Mews

3 days for me but I was having problems drinking even an ounce of water. They suggested I stay longer but I just wanted to get home.

My husband claims that mine have shrunk, which to me is a good thing as I started out as a 44I. I haven't gone for a fitting for a new bra yet as my current ones still fit, albeit loosely, so I'm waiting until I lose 75 pounds total before I go. I know mine are related to weight but I've always been a big girl in the chest department. Even at my skinniest (around 140lbs) I was a 36DD. I already have a slew of documentation to get a breast lift/reduction once I get down to my goal weight so hopefully my insurance covers that. Until then, I'll be like that teacher on South Park whose boobs hang down to her ankles and has kittens playing with them. LOL

I get this all the time and I'm over three months post op. I'm on PPIs, drink plenty of water, etc. Even my doctor can't explain why I'm getting this. Never had it before surgery either. I've gotten to the point where I eat every hour or two just to hold that awful pain off for a bit longer.

A sleep study is really not a bad thing. As we're all overweight, there is a really good chance of having sleep apnea. Besides the fact that the condition can help you get insurance approval, it really is a safety issue. During the night you stop breathing but your body realizes what's going on and will cause you to start back up. However, after surgery when your body is still full of sedatives and anesthesia, your body may not start breathing again. This is why anybody who has sleep apnea is required to bring their CPAP machine to surgery with them so you can be on the machine while you're in recovery. While I'd admit that the sleep study wasn't a pleasure, having the CPAP has really helped me sleep better at night. Plus after finding out the above info from my pulmonologist, I made sure that I had the dang thing with me when I went in for the surgery. I didn't want to take any chances.

I think for most people it goes away but for me it didn't. It actually got worse. I get that horrible gnawing feeling in my stomach within two hours after I last ate. I'm even on a PPI and that hasn't helped at all with it. I've just learned to eat a little every hour or two over the course of the day. My doctor really hasn't explained why I'm getting this now as I've never had this issue it pre-surgery. It is frustrating when everybody talks about how they "forget" to eat. I was like that pre-op but now my stomach is constantly reminding me to eat.

It will take time. I can pretty much quite a bit now without hurting my stomach but it took a while. Sip, sip, sip every few minutes to make sure you keep hydrated. I know it's hard and frustrating but once your stomach heals you'll be able to drink more.

I am a slow loser myself. I've only lost about 34 pounds since my surgery on March 15. Everybody is different. My piece of advice is don't weigh yourself everyday. I don't even weigh myself once a week any more. I only do it when I go to the doctor's office. As I go about every six weeks I see the dramatic loss and it makes me feel much better. Also, don't fret about the amount. Think of it this way: at least you've lost weight! Every pound is a victory.

I had it a bit rough post surgery so I would have loved to have had seven weeks off. However, I am a professor and I decided to take the first summer session off so now I have the seven weeks to rest and recuperate. For me, I've been reading a lot. I don't get much time to do that during the semester so I'm enjoying it now while I can. I am also doing a lot of prep work for my classes for the second summer session I will be teaching and the fall. I'm not going overboard but I like to go into a semester knowing all I have to do is grade. You might get a bit of cabin fever depending on how well your post-op goes. I wasn't anywhere near normal until about 4-6 weeks after surgery so I wish I had the time off then. However, you may be on of the lucky ones with a speedy recovery. Make tentative plans that can be cancelled in case you do feel poorly and keeps the trips short. Good luck with your surgery.

I like the Lean Shakes from GNC. They have 21g of protein, are low in carbs, and the pre-made ones, which I get, are lactose free. They come in vanilla and strawberry. The ones from Costco, the Premiere Shakes, aren't too bad either but I have a problem digesting them. I think the higher protein level (35g) is a bit harder on my stomach post-op.

That's a tough one. I had a great surgeon but feel that the follow up is crap. Every time something goes wrong I just keep getting "canned" answers (ie, are you eating slowly? Are you drinking enough Water?). It has gotten to the point that I'm getting seriously pissed off especially since I've been following his instructions. It's almost like he only cared about the surgery. I had a couple of complications and his response was very nonchalant. For example, when I had a blood clot he was like "it was only a small one". While small may be a relative term (the Doppler tech said it was an "extensive clot"), it really bothered me as I've already had one clot nearly kill me a few years back. Sorry if I'm venting but I want to reiterate how important follow up care is. However, with that being said, you also want to put yourself in the most capable hands as this is major surgery. Do a lot of research and go with what you think is right. As for the incisions, I have five which I think is standard for the surgery. They're small and aren't prominent.

I've lost close to 50 pounds and it feels like I haven't lost any weight as my clothes are all still the same size albeit looser. I tried to buy smaller but those didn't fit. My husband is telling me I'm thinner but I won't really believe it until I go down a couple of sizes.

Hamburger meat is still giving me problems over three months out. Shouldn't you still be on mushies at the most right now? Your stomach is still healing and is probably rebelling at the food. It's probably not a leak but call your doc if it's still giving you problems in the morning.

If there is a suspected blood clot, the ER doc should have immediately scheduled you for a Doppler (ultrasound) of your leg to rule it out. I would call your surgeon if you still have the pain and get it checked out. This is something that could be very serious.

When I had a clot, it felt like a bad cramp in my calf muscle. I would recommend calling your doc if you're nervous.

I went through almost the exact same thing until about 4-6 weeks post-op. My doc basically said it was due to the low amount of calories we put into our system immediately post-op. He even encouraged me to add a bit of sugar to my diet to help with the energy levels (this contradicted everything that had been told to me previously). Things did get better once I was on solids though it took a couple of weeks to get back to "normal". I still have energy issues though. Not as bad, but it's still there.

Considering that I eat so little, I go with regular cheese. Manufacturers put so much junk into foods to make up for the loss of taste when the fat is lowered/removed. If you are going to melt cheese, go with the regular. I grew up on low-fat/non-fat cheese and it always reminded me of melted plastic.

I would recommend lab work to rule anything physical out (ie, vitamin B deficiency) first and then look into a therapist if everything comes out OK. I've suffered from clinical depression for about 15 years now and while it is under control with medication, I have too noticed a major dip since my surgery mid-March. I'm having the hardest time with fatigue and energy issues. I know part of it is depression as I've been suffering from this for so long. However, it's always best to rule out anything physical first.

I'm in the same boat as I'm currently a 44I at the moment and dread losing weight. Thankfully, there is a store that I go to that does free fittings and has my size in stock but it is an awful experience. Though I've lost close to 50 pounds, I haven't gone for a new fitting yet. I'm trying to milk my current bras as much as possible because a) the company whose bras I prefer stopped making the specific style and those suckers cost around $80 each. I figure I'll wear them until I hit the 75 pound mark and then I'll buy new bras. I'm just hoping I'll lose in the cup area as well as the band 'cause I'm sick of carrying around these boulders.

I started taking my pills about three days post-op. I only had one that was larger than an M&M but I took it anyways as it really wasn't that big. No problems. Check with your pharmacist before crushing or breaking open pills as that could negatively affect how the medication is delivered into your system (ie, some are time time released).

Some people experience fatigue and others do not. I was one of the unlucky ones in that I felt like crap for at least a month post-op. I could barely function because I was so tired and my husband had to drive me to work as I was too scared to drive in my condition. I would recommend taking as much time off as you can. This way if you feel horrible you can use the time to rest. If you feel better you can go back early.

Actually while Lovenox is a sub-q shot, it needs to be injected into a fatty area, not a muscle (like arm, thigh, etc.). This is why it is done in the stomach. I've been on Lovenox since 2005 and I'll tell you it really isn't bad. It's nothing like flu or tetanus shots that go into the muscle (and hurt like a b***h afterwards). The best thing to do is pinch part of your belly fat and give the shot there. This way it is only going into the fat and will not hurt as much. Yes, you'll get some bruising but that's par for the course with blood thinners. As I have to take two shots a day, I joke that I hope nobody will see my stomach because they may think my husband beats me. LOL. Here's a good link on how to give yourself the shot: http://blood.emedtv.com/lovenox/how-to-give-lovenox-injections-p2.html

@pdxman - I did but almost all of the people discussed the nausea immediately post-surgery, which I did not have. This is something that started out of the blue a week ago. I am taking presciption Prilosec as a PPI and my doc didn't want to increase it as I'm already taking a large amount. I was diagnosed with GERD many years pre-surgery. And as I said, this is something that just started. Also, I have gone back to mainly liquids but even those spark pain and nausea. When I do eat solids I eat very slowly and chew. However, after the second bite the nausea starts up again.

I'm not sure if having only Protein shakes is good for you in the long term. My NUT wanted me off Protein Shakes once I hit the soft foods stage in order to make sure I was eating regular foods. I had a very conservative diet too: two weeks of Clear liquids, two weeks of full liquids, and two weeks of soft foods before I was able to eat regular foods. When I told my NUT that I was doing protein shakes for breakfast on work days she wasn't too thrilled about that. As she explained it, we all need to learn how to eat regular foods in the long term and protein shakes provide limited nutrition outside of protein. Here are some links that might be of interest for those doing more than two protein shakes a day: http://www.livestrong.com/article/479801-are-too-many-protein-shakes-bad-for-you/ http://www.naturallyintense.net/blog/diet/nutrition/are-protein-shakes-bad-for-you-and-do-they-work/

I had my surgery on March 15. Over the past week or so, I've been getting nauseous after everything I eat. The only exception is water. I didn't really have this problem beforehand. Also, with some foods, including protein shakes, I get a very sharp pain in my stomach (actual stomach, below the sternum). It goes away after a few seconds but it's starting to scare me. I cannot see my doctor until Monday. Anybody else have something similar? I'm actually scared to eat right now as I feel so uncomfortable afterwards.

I was supposed to be but stupid me forgot to do the shots. Guess what happened? A nice blood clot in my calf. For me it was pure stupidity as I have a genetic predisposition for them and I'm supposed to be on the shots all the time. Though my husband tells me not to bash myself too hard as I wasn't in a good mental state after surgery, but still... To be honest, the shots aren't bad. Yes, you will get some bruising in the area that you get the shot but it's worth it to avoid getting a clot.