I'm still a baby sleever.

B: Premier protein shake (8oz of it)
L: 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese with a dash of seasoning salt
S: 1/4 cup egg salad made with greek yogurt and 1/8 cup feta cheese
D: ? maybe 1/4 cup chili w/ 1oz cheese or eggface's ricotta bake

Water: 64oz in 26 to go
Vits: 2/3 done
Exercise: treadmill in the air conditioning!

I <3 Costco! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to get back to real food again and try this out.

It does get better!! Just hang in there. The first 2 days for me after surgery I felt like I wanted to die I was in so much pain. The gas would not pass. But after that, I was amazed and how much better I felt every day. Congratulations!

I am 2 weeks out today and at first, the bottom of my esophagus was swollen from surgery and things would sit there before trickling in to my stomach. (you can see a photo from my swallow study at the bottom of this page on my blog:http://www.royaltysjourney.blogspot.com/2012/06/dizziness-was-order-of-day.html) Because of my speed bump it took quite a long time to get in enough fluids each day as I had to sip sip sip very slowly.

For about 5 days as the swelling was going down, my stomach would do this tightening thing when I put things in it. Cold was worse than hot. It would tighten and hurt and then release. Now that it has subsided, I am up to 90 ounces a day of water/SF liquids with no problems.

My tastes have definitely changed. Things are much sweeter now, too sweet. I used to love malted milk and I tried adding a small amount to a vanilla protein shake and it was just too much. I could get down protein shakes no problem before but now it takes about 30 minutes to finish 8 ounces (sometimes less). I got alllll kinds of samples to try post-surgery and I am personally not a fan of the Syntrax fruity flavors. It seems like every protein shake comes in some sort of sweet flavor so my new favorite meal is 8 ounces of chicken broth with a scoop of unflavored protein powder.

My tummy definitely gurgles a lot more now. I don't really gag but this last week of protein shakes is getting tougher every day.

In the hospital I threw up twice from the liquid pain meds despite being given anti-nausea meds. The liquid would go in and burn like heck and then my stomach would reject it back up immediately. This did finally stop but it took a little time.

Like Somayeh said, it just takes time to adjust and accumulate. I am amazed and how quickly the recovery process has been overall and can't wait to start mushies!

I have never had any kind of surgery before but I imagine it's similar to a c-section. I;d be really interested to hear what others who have had abdominal surgery would say. The muscles in my tummy are pretty tore up right now. I have trouble with bending over, moving around while sitting, (pardon the TMI) wiping in the bathroom, pretty much anything that would normally engage my core or twist or pull my abdomen. When I first stand up and start walking it takes a few steps to stand up all the way straight.

I was sleeved on Monday, June 11th and I'll be honest, the 2 days following were the worst days of my life. I was in so much pain despite the pain meds. I had a breakdown the second night in the hospital after throwing up for a second time (my liquid pain meds and I didn't agree at first). I cried to the nurse about what if I can't ever drink enough to stay hyrdrated? What if I can't eat enough to get my protein in? What if this pain never goes away? I sat on the toilet for an hour literally praying to pass gas because I was so unbelievably uncomfortable. I was blindly hysterical. He put me back on the pain pump and an IV for the night and by morning I felt better and more ready to tackle this new life. I ended up going home just a couple hours later than expected on the third day in the hospital. I am now on day 5 of post-op (I don't count surgery day as a post-op day) and I am here to tell those with upcoming surgeries that IT DOES GET BETTER. Every day I feel a little bit better. I can drink without my tummy tightening up. I can stand up almost straight again. Just talking the first few days would wear me out. Every day I can sip more, walk more, move more without pain at my stab sites. The gas has passed.

I kept thinking this whole week about what others on here have said about their experiences and it REALLY helped. Walk, sip, rest became my mantra. I would like to add relax to that mantra. Don't worry if you are not doing enough, just do the best you can every day and know that tomorrow will be better. You can't expect to be a super star on the first day. This is MAJOR surgery and you have to get the hang of it. Thanks for reading!

Great to hear your experience. My surgery is Monday and I keep having those second thoughts but then I think about how much time and money I have put in to this. I have someone coming in from out of town to take care of me as well. I keep thinking of how I want to be a healthy 32 year old and that helps to keep my eyes on the prize. Thanks for posting, congratulations and keep up the great work!

I am a 6/11 sleever in La Crosse, WI! Nervous waves keep washing over me.

My surgery is scheduled for a week from today but my hiking buddies and I have started planning a 4 day backpacking trip through Yellowstone on my one year surgiversary in 2013. This is something I really enjoy doing when I am in the down cycles of dieting and am able to carry the 30 lb backpack while hiking 20 miles. I am hoping it will be a celebration of no more "dieting" and instead just making healthy choices.

I'm still pre-op but I have been working on healthier eating habits for a year and I know the following are trouble for me:

1. Stacey's pita chips
2. Fresh cheese curds
3. Diet coke with fresh lemon juice
4. Cake with frosting (white, chocolate, red velvet, even carrot cake)
5. Salt and vinegar chips (the really chunky crispy kind)

Have a hard time saying no to these, so I just don't buy them anymore.

I definitely understand about the calm. When I got my approval letter I went through a whole roller coaster of emotions...but now I am in the calm. I'm 15 days til surgery and I just feel ready. I've done the research, I've done my last meal/s. I hope the preop diet goes as smoothly for me as it does for you. Congratulations and good luck, you are ready!

Congrats! We will be sleeve buddies. The next 17 days are going to be killer. Hope all goes well for you and good luck!