CBT

I think given your current situation, sooner is better than later for consult. What is it about July? Also I forgot to mention that my PS said the other thing they take into consideration is how much more weight you'll lose while recovering, because even though you are inactive, your metabolism triples to heal you so you will lose weight in addition to the skin and/or fat the surgeon removes. They like to have room for that to give you best results.

Hi RJ! I have so many thoughts about this issue. I'm 6 days post ops plastics after losing 135#. I am a little loopy but I thinky points will come across. Are you hungry? Eat more. Like previous poster said. High quality foods like avocado, etc. You do need to eat well before and within 20 minute after finishing a work out. Half a bar is not enough if you are working out for 45 minutes or more. As an example, I eat half cup oatmeal with 2/3 cup soy milk and an egg over the two hours before I workout. The bar sounds perfect post work out. I would expect your body composition to change as you add muscle/lean muscle. You lift weights to protect lean muscle in weight loss, primarily. (Your goals can change around this in maintenance) If you don't eat enough, your body will metabolize (eat) your lean muscle. (Lean muscle includes your heart and other vital organs.) If you train like an athlete you have to eat like an athlete. They too are paying very close attention to body fat. I think family members and close friends go through their own changes. They have years of different body markers for us and our change is dramatic. They need to trust you and your team. It's hard because they worry. The scale is but ONE tool we use to evaluate wellness. Don't let them get fixated. A consult with a plastic surgeon will (should) give you a lot of information about your current body. S/he will tell you what you need to do and the state your body needs to be in for surgery but more importantly to wound heal and recover. And ultimately to get the best result. We have a hard time seeing it objectively because the hanging and lose skin just feels emotionally/psychologically like a fat suit that's too big. A plastic surgeon can visualize the outcome. Sounds like you are very close and need that info. 5 pounds is a lot in plastic surgery. That's what my surgeon just removed. Visualize 5 pounds of hamburger. It's a lot of skin which is denser than hamburger. Hang in there. Keep talking with people but trust your instincts. This is your body, your journey. You're the driver who get to decide who is on your bus.

Post op day 5 Well I'm certainly sore from having to poop. That was awful. I'm on a new narcotic. My drains were running more red this morning. Tonight they've cleared up again. No doubt some bleeding from that which I will call The Event. I was tapering the other narcotic and had it pretty low but have had a pain set back secondary to The Event. Not a big set back. Totally manageable. I have 3 drains. My middle drain is giving me some grief. Well at least I have something to do with all this laying about. Anyway, it's not holding it's suction and sometimes it is holding it's suction. Seemed random. Anyone have this problem? The PA will call me tomorrow to follow up on The Event so I'll ask. I have post op Tuesday. I am using ice pretty much nonstop. Swelling is reducing fast. I'm grateful for that cause swelling while in compression is a hot mess. I didn't eat great today. I'll eat more Protein before bed. No apatite. Probably secondary to The Event. So I tried to eat by the clock. It's gross to eat when you're not hungry. What I did eat was good. chicken and black Beans, mainly. No walk outside today. I did some art and watched some House of Cards. Oh! Oh! I got myself out of my binder for my shower! I got myself back into it only half way then needed help. I'm okay with that. I'm still shocked by my body. As the swelling goes down I shake my head. All that skin is gone. I can't wait to dance!!! I am excited to go to yoga and hold a downward facing dog with out flying my skin flag. That was just emotionally hard. I cannot practice yoga in compression so I said a prayer for the person on the mat behind me and held my pose. Now, no distraction. I can see this in my not so distant future. For now, I lay prone. One last thing. I can side sleep! What?!?!? I know. So thankfully this has been an Uneventful, Eventful Day. Now I will go eat. Ps. Seriously about the drains. Anyone?

Oh no! How'd you rip stitches? How far into recovery did that happen. I bet that was/is an oozy mess. Ugh. Nothing necrotic, though?

Sounds like it worked fast! I'm fighting the constipation monster so thinking about taking iron makes me hurt

I like solitaire

Post op Day 4! I'm plodding along. I can stand up straight, get in/out of bed, get up/down from chairs. I move slow and I get sore if I stand around. I went for a 15 minute walk outside today. On the way back my abdomen tightened up and my right side had mild spasm. Glad I was at my front door. I took a nap :-) Still showering on my own except for the garment.I can't get in or out of it without assistance. I have full range of motion in my arms. Feels the best to wash my hair! No pain. No limitations there. Seems strange since my pec muscles were cut and stretched.... I do swell but I prefer ice to medications so that is helping move the Fluid. I slept with ice packs the first 48 hours. After 72 hours I started ibuprofen. I'm getting good Protein. The poop story is bad. I think the narcotic I'm taking is a grand offender and notorious for constipation. I'm hoping it's all behind me now. Yuk yuk. Behind me. The change is astonishing. I can't imagine what I'll look like one month from now. Maybe i'll post some progress/drain pics. Ewwww. Post op is Tuesday. Take home message: ice, ice, baby and range of motion.

Was it routine blood panel that showed low iron? I'm glad you got your energy back. Sometimes healing is so textbook. When the doc says 6 weeks, it's like 6 weeks to the day and I'm all good. Lol. Power of suggestion? Mind over matter? Probably just biology of healing. I am great other than no poop I'm taking some heavy duty laxatives and still nothing. Drinking a lot. Eating Fiber. Doing all the things I'm supposed to. It'll happen I'm just getting uncomfortable and bloated. I'm going for a walk while the sun is here. Maybe that will help!

Thanks for this! I haven't seen any of them.

Nothin like getting your jeans on

Congratulations! How's your energy level?

I am grateful to be one of those shower early ppl. I was allowed to shower 24 hours post op.

Sensation at the breast bone is my full cue. In the early days, nausea and breast bone pain were managed by chewing very slowly and eating slowly. Of corse what's throwing this assessment off is you have these symptoms when you aren't eating. So what I've seen on the boards is a lot of nausea and pain related to bariatric vitamin regimens. When they stopped the vitamins the pain and nausea went away. Maybe ask about holding your vitamin(s) and see if that helps? I get water nausea. So when I have that I mix lemon or some vitamin water into my water. Glad your endoscopy was negative. I hope it's something simple.

Post op day 3. I'm shocked at how well I'm recovering. I'm not complaining! I showered yesterday and that was no problem. Putting the drains on a lanyard is brilliant Cowgirl Jane. The only reason I needed another person was to get me back into the compression garment. OMG my body is awesome! Toot Toot! (That's my horn and maybe a bit of narcotics) I just want to look at it. I was so focused in getting the shower that I didn't take a long look. I also forgot to look at the back because my breast aug is overwhelming my eyeballs. Yesterday I could stand straight up!!! Same today. I don't know if I am supposed to stand straight up just because I can? The PA is supposed to call me today. I ate about 150 grams of protein yesterday: chicken soup, cold shrimp, protein drink, Fage.... I've been drinking Vitamin water. The one with extra Vit C. I got water nausea on Wednesday and I can't look at water in a cup This morning I walked around my house for an hour. Doing laps in your house is weird so I timed it to help get my kids ready for school. Nothing major at all. No stretching, straining, pushing or pulling. I was just and extra set of hands. I never got tired but decided it was time to get back into bed. I don't know where my physical boundaries are yet. This post wouldn't be complete without poop and drain talk. I have been taking 2 Senna (rx laxative and stool softener combined) twice a day and no poop. So now I'll add Miralax. I just reduced my narcotic by half dose and stretched it out a half hour. I wasn't able to do that yesterday. Dr said stay on it 24 hours for 72 hours. I'm still taking Tylenol. Drain care isn't an issue. I have three. I do think one is kind of pinching/burning sometimes. So i'm gonna watch some movies because I hardly ever have time to watch TV or movies. I'm open to suggestions. I also have some crafts sitting here. I don't think I have that level of focus/concentration yet. What else?

Post op day 2. I came home from hospital yesterday. All has been smooth and uneventful. I'm swollen and the compression garment is giving me occasional reflux? I've not had that history of reflux. My son made me breakfast. Bless him I'm able to transfer myself in/out of bed but I take advantage of DH being here. I'm going to stretch my next pain medication by an hour, from 4 to 5 cause pain seems really well managed now. Going to shower in a couple hours. I'm excited for the shower but more excited to see my body!

That's just around the corner. Yeah!

I just got a peak!!! Wow. Wow. Wow. Just hasn't processed yet how different my body will look. Regarding the length if the surgery: So my surgeon has had the same team for 3 years. Including the anesthesiologist. They all anticipate what she needs and where she's going/what she's doing. She said she doesn't have to ask for anything. She said she feels privileged in that way. Very fortunate. She also does a lot of these surgeries and believes that makes her very efficient. She said when she has to do cases at the hospital (not her team) she has to add half hour for every procedure. I'm finding ice works best to manage the breakthrough discomfort. They're "boosting" my narcotic with Tylenol. Apparently that helps the narcotic and makes it more effective. I'm not in pain as much as the narcotic wears off fast at 4 hours and the hope is the Tylenol will help bridge the gap until the next dose is effective. I ate turkey sandwich at sometime in the night and just had a yogurt. That'll help me feel more human. I'll be super human once I get good coffee.

The research shows that RNY ppl on average lose 3-5 pounds per week and Sleeve ppl lose on average 2-3 pounds per week. I never doubted the sleeve was right for me. Also I no longer like sweet stuff. Instead I prefer savory. My tastes changed early on. Like right after surgery. I too had high starting weight 273. I think SW was 252. Good luck!

Do all WLS surgeons do pediatric surgery? That might narrow your options quite a bit?

It's 4am. I'm still at the hospital. The night has been pretty smooth. I've had an ice pack on my abdomen all night. No pain there. Pain in my boobs from swelling. Now that I have ice on them soooooo much better. Lots of medication on board so I'm sleeping. It's all manageable here with the excellent nurses.

Thanks for thinking of me Cowgirl! I'm doing fantastic! Surgery was 3 hours. Amazing. Five and half pounds removed. I also had mastopexy and augmentation. I'll post more later about surgeon discussion on time. I'm at hospital until tomorrow. Little queasy at times and caffeine headache. Drinking chicken broth as I'm know to get water nausea. Compression is tight. Waiting on ice pack. Everyone from surgical team said I look "amazing." Nurses and PA random remarks "totally flat" "you're one tiny lady" and that I did really great and everything went really well. So glowing reports. That makes me smile. Bring on the healing!

April you are phenomenal. I'm really excited for you. We were to be sleeved around the same time and alas it was not in the cards for you in 2012. This is your year, baby! I'm just really excited for you to get mobility back and to face your fears and come through in all the glory that is you. I love your humor. Sometimes I think we have the same gene pool. Lol. Be well. Breathe.

I'm gonna attempt to do that. Write stuff. The ppl who've written before me are a gold mine of information. It helps me make it mental. I will plan to post on the 19th. I'm overnight in the surgicenter and I don't think I'll take my phone...? I'm staying really busy today. Grateful to be the first case Oh! I made a pot of 1) chicken, sweet potato, butternut squash, and spinach Soup and 2) a pork, Lima bean and corn crockpot for post op easy thaw meals. I premeasured and froze them so my DH can quick fix for me. I want to eat really well. I know I won't be hungry so I want whatever I eat to be super dooper nutritious.

Yes!! Get your life!! Woohoo!!!

There is some limited implied consent for the listed emergency contact and the person you're released to simply because you've brought that person into the hospital room with you. You need to make your wishes very clear to your surgeon, anesthesia, anesthesia nurse, and every nurse you talk to while you're there. I'm sorry you are so isolated. I'm glad you have support here. I wish you the best.