MichiganChic

I take the two 250s, and I've not had problems with them at all. Wish you you didn't have to deal with this!

All great suggestions, I'm downloading a little of everything. It keeps me on the Nordic track longer....should have thought of that sooner, duh! I really didn't think it would make a difference but it does!

I had a pretty rough recovery in the immediate post op period. They kept me in recovery room for 5 hours trying to manage pain. I don't think my stomach ever hurt at all, but the gas pain was the worst pain I've ever had. I had 3 C-sections and breezed through them, and figured this would be comparable. As far as incisional pain, it was easier, but the gas gave my terrible chest pain. My blood pressure was high and my blood sugar was high, even though I don't (and didn't) have those problems. Once I was stabilized and taken to my room, I rapidly improved. By that night, I was walking the halls without difficulty. So, it was about 6 or 7 hours of misery, but pretty tolerable after that for me.

What a harrowing experience this must have been for you, and yet I hear the strength in your words, I'm so impressed. I'm sorry you had to go through this. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Protecting your PERSONAL information is not a lie. I'm always confused why we think just because someone asks us a question, they are entitled to an answer. People invading our privacy and being nosy need to have their attitudes adjusted, because while it is human nature to be nosy, getting the information isn't a constitutional right. I have run into this, and you are right. If you tell one person, you have told everyone. Sadly, I told lots of people by telling only a few. I know many people probably know, and only a few ask me directly, and I just give the line diet and exercise, and change the subject to them. Most people understand you don't want to discuss it an politely move on. I'm sure they discuss behind my back, but again, human nature.

My surgeon allows NSAIDS. I started taking them about 6 or 7 weeks post op. He does not allow it for RNY. It's one of the main reasons I chose this surgery. I take ibuprophen just about daily, though I try to limit it as much as possible for other reasons (hard on kidneys). I usually take about 400 mg daily.

umm, no, lol! I was hungry and didn't like it at all. I didn't stress about it, and I have to say I like the post op diet better. I think I mourned the loss of food in the couple months prior to the pre op diet, so it wasn't a food issue for me, it was weakness/hunger. That's why the post op diet was better, at least I wasn't hungry. I think it's manageable pre or post op for everyone, as long as your head is in the right place. Good luck to all of you!

tboosrn Please add me, too!

Beautiful! What a wonderful transformation and success story! It must feel GREAT!

My biggest fear early on was a leak. After I got past that, I did, and still do, fear that this won't work, that I'll slip back into bad habits, that I'll never get to goal.....or worse, that I will and won't be able to maintain it. The hardest thing for me is teaching myself discipline. I do get hungry, but I don't have the continuous drive to eat, eat, eat. I used to graze all the time, and I knew going into the surgery that was habit I needed to break. So far, so good, because I'm not hungry all the time and food is not longer in the forefront of my mind. I know myself well enough that I'll go to my grave fighting that battle, but I just want to win it

Thanks for the suggestions! Having fun checking them out on iTunes

I always weigh and measure everything. I was instructed to start with 1/4 cup, eat/drink slow, and that should take about 10-15 minutes. If still hungry, can add another 1/4 cup. 1/2 cup is the max. They also told us to use baby silverware, practice mindful eating, etc. Portion control was always my issue, too. At 4 months post op, I continue to develop my new habit of always weigh and measure my food, and log it into my fitness pal. Early on, fullness felt like a tightness in my chest, now it feels a little more like it used to before surgery. I've never vomited, but I do get hiccoughs or sneeze when I'm full. I have no explanation for that, lol

Forgot to say I don't know what size bougie they used on me, but that pen visualization is pretty revealing....I think I could be successful even with the highlighter (54 fr.) size, lol! Because I'm pretty sure I had football size before

I also started over 300 pounds. I do understand what you mean about being irritated that we have so far to go! I've lost nearly 70 pounds and still weigh more than lots of people at their starting weight. I've decided to let that go, thinking about it is not helpful to me. It's just the way it is, and I prefer to focus on the fact that I'm that much lighter, and that much closer to goal! I feel better, look better, move better. I can't change anything, and for me, it's a GOOD thing! One major thing I have realized is that probably the major contributor to my super obesity was the fact that I was unsatisfied with the speed of my weight loss and could not sustain major diet changes over time. I'm now forced to sustain them, and guess what? Eventually, the weight comes off! Each pound adds up as it comes off, just as it did going on. I'm learning to put food in the background of my life, instead of the main attraction. I exercise and stay busy, which keeps me from looking for something to eat all the time, like I used to. Some days are easier than others, for sure! I hated the whole concept of eating at first, too, because I none of it sounded very appealing, and it was more work than it was worth. I can tell you from experience that it does get better. My advice - Try to take one day at a time, busy yourself with other things, and make decisions that are about YOU! You deserve to have some focus and attention that centers around your best interests.

The intent of the poll was to determine if people would do this again, and why/why not? The overwhelming majority would. That is in keeping with the statistics we believe to be true. I think it is particularly important for the people who wouldn't do this again to speak out. It's so easy to get swept away with success stories and a pretty high "success" rate, but really understanding and accepting risks takes a bit more consideration. I've said it before, and will continue to say it, it's about your risk tolerance. You COULD BE one of the unlucky ones - and there is no way to predict who will be - so it's important to consider what this surgery could potentially bring, and then decide if that is something you can tolerate. I personally think it's a bad idea for low BMI/low comorbidities. I had a complication (infection) which was minor, but for me, it was unpleasant. It took 7 weeks to heal, and the entire time I worried that I would end up with a permanent complication, such as tunneling into other organs, or a permanent non healing wound, or even sepsis/death in a worst case scenario. All are very real possibilities. I was a lucky one, none of those things happened. As a nurse, I understand risk better than most, but I still didn't think I would get a complication. I think this is one avenue to educate potential WLS patients. I appreciate the perspective of both sides, and I think it's important for the 2% and the 98% to share experiences. In this case, I hope people reading this thread and are considering this surgery really think about what the 2% is saying.

Sorry if the pics of the pens was confusing. Google Bougie images, and it comes up. The pens are roughly the circumference of the various bougie sizes. I am a registered nurse with surgery experience, and I can tell you we used bougies to stretch the esophagus. While a real bougie is made of dense rubber (or at least they used to be made of rubber), is longer in size, and tapered at one end, the circumference of those pens is a pretty good approximation.

See below:

Mmmmm.......call me crazy, but I get a sick sense of satisfaction graphing my weight loss! I have to get on the scale every day and log it into excel. Love watching the trend line Actually, I know some will call me crazy, so just think it and don't say it. I also am enjoying shopping a lot, but trying to restrain since I have a long way to go. Oh, and of course, VST.

It really does get better, and this range of symptoms and feelings are pretty typical. One thing I've found to be true - no two people have the same experience. We are all unique in the way we respond to surgery, both physically and emotionally. I remember reading all these threads about people going back to work in a week or two, and I wondered if there was something wrong with me. Turns out it was just my unique experience.Just focus on following your plan and staying hydrated, and before you know it, the time has passed and things start looking up. Good luck!

Nope, you are not the only one who didn't breeze through. You aren't a whiny baby, you just had major surgery and at 4 days out, it's pretty normal to feel bad. I felt drained for the first six weeks. I can remember needing to rest after a shower, and thinking I might not make it through! Take it easy, get lots of rest, and work on getting those fluids in! Hope you feel better. Oh, and take your pain meds if you need them.

Hi - I'm from southeastern Michigan. My surgery was in Toledo Ohio December 19. Nice to meet everyone! I see lots of people just having or having surgery in the near future -good luck to you all!

Congratulations on your surgery! It will keep getting better and easier as time goes on. We have similar stats! My starting weight is similar, and I'm also 50. I also had an abscess in the same incision and it had to be opened up, too. Mine kept healing over, and had to be opened more than once, then I finally made them put a small drain in it so it could heal properly, which it did. In the grand scheme of things, it was a minor complication and didn't slow things down much for me. You are going to hit your "arbitrary" goal of 299 in no time! It was fun and shocking at how fast the weight came off at first. Do try to measure your liquids, and later, your food, because it is too soon to know your body yet, as you said. As you take it slow over the next few weeks, you will figure it out. I wish you continued success on your journey!

We are all different. I also think we heal at different rates. I can tolerate pretty much anything, but don't eat bread, rice, or pasta per my prescribed plan. I can have that at 4 months, and can't have steak till 6 months. I've had a little bread or pasta here or there, and no problem. Just follow your plan, and weigh and measure your food. As someone said to me, just because you can, doesn't mean you should It is a new learning curve for us all!

Yay YOU!! Congratulations!

I just looked back at my log, and at 7 weeks, I was eating between 600-800 calories. About 10-12 weeks I increased to 800-100, and now at 4 months, I'm 9000-1200. I don't plan to go any higher than that, and like to be closer to 1000-1100 most days. I eat 4 times a day, so that's one way to decrease calories. Eating more frequently = increased calories. I also don't eat much of anything that's processed, and I don't eat bread, rice, or pasta. My dietician would probably prefer me to be at 800 calories, but I don't feel good at that. I also wasn't losing any faster at 800 calories by the time I was in my third post op month, but initially, I did. Anyway, the other posters have given you great suggestions for getting in protein on a low calorie diet, and it can be done - honestly, no one is making it up Good luck as you figure it out.