Recent Posts
on 11/10/19 5:18 am
I always preface posts like these with, "please reach out to your program's bariatric nutritionist or nurse, first" but beyond that, it sounds like what you are experiencing is normal. My program counted any fluids towards fluid intake at that point and most of our effort was expected to be sipping and getting water and other fluids in, (including protein of course). Water made me nauseated at that point so I bought a sno cone maker ate tiny spoonfuls of chipped ice and would pour my electrolyte or other drinks over that and it helped me. I also found that hydration was a huge stepping stone and once that was better, more energy came gradually once I could have more nutrition. You can't really safely rush this stage so all you can do is focus on what you can do, iykwim and take it one day at a time. You did have major surgery so it is natural your body is feeling the effects. Please be gentle with yourself. I would worry more about kidney issues related to dehydration than kidney stone per se unless you have some other reason to think you are more likely to get them now. Hang in there. Soon this phase will be a distant memory.

Hello friends. I had my surgery on oct 28th this year 2019 and after the clear liquid stage for the first 3-4 days. i have been having troubles getting enough food let alone protein down. I cant stand the shakes i try to choke down a half a shake a day at the absolute minimum but it takes work. ive tried adding bananas apple sauce, milk and other approved variations and just hard to do it. I have not been tracking all my water in take as i should. im not sure im getting a full 64 oz as suggested for where i am even though i feel i am sipping water all day long. I also have noticed that regular plain water multiple brands even home filtered make me nauseous. Granted that happened alot before the surgery just not as often. I have been drinking alot of propel sports waters from Gatorade. my biggest concern is though i do get out and walk my dogs and move around alot more then i was before surgery i don't know if im expelling enough electrolytes for how much im in taking. I guess im worried i might end up with kidney stones or other adverse affects from it. i dunno.
Does anyone one else have any advice on getting my nutrition down these first couple weeks when im still restricted to liquids cuz sadly most of my nutrition is coming from barbaric fusion complete chew able vitamin and mineral supplements. And im sure my lack of energy is stemming from lack of nutrition!
Thank you guys!
Congrats on getting the date set. I dunno about other peoples surgery centers but if you have not been sticking to the regimen where i got mine they would deny you before your date got set. once the date was set we had one more check up. Getting the date set IMO is a good thing! I am just under 2 weeks out from having my surgery done on the 28th of oct.
Prior to surgery i was on a rollercoaster of emotions. Started with my shakes and being stricted with them. and losing weight. doubt i could have stuck to it long term with out the surgery which made me think maybe i don't need the surgery and can do it on my own. then the doubt crept in and as someone said earlier the fear of failing and wasting all this time and money to try and get this taken care of. was there hard! it still gets to me way more often then i would like, i know this is for me and my health, But seeing my loved ones get excited every time i lose another 5-10 lbs kinda makes up for some of it. right now i cant eat anything but liquids still. i kn ow its the hardest part. and ive found that i get kinda depressed when i smell good food i loved. or see something good on tv/youtube. but then i remember how ive lost over 75 lbs in the last 2 months since i started this journey and the depression passes.
Being able to finally ride my bike i bought 5 years ago will be amazing. Being able to play with my neices and nephews when my brothers come home or i go visit them will make this all seem trivial. and hell if i ever get a family of my own being able to take care of them play with them or just help the mrs around the house or whatever, witch is a fear i always had not being able to, makes this journey seem soo much more worth it.
when having he surgery i apparently stopped breathing a couple times and they gave me something twice on the table to keep me going. witch apparently made me SUPER emotional in recovery, and i guess i freaked out and was very upset about actually having it done like cursing my self out saying why did i do this. blah blah stuff like that. from what the doc/psych and others have said this is fairly normal after something major like this. don't worry you will thank yourself in the long run when your health is better your quality of life is better. and your ability to just enjoy what we have left on this earth is so much better!
My biggest issue is getting food down. My shakes are absolutely horrid to me now i cant stomach any of them. i have like 7 different flavors trying to find some i can stand pre op. post op nothing i do can make them taste good. i've added milk i've tried a spoon of apple sauce to half a shake witch i regretted almost instantly even though i was 8 days out didn't sit well. added a bite of banana didn't help even to banana flavored shake. But ive been getting about half a shake down a day weather i like it or not. haha plus my supplements.
I apoligize socializing isnt my strong suit anymore kinda closed my self off as i got bigger sadly and i tend to ramble. i hope some of this made sense and helped out.
TLDR yes i and I'm sure most if not all of us have had the same feelings to varying degrees! if you ever need anyone to talk to we are here to support you and know what you are going thru! GL I believe in you!!!
on 11/9/19 12:51 pm
What you describe is exactly the reason I had surgery. I was so tired of years of almost reaching my goal only to once again end up so far from it. The surgery for me has ended that cycle.
I wish you all the best!
on 11/9/19 12:45 pm
Well that's a perspective I hadn't thought of as far as them politely telling me to see my PCP. I just go for labs and because when I had the surgery they stressed that annual follow up was ABSOLUTELY imperative ?. I eat a pretty normal diet. I don't deny myself anything. I still have major restriction. I can eat about 10 bites or so at every meal. Breakfast I'll usually eat a hard boiled egg with 1/4 of an avocado. Lunch I'll eat a chicken taco. Dinner I'll eat 1/2 a sandwich. Snacks are usually cheese, almonds, yogurt, or beef jerky. I throw in some treats every once in a while.
Thank you for your feedback - it's definitely given me a different perspective.
I have been trying to think of a way to respond to this post. So here goes nothing. I am thinking that you see the sleeve as more desirable than the bypass. But both surgeries serve the same purpose and if followed correctly after surgery yields the same results. The goal is to become healthier. You don't want to have this surgery and it corrects other problems but causes new ones. If you are experiencing heartburn or any form of GERD it is better to go with the bypass because you won't have to worry about that anymore.
Your doctor should have his success rates for both procedures. Success rates are determined by how many people lost over 80% of their weight and kept it off for 5 years or more. Trust your doctor, come on this site often until you have a handle on how to eat and keep the weight off. But most importantly don't be afraid or discouraged if he says to do the bypass because he is looking out for you. Just know in your heart that you are going to appreciate this second chance that you have to be healthier and not take if for granted later on down the road when the novelty of being smaller and healthier wears off. I hope this helps just a little

Surgery date 9-23-15, SW: 212 CW: 125
Doctors goal reached in 6 months. Personal goal reached in 11 months
Hi Fellow VSG'ers!
I just recently passed my 5 year surgiversary. I started at 205 and currently weigh 89. I know that's too low, but it's been a very stressful year.
Question for those of you who are out a few years. Do you still go to your annual follow up with your surgeon? If so, how do they act? I never see the actual surgeon and their office has become a revolving door of PA's.
At this last appointment, without even looking up from my chart a PA I've never met said, "well, you've lost 148%of your excess weight so I guess you're doing ok."
Basically said here's your bloodwork for next year and if you have any health issues in between now and then, call your primary doctor.
I don't think she ever even looked at my face! I was back in my car within 8 minutes. I get such a weird vibe, like they are annoyed that I haven't gained. They certainly aren't congratulatory or happy.
Am I the only one that has a dr's office full of ********
if they are giving you nothing but grief, why go back? Surgeons cut, they hate follow up care. Seems to me like they are politely telling you to see your pvp and that is what I would do. They can order labs just as well and you would likely see the same couple ppl every time.
wondeting what you are eating to be weighing 89#.
Another doubt that I had about the surgery was that I worried that I "hadn't tried hard enough" to lose weight on my own, and I felt guilty about that. But since surgery I have learned that I need to stick to 800-900 calories per day in order to lose weight. There's no way I could have followed such a restrictive in the long term that without medical help.
Of course, only you can know if WLS is right for you, and if this is the right time for you to have it. It does mean some big changes to your lifestyle. I remember the first time I got stressed after VSG, and couldn't comfort myself with a chocolate bar. Fortunately, I had made a list of enjoyable ways to lower stress, like drinking herbal tea, cuddling with my cats, or climbing under the duvet for a good sulk.
I just want to preface this by saying that I never complain about supplements...meaning ever. I received Genepro Protein today. The package is a plastic zipped lock type of bag, opening it is a hot mess myloweslife
Unless you need surgery again, there is no point in going back to that practice.

Real life begins where your comfort zone ends