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I’m so sorry it’s been so difficult. I started the turn around by day five, like being able to sleep propped up in bed. I’ve never slept so deeply since having a child. I started sleeping like a child myself. You will get this. I stuck to water and Gatorade mostly the first week because everything hurt. Eventually I realized warm drinks felt better like low salt chicken bone broth, and warmed up dark chocolate pea protein drink. The third week was when I could try thicker things like frozen Greek yogurt, and jello. I used Omeprazole 40mg 2x a day and that horrible liquid spit 4x a day to help the inner lining heal. I walked around to distract myself and help with healing. Circulating blood and sunlight help a lot. I live near the ocean so I watched the waves and boats. Do whatever it takes to distract yourself. I took up crochet and guitar to keep my hands and mind busy off of food. These are still good hobbies for me. The double surgery is a doozy and you’re right, you do hurt more than other people are saying on here. You will definitely feel better very soon, about when your voice comes back clearer, it will be easier to swallow. It will all be worth it when you can sleep flat, sing, walk up stairs without feeling winded, talk melodiously, all because your throat isn’t sore and swollen!

Update* im currently about 6 weeks post op. my drinking has improved drastically i am able to drink roughly 75oz of liquids a day. I have 2 bottles. A 32oz that I prepare a chai tea with a fairlife 42g protein shake and a 40oz bottle which I prepare with water and crystal light. From 8am to 8pm im sipping and usually finish before. For me straw helps a lot.

Don’t give up! The 1st few days can be pretty bad. I remember thinking the same thing. That was 5 years ago. Just do what you can. Always have a protein drink, water or even tea next to you. Take a little sip every 5 minutes. All of those count as fluid right now. You will feel better once you get to puréed & then solids. It just takes time. Try Cortaid or an anti itch cream on your incisions if you need it.

I'm a week into my pre-op diet. Things have finally started to settle down. My question is, is it normal to not be hungry? I forgot about my lunch protein drink until 2 pm, and 2 hours later, I'm still sipping on it. I just don't want it. I'm drinking it because I know I need it, but still. Thanks for your input.

Hi! Im new to this site and in much needed support from others going through the same thing! My VSG surgery is scheduled for June 27th and they have had me on a diet of protein shakes twice a day with a light meal at lunch for over a month to lose weight before the pre-op diet. It has been rough! Im starting to question if this is a good idea, especially as I still have to take care of my family (cook meals, shop, meal plan). How is everyone else dealing with the difference in what they are doing versus their family? I can’t wait for the surgery to get to the next part.

I’m day 4 recovery. I feel awful. The pain, itchiness, dizziness, lack of fluids and protein. I am so mad I wish I never did this. I’m in a bad place and don’t see a way out. I feel deceived by my surgeon and overall left alone and let down. I need help

I went on a trip about two months post op also. What worked for me eating out was splitting an entree with someone else. We split the main protein exactly in half and I just had a bite or two of the sides. It seemed to be a good amount of food for my travel companion also. Or if they didn’t want to share I just ordered a protein focused appetizer for my meal. Ultimately getting enough protein is the main goal so that’s really all I focused on and it went well. So if chicken tenders were my only option, that’s what I had and I picked off some of the breading. For snacks I kept jerky, protein bars, and nut packs in my purse. Pretty much every convenience store or gas station has protein drinks so since we were flying I didn’t worry about bringing them with me, but if you’re driving I’d keep a case in the car. At that point I was pretty religiously eating every 3 hours on the dot so it’s good to have protein snacks handy! I also kept liquid iv packets in my purse to help keep up with hydration.

Hi @MelbaT. thanks for your response! I can relate to everything you said...which is sad and comforting all at once. Haha A few responses to your questions: - I was the one who recommended the Vital Proteins...so glad it worked out! - Regarding shakes, I feel the exact same way. I just choked down one more this morning, the rest are getting thrown out. Everything is sickly sweet and texture too thick. I'm finding herbal tea and broth easier. Definitely prefer savory or salt right now. All of this is normal! The only shake I tolerate is Fairlife chocolate with 30 g of protein. Unfortunately, it's out of stock everywhere around here. I do have an Amazon shipment arriving Friday thank goodness. Regarding the constipation, it's also very common. My RD said I would probably only go every 3 or 4 days now, and she has been right. I take Colace and Benefiber every day and that seems to work. If not, my doctor recommends adding milk of magnesia. That should help! My RD definitely recommends eating a mini meal every 2.5 - 3 hours (5-6 meals per day). This prevents hunger and keeps us from making less than healthy choices later in the day (a problem I had pre-surgery). They don't want us skipping meals. So, RD said eat/drink every few hours, even if it's a 1/4 cup of shake. I too have noticed what I think are hot flashes, along with lots of cold shivers. Again. all normal considering how little calories we are taking in. I laughed about the bra situation 🤣. I feel the same issue and have been wearing a soft cotton athletic tank top type bra. Cheap for a 3 or 4 pack from Amazon. I also have a lot of left sided pain, again to be expected. However, it is finally starting to improve. I'm better able to walk upright without holding my sore stomach half the day. Lol I'm so excited for you that you're paying attention to the body changes. That's great progress, no matter what the scale says. I'm noticing something new everyday. It's mind blowing! I finally have boney elbows again!🤣 You're doing great, just keep going hour by hour if you need to. Stay in close touch with your team also - they have the suggestions that will help you most. Hang in there!

Yes…LOVE the Protein Shots! I buy from Batiatric Pal have tried both the 15 gram and 25 gram whey protein (both 3 oz). I add them to a 16-24 oz water bottle so also get more fluids and tastes great. You can drink the shot alone but it’s pretty tart but very tasty. Great way to add more protein to your day. Throw one in your bag for days you need a boost or busy and not sure when you’ll get your next meal in. Good for travel days too just add to Water. Highly recommend.

Hi Blessed, My RNY was also on 3/29. I've definitely had my struggles and still do! I started on Pureed foods a few days ago. The first few days were rough! I think I was so excited to start on them that I overdid it a couple times. Pretty sick after that. Felt faint-ish, weak, racing heart, VERY nauseous. Luckily both times were around bed time, so I laid down and after a while subsided and I finally slept. I have given up the protein shakes as even to LOOK at them makes me feel like vomiting. VERY strong aversion to them now. I bought the Vital Proteins Collagen Peptide powder someone on here (sorry I can't remember who!) that has 18 grams of protein in 2 tbsp and luckily blends really well, especially in hot things like my coffee, so I start with that every morning. I have no appetite and have to go by when I start feeling weak to make myself eat. I'm sensitive to almost all artificial sweeteners so haven't been able to tolerate sugar free things. How about you? Went shopping with the hubby yesterday and bought most of the things recommended by the fabulous people on here to puree. Great ideas. I'll try the white fish (we bought cod) tonight with thinned mashed potatoes. I was feeling nauseated yesterday after eating egg salad, so a couple hours later I was naughty and ate 3 saltine crackers very slowly which really seemed to help. I don't know about anyone else, but after I eat something, the thought of eating it again makes me ill. Did anyone else have trouble with that? Going back to work has been tough. 10-11 hour days. I work in a very busy vet clinic, so trying to get in "snacks" has been difficult and I end up feeling crappy, weak, brain fog until I get to lunch. The last couple days getting in my water while I'm there has been tough too. Everyone I work with is awesome and would allow me the chance to get a snack, but it takes so long to eat it that I feel guilty for having to step away for a bit to do that, especially since we've been short-handed. I just need to do it, though. Next thing here is totally TMI, so skip if you don't wanna know. I've had a b/m almost daily, but never a complete one. They are very pasty and don't seem to want to evacuate my body well (LOL). I did start eating Activia with protein powder in it to see if that will help. Miralax and Dulcolax does NADA for me. Any other recommendations? My left side still has some pain- almost gas-like. I've taken the chewable Gas-x which doesn't do much either. I definitely don't like my bra sitting on top of where my stomach is, so off it goes at all times when I'm at home! Weird thing is that my hot flashes have seemed to return with a vengeance which a year before surgery had finally stopped. Bummer. Anyone else struggling with this? I've been working with my shrink regarding my meds. We've had to adjust things a couple times already. I can't take Gabapentin at bed time anymore- makes me so dizzy. Also switching from Zoloft to Lamotrigine. I used to take all my meds at once in one big swallow. Can't do THAT anymore, so slowly it goes, which frustrates me a bit. The good thing is that overall I'm doing pretty good. I'm only weighing myself once a week, so Wed. I'll reweigh myself. My body is totally changing tho! I still don't have a lot of energy, but hopefully that will improve over time. Some days are better than others. I did take some "before" pictures (but can't figure out how to edit out my boobs so will be for my eyes only!), just to help me see my progress if the scales don't show a loss. Clothes are much looser already tho! Ok, sorry to ramble so long. I threw a lot out there, but that's kinda how I am. It soooo helps to know if others are going or have gone thru these same things! I look forward to and love the feedback. I hope you and everyone else are doing well!

Yes. Preop is rough. Mine is 14 days. So I'm 7 days into it. The headaches are getting better, finally. I'm so over the shakes. I have 2 per day and 3 oz lean protein, a cup of veggies, and small amount of whole grain pasta or brown rice for dinner. I can also have a snack of cottage cheese, fruit, or yogurt. Yes, I miss variety too. But, like you said, this is temporary.

it's probably the carb withdrawal (and if you were a coffee drinker, caffeine withdrawal, too). The "Keto flu" is pretty common the first three or so days. Once your body goes into ketosis (around day 3 or 4), it does get a lot better. In addition to no- or very low calorie fluids (well, plus 4-5 protein shakes), I was allowed V8/tomato juice and clear broth (I think a cup of each) every day, so I always had those since the sodium in them made me retain water, which made me feel a little fuller, and I also ate sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello with abandon since they were the only things I could have that somewhat resembled real food. There were some days I'd make the Jello that came in the larger-size boxes and eat the whole damn thing!!! Anyway, you'll get through it - and it should ease up a bit in another day or two. P.S. as others have said, the pre-op diet is the worst part of this whole thing. I was actually relieved the morning I was rolled into surgery because the godawful diet was OVER!! I found the progressive eating plan we go through after surgery (liquids, then purees, etc) way easier than that pre-op thing!!

I’m three days out and trying yogurt for the first time today. It took an hour to get a protein shake down yesterday. I’m not looking forward to it!

I’m struggling to drink protein shakes and waters my stomach hurts when I just sip. 6 days post op I found it takes me two hours to eat a protein yogurt am I doing something wrong?

I'm not sure how long it has been since your surgery. The challenge I found in the first couple of months when going out to dinner was getting enough protein with very limited capacity. As a result, I brought along my own protein when I traveled (powdered shakes) and had them in the hotel before going out to eat. I would then have just a small appetiser or something to drink at the restaurant while others were eating. You could do the same at family events, although I realize that's easier easier said than done. In my case, family and friends kept insisting I eat things because they were low-calorie, without understanding my need to prioritize protein and not fill up on other foods. It can be quite challenging to keep telling insistent relatives that you really don't want to eat more. For the road, there are some wonderful snacks in the Bariatric Pal store than you can bring along. None of this is ideal, but it's worth the effort!

I was on a full liquid diet for two weeks before surgery (protein shakes) and found the first few days the hardest. I was also going through caffeine withdrawal, which gave me terrible headaches at first. It was pretty easy by week two. Rest assured that it will be easy to stick to your diet for a few months after surgery, because you won't feel like eating. I totally understand your breakup with food. I binged on some of my favorite food the day before my pre-surgery diet. I'm now four years out and am eating more or less normally, although not in the same quantities nor the same unhealthy things I used to eat. I'm no longer tempted by my pre-surgery favorites and don't miss them.

Hey guys! I’ve been struggling again for a few months. And I was wondering if you could share some tips or inspirations to help me get my mind right. I still don’t get real hungry but my job has become real boring and desk centric so I find myself wanting little things to snack on. I keep healthy choices nearby or I just drink water but I can’t seem to get back on the losing side of life. I’ve been tracking my intake and some days I wonder if I’m taking in enough calories even if I’m hitting my protein and keeping my fats and carbs to a minimum. I have about 60 left to lose and I’m almost at my one year anniversary.

Thank you for replying. I'm glad you found something that was gentler on your stomach. I'm just trying to finish this last week of just protein to get to puree foods and hoping that will be a bit better. I go back to work so I'm just worried. I hope you are doing well now and continue so 😊

Same here. Before this drinking wasn’t even a thought. I was drinking almost a gallon of water and drinking protein 3 times a day was not a problem. Now I can barely get it down. I have been doing the half and half of water with cranberry or pomegranate juice. I’m also eating a lot of refried beans and thank goodness for the sugar free popsicles.

Same boat. I can't do anything protein drink, protein water, protein powder. Probably same reason too (I got the flu on 3 days PO and violently puked up my protein drinks for 24 hrs). I recently tried the Koia brand and they're pea protein/vegan and it's much gentler on my stomach but I still nurse them. My doctor is happier with me getting protein from whole foods and not rely on the artificial nutrition so she says not to worry and just try my best.

Anyone else struggling with water and protein intake? My surgery was 3/28/23. I was doing well with water and clear liquids but then the sweet fatigue hit and I just started throwing up anything sweet. I tried broth and same thing. I tried protein shakes and that has traumatized me since throwing it up. So far I've gotten down cranberry juice mixed with water cause I love sour.

My revision surgery was April 19, 2023 and I also have BCBS. my original sleeve date was 11/2016 and I lost 100 lbs the first year and half. My lowest weight was 135 and I’ve maintained that for the last five years. Around my second year post sleeve I developed acid reflux and heartburn daily. When I would eat, shortly after I’d need to either throw up the acid trying to come up or I’d have to sit and tolerate the acid burning until it subsided. Daily omeprazole and tums did very little to counteract the symptoms. If I ate, it was happening. 2020 I had another EGD performed that showed Barrett’s esophagus had begun to form in my esophagus and there was a hernia. The surgeon wanted to move forward with a bypass revision but because I didn’t want to lose any weight or have another major surgery I asked for other medications to try before we went straight to surgery. 2023 in March I had another EGD performed that showed three ulcers, the hernia and worsening Barrett’s. Nothing had worked so far and my quality of life just wasn’t good. Considering I love to cook and eat, I knew I couldn’t just live with this much longer. I agreed to do the surgery. The doctor sent over an EGD result, CT scan and upper GI to BCBS who approved the revision surgery. (My plan has Bariatric benefits) if your plan doesn’t have Bariatric benefits I would check with your insurance coordinator to see if there is another option. I am now three days post revision- no heartburn or acid reflux at all. Painful, but on the mend.

re: the hair loss - that's a very well-known "feature" - I'm surprised no one ever said anything to you about it beforehand. It does stop, though -and the hair grows back. Just keep on top of your protein and vitamins. you might want to work with a therapist/counselor about the self-esteem issue. Lots of us have seen therapists for various reasons and found it very helpful.

I think my surgeon is not the norm because she doesn’t allow any protein drinks or powders with starting 60g protein per day. All drinking is water only with none 30 min before and after meals. I typically am able to get in almost 15-20g per meal depending on what it is. I count my prep time or go for a short slow walk before or after. No processed food of any kind and eating actual food starting day four. First couple days were tough but doing much better with it now at day 9 since surgery. I measure everything and read every label. Each meal goal is 3-4 oz of protein and 4 oz of steamed veggie 2x a day/ fruit 1x a day. Was surprised that no sugar applesauce had 13g of sugar vs 4oz of apple has 8g no skin and diced up with high protein Greek yougut and cinnamon…yum! You’ve got this! Hope this helps.😊

I actually love milk, but so many protein shakes taste awful to me. The one I’m tolerating is Fairlife Nutrition Plan in chocolate. But just after surgery even that tasted so gross to me. Took me a few days to finally be able to tolerate it again. Eggs aren’t part of my puréed stage and by most of my paperwork neither is cream of wheat since it’s mostly carbs. I’ve been mixing applesauce w plain Greek yogurt, having cottage cheese, and puréed lentil or black bean soup. Plain water is just fine by me at any temp which I’m so happy for because I can’t stand the Crystal light, Wylers light or any other sugar free mix in. The one thing I’m missing most is coffee because I don’t like black coffee. And skim milk doesn’t help lol. Water still isn’t at the levels it should be, but I’m just trying to get a little better with each day. I might have to wake up earlier to get those goals in because I agree the timing doesn’t allow to get it all in.