NICU-RN

For the nausea and dehydration, I suggest keeping ice chips on hand at all times. It will help fight dehydration and won't cause nausea if you eat them slowly one at a time. Drinking Water can cause nausea and I have a constant problem with it. Ice chips are my best friend and saving me from dehydration. And I am real glad to hear you are working with your doctor to find an answer to the problems you are having.

Yes, I have my times of regret. Mostly because at over 8 weeks out, I still cannot eat anything other than my Protein shakes - I get horribly sick/nausea with even a small taste of any other type of food. So yes, I do regret it at times. However those times are short as I remember how horrible I felt and how much better I feel other than digestive issues and I've only lost 37.5 lbs. thus far. I noticed my ability to breathe and do physical movement was so much easier with the first 20 lbs. I lost and it keeps getting better. I do wish I could eat Soup or something other than Protein Shakes. Try to remember as others have said, you (and I) are recovering from major surgery AND a major change to our body's way of handling food. It will take time. I have a list of questions for my f/u appointment with my surgeon next week. Hang on, I have faith it will improve.

Hi all,
I am 8 months out and I hear what you are saying. One thing you can do for Fluid intake is to take micro-sips. That means literally just a tiny drop on your tongue of water/liquid and then swallow. You will be doing this almost all day, but it does help avoid the pain/cramping. Or you can use ice chips and put 1 ice chip in your mouth and let it melt, slowly swallowing whenever you feel a bit of liquid.
The "indenture" is just a dent - it will smooth out as scar tissue stretch and weight comes off. That incision was/is the most painful because it was stretched the most of all of the little incisions they make. The lump is just inflamation and scar tissue forming. The purpose of rubbing it is two fold. One: to "distract" your brain from the pain sensation and give it another sensation to focus on (rubbing.) Second: to stretch or break-up the scar tissue. At first, the "rubbing" is just lightly touching the area - no pressure. As pain receeds you can apply more pressure. The "lump" takes several months to heal and fade, but it does. Another thing you can do for the pain in that area is to appy an ice pack to that area for 20 minutes several times per day. Do not put the ice pack on bare skin, use a thin towel or washcloth to protect the skin from frostbite. The ice will numb the area making the pain lessen and will also help reduce the swelling and inflamation. Inflamation is NOT the same thing as infection. Inflamation is normal after surgery of any kind - infection is not. While I have experienced all that you have described, I would encourage you that it does get better with time. Also, it NEVER hurts to call your surgeon if you have concerns/questions. That is why he earns the "big bucks." I have been told that it helps to keep liquids at room temperature for the first few weeks, I liked mine ice cold and never had any different experience regardless of the temperature of the liquids, but thought I'd pass that along as it might help some of you. Good luck and stay the course.

If you are going down in size but the scale is not moving - you still have a huge reason to Celebrate as you are converting fat to muscle at this time. Muscle is heavier than fat, and the more muscle we have, the more fat we burn. Congratulations.

Try to drink a Protein shake instead of eating a snack. Protein shakes are your friend. Keeping your Protein intake to at least 60 to 80 grams a day is essential at this point and will help you fight any hunger as well as feel hungry less often. Get a good quality Protein powder. I use powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury and I've not found any that taste better. 3-4 shakes/day gives you 60-80 grams of protein and if mixed with 8 oz. skim milk it gives you 84- 112 grams. I am unable to tolerate lactose in the milk and use an almond/coconut milk instead so don't get the extra protein. But I still am drinking 3-4 protein shakes/day along with eating a protein rich meal. I had my surgery in January and am currently down 76 lbs. Yes, I feel hungry and sometimes I feel as if I will die if I drink one more shake, but then I cheat a bit and eat 1 or 2 unsalted crackers and that helps me get past that feeling. You can do this. I don't know anything about Quest bars, if they have a lot of carbs in them, that is just feeding your hunger rather than helping reduce it. Eat until satisfied, not full. Full is not the goal, satisfaction is. They are two separate things. Also realize that as obese persons, our sense of "full" is extremely skewed, so you are in the process of changing your perception as well as reducing the amount of food you actually need. You are still very early in your journey, don't let yourself get discouraged. Does your surgeon offer nutritional counselling? Seeing a nutritionist at this point might really help you. Also a local in-person support group can be very helpful as well.

Your relationship with food will change - it has to. That being said, nothing is absolute. I am 5 months out from my sleeve. I have had the complication of not being able to tolerate more than a bite of solid food, so am living on Protein shakes. I still go out to restaurants with my husband, I may not eat more than a bite or two, but I can still enjoy the company and the atmosphere. I am not feeling hungry, so it bothers me not to sit there and sip on a glass of ice Water while others eat. I am not an alcohol drinker, but I have read that on some programs a bit of alcohol is allowed once weight loss has been consistent. I know I haven't answered all of your questions, but don't be discouraged. Lots of us have been where you are, and we are making it just fine. You will also. (Also, reading the internet, while helpful, can at times be very unhelpful. Don't take to heart everything you read on here.)

Your relationship with food will change - it has to. That being said, nothing is absolute. I am 5 months out from my sleeve. I have had the complication of not being able to tolerate more than a bite of solid food, so am living on Protein shakes. I still go out to restaurants with my husband, I may not eat more than a bite or two, but I can still enjoy the company and the atmosphere. I am not feeling hungry, so it bothers me not to sit there and sip on a glass of ice Water while others eat. I am not an alcohol drinker, but I have read that on some programs a bit of alcohol is allowed once weight loss has been consistent. I know I haven't answered all of your questions, but don't be discouraged. Lots of us have been where you are, and we are making it just fine. You will also. (Also, reading the internet, while helpful, can at times be very unhelpful. Don't take to heart everything you read on here.)

Your relationship with food will change - it has to. That being said, nothing is absolute. I am 5 months out from my sleeve. I have had the complication of not being able to tolerate more than a bite of solid food, so am living on Protein shakes. I still go out to restaurants with my husband, I may not eat more than a bite or two, but I can still enjoy the company and the atmosphere. I am not feeling hungry, so it bothers me not to sit there and sip on a glass of ice Water while others eat. I am not an alcohol drinker, but I have read that on some programs a bit of alcohol is allowed once weight loss has been consistent. I know I haven't answered all of your questions, but don't be discouraged. Lots of us have been where you are, and we are making it just fine. You will also. (Also, reading the internet, while helpful, can at times be very unhelpful. Don't take to heart everything you read on here.)

It isn't the insurance you need to worry about - keep on top of your surgeon's office to get the surgery scheduled in a timely manner. My insurance didn't delay, but my surgeon's office dropped the ball and I got put off until just after the new year so deductible and co-pay's kicked back in on me. I was majorly ticked at my surgeon's office "case manager" but that is another story. I just strongly encourage you to keep on top of the surgeon's office and insurance if you need to - but I really think the problem if you have one will be the office and not the insurance company.

I was very tired, weak, horribly nauseated, but mobile. I felt rotten. My abdomen was horribly swollen and extremely tender (no pantyhose or tight panties. Your dress may not fit so soon after surgery either.) You may want to sit rather than stand before and after the ceremony. Don't plan on eating anything at the reception. Take your liquid either clear or Protein shake (whichever you are on according to your doctor) with you to have available.
My REAL advice to you would be to see if you can postpone your surgery date one week until just after the wedding. You could possibly do the wedding just 5 days post-op, but you will feel better and it will be a much more enjoyable day if you wait. You just don't know how it could affect you - if there were any complications or if you have more trouble than your doctor is planning on you could totally miss the wedding. Is it worth the chance when just a week could spare you and the bride-to-be the stress & agony of a bridesmaid having to cancel last minute?

I was very tired, weak, horribly nauseated, but mobile. I felt rotten. My abdomen was horribly swollen and extremely tender (no pantyhose or tight panties. Your dress may not fit so soon after surgery either.) You may want to sit rather than stand before and after the ceremony. Don't plan on eating anything at the reception. Take your liquid either clear or Protein shake (whichever you are on according to your doctor) with you to have available.
My REAL advice to you would be to see if you can postpone your surgery date one week until just after the wedding. You could possibly do the wedding just 5 days post-op, but you will feel better and it will be a much more enjoyable day if you wait. You just don't know how it could affect you - if there were any complications or if you have more trouble than your doctor is planning on you could totally miss the wedding. Is it worth the chance when just a week could spare you and the bride-to-be the stress & agony of a bridesmaid having to cancel last minute?

all I can say is that two weeks after surgery you will still have a burning/sore feeling on the side. feels like it's inside too. I had that for about 5-6 weeks.
after a few days of double Prilosec you will hopefully have less acid. good you made appt by April 14 you will know if Prilosec is working. in meantime avoid irritating drinks or anything with citric acid in it. avoid laying down after eating or drinking and when in bed keep head elevated a bit. eat very very very slowly. you have very little room so you need to be very careful. even Water take very tiny sips.

It was years in the coming - I kept thinking I could do this on my own as my world became more and more limited, my weight forced my health issues to the point of early retirement. I could hardly make it up one flight of stairs in my house, etc.
We took my long dreamed of trip to Alaska this past summer (2013). The plane ride out was miserable as I was so big the seats were horribly uncomfortable. My feet and legs swelled up while flying. On the cruise - my swelling only got worse and I could not do anything - even walking from one end of the ship to the other took several rest breaks. Port touring was next to impossible as walking was almost more than I could tolerate. My husband was so concerned because I was consistently out of breath and puffing - he is the one with asthma! The land tour was tolerable but just barely. I could hardly get in and out of the bus and the swelling just kept getting worse. Flight seeing trips in small airplanes were disappointing as I always had to sit over the wing because of my weight so views were obstructed. After two weeks in Alaska, the trip back from Fairbanks was the worst ever. I was in so much pain that I could barely walk to the plane. My legs were so swollen my feet hung over my shoes and the only way I could get the shoes on that morning was to lay flat on the bed and have my husband hold my legs straight up in the air and "milk" the Fluid away from my feet.
I swore when I got home I was not ever going on a plane or a tour again until I lost weight. I knew the only way left for me to do so was WLS.
I am now almost 8 weeks out and I already can climb the stairs without huffing and puffing, getting in and out of chairs is easier than I dreamed, and I've dropped a pants size.
The trip to Alaska was my "last straw."

A coffee cup warmer/plate thing. In the beginning I ate so slow things would become cold fast so it was great. I still use it everyday to keep my tea warm.

Ouch! That is inexcusable. I wonder if some bariatric practices have a passive-aggressive attitude about the obese people that they deal with. So much of the time, obese persons are deemed stupid or less than worthy. I get that feeling in some of what I read on this site about the experiences with the surgeons and/or their office. I get that feeling in the way the bariatric office I am dealing with treats me. Like I don't really matter. Perhaps this is a systemic bariatric problem. I have wonderful health care in all other aspects of my life. The attitude seems to be with the bariatric doctors. I really had not put a name to the "attitude" until now. I think that might be what a lot of us are running up against. "They" help but look down on us, their patients. I'm not saying they all do, but it seems prevalent here. We are money makers for them, numbers to be operated on, but not "real" people and thus don't need to be treated as such. Very sad.

It was years in the coming - I kept thinking I could do this on my own as my world became more and more limited, my weight forced my health issues to the point of early retirement. I could hardly make it up one flight of stairs in my house, etc.
We took my long dreamed of trip to Alaska this past summer (2013). The plane ride out was miserable as I was so big the seats were horribly uncomfortable. My feet and legs swelled up while flying. On the cruise - my swelling only got worse and I could not do anything - even walking from one end of the ship to the other took several rest breaks. Port touring was next to impossible as walking was almost more than I could tolerate. My husband was so concerned because I was consistently out of breath and puffing - he is the one with asthma! The land tour was tolerable but just barely. I could hardly get in and out of the bus and the swelling just kept getting worse. Flight seeing trips in small airplanes were disappointing as I always had to sit over the wing because of my weight so views were obstructed. After two weeks in Alaska, the trip back from Fairbanks was the worst ever. I was in so much pain that I could barely walk to the plane. My legs were so swollen my feet hung over my shoes and the only way I could get the shoes on that morning was to lay flat on the bed and have my husband hold my legs straight up in the air and "milk" the Fluid away from my feet.
I swore when I got home I was not ever going on a plane or a tour again until I lost weight. I knew the only way left for me to do so was WLS.
I am now almost 8 weeks out and I already can climb the stairs without huffing and puffing, getting in and out of chairs is easier than I dreamed, and I've dropped a pants size.
The trip to Alaska was my "last straw."

Unjury - most flavors can be used with Water - you can order a sampler package or individual sample packets of various flavors online at unjury.com
They taste good.

Once per day, first thing in the morning

Okay, census says I write a strong, coherent letter to head of the practice. I have my work cut out for me. Hey Piercedqt, can I borrow you to take with me or to write the letter! I am impressed and in awe.
Thank you al for your responses and encouragement. I don't feel so alone and down anymore. You've given me some ways to address the issue with the doctor's office and I appreciate that.

Thank you to all who have replied. I appreciate all you have said. It is sad to know others have had a similar experience and yet it helps to know also.
I was writing the letter in my head on the way home from the doctor's office, but had not decided to really send one. Thanks to Dr-Patient, I will go ahead and actually write one and send it.
I am totally disillusioned with the whole bariatric practice my doctor is in. I think is a really good doctor, but the practice is high numbers and runs a person thru like a steer on a cattle drive. I have had one bad experience after another the entire time I've dealt with them. If my insurance hadn't insisted I use this practice, I would have never gone back after the first appointment! The insurance gave me two choices - this practice or one 500 miles away. Again, I think my doctor is really good, but the practice itself is bad news. I don't think my doctor has a clue about how the patients really experience his office and staff.
Thank you again for responding - it helps to know I am not alone.
My husband "helped" by spending last night yelling at me because I don't want to go eat out - lots of support from him! Constant nausea and he wants me to go eat lasagna! Which sounds absolutely horrible to me and is totally not on my diet!

What a tough experience for you. Well done for keeping going
I agree, a well-worded letter outlining what has gone wrong and the impact this has had in you would be a good step. My view is to keep it reasonably short. Very long letters that go into lots of detail are not as effective as a shorter letter which doesn't go overboard on detail.
Good luck and keep us all posted

You can begin the letter with something like "I chose you as my surgeon because (his reputation, etc)." State what you've been pleased with and you want to keep being his patient. But you feel he needs to know... And as a patient, it is very frustrating, disappointing and concerning that... Maybe even make bullet lists of what you feel is wrong or deficient.
Not all doctors are bad guys/gals, though I will say the current lot of physicians (and many of their) approach to delivering care, is pathetic. The system now, however, has caused some docs to feel they don't have time, they don't know what's happening with the front office folks,etc. it's horrible. And sometimes the patients simply need to say this is not appropriate patient care, etc.
I'm sure you'll do a great job. Oh, and do ask for the courtesy of a reply. He'd likely reply anyway, but by specifically asking him, he should feel more pressure because if he is a good doctor, he should want his patients to be satisfied with his care, and that of his practice.
Good luck.

At my postop appt, my doctor didn't even ask me how I was feeling etc. Instead he turned and ask my husband how he felt about my weight loss. Even though I 'm a good southern girl, I spent 17 years in Chicago, and don't take crap from anyone. I my hubby looked at me, and I stood up. (hubby just shook his head, knowing it wasn't going to be pretty) and I firmly but politely explained to the surgeon that he was not my husbands doctor, did not preform surgery on him, and he was not the one to be happy/satisfied/whatever with my body, my weight loss or health. That I was perfectly capable of answering questions about MY body, and that from now on he was to address any questions about my body/diet/health/sleeve/weight loss to me, and ONLY to me. He was shocked that I stood up for myself, I guess he is used to women that are heavy being down on themselves, or having low self esteem that he was amazed when I was do forward with him. He collected my chart and left the room. The nurse came in and gave me a copy of my bloodwork as I had requested so my primary care doc would have it in her chart as well. And she gave me a high-five, and said you wouldn't believe how many women let him talk over them, and let their husbands excitement over their new smaller size take over the appointment, and they never ask questions, or get any real medical info from him. As I was leaving, I had to stop at the reception desk to make my follow-up and get my new lab orders, the surgeon came up to me and apologized. And every appointment since he has been very different. I guess I was a bit louder than I thought, as the whole office was aware of what I had said, and even the NUT (different location) knew about it. LOL Sometimes you have to let them know that they are working for YOU, not the other way around. Doctors seem to get on a power trip, and they let that go to their heads.

That's so awful! What a louse - I agree about sending the letter, and send a copy to the practice's board or to customer service if they have such a thing. Follow up with a call to be sure they received it too. I"m in the middle of doing this with my insurance company not for a bad appt, but because anything I schedule is 3 months out and their backlog is causing problems. Strong letters, emails and calls from articulate and accurate patients seem to get attention, so go for it! And again, so sorry you've had to go through so much with this outfit! Ouch!!

Sorry about the way your doctors acted. I agree write a letter to who ever is head of the physicians. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. We can't be complacent patients. It's not like it was years ago when Dr's had time and cared about pts. I am very lucky I have an excellent physician who is at the top of her field. I researched to make sure I got a good one. I realize now everyone is lucky enough to have this.
As an RN you know how Dr's can be and you have to be assertive!!!!! It is your life and health. As for your husband he's not being compassionate. Shame on him.
Good luck and let us know how your doing.