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Hi everyone! I haven't been on this site in a VERY long time, but I am currently on a new weight loss journey and I thought I would report in with my experience and the hope that some of you newbies can learn from it. I had my VSG surgery on 9/1/2014, so 10 years ago this month. At the time of my surgery, I weighed ~260 pounds and I am 5'6". I have lost and gained weight a million times before that, with my highest weight ever having been 277 pounds. In the first couple of years after my surgery, I was able to get below my goal weight (165) all the way down to 154. During that time I trained for and ran in a half marathon and a full marathon, completing the full marathon in September 2016 (almost exactly two years after my surgery). I separated from my then-husband in May of 2016 and our divorce was final in December 2016. My life took a very different path after that and I did not stick to my healthy diet and exercise. I met my current husband in February of 2017 and while I love him dearly and he is THE BEST, he is a bit of a hedonist and we definitely supported each other in our hedonism. I became a connoisseur of fine craft beers and we have a large friend group who we go out with or have get-togethers with several times a week. I not only stopped running but stopped exercising altogether. Both my current husband and I put on weight in the seven years we have been together, especially during COVID, and I got all the way back up to 234 pounds! Last year, my husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and, in April, we resolved to turn things around together. Since then, I have lost 30 pounds and I am on my way down to my new goal weight of 180. So, here are some things I want to report, trying to lose weight again for the first time since immediately after my surgery: The restriction still works! I cannot eat much more than about 200 grams of food in one sitting. Once I cut out snacking and stopped drinking as many calories (beer), it was easy to rely on my sleeve to restrict my daily caloric intake. My metabolism is still normal. As a 5'6 female weighing 203.2 pounds, I still burn ~2100 calories per day just by living, according to my Garmin watch and it definitely tracks with the calorie differential I am logging and the weight loss I am seeing. I still can't eat and drink at the same time. I usually have to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to drink anything after I eat a full meal. Being overly full is still an unpleasant feeling. Before my surgery, I used to love the sensation of being "stuffed." Since surgery and to this day, it is still uncomfortable for me if I overeat in one sitting. Not a pleasant sensation at all, but not painful like it was in the very beginning. I can still get dumping syndrome if I'm not careful. If eat too much sugar too fast, usually in the form of ice cream or a milkshake, I get dumping syndrome and it is VERY unpleasant, fortunately, it is very rare. Food can still get "stuck." Every once in a while, mostly when I am eating turkey or pork it seems, food can get stuck and it is completely miserable. Be sure to thoroughly chew your food!!! Especially dense meats. My advice to anyone who is post-sleeve and still losing weight or trying to maintain their weight: Snacks are the enemy! It's so easy to get in extra calories by eating smaller amounts between meals. Your sleeve won't help you at all with this. Drinking your calories is easy and dangerous. I haven't given up my precious beer entirely, but I have cut back and I am mindful of the type of beer I am drinking as some types are more caloric than others. You can just as easily drink your calories even if you don't drink alcohol. Be wary of soda, milkshakes, energy drinks, juices, and too much cream/sugar/syrups in your coffee. Keep up with the exercise. It doesn't have to be training for a marathon like I did in the beginning. Currently, my husband and I take a ~mile walk after dinner each night and we try to do one, long, 4-5 mile walk/hike on the weekend. Just that moderate amount of activity can make a big difference. Be mindful of calorically dense foods. Even though I can only eat 200 grams at a time, if it is 200 grams of junk, it can have a LOT of calories! I hope the lesson that all of you take from this post is that the sleeve is a tool and it is all about how you use it. It can work for you, even 10 years out, as long as you use it correctly.

I am really hoping that my husband and I can go on a vacation. Any vacation honestly. It has been so many years since we have had one. Between my insecurities and anxieties about my weight and the physical limitations we just haven’t found anything that seems exciting enough both of us to justify the expense. We could really use some“us” time and my husband would never admit but he would benefit from some time off. I think I may suggest to him that we go somewhere to celebrate when I hit my goal. Then we have a while to work out the details. I always wanted to go to Alaska but I think that’s mostly because I knew that it wouldn’t be too hot for me like so many other common vacation spots. I really hope that my heat tolerance goes up a bit and I can expand my options to different places. I am still only a week out so I have time to add to my list. I’m sure as my mental health improves jt will be easier for me to imagine some of these things for myself.

Well, it was a liter and a half of fluid and I started the day before. I had to get down 3/4 of it that day and evening. Save a 1/4 of it for the next morning and drink the rest. I had to get up at 4 am in order to finish that 1/4 of it since my procedure was at 9 am. I had to stop drinking fluids by 6 am. I've not had any issues with liquids, so I'm not a good gauge on that. I typically get 96 ounces or more a day. So, I really didn't have any issues. Though, the taste was odd but they had a lime powder pack i could add. Which didn't help much. The last time I had colonoscopy I was given a choice between having to drink more liquid and it being cheaper in cost, or I could take the 32 oz stuff that cost A lot more but not as much to drink. However the other drawback is that it was super charged how fast and violent everything moved. But this time I didn't have that option.

Honestly, that's why it's not good to weigh yourself every day. Things like how much you ate and drank, how much salt you had, if you pooped or not can all affect your weight. As hard as it is, weighing yourself once (or if you must, twice) per week, in the morning after you go to the bathroom, before you eat or drink is the best way to see what you true weight is. Weight also fluctuates by a couple of pounds naturally, so if you weigh yourself daily, you'll get discouraged and frustrated and start to think, 5 weeks out, that you've plateaued. Be mindful of slider foods. That's stuff that you can eat more of because it goes down super easy and takes longer to make you feel full. Potatoes are known for this. As I said before, the first 6 months is when you lose the most the fastest. Eating things that slow down that process during that time is counter-productive. This is where you really want to stick to the diet as closely as possible to get the most out of the weight loss. Also move your body. Add in working out, walking, swimming, anything that increases movement over and above what you normally do. Not only does that help, but when you drop weight fast, you can lose muscle. So you want to start working on that.

Not revision specific, but even in my (virgin) Sleeve & RNY group there were people in my pre-op program who got 2 days, 5 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, etc. Hopefully all surgeons decide on a case by case basis. If in doubt, maybe reach back out to them again and ask if there's any risk to you doing a longer pre-op diet voluntarily?

As @AmberFL suggested, I’d start tracking your food intake. You don’t have to do it religiously to begin but just to start the routine & also get an idea of what you’re eating (nutritional value, calories & portion sizes). Then you could make small changes over the next few months like adjust your portion sizes, swap out some cooking styles or ingredients to healthier ones, try new recipes, drop a snack, etc. Also an opportunity to start to reflect on your relationship with food. Do you eat to comfort or sooth yourself (when you’re sad, stressed, anxious, angry, etc.)? Do you crave certain foods when you’re bored? Are you an hormonal carb or sweet? Do you have any eating habits like always snack at the movies or watching tv or have to have cake or a muffin with your coffee, etc. And so on. And, yes, start incorporating some activity into your week. Good opportunity to try some different things to see what you enjoy. You don’t have to embrace everything all at once. Simple small changes are always easier to adopt & adapt to than jumping in the deep end. You have time before your surgery. Second the advice not to buy up big in protein shakes. A temporary change in your taste buds is very common after the surgery and many find a flavour or brand of shake they enjoyed before the surgery in the pre surgery diet is disgusting after. Things can become too sweet &/or salty, the texture can be off putting and for some it’s the smell of certain foods. It can last upwards of around 6 or so weeks. I’m in Australia so none of the prolonged wait you have to go through. My surgery was not quite 4 weeks after I first met with the surgeon so I didn’t really have time to do anything - lol!

I recall feeling similarly at 4 weeks. Some of that was due to the nerves being cut and dulled from surgery, I think, because I feel it more now. Also, I assume you are probably still on the softer proteins. I find I don't have the full feeling as quickly with things like yogurt or cottage cheese, or even a flaky white fish, the way I do with chicken or beef. I can eat a serving of yogurt and still have room for fruit, but if I eat 3 oz of chicken or beef, that's all I'm having!

Ugh, I feel you. One of the things that irks me the most about troublesome foods is having to cut my protein short -- or getting ill and losing what little I got down. I seem to have trouble with chicken even before it's been reheated -- again, other than ground. Lately beef has been giving me problems too, other than barbacoa brisket from my local burrito place. Oh, other than jerky? I found a no sugar /sweetener added beef jerky that has given me absolutely no issues and is nicely high in protein. It takes me close to an hour to eat a 30g serving but it's helpful to stash at the office for an afternoon snack. Today, I realized I grieve dim sum. I don't know if it's the socialness, the overall experience or the food itself -- or some combination of the three. I've had some steamed Korean dumplings a few weeks ago and just didn't eat much of the dumpling wrapper itself, and have been able to eat shrimp siu mai at a Japanese restaurant. But being able to go to a dim sum restaurant and eat whatever they pass by with -- without having to interrogate them about ingredients or cooking methods -- I will miss that.

One thing I forgot to mention is that I also decided to just tell the women at my yoga class a vague version of what I am going through. Not because I am seeking attention or pity as some people may believe but because the doctors told me that with the first phase of chemo I need that I would no doubt be losing my hair and not to even torture myself trying cold caps because they wouldn’t work for me. I didn’t want to have to miss any days trying to hide that when it was inevitable that they would find out anyways. I can’t wear a wig to yoga without dying of heat stroke even if I can find one that doesn’t irritate my head and won’t fall off doing downward dog. Also, I have to wear a mask until class starts and I’m at my mat and far enough away from people. Also, with the chemo i do get a little dizzy at times and physically I have to take a tiny break once in a while which doesn’t go unnoticed I’m sure. I just decided that I have no clue what is going to happen with my body in days to come but I’m going when I can and doing as much as I can. I’m not missing something that is good for my health, weight loss journey and that I really enjoy just to try and keep something a secret. I have spent enough of my life hiding because of my weight and I have finally broken free of that. I’m not going back in that dark place ever again. I am usually a pretty private person so it was a big choice for me with sharing about the bariatric surgery and now with the cancer, but so far I am happy with my decisions for both. I just told them that I don’t want them to make a big deal about it that we are there to relax and do yoga, but I just didn’t want to feel awkward wondering what they must be thinking so I was just getting it out there. It was partly because I did the same with my revision surgery and it has worked out positively for me. With the sleeve I didn’t tell anyone outside of my best friends and that wasn’t successful so with the SADI i decided to try something different. I told the women in my crochet group and the one craft group because I have known them almost two years now (but not the one I joined more recently). They do ask how I’m doing or congratulate me on my weight-loss and ask what I’m eating and about my exercise, I briefly answer but then I will say enough about me we are here to craft and ask what they are working on today and that seems to work pretty well. So with yoga, now, I hope I can just walk in with my hat or wig and take it off before class begins and do my thing and when I take more an more breaks they will just ignore me. I’m sure it will feel really weird for me the first time when I’m bald because it was when i had to go really short and I was thinning with a head band covering most of the bald spots but everyone already knows about the elephant in the room now and hopefully we can just focus on YOGA. Food for thought for those with the decision about cancer and for those on the fence about whether to tell about their bariatric journey as well because people who see you once or twice a week notice things and they are probably wondering. It has worked for me to just rip off the bandaid and move on.

I haven't hit a stall yet and I am 9.5 months post op. I still extremely limit my carbs. typically less than 40 carbs per day, net carbs are less. I am still high protein. I am still losing 2+ pounds per week. My daughter had the surgery the same day I did, and she has been stalled for a two months, she also eats whatever she wants. She isn't limiting what she eats. She is under 1400 calories per day and not losing. I am ~1000 calories a day still. As far as being cold, yes, I am cold a lot. I used to die from heat, if my office was 75 degrees I was sweating. Now at 75 degrees I can be comfortable if not slightly chilled. I have lost a lot of insulation. All my blood work comes back perfect. It will take some time for your body to regulate. (although my friend is 4 years PO and she is still always cold and has been goal weight for 2 years).

Your bmi is 30.45. I looked it up. And if you lose just 3 pounds you would be 29.95 (below 30) Do you know the prescribing criteria for that drug.according to several websites your iBMI has to be over 27. From 27-29 you must have a comorbidity. Only at 30 can they prescribe it without a weight related issue. Unless your heart issue is considered one of those comorbid issues that losing weight would help with then you just need to lose three pounds and she will have to leave you alone. lol. I joke but my point is that you are so close that even if BMI was accurate representation for everyone for her to be pushing this is just so absolutely absurd. I mean three pounds could be a bowel movement. It would be one thing if you were driving this but for her to push it under these circumstances doesn’t make any sense to me. This is copied from the package insert posted on drugs.com Phentermine Hydrochloride is a sympathomimetic amine anorectic indicated as a short-term adjunct (a few weeks) in a regimen of weight reduction based on exercise, behavioral modification and caloric restriction in the management of exogenous obesity for patients with an initial body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m 2, or greater than or equal to 27 kg/m 2 in the presence of other risk factors (e.g., controlled hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia). Oh and also, I took that stuff when I was like 19 and I had no history of heart issues in myself or my family and they still made me do an ekg so I hope she at the very least planned to do that?? I totally understand why you are mad I would be too

Welcome @draikaina8503! I'm on in 3 days!? How is this sneaking up on me? Breathe, breathe... @Hiddenroses - Congratulations on your surgery! What you're dealing with in telling others sounds perfectly normal to me. This is not the easy path. The process is rough, but no matter what and no matter who reacts, we're going to come out of this stronger. I'm still going to be me, with or without the weight. Unfortunately, I've always been treated differently because of my weight - Heavy friends with a "one of us" mentality, slimmer people that want to look better next to me, others that just discount me. I'll be alienating them all. It shouldn't matter, but I was raised to please others. Another bad habit I am fixing. If random people question me, I guess I'll just refer them to the weight loss clinic that I went to that started me on this path - they do everything from diet and exercise to bariatric referrals. Other than that, it's no one's business what I do with my body. But I still have to figure out the social food thing. @Mandalynne, I am so ready to be done. So many nerves, so sick of worrying. So tired of the LSD and hunger. Whatever happens is going to happen, let's just get it done already, haha. @ShoppGirl and @Greekmom4, I'm so sorry that the surgery was rough and that you are in so much pain. I hope things lessen up soon and you can start thriving. The fact that we can even do this is amazing to me. Our lives and our health will have a fresh start! When I hit my weight goal, I'm going to travel, and not worry about fitting on the plane. What are your plans for your new life?

I added my measuring tape to the collection of items I'm gathering for the hospital when I read your post! It IS getting really close and I'm definitely feeling it. I did get pretty moody a couple of times this week, honestly. I don't know why, because I didn't really feel hungry but I did feel very reactionary and super sensitive. In fact, I was (and still am a little.. ) worried that it was PMS because I read that women who swiftly go on the type of liquid low carb / no sugar diet can have a change in their cycle. My brain immediately went "Oh Noooooo what if I have to deal with cramps on surgery day?!" So far I'm just crossing my fingers against that being the case, and hoping my body at LEAST waits a week! It feels surreal for me because I haven't been apart from my fella hardly at all in the two years we've been together and I realized tonight is the last night for a few days that I'll get to sleep beside him. Because of travel and work he isn't going to be with me at the hospital but my Mom and good friend will. It's Saturday night and I'm scheduled to be at the hospital around 5am Monday! I head out of town tomorrow evening. I'm holding strong on not smoking and plan to do my very best to maintain that post-op! I've already noticed, from not smoking and from the diet, my taste buds changing. The drink mix I used to really enjoy (A cheap one, surprisingly, zero sugar Hydrate in Grape flavor sold at Dollar General for like 1.20/6 flavor packs) now tastes kinda gunky. I'm not sure if it is because of all the shakes or just the lack of sugar/carbs. I find myself rinsing my mouth out a lot, especially after the shakes, and even though I'm drinking a lot of water my throat still feels dry from time to time, especially at night. I've started drinking my water plain or with a little lemon in it, which is especially nice when I drink it hot. I don't enjoy my coffee sweet or creamy anymore, either - it feels like 'too much'. Not that I have more than one cup, max, of caffeinated coffee per day - I even purchased a 3 in one coffee pot that takes loose leaf tea, pods, and regular coffee for the sake of my Mom and fella. I'm not entirely surprised at the change in taste buds seeing as when I quit drinking soda and would take a sip after a long time it would taste awful (especially any kind of dark colored soda). Oh - and to follow up on the Colace; I do think my doctor's office made me start the colace with my liquid diet BECAUSE of all the protein, especially in the shakes. I'm pretty sure those do slow your digestion; I've actually found myself taking an extra allowed laxative just because I want to be sure they have as much space to operate as possible and I feel like I've remained borderline constipated. My friend said that she didn't have a BM until 4 days post-op and they were concerned about that. I keep editing this post realizing I forgot to add things -- I SO feel you on the use of public restrooms! I've always done pretty well to avoid having to go #2 at public places and what you described happening - noise, smell, makes me nervous. That's really the ONLY side effect of the SADI that I'm a little concerned about. So far I'm telling myself that since I've been running on the side of constipated it should be ok, especially if I am mindful with my diet. It was really cool to see a post here from someone 4 years post-SADI! That was very reassuring, about being able to eventually eat most of the same foods, but in moderation and in much smaller portions. This might be my last update prior to surgery as tomorrow I plan to do last minute laundry and triple check my instructions, but I'll definitely be checking in as soon as I feel up to it to tell everyone how it went! How exciting is it to see this thread starting to pop with activity?! I feel SO lucky to have found this place and be receiving so many tips and insights from others who have / are going through the same things! Best wishes to all, we got this!!

Meowdy, friends! 😸 I had VSG on 11/22/23 (the day before Thanksgiving here in the USA 😂, almost 5 months ago), and I have not been a very fast loser. While some people may have dropped 20 lbs in each of the first two months post-op, I'm just at almost 40 lbs down since surgery. My Physician's Assistant (we don't meet with the surgeon at all post-op in our program) said I'm definitely a "slow loser" and am about 12 lbs higher than they'd expect me to be right now. Anyone else out there only losing about 1-2 lbs per week? Anyone who was in this situation and managed to kick things up a notch? And also, anyone who was a slow loser who eventually met their weight loss goal? I've always been awesome at getting in my water, protein, and vitamins each day. My program pretty much refuses to give us macro goals other than protein, but I know I'm generally under 100g of carbs daily (sometimes much less). Protein, I'm usually at 80g+. Calories, I float around 1000 per day. Water, I get a MINIMUM of 64oz. I took a week off of exercising (elliptical and weights) when I was sick with a cold, and I actually lost the most in that week, so I laid off the exercise for a bit, worried it was slowing me down. I'm going to start back up on it, just because it's a good habit to get back into. When I do the elliptical, it's usually pretty vigorous for 30 minutes, sweating profusely and burning ~400-500 calories. I put on some very loud heavy metal and take out all my frustrations on the machine 😅 I'm worried I'm going to be stuck at this weight and that I'm "wasting" this tool and opportunity, or that maybe I chose the wrong surgery. Granted, my current weight is way better than where I was before starting the pre-op diet, and my mobility and endurance are IMMENSELY better, and my IBS-D has basically disappeared (THANK THE LORDT), but it's still not where I'd like to end up. The PA told me that sleeve patients can lose for at least 18 months post-op, so hopefully it's just a slow-but-steady race for me. I guess I could just use some encouragement or advice or anecdotes from others who were slow but successful, or if someone sees something glaringly "wrong" with what I'm doing.

Just hitting 2 weeks post, constipation has set in and had some blood in stool I talked with my surgeon he said start to introduce stool softners only and try to increase more water anyone else run into this any other suggestions, tips or tricks ?? Just feel miserable right now

Two days out. Nausea is the worst thing. Pretty persistent. No pain whatsoever. The restriction mimics the first days of the VSG surgery. Barely sips of water today. I'll follow a clear liquid diet for 3 days, purees until 2 weeks out, and then soft foods until I can tolerate solids. Definitely wondering if I made decision. The nausea feels like I have lump in my stomach- the kind of feeling you know you'd feel better if you just gagged yourself. I did get 3 different nausea treatments, but had an allergic reaction. So Im trying benedryl (for the all over hives) and emetrol intsead. Not as effective, but its def more tolerable

what if you schedule the tests for early January and just start the six months of visits now?! Because usually they wait until after the six months to submit to insurance and it can take like 30 days for an answer and then another month or two for the surgeons schedule. If you had your six months done and then knocked out them other tests like the first week of January then they could hopefully submit it all right after (unless you need follow up to any of that). If it is just the one visit though, That would be 6 months from now?? I mean ask the Dr if that works for her of course cause maybe I’m missing something but I hope they understand finances are important too.

Happy Monday everyone! I just wanted to start a post to just check-in and see how everyone is doing, regardless of what stage we are at, pre or post surgery I feel that after complaining that I wasn't feeling full, now that I am on proper food, I am feeling it, and boy is it a struggle 😂 On the plus side, I feel a lot better in myself already, and I am going to go back to the gym! Just body weight stuff and light cardio to begin with, and maybe 2-3 times a week. I notice that I am getting dizzy spells lately, probably due to struggling with eating much, so I will be mindful of that! I've had some people comment on my weight loss already - which admittedly was quite nice - they were friends and I don't mind hearing it from them, but they were just proud of me regardless, which made me feel quite good. I hope everyone is doing well ❤️

Dinner tonight: Smash burger tacos Big Mac style. Lean ground beef on a mini mission low carb tortilla (my hand for reference), melted cheddar cheese (real cheddar not the plastic one), sliced dill pickles, jalapeños and gem lettuce drizzled with a little homemade big mac sauce. This meal is one of my favourites. See how I did below. My motto is when you’re full, you don’t need to eat the last bite, so I left the last bite sitting there. 1 hour later I had one bite of the homemade roasted potato wedges and 3 broccoli florets.

I was sleeve in 2015 and am having revision surgery next week (eek!!) but I never thought about the "what I want to do" type ideas before. Mostly I just wanted to lose weight - I've been heavy my entire life - but I think that maybe I'd like to... Be able to sit in one of those plastic/resin chairs that everyone seems to own for their patio without fearing that it might collapse under my weight, or sit at a sidewalk cafe/restaurant without my butt hanging over the edges of the chair. Have a mattress last longer than a few years before the "dent" I've put in it causes me even more body aches. Be able to go grocery or clothes shopping without feeling like I'm being stared at (that's my social anxiety, but it's made MUCH worse by my weight). Be able to fly economy class again (I've only been able to fly first class the last few years, because I just don't fit in economy anymore) WITHOUT the extender belt! Take my dog for walks and to the park and run around with him. Be able to sit in my desk chair for longer periods before my legs fall asleep because the chair isn't deep-seated enough for my butt! 🤣 I have boring "dreams" 😂

Hello from hot Arizona! Everyone is so different as to what makes them dump. I’m over 6 years out & can eat almost anything. Fruit can be tricky because of all the natural sugar. I just finished eating 3.5oz of watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberry & grapes. I make little portion cups up with just a couple of bites of each fruit & keep them ready in the fridge for a late night snack. You just gotta start off slow to see what your body will tolerate & just because something makes you dump this week doesn’t mean that it is always gonna be that way the next time. Good luck

I grieve the convenience of high fat/sugar/calorie foods. The ability to go anywhere with friends or family for a meal and not have to worry about 'will I be able to find something I can eat?' and cruising the menu online first. I grieve being able to go to my comfort foods for emotional comfort rather than having to actually work through it. Even though I'm happier, overall / in the long run, when I first sink into a bad mood that first little while is rough. I don't really grieve the particular foods themselves (yet?) -- but I think that's a mental block on my part at the moment; so many foods have been giving me problems that the idea of many food types make me feel ill, and the idea of anything greasy or fatty makes me downright nauseated. (Seriously, I had a conversation with my mother last week about pepperoni and her stomach issues when she eats pizza, and just picturing pepperoni had me breathing through my nose trying not to gag lol) (I do grieve that on excruciatingly hot days at work, when the guys make a run for iced-capps , there's no soothing ice slushy to make my afternoon more bearable.)

Ok...so...when you have a food allergy, even a "mild" one, take it seriously. I'm allergic to peanuts and shellfish. With shellfish, it's literally life and death. I can't even be in the room when it's being cooked because the proteins in the air set me off. It's really that bad. I go into anaphylactic shock and I was told if it happens 1 or 2 more times, I could very likely die. So...no shellfish, which breaks my heart because me an crab legs...omg. Love affair for the ages. But peanuts.....that's not bad like shellfish. My mistake was comparing it to the shellfish. I was told my shellfish allergy is the worst case my doctor has ever seen. So comparing anything to it is not smart. But that's what my stupid a$$ did. I forgot that every time I eat something I'm allergic to the reaction gets worse. Well, I'll never EVER forget it now. I ate 2 Kind bars. I bought them because there was no mention of peanuts (ordered them from the Starbucks app). Only mentioned almonds. YUMMY!!! We love almonds. WooHoo!!! Hubby goes to get my Kind bars and my drink and comes back and tells me there's peanuts in them. I think "well, there's not a huge amount because there's more than 1 kind of nut, and my reaction has always been fairly mild, so I should be ok" (tingles in my lips and tongue, slightly nauseous and mildly light headed, but over in 15 or 20 minutes) so I figured I could eat them and deal with the reaction for maybe 30 minutes or so and then be on my way. WRONG!!!!! To be fair, hubby said I shouldn't eat them but I did anyway. Within 10 minutes of eating them, my usual symptoms set in. Ok, I was ready for that. Within another 10 minutes, the nausea got worse, I got super shaky, and the light headedness increased. Sucks, but still not the end of the world. 10 minutes later, the absolute sharp, stabbing pain in my stomach started. It hurt so bad I couldn't catch my breath and I couldn't stand up straight. It increasingly got worse and worse. I couldn't sit, stand, or lay comfortably at all. It took 30 minutes for it to get this bad. I dealt with it for an hour, then the throwing up started. And throwing up. And throwing up. OMG... Once I was done and brushed my teeth, I went and laid down and fell asleep until now (3:30am). I slept for about 6 hours (not peacefully, but still slept). I feel a lot better except I'm weak, tired, and a little nauseous still. Hoping to go back to sleep soon. But let this be a reminder that even MILD food allergies can escalate out of nowhere and become major ones. Anything peanut related is like the devil as far as I'm concerned. Now I know I have a major peanut allergy and will NEVER even think about testing it out again. Hoping to feel better soon because OMG this is absolute bull$%#t!!!.

Hello again! Yes, @ShoppGirl - that's exactly what it was, now that you mention it that rings a bell! It was Heparin to help prevent blood clots. Maybe I won't need to B12 since I do still have my gallbladder - time will tell! I, too, had forgotten about the recipes on Baritastic until earlier today when I went to add the recipe I ended up using for the chicken salad I had for dinner. I need to get some fat free mayo; today I cheated and just used two teaspoons of regular mayo because that's what I had; and also sweet relish as opposed to dill relish. Are you taking an ADEK supplement? My nurse was insistent on my having to take them as a SADI patient post-op, so I ordered some from Barimelts that have thankfully not tasted terrible and dissolve quickly. It's a GREAT reminder about the recipes in Baritastic - thank you, @draikaina8503 for the reminder as well! When you get your staples out I'd suggest asking them to be liberal in their application of steri-strips, especially for ones that are on the sides or at an angle. Having that extra support against the pulling really did make a big difference. Weirdly, so has using antibiotic/pain relief ointment?! I'd never really experienced 'pain relief' from that ointment (generic over the counter) but I was shocked to find that after I applied it my pain did actually lesson! Who'd have thought?? Also, I totally kept the two reusable ice bags from the hospital and have been using them this whole time because they were softer than the ice packs I had and the ice being able to move around a bit as it melted was just more comfortable. I'm glad you'll be able to get back on your Adderall and normal medications now! I will say that nice warm showers also feel really nice overall during recovery, especially if you have an alternate shower pressure setting that can go easy on the surgical site and maybe more pulsing/massaging on the back. Just my own personal experience. I came across an inspiration idea for the puree phase today when looking around on Amazon! A friend of mine had given me about 2/3 of a container of the 30g powder protein in Vanilla and I realized that oatmeal is a great thing to add it to! I feel like if I cook the oatmeal and let it get soft and fluffy, then add in the protein powder with it to the food processor that I bet it will be perfect AND help me get my protein goal! Plus since oatmeal is high in fiber it should help with regular bowel movements. I even thought I might add some of my zero sugar caramel macchiato creamer to it in order to give it more flavor without adding an artificial sweetener. I do have some xantham gum though should I need it. I'm planning on exploring what types of purees I can make with my greek zero sugar vanilla yogurt, various fruits, and that protein powder. I'm not sure why but something just CLICKED earlier when I was in my kitchen and I realized that between the ricotta, strawberries, blueberries, low fat cottage cheese, and protein powder that I actually have a lot more options than I'd previously considered! You can also mix protein shakes with sugar free pudding instead of milk - but word to the wise, learn from my mistake and don't make up too much at once because at about day 3-4 it starts to separate and get runny. Before that it's quite tasty and filling, though! My chair isn't bothering me quite as much today after I laid a thick folded blanket down on the seat for cushioning; and I think part of my discomfort may have also just simply been from constipation and gas that needed to be passed. I'm proceeding with caution on starting new foods that I haven't already tried, but I will say the chicken salad sat really well on my stomach. I even 'cheated' and crumbled up two Ritz crackers on top for some texture variant - it was the first 'meal' I've eaten really other than my half a scrambled egg this morning that I found to be satisfying. I'm using the timer in Baritastic to make sure I go 30 mins before and after eating without a drink - that's still been rough but as long as I distract myself the time goes by pretty quickly. Oh - @draikaina8503 - I'm not sure if it is allowed for you per your doctor, but I've dealt with the dry mouth using sugar free jolly ranchers sparingly. I'm so sorry you're struggling with getting water down, but glad you're getting some relief with ice chips! Sonic definitely has better ice chips; as do a few gas stations here any there. Ice chips are SUCH a nice thing to have available. I'm cursing the fact that I don't have an ice dispenser in my fridge - sadly it isn't that fancy - but it sure would make it easier to fill these ice packs than having to fight to crack an ice tray and refill lol @Onemealplan - Yeah, what's with the ice cream? That sounds delightful lol - I mean, obviously one ounce wouldn't be bad - It just wasn't something I thought of myself as being allowed to have! Now you've got me thinking of all the sugar free varieties I saw available at Braum's in their store section! I guess I can also finally have my sugar free popsicles - Woohoo! Also thank you to @Rob Nissam for your insight about the gas and general knowledge sharing! I hope you are doing well on your path and in recovery! @AndreaJD - Thanks for the suggestions about what purrees are working for you! I'm all ears when it comes to tips to carry me through these next two weeks. I was thinking about my cream of soups earlier and how I can now have them warm. I know I need to buy some unflavored protein powder -- Does anyone have a suggestion for an unflavored protein powder they've found works well and mixes well? Just curious what's working and what if anything isn't! Wishing all of you the best in preparing, having surgeries, and recovering from them in the coming days! This forum has been invaluable to me and I'm grateful to all of you for sharing your tips and experiences so far!

I used to describe my tummy as a fussy, petulant temper throwing 2 year old. Likes this, not that. Liked this yesterday but not today. Ate this much yesterday barely can eat half today. Your digestive system has gone through a lot in the surgery and it’s going to take some 8 weeks to heal. There’s something up to 12 inches of sutures & staples holding your tummy together. It’s going to be sensitive to certain flavours, textures (& smells for some). Think of that wound being on your arm & how it would be sensitive to different temperatures, different pressures, it may sting, cramp, spasm, etc. as you move about. Same with your tummy you just can’t see the wound. And sometimes your tummy simply isn’t ready to eat some foods yet even if your program says you can. Go slowly. If your tummy doesn’t tolerate something it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to eat it in the future. Your tummy may not like mayo now (too rich or acidic or sweet 🤷🏻‍♀️) but in a couple of weeks it may be fine. It sometimes is challenging to find foods your tummy will tolerate at first. You may find you’re eating the same 2 or 3 things for a couple of weeks at a time. I ate a lot of yoghurt, runny instant rolled oats & runny scrambled eggs in the puree stage. Even had baby food twice to break the monotony. By solid food I was able to eat a lot of things.