Jonathan Blue

That is so awesome that your doctors office wants to use you in that way. What a validation of all the hard work you have put in. I think one of the biggest things to share with people is your story. The facts and figures are easy to find and read. There are also plenty of doctors able to give out this information. What I would want to know are the personal stories about your journey and how you have been successful. Questions I would want to know of you if I was just looking into surgery are things like: What made you decide to do something as drastic as weight loss surgery? What was your surgical experience like? Any pain? How long in hospital? (I had lots of questions about the hospital stuff) What kinds of things did you do to get used to the diet? What kinds of exercise did you start with? What do you think were they keys to your success? All in all, I would want to know your story while still covering those topics. It is the personal nature that lets people bond with you and become more comfortable with the idea of surgery. Especially if they can find someone that they identify with. I am giving a lecture to my companies Young Professionals group about goal setting because several articles have been written internally about my weight loss success through surgery. I am focusing less on weight loss and more on how what I learned about goal setting through surgery and recovery aided my personal and professional goal setting for this new year. Most of all, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to just be yourself. People what to know you and identify with you. Ultimately, you are the one who will determine if an individual goes with a specific doctor. I know for my journey, the only reason I went with the doctor I did beyond insurance questions was because I worked with a lady who had successful bypass surgery with him. Her testimony and story is what inspired me to reach out to his group. I hope this helps a little bit. If you have any other questions or need help with anything else, please let me know. I am hoping to record my presentation and put it up on my blog later today or tomorrow. The link is under my signature. BEST OF LUCK!

The Protein will take time to work up to 80g. Don't expect to be hitting it until about the two month mark. The primary focus should be the Water. My doctor gave me a shot glass and said to plan on drinking one of those every 8 min. Your life revolves around putting liquid or food into your mouth so much so that you begin to hate food which I love. Food controlled my life in a negative way, now it is controlling it in a great way. This constant need to schedule your day around food does pass as you are able to take in a larger amount of food and you get more acclimated to your schedule. The big key is to do your best and continually be working towards those goal amounts. If there are any other questions you have or anything I can do to help you out, don't hesitate to let me know. I am here for you. Also check out my blog at the link below my signature for more information and help in motivating yourself through the next year of your amazing life. I am so excited for you. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

I think it matters more how you feel in it than how you look. If it makes you feel strong, empowered, and beautiful, then I say go for it! That is what this entire journey is about and if that is your goal, I have no doubt you will make it happen and you will rock it. Keep up the amazing work! I can't wait to hear about all of the other amazing things you will be doing as your journey progresses.

@lynziv It is called Waking Up From Heavyset Dreams on Blogspot. Here is a link: http://wakingupfromheavysetdreams.blogspot.com/

I had gastric bypass a year ago and am down 215lbs in that time. As far as pain go's, I wrote a great article for this sites WLS Magazine about Beating the Pain Game about how to handle your pain management while in the hospital. It will take a couple weeks to get back to feeling like yourself and probably a few more after that to get all of your energy back. The diet will be the thing that takes the most to get used to. You will need to schedule every aspect of your food each day and your life will revolve around getting your nutritional needs taken care of. This will be the case for a little while after surgery, but as you get used to your new life things will get easier and easier. In terms of meeting your goals, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to set goals for yourself and start moving as soon as you can. Getting moving will help you skyrocket your weight loss. I have some great articles on my blog about goal setting and even preparing for surgery. The link is under my signature below. Reaching out to this forum was a good move. Rely on the people here for help and advice. If there is anything I can do to help you out or any additional questions I can answer for you, please let me know. I am here for you and I want to see you succeed. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

@@bunsy Losing a family member is always difficult and running back to those things that ease stress and provide comfort are far to easy during such a trying time. When I geat really stressed out I still find myself craving sugar Cookies even a year after surgery. The biggest key to getting back on track is to stop beating youself up, pulling on your funderwear, and getting back to work. By this there are a few things I mean. Firstly, you can't beat yourself up for sliding and gaining some weight. We are all human and all make mistakes. I myself will admit that I did not do well with my diet at all during this holiday season and got a little out of control with the sweets. The key is to admit to the mistake and make the choice to change. Starting right now to start making those smart choices again. Take things one day at a time, or if necessary, one meal at a time, or one hour at a time. The other key here is to start moving again if you have not been. When you feel stressed, angry, or sad, the best way to combat these feelings without using food is with heavy exercise. Create new drugs for yourself. Another thing I would strongly suggest you do is create a list of all of the reasons that you are determining to go through surgery. Be sure to include all the hurt. I included things like a time a girl told me she wouldn't go to a school dance with me because I was too fat for her. This hurt will help give you strength and determination. I also would want you to make a list of all of the amazing things you will be doing but your weight has held you back from. Include some big thinking here. I strongly also urge you to check out my blog at the link below. There is a series of articles about how I prepared for surgery that I think you would benefit from a lot of that information. I believe in you! I know you will be able to get back on track, refocus, and get to surgery! If there is anything I can do to help or there is any other advice you need, please let me know. I am here for you. I want to see you succeed and reach your goals!

@Bandista I am thinking I may have to steal your idea about writing a goal letter to yourself. That is an absolutely amazing idea. That is one I will put into practice with my goals for the next year! Thank you for your support. To everyone: Thank you all so much for the kind words and support. Best of luck in reaching your goals in the coming year. I cannot wait to hear all of the success stories!

As the New Year approaches everyone begins assessing how they have done over the last year and what changes they will make going into the New Year. If you have had surgery in the last year, you have a lot to look back on: all of the changes, all of the pounds lost, and all of the amazing things you are doing now. If you are still trying to decide if the next year will be your year for surgery, I strongly hope that you read on. As the New Year approaches everyone begins assessing how they have done over the last year and what changes they will make going into the New Year. If you have had surgery in the last year, you have a lot to look back on: all of the changes, all of the pounds lost, and all of the amazing things you are doing now. If you are still trying to decide if the next year will be your year for surgery, I strongly hope that you read on. At the end of 2013 I was a guy who could barely get up out of a chair, someone who was scared to go down the stairs for fear of getting hurt, was hurting on a regular basis, and dreamed that there had to be more to life than wasting away on the couch. I sat in bed at night dreaming of doing all of the things I never thought I would ever be able to do. Then on November 4, 2013, I took the plunge. “But your surgery wasn’t in 2014?” you may say. True, but my journey truly began in 2014 as I has just finished recovering from surgery and was starting to piece my new life together. Over the last year I have seen my body change. I went from being over 530lbs down to a current weight of 310lbs. I still have plenty more to go, but not bad for a year of hard work. During the last year I walked a 5K and walked my first 10K, but that wasn’t good enough for me. I then bought a bike and began biking in events which culminated in a 30 mile ride at Bike MS Venture the Valley and a 38 mile ride at the Twisted Pretzel ride in Germantown, Ohio. Still it wasn’t good enough. I follow the biking up with a three quarter mile swim in the Ohio River. I swam from the Cincinnati side to the Kentucky side and back in under 17 min. I actually got 6th place in my age group if you can believe that, but it still wasn’t good enough. I could do more. I finished out my year by running my first ever 5K without stopping at the DAV 5K and attempted the Thanksgiving Day 10K with mixed results. I ran 4 of the six miles and learned some valuable lessons on nutrition and training. Looking back I have had an amazing and productive year. I have done some amazing things that only a year ago I was dreaming about. The problem for me is that with all of those amazing things, it is still not good enough. For me, every time I push myself, I want to find my absolute limit. The problem is that when I get to the end, I realize I could push harder, or go longer, or go faster. I have not yet found my body’s limit. That is just how amazing it is. So what do I do about it all? I PLAN 2015! In 2015 I plan on doing more 5K’s and local bike races, but the big events are simple. I will begin training to run the 15K at the Heart Mini followed by the half marathon at the Flying Pig. I then want to compete in my first triathlon. It is an Olympic triathlon in Cincinnati, Ohio. I plan on finishing out my year with a 2.4 mile swim in the Ohio River down in Louisville, Kentucky. I want to continue pushing those limits in 2015 and I have a sneaking suspicion I will still not find my limits. I strongly encourage you all as 2014 comes to a close to begin thinking about your journey over the last year. Yes there are plenty of other fun resolutions to make like reading more, learning a new language, or taking a chance on love, but for now I want you to concentrate on you and your weight loss. I want you to take inventory of the amazing things that have happened over the last year and all of the area where you feel like you have not pushed it to its limit. Make a list, make it tangible, hang it where you will constantly be reminded of the list. I just want you to ponder it for a couple days. Then you can move on to step two. Step two is where you begin making your goals and resolutions for the New Year. I want you to make sure that these are goals that you can accomplish with pushing yourself a little. I don’t want them to be too easy or too hard. If you need help with this, my door is always open, shoot me a line. I want you to think of all the things you have dreamed about doing but your weight has held you back from. Make a list of those things and begin knocking things off of the list. This could be things as simple as going down a flight of stairs without help like it was for me at the beginning of the year, or it could be to run a marathon. I do not know where you are in this journey, but you need to make your resolutions ones that are personal to you. If you are not passionate about the things you are trying to accomplish nothing will come of it. I have been working really hard to gain sponsors to help me reach my goals for the next year and for years to come. I got my first one for next year just this week and am super excited, but I am still going to push with my resolution to try and have three sponsors before the end of May. Remember when you are forming your resolutions that you follow the formula for SMART goals. Make sure they are: S – Specific – The more specific you are on the details of your goals the easier it is to monitor progress M – Measureable – You should be able to give a specific number to your goals (distance, time, reps, etc.) A – Attainable – These should be goals that are feasible to accomplish in a set time frame. R – Realistic – Being a goal you are both willing and able to work toward. T – Timely – Make sure your goals have a specific time frame. I hope this helps you begin thinking of what resolutions you will make with your own journey going into 2015. This last year has been truly amazing and I can’t wait to hear all the amazing stories from readers going through the next one. I strongly encourage all of you to share your resolutions in the comments below so the Bariatric Pal community can rally around and encourage you as your pursue a whole new level of awesome in 2015. I BELIEVE IN YOU! MAKE 2015 EPIC!

@@living55, The thing to keep in mind is that your body is still swollen and recovering from surgery even six weeks out. This can lead to slow results. You need to cut yourself some slack. You hit the nail on the head when you said you need to stop comparing yourself with others. We all go through our own journey that is unique to each of us. None of us lose weight the same way. The biggest piece of advice for kicking past this lull is to move more. Try walking a little further each day. I recommend getting a step and activity monitor such as a FitBit. It will be an amazing way to be sure you are constantly improving each day. The weight will come off in time if you put in the work. I started really dropping the pounds when I returned to my active job after the six week mark. Before this point my weight loss had me feeling the exact same way you are now. Realizing you are not alone and reaching out to this community was a good first step. The next will be put into action a lot of the things myself and others have suggested. If you do that I know you will do amazing and reach your goals in no time. I believe in you and know you can do it!

I agree with you there on the constantly asking about a number. At times when I am stalled I simply tell them I have not lost any weight, but I have lost a 1/2 in off of my waist, or I have gained a half inch of muscle on my bicep. I just simply give them a different number to talk about. It does not always work, but it is a start. On the stalls, I urge you to check out a post on my blog about Goal Setting: From the Mundane to the Insane. I think it will address your concerns a little better. It can be found at this link: wakingupfromheavysetdreams.blogspot.com/2014/11/mundane-to-insane-goal-setting-for.html I strongly urge you to check it out. There may even be some other articles you may find helpful. If there is anything else I can do to be of help or an encouragement to you, please let me know. I will do what I can for you. I know you will beat this plateau and move on to even more amazing things!

The first question I would ask is did you have milk on all of those days or was their dairy in the butternut squash soup? I had a problem starting a few weeks post-op and I found I had become slightly lactose intolerant. It went away after about the 6 month mark, but during that time I switched to almond milk for my Protein shakes and other dairy needs and it seemed to stop the cramping right away. I highly recommend giving it a try as a first thought. If this does not help let me know and I will do what I can to come up with some other possibilities. In the meantime, try the over the counter medication simethicone. It is the generic of GasX. It should help with the cramping and gas a little until you are able to get things under control. Best of luck and if there is anything else I can do for you, please let me know!

Check with your surgeon before starting any major exercise routine. I know you are anxious to get started, but you need to allow your body time to heal. The average time before most doctors will begin considering major workouts other than walking is around the six week mark. That is pretty standard. The biggest caution I can give you is to PROTECT YOUR ABS. That is where the most damage was done and the area that needs the most time to heal. When you do start working out again, take it easy and ease into anything involving your stomach muscles. Any time you feel a twinge or they feel sore take a break for the day and stick to walking. Give yourself a day or two to heal and then get back at it. Over time your muscles will heal and get strong and that's when you will be ready to really go to town. It sounds like you are pumped to do amazing things. If there is anything I can do to help you out along the way, don't hesitate to ask.

I am very sorry for your loss. Exercise can calm average emotional and mental stress, but what you are going through right now is massive. I would honestly recommend talking with your doctor and telling them what is going on and how you are feeling. Ask for help some sort of medication to get you over the hump and keep your stress level down to something you can manage. This is not a permanent solution, but one just to keep you to where you can handle everything you have going on until things have calmed down. I know some people have a negative stigma about using medication for this type of thing, but look at it like you did the surgery. It is a tool to put you in the position to be the most beneficial to yourself and others during such a hard time. When it comes to craving chocolate there are some good recipes out there, but in your situation, I know the feeling and nothing but the real thing will calm it down. It is here that I highly recommend Russel Stover's sugar free Chocolates. They do not have as many calories and you don't have to feel guilty about eating a ton of sugar. This is not a permanent solution, but sometimes the situation calls for just this. Your nutritionist and surgeon may disagree, but learning to cope in the real world is tough and this is just one way to begin getting yourself back on track. After a while you wont need it anymore. The last piece of advice is to stop beating yourself up about your weight loss and begin taking things one day at a time. You may even need to take it one morning or even one hour. Each time tell yourself I am going to go this long and eat right, then when you get there set another goal. Little by little you will find it affects you less. We all slip up. We all have times where our eating isn't perfect. The key is to just start fresh and take those baby steps. In the gym, maybe look into finding a way to box or if you have access to a heavy bag try punching something instead of perhaps running or walking. (I do not know what your current workouts are like) I recently started doing this while going through a more stressful and frustrating time and it did wonders to get out all of the anger and sadness. It was therapy. You did the right thing coming to the community for help. We are all here for you and want to see you succeed. On a personal note, if there is anything at all I can do, I am here for you and my contact information is under my signature. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me for anything. This is just a little bump in the road, one of those things that makes our journey unique. I know you will get back on track and continue doing amazing things. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

@@the_new_tamra http://wakingupfromheavysetdreams.blogspot.com/ There is the link. Good luck on your surgery. I know you will do great! be sure to message me if you have any other questions or if there is anything else I can do for you.

Each person will have their own unique answer to this. As for me, the only regret I have, is that I did not do it sooner. I did have to be in the right head space to be as successful as I have been (down 210lbs), but on the whole, There are no real regrets. I have loved not being as reliant on food as it controlled my life before. Now food is simply a fuel I must have in order to do all of the amazing things I have been doing. My life still revolves around food, just in a different way. Now I have to plan out my day to make sure I am taking in all of the nutrition I need to succeed. If you keep with the determination it sounds like you have now to lose weight, once the revision is done you will knock off that last little bit with no problem. I am so excited for you.

@@anaxila, I know it can be very difficult putting yourself out there. We all deal with pain associated from our weight and worrying about what others think of us behind our back. I have horror story after horror story of chairs breaking, needing to buy special work uniforms, and being rejected for dates because I was too fat. I was the one that was invisible to everyone other than I was the elephant in the room. To tell you the truth even though I am down over 210lbs. I still feel like that guy sometimes. Right now, being a high profile executive, you know how important positive self talk can be. I want you to stop thinking about what if the surgery doesn't work. IT WILL WORK. If you follow the plan and rely on the others on here for help and advice, you have no choice but to succeed. I have a blog and there are three special posts on there about how I prepared for surgery, as well as a host of other great articles about my journey and ways to stay motivated. There are even some healthy cooking demos. I really recommend you check it out. The link is below my signature. I think the prepping for surgery posts will be especially good for you to read over. Things will change as you lose weight and the confident inner person that you weight has kept quiet will start to emerge. That is an amazing time and people will definitely take notice. In the last year I have gotten two promotions at work and been invited be a part of several committees just because my personality has emerged and become one that people just want to be around. I think its awesome. It is the true me that has always been there, just covered up by fat. It will be absolutely amazing and I am so excited for you. Use what people say as motivation to help you succeed. There will always be negative people. It is how you deal with them that affects your success. If you need anything at all, my contact information is below. I will do what I can to help you out.

Another great pre and post workout drink is watermelon juice, fresh with the pulp. It does have a bit of sugar from the watermelon, but studies have shown it is very good at speeding muscle recover after an intense workout. It is also a great way to hydrate. It is one of my "go to" post workout drinks. I also agree with the other on the compression tights or even just the socks. They go a long way in reducing fatigue and leg pain. I am glad to hear you have ordered a pair. I know the simplest solution you already know. Start of slow and work your way up. It might be a good idea to start with walking or working on an elliptical until you cardiovascular endurance is up a bit. Another thing my trainers focus on with me a lot is body weight resistance training. By building those muscles, even if you take some time off, you will be a lot stronger coming back than you would have been. Plus, muscle burns fat a lot faster and will work even while you are sleeping. If you have not added weight training of some kind into your workouts, I think it would do wonders for you. The other thing I do a ton of is swimming. I lost almost two thirds of my weight by swimming alone before adding weight training or running. You can push yourself hard, but there is no heavy impact on your body. Plus a good long stretch and soak in a hot tun post workout also does wonders for loosening up stiff muscles. If you have any additional questions let me know. I will do what I can to get you the answers you need.

People are noticing the hard work you are putting in. Focus on that. I agree it was a very odd comment. A lot of times I think this happens because people are not really sure how to bring up a weight loss compliment without it coming across funny or awkward just like your situation. I would look at this interaction as a positive thing and not dwell on it too much. Know that your hard work through this journey is paying off and people are beginning to take notice. Use that as your fuel to keep working hard for bigger and better results.

I agree with @macman. The other brand which is available at whole foods is Justin's. They only have one ingredient, much like the grind it yourself stuff, I like that in the nut butters I use. It will be hard to get away from some fat with it being a nut butter, but avoiding those with added oil is a great way to reduce unnecessary fat and sugar.

It is a very personal decision as to whether to tell people you are having surgery or not. What works for some will not for others. What is ultimately important is your own comfort with sharing. If you don't mind me asking, why do you not want to share this with others? Do you have a strategy in mind for when people start asking how you are losing weight so rapidly? For those that choose to keep this journey to themselves, questions will still arise and may already be coming up. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to have a plan on how to react and deal with the various questions you may get. That way you don't over share in the moment or say something you did not necessarily want to divulge. I know it is a very personal experience and choice that is as varied as the people who have the surgery done. When I had my surgery I let everyone know. There were plenty of detractors, but I went after them with the facts or just wrote them off as people I didn't need to keep around. I liked being open because it kept me accountable when I got back to work and around others. I knew I had to eat right and tow the line because everyone was watching. I had no choice but to succeed because of the number of eyes that were on me beyond just my own grit and determination to be successful. You are about to undertake and amazing journey and it is always great to have companions along the way. Be sure to rely on the forums and members here as a source of information and encouragement. There will be times, even when everyone knows, that you will feel a little along because others will just not get it. Just don't forget that we are all here for you, cheering you on!

Try not to give to much stock to these people. They will never fully understand what it means to go through the journeys we all have. To a large extent even those who support us and try to understand never full will. I have been lucky in that not too many people have really said much to me about how it is "taking the easy way out:" For those who have I spend time to educate them on facts. Being 260 lbs overweight the chances of me dying before I was 40 was extremely high. Traditional diets had failed. If I had found a traditional diet somewhere along the line that would work, statistically the chance of losing all of that 260 lbs and keeping it off for at least 5 years is less than 1%. Granted, there are some who are able to do it (like Jared from subway), but if you look at how they did it, they usually didn't have traditional jobs and spend four to six hours or more a day working out and moving. Far too often this is just not a feasible way to live when you have school, work, children, or many other responsibilities. The odds improve greatly when your weight loss is aided by one of the surgeries. For the sleeve that percentage of those that lose it and keep it off for 5 years is about 75% and with gastric bypass i know that percentage is closer to 85%. I emphasis that it was a TOOL not a solution. My body's hormones and insulin levels were fighting every attempt I made to lose weight making it far more difficult than a normal person with normal hormone levels so I needed something to get my body out of the way of its self. Then as far as an easy way out ask them to tell you what sounds easy about, going with liquids only for two weeks until you are irritable and just want to die, only to have someone punch six holes in your stomach to mangle your stomach and intestines turning you into a Frankenstein of sorts. From there spend 3 or more days in a hospital dependent on pain medication to be able to move around that first week. Finally, once you are home you only can sip liquid, slowly add baby food, and eventually after six months may be able to take in a cup of food six times a day. All during this time you are in constant threat of dehydration, malnutrition, reliant on Vitamins every day for the rest of your life. This is all if everything goes perfectly with the surgery and don't get me started on if it doesn't. I bet you can imagine. It all sounds horrible, but the pain and heartache of dealing with all of this is nothing compared with the pain of not being able to walk down a flight of stairs, or play with your children, or even take a walk. Now on top of it, I have to deal with an @$$hole like you who has no clue what they are talking about. I did this to save my life. My life needed a drastic change and to do so quickly, safely, and effectively, with the greatest chance for success, this was the tool I chose. That is typically what I have told the few who have brought up the easy way out scenario. I know why so many people choose not to tell others and I can agree with your reasoning. I personally chose to tell everyone because it keeps me accountable and gives me a stronger drive and determination to succeed. The choice to tell is very personal and there is no right or wrong answer. To anything we do in life there will always be detractors. I just urge you all to not just get upset and walk away. I urge you to get upset and fight back with the facts. It is a lot harder to argue with. As always, if I can help you out in any way with advice, guidance, or just a shoulder to cry on. I am here for you all.

I definitely agree with @Jols. You need to talk with your surgeons office. Around the six week mark you are typically able to begin regular exercise, but you still need to be very wary of your core muscles. I would recommend if you are insisting on beginning to work out you need to read your body and take it easy for awhile until you get used to the added workload on your abdomen.

Knowing your pain management plan post surgery will allow you to reduce complications and get out of the hospital soon. I have included some helpful tips from a hospital pharmacy insider... ME! I often times get asked what is the biggest piece of advice I could give someone for surviving their hospital stay. For me the answer is a hands down no brainer. CONTROL YOUR PAIN MEDS! Nurses and hospital staff will be in and out to see you, but you need to realize that each nurse probably has four to six other patients all vying for attention. It is your responsibility to take your pain management into your own hands. You do not want to mess around when it comes to managing your pain! If you are in pain you will be unable to get up and walk. The longer you take to begin walking the greater your risk of complication and the longer your hospital stay. In this case DO NOT BE A TOUGH GUY! Wuss out and take the meds. You will be constantly asked during you hospital stay what your pain level is. It will be on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being no pain at all and 10 being the worst pain you have ever felt in your life. Be sure to answer honestly. DO NOT TRY TO BE MACHO! 3 to 5 on this scale is considered pain, but tolerable. If you drop below a 3 many doctors will begin reducing pain medication. Above 5 and they may begin increasing. The doctors and nurses want you in the blissful middle zone of 4 to 5. It should feel as though you have a bad muscle pull in your stomach, but no sharp or stabbing pain on a continual basis. Your pain post-surgery will most likely be controlled in one of a two ways. The first is with a gloriously blissful device known as a PCA pump. This is a machine in which a syringe of Morphine or Fentanyl (depending on what your doctor and a hospital pharmacist deem to be appropriate) is placed to be administered to you at the push of a button. The best part is that you have control of the button! The machine can be set to allow you to administer the dose yourself every so many minutes; usually half an hour. The other way your pain will be managed is with an injection of morphine or fentanyl? This is pretty straight forward and don’t worry if you are scared of needles. This pain candy is injected into your IV. Once you get past the injections or PCA pumps, usually once they take out your IV, you will most likely be weaned onto an oral pain medication of some kind. Many surgeons prefer Percocet for this application, but you may also be given an oral morphine. There is really no major difference between these in terms of effectiveness though there are other consideration that your doctor and a hospital pharmacist will use in consideration of which to give you. It will be your job in the hospital to stay on top of when you get your pain medications. Here is what you need to know from an insider. I work as a pharmacy technician in a hospital so I am familiar with the workarounds. Here is the rule of thumb. The PCA pump will be available to you at your discretion and will most likely be hooked up before you wake up from surgery or shortly after, but injectables last about two hours and the oral liquid lasts about four. That is a very short window and you need to be sure to talk with your nurses and find out how long each medication is good for. I made it a point to let my nurse know half an hour before each medication was due. This will allow them plenty of time to get your medication to you before time runs out. If the medication is not stocked on the floor then it will be delivered from the pharmacy and will take time. You want to give your nurse plenty of time to make this happen. Your nurse will not always remember when your pain meds are due so it will be your job to remind them. Remember, they have five other six people all needed medicines and all needing extra special attention so it is possible that you could be forgotten if you do not speak up. I am positive some nurses found me annoying, but other said they really appreciated the fact I was trying to stay so consistent with things and remind them. They key here is to be very nice and just let them know you are trying to stay on top of things since you know how the pharmacy works. Nurse’s love blaming the pharmacy for delays and they will love you for not blaming them. Far too many people do. Running out of pain medication is a lot like falling off a cliff. You go down fast and it takes a while to climb back on top of it. So do yourself a favor and make sure you understand how long your pain medication will last and what types you are on. Make it a point with one of your final doctors’ visits prior to surgery to discuss what their plan for pain management will be and specifically which drugs he likes to use and why. With this in particular and your weight loss journey in general, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! The power to finally begin taking control of your life. That is what this amazing journey is all about. This will be a great way to practice in the hospital before you get home and the real work begins!

@@Vabeachlady , I needed pain meds the whole time I was in the hospital and then for about two weeks after. I probably could have stopped earlier, but I wanted my recovery to be as pain free as possible. The less pain I had the more I could move around and the faster I would actually heal. Over the two weeks of oral percocent, I took the full amount religiously for about a week, then I kept on the same every four hour schedule and just reduced the amount I was taking. Then I started venturing out into the world of taking longer between doses. @@tfarr I agree completely. Getting intubated was my biggest fear. The good news is that you will be asleep when they do this to you and you will also be asleep when that take it out. You will have a bit of a sore throat for a couple days, but nothing too bad. You will honestly be more concerned about everything else going on around you and being particularly drugged to notice.

I highly recommend you check out my series of blog posts on how I prepared for surgery. The link to the blog is below my signature. I take it from the physical, mental, and spiritual sense. You really don't have time to do much about the physical side, but the others will be invaluable to you these next few weeks as you deal with the liquid diet and beyond. I am super excited for both of you and cannot wait to hear all about your amazing journey!