delta_girl

Had my first cup of coffee in two weeks. I was nodding off on a 3 hr drive. It tasted great and I don't feel guilty, but I'm going to try to get in some extra liquids today.

I had a myomectomy and this is nothing like having your bikini line cut open and work done inside.

I don't mind the idea of tiny scars. My incisions are super tiny. My surgeon used some type of surgical glue or liquid skin so I have no stitches and no drain. My main incision is a little larger and still hurts but the others have healed on the surface, are slightly puffy and itch. The thing that is bothering me are the hard, marble sized knots under my skin. Do they go away? If I massage them will it create irritation or work the inflamation out?

The same thing here. I'm almost two weeks out. The pain at the largest incision site intensified when I started to up my exercise to 51 minutes at 3.0 mph. At night I have a soft little pillow that I put on my tummy or use to support it if I turn on my side. That helps a great deal. I haven't used my pain meds in 4-5 days but the binder is a great idea. Not sure where to look in my area but I'll try Walgreens.

What you are feeling is very normal. I slept 2 hours the night before surgery. You will get your sleep time back in over the next several days

I didn't have a drain. I'm not sure what the difference is in procedure, technique or philosophy of requiring one vs not.

Actually, I have a really concern about losing too much weight. I have lost 94 pounds in 8 months. I am only 4'11". I have exceeded the doctors goal by 5 lbs. I am went from a size 20 to a size 0 - 00. Yes, I did type double 0. I had spoke to Nut about it. The concern I have is that they want me to eat more but I can only get in a half a cup!!! Which really messes with me because I finally got the eating right thing down to a science and now I have to add more food?!?! I am worried that I am going backwards with the eating habits, gain too much back and not be able to lose again. It really messes with your mind. Plus, I am starting to look sickly. I am still losing just slowly now...like 4 lbs a month. Don't get me wrong I am a lot healthier and extremely happier than I have been in 10 years but people at work keep making comments about my looks...it makes me uncomfortable. I have a followup in 2 weeks hopefully my Nut can rework my diet so that I can maintain where I am. At this rate, I will be 95lb by January...not so healthy.

114lbs at 4'11" doesn't sound low for that height. On weight charts, it is actually in the "normal" range on the BMI chart and if you gained just a few lbs it puts you in the "overweight" category. However everyone is different and carry their weight differently and if you work out with weights that pretty much tosses BMI out of the window.

At 5'3" I am shooting for 115lbs.

I would LOVE to lose too much weight! A girl can dream. But more important is being healthy and feeling good.

You won't feel or remember anything from the actual surgery. When you wake up in recovery, you will probably be very disoriented and uncomfortable, but they will give you pain medication as soon as they see that you are lucid. There will be times that you feel very sore, have twangs of pain, feel uncomfortable. Walking the halls, moving around, sitting up, and requesting pain medication as you need it will be your first day and perhaps second day. This is not an outpatient surgery. Is it terrible or unbearable? No.

The vacation was booked a year ago and I haven't had one since 2004. Three of my best friends and I flying out to spend a week in Napa/Sonoma for a tour of wine country. Each and every day centered around traveling from vineyard to vineyard for wine tastings and food. Travel arrangements were booked and non-refundable.

Fast forward to September 2012 when I asked my nutritionist about this trip and the scheduling of my surgery. It had to be either by September 26 or after October 30. The doctor scheduled me for September 26.

Now it is getting close to the date of the trip, October 21, which is 25 days after my vsg. I have had no problems, complications, issues. I have started soft foods at about 1.5 weeks with exceptional results. I feel fantastic and have dropped 16 lbs so far.

So I now have to figure out how exactly I am going to negotiate this trip. Soups and soft things in restaurants, bottled Water on the go.

The question I will ask my doctor at my two week checkup, which will actually be 3 weeks post-op, will be if it is ok to "taste" wine. Not sit and drink a half of a bottle, but to participate in tasting.

Comments, ideas, suggestions?

My hospital did not provide anything such as toothbrush and other necessities other than the footie socks with rubber grips. I recommend chapstick, your phone and phone charger, a magazine, small hand lotion that smells nice, wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and slippers if you already have some. For your clothes to leave the hospital, make sure your pants have a soft, loose waistband.

I brought a pj top and robe, but they didn't do any good because the IV prevented me from being able to use them.

I told my doctor that I was going to crush some pills and he asked if I knew if they were those that could be crushed or not because not all should be. That made me pause for a moment because I really hadn't thought that there was a distinction. You can ask your pharmacist at the inquiry window and they will probably know.

I use a great app called Pedometer + GPS. It tracks, steps, calories burned, laps, position, fitness, weight and measurement goals, and so much more.

This really hits home with me. Both sides.

I took 3 days off. I am an extremely private person. No, I am not secretive. I am very direct spoken and aggressive at work which is part of why I have been professionally successful. But I let no other person define how, what, when, nor where I am allowed or expected to cross over boundaries between my internal life, my personal life, and my professional life in order to meet another person's needs, expectations, curiosity or rudeness.

I will not be sharing with anyone that I don't want to share with, regardless of another person's opinions or values or proud righteousness or default openness.

I have only lost 15 lbs so far, so not enough to notice. What would I say to someone whey they do or when they ask? "Thanks for the compliment." "I commend your astute observation skills!" "How kind of you to notice." If they ask more ... "Why do you ask?" That one is pretty effective. If they want to know how it is done, "Burn more calories than you take in."

Me too.

I'm confused by some of the items here.

Before you read on ... understand that I'm asking this because I want to believe so badly that you're RIGHT. I'm not being argumentative. I just am hesitant. Set me straight if I'm wrong here.

Hummus? Isn't that really high in fat? The label I see (online) says 24g of fat. Do they even make low-fat hummus?

Beef Jerky? Isn't that crazy high in sodium? That equates to retaining liquid, meaning weight gain. And sodium means high blood pressure too.

The sugar free pudding I have here says zero grams Protein. I'm sure the Jello is no better. What brand are you using?

I found only one or two varieties of Boar's Head products that are low sodium. Traditionally, lunchmeat is loaded with sodium.

Peanut Butter (the normal kind) is pretty high in fat too (16g for Jif, one serving is 25% of your daily intake!)

Ok hold your fire for a moment. Maybe I should explain myself better. My nutritionist said to worry about Protein, sodium, and fat content, before worrying about calories. If you can find something high protein, low sodium, and low fat (and low sugars), then the calories are less of a concern.

Yes, I'm focused on sodium a lot. What good is losing weight if I still have high blood pressure? Yes, I'm focused on fat somewhat too. Sure, some fat is necessary, but if one serving of something has 30% of my daily recommended intake of fat (for a normal stomach person!), then it can't be good for me.

Ok, flame on. Be gentle.

Staisea ... I love your term "with a blip of cheese". That's fantastic. Like "bagel with schmear".

I agree on the lunch meat and Jerky. They are extremely high in sodium and contain sulfites, which bloat you and some people have a sensitivity to sulfites with varying levels of adverse reactions (and may not even be aware of what is causing the problem).

As far as hummus - There are many different kinds. My favorite is an edamame hummus, which is low in fat and carbs, 7g of fat, has a little protein and tastes fantastic. The same company also makes a white bean Hummus. I find both of these at Kroger.

http://eatwell-enjoylife.com/our-hummus/

sugar free pudding can be beefed up with unjury Protein powder, either flavored or not depending on your taste. This is a nice variation if you are tired of shakes all of the time.

PB2 is low in calories and carbs : http://www.bellplantation.com/products/1-case-jar-pb2.html

There are so many products available now for us to enjoy. The demand is driving the market to develop new technologies and varieties that have never before existed.

You are totally wrong. I have staples in the inside of my stomach. My nut said you are totally wrong. Please please do not spread anore false information. Everyone is different.

How is that possible? Unless the doctor used a very old technique. I was not a patient of Dr. Alvarez, but you can see the process here in two different videos.

There is another thread on this form where you can read recent responses to this same question. Just do a search in the box up top.

Congratulations! I hope you have a very speedy recovery. Wow ..13 lbs extra.

I have a vacation in three weeks to Napa/Sonoma for a week long tour of wine country and by then I will be four weeks out from surgery. The vacation was planned a year ago and the surgery date that came up just happened when it did. Talk about timing.

How much cream of broccoli Soup?

I did this the week before surgery. I made out my Power of Attorney and my Will and had both notarized and copies with me when I went to the hospital. The hospital where my surgeon performed the vsg actually had a form that I used, with only some very slight modifications for the POA. For me, working on these two documents really brought home the permanence of my decision. This wasn't like bailing out on a gym membership or giddily toying with the "concept" of taking control of my weight without the responsibility that goes with it (yo-yo dieting). This process made it very real for me and I had to take stock of my level of commitment.

I'm mad that I didn't think of this. It seems so simple and obvious. I need one.

That was what I thought, too. Very simple yet smart, inexpensive materials and probably could have been done with some type of injection mold system. Someone had a great idea and got a financial backer. I guess the two doctors who designed it may have financed themselves.

is this for a whole day or just for a meal?

That is just one meal. Great for taking lunch with you to work.

This happened to me, too. I started the morning of my surgery. I told the nurse and took some pads and moist wipes with me to the hospital. It wasn't a whole lot of fun added to the process, but neither was it a big deal.