My name is Jessica. I have my appt with my doctor on Wednesday to talk about the sleeve. I have done all the diets, had all the tests, this is my final option. I finally got the money together, nothing can stop me now. I am a very strong willed person and I know that i can do it. I have stuck to every diet until i couldnt stick anymore. I am ready. Its time.

My biggest questions are with diet. I know that the dr will share all of it with me but i am starving for information! Any info, experiences, bad and good i want it all.

Happy to be here!

Jess

Feel free to ask all the questions you want. Since you weren't specific about diet, I'll just give you an overview of what I went through.

Pre-Op: 1 week liquid diet (most people have a 2 week pre-op liquid diet)

Post-Op: Week 1 - Clear liquids (broths, Protein shakes)

Post-Op: Week 2 - full liquids (Soups, broths, Protein shakes - nothing with pieces or chunks)

Post-Op: Week 3 - soft/mushy/puree foods (Peanut Butter, creamy soups, scrambled eggs, refried Beans, pureed hamburger)

Post-Op: Week 4 - Full foods

At 4 weeks post-op, my ability to tolerate food was still pretty low. I was still eating Cream of Mushroom Soup for almost every meal. It took months before Frankensleeve would tolerate much else, it was around 6 months that I was able to start eating fruits and vegetables. At 9 months, things got much easier. And at 1 year I could tolerate almost any food (except Taco Bell taco sauce... go figure!)

At 18 months there's nothing I can't eat, but there are lots of things I don't want to eat... like fast food. I just lost my desire for any food that is served through a drive-thru window.

Many report, myself included, that your taste buds change after surgery and you may not like the same foods anymore and like others you didn't like previously. Some say it's caused by the reduction of the hunger hormone Ghrelin, I think it has something to do with going cold turkey from sugar for weeks pre and post-op.