JamieLogical

I'll be three weeks out tomorrow and I still have swelling in my abdomen. So even if it's not "normal", you're not alone.

The only medications I was warned off of were aspirin and ibuprofen. I'm only supposed to take acetaminophen for pain, which is what most cold medicines have.

I'll be three weeks out tomorrow and I still have swelling in my abdomen. So even if it's not "normal", you're not alone.

I hate that stories like this reflect badly on ALL Mexican surgeons. The headline doesn't call out a specific surgeon, it says "Mexico Surgery Warning" as if the "mistake" this patient made was traveling to Mexico for her surgery and not her choice of surgeon. It's stories like this that make friends and family members freak out when they find out we're going/have gone to Mexico for surgery. There are complications and malpractice all over the US too, but if for instance, a Wisconsin surgeon has a complication or a death, the news media doesn't warn everyone against going to Wisconsin for surgery.
Hundreds of us on these boards have had very successful, complication-free surgeries in Mexico. But you don't hear about those in the news. You hear about cases like this that are framed in such a way that they reflect badly on all Mexican surgeons, no matter what their level of expertise and success.

It was not a super easy recovery for me, but I did run 0.82 miles on day 4. Not by choice. I had to run the whole length of O'hare airport to catch a plane!
I really never had much pain after the first or second day (had serious cramping until they pulled my drain out). My main problems were a terrible head cold that I developed 2 days post-op that lingered until this past Monday (so 14 days post-op) and the gas/gurgling/burping with every single sip of Water. SOOOOO hard to get your Water in when every single sip is an uncomfortable ordeal.
I'm 16 days post-op now and my cold is gone, I'm getting more water (still not easy), and most of my Protein (having to rely on shakes still, though). I came back to work yesterday and I was TIRED by the end of the day. Really exhausted. I've also found getting ready for work in the mornings to be pretty tiring, since I have to do so much in such a short period of time. While I was on sick leave, I could get up, use the bathroom, brush my teeth, take my meds, and lounge on the couch for a while while I had my morning Protein shake. Then I could take my shower at my leisure and then lay in bed for a while before getting dressed. Now it's this whole routine that I have to do in under 45 minutes to make it to work on time, then I have a long walk from my car to my office. By the time I get to my cubicle, I can't wait to sit in my chair!
Eating is still a challenge. I am not supposed to start the soft/pureed stage until Thursday, but I went ahead and had some cottage cheese on Monday. That went pretty well, so I figured I could try some tuna salad yesterday. THAT was a mistake! I didn't throw up, but I was only able to eat half of the 2 oz. serving I'd prepared before I felt SUPER burpy. I'll be holding off a few more days before I try that again. So it's back to just Protein Shakes and some Soup (maybe a little cottage cheese again) for today and tomorrow at least.

I hate that stories like this reflect badly on ALL Mexican surgeons. The headline doesn't call out a specific surgeon, it says "Mexico Surgery Warning" as if the "mistake" this patient made was traveling to Mexico for her surgery and not her choice of surgeon. It's stories like this that make friends and family members freak out when they find out we're going/have gone to Mexico for surgery. There are complications and malpractice all over the US too, but if for instance, a Wisconsin surgeon has a complication or a death, the news media doesn't warn everyone against going to Wisconsin for surgery.
Hundreds of us on these boards have had very successful, complication-free surgeries in Mexico. But you don't hear about those in the news. You hear about cases like this that are framed in such a way that they reflect badly on all Mexican surgeons, no matter what their level of expertise and success.

From what I've read, ankle weights in general are a bad idea for anyone, not just WLS patients. Here's a helpful article:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_is_it_safe_to_wear_wrist_or_ankle_weights_while_walking_or_exercising
If you want to try to build muscle to help fill out or prevent excess skin, you should be doing specific weight training exercises.

I hate that stories like this reflect badly on ALL Mexican surgeons. The headline doesn't call out a specific surgeon, it says "Mexico Surgery Warning" as if the "mistake" this patient made was traveling to Mexico for her surgery and not her choice of surgeon. It's stories like this that make friends and family members freak out when they find out we're going/have gone to Mexico for surgery. There are complications and malpractice all over the US too, but if for instance, a Wisconsin surgeon has a complication or a death, the news media doesn't warn everyone against going to Wisconsin for surgery.
Hundreds of us on these boards have had very successful, complication-free surgeries in Mexico. But you don't hear about those in the news. You hear about cases like this that are framed in such a way that they reflect badly on all Mexican surgeons, no matter what their level of expertise and success.

I hate that stories like this reflect badly on ALL Mexican surgeons. The headline doesn't call out a specific surgeon, it says "Mexico Surgery Warning" as if the "mistake" this patient made was traveling to Mexico for her surgery and not her choice of surgeon. It's stories like this that make friends and family members freak out when they find out we're going/have gone to Mexico for surgery. There are complications and malpractice all over the US too, but if for instance, a Wisconsin surgeon has a complication or a death, the news media doesn't warn everyone against going to Wisconsin for surgery.
Hundreds of us on these boards have had very successful, complication-free surgeries in Mexico. But you don't hear about those in the news. You hear about cases like this that are framed in such a way that they reflect badly on all Mexican surgeons, no matter what their level of expertise and success.

I hate that stories like this reflect badly on ALL Mexican surgeons. The headline doesn't call out a specific surgeon, it says "Mexico Surgery Warning" as if the "mistake" this patient made was traveling to Mexico for her surgery and not her choice of surgeon. It's stories like this that make friends and family members freak out when they find out we're going/have gone to Mexico for surgery. There are complications and malpractice all over the US too, but if for instance, a Wisconsin surgeon has a complication or a death, the news media doesn't warn everyone against going to Wisconsin for surgery.
Hundreds of us on these boards have had very successful, complication-free surgeries in Mexico. But you don't hear about those in the news. You hear about cases like this that are framed in such a way that they reflect badly on all Mexican surgeons, no matter what their level of expertise and success.

It was not a super easy recovery for me, but I did run 0.82 miles on day 4. Not by choice. I had to run the whole length of O'hare airport to catch a plane!
I really never had much pain after the first or second day (had serious cramping until they pulled my drain out). My main problems were a terrible head cold that I developed 2 days post-op that lingered until this past Monday (so 14 days post-op) and the gas/gurgling/burping with every single sip of Water. SOOOOO hard to get your Water in when every single sip is an uncomfortable ordeal.
I'm 16 days post-op now and my cold is gone, I'm getting more water (still not easy), and most of my Protein (having to rely on shakes still, though). I came back to work yesterday and I was TIRED by the end of the day. Really exhausted. I've also found getting ready for work in the mornings to be pretty tiring, since I have to do so much in such a short period of time. While I was on sick leave, I could get up, use the bathroom, brush my teeth, take my meds, and lounge on the couch for a while while I had my morning Protein shake. Then I could take my shower at my leisure and then lay in bed for a while before getting dressed. Now it's this whole routine that I have to do in under 45 minutes to make it to work on time, then I have a long walk from my car to my office. By the time I get to my cubicle, I can't wait to sit in my chair!
Eating is still a challenge. I am not supposed to start the soft/pureed stage until Thursday, but I went ahead and had some cottage cheese on Monday. That went pretty well, so I figured I could try some tuna salad yesterday. THAT was a mistake! I didn't throw up, but I was only able to eat half of the 2 oz. serving I'd prepared before I felt SUPER burpy. I'll be holding off a few more days before I try that again. So it's back to just Protein Shakes and some Soup (maybe a little cottage cheese again) for today and tomorrow at least.

Yes, this has REALLY been bothering me lately. I can't think of anything else. I even dream about it at night. I want to live my REAL LIFE! I hate that I can't think about or talk about anything else. My work is suffering, my relationship is suffering, it is NOT healthy! I've even thought to myself several times that maybe I should just cancel it altogether, so I can get back to being functional. But, I'm hoping that a few weeks after the surgery is done (on Sept. 1), I can start thinking about other things again. Maybe?

@@slvrsax I see you there in the first pic and you look great! Congrats on losing over 100 pounds! I can't believe you can't find a dress in your size. Have you tried looking online?

Big congratz! Way to stick with it and push further!

Honestly, there is little you can do to prevent the Hair loss once it has started, because your hair loss NOW is a result of your lack of Protein three months ago. Anything you do now might help you grow NEW hair, but it won't save your old hair.

Sounds to me like you aren't eating enough calories. Your nutritionist is absolutely right that you shouldn't be exercising (beyond getting lots of walking in) until you are eating enough calories to support the exercise. If you aren't eating enough calories and are burning too many calories, you will stop losing weight altogether. Try to get more food in. I know it's hard.
PS: There's no such thing as not losing enough weight. Everyone goes through this journey with ups and downs and everyone's body handles it differently. The scale is trending downward, yes? If so, then you are losing weight and that's what matters. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

I just said "surgery" to most of my coworkers to explain the time off and that was it. Only my boss' boss (a dear friend of mine), one of my friends in another department, and the HR rep that received my FMLA paperwork know what kind of surgery I had. As for family, my husband, parents, and sisters know. I don't know if they've told any extended family and I don't really care if they do. Luckily, my family (and extended family) are all very loving and supportive, so I'm not worried about more of them finding out. Oh, I also told my husband's parents. I don't know if they told any of his siblings or not.

Honestly, there is little you can do to prevent the Hair loss once it has started, because your hair loss NOW is a result of your lack of Protein three months ago. Anything you do now might help you grow NEW hair, but it won't save your old hair.

Sounds to me like you aren't eating enough calories. Your nutritionist is absolutely right that you shouldn't be exercising (beyond getting lots of walking in) until you are eating enough calories to support the exercise. If you aren't eating enough calories and are burning too many calories, you will stop losing weight altogether. Try to get more food in. I know it's hard.
PS: There's no such thing as not losing enough weight. Everyone goes through this journey with ups and downs and everyone's body handles it differently. The scale is trending downward, yes? If so, then you are losing weight and that's what matters. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

Sounds to me like you aren't eating enough calories. Your nutritionist is absolutely right that you shouldn't be exercising (beyond getting lots of walking in) until you are eating enough calories to support the exercise. If you aren't eating enough calories and are burning too many calories, you will stop losing weight altogether. Try to get more food in. I know it's hard.
PS: There's no such thing as not losing enough weight. Everyone goes through this journey with ups and downs and everyone's body handles it differently. The scale is trending downward, yes? If so, then you are losing weight and that's what matters. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

I was only allowed three Protein Shakes a day and one green salad with calorie-free dressing per day on my pre-op diet. It was most definitely NOT fun. But two weeks after my surgery, I only WISH I could drink 3 Protein shakes a day! Heh.

I was only allowed three Protein Shakes a day and one green salad with calorie-free dressing per day on my pre-op diet. It was most definitely NOT fun. But two weeks after my surgery, I only WISH I could drink 3 Protein shakes a day! Heh.

I bought a bunch of sugar-free Torani syrups to flavor my Protein shakes. Though they do have sucralose (Splenda), which I know some people try to avoid.
Here's a link to all their sugar-free flavors (there are TONS of them):
http://shop.torani.com/Sugar-Free-Syrups/c/Torani@SugarFreeSyrups

I was just at OCC last week, so this is the latest info. I traveled alone and left all my possessions in my room with no worries at all. The access to the area where patients' rooms are is secured by a keypad and the office manager assured me they have security cameras throughout the facility. I had over $100 cash, my wallet, my tablet, a laptop, a cell phone, etc. in my bags and nothing was touched. No worries at all.
Also, I got all of my medication handed to me in a plastic bag, along with all the instructions about what each medication was for, how much to take, and when to take it. There was an antibiotic, a pain killer, an anti-nausea pill, and antacid. I didn't have a need for any other over-the-counter medication while I was there, aside for some Gas-X strips (not sure if they actually helped at all).
As for packing, bring the hard copy of your pre-op survey, your passport, some cash (not much), your cashier's check (if you didn't pay with credit card), all your electronics and chargers, any medication you've been instructed to continue taking, Gas-X strips, your spirometer, toothpaste/toothbrush, deodorant, any other toiletries (hotel has soap, Shampoo, conditioner, and lotion), comb/brush, hair ties, comfortable underwear, socks, and clothes. I just brought a couple pairs of yoga pants and some t-shirts, plus the jeans I was wearing to travel. Pack as lightly as possible. It will make going through various security checkpoints easier and it will make it easier to get through the airport and loaded onto the plane.

I was just at OCC last week, so this is the latest info. I traveled alone and left all my possessions in my room with no worries at all. The access to the area where patients' rooms are is secured by a keypad and the office manager assured me they have security cameras throughout the facility. I had over $100 cash, my wallet, my tablet, a laptop, a cell phone, etc. in my bags and nothing was touched. No worries at all.
Also, I got all of my medication handed to me in a plastic bag, along with all the instructions about what each medication was for, how much to take, and when to take it. There was an antibiotic, a pain killer, an anti-nausea pill, and antacid. I didn't have a need for any other over-the-counter medication while I was there, aside for some Gas-X strips (not sure if they actually helped at all).
As for packing, bring the hard copy of your pre-op survey, your passport, some cash (not much), your cashier's check (if you didn't pay with credit card), all your electronics and chargers, any medication you've been instructed to continue taking, Gas-X strips, your spirometer, toothpaste/toothbrush, deodorant, any other toiletries (hotel has soap, Shampoo, conditioner, and lotion), comb/brush, hair ties, comfortable underwear, socks, and clothes. I just brought a couple pairs of yoga pants and some t-shirts, plus the jeans I was wearing to travel. Pack as lightly as possible. It will make going through various security checkpoints easier and it will make it easier to get through the airport and loaded onto the plane.