lirri

I wore some stretchy pants and a cami to the hospital. Ended up calling my boyfriend to bring me a dress to wear home. I lived in dresses for the first two weeks since the pressure on my incisions was more than I wanted to deal with at the time. During my pre-op class right before surgery they told us to bring a loose-fitting dress in to come home in. I shrugged that off thinking I didn't want to leave in a mumu. Did I ever!

You can do this! It does get better.

I'm 4w5d post op now and every week is a marked difference in energy and what I can eat. At two weeks I was still getting fatigued very quickly. The two week mark was also the point where I moved from full liquid to soft foods. While I thought the progression to the new diet was going to open new doors of eating for me, I ended up going back to mostly Protein shakes and yogurt. If I ate anything else I'd get nauseous right away. I ended up taking 5 weeks off of work and each day I still ask myself if I'm ready to return to a full day of work. At least I'm starting to feel normal more often than not. Are you planning on returning to work soon after surgery? If so, please spend your time at home getting used to the schedule of eating/drinking Water on a regular basis. Returning to work can throw a wrench into your eating schedule and you'll really notice it if you go 4+ hours without food. There are a few unknowns that you aren't going to be able to make decisions for until after surgery. You are also not going to know what type of pain you are going to be in at 2 weeks out, or if there may be complications which may mean more recovery time. Good luck!

Congrats! You look great!

I had a hiatal hernia but tested negative for Barrett's. I'm sorry to hear that you have it. I was planning on doing the RNY to begin with but was told by my surgeon that with the reflux I already have that the sleeve and lap band were not suggested for anyone with GERD.

First NSV for me! I bought a pair of 7s for all mankind capris last year and promptly grew out of them. They fit now. Starting to really feel the difference. More motivated than ever!

Two days ago marked my 3 week anniversary to my surgery. What a difference each day makes! I've been struggling with some deep depression since surgery and a lot of soul searching has gone on. One of the hardest things for me to do is sit still. I've spent more time at home than I'd like to and am actually looking forward to going back to work to break up the monotony. I've now read 7 books since surgery and about to finish my 8th. Reading has been my lifesaver through this surgery. Since I started on soft foods I've been unable to eat more than a few bites before I am overcome with nausea and have to go lay down. And that's been really frustrating. I'm still drinking two protein shakes a day and eating yogurt to balance out the fact that I can't eat any other types of protein without getting sick. On top of that, the anti gallstone medication (Actigall) I'm on really adds to the nausea. I can wake up full of energy every morning, have my protein shake and then my Actigall and a short time later I'm stuck in bed with nausea for the rest of the day, even after taking my nausea meds. So my books are really helping to take my mind off of things while I'm lying in bed. Yesterday was the first day that I felt any way back to my normal self. Every day I do a self check to see if I feel like I'm ready to go back to work or not -- and every day I get the nausea. Yesterday I chose not to take the pills and got out of the house. New siding is getting installed on my apartment so it was pretty loud yesterday and was an added incentive for me to leave. I decided to go to a restaurant while we were out and try some of their halibut. I barely had a few bites down before I was full. I then spent the next half hour worrying about when the nausea was going to kick in. It didn't! Marking yesterday as a big jump in progress. Today I will go back to taking the stupid medication, but I'm happy to have one day where I felt I was returning to normal. Summer break started for both girls this past week. Brie (15) already got a job for the summer. She'll be 16 in a few weeks. I'm taking her back to the DMV next Friday to see if she can pass her permit test. Summers are always hard, especially the beginning. My youngest, Sylar (11), has to go to her father's house in another state for the summer and he wants her the week that she gets out of school and will not allow her to return until the week before school starts. Sylar has been in basketball for the past three years and I haven't been able to get her into camps because any time she's out of school for over a week she has to be at her father's. I was able to wrangle keeping Sylar here for a week longer this year just so I could make sure she got into the local high school's basketball camp. She'll be able to meet and work with the varsity coach during camp and get to know some of the other girls in the upper grades that play basketball. Sylar and Brie typically experience some emotional problems before Sylar leaves so I'm glad that I'm able to keep her busy and happy before she heads out next Saturday. I'm currently in more of a stall than I'd like to be but I'm working through it. It's been 2 weeks since I lost any weight. I took a recommendation by someone here about eating a tsp of peanut butter when you are in a stall. I don't know if it was that or something else but I started losing again right after I tried the peanut butter for the first time. I'm a believer for now. I also saw my primary care physician two weeks ago and got results from my ferritin and Vitamin B-12 levels. Turns out both are elevated right now so I'm fine eating my gummy Multi Vites and not taking the B-12. I'll need to call back and find out about when I need to take another test to confirm my levels. The last thing I want to do is end up with levels getting too low. I bought a new board game, Ticket to Ride, for myself as a late birthday present last week. I played it once while I was trying to snack on soft foods and ended up getting really nauseated. Between the memory of the nausea and losing the game, I have refused to play it since. I'm on a quest today to find Elder Sign, another board game. If I can't find it at any of the game stores in town, I'll be stuck going to Powell's for it. While Powell's isn't a bad place, I have no want to ever go into the stores anymore. I included a picture of the current rotation of board games that have a permanent spot at my kitchen table. Now to get something to eat this morning and hope for the best after taking my Actigall.

My goodness that's scary. Best wishes and a speedy recovery to you.

I'm sorry to hear that you are going through that but glad that they were able to find out what was wrong. Best wishes and a speedy recovery.

I took a month off and am on short term disability right now at three weeks after my surgery. My doc's office called a few days ago and just wanted to clarify with me on what date I wanted to go back to work. I probably could have asked for more time off but I'm happy that I at least asked for a month off. Sitting up for long periods of time still leaves me in pain.

Oh I forgot, I was given liquid senna (a stool softener) at the hospital to take for constipation as well. My pharmacy was able to take the Rx and get me it though I had to pay out of pocket for it. However the hospital pharmacy I guess didn't have it because they said it was OTC and they wouldn't fill it. I tried the liquid Colace at first at the hospital and the after taste caused me to get nauseated so they promptly changed it to senna. I am off of it now but it was a nice thing for me to have during that first week while I was worried when/if I was going to have a BM.

I was given pain meds (oxycodone tablets), multi vitamins, and liquid prilosec that I started taking at home right after surgery. Two weeks out I'm taking Actigall as well, which prevents gallstones which are common when people start to lose weight. The pills are huge and I think one got stuck today. I asked the doc about the size of the pills when I first got them and they said that it'll be ok. I'm happy not to get gallstones though so I'll take them.

Great thread guys! Here's my list: I won't miss... Worrying before every business trip about the plane flight and fitting into a rental car with my co-workers. Not being able to fit comfortably in one airplane seat. Not being able to fit in a booth at a restaurant. Being the biggest mother on my daughter's basketball team. Worrying that I smell all the time because of sweat. Not getting a Brazilian done because I'm too ashamed to see my wax lady. Having to take my seat belt out so far that it inevitably drops out of the car when I get out and I shut the door on it. Not being able to do drills with my daughter for sports. Weighing more than my boyfriend. The same old sex positions. Having a big towel for showers. Shopping at the only store in town where I can fit the clothes. Wearing the ugly tarps with ugly patterns that designers seem to feel I should wear because I'm fat. Living to eat. Not doing the 5k runs with my office. Feeling bad almost every day. Acid reflux and not sleeping every night because of it. Not having energy.

Portland, OR

I am the same way. I've dealt with GERD for over 10 years and it's gotten progressively worse. Two years ago I also ended up having ulcers in my stomach and esophagus and the stomach acid was slowly eroding my esophagus. I would wake up at night aspirating my stomach acid and would choke until it was clear. Since the moment I woke up from surgery I haven't had any type of acid reflux or heartburn. I am now 15 days post-op and feel that the surgery was a success just based on that. During the surgery my doc also fixed my hiatal hernia which was contributing to my problems. So happy.

Today I had my 2 week post-op appointment. It was originally scheduled for exactly two weeks after my surgery but my surgeon got called out of town and so they bumped it up to today. I'm at 11 days post-op today. My visit with my dietician went well. I was instructed to have a protein-dense diet and stay away from red meat, fruits, vegetables and starches still. I'm looking forward to cooking a fresh halibut dinner tomorrow night. I plan on pan searing the halibut steaks with either a dill cream sauce or with a lemon dill beurre blanc. For the kids and Will I'm going to be serving it over asparagus, though I'll end up just eating the halibut. I have been going to a local spot to do bar trivia for the past year, essentially as long as Will and I have been together. One of his friends is the quizmaster and our team consists of two of Will's friends and two of my friends. I stopped going to trivia two weeks before my surgery because I knew I was going to have to not go for a given amount of time until I recovered. Then in a fit of feeling sorry for myself, I resigned myself to not going for a few months because I was worried about not being able to eat or drink anything there. I felt like I was just taking advantage of the hospitality of the bar if I didn't go there to eat or drink and just play trivia. I'm still on the fence about whether or not I'm going to go tomorrow night. I told Will I'd think about it. I'm so excited about moving to soft foods. I plan on having scrambled eggs as breakfast most mornings now. Though I'll probably end up having my Premier Protein chocolate shake when I first wake up at 6 just to make sure I'm getting a good amount of protein in at the beginning of the day. I need to get to the store and get some more Chobani in addition to some string cheese so that I can get used to have them as snacks throughout the day. The current suggested diet is 3 meals a day and 1-2 snacks per day. The snacks on the recommended menu from my dietician are scheduled at 3:30 pm and 8 pm. I'm going to play it by ear and see how I feel in the mornings between 8 and noon. That's a long time for me to go without putting anything in my body now that I'm used to eating every two hours. I'm feeling very close to normal and every day is progress. I'm having a bit of problems with my attention, however, and that worries me a little. I work in software development and manage a QA team. I worry that if I am not at the top of my game mentally when I return to work it is going to negatively effect my team. I had scheduled with short-term disability to return to work on July 1st, but the first month runs out on June 21. I'm doing so well that I'm sure that I won't get authorized for that extra little bit of time so the 21st is my target date for being completely recovered, both physically and mentally. On a more personal note, I've started to have sex again. Over the past year it's been hit and miss with either of us being in the mood. But since my surgery my sex drive is through the roof. All good things.

I'm 33 and 10 years postmenopausal. But I can understand being worried about it the day of surgery. Like others have said, it will end up being the last thing on your mind the day of surgery when it's all said and done. And you'll have a team of people that are used to dealing with this type of thing while women are in the hospital. Talk with your nurses after you get into your room after recovery and let them know so that after your catheter is taken out. On the morning of the surgery if you do start, make sure to pack some pads with you that you can wear after your surgery is over. Good luck!

My 11 year old let me know that she missed the bus this morning. I had already been thinking about walking her to school today and I got the chance. My fitbit tracked it at about .62 miles round trip. At 11 days post-op I was worried it may have been a little too far, but other than a little bit of stomach muscle soreness I was glad I got out and enjoyed the morning!

I posted a reply under another area where you asked as well. But I had sex 6 days after surgery in a position that I felt was less stressful on my stomach muscles (read doggy style). Like deaddemama says, talk with your doc. If your doc says to wait, he/she's the boss and has the best grasp on the state of your body, inside and out. I stay away from positions where I'm getting my stomach squished like full missionary. There are many positions out there that don't cause you to get squished or strain your stomach muscles. I don't know if I could go three weeks.

I had sex at I think 6 days after my surgery. We did it in a way that didn't cause my abs to be stressed at all (read doggy style). I'm 11 days out and feel almost back to normal. My sex drive is through the roof right now too.

I'm now 9 days post-op. Gained about 10 pounds while in the hospital and didn't start getting it all out until the day I got home. I think in the first day and a half I lost all those pounds and more just from going to the bathroom. And Jeepchick42, I did a reality check what felt like every moment leading up to my surgery. I'd wake up at night and freak out because I couldn't believe I was having it done. Best wishes to both of you.

A few days ago my stomach started itching. Then, my legs, back and hips. Last night I looked down at my hips and noticed a rash that spread from my upper legs, up my thighs and onto my back. None on my stomach yet but it's still itching like crazy. I immediately went to the internet and found that docs at times attribute it to the pain meds. I contacted the on call docs at the hospital where I had my surgery and explained the situation. The doc who helped me said the same thing, take some benadryl and then she suggested taking tylenol or advil for the pain to supplement if I don't want to take my prescription pain meds. I reminded her that as a gastric bypass patient I am not to take ibuprofen at all anymore (this leads to ulcers and the last thing I want is another ulcer in my stomach). So last night I took my benedryl and passed out. This morning I got up super early and as I was sitting at my desk reading through the news and chatting with a friend when I remembered that I had this same reaction before. Now I never get rashes, mind you, so when I do get them it is a memorable occurrence. The last time I had a rash it started out very weird. I would scratch somewhere and overnight I would develop an itchy, highly-painful rash there. It began to spread wherever I itched until it was all over my body and hurt so much I finally called the doctor. By then then the rash had taken over some large areas of my body and it hurt to even touch the skin. Even my chin and my neck were covered and in pain. The culprit? The cheap-ass multivitamins I bought at the store (Womens 1 a day) and started taking. The doc thought that I had been into some poison of some sort because the look of my skin screamed poison. He gave me a shot of something and sent me on my way. The rash started to clear up and I stopped taking those stupid vitamins. Fast forward to a week ago when I started taking these Flintstones vitamins. I bought them because the surgical team insisted that I need the iron. As far as I can tell, unless I have an iron deficiency I won't need the iron. I have been postmenopausal for over 10 years now. I'm going back to use my chewable gummy multivitamins that I first bought for the surgery for now and my appointment with my PCP is on Wednesday. I am already putting together a list of questions that I want to ask. The cool part is that my PCP did her residency at the hospital where I had my surgery done in the bariatric patient ward. So she is very familiar with my individual needs. Additionally, the office that I visit is focused on naturopathic care, augmenting with medical treatment when necessary. Up to the surgery I was taking the vitamins bought at my Dr's office (Equi Fem). I could buy them anywhere, I just chose to get them at the office for convenience. And boy were they good vitamins. No limit to my energy and they made me feel good all over. I could really tell when I didn't take my vitamins. Problem is, I believe I need a chewable vitamin now, which means I probably won't be able to take my old vitamins. So now I just need to know what to do. Can I take the chewy multivitamins without iron and be fine or is there another option that will give me back the energy that I am missing without taking my old vitamins? Also on the evolving list of things to discuss with my PCP include when would be the best time to take my cholesterol, insulin, and hormone level tests again. I'm not diabetic, but I am insulin resistant and I'd like to see if there's some progress made on that since last time my labs were ran.

Read through the site. Such a good resource. Thank you!

My thoughts are with you. Let us know how it goes!

I decided to head out to find a new and different way of getting my protein. I stopped by GNC, they are having a big sale until June 22 with buy one get one half off on everything. I got myself a little blender bottle and some Amplified Wheybolic. I ended up getting the fruit punch flavored, though the guy helping me said that the vanilla with orange juice is a good way to go as well. Now to only find orange juice that won't have a high sugar content eh? Tastes very good and is a welcome change from my chocolate-flavored protein. There's also a return policy so that if you don't like the taste of anything you buy there you can return it. I'm a happy customer!