Shells_Almost_There

Major congrats! You are rockin' it!!!

sleep is good. You just had major surgery and they pulled a huge piece of stomach out of that bigger left side incision. It will be swollen and twinge when you move certain ways. You have a huge line of staples that will start to grow scar tissue over them in that same area and then down toward your belly button. Resting for 2 to 3 weeks while this happens is exactly what my doctor ordered and what your body is going to need. Oh and by Day 7 or so you will feel much better, but give yourself a break at 2 days post op and let your body heal!

My NUT uses a formula - times your weight by .3 to find out the daily protein target. So a 250 lb person needs 75 grams, a 200 lb person needs 60 grams, and so on.

I agree - when I go out with friends now, I'll order something meaty but then can only eat a few bites. I'm sure to them it looks a bit strange that I barely eat my food (very few people know about my surgery) - and my fridge fills up with the to-go containers. Sometimes I'll go back to the food if it looks appetizing, but it usually just rots in the fridge. Sad! I wish more places allowed the half-orders of things.

This is so true! Of course, I would try to talk you into staying an extra hour so that we could have a few more bites an hour later! (That's my plan for Christmas dinner - 4 bites, then talk talk talk for a long time, then another bite or 2...)

Some were able to do it faster than me - I couldn't sleep on my side, even with the help of a body pillow, for 3 weeks. It was such a relief when I could finally do it! Be sure to take even smaller sips if you're struggling to keep the liquid down. These next 7 to 10 days will hold some challenges, but take your liquid Tylenol and whatever pain meds you have from your doc as long as you need to. Things will improve - hang in there!

For me, days 3 to 7 were the worst for the pain and ever-changing bizarre aches and pains. Give yourself a break - sip your protein as much as you can- that will help with the feeling of weakness. Your body needs the nutrition and the calories. Sip as much as you can, and rest. By day 10 you'll feel a lot better.

I also did a number of food funerals during my pre-op time - mainly because I believed the myth that I'd never "be able to" eat my favorites again. Turns out that you can eat most foods post-op that you enjoyed before, but just in small amounts. Once that's possible, it becomes about the choices to not eat those foods - to not fall back into old patterns of bad eating habits (for me: salty carbs and lots of sugar. Oh and diet pop, which I still miss like crazy!). I sometimes crave a full blown Olive Garden meal - I haven't had any Pasta or rice since surgery by my own choice. If I bothered to go to OG now, I'd have one bread stick and maybe 3 pieces of chicken from the alfredo and that would be that. Post-op, that just doesn't sound appealing or worth it. It's a whole new world!

I've told almost no one and I'm glad. Many of those who know (out of just 11 people total) are the people who do 2 things: Over-compliment my weight loss each day (bizarre, it's truly not that noticeable) and watch and then comment on what I eat. Ugh. They mean well, they are not critical usually - they want the best for me. Lots of people on this site have told everyone, and some people have told very few. I'm just a private person and very independent so I didn't want to hear constant comments or have them watch my food intake. That was my choice - we all have to find that balance of who to tell and who not to tell. One piece of advice during this journey - don't put too much credence on what others think about the surgery or what they reflect back to you about the surgery or your future weight loss, if at all possible! Unless they have had surgery, they don't know your journey and it seems that a lot of other peoples' insecurities and pain will come at you as you experience success -- be strong for yourself and stand up for what you're doing, regardless of who you tell and what their reactions are. You are in this for YOU.

Everyone's experience is quite different. I took 2 full weeks off and I needed it. I am wimp for pain, though, so I usually read on here that people take less time off than I did. Sitting up started to hurt my incisions after about 30 minutes at the 2 week mark, so I worked from home for the 3rd week post-op so that I could recover even more. Well worth the time off - I hadn't taken a vacation in a long time and it was both relaxing and rewarding to return to work (only 2 people at work knew my vacation was really surgery) feeling healed and ready to go.

Yes, this!

During my pre-op phase, I was also worried that I'd never have my favorites again after surgery. But, that's just another one of the myths about this procedure. Generally speaking, you'll be able to eat what you liked eventually, but in smaller portions. Then the question becomes Should You Eat That? The real test comes when you want those potato chips but SHOULDN'T have them (they are slider foods! but so delicious! )These are questions I must ask every single day as I make my food choices. (I for one cannot have kettle chips or RItz crackers in my house or I will chow down!) I have explored what foods I can eat and what make me sick, and I've learned that it's all about positive food choices for my goal to lose weight. I don't want to have gone through this for nothing. I'm at my 3-month mark post-op and don't feel like I have to deny myself anything - it's more that I'm making choices and get full so fast that it becomes a non-issue. At this point, I can't eat baked potatoes and bready sweets make me super sick. Oh and last night I found out that prime rib will be our main course at Christmas -- that will be my first steak since surgery. I already warned my mom that I'll be able to maybe eat 3 bites but I'll take my leftovers and enjoy them the next day (and the day after that...)

Milk of Magnesia saved me from the enema - I still have it in the cupboard because things will "stop up" from time to time still. I really hate being this irregular, but it's a price we pay. Good luck!

So sorry this is happening - people can be so...interesting! I love the suggestions above, and I think it's fair for you to say, "You've asked enough questions, this is my personal business" and maybe "Sorry, I'll have to limit you to one question today, since I've answered these already" -- and there's always the turning of the tables: Mirror her questions back and start an uncomfortable dialogue, and put her on the hot seat and on the defensive if possible! Mirroring really does work well. You've really been nice and patient long enough, it sounds like... Good luck! ETA: Also, if she calls out your lunch foods, call out hers as well. Ok, that or eat somewhere else.

This sounds like a question to put in the Gastric Bypass forum, rather than General forum - I think more people who had your same surgery would see it then. Good luck!

I would say "Don't worry, you'll be able to eat all those things," but I don't want it to sound like encouragement! No but truly, you will probably be able to eat most foods you loved pre-op once you have recovered from surgery and your stomach heals. The decision to NOT eat those foods is when the real work begins, because eating around the surgery is self-sabotage and will probably lead to weight gain. Post op, I really miss 3 things: pizza, diet soda, and cake. I mean, really. LOL, sometimes I obsess about those things but I make a choice not to eat them - otherwise, why did I have this huge surgery? My desire for cake, etc, hasn't disappeared, but I'm more motivated to lose weight than I am to buy and eat that piece of cake from the bakery. Post-op, I spend a lot of time thinking about food -- food I should eat and food I shouldn't eat. It's a battle every single day to make the right choices. Thank god I had the surgery to help me along - otherwise, what's the point?

You did it! Major congratulations!

I would verify with your nutritionist and/or surgeon because everyone's post op diet seems to vary. Protein shakes, broth, Water and sugar-free popsicles were my post-op diet per my surgeon's plan. Some people are on "clears" the first week, but I was just on "liquids only" for 2 weeks before switching to mushies.

Chiming in to say that my sleep has changed drastically since surgery and I have been wondering if anyone else has been experiencing this! I was never a great sleeper in general and any noise or light would wake me up. Now, I can only sleep 5 hours - 6 if I'm lucky. It's horrible. These days, I fall asleep and sleep hard for the 5 hours, but then I wake up and there is no such thing as getting back to sleep. I wake up rested and ready for the day, except that it's 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. I feel lucky that I live alone at this point because my new habits would annoy anyone who had to deal with me. I hope this turns around soon...

I haven't told many people about surgery, and I pre-planned my time off as a stay-cation for 3 weeks. Best 3 weeks of my adult life! I hadn't had a vacation in 4 years and well, it was like having the surgery was a bonus. No one questioned it at work (and they still haven't many weeks later) and everyone was happy to see me when I returned. Best decision ever.

The issue with questions like "Are you happy with the sleeve?" and "Would you do it again?" is that that people might read the responses and expect MY experience to be THEIR experience. I am thrilled with my sleeve, but Gelica's story above is a perfect example of the struggle and regret that some people have post-op. I've been on the sleeve web site for 9 months and have seen a large number of positive stories and a much smaller number of negative stories. Walking through the door of the hospital back on 9/16, I knew that I had good odds of having a positive story, but I had mentally prepared myself for the negatives (including death). That way, I felt as prepared as I could be and as determined as possible to go through with this momentous decision to have most of my stomach removed and live with whatever came after. Only you can decide what's best for you, and your experience could be completely unique as compared to those of us who've answered. That being said, good luck to you. Gelica, all the best to you - stay strong and keep fighting!

I'm curious about your height? I'm barely 5'4" and started 2013 close to 350 - I find that as a short person I have a harder time losing weight BUT as a very heavy person I lost a lot of weight initially after surgery. Since then, things have evened out. I look for 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per week. It's slow going but still a loss and I'm loving it. As for my long-term goal, I already know that with my height I'd have to lose an incredible amount of weight to ever be in the "normal" range so that is not my goal. I like the number 199 because it's below 200 and for me, any weight between 170 and 199 and I really do look like a normal weight person. I don't know if you can relate to this, but I've always been bigger, even at 135 (sigh, those were the days) or 170. It's just the way I'm built. These days, I'm striving to lose the weight for my personal goals and my health/longevity, not for a medical chart in a doc's office or a particular BMI. If that means still being tagged as obese (and eventually "overweight"), I will shrug that off because those charts have never really applied to me. Besides, to be in the overweight category instead of (super) (morbidly) obese will be a major victory for me. To weigh 199 or less after a highest weight a few years back of 357 will be an enormous win. The sleeve has been the best decision I've made for myself!

Congrats! It only gets better as each day goes by.

I only told a crucial few and it's been a good choice for me. At this point, those who know about the surgery watch everything I put in my mouth and ask "can you eat that?" and it drives me bonkers (mostly I'm talking about my mother who I wish I hadn't told, but it was impossible to avoid. She is the food police now. Yuck). Thank god I didn't tell anyone else, I'd have to quit my job AND move to another country. LOL but seriously, it's a very personal decision and people have varying reasons to tell or not to tell. I'm just a super private person and no one needs to know my personal medical business. Good luck with your choice!

So happy for you - the big journey begins today!