Gastric Sleeve Patients?????

Hi Everyone! I was sleeved on Tues Feb 4th. I have to tell you besides being a little sore and stiff,I feel great! Small sips of fluids, pills cut in 1/2 or even 1/3rds go down easily. I am home and relaxing after a shower. I was mentally and physically prepared for this surgery. My doctors were awesome and I had complete confidence in them. I read all the information that I was given about 100 times, so I was ready for everything they did. So, I guess if I can make any suggestions..just be prepared and take small sips no gulps and you will be fine. Walk, Walk, Walk even if just a little just move you will bounce back quicker. What a wonderful thing I have done for myself, so looking forward to the rest of my life, Best Wishes all.

Hi all!,

im getting sleeved on the 17th of Feb... very excited! i can't wait! i've been dealing with weight since forever, and after 3 years of constant dieting and exercise, i have decided that this is going to be the most help for me.. i understand i have to educate myself on what to eat and how to eat it.. any specific tips or info for me?

many thanks!

i had mine sleeve done last may and have lost 46 lbs since then. i am 240 pounds know but i still have a long journey. sometimes its hard to not graze but i want to be healthy for my kids.

I have my surgery next on 2/19/14. Little nervous and really excited at the same time. It has helped to read everyone's story. I pray everything goes well and I am excited about being a dad that can do more active activities with his kids and wife. Besides me losing weight and becoming more active, they are why I am doing this. What are the best protein shakes that you have tried? I have tried the whey strawberry protein shack and I can force it down, but if their are others that taste better, I would like to try them.

Im sure as u have read the sleeve is only a tool but if he is serious about it I think he should go for it. He must make sure his insurance covers it and he will see a pa and a dietitian a few times as well as meet with a therapist to be cleared for surgery. The time frame for all this is different for everyone. I started my journey in October. In the meantime tell him to research as much information as possible and it may help to watch the actual procedure on youtube before making a final decision. Best of luck

Hi,

Your post has really helped me as I'm having the sleeve done in three more days. I've already lost 13lbs on the two wk liquid diet. However, reading ppl's horror stories of hair and energy loss..I needed to read your post about eating more leafy greens, taking my vitamins, etc.
Thanks for posting.
K~

Congratulations. I was sleeved on Feb 7th. I must say the gas in my chest it the worse. Even if I sip I feels as if it's stuck in my chest. Are you having any issues like that? ....other then that I feel fine

Hello everybody! I was sleeved on 10/30, best decision I've ever made! I am exercising 5 days weekly now (just starting this week) treadmill 30 min/Bike 30 min/ weights. I look forward to having another place to share and learn!

I just ran across this thread and # 1 to the original poster, if anyone hasn't said this yet already, grazing in small amounts and healthier foods is actually a good thing. It will keep your metabolism up and help to lose the weight rather than hinder. Small meals more often is better for your body so it doesn't start hoarding the fat and slow your metabolism down.

I had the sleeve in late June of 2012, I was a tight size 18 and around 175 pounds. By September I was in my 8's and by November I was a 0. I don't recall my weights along the way since I paid attention more to how my clothes fit. I do recall getting down to 98 pounds and having to start eating higher carbs to be myself back up to 110 or so. That was in Feb of 2013 and now a year later I still stay between 108 and 112 for the whole past year. I am able to eat more now 19 months out. I can eat a whole English Muffin as opposed to a half of one, a whole bowl of cereal instead of just a few bites, etc. I really don't watch what I eat anymore like i used to, if i want it, I eat it. But it's not going ot make me gain weight back since I eat such a small amount due to the size of my stomach pouch that I stop when I am full.

As for the haters on the sleeve and all of the naysayers? Bleh - shut up. EVERY surgery can have it's complications, you can find any surgeries and ask different people and there will always be someone who had complications. For some the sleeve is a godsend like it was for me and for some it's not so good. I see people on another board that I used to be active in blame the sleeve on their back problems, their spine degeneration, etc etc. It's stupid. I also see people there that go on the board and say "oh I feel sick, I am in so much pain" then when pressed for details they reveal that they are a month out from surgery and they were eating STEAK when the pains started and then they waited a while for the pain to stop and then they kept eating but why are they in som much pain? DUH!

For the first month I ate refried beans - low fat with low fat cheese and salsa and it was awesome. Some people bashed me and said I shouldn't eat that but hey I lost the weight and it worked for me while they were eating all the "right things" and quite frankly were still fat 6 months after their surgery. For my meals I eat what I want in small portions of course, beef roast, pork roast, potatoes, corn whatever, in other words I eat normally. I now eat a breakfast sandwich or cereal or waffles which I never did before, I would usually skip breakfast. I work from home in my own business so I stop and eat a lunch too of something, maybe it's another breakfast sandwich or bowl of cereal, but I eat lunch too. For dinner I will eat a little bit of roast or pizza or turkey burger (half of one) or a burrito, shredded chicken - whatever I would normally used to eat. For a snack at nite or even during the day I keep yogurt on hand and watermelon has been my constant in my house. I also keep trays of shrimp that I will have 4 or 6 of those at nite when I want something around 8 PM.

I will admit I didn't walk or work out at all after surgery. I felt like crap with low energy and i know it would have been better if I had worked out but I didn't. I lost a ton of muscle tone and definition and since i ride a monster 700 pound motorcycle that was tough to relearn to balance on it. I do work out now and I try and go tot he gym 4 days a week or go swimming. I live in Arizona so I can pretty much swim year round since the pool is heated.

Good luck.

Hey guys! The gastric sleeve saved me in so many ways! I am TWO YEARS POST OP now and my diabetes is IN REMISSION. NORMAL blood sugars. I was 35 years old and had just found I had type 2 diabetes right before I had the sleeve. I was honestly a little shocked! My BMI wasn't even that high--it was 38. I mean I was BIG but not SUPER BIG but apparently big enough to get diabetes!. Well I decided to get sleeve surgery to help with the diabetes and the weight. I'm thrilled with it. I have a NORMAL BMI, NORMAL WEIGHT, NORMAL blood sugars. I love wearing nice small clothes. It's way easier to stick with a high protein low carb diet that diabetics are supposed to eat with my little sleeved tummy. I am beyond thrilled. To anyone with complications I am very sorry you have gone through it. I am sad that some people don't experience a normal recovery but hopefully one day the complications will be a distant memory and you will be healthy. Hugs everyone!

I am 4 months out from having the sleeve done. I've lost 65 pounds so far and have 15 more to go to be where I need to be. I did have severe complications from surgery, but I know any surgery has the potential for that. I was hospitalized 3 times since surgery and had to have a thoracotomy done to clean infection from my lung. The sleeve is not a painful surgery at all. Just the gas can be. I am off of diabetes meds and blood pressure meds! I walk 2 miles a day and am fixing to add more to that. I drink protein drinks to help get my protein intake better. I use to be a size 22 now I am a 14. I am enjoying clothes shopping again. my self confidence has gone up considerably. I can finally say I am glad I had it done.

I had the sleeve done on 17th September and have lost 40kgs since and 10kgs in my prep time. Best decision I have ever made. I find the hardest part is keeping the amount of sodium in my diet down and getting enough fibre and protein. What can anyone suggest about protein intake? I fink it way too difficult to eat any meat and i have a massive dairy allergy, so I mainly live On egg and perhaps a Grainy piece of toast per day.

Hi all I'm new to MFP I was sleeved on 2/17/14 was curious to see if others are having same problems as I am. I am having trouble getting in 32 oz of water a day right now. And not hungry at all fill very full all the time. I am taking very small sips of room temp water but have this extreme fullness I am guessing this will pass as my body gets used to it but I still fill like I have a lot of gas still trapped that won't come out. Walking 4-5 times a day just trying to get some movement. But was looking to see if anyone else is fighting the same or have in the past post op.

Hi
I had sleeve 4/3/13. I've lost 65 lbs but feel stuck. I haven't lost any since before Christmas - partly because I have not been really working a plan. My eating is all over the place. My fear is that I have stretched my stomach. I feel so much better. I'm afraid. I haven't been able to stick with the support group because of distance. So I thought I would seek out other sleeve folks for support. Thanks for sharing your stories and helpful suggestions.

I am currently finding it harder to only eat when my body signals hunger. Any help would be appreciated!

Check out Obesityhelp.com they have a VSG forum with alot of active members