Hi there. My name is Gena. I has the gastric sleeve procedure done on December 19th, 2014 and I have a ton of questions. I'd love to hear from people who have done this and get some input. I've greatly enjoyed visiting the forum already, but have remained a lurker, not a poster, until today. Thanks in advance for your feedback / input! I didn't ask enough questions when I went in for my 10-day followup and I am kicking myself for not doing so.

1. I've been told to expect a stomach size of 5-8 ounces, or thereabout, but I seem to get filled with 1/3 of that, or less! Does this change in time?
2. I have a VERY hard time meeting my nutritional goals (specifically 60 G of Protein a day) and would like to know what else y'all might suggest, aside from shakes? I drink those daily.
3. My weight loss from the pre-op diet (started 2 weeks before surgery) to today (almost 3 weeks after) has been close to 40 pounds. Is that average?
4. The loose skin is a cause for concern, as it's already started to show. Upper arms and tummy, especially. Have you been successful at bouncing back from that, or is this something I have to face for life? (If it matters, my peak weight was 280 lbs, 5'7, 38 y/o female)
5. Ladies - how much of your breasts did you lose? Forgive such a vain question, I just wanna keep 'em, haha.
6. Do you find yourself having trouble sleeping? For side sleepers and tummy sleepers, how long until it stopped hurting and you could be comfortable again in those positions?
7. Speaking of pain, I will assume that does eventually go away completely, but I still feel twinges when I twist and move certain ways. Normal?

I could ask a ton more but I am going to stop there and see if anyone would be kind enough to answer some or all of my questions so far! Once more, I greatly appreciate your time and hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Hi Gena! I was sleeved October 10 and I may have some insight into your questions. I started this at a weight of 255 and I'm down to 199 now.

1. I've been told to expect a stomach size of 5-8 ounces, or thereabout, but I seem to get filled with 1/3 of that, or less! Does this change in time? Yes, this will change over time. You'll gradually get up to 1/2 cup and eventually 1 full cup.
2. I have a VERY hard time meeting my nutritional goals (specifically 60 G of Protein a day) and would like to know what else y'all might suggest, aside from shakes? I drink those daily. I try to get in a protein "shot" every morning. They're only 3.8 ounces but they've got 28 grams of protein! If you drink one first thing in the morning, it boosts your metabolism, according to my surgeon. Also, it's kinda pricey, but Isopure is also really good. The 20 ounce bottle has 40 grams of protein!
3. My weight loss from the pre-op diet (started 2 weeks before surgery) to today (almost 3 weeks after) has been close to 40 pounds. Is that average? I was on a clear liquid diet for one week pre-op and another week post-op. I think I only lost about 30 pounds though! Congrats!
4. The loose skin is a cause for concern, as it's already started to show. Upper arms and tummy, especially. Have you been successful at bouncing back from that, or is this something I have to face for life? (If it matters, my peak weight was 280 lbs, 5'7, 38 y/o female) I've heard all kinds of stories for flabby skin fixes. I'm using a lotion that has Keratin in it that supposed to promote skin elasticity but I haven't noticed any improvement yet. I've also heard using aloe vera daily. My long term plan is to get down to my goal weight of 150 and visit with a plastic surgeon. I think that's the only true fix.
5. Ladies - how much of your breasts did you lose? Forgive such a vain question, I just wanna keep 'em, haha. I've gone down 4 bra sizes already and I'm frustrated. I bought 4 fairly expensive bras about a month ago and they're already too big. I went from a 44DD to a 38C now. Breasts are made up from a lot of fatty tissue so it stands to reason, you're gonna lose a bunch of them.
6. Do you find yourself having trouble sleeping? For side sleepers and tummy sleepers, how long until it stopped hurting and you could be comfortable again in those positions? I'm a tummy sleeper and it was tough for me because I had a stomach drain post-op for two weeks. I slept on my sides until I was able to sleep comfortably on my stomach.
7. Speaking of pain, I will assume that does eventually go away completely, but I still feel twinges when I twist and move certain ways. Normal? Yes. I'm 13 weeks out and completely pain free. What's more important is that I'm pain free from my formerly aching knees, feet, hips, back, etc...

Good luck on your journey!

Thank you so much for your thoughtful answers!

Hi, mst of your questions can be found by doing a quick search on the forums, but here's my experience.

1. Yes
2. This improves with time as your tummy heals. I still have a Protein shake in the morning but I add greek yogurt to it. (FGAE 0% plain) This adds another 12 -18gms of protein and makes it easy to get in the rest of my protein throughout the day.
3. It varies some loose a little, some loose a lot. I didn't have a pre-op diet, but I lost 26lbs from DOS to my first f/u appt.
4. Hard to tell. My upper body is fine, but my thighs are jiggly. I'm not worried about it for now. I just wear compression and support tights & yoga pants..
5. Mine were big. I was a 48DD, I'm now a 46C
6. Never had trouble sleeping from day 1.
7. Normal and yes it goes away.

Edited January 8, 201511 yr by BLERDgirl

1. I've been told to expect a stomach size of 5-8 ounces, or thereabout, but I seem to get filled with 1/3 of that, or less! Does this change in time? Not sure to be honest with you. I am 16 months out and I can eat a few bites of solid food and then I'm completely full. More than that I get sick.

2. I have a VERY hard time meeting my nutritional goals (specifically 60 G of Protein a day) and would like to know what else y'all might suggest, aside from shakes? I drink those daily. I miss my protein goal every day. There is protein that is flavorless and tasteless that you can mix into Water or oatmeal or whatever. I ordered some with the intention of using it, but haven't had a chance yet. Seems like a good idea though. Oh and I eat weight control oatmeal for Breakfast (7g protein in a serving) with a little bit of protein granola on top (10g protein in a serving). I only eat about 1/3 the bowl, but it does add some protein early in the day.

My weight loss from the pre-op diet (started 2 weeks before surgery) to today (almost 3 weeks after) has been close to 40 pounds. Is that average? I was self-pay so I did not have a pre-op diet. I was into surgery 2 weeks after I decided I wanted it.

The loose skin is a cause for concern, as it's already started to show. Upper arms and tummy, especially. Have you been successful at bouncing back from that, or is this something I have to face for life? (If it matters, my peak weight was 280 lbs, 5'7, 38 y/o female) I started at 237 and after 100 pounds I was not looking hot. I've had a series of plastic surgery procedures done which have fixed the issue. I think if I had been more patient, some of my skin would have bounced back. It seems like this is really dependent on genetics and your own skin.

Ladies - how much of your breasts did you lose? Forgive such a vain question, I just wanna keep 'em, haha. I started with a 38DDD, had a 36DD when I was almost done losing, and went back to a 34DDD with a breast lift and augment. I didn't feel like I lost size as much as they just went from being nice boobies, to droopy udders, lol.

Do you find yourself having trouble sleeping? For side sleepers and tummy sleepers, how long until it stopped hurting and you could be comfortable again in those positions? I sleep on my stomach and it was about 2-3 weeks before I was comfortable sleeping like that again. Otherwise, no real issue sleeping.

Speaking of pain, I will assume that does eventually go away completely, but I still feel twinges when I twist and move certain ways. Normal? Very normal. I felt twinges for about the first 6-7 weeks after sleeve surgery. I've noticed also with my plastic surgery procedures, while technically you're healed at 6 weeks, I still felt pain from twisting for a few weeks afterward.

Edited January 8, 201511 yr by AvaFern