Beckyyb93

Yesterday I got in 45 grams of Protein and 45 ounces of Water without too much trouble and that was my first day home!! I'm so happy and impressed with my new stomach I'm sure each day will keep getting easier! I'm so glad I decided not to scrap this whole semester because (knock on wood) if I keep feeling this good I'll have no trouble keeping up and starting clinicals in the fall! I never thought I would be saying this and you guys have no idea how happy I am to have my life back again, these results are just AMAZING!! When I see my doctor on Friday I'm going to hug him which will probably totally freak him out since he's not very friendly and doesn't have that great of a bedside manner but he fixed me and that deserves a whole lot more than a hug! Maybe I'll get him and the nurse I've been working with a card telling them how thankful I am that they helped get me fixed

Celebrate is available online, the link is: www.celebratevitamins.com As far as gummies and Flinstones, you have to ask your surgeon..their opinions vary it seems. My surgeon said only bariatric Vitamins and no flinstones but others take the flinstones and do fine on them. Your safest bet is to get vitamins made for bariatric patients.

Thank you! I feel amazing today..the hardest part is going to be not to push myself too fast because I just feel so good for the first time in two whole years. I just keep thinking I'm going to wake up and have pain again, it's so crazy to stop eating when I'm full versus when the pain gets too bad! Everyone is so happy and so am I I'm even functioning fine on my own at home..my mom took off today and helped out but I feel 100% confident in my ability to be by myself going forward. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner!! I had a little pain at my drain sight and called the nurse (who I have become friends with) and she said it's totally normal and from the incisions and the healing of the whole and just to take medicine and use ice. After 15 minutes of the ice being on, the pain was pretty much fully subsided, it hasn't come back yet today which is good. I'm still not exactly sure what being full actually feels like but I'm only 3 days out so I'm sure I'll figure it all out with time. Patience is the name of the game we are going to a big family dinner on Thursday night at a mexican place so I'll probably just order Water or maybe try their gumbo Soup and just drink the broth..I'm not sure yet but I'm sure it will all be fine. They all know about the surgery so won't expect me to be at my full best but I'll enjoy getting out, I hate sitting around doing nothing!

Yep, I'm feeling great and getting fluids and protein down with no real troubles! I'm healing and loving how I'm having NO pain with swallowing..it's so unreal how fast this surgery worked for me!!

Yeah, I know the stomach thing is crazy! I feel amazing today though..still sore and a little pain from incisions but no swallowing pain AT ALL! I haven't been able to swallow without pain in two years and I can't even believe that I feel so much better this soon my surgeon cut out the stricture and with the moving of my stomach I guess it makes sense that I wouldn't have my old pain but it's still unbelievable. I'm so happy I went through with this surgery, I can already see my life changing for the better! All of my family is so happy that I'm feeling this great, they were kind of skeptical about getting another WLS when the first one was so bad but these results are astonishing! I'm sure I'll keep feeling better as I heal and I'm looking forward to be able to eat regular food AND lose weight, what a novel concept!! I haven't felt this good since my surgery 2 years ago and I'm less than 4 days post-op..I just wish I would have done this surgery first. It's all good now though yay!!

I'm home guys, I had a really rough weekend but I'm feeling a little better now. When they got in there they were surprised to find my stomach had herniated into my chest cavity and was just hanging out with my lungs!! They had to fix that and physically move my stomach into the right place. Needless to say I was in a LOT more pain than we were all expecting, they had to put me on Diuladid every two hours until we got the pain under control enough for me to walk and get rid of the gas pains that were just making everything worse. The gas pains aren't gone and I actually haven't even passed any gas but hopefully I will soon. I've got the pain pretty much under control with the Lortab but I am extremely sore. I'm very happy to be home and am getting around pretty good and taking in some protein and water which is encouraging, I know things will get better every day and with all they found when I was under I'm nearly guaranteed to get some relief!! Besides feeling like my insides were torn up a bit, swallowing is pretty good which was the original problem so yay! I had a drain and a pain ball and they were both removed today, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be though and it was done quick. Everything is healing and I know I'll be feeling better and losing weight soon so besides feeling like I was going to die on Saturday I'm a pretty happy camper. I've got a bit of a cough so I'm using my breathing machine and watching my temp to make sure I don't get Pneumonia so fingers crossed for that! I can promise that the pain is only temporary and will get better and I'm hoping this surgery will make you guys feel better too! I'm off to nap which I'm doing pretty often and it gives me more energy to walk which makes me feel even better

I'm alright, very very sore. So, I ended up having surgery at 3pm instead of 9am because my surgeon was running late, it just gave me lots of time to think and be nervous. All I remember when I woke up was pain pain pain. My blood pressure was very high and my O2 was very low so I was on all sorts of narcotics and blood pressure medication and I was on oxygen. When I got up to my room my mom was there and told me what happened while I was under. The good news is, it was all done laproscopically but the bad news is once he got in there he saw that my stomach had herniated into my chest cavity and was up by my lungs! That definitely explains some of the pain I was having and really how does that even happen? It's so rare to have a reoccurring hernia and even more rare to find part of your stomach in your chest cavity..yikes! So, obviously I was in a lot more pain because they had to repair that and physically move my stomach down where it was supposed to be. On Saturday I was pretty sure that the pain was going to kill me, it was really really bad and my doctor was sure I would have to stay until at least Monday. They put me on a higher dose of Diuladid every two hours and that really helped me stay on top of the pain enough to start walking and getting rid of the gas. I still have a lot of gas in my shoulders and haven't really been able to pass any of it. I woke up this morning feeling so so much better and convinced the doctor that I could go home on the Lortab and recover there in my own bed. I'm still EXTREMELY sore but I'm tolerating it and the Lortab is helping a bit. I had a drain and the On-Q pain ball so those were both removed today and that wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be. I passed the blue test, you chew this nasty tasting blue dye on ice chips and make sure it doesn't come out in your drain. I also got a barium swallow test and that showed that there were no obstructions but the limb from my pouch to my intestines is very swollen so it's taking a while for my Fluid to get to my intestines meaning I may have to stay on liquids for longer. I'll know for sure when I see my doctor next week. I've also got a pretty nasty cough, with all the pain I wasn't able to use the breathing machine as much as I needed. I have to make sure I don't get a fever and use the machine more often. If I get a fever of 101+ I have to go back right away because they are worried about Pneumonia. Hopefully I'll start feeling better soon and I'll try to keep you guys updated. I'm very happy to be home though and I'm sure the pain will continue to get better. Crazy about my stomach though right?

Okay guys sorry for the slow update but some crazy stuff happened.. I got there on Friday morning at 7am for a 9:30 surgery and was in the holding room until 3pm because my doctor's surgeries ran late. So, I was super nervous because I was just sitting there alone thinking about surgery. Finally surgery got started at 3 and was supposed to be 1.5-2 hours long. I remember waking up in a lot of pain at 6 in the recovery room and they were pumping painkillers through my iv at lightning speed because my blood pressure was in the sky, they also gave me blood pressure medication in the recovery room to help. I was also on oxygen because my blood oxygen was low. When I woke up my mom was there and told me what happened. My stomach had herniated into my chest cavity and was up near my lungs! OMG that doesn't even happen and can cause serious pain!! So, I was in severe pain from that repair and it was a pretty rough couple of nights in the hospital. I was on a lot of Diluadid every 2 hours and that was the first time we got the pain under control, it was miserable. This morning I felt ten times better and switched from the iv meds to the Lortab and was able to keep the pain down enough to be up and moving so they let me come home. I still have a good amount of pain and gas is still in my chest but I'm walking as much as I can and things are improving. I'm really glad to finally be home though. I had a drain and the pain ball and those both came out earlier which wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I feel like I'm on the mend now and am starting to be able to tolerate some Protein and Water which is good. I'm going to keep drinking and walking and hopefully the pain will subside soon! I'll probably give a more detailed version later but I wanted to let everyone know that it was laproscopic and I'm home and getting better even though I'm still in a lot of pain.

I have a time! I have to be at the hospital at 7am tomorrow morning, we live 30 minutes away so will probably leave at 6:15. I'm so excited everything is packed and ready to go! And so it begins..a second time

If you feel like your pushing it then you should probably slow down, you have the rest of your life to exercise and it's really important right now to listen to your body! Also, if you are having any trouble getting your Water and Protein requirements that could be a reason for getting sore so just take it easy

Thank you so much, that means a lot to me..everyone here is amazing! I know there will be lots of prayers and positive thoughts sent my way tomorrow which is a really wonderful feeling I will make sure to keep everything updated as to how it all went and how I'm feeling!

Well, I will happily answer any questions you have anytime I'm probably going to keep the most detailed report in this thread: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/313499-my-very-long-storyaugust-1st-surgery/ ...because it's hard to tell the full story in every single post so I'll likely link people to that post for an update then I'll chat about anything in specific/answer any questions about my journey etc. in the specific threads. I think it will be easiest that way but we shall see, last time I had an update posted Friday evening then a more detailed story on Saturday night so hopefully I'll have a similar recovery and will be able to do that. I'm very excited!! My very very very long story from sleeve to where I'm at now is here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/231723-my-ongoing-story/ ...I had lots of details on what I purchased and brought for surgery in a nice handy list for people who need help packing if you are bored you can check it out otherwise I'll talk to you soon!!

I've only heard wonderful things about Quest bars, they are my nut's favorite to recommend.

600 is the minimum, this sounds crazy but you actually WON'T lose any weight if you don't eat enough!! Just focus on getting your protein and fluid requirements in, I know MFP makes you count calories but try to ignore that number and focus on protein and maybe when you're ready carbs. I was told 3 meals a day with a minimum of 20g protein at each sitting and a max 30g of carbs at each sitting and that works for a lot of people however while you are fresh out of surgery it's 100% normal to eat little meals more often because it's unlikely that you will be able to tolerate 20g of protein in one sitting while you are still swollen. Focus on requirements and exercise and please don't fret the calories just yet, your body needs them to heal!

It's the inflammation, I assume you had surgery recently and this is 100% normal! Most people struggle for weeks if not months to get in all the Protein and Water requirements that they need. The 30 minutes timeline is more of a minimum and you will find with time that it is easier to drink within 30 minutes of eating. It's a great habit to get into if you can push off drinking 30-45 minutes after eating and will help your weight loss success greatly in your future Good luck and don't fret!

Lol, I'm the same way..I love reading other people's stories because I feel like it helps me be better prepared. I also learn a LOT from others on here, it's great to be able to build off of other people's mistakes and have someone to talk to when you have questions that have actually been through it.

My total time was 3 months with insurance approval. I'm not sure which office Dr. Minkin sees patients in though, the office in the medical buildings on the lower level of the hospital where the dietitians are is where I saw Dr. Scott but the office up in the hospital is where I saw Dr. Ricks for my first surgery. I had my first consultation for Sleeve late November and had surgery at the end of December. They are much quicker up there so I'd say expect 1-3 months with their practice. It's a great program, the class is very helpful and the dietitians are very very nice. You are in great hands As far as schedule time after approval I wouldn't expect more than a couple weeks, usually they get you in quick after the insurance part but of course it depends on the surgeon's schedule. Good luck with your surgery!

Also, for clears..PB2 is one of my BFFs! It's just powder and has very little calories/carbs but tastes just like Peanut Butter. If you put a little into your shakes then blend them with ice and Water it helps you feel like you are drinking a shake versus chocolate flavored water IMO adding ice to all shakes made with water is helpful not only because it's colder but it adds texture which you will crave on clears. There are a lot of Protein chicken Soup powders out there made by many different companies as well so that's a salty way to get protein and is usually a great change from the super sweet shakes you will live off of in the first few days/weeks. Good luck

He definitely does, it's a great program and I'm sure you will have great results! Hopefully you will be discharged Friday, I'm staying until Sunday but have the issues so needed some added healing time. Let us know how you feel afterwards I had a very easy recovery and Dr. Ricks did my first surgery so I'm wishing the same for you!

Thanks guys..I hope so too! I just need to be healthy so I can finish school the weight loss would be a plus too though

Lol I will try my recovery with the laproscopic sleeve was a breeze so I'm praying for similar results with the bypass. I've also had two open surgeries with a cut from hipbone the hipbone when I was younger, I have kidney issues and had to having some tubing reimplanted twice. I had my gallbladder removed when I was 5 (yikes I know) and it was laproscopic..it's always easier to heal with smaller incisions. I'm sure it will all work out though, I picked a very good surgeon with lots of experience and now it's up to him to fix me but I have total faith. I'll take it easy afterwards and should be fine for school, gotta think positive thoughts!!

You are having surgery with the same practice as I am I'm getting a revision from the sleeve to the bypass with Dr. Scott on Friday so we will be close. I had complications with the sleeve, it's a really long story but now 2 years later I'm revising. Des Peres is awesome..I'm on day 2 of 3 so we will probably be in the hospital at the same time on Friday lol. Good luck, Dr. Minkin, Dr. Scott, and especially Dr. Ricks are all great.

I personally hated Unjury but everyone is different. I love nectar and they also have a sample pack. Vitalady offers samples for $2.99 with $5 shipping on over 40 different Protein powders. I ordered a bunch to try after surgery and I'd suggest with any samples you get, wait until after surgery to try them because your taste buds will change. With that being said, having some staples like chocolate and vanilla is a really good idea because you will need some protein pre-op and those are generally safe flavors. The coffee flavor for me has always been safe too because when you blend it with ice it tastes similar to iced coffee drinks you would get at any cafe. I like everything from nectar except their Fruit Drinks, I've only tried the fuzzy naval and it didn't work for me. I ordered a sample of the carribean cooler and the lemonade to try but their sweets are really good, I don't think I've ever heard of someone not like the Nectar sweets. Here is the link to VitaLady: http://www.vitalady.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&keywords=protsamp&SortKey=sku&SortOrder=ascending I would suggest getting the Michelle's Special Combo - half Stack Chocolate and half IDS Vanilla Cinnamon because I've heard amazing thing about that one and can't wait to try it. Also, there's a thread at the top of the subforum for protein and Vitamins that rates Protein powder and VitaLady offers samples of a lot of the protein on the excellent list. Good luck

I think it's a great idea not only for you but for others who need buddies. The sleeve and bypass have similar recovery and it's a great place for everyone to get support. I'm still praying for a bypass for you Roostertail! I'm praying for a laproscopic surgery for me on Friday too because classes start on August 22nd and I need to be healed enough to get around campus which I think would be quite difficult with an open surgery and staples! I need a fast speed-bump free recovery lol

It's under General discussions but here is the link for you.. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/314093-all-in-august-2014/