alwaysvegas

@@msveej30 It's normal to worry. But all you have to do is lie down. Everyone else does the hard work. I had a hernia surgery the year before, so I knew what to expect. But really, once they give you the sedative before surgery...and that's ONE great sedative...it's all coasting. You just kick back, realize you're in great hands, then wait for them to tell you they're going to start the anesthesia. The nurses tell you the entire time what they're doing. "OK, we're going to take you to the OR now...", "We're going to take some blood so your surgeon can check your Vitamins..." That sort of thing. This is true pre- and post-op. Nothing is mysterious. The last thing I remember before surgery was hearing, "OK, we're going to start the anesthesia..." and then I woke up. I was a bit dizzy, but it cleared pretty quickly. Ta-dah! Sleeved.

Don't forget that what you put in your mouth after surgery is still a choice. Don't think of what you can and can't eat...think of what you choose to eat.

I lost about 45 lbs before surgery, but I've also lost weight many times before. The surgery is permanent tool to help me maintain my physical cravings and provide a guardrail for overeating. I know I can lose weight, but portion control and hunger were the two of the physical reasons I put it back on. That's why I got the surgery and I can't imagine ever regretting it. Last minute advice: The thought of the surgery is much worse than the surgery itself...BUT...allow yourself the recovery time necessary.

Warmest congratulations on your new sleeve in advance! The cool thing about surgery is all you gotta do is take a nap! It's a snap. (Hey, that rhymed.)

I had a bit of soreness where the drain was located and tenderness with the largest incision where they pulled the stomach out. All other incisions just felt like typical scraps healing, so if I twisted one it twinged a bit. I did take some liquid Hyrdocodone the first few days back from the hospital just in case, but stopped taking within 5 days of surgery. I'd say the discomfort diminished drastically the first week and by the second week I was feeling only very mild soreness.

These are excellent points! Having quit recently I can easily tell the difference between a physical craving and a mental craving. That goes hand-in-hand with physical hunger vs head hunger.

Sounds like you're doing wonderfully well! Congratulations! I've stuck with egg whites since surgery, but that was just my preference for less fat. I find that if I don't overcook the whites and/or add a tablespoon or two of cottage cheese and keep it moist, my tummy likes it even more.

I was down over 40 lbs before anyone noticed! But then the weight loss became more and more noticeable and now the compliments never seem to stop. But you know what's better than compliments? The way I feel! I feel like a new person and my health feels great! Hang in there! 10 lbs lost is 10 less than where you started. Your weight trajectory is DOWN which is where you want to head. You're not doing this for compliments. You're doing this for your health and you did the right thing for you! The weight loss will happen with time and your efforts. Best of luck to you and best hopes for continued success!

My gas cramps subsided greatly after the third day and I began passing the gas and burping. I started taking Gas X strips in the hospital. They didn't help with the gas cramps, but walking got things move. And by moving I mean flatulence...alot of it. Then I felt much better. I do a strip once a day in the morning after I eat.

Hi there! Thanks so much for the compliments!Wow, thanks for this! You've explained it so well! So, having the slimes is caused by overeating? I thought it was caused by a chunk of food being stuck but you can chew really well and still get them if you over eat apparently. You've really helped me understand. The slimes. Whether the food is 'stuck' or just ate too much...if the tummy is full to the top, it seems to cause the slimes. Again, think of the narrow pipe that's full to the top. Main things: 1. Eat slowly, 2. Chew to mushy consistency, 3. Eat foods that are moist (at least early post-op). This is going to be a bit graphic... The slimes were a hard one to understand until I experienced it. So what happens is the tummy gets overly-full (especially from eating too fast or not chewing enough) to the point where the food is sorta pushing up the throat just a smidge. Sometimes that over full feeling doesn't happen until 5-10 after eating, but it never happens when I eat slowly. It feels like light pressure against the bottom of the throat. The mouth starts generating a bunch of saliva (medical reason I dunno, but I guess the body thinks there's still food that needs washing down). So then you start swallowing the extra saliva, then you feel even fuller...more saliva, more full...you can see where this is headed. I've had a couple times where I literally just hung over the sink and let the saliva drain. It's sorta comical in my head. A few times I did make myself vomit, which was not like a pre-surgery vomit. It's like a huge glob of spit comes spilling out. but there's no sick feeling at least. Lovely, I know. I really try to avoid that. I've done that maybe four times since surgery. For the most part when I've over-eaten I just sit back and the pressure subsides and the food goes through fine. Some foods just fill me up faster than others. For example, ground turkey fills me up much faster than ground chicken. But it only happens when I don't chew well and swallow quickly. Foods like cottage cheese I never seem to have a problem with. I always measure my food now. 4 oz is generally my maximum, but I keep it around 3.5 oz to ensure I don't overfill. It's nothing to be afraid of it. It doesn't hurt or anything, it's just a learning process and for me it's like negative reinforcement. I actually haven't had a sliming incident in a month. I think the expansion of the sleeve as part of healing helps. Knowing your limit will help too of course.

You all are on such a great journey and are going to feel better and better! I began losing weight mid-January this year. My surgery was the end of July. So far this year I have: Lost over 100 lbs Went from size 46 pants to size 36 (and still dropping!) Quit smoking Quit sodas Quit caffeine Quit most processed foods Started exercising (cardio + strength training) 4-5 days a week Cured sleep apnea Cholesterol normalized Cured diabetes (I was pre-diabetic) pre-surgery Blood pressure normalized Bought a fantastic new wardrobe Let me tell you all...I just went on vacation and I sat in the airplane seat and I cold cinch the belt halfway now. I needed an extender before. If any of you have been in that embarrassing situation, let me tell you...cinching an airplane belt is a huge validation! I could've cried. I could cross my legs too! While on vacation I walked for HOURS without problem. I even went hiking for several hours. Not a pain in my back or legs. I felt HEALTHY. food still tastes delicious, but it only takes a small amount to get that full feeling that I could never seem to get before surgery. Food doesn't rule my life now. Eating is actually sort of nuisance at times...I'd rather be doing something else, but I haven't eaten in four hours lol! I can't believe that. I bought some chili while on vacation and I had to throw half of it away because I was full. I don't think I've ever thrown food away in my life. I'm still laughing at that. Keep those positive attitudes folks! You will still have to do the work, but the sleeve is the most incredible tool I could've hoped for! Don't forget that there will be many great victories along the way to your goal weight...those are the non-scale victories (NSV) you'll see so many of us talking about. Best of luck to you all!

I was diagnosed with severe gastritis during my pre-surgery endoscopy, though I rarely had acid reflux. I did have a bit of reflux the first couple weeks post-surgery and some mornings my stomach has a bit of an acidic feel to it, but once I take the acid meds I feel just fine. Now gas...that's a different matter entirely.

For me it was a question of complication rates. A few pounds quicker loss was of little consequence because I would eventually reach my goal weight. I felt the complication rates for bypass vs sleeve were just too great. My surgeon and I also both felt my initial weight didn't warrant the bypass. I believe there are a quite a few variables in deciding and a competent surgeon can help guide you to the surgery that will help increase your long-term weight loss success vs possible complications.

I am a fast eater. It was hard for me to understand how my post-surgery tummy would feel and fill up with food. So, if you think of your post-surgery tummy being tube-shaped (like a funnel spout or narrow pipe), then imagine trying to get large chunks of food down that narrow tube vs. well-chewed food. For me, that is exactly how it feels. You can also imagine how very dry food vs very wet food would go down that narrow pipe. If I don't chew well, the tummy will fill up sort of awkardly and faster than if I chewed. Without chewing it's also much easier to eat too much and end up with the slimes, which I still do about once a week. Overeating doesn't feel like choking or feel painful, it just feels like my stomach is full (which it is) and pushing up into my throat a bit...like I can't quite make it go back down. It's not horrible or painful, but unpleasant. If your surgeon requires you to start off post-op with liquids and then transition to mushies and then transition again to solids, you'll see the difference very quickly.

My surgeon required that I quit smoking or she would cancel the surgery. And it makes absolute sense to quit. If I really am having the surgery because I'm concerned about my health, how could I possibly justify continuing to smoke? I had switched to an electronic ciggie a couple years before, but I was still smoking about 1/2 a pack of analogs a day. So I quit the analogs, then decreased the nicotine on the eciggie to zero over 3 weeks. My surgeon didn't want me having any nicotine even from the eciggie. I actually took home nicotine tests to make sure I was nicotine free. That was SO reassuring. Some surgeons DO test for nicotine byproducts before surgery and will cancel the surgery if it's in your system. It was so easy to quite I couldn't believe it. I had tried many times over 20 years to quit, but I told myself if I truly want this surgery and care about my health, then I will quit. And I did. I haven't had an analog ciggie in about 8 months. My surgery recovery was stellar and I know I owe much of that to quitting smoking. I do take a puff of my eciggie a few times a day if I get stressed, but I use nicotine free ejuice, so it's really just to take care of the oral habit. I've made many lifestyle changes this year, but I worked them in slowly over months. Too much change too fast can be difficult, but you have to keep your eye on the prize and that prize is your life! Now, just 8 months after quitting, I can't imagine how I was a slave to the analog ciggies for so long. My sense of smell is better, my clothes smell better, my car smells great, I don't have to go outside in the heat or cold to smoke, no more coughs, cardio is fantastic, I've saved THOUSANDS of dollars...and it's increased my sense of self in ways I wish I could share with everyone. It's so life-affirming. Best of luck to you and hope your transition from smoking is an easy one!

Some insurance requires that you lose weight (some are specific on the percent, others are not) or they will deny coverage. Some surgeons require that you lose weight or they will cancel surgery. So it will likely depend on your insurance and surgeon whether anything negative will come out of it. From experience I can tell you that if you get started on your weight loss and lifestyle changes before surgery, you will likely have a much easier time post-surgery adapting to the healthier lifestyle.

Thanks so much for updating us! Glad to hear you're doing well!

Warmest congratulations on the new sleeve!! You're now on the other side! Don't forget to walk, walk, walk to help with the gas.

My surgeon asked that I bring my BiPAP also. Like @@joatsaint, once I had lost about 60-70 lbs, I noticed the air pressure was too high on my BiPaP when I woke up. The pressure was actually blowing my mouth open. I consulted with my sleep doctor and they advised turning down the minimum pressure. I have an AutoPaP so it self-adjusts. I often sleep without the machine altogether now, which I wasn't able to do for about six years. I'm planning on having a follow-up sleep study in the next few months to determine if I need it at all. Yay!

I did nap alot for several weeks following surgery and I am not a napper. The surgery coupled with the reduced caloric intake is alot for your body to endure whether you feel this immediately or not. Your body will get balanced out eventually and you'll start feeling normal again. Just be sure to rest when you need to. It is a recovery process!

I like to emphasize by saying "healthy weight" often when discussing my weight loss results. And that's to keep in MY head that the surgery isn't about being skinny or looking great in clothes, it's about not dying from obesity and living a full life. I've had so many supportive comments, but I still emphasize "healthy" and not "skinny" or "thin."

I was able to return to cardio within two weeks of surgery (but no lifting more than 10 lbs) and was able to return to resistance training after a month. Walking is encouraged even right after surgery. Don't lose sight that this IS a major surgery and you do need to allow time for your body to recover. I've been taking in less than 1,000 calories a day since surgery and my nutritionist has allowed me two extra meals to compensate on workout days where I'm burning 600-700 calories. You may or may not have the energy for a few weeks or even months after a major surgery, so you'll likely take it easier. Also, it will be a bit more difficult to get adequate liquids (minimum 64oz per my surgeon) post-surgery, so you won't be able to afford sweating off too much extra liquid. If you're still able to burn 4,000 calories from exercise, then you should be able to eat more and still lose, but you're going to have a tough time getting in that many calories unless you eat very calorie-dense foods, which may not be ideal Healthwise. It's really a matter of monitoring your weight to see if you're losing. You'll likely have 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up bloodwork to determine if you're getting adequate nutrition.

I've been making similar Protein pudding almost daily (I have about 20 boxes on-hand ). I use the Carbmaster milk + unsweetened almond milk + greek yogurt + protein powered (sometimes flavored, sometimes not, depending on the pudding). I eat the pudding throughout the day as my treat between meals. It's soooo good!

Warmest congratulations! You're going to love the sleeved life!

All of our experiences will vary of course. I was sleeved on a Monday and was at a mall shopping for clothes that Friday. I'd say the first two days are the most uncomfortable, but the recovery thereafter was amazingly fast. I think getting off the IV and out of the hospital speeded my recovery even faster. I'm a homebody. I felt some minor discomfort for a couple weeks after, but nothing at all debilitating. I wore clothes a little looser (though I'd lost weight, so that was a good thing) and did not lift anything over 10lbs (per surgeon's orders). Considering this is major surgery, the recovery is simply amazing.