Hi there
I feel several weeks back from the rest of you but I'm starting to feel the benefits of the sleeve without all the bad side effects I was dealing with. I can now drink water and it doesn't hurt! That has made my fluid consumption go way up and my weight loss start to move way down. I'm also able to eat food - we are talking bites here, but I can eat food that isn't mashed, pureed, or liquid. I'm re-entering the land of the living!
I have learned a few things about this process and myself. Most of all, I want to say to all those considering the sleeve to accept the fact that this is major. Its not a simple procedure that then helps you be slender. It is major surgery and renders you like a baby for weeks (months) afterwards. Sure, there are those that find it very easy to recover, but you may be more like me, and before you go in, you need to make a plan b for that. I had none. I literally came home to six children and a husband who were ready for life (for them, anyways) to return to normal within a week or two. I had some scares with dehydration - it was MUCH harder to drink fluids and keep them down, and almost impossible to keep anything else down (even liquid soups or smoothies). I felt bulimic up till around a week or so ago. I was committed to changing my diet permanently but thought if i did so, things would go smoothly, and that was not the case. I had to be hospitalized for about 30 hours in the ER to get my dehydration dealt with, and drink everything made into an icee with a spoon. Despite eating almost nothing my weight loss crawled along. I was so discouraged about the whole process, though I tried to just accept it. I think had i been prepared that I might have a less than stellar recovery, I would have been much better mentally about everything. Thus, I'm giving you the true grit of it all.

Now, its been exactly two months. Sounds like nothing, but each day dragged on and it was pretty tough on my family and on me. I was afraid that I would always have this horrible pain in my sternum with anything I ingested, that I would not lose weight beyond 20 lbs or so and I'd regret the whole thing. I felt a drain on the family's resources and had to fight back jealousy pangs when I'd read about all these people on here who are living a healthier, different life because of the sleeve and their hard work and dedication. I wondered if I could ever exercise without fainting, even to go for a walk, because I was getting in so little. AND, I was lying to everyone around me that I was FINE and this was NORMAL and TEMPORARY when really I was terrified this was going to be my new normal. It isn't and I appreciated all the encouragement about the process, as well as advice, but those 8 weeks were very scary for me, not to mention 8 weeks of feeling sick and having no energy.

I just want to prepare you a bit that not everyone has the chipper, perfect response to the sleeve. I most certainly didn't. And, that it DOES get better. I'm still eating very slowly, one or two bites only of actual food and I find that I cannot tolerate red meat, pasta, bread... have only tried these once and they were a definite no go. Maybe I'll never tolerate them, but I was prepared to find out that some things wouldn't taste the same, that I'd discover intolerances to foods (which I have, to soda and wine and caffeine as well). I was and am okay with that, in reality it makes my diet more in line with where I wanted to be anyways!

I'm so happy that I can drink water - that was another thing I never read about and was ill-prepared for. It seems to go down much easier now so as I said I am where i should be for fluid intake and don't have to have calorie or chemicals in my liquids, but I really didn't know when it would end. Prepare for alot of swelling in the esophagus - remember that the breathing tube as well as a camera angle go down there and you will be swollen. had no clue about that! And, since you don't drink during eating, you are going to feel that food even soup travel down so slowly and get stuck sometimes which is painful and uncomfortable. My swelling seems to finally be gone now praise the Lord.

I am finally getting the weight drop that I was doing this for and have re-dedicated myself to accepting whatever happens - stalls are normal, maybe my favorite foods will be ones I can never tolerate again, energy can take A LONG TIME to return following the surgery - this is NO easy fix and you can't just change your mind so go in with eyes wide open. And, I hope the process is as smooth as silk making this whole blog unneccesary for you! LOL

Enjoy the spring
xo Heidi (Leo)