Beni

The previous post did resonate with me. We have to be careful with ourselves. I heard a story one patients went to a County Fair 5 days post op and decided to eat a corn dog. Burst her pouch and nearly died. Back to surgery and square one. How stupid is that! Yes, there are different post op diets but like learning how to read, there are different approaches. Sticking with one is half the battle. I too believe giving up the control and following what we are told is so crucial because in truth we don't know what we are doing. The experts have done it 100s or 1000s of times before. This is lowly one for us.

I am 7 days out. My Fluid drinking is akin to a military deployment. You have to line up all your equipment for battle. I have all the liquids set into 6 ounces per hour. That's 24 oz for morning and 24 oz for afternoon. Then the 3 meals each 4 oz of a Protein shake. At first I started with 1 oz little cups and one per 15 minutes. Now I have cups with makings in sharpie on the side. I keep tick marks on a journal. This fluid thing is high stakes friends. No wondering around or surfing online for an hour without drinking. Every awake moment requires a sip every 5 minutes. Once I got on this mind set I feel fantastic. I actually feel better then before surgery. My daily fluid intake including Protein shakes is 50 OZ which is enough to make me function well. I will built up to 64oz over the next two weeks. Please try to get a organization system that works for you. Drinking when you feel like it doesn't work. This is your full time job right now - Sip, sip, sip!

My first BM was on day 6 post op. It was fine. Consider Miralax after a few more days. There is not a lot in the system at this point.

@Bronxmerci. Yours is an unusual circumstance. No way you could have predicted this. I have had zero complications (knock on wood) in fact ,I am sitting here feeling bad I didn't do it earlier. My youngest is a boy and he is 13. I didn't do it earlier because I was too afraid I would die and then I would be leaving him without a mother. That guilt was too much. Now I think it was stupid because I lost 5 years (when I started to seriously contemplate surgery) that I could have been a better mother because I would have had more energy to do things with him. The future is a gamble for all of us. We are "all terminal" is the way I like to think of it. We have to use our days to do the best we can. Your decision to have this was a good one. Your fight is not over. Let's get that food in and your stomach working. Any pain and nausea will be taken care of with meds and then it will stabilize and you will be good to go. I know this next statement is silly but you still have 2/3 of stomach floating inside of you. You got spare parts baby. The Heparin shots are temporary. People have daily multiple shots for a lifetime with Type 1 diabetes. This is going to get better.

The liquid Tylenol I bought was shot down by my doctor for having too much sugar.

I am only a week out from surgery but I am actually looking forward to wigs, I have short hair right now and I think it would be so fun to have a longer hair style. Don't know where to start on the wig thing. I have looked online but they look cheap. Any ideas?

I think it's most likely gas pain that gets trapped somewhere in the GI track. If your surgery was recent they also filled your tummy with air. They kind of blow it up like a ballon in order to perform the surgery laparoscopically. That air is pumped out but some of it stays behind.

I make the shake in the morning and refrigerate. By the time I need it, all the bubbles are gone and if there are any left, I skim them with a spoon.

Great ideas @kimodell69. Love the black dress and heels. I do wear heels sometimes but after about 30 minutes I have to sit down and I am sure I look like a whale wearing heels. I don't do it very often because it is so uncomfortable. Not sure if I am going to manage a bikini but I would love an awesome swimsuit. Yes, on the halloween costume, so over being the ugly witch, the giant pumpkin or the queen of hearts. I'm going to be something sexy next year.

My recommendation is to see your GP doctor about it. Many insurances do cover plastic surgery for lose skin in the tummy but you have to met some criteria. Like the fold has to cover pubic area and there are skin issues related to it. If you go to the doctor and get a prescription cream for your issue you will have a record in your medical history of your medical need. You do have to fill the prescription (no samples). This is what the plastic surgeon who talked at our support group said. You may or may not need it or want it but you do want to establish a medical history and use the right cream.

@@kimodell69 I looked at my tummy today for a close inspection of the scars. I found out I have lots of bruising I didn't see earlier. It's yellow at this point. I too had a couple rounds with rocky. The strangest ones are one on my side, no were near an incision and the other on the right side of my lower tummy again no where near anything. So they punched me pretty hard in that Room. It was a battle in there but I won, you should have seen the other guys.

I took about 3 months to decide to take the plunge. I had lots of worries and fears. It is after all major surgery with some pretty intense consequences. But I worked through all of those and came up ready. I am 7 days post surgery and I feel great. I am not one of those people everything always goes peachy, quite the opposite. I was expecting major recovery issues. I even set up my own room in the main floor of the house to be ready. Well, that was a serious waste of time. My surgery was a 2:30 PM Tuesday and I was home Thursday. That first night I took a single Tylenol pill because 1)I couldn't fall asleep and again 2) for a headache and again for 3)a slight pain under my rib cage which was probably gas and I had done a little too much that day. I feel fine and I have no pain and no nausea. I am a little more tired then usual and I do have to work on my Fluid intake. I am up to 50 oz per day. I am not hungry at all. i sit with my family at dinner while they have the frozen meals I had prepared ahead and I eat my broth with Protein without even the slightest desire to have any of their food. I also didn't freeze any of my favorite meals just in case. My only craving was a most perfect Lays potato chip which I admit to have licked in delight but then washed my mouth right after and none of the salt went in me. I decided to add a little G2 gatorade to my Water for the nutrients. Salt was my craving so far. I know this is early stages but my experience is what the majority of people experience.

@@AuriP Yes, the swimsuit is huge. Have to add that. I also thought of another one - wearing boots and rocking them. With extra weight comes extra wide calves. The boots that fit me make my calves look even bigger, specially since the ankles are not so big in proportion.

Hi, big day for me today. Started at 270 lbs and my scale places me at 249lbs today, that's 21 pounds lost. But here's the real moral booster, I am 99lbs from my goal of 150lbs. I crossed the magical line of 100lbs above goal. So excited. Then I got thinking what other goals would be meaningful and here I would love your input for other ideas. This is what I came up with as goals with special meaning 1. Less then 100 lbs from goal - done 2. Weight below 200 lbs aka "oneland" with one hundred and something as weight 3. Graduating out of Lane Bryant and onto regular sizes (no 14W, 16W, 18W, 20W... ever again) 4. No more XL clothing 5. No more wide shoes. (I am 9 - 9W but I will likely be 8 1/2 because the 9 is for the width) 5. Being able to cross my legs 6. Buying a bra at Victoria secret that has a 38 width on it 7. Having a tummy narrower then hips. I guess, no longer an apple shape is my goal 8. Being able to wear bracelets. My wrist is 1/4 inch too wide at this point. 9. Fitting in my wedding band (never sized it because I "knew" I was going to lose the weight) 10. Running a 5K race 11. Ridding a horse/ bike again 12. HUM, I would like to make my list 20 items. Any other ideas?

You know what they say, third is the charm. Hope it works this time. I am sure all of this is taking a toll on you but this too will pass. Lets hope sooner rather then later.

Oh @@amylynns So sorry. I was a little worried about the swollen tummy on the right side I saw on that picture but I figured it was an allergic reaction to the anesthesia you had. You had all that itching. I know this is not the time but I fear I may forget to remind you. Make sure you find out what anesthesia you were given during surgery because you are obviously allergic. There a number of options in anesthesia and you/doctor/anesthesiologist should try to figure this out in case you have another surgery, ever. Please let us know what they find in the CT. Thinking of you!

@@kimodell69 So glad to hear you are doing as well as expected with a unexpected open surgery. You had to do it the hard way, lol! It reminds me of my 3rd child. I had it all, upteen hours of labor, epidural, full dilation, pushing the baby for 20 minutes and then, BANG emergency c-section. So I had all of the usual pain associated with labor and delivery and a C-section on top. What the heck. But this too shall pass. Your tummy will heal and in due time you will feel good about yourself again. My c-section scar, I hold with great pride. It's my battle scar. Yours too will stand as you battle scar(s). I didn't call us gladiators for no good reason, that's exactly what we are. We are willing to fight and take whatever resources come our way to do what it takes to get healthy and well again. That's what makes us WLS Gladiators.

HI EVERYONE, This thread is officially closed. We have all moved to the Post-surgery part of the Gastric Bypass Forum. All of us in October have GRADUATED, hurray, we are now WLS Gladiators. You can find us by searching OCTOBER 2014 It's easy: 1)Type OCTOBER 2014 on the search bar (top right of page) 2)Pull the little triangle down (it's after the ...) to click on the circle to search within Forums 3)Then click on the magnifying glass You come to a page with a list of topics. Ours in in there.

@wildGoose I had surgery the same day as you and i am doing fine as well. I am still a little tired but no pain. I keep sipping all day and switching form bed to recliner to walks around the house. I have watched so much TV, it's insane. Good t ear you too are doing so well. How many ounces of Fluid and grams of Protein have you been getting in?

@@layknee For the next high school reunion, you will rock the event like queen B.

I don't know if you have ever had cats. I did for many years. They do this funny thing after they use the litter box for #2 they run around the house like mad sprinting in delight. Six days, guess who is running around the house?

@@layknee You are an inspiration. It is easy to move forward when things are going well. It is when you have a raw deal that it takes all our "gladiator" core to fight on. This is what it is and yes, you can make it forward. Perhaps your journey started a little harder but that does not determine your end baby. Work on it, seek the advice of your doctor and follow the protocol. If some issue arrises face it head on my friend. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU that I have tears running down my face. Everyday you will be able to drink a little more. Your pouch will stretch and the swelling will go down. Baby steps!

Lose skin is going to happen anyway but working your abs will be the best way of achieving the waist you want. I did buy a binder but more for support because I need it as it hurts to turn.

On the subject of bad breath a bit ago I read a post somewhere that some complain of bad breath and bad body odor apparently as you burn all the extra fat you stink. Won't that be lovely? My doctor explained that with a RNY the small pouch is connected to a RNY limb that goes straight down. It's almost like before you had a trap (just like under the sink) but now it's a straight line. You have a bit of a septic line odor coming straight up. Another lovely think to live with. Once we heal, lets buy lots of those little pumps of mouth deo (listerine like stuff) for every purse and every nock and cranny. We are going to need it. I have also been told to brush 3 times a day all that bad breath brings bacteria and it will eat away at your teeth. But we will be healthy and skinny, so not so bad!

It's Biotin. But it is not a sure remedy. If your body decides it needs to place hair growth on hold, my understanding is, it will. But Biotin is supposed to help. I have been advised to wait until 4 weeks to start because I should not take anything that is not absolutely necessary until my pouch is completely healed. Makes sense!