Hi, My name is Cindy Vogel, I had my sleeve on 1/20/10 in Jacksonville, Fl By Dr. Steven Webb, out of Memorial Hospital. I have lost right at 40 lbs. My starting weight the day of surgery was 240 and today I am at 190 WOW.. I have so many questions and could not beleive it when I came accross this web site. If anyone could help it would be wonderful.

1) Heartburn how long does it last and how do you get it in control?

2) I can only get in about 30 oz of Liquid in a day is this normal and how do you get more in on top of the food?

3) I can only eat about 3 oz at any given time. But Rice, Pasta Bread are a NO for me I get so Sick and now cream soups and any Sugar get me real sick. Why is this happening and is it normal to be getting so sick all the time? I do not want to eat or drink for fear of getting sick.

Hi Cindy and congrats on your loss so far!

I am new to the sleeve but can offer a little info.

1. Heartburn - prilosec is available OTC (over the counter). I take one 20mg omeprazole per day; that is the generic for prilosec. I can take two if I need it. I have a rx for it and have taken it for several years. There are several other similar types of meds. Your doctor may direct you towards one or another, or maybe a pharmacist could help. I didn't have heartburn but would get a soreness in my stomach. I have had very little discomfort in my stomach but have been staying away from citrus and spicy foods, and anything else that hurt my stomach before surgery.

2 & 3 - I am still having a hard time getting 64oz of Fluid because I eat so slow. It takes me probably an hour to eat 2 oz. And I can not take a single bite more than that or I am too full and uncomfortable. Some people seem to have few problems with drinking. Most everything is settling ok tho.

I followed the Cornell University Gastric Sleeve Diet Guidelines. http://www.cornellweightlosssurgery.org/pdf/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf

Maybe you can get some ideas for eating and drinking from it.

Sorry I don't have anything specific to offer! It can be different for everyone.

Hi Cindy, welcome to VST! You've come to the right place to ask questions. First, congratulations on an incredible weight loss thus far. I'm a little envious. :thumbup:

I take Protonix 2x a day and haven't had a bit of heartburn after day 3.

I've been getting in 64 oz of fluids since Day 5, as required by my Kaiser plan. I would definitely ask your doctor if there's a physical reason you can't get in your fluids. I stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal and start again 30 minutes later. I start my day with a 16 oz mug of hot herbal tea and try to have another before lunch. After lunch I'll have a 16 oz bottle of Water or crystal light or something like that. Then it's just one more bottle or mug of tea before the end of the day.

I eat 3x a day. I'm on soft foods right now. I eat 1/2 to 1/3 cup of dense Protein at each meal. Generally that's around 2-3 oz of protein. If I try to eat more it hurts. I'm not eating much anything else because I want to optimize my protein intake. My plan calls for 1/4 to 1/3 cup protein and then either a bite or two of fruit or veggies. I'm pretty much skipping those for now.

I think sugar is tough on our small sleeve. We absorb things so much faster now. We didn't come all this way, have surgery, just to go back to old eating habits. I see some people that can occasionally have some sugar, but most don't even try it until they've reached goal.

Go check out that Cornell guide. I think it's really very good.

Good luck and keep asking questions!

Thank you both so much for all the help and answers. I will check out the Cornell Guide as well. I did ask my Doctor about the drinking and the food intake, His reply is try everyday to get more in, I understand that but just feel like I am not getting enough Liquid a day. I am still real drained. BUT I am getting all the protein in everyday.

Cindy, Keep posting about how you're doing. This is a great group here on VST!

Hi, My name is Cindy Vogel, I had my sleeve on 1/20/10 in Jacksonville, Fl By Dr. Steven Webb, out of Memorial Hospital. I have lost right at 40 lbs. My starting weight the day of surgery was 240 and today I am at 190 WOW.. I have so many questions and could not beleive it when I came accross this web site. If anyone could help it would be wonderful.

1) Heartburn how long does it last and how do you get it in control?

2) I can only get in about 30 oz of Liquid in a day is this normal and how do you get more in on top of the food?

3) I can only eat about 3 oz at any given time. But Rice, Pasta Bread are a NO for me I get so Sick and now cream soups and any Sugar get me real sick. Why is this happening and is it normal to be getting so sick all the time? I do not want to eat or drink for fear of getting sick.

Hi Cindy, and welcome. Congrats on your surgery, and progress thus far.

For heartburn/reflux, I take RX Prilosec 20mg once daily. I've never had any true reflux as I asked my surgeon to prescribe something when I started on mushies and I kept getting this empty, weird feeling in my stomach after I ate. I am over 9 months, and could wean off of it, but I have 1 more 90 day refill. I might try weaning myself off, but at the first sign of false hunger or acid issues, I'll go right back on it.

For liquid, I had to really time it. 30 minutes after meals, I had to start drinking. Early out, 2 ounces of Fluid every 15 minutes, that's 8ounces an hour, over an 8 hour day we should be able to get in the 64ounces that's recommended. It's great in theory, but many of us found it challenging.

Food intolerances are common early out. Grant it, some people never have any food problems, but a lot of patients struggle until they get further out. I just recently found out super moist pork chops don't settle well. We, as a family, took most pork off our menu. My husband was deployed to Afghanistan last year, and he decided while there that he didn't want to eat pork anymore. We'll still have ham occasionally, but no more sausage, bacon, pork chops, pork loin. Well, last week, I had this insane craving for pork chops. I found a divine recipe for stuffed pork chops, and I was able to eat them, but they sat in my stomach like a brick for a couple of hours. Least to say, pork chops are now back off our menu, and I doubt I'll even bother trying them again. If you find something that doesn't work for you, just put it away for a few weeks then try it again. I struggled with pasta/rice early out, but now those are slider foods for me. Meaning I can eat quite a bit of those without issue, and I have to be careful not to overindulge. I had a heck of a time with meat as well, so I stuck with pureed/mushy foods a bit longer, and just tried to incorporate new foods slowly. If something didn't work, I would just take it off my menu for awhile.

I couldn't eat more than 3oz at 3 months out. I was worried because I thought I should be able to eat more by that time. Then one day, things seem to just relax, and I was able to get in more food. I can still only eat 4-5oz of dense Protein, and I have to chew well, and eat super slowly. I can eat 8ounces of mushy/puree foods, but again it takes me awhile to eat that amount.

Be patient, and try to log what makes you sick so you avoid it for a couple of weeks. You'll be able to eat a bigger variety in a couple of months. Best wishes, and keep posting. Let's us know how you're doing, and if you need anything never hesitate to post here.

Hi Cindy..my name is Andera and i'm going through the process now. Dr. Webb is who I am going through too. So happy to have found someone else who has used him on here. Keep us updated on your progress. I go for my meeting and orientation next week:thumbup: I can't wait! Hope things have gotten better, and talk to you again soon!

You will love him he is the best.. Please keep in touch and let me know how you are doing. You are in great hands with Dr. Webb.