McButterpants

Ya gotta poo! Metamucil and a good quality probiotic got things moving for me.

No one at work knows I had surgery - they do know that I've lost a lot of weight...I always get the "you eat like a bird" comments. I just say things like, "I had a late lunch" or "I had a snack"

I had my surgery on an outpatient basis - In at 6:00 am out at about 12:30 pm. (I also just had my gallbladder removed in January and it was done on outpatient as well.) The doctor gave me his cell phone number and the office phone number. We found the nearest emergency room and mapped it out, just in case. We rented a condo so I had all the comforts of home. I was very comfortable and had no complications. I was a bit concerned at first, but when I saw how many surgeries the surgeon completed on a weekly basis, I was more at ease. He performed more surgeries in 2 months than my local doctor performed in a year. The hospital didn't release me until they knew I was OK. I could have stayed longer, but honest, I felt OK and felt I could rest more comfortably in the condo. Do your research on your doctor and hospital. Do what makes you comfortable - if you don't feel comfortable with doing it as an outpatient, find a surgeon who will go with a 1-2 day stay. Be your own best advocate.

I've been overweight my whole adult life. I tried every stupid fad diet (cabbage Soup sucks), supplements, exercise regiment, etc. One day my husband told me about the wife of a friend of his that had the lapland and showed me a picture. I had thought about WLS a few times previous, but this time was different. I did some superficial research and decided that I had to do something and do something now. I had checked out of my life. I really didn't care about much any more. I was becoming more and more disconnected from my family and friends. I was miserable. When I went into this, I hoped my only regret was that I didn't do this sooner (I was 43 when I had surgery). I can say, that is my only regret. It's hard and it's emotional, but looking back at the last 2.5 years, I am amazed - I found out I am stronger emotionally and physically that I knew. I reconnected with friends and I have a better and stronger relationship with my husband and son. I'm more outgoing. I love to exercise. I love to do hot yoga. I go hiking. I have energy to get me thru the day.

Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas.

Do your research on whichever doctor you chose - I chose not to go to Mexico, but to Las Vegas and paid about 30% of what my local hospital was charging. This is a huge decision and it's not to be made on a whim. i probably waffled 100 times after my decision to have surgery. But, I can honestly say - this was the best decision of my life. I look back at all the nervousness, fear, anxiety, etc. and it was wasted energy. You'll know when you're ready. Once you make the decision, commit to it - follow the rules, find a good support system and get yourself prepared. Best of luck to you!

I got rid of clothes in stages, but I did get rid of them. No fall back options were available. I did keep a pair of jeans and a top - I pull them out periodically to remind myself of how big I allowed myself to get. I also have some pictures from the "fat years", like my old drivers license and the pic of me on the plane heading for surgery.

They told me to take mine with me to the hospital - was never instructed to not use it. I wonder why they told you not to use it???

For me, the bypass leads to malabsorption issues - that concerned me a little bit. Also, the sleeve was designed for severely overweight people as a stepping stone to bypass (they would perform the sleeve surgery on a severely obese person who was at risk for bypass - once they lost enough weight they would then have bypass surgery). In my mind, I thought "if the sleeve doesn't work, I could go the bypass route" and had that discussion with my surgeon - he agreed.

What a great problem to have, right? I have the same problem - I wear a smaller band on the outside to keep my engagement ring and eternity band from falling off.

You're going to find a lot of "yeah, I had a cookie 3 days post-op" or "I had three bites of a taco, but was't supposed to" That is not your license to do the same thing. You need to follow your team's instructions - they know best and have the rules there for a reason. My surgeon had a progressive meal plan, allowing things like scrambled egg almost immediately (like 1-2 tablespoons of something). When I got home, my local doc wanted me on a liquid diet. You know what I did? I followed my local doc's directions. Did I want food? Heck yeah. But we made a deal when she signed on to support me when I got back from surgery. You have invested to much in the process - time, money, energy. You've been given a gift, a 2nd chance, if you will. Please don't take that for granted - do the hard work today so tomorrow will be better.

Thanks McButterpants. I definitely understand wanting something I can't have. But I am also terrified of those things that everyone says to avoid like sugar and such. It's always on my mind. One more question, I've have a co work and a guy friend that have both had the surgery and they say that aren't usually hungry but I find myself kind of hungry. Not sure if it's all in my head, actually hungry or so focused on the plan to get enough food/fluids in. Do you find yourself hungry or do you have to try and remind yourself to eat? Sent from my SM-G925P using the BariatricPal App I had head hunger at first - I wanted to chew food. Once that subsided, my hunger did go away. Probably at about 18 months, I noticed my hunger has come back, although it's not to the extent it was prior to surgery. While I feel hunger, I don't have the draw to food that I had pre-op. It's just not that important to me any more.

I think what you're feeling is perfectly normal. There have been times, even newly post-op, where I thought, "What did I do to myself?" Those feelings subsided after the first 6 months or so and at 2.5 years out, I don't have them any more. You can always get support here. Your local hospital may have a support group (even if you didn't get surgery there). You are not alone. Here's what I know 2.5 years out - my life is so much better. I do not regret this decision at all - there were times when I was having an emotional moment that I wished I could sit down to a big bowl of Pasta and go to town. There were times I wanted to eat an entire baguette of bread. There were times I wanted chocolate cake. But my sleeve was there for me - it didn't allow me to sabotage myself. My new normal is splitting a meal with my husband. Eating a hamburger without the bun. I still drink Protein shakes. But, I also allow some treats - a small bowl of ice cream, a cookie, a muffin, etc. But I don't crave them like I used to. I'm OK with my new normal. Hang in there, kid. You're going to be on an emotional roller coaster for the foreseeable future. It's going to be hard. Keep your eye on the prize, though. It will be so worth it!

Ahhhhh...do I remember that well! LOL. I had to be off caffeine prior to surgery. I decided I was going to quit cold turkey - not a good idea. I got sick to my stomach, had a huge headache, and was cranky. I ended up weening myself off over the course of two weeks, slowly cutting down every couple of days. Best of luck!

I took it years before surgery - I didn't take it for long because I felt like I was zoning out a lot.