BeenThereWasThat

I am a side sleeper and I asked the nurse about before I left the hospital she said it was a listen to your body type situation if you are in serious pain don't do it if it is not painful you are fine . I was sleeping on my side the 3rd night after surgery. I was talking pain meds before I went to bed so I didn't have any pain. I think that a good night sleep is crucial to quick recovery. I was sleeping like 10 hours a night and still walking 45-60 minutes a day the first week after surgery. Good Luck.

I love it! Since they are mostly fruity flavored you don't have to mix with milk which means less calories! Here is a tip *** Don't smell any of the powder!!*** It is really tempting because they are fruity flavors but trust me they will just smell gross. Here is my list and opinions Roadside Lemonade -good not too bitter or acidic Lemon Tea- one of my favs it is a light flavor and to me you can't taste the Protein in this one Twisted Cherry - tastes like sugar free kool aid Fuzzy Navel - I can't do this one without crystal light. I like to mix it with peach mango crystal light kiwi-strawberry - I don't really care for fake strawberry so it wasn't my fav but it was ok Carribean Cooler- I think this one is terrible because I really don't like pina coladas chocolate Truffle - I do mix this one with milk but I don't really like it. I think that it tastes too sweet I order mine from either bodybuilding.com or drugstore.com bodybuilding.com ususally has the best price, selection, and they have fast flat shipping. drugstore.com has normal prices and sometimes they have free shipping but not a great selection.

peeing was hard for me too.. I just couldn't get my muscles to work. It was like I couldn't relax and go. I just did a lot of sitting and trying to relax. I was able to go the same day as surgery it just took a lot of "practice".

The gown was big enough and as soon as I was awake and could stand I put on undies. After the first night I put on my own clothes and felt better a big t-shirt and some comfy pants and I felt better almost immediately.

I didn't have one either.

I am three weeks out tomorrow but I still am wearing compression stockings to bed (if you don't have some you could get some for under your clothes during your flight). I was also on lovenox (blood thinner) for 2 weeks after surgery(until I had a reaction to the prolonged use) I gave the injections to myself. You might be able to get a script for them and take them with you. They are pre-filled, easy, and not that painless.

I've had a bad reaction to the Lovenox injections. Red, swollen, itchy spots about 2 inches around the injection spots. They are still bothering me and and I am 2 weeks out. I just keep using hydrocortizone and benedryl... it is the worst part of this surgery for me.

1 My doc said 10 pounds (OK I am barely 2 weeks out and picked up a 25 pound bag of cat litter yesterday hoisted it into my cart and into the trunk but I'll let hubby carry it into the house) 2 Soups are not out of the question for me but you have to keep in mind that they are liquid so they will not really stay with you. My nut had a great suggestion for things like stews and other hearty soups- * tip your spoon and drain off the liquid so you are getting the good Protein and veggies and not wasting space with a broth I don't think cream soups would be a problem because they are going to fill you up but many cream soups have more fat and calories 3 I didn't worry about protein until 10 days post op. I was only on clears. You really want the staple line to heal and not be stretched or to create a leak. All I was responsible for was getting in my 64 oz of Water. This isn't as uncommon as you think. The first 10 days I wasn't hungry and nothing really sounded good. I didn't do broth til the 9th day and it wasn't that good. Yes it was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of doing nothing but water one day and getting 60 grams of protein the next but I was ready and it wasn't as bad as I thought.

This was my first surgery and here is the best way I can describe the pain... This was for about the first 4 days after surgery. I could swallow fine but the Water would get kind of pooled up at the top of my stomach because my sleeve was really swollen in the begining. My doc explained it this way my esophagas was the size of a brat and my stomach was the size of a hot dog (nice food refrence huh?) and so the water would have to funnel through the opening. It still does that now if I take too big of a drink it just doensn't hurt. The water just funnels through and sometimes I have a little burp! Your tummy area is sore because they cut through the ab muscles.

I have to take lovenox for 14 days at home. DH has been giving me the shots but after calling the Dr. office this morning after my reactions aren't getting any better they told me I could stop taking them.

Hi all I never posted a follow up after having surgery last week! A week out I am feeling great! I am getting my Water in and I am still on clears til Friday so I don't have a ton of energy. I felt pretty good after surgery and was up walking around pretty quickly. Pain was minimal felt more like soreness. All the sudden I am having a reaction to my lovenox injections but otherwise I am looking to Friday and adding some mushies! Sounds like everyone is doing great!

My WLC wanted me to take 4 weeks off and std approved it. I am trying to use the time to really heal and take care of myself.

I bought a little container that you store infant formula in. It has 4 devided little spots that hold 1 scoop of protein perfectly and then I can just dump one section into a blender bottle or a bottle of water. The container is small enough to fit in my purse and I usually leave it in my desk at work.

OK so I am set to be sleeved on Tuesday but I am going in with a BMI at about 60. My WLC says that the recovery time is much quicker with the sleeve vs. RNY but takes more time than lap band. They are requesting that I take 4 weeks off from work. Many people on the boards only take a week or less off from work. Yes people with higher weight will typically lose more quickly and will lose more because they have more overall weight to lose. Most people will have the most success if they follow the diet and get in some exercise.

Does anyone know where you can get exercise DVD's for a good price? I am not particular just cheap!

Hi all I'm on pre-op diet and I am down 12 pounds so far. Surgery next Tuesday ( FINALLY!!!). Hoping that the other July sleevers stop in! Wishing everyone lots of luck!

It sounds like you trust him and that is what is most important. I am sure there are some people that wouldn't feel comfortable with his lack of experience. I am not sure they will speak up. I am sorta in the same boat as you and I trust my surgeon and his experience with bariatric surgery. Wish you the best of luck!

Nope no problems! It really depends on your employer and what requirements they have it's really a case by case situation. Some surgeons have pre-surgery testing requirements that can slow your approval down...

I am in the same boat after dealing with infertility for the last 3.5 years and I am 100% commited to surgery. For the first time in 6 years we are using condoms and it is super weird... I am dreading a bfp before surgery....

Sorry I didn't update everyone my surgery got moved to July 13th... I had my endoscopy on Monday and started my pre-op liquid diet. I am having a really tough time with it.

HELLOOO Kim! I am also in Des Moines and gettin sleeved July 13th @ Mercy with Dr. Cahalan. Well just wanted to say "Hi" we Iowans are few and far between... Hope you are staying dry and cool! :thumbup1:

How did your weight come off? I've heard that you lose it the in reverse of the way you gained it. So for me I gained the weight in my tummy most recently and I would love for that to be the first to go. Or did you totally lose it randomly?

I am pre-op and the smell of the Protein now makes me gag. Here are a couple of my tricks * Have someone else mix the drinks for you ( if possible) or make them a couple days before and stick them in the fridge (I try to make them the night before) to me the powder is worse than the drink * I really swear by the blender bottles it only had a smaller hole to drink out of and I don't really get a good smell and if you are making them the night before you can just give them a quick shake and they are ready to go What brands are you taking in and are they to be mixed with milk? I've heard that the chocolate, vanilla, & strawberry are just too sweet some times. It almost sounds like you are dumping like RNY patients. My surgeon said that some sleevers can dump.

I think it is OK for you to take protein shakes even for a snack... Just watch the calories and carbs. I use Nectar most have about 90 calories a scoop and no carbs. Just be careful with the proteins that you mix with milk. My mom had RNY 5 years ago and still has a Nectar Iced Tea every morning.

I didn't but I know other people who have UHC and they had to do the 6 mth diet before approval it really just depends on your policy. * First thing I had to do was call that number to get everything started they will then set up an appointment for you to meet with your nurse cordinator. Basically they want to make sure that you are serious and that you meet the qualifications (BMI & co-morbitities). * After you talk to the nurse cordinator she will refer you to UBH (United Behavioral Health) to set up your psych eval and she will verify the WLS that you want to use. They have to be in a "Center of Excellence" or they won't cover the surgery. * After you've had your psych eval and the surgeon has sent a letter of medical nessicity they will review you for approval * Once approved you can schedule surgery Start to finish for me was about 2 1/2 months.... In my opinion the process is kind of slow but it is only because my surgeon's office was really busy and they couldn't get me in any quicker. Insurance approval took 2 days once UHC had everything. I also scheduled my pych eval before I had approval because things were moving too slowly for me. Sorry for the spelling I am on my phone...