mrsto

Good luck! Exciting new changes coming, and I wish you all the best. I just had mine on Monday, and can only walk around for short periods. They say that walking helps release the gas, but so far it's been pretty slow. But it's been only less than 48 hours since the surgery, so I guess I just need to relax! Feel like I was beat up and hit by a Mac truck :ph34r:

I have tons of LBT posts to catch up on over the past couple of days. Will read them all later... Just got home from the hospital last night. Having a lot of pain, and find it hard to breath sometimes because of the pain. But glad it's over. The liquid Vicodin is a savior. I went through with the banded plication, gallbladder removal and repair of a hiatal hernia. The doctor said the recovery may be a bit longer than just the band alone. I expected pain, but didn't expect this much. I'm sure it will get better of the next few days. Congrats to all of my March band buddies! I'm excited on this journey toward a healthier life, and wish the same for everyone here. Now......back to bed with my heating pad. OMG -SO out of sorts

A healthier you will give you more wonderful years to spend with him. We never know what's around the corner. Life turns on a dime, and all any of us can do is live it one day at a time.

OKAY - leaving for the hospital in 15 minutes. Let the games begin!!!!!

I understand your fear. But I truly believe that if he loves YOU, then he will love a smaller version of you. The fact that you are doing something to make yourself healthier, is a positive, and makes you more attractive. Not because you'll be thinner, but an inner strength coming through. When I met my husband 8 years ago, I was wearing a size 8. Little did he know that I was on my way up the scale; had already gained back 25 pounds of the 90 I had lost a few years earlier. I continued to gain, up to the size 20-22 I'm currently in. My husband loves me more today than ever; not because of my body, because he loves "me". I would hope that is the same for you. You can STILL have curves and be thin :-) I think you will be beautiful

Your doctors office should be able to refer you to a therapist that deals specifically with weight/food issues. I really think that talking with someone who is not closely related, will help. It's a LOT to deal with! As "they" say, if you want to know why you eat, drink, use drugs.....any of it, STOP doing it. All of the issues and feelings come to the surface, because you're no longer stuffing or numbing them with substance. A therapist can really help you deal with what's coming up for you. There are reasons that we resort to whatever is our drug of choice, and it's important to get in touch with what those things are.

When I had my hysterectomy less than a year ago, my husband took a week off of work so he could stay close to me in case I needed anything. There is no way on earth that he would ever let me go through anything like this, without being right there with me. Countrygrl - it's true what you say about young relationships. Without knowing everyone's personal dynamics, it's hard to understand why some settle for what they do. Each relationship is a learning experience, and hopefully some will learn that they deserve to have someone who is part of their life, and not just a casual bystander.

I thought liquid was standard operating procedure after bariatric surgery. Guess not... I read another post where someone was crushing the pill down & putting into liquid.

Yeah, a shot of Vic with a vodka chaser! Next stop, Betty Ford Center - LOL!!

Did you have liquid everything, or just a liquid pain killer? I got liquid Vicodin, but the rest are pills (prescription Pepcid and something for nausea).

Yeah - I'm not counting on TOO much sleep, but I think we'll make up for it tomorrow

aeromech - LOVE the analogy I've had surgery before, and I know that feeling where you wake up & it feels like 2 seconds passed.....if that! Thanks for the pep talk :-)

I'm having surgery tomorrow, and a hiatal hernia repair will also be done. From what I understand, it's pretty common, as one of the major causes is obesity. Regarding the port, since I haven't had my surgery yet, I can only comment on what I've read through these forums. A heating pad is what I hear most. Never heard of anyone using ice. Hopefully some seasoned veterans will respond. Good luck, and congrats on the surgery. I'm sure you will feel so much better in the next week or two

I feel ya! I'll be walking through the hospital door at 9am! We'll be on the other side soon. Good luck with yours!!!

I agree with all above. If your boyfriend is your partner, he needs to be a part of big decisions and changes in your life; the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm wondering......how hard did you emphasize that you wanted him to stay away during this? Men don't tend to think about things the way women do. If you say "I don't want you there", then they stay away; they take the request at face value. Women, on the other hand, say one thing & really mean something else. What we (women) seem to want/think, is that even though I SAY I don't want you there, I want you to show that you really care by either...showing up anyway, sending flowers, call....SOMEthing. It's the whole Mars & Venus thing. Please understand, I'm not making excuses for your BF.....he does sound somewhat disconnected. That's something you may want to look at closer, as you become more healthy in yourself. But in a relationship, you DESERVE to have a partner that is connected to ALL parts of your life, as you are to his.

I'm having my surgery tomorrow, and my surgeon will also remove my gallbladder. I have small stones that have been there for a long time, but I elected to have him take it out, to avoid a second surgery down the road. With stones, they're fine until on blocks a bile duct. Then it becomes an acute situation.

Obesity is at epidemic proportions in this country. Not that this is a disease any of us want to have, but at least we're in good company :-) Coming to terms with this issue has been a life long process for me. And at 57, I still haven't come to terms. I thought if I could only accept myself this way, then I could take the pressure off and move on with my life. But I can't; never have, never will. But after so many years with large swings in weight, I know this is a disease; one that MANY of us are predisposed to. There will always be the idiots that do not understand. I've found that the "can't you just eat less and exercise more" mentality, with harsh judgements seeing us as weak, come from people that I wouldn't want in my inner circle whether I'm fat OR thin. But anyone with a half of brain, who lives in this culture, should see and understand that it's just not that simple. As you say (morelgirl), if it were that simple, no one would be overweight. I think it's great that you're finding the self control to walk away from conversations without a good outcome. We can't change the way the world thinks, but we can take care of ourselves, and move away from the ignorant. I have enough work to do, without feeling the need to control/change the thoughts and opinions of others. Thanks for the post. It hit a nerve with many of us.

With all of the liquids, I can't imagine that there is any issue with "pee only" right now. There is nothing solid to form anything (not to be too graphic). But hey, it is what it is Once mushies are introduced, that all should change.

To all who are on clear liquids and concerned about getting enough protein, Isopure makes clear flavored (ready made) protein drinks. Each 20oz bottle has 160 calories, zero carbs and 40 grams of protein. I have no idea how they taste yet, but I bought a few to get me through the first three days post-op. I bought them at the Vitamin Shoppe, which I believe are all over the country. But other health food type stores should carry them.

Thanks, Rosie. I appreciate your good thoughts This "club" has really become a nice place to turn with all of this. SO great to communicate with people who share the same struggles, concerns and successes. Now that your surgery is a few days behind, how are you feeling? I know you're on clear liquids for a couple of weeks, but are you even hungry at this point? I started full liquids yesterday, and was a little nuts by last night. The sugar free popsicles were a life saver, and I also had a couple of (40 calories each) fudgicles. Today we're going to spend a good part of the day out; see a movie, go to the mall.....anything to keep my mind off of everything. Then tomorrow, 9am at the door of the hospital. Yay!!

Can someone tell me if butternut squash soup/bisque is considered a full liquid? I'm only on day one of full liquids, and I'm already disgusted with cream of chicken and mushroom soup. I picked up the butternut squash soup (no solids in it), but then thought that maybe it's not acceptable.

Yeah - I picked up my prescriptions, and Zofran is one of them. I hope the patch is standard operating procedure. I don't deal well with nausea; would rather have a root canal

There is a lot of pre-screening and eduction before these surgeries. A lot of it is for your protection, some for the doctors to cover their ass liability wise, and the stretch of time from the first seminar to actual surgery gives you plenty of time to make sure that this is the right thing for you. If a doctor shortcuts ANY of this, I would say run away as fast as you can. There are reasons for it, and credible doctors want to make sure that you are going into it fully knowledgable and prepared. It's a life change, and not to be taken lightly. FYI - I was scheduled for a gastric bypass in Feb. 10 days before I freaked out and cancelled it. I went to the two back to back classes (3 hours worth) that were mandatory prior to the surgery, and I was SO overwhelmed that I decided against that procedure. Actually, at that point I mentally blew off the whole idea of weight loss surgery, but two weeks later I settled on the band. But I will have the plication done with the band; a pretty new procedure, but most do very well with it. And YES, it is very emotional. Your doctor and the support staff should understand that. This isn't a tonsillectomy! There is a lot more that goes along with our weight and eating, than just a simple surgical adjustment. Good luck......let us all know how you're doing.....

CONGRATS! I know you feel absolutely GREAT

Did it work well? I've read on here that some doctors put an anti-nausea patch on before you leave the hospital. I'm guessing that all doctors do this differently.