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THat rocks! So happy for you. Congrats

I think I read that the powder form works better then the cream one, as you can make it into a thick paste. What I did was use an old mason jar and a plastic spoon along with an old plastic gift card for scraping:thumbup1:. I store them all under the counter in the bathroom. I used it on bikini line the other day, I hadn't used any since I had surgery 6 weeks ago and as usual it worked great!

There are are couple doctors around here that prescribe a really really hardcore low carb diet for around one month (you wouldn't want to stay on it for a long time) then they transition into regular ole Atkins. It is effective to kick off that weight loss. It is the Egg, meat and cheese diet. You can have those along with sugar free Jello, mayo, mustard and clear diet drinks.

I had bathroom issues during the liquids phase too, it was liquids in, liquids out. The next stage was the mushies and well the bathroom consistency followed that stage also. I am hoping you are able to stay hydrated even with the loose stools. Signs of dehydration: Mild Dehydration: (increase Fluid intake -- and for babies, call a medical professional): Thirst, dry lips, dry mouth, flushed skin, fatigue, irritability, headache, urine begins to darken in color, urine output decreases Moderate Dehydration: (call a medical professional): All of the signs of mild dehydration, plus: skin doesn't bounce back quickly when pressed, very dry mouth, sunken eyes, (in infant - sunken fontanel, the soft spot on the head), output of urine will be limited and color of urine will be dark yellow, cramps, stiff and/or painful joints, severe irritability, fatigue, severe headache Severe Dehydration: (call emergency number): All of the signs of mild and moderate dehydration, plus: blue lips, blotchy skin, confusion, lethargy, cold hands and feet, rapid breathing, rapid and weak pulse, low blood pressure, dizziness, fainting, high fever, inability to pee or cry tears, disinterest in drinking fluid The easiest way to tell is if your urine is not clear or a light color of yellow.

My energy level was so sad for the first month, around week 5 I noticed it picking up and now that I am going to the gym I have even more energy then before the surgery. I think it is a combo of getting over the surgery itself, starting to get more from the food you are cleared to eat and losing weight and getting into that fat burning mode. Just try to stay hydrated, get at least 60grams of protein a day and take a good multivitamin. I think your levels should even out. If you still feel really run down by two or so months out you may need to have some blood work done to see what might be going on. Otherwise it sounds pretty normal for day 17 to me.

A couple times a week I will treat myself to a regular coffee (Pike Place Roast) from Starbucks, with one shot of sugar free vanilla and sweet and low along with a teaspoon of half and half. I usually will have that and my protein bar for breakfast after I drop my kids at school. I haven't noticed it affecting my hunger it actually feels warm and filling, but I am trying to keep my body as cleansed as possible and trying to stay with as much clear liquids as possible.

LOL ok I first read this and thought damn this person is either brave or stupid (Sorry that was what I thought ) hehe. A lot of doctors say no lettuce for awhile and I was like you I was craving a sub, something about the cold cuts, lettuce, may and bread was calling to me. I finally had one at around 6 weeks out. With a bit of lettuce and I tried a tiny bit of salad during that same week. I tolerated it perfectly fine, others have stated they couldn't handle lettuce for quite a bit longer. The best thing is too wait 4-5 weeks until youre clear to start trying regular foods in moderation and to add them one at a time to see how your body handles it. Don't worry it will be soon enough that you can enjoy all the foods you are missing, right now I bet it just seems like it can never be "normal" again, but it can and it will. Here is the Cornell weight loss surgery dietary guidelines. I combined my surgeons guidelines and this one to get through the first 4-5 weeks. http://www.sleeveguide.com/uploads/1/7/9/4/1794785/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf

I could have sworn that in another thread someone said they use mane and tail shampoo and conditioner. I am getting close to two months post op and am just waiting for the hair to start dropping.

Djackson, wow you are a tough one huh? A home birth, daaang I couldn't wait for them to get me to a hospital the minute I went into labor. I think a home birth could be a pretty awesome thing as far as atmosphere and being comfortable.... if I wasn't a huge chicken. LOL

I have not been motivated enough to break this habit. I really am not interested in stopping lol. I get a small drink of tea or even a clear soda and sip while I eat. I drink so little though, today it looked like I drank 1/8 of my drink. I am not going to sit and chug-a-lug while I eat but I do enjoy sipping. At home I will pour the tiniest bit of apple juice in a kid size cup and I hardly finish it with my breakfast. I just enjoy drinks.

Wow, I was considered lower BMI and mine was right under 34 and I know of one or two that were around 31-32..but 26 that is really low and I thought the low standard for surgery was around 30. You would maybe lose around 20-30 pounds that seems like a pretty small amount vs the cost. I think it is you and the doctor's decision but that is pretty extreme to me.

Angie, you look amazing and you look very thin. Keep up the good work.

UPDATE: I finally got in to see my doctor who was out sick himself on Monday and Tuesday. He prescribed Dexilant which is a really strong PPI. He stated it is twice as strong as Nexium 40mg. So I take it once a day for a month and he said it should pretty much obliterate the acid from my tummy. He thinks the stomach virus I had exacerbated the already sensitive stomach and that once we get it to slow down I should be able to keep it under control with regular Prilosec OTC but in the meantime we will go balls out and kick some acid butt. LOL I feel better knowing he feels confident it will get under control. Happy Face

LOL, that all sounds understandable. Before surgery I could pack in some food. I would eat Cereal late at night after a full dinner and I would eat it from a mixing bowl lol. I could eat a box of Fruity Pebbles in one sitting. Things are different for me now. You will feel the fullness believe me. It feels like pressure right in the center of your chest. Heaviness in that little tummy is for me easy to distinguish. As for feeling hungry the hunger pangs I get now are sorta intense. Like when I wake up in the morning it feels totally empty and like something is pulling on my stomach. I have to take my PPI first so once I take that with a glass of Water and get something in there it amazingly calms down just from the water being in it. Some people don't feel much hunger at all. I think I feel a healthy amount of hunger it is enough to tell me to eat and I manage to get my nutrients down. It is different for everyone but I think most will agree that you will know when you are full and it only takes once of eating too fast or overeating before you learn to pay more attention.

I bet you are totally excited for your surgery. I hope you have a safe and swift recovery. Keep us posted.

Well congrats on your date and on getting your band out. The more I read about those bands the happier I am that I found out about the sleeve and went that route. Hope you have a great surgery!

It always seems to be easier for people to stay distracted at work huh? One day at a time. I am doing pretty well, I am eating pretty normally, as in I eat small amounts of pretty much all foods. I have not ventured into salad territory yet but I am looking forward to a really good salad. I take that back I went to Olive Garden on Saturday and had a tiny little scoop of salad. I hadn't even thought twice about it until now. WOW see how easy it is to forget hehe. It went down fine. I ate a half a bread stick also and brought home my child size portion of Pasta (my son ordered an adult meal so I ordered from the kids menu) hehe. I am having some acid issues and I will be visiting the doctor Wednesday but overall I am doing well. Taking it one day at a time. ' I was a bread/pasta freak before surgery especially pastries, but I really do not crave sweets at all, it is quite strange. I took my sons to get a donut twice and took my Protein shake with me and enjoyed while the boys scarfed a donut or two each. I can honestly say it wasn't even hard for me. I just take it one day at a time.

What Tiffany said! Also the I am bored I think I am hungry vibe or the I just saw an Olive Garden commercial, I think I need to eat vibe. LOL I could go on and on.

How wonderful! Congrats on your good news and everything will be just fine. I think I read once in one of my pregnancy books that besides our normal requirements for vitamins, minerals, carbs, proteins and such that a pregnancy only requires a few hundred more calories a day. I think it was the equivalent of a glass of a full fat milk. So never fear!

Yes it sounds like a fluid/protein issue. Also make sure you are getting enough calories. I think a lot of times early out the low calories, lack of protein and hydration really wreak havoc on us.

Congrats on your date and on your surgeon choice! Keep us posted.

Sorry for the big print I gotta adjust my settings. Anyways, my doctor sent a post op diet that was really strict on liquids for 3 whole weeks. I took a look at the Cornell one and said ...I will take that one! LOL. So I sort of combined the two and used common sense and took it very slow when advancing to the next stage. I just figured they are a well respected facility. My surgery was straight forward, I am young, my health was good other then the whole obese thing. It worked well for me and I seem to be losing at a good pace.

Irken I am in central California so a little bit south of you. I had surgery outside of US but am more then willing to be a buddy. Seems like you got lots of us to lean on for questions. Keep us posted and stay strong with the smoking cessation. It would be wonderful for you to continue to be smoke free from here on out!

Just curious how the deduction of the surgery worked out for those who had surgery last year. Since it is getting close to the end of the year here I wanted to start getting my ducks in a row.

Mine was a little oily after surgery, then suddenly it cleared up and my husband comments that my skin is so much nicer since the surgery. Probably because I cleaned up my diet and I am not drinking all the soda and crap. It now has a nice glow about it.