke. I fully discussed it with my 36 year old son who totally supported my decision. Why spend the rest of your life battling your weight, being consumed by bad health, obsession over food and weight, when you can take this step and end the battle. Give yourself the gift, you truly deserve it and so does your daughter. She will be so happy to have a mom who is active in her life. You deserve a life with no shame or regret. We're all hear to support you! I'm sending you hugs. You're going to be just fine!

Congratulations on your Sleeve! Good luck and I hope you post often how you're doing.

Oh WOW! Just this morning I was thinking how happy I'll be when I have that experience!!

Wishing you all the best!!

Tonya, welcome to the Loser's Bench. Day three is definitely better than day two.

I was just allowed to start using Benefiber at two weeks post-op. (look out, you may be caught in a compromising situation when it works!) I've never heard of the other product.

Congratulations and welcome to the Loser's Bench. I wasn't allowed even a sip of water or an ice chip for my first 24 hours post-op. My surgeon waits until after the leak test on day 2 to allow any fluids. You're doing great today getting in your fluids. You'll be just fine!

I too get the hicups. They're very dainty. I love that sign that I'm done.

What a fantastic post. Happy 50th and Happy 50 pounds gone forever. You've done such a great job with your Sleeve. 50 pounds in three months is awesome! I hope you're really proud of yourself!

As a former "raw foodist", I will be very curious to see how your weightloss is while juicing post-op. My Kaiser plan specifically calls for no beverage (juice) that is more than 20 calories per serving. I hope this really works well for you. I bet you'll feel terrific. I don't like the powdered Nutiva, but like the hemp seeds better.

My take on this is... why open the door to foods that we know aren't good for us. That one bite mentality led me to 249 pounds. I don't want to go back there and I know that carbs and sugar lead me there faster than anything else. I truly hope that I can stay away from sugar products and keep my Sleeve filled with happy proteins. I don't want to look back and wonder why I opened that door. I want to leave behind the mental obsession of how to get the next bite, how it will taste... blah blah blah... we all know that old story.

Wow, that's great to read about buffalo and bison. I actually just wander down to Trader Joe's where they have frozen buffalo steaks burgers. I really enjoy eating them pureed. Tonight I had it pureed with sour cream and salsa. YUM

A slider food is a food that doesn't stay in our Sleeve for very long. Dense Protein stays in the Sleeve for a long time. That's also why we don't drink Water 30 minutes before or after a meal, to keep the food in there longer. I got a box of packets of Bodytech chocolate pudding from Vitamin Shoppe. It has 145 calories for an entire packet (6 oz of pudding) and 25 grams of protein in the packet. I used it a bunch while I was on full liquids. It's a little too sweet so I sometimes use 3 oz of unsweetened soymilk and 3 oz of water to prepare it. It sets in just moments.

I've heard that if you live north of the equator, you can't get enough Vitamin D from the sun and need to supplement.

98 pounds in two months is incredible! Congratulations on a job well done!

My doctor told me that he would consider the surgery a success if I got to a 30 BMI. He said a BMI of 25 would totally exceed his expectations for me. He doesn't go by the number on the scale.

Laura, I hear your frustration. You've had an incredible weight loss since surgery. Maybe you need to change things up a little? Different exercise, change up your daily calories? More one day, less the next. Keep your body guessing a little?

Ali, congratulations on making your decision. I don't think you'll regret the Sleeve at all. There's always two surgeons in the room so you'll have Dr. Park and someone else. I hear Dr. Park makes dainty little incisions. Tamra, how exciting that you're getting a new home!! John.... 20 pounds! You skunk! I knew you'd leave me in the dust. Robin said that 5-25 pounds is typical in the first two weeks post op, but that the men really skew the results. I'm so proud of you. 100 pounds let go of forever! Spent 8 hours in my office today and did ok. I too am not a big fan of the pureed foods. I'll be happy to graduate to soft stage.

That's great to hear. Good luck!