unbesleevable1

I went back after 2 weeks off. It was ok, but I wish I had waited 3 weeks. I was just easily tired, and getting a hang of eating on the go. It is totally do-able. But I will also say, I had a really uneventful recovery with no complications.

Put some neosporin on it and keep it clean. It doesn't look great, and definitely warrants monitoring... That said, keep an eye on your temperature. If it becomes elevated above 100.4 or so, please have it looked at again.

Are you diabetic, by any chance?

"Tommy the Tiny Tummy"

There's no reason you can't have plain Water, you don't have to have crystal lite.

I had a pretty easy time of it, overall. The farther I get from the surgery, the easier it seemed. But I remember very clearly that the first day I was in pretty rough shape. I had a gnarly headache (caffeine withdrawl, I think), and just wanted a motrin! The morphine made me sick so I never pushed the button. I remember thinking, wow, this is rough! But I never thought, 'what have I done?' I was thinking, 'heck yes, I got through the surgery!!"

I never had the gas pain you hear so much about. I had no trouble sleeping on my side. I took the pain medication once a day before bed for the first 5 days and then dumped it out. Nothing made me nauseated as far as fluids. I just had my first episode of nausea and vomiting at almost 3 weeks post op from drinking cold Water first thing in the morning (too much, too cold, too fast?). I went back to work at 2 weeks and survived. I don't feel bad, but just that I should be taking it easy.

I think I was really really lucky. I agree with Chris E above, a lot of it is attitude. Focus on the positive. Get lots of rest. Have someone helping you at home if possible the first couple days. Hope for the best and leave the rest to your higher power.

I am eating my eggs or Beans or whatever, one bite at a time, spacing out my bites about every 5-10 min. By the 2nd or 3rd bite, my food is cold. Is this just my reality now? Not complaining, just wondering if anyone has figured a better way.

I just mostly like the topic of this thread. Stupid annoying birthday cake! Don't hate the cake! The cake has done nothing but be delicious. Just kidding!

Pdx man said it best. Expecting others to change their behavior because we have sets us up for disappointment. Expectations lead directly to resentment. Resentment leads to a bunch of other icky things that are better avoided.

I have a feeling you're just venting. It's your party, you can cry if you....well, you know.

Happy birthday!

I quit using the lozenges (the mini 4 mg ones that i would break in half). The first 4 days are the worst. I used the lozenges once or twice a day until surgery, and none since surgery. I still get cravings to smoke, but they are fleeting. I find taking deep breaths helps me. Someone said that smokers find smoking relaxing partly because it's the only time they take deep breaths. I thought that sounded dumb, but I tried it and was pleasantly surprised.

My surgeon did not really demand that i quit, but I know what smoking does to your circulation, and didn't want any extra risks.

There are a lot of things I've had to give up for this surgery: smoking, caffeine, eating (pre op diet), using food to change how I feel (post op), carbonation. Those are the major ones, and I had some deeply ingrained addictions going on. It was hard. (eating was the hardest thing to give up). Now that it's over, and I'm almost 3 weeks post op, it was all so worth it. My work pants are already falling off.

So do what you gotta do. Ain't no one ever said it was easy!!!

The stress test is more to look at how your heart responds under 'stress' (cardio). As long as your ekg looks good, you will be fine. They're really not looking at how fit you are.

I quit smoking about a month before surgery. It sucked! I used nicotine lozenges to quit. Luckily my doctor didn't require complete abstinence from nicotine, as some do. I was very unpleasant the first 4 days. VERY unpleasant. I did it because I had to, but I didn't enjoy it. I especially missed smoking the last 3 weeks on my pre op diet where I couldn't eat. I had no idea what to do with myself. It was requested I give up caffeine also, but I never did. That was a big mistake. Post op I had the worst Migraine for about a week. So thats what I would have done differently: weaned off caffeine along with everything else before surgery. So that's my suggestion: take the time to wean off of everything, that way it wont be a complete shock post op. Good luck, the prep was the hardest thing I have ever done. WAY harder than the actual surgery. Good luck!

It did not get easier for me. I hated every second and I cheated 3 times in 3 weeks. Hardest thing I've ever done.

Nurses are caretakers. Which is ironic, because we often forget to care for ourselves.

Nurses also tend to lose their identities in their profession and family roles. Meaning that identifying as a nurse becomes part of who they are, not what they do.

Me too! Happy for u that it all worked out. Did u just learn this info today or did u know right after surgery? I would worry if my surgeon didn't tell me this sooner...

I was told by my mom and aunt as soon as I was coherent enough to listen. The surgeon spoke to me about it the next morning.

I had my 2 week follow up appt today. During my surgery, they found a small tumor/mass on my liver which they removed. The P.A. that I saw today had assisted in my surgery. She told me that when they found the mass, removed it, and sent it to pathology, they had to wait until the pathologist said it looked benign before proceeding. If the pathologist had said it looked suspicious, they would have cancelled the surgery.

I am so grateful that it was benign, and that they were able to give me this weight loss tool. I love my tiny tummy!!

Don't torture yourself, just do what your doctor says and be happy about it. Not everyone has to do a pre op starvation diet. If you insist upon doing it, you have a number of options. You can choose a balanced Meal Replacement Protein shake and drink it during the day, staying around 800 cal a day (3-4 shakes). You could do low or no carb, high Protein food diet. You could do a combination of the two, keeping your calories around 800. My personal advice, enjoy your last weeks of eating.

I stayed a good 2 nites. Admitted monday early morning and went home wednesday around noon.

I chose sleeve because of more likely to not have dumping syndrome. Also, it just seemed 'right' when I read about the sleeve. Also I have some friends that had bypass and they throw up a lot.

I had cream of chicken, reduced fat (I think) in my first week post op. My mom strained it, and it was the best thing I ever had!!

I was so inspired and reassured by others' videos I watched on youtube before surgery, I wanted to do my own. I have actually done it and so far, there are 4. I will post more as I progress down the scale. Thanks for watching!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTEYhke4RpI_KL3PBeqecg/videos?view_as=public

I was very hungry almost immediately after surgery. The first week you're taking in only liquids, and they dont stay in your sleeve very long. It reminded me of a newborn baby. I'd get very hungry, drink a little bit of Protein shake or broth or Jello, and be full for an hour or 2. Then I'd be hungry again. When you're only taking liquids, the pyloric valve of the stomach doesn't close to keep them in, so any liquids pass through out of your sleeve fairly quickly. Once you are able to take in more substantial foods (scrambled eggs!) you will feel fuller for longer. In that stage I just ate frequently as I was hungry. Once I understood about the liquids/ solids thing, it made a lot more sense. Good luck!

just show up. they really do the rest.

It was recommended that I give up caffeine 2 weeks before surgery, which I didn't do. I had the worst headaches post op for about a week. It was terrible. I deserved that punishment.

My surgeon's office sells and recommends them. They weren't terrible tasting, but yes, very expensive. I found a Protein powder mix at Vitamin shoppe that actually tasted better and was lower in sugar and carbs. I totally agree with you!

I am about 9 days post op and can drink fluids fairly normally. It does take longer to get the recommended 64 fl oz in per day, but I get pretty close. As for the hot dog issue, I can't speak to the bread thing, but I know a lot of ppl can tolerate bread, but we are cautioned from eating carbs habitually. I am sure that you would be able to have a couple bites of a hot dog, but probably could not eat a whole one.

As far as dealing with people close to you and their reactions to the surgery.... you are going to hear everything from keeping it a secret to telling whoever asks. Once I was secure in my decision, it didn't matter what anyone said or thought about it. If they wanted to say anything negative, I would say, 'thanks for sharing,' or 'i appreciate your input', and that was it. I had no real opponents but I had some people who were pretty surprised. No real negative static, especially once this bus was really rolling. You gotta do what you feel is right for you. It's your journey and your stomach. Good luck.

I am about 9 days post op, and I do get hungry as well. I feel like I eat all the time, but when I track it, I'm only taking in about 500 cal. What works for me is eating every couple hours, and sipping on Protein in between. I keep comparing it to having a newborn baby.