hikergirl14

I am surprised that he didn't have you do an upper GI before leaving the hospital. This way they can totally see if there are any leaks. Total lack of follow through. Sorry you went through all of that.

I didn't tell anyone until I had received my surgery date. This way I felt that there was little chance of it not happening. I, too, have a bleeding disorder, but didn't find out until I had the DS. Luckily my doctor was on top of things and got the bleeding under control. All I can say is that you will have to figure out what is best for you. Good luck in whatever you choose.

Potassium is also important for ensuring that your GI tract is moving along.

I think with any of the surgeries you have to watch how fast and how much you eat. With bypass you have to worry about dumping syndrome so If you love sweets you will have a hard time with that surgery. I am not a candy lover, so it wasn't an issue for me. I went with the DS, which would be a good choice for you because there is no associated dumping syndrome. I will say that I am a month out and I am still experiencing nausea and vomiting daily. Trust me you wont have a problem with inhaling food because you have no room for it. Further into recovery you of course will be able to eat more, but you will have to use self control.

You can do it. There is no question about it. I have had my ups and downs also. I also was drinking premier Protein which caused me major issues since I am now lactose intolerant. There are some egg-based Protein drinks out there and I would suggest trying those. Good luck and keep on keeping on.

Hi! I also had my surgery on April fools day! I'm 16 pounds down! Think I might have hit a stall but I'm staying positive. I was released the same day I had surgery. I guess it all depends on how you recover. No pain for me just a bit uncomfortable from the gas. The nurses has me up and walking about an hour after surgery. Good luck to you and all the April sleepers!

Unfortunately, I had an undiagnosed clotting disorder so it took 5 blood and 3 plasma transfusions to keep me alive. The surgery went great. That dang Lovenox did me in. The hardest part was that I couldn't have Water or food from 5 days post op + 2 days pre op. Other than that it went fine. The sleeve is a little less complicated, so I am glad you were able to get out so soon. My doctor makes you stay at least one night with the sleeve.

My doctors post op diet consist of two weeks full liquids, two weeks pureed, two weeks soft and then normal diet. My plan was a little different because I couldn't eat or drink anything for 5 days post op due to complications and lack of swelling in the digestive track, so I only had to do full liquids for one week. I walk at every day at my lunch break. Yesterday I didn't experience any pain, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. luckily i was given muscle relaxants.

I had the full DS on 4/21. I am really feeling down and my stomach doesn't stop aching. I am having these weird intense muscle spasms in my back, which could be caused by Vitamin deficiency. I start those as soon as they get delivered.

I joked with my partner that being overweight never hurt this bad. I will just keep doing my program and this will pass.

Welcome. Just curious if you're having the full DS or the SADI.

I'd say it took close to a month till I was able to function. I was just exhausted. Took about 6 mos. till I felt about half my energy back & then at 9 mos. I felt like myself.

Hello all! I've been lurking and reading for a couple months and now that I have my insurance approval, and have my date scheduled I guess it is time to get active here! I will be having a DS on April 1st, yep April Fool's Day at Orlando Regional Medical Center. My surgeon is Dr. Muhammad A. Jawad of the Bariatric & Laparoscopy Center. I am so excited to start this journey and scared to death at the same time. I'm a mom of two wonderful children (6 y/o girl and 2 y/o boy), they are my most important motivation for having this surgery. I want nothing more than to live a long, healthy life and be there for them as they grow up!

A quick question for all you pro's out there. How long did it take you to get up and moving around normally (maybe not completely painfree but really able to function)? I understand everyone heals differently but I imagine there is a median time-frame.

Thanks, looking foward to chatting with others the closer I get!

Best,

Michelle

Well I had the full on 4/21. Right now I feel like I have been run over by a semi. My stomach hasn't calmed down. I am having these intense back spasms, which could be caused by Vitamin deficiency. I start the Vitamins as soon as they come in.

I find it hard to feel this way since I wasn't a sickly overweight person, nor did I have aches and pains. I told my partner that being overweight never hurt this bad. I just keep telling myself that it is worth it in the end.

I just think it is those little things that make us more uncomfortable than the weight sometimes.

As anyone who has ever been overweight can tell you, heat and skin friction is a constant battle. Luckily last year I found "Gold Bond Friction Defense". It has been the best think since sliced bread. It has worked with no recurrence of that nasty friction rash we all get. Anyway, this weekend I noticed that I no longer needed this. I can now free myself of this burden. My point is this, we need to not only Celebrate the fact that our numbers are decreasing, but we need to also Celebrate the small victories that make our life better. So Gold Bond Friction Defense stuff you have been great to me and helped me in so many ways, but now it is time to say adios.

i can't wait to get this JP drain out tomorrow because it is killing my left side...

@@Miss Mac I am sure that it was disheartening, but you seem to have made great progress since then.

Well, I had my surgery on 4/21/2015. The DS went well, but once I received a lovenox shot my clotting factor vanished. Turns out I have Von Millebrand Disease which is a type of hemophilia. Never knew I had it even though it is hereditary. I ended up being in the hospital for a week, and lost only .5 lbs due to the massive amounts of fluids administered. After all was said and done I received 6 units of blood, 4 units of plasma, and DDAVP. During this whole time I questioned my decision to even have surgery. Now that I am home I can look at it with a clearer head, and I know that the my health is worth all of the issues I encountered. Plus it was a blessing because it uncovered an issue I didn't know I had. Don't let the issues of the moment override your mission. If anything I made me a stronger person.

Thanks.I finished my 6 monthly classes on 4/7, and the insurance processor said that she put my surgery date as 4/13 (even though it isn't until 4/20) so the insurance would expedite the process. Sometimes you have to game the system.

Happy Happy Girl over here! Luckily my insurance approval only took one day and I am set to have my surgery on 4/20/2015. I can't wait. I have been doing two shakes and one meal a day for lent, so now I have to do all shakes which is going to be hard. Good luck to everyone who is on this same journey.

I don't think it is fair to project how we feel on another human being. The lady on "My Big Fat Life" has stated that she is indeed unhappy with some of the issues associated with being overweight, and she has even cried onscreen when discussing these issues. I am for the most part happy with myself, because I consider my weight to be a very small portion of who I am. I have accomplished many things in my life, and my weight hasn't hindered me in that endeavor. If anything it has caused me to be more selective of who, and what, I allow to be associated with myself. We each have our own battles, and no one has the right to decide if someone should or shouldn't be happy with themselves. Plus, why should we want someone to be unhappy with themselves. By saying that there is no way she is happy with herself, we are in essence wanting her to be unhappy. Misery loves company. From watching the show I believe that she finally accepted that she was larger, and decided that she wasn't going to let her weight dictate who she was. She utilized her weight as a mechanism to encourage other larger ladies to get out and dance.

Parker here. I am in my 2nd month of the six month sessions required. So hoping for surgery in May 2015. I have completed my only two requirements of no caffeine and a grocery store tour. Fingers crossed

My nutritionist also told me that frozen veggies are the same or sometimes more nutritious than fresh veggies. This is because the companies flash freeze them at the peak of ripeness. This works great for me because I have a 6 member family and it is much more convenient to buy large quantities of things that keep well in freezer.

bobbyswife, on the shelves price labels there will be a hexagon shaped symbol with a number in it. This is the nuval number. It takes into account all components of the product to determine if it is a healthy choice. the closer to 100.

he higher the number the better. On the label there will be two small hexagons that have nuval and a number inside. Sometimes just the number. As I stated, yogurt typically does not rank high except for plain yogurt. She told us to cut the plain with fruits or our own sweetners, that way it is much better than when companies do it. My partner loves raisin bran. It is about a 20 because they coat the raisins with sugar to keep the moisture from ruining the bran flakes. She said buy plain bran flakes and add your own raisins.

Here is the link to learn more.

http://www.nuval.com/

We did a grocery store tour last night as part of our required tasks before surgery, and the dietitian showed us the the nuval scoring shown on various products. We were at king Soopers. Companies have their products evaluated for nutritional value by this company. The are not allowed to pay for a high score, so it is unbiased. It ranks the products 0-100. The closer to 100 the better. Surprisingly most yogurts (except plain yogurt) only ranks 25-39, which is bad. This is a great way of shopping for better products. Has anyone else seen this?

I won't be able to have my surgery until May at the earliest. I will finish my 6 months of classes in April.

My hope is to hike the colorado trail, then the continental divide..maybe we will see each other on the trail.

I live in denver and really enjoy hiking. Anyone interested in hiking in Colorado?

thanks so much for the support. good luck to you as well