shamps4all

I brought a bunch of stuff I didn't end up using, but the things I did use were lip balm, wet wipes, cell phone/iPad & chargers, slippers, small pillow, eye mask. This may be way too much information, but my TOM arrived early (2 days before my surgery) so I loaded up my travel case with tampons which I was not allowed to use. They made me use pads which drove me nuts and was one of the worst things about the entire experience. I haven't used pads since I was a kid, so constantly having to get up to change it & wipe myself down was a real pain in the rear. Plus, they collected my urine in one of those plastic things inside the toilet and some nurses were better about checking & discarding it than others. I've been home since Tuesday afternoon and am just now starting to feel like myself again. If you need something while you're in the hospital be sure and ask, ask ask! Obviously you'll want things (like water) that you can't have right away, but anything else that will make you comfortable be sure and let it be known! Get up and walk as soon and as often as you can, it really does help with the bloating & gas. Good luck!!

I remember being prepped for surgery, and waiting a while and then they rolled out of the bay I was in and I have absolutely no recollection of anything except when they rolled me into my recovery room. Everything went so fast, I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone and wondered if I had done something I might regret later. I hope not, which is why I am determined to follow all of the instructions. My abdomen still looks and feels like a balloon. Now that I'm on clear liquids it feels strange going down, I can hear where the liquid is inside after I swallow. I wonder if this will go away? I've taken all of the supplements, Gas X, Prevacid, blood thinning injections...all of it but I can't tell if my stomach is growling for food or if I'm having the head hunger I've read about on these boards. It's nice to be home, but I haven't been sleeping the whole night through and this makes it difficult to navigate around in the dark so as to not wake everyone else up. Weight loss stats are not even worth typing. Hopefully this will change with time and increased activity. Any suggestions for those of us just sleeved this week are appreciated. Thank!!!

Hi - I am not sure I have a right to post this since I am so new, but I did want to say that previously when I was on a restricted calorie/low carb plan I too experienced menstrual bleeding for about a solid month. My OB and the diet clinic workers weren't too helpful on this, but my Aunt who is a hospice nurse said that (as you stated) the fat cells themselves store up estrogen and as they diminish the estrogen then flows freely, causing the non-stop menstrual bleeding. Mine DID stop...eventually. Just be patient, be prepared at all times and give your body the gift of allowing it to regulate itself.