epiphani

Most of us have had challenges at some point in the process. I sailed through the first few weeks post-op with very little pain or nausea then have struggled and struggled with the transition to solid foods. Every time I tried, it came back up. Small bites and chewing carefully, then 2 hours of puking and recovering. It does all pass. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. There is no substitute for hearing from someone who has been through your particular issues and then done well. I am so grateful for the "veterans" who continue to return to this site and give us hope!

If your pain medication is not working after surgery, please ask your nurse to contact the surgeon to increase the dose or try something different. Nurses are used to working with what they have, and sometimes forget that a simple phone call can make a huge difference in a patient's experience.

My trigger foods are bread and starchy foods. And when I eat them... I want more. Fortunately, my difficulty transitioning to solid foods has ensured that these are not even a consideration at this point. It's not even a concern about losing weight.... I just can hardly tolerate any solids... so I am sure not going to mess with anything that is not going to be healthy and more likely to clog things up!

Glad you took care of yourself and had great results from your other surgery, Cindy! You are on your way!

I am so glad to see you all getting through your psych evals. It is a fairly simple process, and doesn't often slow the process. On the other hand, I think that many of us should consider trying to find a therapist we can relate to that can help us with our food issues. I know that I have issues with food that still effect me after surgery. Some seemed to disappear with surgery. There is research indicating that many food addiction behaviors resolve with the surgery itself. (I can look it back up if someone wants to read it; don't recall the specifics off the top of my head. I'm thinking I'll give it a few more months for issues to settle out and then find someone to help me work on what is left.

I am 3 weeks out and struggling a little with the whole pureed food thing. I sailed through surgery and the immediate post-op phase feeling exceptionally good. I was so excited to get to the solid food stage after weeks of liquids. But man! It's amazing how heavy a few tiny bites of solids can feel. I eat a few bites with spoon down in between and then have to just sit as waves of discomfort or heaviness flow past. Then it feels better and I can eat a few more bites. After some meals, I'm exhausted and feel like all I can do is sit and digest. And of course, there is the whole issue of trying to down supplements and meds at Breakfast time. I have begun to dread breakfasts. The good news is that Protein shakes with frozen berries and milk always go down smoothly. Intellectually I know that this is just an adjustment period for my new pouch. It will eventually pass. I sure could use some reassurance, though, from those of you that have been here! Will it pass? How long did the adjustment take? Did you focus more on what worked well at the time or trying to meet your nutritional requirements.

For the liquid diet, I tried to focus on the excitement of finally being at that stage. That lasted for a day and a half! lol I was pleasantly surprised by how well I did after surgery. Laporoscopic surgery allows them to do major work while leaving the supporting muscles essentially intact. That made walking much easier, and walking makes everything better!

If you already use and like herbalife products, you could take some in and review the label or info sheet with your physician or nutritionist. Many products, like mentioned above, have too many grams of sugar for the Protein or not as much protein (30gm) as you can get via the better brands. My favorites are Premier Protein (available at costco, Winco and other places) and the Inspire protein powder lines at bariatriceating.com

I bought Pure from Bariatric Eating. See http://shop.bariatriceating.com/PURE-UNFLAVORED-PROTEIN-POWDER_p_149.html. You can also check out unjury.com and http://www.theisopurecompany.com/

What a fantastic topic and inspiring content! This is terrific! I love to kayak, hike, and be adventurous outdoors. I didn't even know there were tri's with kayaks. This is lovely! Book and adventure research day for me! Thanks!

That is good to hear. You did the right thing by getting it checked out. If you develop a fever or it gets worse, don't be afraid to go back and get it checked again.

I also use myfitnesspal.com. It is free. It works well with a lot of other apps. It remembers your favorites. It's easy to link up with friends and family if you wish to do so. I use endomondo to track my walks and the results are on myfitnesspal by the time I log in after the walk.

It is an emotional rollercoaster for most of us. I have never been so diligent in making sure testing and approval processes were moving forward like I did with my WLS process. I was so delighted when my sister understood when I told her about my fear of losing my invisibility cloak. She just said, "I know, right?" My weight has helped me to feel less visible, less vulnerable. Not that I consciously wanted it for those reasons. I just have become aware that it had that function for me. I decided to make pre-op diet time the time that I left the fears behind and just focused on the excitement. And I was excited. Even the morning of surgery was like a big family celebration. Now every day is. I feel like I am "finally on my way" instead of postponing things until I'm in a little bit better shape. Healthy changes were always "Soon.... but not today." Now they are "Why not now?" This feels much better.

Your pre-op time is a chance to research and determine for sure whether or not this is for you. Having been a nurse for years I can tell you that most surgeries like this go very well, but that sometimes even great surgeons have complications. Our bodies are all different and respond differently. Unexpected things happen. I've seen several posts from people here having exceptional challenges. They share them so that we have a realistic sense of what can and does happen. I tend to look out how they are doing a ways out from surgery. In the midst of complications, they may wish they had not had surgery.... but how do they feel a year out if there are more posts? There is a lovely woman in my local support group who experienced a ulcer and subsequent leak. She was rushed back to the hospital and felt like she was dying before things go turned around. It was awful. But now she sits there normal sized and healthy. Living proof that things can get bumpy, but still turn out well. Even though this surgery is now done without a huge open incision, it's still a major surgery and worth thought and research. For myself, I felt that with my obesity, the onset of diabetes, sleep apnea and high blood pressure.... the risks of remaining how I was constituted a greater risk than the surgery. The more I learned... from the info class to personal research to discussions with professionals at my bariatric center.... the more sure I was that this was right for me. I gave myself inner permission to back out at any time before the actual surgery, but by the time surgery came my family surrounded me in celebration rather than in concern. Enthusiasm is contagious. I've only just begun (3 weeks post op), but I'm still sure it was right. I may yet have more issues than getting used to solid foods again. But it was worth it and right for me. Like others suggested, start learning. Nothing is set in stone until surgery. There are plenty of opportunities to be sure. Don't do surgery unless you are sure.

My favorite premade shakes are Vanilla Premier Protein (I purchase at Costco) and the Believe shakes from bariatriceating.com.

Thank you so much! This encouragement was exactly what I needed. Love the shared wisdom we find here!

Perhaps their process is to do general information on the first psych visit and formal testing on the second. It really doesn't make sense that a surgeon would need to know how you feel about medical professionals. Don't be afraid to ask more questions about the necessity of multiple visits or to confirm with the surgeon that this is helpful information. I would ask the surgeon about how that information is used.

I am right there with you. 3+ weeks out. Cleared to eat pureed food. Everything seems excessively heavy. The only thing that goes down well, calms my tummy and really works is Protein shakes. I do frozen blueberries, 2% milk to cover, and 1 scoop of Bariatric Eating cinnamon cappucino Protein powder (totally yummy but just discontinued). It is weird to have such a tummy ache after tiny bites of scrambled eggs but be able to down about 6 oz of Protein shake without any trouble. I'm full, but not uncomfortable. I guess it takes a lot of experimentation and going with what works initially. Many posts I read with similar issues are by people who have long since done exceptionally well. We need to just hang in there and learn to work with our new pouches!

It is very hard to understand how things like this happen, but they do happen. There is no substitute for advocating for yourself or finding someone (preferably an RN or physician) who can be your advocate. Even good programs get busy and things get lost in the shuffle until there is an appointment that focuses attention. It's okay to be devastated by a delay or cancellation and walk away not hearing or remembering to ask anything else. That's a natural response. Make another appointment. Go back. Have your questions written down and share a copy with each person who enters to interact with you. Don't leave until they are all answered. If your insurance gives you trouble, there is an appeals process. Don't be afraid to take some quiet time to reflect on whether or not this is meant to be. It doesn't mean the answer will be that it's not meant to be. Just be thoughtful and very, very sure. Please respond on here as things move forward so that we know how it has gone.

It varies by physician office and insurance type. My approval took about 2 weeks after it was submitted. Surgery was then scheduled for a couple of weeks after that. It is important to advocate for movement in processing your paperwork. I checked with my insurance to make sure the pre-authorization had been submitted when I had completed everything. I learned that it hadn't been, and so I made more contact with the surgeon's office to make sure it got done in a timely manner. Surgeons staff have a lot of roles and juggle a lot of information. It is important to keep on top of your own process rather than wait for it to happen.

It is, in my opinion, nothing to stress about. Answer honestly. It will show. If you need help, let it show the professionals what you need help with. That is all it is for. At worst you have some therapy appointments to work through some issues before surgery. That is something that we all could use; it's just not something that is required for everyone.

I have a just over a month of physician supervised weight loss, an EGD, and then final blood tests. Trying to learn to chew slower and take longer to eat. So far I still suck at it!

I am in Glendale. Also wading through the pre-op stuff. Weaned off diet soda and caffeine. Starting to exercise. Would love to have a walking group once it cools a bit.