Jessica.O

While we are all trying to help each other here it is always best to follow medication and nutritional recommendations from a medical professional you knows you and your medical history. Each doctor has different recommendations. You have put your faith in this person and their team to help you succeed through this process. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be on the medical side of things and have patients picking and choosing what instructions to abide by and telling us what they read online. Often you can find what you want to hear online and it becomes easier to accept that than your doctor's directions. The doctors don't make stuff up for their own amusement, they are trained and experienced and we turn to them for their professional advice and wisdom. Bariatric Pal is a great place for support and practical advice but not a credible medical resource.

While we are all trying to help each other here it is always best to follow medication and nutritional recommendations from a medical professional you knows you and your medical history. Each doctor has different recommendations. You have put your faith in this person and their team to help you succeed through this process. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be on the medical side of things and have patients picking and choosing what instructions to abide by and telling us what they read online. Often you can find what you want to hear online and it becomes easier to accept that than your doctor's directions. The doctors don't make stuff up for their own amusement, they are trained and experienced and we turn to them for their professional advice and wisdom. Bariatric Pal is a great place for support and practical advice but not a credible medical resource.

Draytonp-
I am one week postop today. Feeling good, minimal pain, no nausea. Just feeling weak and wobbly.... I cant wait for some cottage cheese on Thursday, lol.
The liquid diet pre-op, for me, was easy the first day. The second day was hard. I was emotional and hungry! The third day I was so nervous about my surgery I couldn't have eaten if I wanted to. Be prepared for diarrhea ????
I had no problems with VBSC or Fair Oaks. Everyone was great. Did you know it is a bariatric center of excellence? That means they are held to higher standards than non-excellence hospitals.

Wow our surgeons have very different diet plans! I was allowed to start mushy foods at week two and flaky fish with cooked veggies at week three.

My surgery was July 1 and I'm down 29#. The first three weeks were tough as I had such little energy and stamina, I could barely stand up for five minutes! I'm feeling great now and am even taking care of a friend's farm this week. Talk about a boost in energy.
This past weekend I saw my profile in a shop window and for the first time I saw myself looking smaller. It was a good feeling and I can't wait to lose another 29#!

My surgery was July 1 and I'm down 29#. The first three weeks were tough as I had such little energy and stamina, I could barely stand up for five minutes! I'm feeling great now and am even taking care of a friend's farm this week. Talk about a boost in energy.
This past weekend I saw my profile in a shop window and for the first time I saw myself looking smaller. It was a good feeling and I can't wait to lose another 29#!

My surgery was July 1 and I'm down 29#. The first three weeks were tough as I had such little energy and stamina, I could barely stand up for five minutes! I'm feeling great now and am even taking care of a friend's farm this week. Talk about a boost in energy.
This past weekend I saw my profile in a shop window and for the first time I saw myself looking smaller. It was a good feeling and I can't wait to lose another 29#!

My surgery was July 1 and I'm down 29#. The first three weeks were tough as I had such little energy and stamina, I could barely stand up for five minutes! I'm feeling great now and am even taking care of a friend's farm this week. Talk about a boost in energy.
This past weekend I saw my profile in a shop window and for the first time I saw myself looking smaller. It was a good feeling and I can't wait to lose another 29#!

Oh, is anyone planning to go to the support group meeting on the 18th at Fair Oaks? It's open to all WLS patients. I missed it last month but plan to go to this one.

My surgery was there on July 1. Everything went totally fine and I had no issues with any of the staff. My only complaint was that the regular unit for post-op bariatrics was full so I ended up in the ICU for my first 36 hours. It wasn't medically necessary, it was just where they had room for me. The staff was great I just felt so guilty buzzing them to help me get to the toilet every two hours when I knew all their other patients were so critical. That was my internal guilt though, none of the staff ever made me feel like a nuisance. I got sufficient care there but it was kind of a shame since the ICU nurses aren't used to bariatric patients. I could tell the difference when I was moved the medical unit because the nurses were more diligent about making sure I was I drinking enough, sipping slowly, and getting up to walk. I don't recall anyones names but there was an Eastern European nurse who spent some time talking with me and told me she thought my WLS decision was very brave. That will always stick with me.

My rings still fit (surgery six weeks ago) and it is important to me to wear at least a band every day. When my rings get too loose I plan to wear them on a necklace and get a cheap band to wear on my finger. I'll be so gorgeous I'll need to alert all the men to my married status, lol

But...but...but...but....reading a lot of buts here

I had to do this for three days before surgery and it was hard! I avoided places that had food or food smells (mall, movies, etc) and spent my time at the pool or at home. My husband ate all his meals out which helped a lot! I was grouchy and tired and wobbly but I did it because I knew I had to in order to get my surgery. BTW no one warned me about the diarrhea.... consider yourself warned!
It is tough but in the big scheme of things it's such a small blip of time and it means your big day is coming. Stay strong.

Hello all,
I am 29 and had my RNY July 1 2014. My highest weight was 270# and I only lost about 6# before surgery. My current weight is 247.
I would love to find women my age to connect with on BP. Everyone here has been great but I'd love to find women who are my age to swap successes, stories, questions, advice, and fears with.
For example, I can't seem to find any threads regarding excess skin in women my age. How did your skin hold up after WLS? Another thing, many women on here seem to have kids and talk about running around with the kids. That's great and I welcome women with families but I also want to hear about single women and dating and going out dancing, going to bars and parties and experiencing some of the things you may have skipped out on before due to obesity!

I am also a vet tech and have pretty bad anesthetic anxiety (for me, not my patients). I was telling my therapist about my fears and my past history of going into surgery in a panic attack and then of course waking up in the same panicked state. It's just like dogs, I told her. The crazy, anxious, scared dogs go under like that and wake up like that. The big, happy, kissy dogs go under happy and sweet and wake up happy and sweet. So she asked me what breeds tend to suck, anesthetically, and I told her huskies and German shepherds. I said labs are the best. She told me my mantra should be "be the Labrador."
So surgery comes around and I've been premeditated and am being wheeled into the OR, I am soooo high. I was weepy and scared but not panicking or hyperventilating. I tried to explain through my tears to the doctors and nurse about "being the Labrador" and they laughed. My surgeon asked me what breed is the worst for anesthesia and I said "Huskies f*#&ing suck!" He then asked me about German shepherds because that's what he has. Even in my drugged my state I was aware enough to know this man was about to cut into me so I just said "They're ok." Way to go, me.

I am also a vet tech and have pretty bad anesthetic anxiety (for me, not my patients). I was telling my therapist about my fears and my past history of going into surgery in a panic attack and then of course waking up in the same panicked state. It's just like dogs, I told her. The crazy, anxious, scared dogs go under like that and wake up like that. The big, happy, kissy dogs go under happy and sweet and wake up happy and sweet. So she asked me what breeds tend to suck, anesthetically, and I told her huskies and German shepherds. I said labs are the best. She told me my mantra should be "be the Labrador."
So surgery comes around and I've been premeditated and am being wheeled into the OR, I am soooo high. I was weepy and scared but not panicking or hyperventilating. I tried to explain through my tears to the doctors and nurse about "being the Labrador" and they laughed. My surgeon asked me what breed is the worst for anesthesia and I said "Huskies f*#&ing suck!" He then asked me about German shepherds because that's what he has. Even in my drugged my state I was aware enough to know this man was about to cut into me so I just said "They're ok." Way to go, me.

Ok, another 'funny for others' tale. My husband and son, plus my sister were all there when I came out of recovery into my hospital room. I was of-course, nearly incoherent and in between mumbles,they thought it was great sport to ask me questions. They said "It's 3:00, where have you been?" I said, "Filming General Hospital." They said, "What can you eat?" I said "Sparkle gravy." They said, "Who is coming to see you?" I said, "Jon Bon Jovi, he is coming off tour to see me." How do I know? HUSBAND TOOK A VIDEO WITH HIS PHONE!

Nothing too funny for me, but funny for many others.... Apparently upon waking from surgery I had a FaceTime conversation with my sister. I sure don't remember but she said it was quite entertaining. Then my belly was so swollen she took pictures and sent them out telling everyone I got knocked up in TJ. And the creme de la creme.... I got C. diff from a dental procedure 1 1/2 months postop. This caused severe, uncontrollable diarrhea. One day at work ( I'm a vet tech) the " feeling" hit me and there was no time to get to the bathroom. I just grabbed a litter box from the cupboard and squatted. NOT a nice scene, yet highly entertaining to my work partner and anyone who heard the story ( which is most everyone in this small town). Some people still say "meow" when they see me.

I'm so jealous! Lol. You look fantastic and should be so proud of your success!

I'm so jealous! Lol. You look fantastic and should be so proud of your success!

Hello all,
I am 29 and had my RNY July 1 2014. My highest weight was 270# and I only lost about 6# before surgery. My current weight is 247.
I would love to find women my age to connect with on BP. Everyone here has been great but I'd love to find women who are my age to swap successes, stories, questions, advice, and fears with.
For example, I can't seem to find any threads regarding excess skin in women my age. How did your skin hold up after WLS? Another thing, many women on here seem to have kids and talk about running around with the kids. That's great and I welcome women with families but I also want to hear about single women and dating and going out dancing, going to bars and parties and experiencing some of the things you may have skipped out on before due to obesity!

Hello all,
I am 29 and had my RNY July 1 2014. My highest weight was 270# and I only lost about 6# before surgery. My current weight is 247.
I would love to find women my age to connect with on BP. Everyone here has been great but I'd love to find women who are my age to swap successes, stories, questions, advice, and fears with.
For example, I can't seem to find any threads regarding excess skin in women my age. How did your skin hold up after WLS? Another thing, many women on here seem to have kids and talk about running around with the kids. That's great and I welcome women with families but I also want to hear about single women and dating and going out dancing, going to bars and parties and experiencing some of the things you may have skipped out on before due to obesity!

I had to do this for three days before surgery and it was hard! I avoided places that had food or food smells (mall, movies, etc) and spent my time at the pool or at home. My husband ate all his meals out which helped a lot! I was grouchy and tired and wobbly but I did it because I knew I had to in order to get my surgery. BTW no one warned me about the diarrhea.... consider yourself warned!
It is tough but in the big scheme of things it's such a small blip of time and it means your big day is coming. Stay strong.

I saw another thread about Hair loss and someone said something that really put it in perspective for me:
If shaving your head would make you lose your excess body weight, would you do it?
Of course you would.

Dannysgirl,
You WILL lose weight but after that initial period (typically 12-18 months) it is then up to you to maintain that loss. Educate yourself, read books, attend support group meetings, read online (just stick to credible sites), and work with a WLS nutritionist. You can do it just know what you're in for. It isn't a magic fix, it's a jump start and a tool that you will have to learn to utilize. My biggest fear going into this was that it wouldn't "click" for me, that I wouldn't understand how to use the new pouch. I'm only four weeks post op and it is coming to me so much more naturally than I thought it would!
You can do this!