Luvin_Life125

I am 8 days post op and wouldn't be able to go back to work yet. Protein and water take a lot of effort at this point and I get worn out really quickly. I do a few light chores then have to rest for a bit before I can continue . I feel 100 times better than I did last week but I am nowhere near that point. This is major surgery. Give yourself time to heal properly and fully so you have less potential for problems.

I had a nurse who thought I shouldn't be getting the amount of IV pain medication prescribed by my surgeon and she wouldn't call him in the middle of the night to double check. That was a fantastic night. It all started when she came in to give me my normal bedtime medications I take at home and as she dispenses them she realizes I take methadone twice a day. I also take hydrocodone, Flexeril, and nortryptilene as part of my pain management program for my back. Well she assumed (and never bothered to ask me about it) that I take methadone as part of a narcotic or illegal drug rehab program. So in her opinion I should absolutely not be getting any narcotics through the IV since she thought I am a recovering addict. The whole night I would cal and ask if I could get something for the pain because I was trying to be active and it hurt like a beast. She kept telling me no and that my doctors orders weren't accurate so they could only give me 1 Tylenol every 6 hours. It was an awful awful night and I was fighting not to cry and just tough it out. This nurse left at 7am and a new one took over. When she reported off to the new nurse she told her I was a methadone clinic patient and was to receive no opioids until the doc made his rounds later that morning. Doc finally came in around 10 and asked me how I am doing and I finally broke down crying because I was in so much pain. We went through the whole did you tell your nurse you need medication and have you let them know how bad the pain was. I explained I had been asking the nurse since 11:20 last night and I was told I could have 1 Tylenol every 6 hours and something was wrong with the orders he wrote but they didn't want to bother you in the middle of the night. He looked puzzled and said he would check on me again later. About 20 minutes go by and the nurse comes hurrying into my room with 2 syringes of medication and a cup of liquid medication and she tells me she is giving me dilaudid, toradol, and hydrocodone liquid . I was so grateful and really confused by this point. I asked what was going on and she explained the whole mix up with my home meds and the nurse's perception of them . I was rapidly falling to sleep but angry! The nursing supervisor them told me I should have questioned my night nurse harder and made her call the doc to verify orders no matter what time it is. Um sure. So that was my hospital "fun" and I never saw the 1st nurse the next night which is a very good thing!

Hang in there Ry! Keep following your program, tracking your food, and exercising. You will get to where you need to be in time. Your body has been through so much and occasionally has to take some time to reset itself and get used to the newest stage of normal . You can and will do this. You are too strong to fail and worked too hard to get where you are. Love you and keep up the good work!

Congratulations to both of you and good luck! Please make sure you are prepared for what life will be like after surgery and remember why it is so important to you and you will get through just fine.

I take 3 doses of methadone daily for pain control along with a few other prescribed narcotics. I know the purpose is a little different but same medication. It never created any problems for me anywhere along the surgical process. Don't borrow trouble and as long as the surgeon is aware and ok with the medications you take, then there shouldn't be a problem.

Ooh thanks for sharing! I am on full liquids and will be until 12/2 which makes Thanksgiving dinner something I will cook but never taste . The yogurt might just give me a festive taste while on plan!

You can do this! Remember why you want to do this surgery and keep your eye on the prize. I started a new journal when I started my WLS journey. The cover of my journal has my reasons and hopes for surgery to remind me every day. Being afraid is a normal part of the pre and post op experience and a perfectly valid experience. You are voluntarily cutting out a piece of your body , permanently changing your relationship with a long time companion (food), and the changes & impacts it will have on the rest of your life. I highly recommend you start journaling and working through your worries, feelings, and doubts. The mental aspect has been way more work than the physical journey so far. Keep your eye on the prize and stay committed! You can do this. It isn't easy and it isn't without risk, but it is so worth it! Keep us updated and I can't wait to see your progress!

I am 8 days post op and am planning on advancing my walking from in and around my house to a treadmill next week. Take it slow and do not do more than your body is physically ready for. It is a very fine line between appropriate and adequate exercise for your stage of healing and having potential to injure yourself. Keep up the great work!

Every day because it keeps me focused but only record it once a week on Wednesday mornings.

I don't really have a hard goal in mind other than healthy. At this point in time I feel I will keep following the plan and see where my body settles. From what I have read it seems like most peoples bodies have a point their body just stops. I don't want to worry about numbers all the time and wonder if it is too much or too little or if I need to work harder or if I am too skinny. I will play it by ear unless there is a reason to be concerned and is brought up by any of my health care providers. I am not going to worry about family and friends who have only known me as obese deciding I am too skinny because they don't know what a healthy me looks like. I know this sounds harsh , but my weight loss and health is a private matter between my doctors and me. Together we will find my healthy point. Most of my family and friends are obese themselves and aren't objective.

I am experiencing the exact same thing! I am 6 days post op and my throat was scratchy and felt like I have a lump in it. Today it is much more sore and painful to swallow. I have a call into my doc about it. I suspect it is a side effect from the intubation during surgery. Sugar free Popsicles are my lifesaver right now!

2 days and I was only a sleeve. I had a choice to go home after one day but decided to stay the 2nd day just to be safe. I live over 3 hours from my surgeon and did not want to risk having to come back because I wanted to be at home. Honestly, the 2nd night made a world of difference and the extra fluid was welcome too.

Good luck!! We will be thinking about you.

I was 11/11 and everyday is better than the last. I am glad to see everyone is doing well! If there is a Facebook group could someone share how to get involved? Good luck everyone!!

I was just discharged 4 days ago. I brought: my phone & charger, extension cord, heating pad, pj pants, socks, 2 pairs of underwear, toothbrush & paste , body wash, face wash , shampoo & conditioner, hair brush, hair elastics, my super soft blanket from home, gas x strips, biotene dry mouth wash, and hand lotion . I used: toothpaste & brush & mouthwash, hearing pad, phone & charger, extension cord, face wash, and body wash. That is it. I had to wear the non slip slipper socks the entire time. I had a catheter most of my stay so no undies. I have really long hair so I braided it the morning of surgery just to save myself a few knots. My hair stayed in that braid until discharge day when I also washed up with the body wash and washed my face with the face wash. Everything else stayed in my back pack. I say you are best to pack minimal stuff and keep to the basics . Good luck!

I shop the thrift stores for clothes. I have totes in my bedroom labelled by size so I sort great finds by size and just rotate my closet as I change sizes. I am picky at the thrift stores and purchase clothes I am certain I will wear and often end up with high end brands for $1-$5 per piece. My local st. Vincent DePaul thrift store because they have a large $1 rack along the back wall. Everything is $1 and it takes some time but I have found clothing from Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Seven for Mankind, Coldwater Creek, Loft, Barney's, and many others. I started before surgery and it slowly has made a decent sized wardrobe to work through.

I have a cuisinart stick blender that I really like for making smoothies with yogurt and frozen fruit but it sucks for ice. My big blender is an Oster brand from WalNart and I think I paid around $60. I LOVE my Oster! The key to finding a good blender that will hold up is to look where the gears that transfer the motion from the base to the blender carafe meet from the carafe and base. Make sure both are metal and there is no plastic there. Plastic will strip out and will leave you needing a new blender much faster than you anticipated. My Oster has been with me for over 6 years and is used almost daily and still works as great as the day i bought it. It chops through ice like nothing. I am an extremely frugal shopper so I couldn't justify the cost of a Ninja or Vitamix. My neighbor has a Ninja that she loves and I like it a lot also, but I won't shell out that kind of cash when my Oster does just fine. Make sure you watch the Black Friday ads for Kohls, Carson's, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc because you can find a great deal on blenders during the sale. If you don't like fighting the crowd, order the blender online and have it shipped to you. I hoe you find one you like and meets your needs.

I say research it and make sure it is a decision you can and will commit to. It is amazing the doc pulled those strings ( and I am very certain he did) to get you scheduled so quickly. WLS requires a lot of commitment and education to be successful. If you aren't committed and aren't willing to make the necessary changes, WLS will be hell on earth for you . It can be one of the best things you ever do for yourself also. Hugs and much support to you while you make the choice that suits you best. There is an amazing wealth of support, knowledge , and experiences on these boards. Read and research while deciding if this is the right move for you. Please let us know what you decide.

Hang in there! Post op sucks but it gets better every day. Keep working on your fluids and keep walking and soon this will be a distant memory. Hugs to you and I hope you feel better soon!

Today was day 5 and I am definitely feeling better every day. I went grocery shopping with the family today and walked the first half of the trip and ended up needing the electric cart for the second half. My post op diet was advanced from Clear liquids to full liquids and will stay that way until post op day 21. I have made 3 different things so far for dinner time and have thrown each in the garbage because nothing tasted even close to being good. I will keep experimenting to find something I like or at least tolerate. My pain is getting better daily, but I am still using pain medication just less frequent than before. Hiccups hit me for the 1st time since surgery today and I will say they hurt! Definitely an interesting experience and I can only imagine how much a sneeze would hurt. I find the abdominal binder the hospital provided really comfortable and helpful to keep my incisions from feeling like they are pulling. I am putting antibiotic ointment on each of my incision sites after showering and covering each with a piece of non stick gauze with just enough tape to keep it in place. The gauze protects the sites from being pulled on by the binder. So all in all life is definitely getting better each day and I am grateful!

ps and yes we already have over 20 inches of snow on the ground. Last winter we had over 8 feet on the ground by the end of February. Our decks, railings, fences, bushes and any other landmarks were completely buried.

We live in the boonies and near Lake Superior so winter lasts way longer than summer here. I injured my back when I was 20 when I slipped on ice. The fall has permanently disabled me and I am only 36. I am VERY Leary of frozen ground or potentially frozen ground because another fall may be more than I can handle mentally, emotionally, and probably figuratively. Right now I do the Leslie Sansone walk away the pounds DVD, beginner yoga videos on YouTube, I bought a used copy of Zumba for the Xbox, and I will probably stick with this exercise assortment for those days we can't get out of our driveway. We also are signing up for a gym blocks from my kids school so I have somewhere to walk without worry and later advance my exercise as I can. We drop my kids off at school every morning (other wise it is a 1.5 hour bus ride) so we plan to he straight to the gym after dropping the kids at school. I am only 5 days post op so I am still laying the foundation for when I feel better and advance beyond my walk at home DVD. You can also contact local hotels. Some of them offer a "gym membership" for their fitness center and or pool for a really reasonable rate. I am also researching snow shoes and learn to cross country ski programs in my area. You really have to look at what you have available to you and how you can use it to your advantage. Exercise doesn't have to be done in a gym and it doesn't have to be drudgery. You can find fun ways to burn calories and save money.

Have you contacted your surgeons office and let them know what is happening? I would rather be safe than sorry.

The gas pain seemed to be well controlled and the heating pad helped so so much in the hospital. Today is day 4 and I can't believe how much better I feel in just 2 days. I make laps around my house every hour during the day and every 3 hours or so at night. I am still sleeping in my recliner and can't wait until I can get back to my bed. I will probably give the bed a try in another 2-3 nights. I am so glad I bought a new recliner 3 weeks before surgery. It has been my nest since I have been home. I was able to get 45 grams of protein in yesterday and 30 oz of fluid. I have gotten 20 oz of fluid so far today and am really trying to push my fluids by using a 5 minute timer and it is really helping. Tomorrow I start working on full liquids which I will be happy for a bit more variety. I am still exhausted and sore but don't have any nausea which I am so grateful for. I am getting there and time does help. I just keep looking forward to the next day and the next and keep telling myself it will get better. Now I am off to the shower for my first solo attempt since surgery. My husband has been showering with me and helping me wash my hair and everything since surgery. It is such a hardship (not-I think he has enjoyed that more than anything) for him to be needed so much.

I am hoping people will have realistic expectations for the first week after surgery. I never thought it would be this tough. Even though I had done so much research and looked forward to surgery I still wondered if I did the right thing. I know in my my heart I am on the right path. I just need to keep chugging along.