Three days post-surgery, the journey so far

[Tufflaw 463]

I'll try to be as detailed as I can to help others about to go through this.

My surgery was scheduled for this past Wednesday 12/21, I was told to go to the hospital at 7:30 AM. My wife had to take the kids to school so my mother brought me. No waiting, immediately they took me into the back to start getting ready, and my mom was able to come. They filled out some forms, put the IV in, gave me a shot of Heparin (blood-thinner) in my stomach (didn't hurt) and told me I'd get an additional shot every 8 hours until I got discharged.

They gave me a few pills and some horrifically nasty stuff to drink (everything I had to drink in the hospital was terrible). Some of the nurses came by to introduce themselves, the anesthesiologist came by to chat. I had been concerned because I had been coming down with a cold but all I had left was a slight cough so it was fine. My doctor came by to let me know I would be going in soon. He had a busy day, at least 6 surgeries! I think I was number 3.

So about 9:45 or so they wheeled me in. My mom was given a tracking number, and there was a monitor in the waiting room where you could find a patient's tracking number, and it would light up green when they were in surgery, and blue when they were in recovery. They said they'd call when I was out of surgery (they didn't).

I went into the room and laid down on a very narrow table and got strapped in. My doctor wasn't in there yet, but they needed to prep me anyway. They put a mask on face and told me to breath deeply, and bam I was out. My next recollection was waking up in recovery with an oxygen mask (they give everyone oxygen via mask for two hours post-surgery) feeling very woozy and nauseous . I told them I was feeling sick and they gave me something that helped. Soon after, they brought my mom and wife back to spend some time with me, but I was really in and out.

Shortly after, they had me stand up and walk around a bit, and then they sat me in a lazy-boy type chair for a while, then I walked around a little more. Walking felt OK, felt some tightness in my stomach around the incisions but it wasn't unbearable. Then they put me in a wheelchair and brought me to my room which I was sharing with another guy who got the same surgery from the same doctor that day (he arrived later).

They put me in the bed and asked me a bunch of questions to get me admitted. After that it was mostly just sleeping as much as I could. Every two hours I had to get up and walk for several minutes. They got all the bariatric patients up together so every two hours it was like the world's worst conga line and we shambled down the hospital hallway. I made sure to go to the bathroom after every single walk so I wouldn't have to get up unnecessarily. They let me have ice chips and thank god for that. I didn't have a sore throat from the surgery although I'd heard some do.

It was a long night, people kept coming in to check blood pressure, give me heparin shots, take blood once I think, maybe twice. The next morning some folks from the hospital came in to give me and my roommate a holiday gift of a poinsettia which was nice but I would have rather kept sleeping.

In the morning they brought me down for a GI check. I had to drink some absolutely foul liquid four times while they took x-rays of my stomach (standing) to check for leaks. No leaks! So I was cleared for Breakfast. Breakfast was some Water, some orange Jello, and some Protein things to drink, they tasted completely disgusting and I couldn't finish them. When they saw I tolerated it well, they brought lunch, which was scrambled eggs, Powerade zero, and more horrible Protein drinks including one marked Prostat that I think I was supposed to drink but it was so awful I couldn't take more than a sip.

I had noticed over the night that was having pains in my back and shoulder, I was told it was gas pains and they would go away, I just needed to keep walking. The surgeon stopped in at some point to check in, told me my surgery lasted just 26 minutes, amazing. He said I did a good job with the liver shrinking diet.

About 2:30 or so I was discharged. I was able to dress myself which was nice. I had an appendectomy and umbilical hernia repair last December, and felt much worse after that, and couldn't dress myself when I left the hospital.

The drive home was uneventful, when I got back I took a little nap, but I got up to walk every hour or so. For the first day or two I noticed some ankle and calf pain when I got up but that went away and today it's almost all gone.

For dinner my wife made me some pureed tuna with low-fat mayo. I ate two ounces and could barely finish it. I drank about 2/3 of a bottle of Protein shake (the Premier Protein, same thing I drank on my two week liver shrinking diet), took me a looong time to drink it. Then drank some water, not that much, I was being very cautious. When I swallowed it felt very weird, like I could feel it settling into my stomach. Didn't hurt, but just weird. I didn't have any real unbearable pain. When I stood up it hurt where my incisions were. If I coughed it hurt a lot but that went away.

Spent that day (thursday) just relaxing and walking and trying to get down some fluids.

Sleeping was uneventful, I took some of the percoset they prescribed and that helped. I slept on my back the entire night which is rare for me. Friday I felt a little better. Ankles still hurt, and my neck was killing me, I assumed it was the gas pain. Breakfast was two scrambled eggs which took over an hour to eat but I finished almost all of them. I finished the Protein Drink and tried some powerade zero which was delicious. Lunch was the rest of the tuna (3.4 oz, ate the whole thing), and dinner was egg salad with low fat mayo, and a little bit or paprika and mustard for taste. I ate 3 oz and it went down pretty quick. At some point during the day I took a shower which was great. No problem at all standing for several minutes.

Sleeping was again uneventful. Today I woke up late, so no breakfast. I had more egg salad for lunch and it went down fairly quickly with no adverse effect. Drank a Protein Shake (11 oz) and 16 oz of powerade zero, no problem at all going down. Before the surgery, the doctor said it should easier and less painful day after day, week after week, and that's been true so far.

I had read about "sleever's remorse" and yes I've felt it too, starting with when I first woke up in the hospital, and it comes back several times a day. I think once I reach the point where there's no pain, and I can eat solid foods again, and get back into my regular routine and see the effects of the surgery it will go away. I know that this was the right thing for me to do, and even though maybe right this second I feel like I wouldn't do it again if given another chance, I'm pretty confident that I'll be happy with my decision in the coming weeks, months, years, etc.

So that's the journey so far. I'l be happy to answer any questions anyone has, and good luck to anyone who is still pending surgery!

[sleeved.tekee 18]

I'm so jealous! I had surgery on the 20th. I am counting the days to I can have soft foods like tuna. I have never been so excited to eat tuna in my life. LoL!!! Hopefully I will be able to have them in 10 more days...

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[MemphisWLS 58]

So you were able to eat puréed food the day after surgery?

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[Tufflaw 463]

So you were able to eat puréed food the day after surgery?

Yeah I was surprised. I always thought it was liquid diet the first week, but a friend of mine who had the same surgery with the same practice (different doctor) told me they gave him scrambled eggs the next day, and same thing for me, I guess every doctor is different. They gave me a diet plan for next few months. The first month is just pureed meats. Second month I can add veggies. Third month I think is fruits.

[HeidiSue2009 48]

I'm so jealous! I had surgery on the 20th. I am counting the days to I can have soft foods like tuna. I have never been so excited to eat tuna in my life. LoL!!! Hopefully I will be able to have them in 10 more days...

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Me too! I am on Clear liquids until 12/26. Then I move to full liquids for 14 days. It's not until day 20 until I am able to eat soft foods!

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[Tufflaw 463]

Just had an interesting dinner, 3 oz of TURKEY salad. My wife took one of those turkey chunks they sell at Aldi's, it's pre-seasoned, she blended it up good and added some low-fat mayo, delicious with the seasoning it already had!

[missdeedee 2]

Thanks so much for your detailed experience..

Doyou mind sharing your liver shrinking diet ,please ?

[Tufflaw 463]

Thanks so much for your detailed experience..

Doyou mind sharing your liver shrinking diet ,please ?

Yeah real simple. Morning Premier Protein shake (11 oz - chocolate). lunch Premier Protein Shake (11 oz - vanilla). dinner Bariatric Advantage Protein Shake (powder I got from my doctor's office, blended with cold Water and crushed ice), either vanilla or chocolate. Snacks: 1 Protein pudding (sugar-free Jello pudding mixed with one serving of Protein Powder and 8 oz of milk, would make 4 servings). also 3 or 4 sugar-free ice pops. Sometimes I'd have a fourth protein shake if I felt like it. Lots of Water. I was allowed to have low-sodium broth, I tried it once and it was disgusting, too bland, inedible. I was also allowed some greek yogurt I think and milk but I never bothered. Strangely I never felt hungry at all, although most nights I got cravings for real food, mostly chicken parm. In 2 weeks I dropped exactly 25 lbs.

[504chic 53]

Wow this is very confusing. I wish everyone was on the same page. I had sleeve surgery on the 21st as well I was told to only consume clear liquid for this week (phase 1 ) then next week (phase 2) consume only full liquids. Week three puréed meals and so on. I am not interest I eating anything yet. I am researching to figure out what will taste good puréed. I have been up walking and just drinking broth sucking Popsicle eating Jello and drinking Isopure

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[pwrtp 41]

Thanks for all the details of what you went through, it is very helpful for those of us that are wondering what lies ahead, it takes a lot of the fear away

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[Mimiof3 33]

I was sleeved on the 21st and having a hard time getting in my Protein and liquids...it causes a weird feeling when I drink anything...hard to sleep, waking up every 3 hours or so, only hurts when I try to move around in my recliner...I did eat potato Soup 2ounces and some pinto beans...this is definitely way harder than I expected but what's done is done, I know the days ahead will get easier, just wish it was now....

[megetslim 7]

I am on full liquid diet for first 14 days so no puréed foods until day 15. You are lucky to be allowed tuna, egg salad and eggs. That sounds like heaven. I can only have Protein shakes, Isopure, broth, Jello, popsicles, and pudding. Can't wait for day 15. Only on day 6 now.

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[Tufflaw 463]

I was sleeved on the 21st and having a hard time getting in my Protein and liquids...it causes a weird feeling when I drink anything...hard to sleep, waking up every 3 hours or so, only hurts when I try to move around in my recliner...I did eat potato Soup 2ounces and some pinto Beans...this is definitely way harder than I expected but what's done is done, I know the days ahead will get easier, just wish it was now....

Yeah I get that weird feeling when I'm eating but it's pretty much gone away when I drink. I think it's just the food going down. Before the surgery I asked my doctor how I would know if something was wrong, he told me that it should be better day after day and week after week, so if there's a problem I'd know right away. And he was right, I feel better every day. Good luck!

[Tufflaw 463]

Well one week ago today I was leaving my office and mentally preparing for surgery the next day. Now I'm 6 days post-surgery and feeling pretty good!

Losing about a pound a day, and it's easier to eat and drink every day. I still get some weird feelings while eating every so often, but nothing too bad, and drinking feels totally normal. Walking and moving around is easy and pain-free. Two days in a row I had some blood spots from the large incision on my shirt but I'm pretty sure that's because my daughter went to hug me too fast and headbutted me right in the abdomen - that sucked.

I've been able to eat the following, all homemade and pureed: Egg salad, tuna salad, turkey salad, chicken salad, yoplait light yogurt (boston cream pie flavor, yum), also scrambled eggs with some ricotta mixed in. I went to my sister's for christmas and brought some turkey salad in a container but she had tuna there so I ate that instead, it wasn't pureed but it was mashed enough and I just chewed a lot, and it was fine. I have about 3 - 3.5 oz per serving.

The chicken salad was a bit of a disappointment. I bought some chicken breasts and put them in a crockpot overnight with some low-sodium chicken broth, mixed in some garlic powder, onion powder, and some barbecue sauce just for taste. Cooked for 8 hours, it smelled delicious! Shredded it, cooked another 30 minutes, then in the blender to puree. Tasted a lot like chopped liver - which I like - but not very good chopped liver. Mixed in some low-fat mayo and it's not terrible, just not as delicious as I was hoping Still better than the liquid diet though, I guess.

Doing OK with liquid intake, that isn't really a problem, and my Protein intake has been right on point. Still taking in less than a thousand calories a day but I'm not hungry. That should increase once my portion sizes increase. I'm waiting for the day the MyFitnessPal app doesn't give me a warning at the end of each day that I'm not eating enough!

I'm proud of myself that I haven't cheated ONCE since the whole thing started, going to try to keep that up. My wife made a pumpkin cheesecake for the holidays and it looked unbelievable. Right consistency for me too, but I decided to stick with the post-surgery diet. There will be time for cheesecakes (small portions) in the future when I'm at my goal.

Edit: Don't know if these have been posted elsewhere, but I read two very interesting articles today in the NYT about bariatric surgery, in case anyone is interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/health/what-is-bariatric-surgery.html and http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/health/bariatric-surgery.html

Edited December 27, 2016 by Tufflaw

[Mimiof3 33]

Well one week ago today I was leaving my office and mentally preparing for surgery the next day. Now I'm 6 days post-surgery and feeling pretty good!

Losing about a pound a day, and it's easier to eat and drink every day. I still get some weird feelings while eating every so often, but nothing too bad, and drinking feels totally normal. Walking and moving around is easy and pain-free. Two days in a row I had some blood spots from the large incision on my shirt but I'm pretty sure that's because my daughter went to hug me too fast and headbutted me right in the abdomen - that sucked.

I've been able to eat the following, all homemade and pureed: Egg salad, tuna salad, turkey salad, chicken salad, yoplait light yogurt (boston cream pie flavor, yum), also scrambled eggs with some ricotta mixed in. I went to my sister's for christmas and brought some turkey salad in a container but she had tuna there so I ate that instead, it wasn't pureed but it was mashed enough and I just chewed a lot, and it was fine. I have about 3 - 3.5 oz per serving.

The chicken salad was a bit of a disappointment. I bought some chicken breasts and put them in a crockpot overnight with some low-sodium chicken broth, mixed in some garlic powder, onion powder, and some barbecue sauce just for taste. Cooked for 8 hours, it smelled delicious! Shredded it, cooked another 30 minutes, then in the blender to puree. Tasted a lot like chopped liver - which I like - but not very good chopped liver. Mixed in some low-fat mayo and it's not terrible, just not as delicious as I was hoping Still better than the liquid diet though, I guess.

Doing OK with liquid intake, that isn't really a problem, and my Protein intake has been right on point. Still taking in less than a thousand calories a day but I'm not hungry. That should increase once my portion sizes increase. I'm waiting for the day the MyFitnessPal app doesn't give me a warning at the end of each day that I'm not eating enough!

I'm proud of myself that I haven't cheated ONCE since the whole thing started, going to try to keep that up. My wife made a pumpkin cheesecake for the holidays and it looked unbelievable. Right consistency for me too, but I decided to stick with the post-surgery diet. There will be time for cheesecakes (small portions) in the future when I'm at my goal.

When you eat the egg salad and such do you eat that alone meaning not with bread or anything...I'm also 6 days post op and so afraid to eat anything...today I branched out and ate cottage cheese and pears all pureed...I know the fruit was probably pure sugar but I ate only 2oz...I'm thinking of making broccoli and cheese but not sure how that will fly once pureed, maybe to gross looking to eat...thanks for your post