Daisee68

Some days I hate this app.... I just typed a LONG message and suddenly computer blipped and it is gone. Dang!!! Let's see if I can remember it all.... I have had my LBL scheduled for some time and now that it is only 19 days away, I am starting to panic. My dr (Dr. Peter Fisher in San Antonio) includes Extended Tummy Tuck, Butt Lift and Outer Thigh Lift in a LBL. I will also be having Arm Lift at the same time. This is out of town (about 5 hours from home) so I am staying in an extended stay hotel for at least 2 weeks post-op. My mom will be with me while I am in the hospital (2 nights) and then a friend is coming for a couple of days and then I am on my own until the weekend when another friend will join me for a couple of days, but I am starting to get concerned that is not enough. FYI, I am not a whimp. I was on my own after 2 days after my RNY, after a hysterectomy and after 4 shoulder surgeries and 3 kidney stone lithotripsies. So it isn't necessarily the "alone" part that concerns me, but more what it is that I am asking my mom and friend to do (which I don't have a CLUE about). I rented a lift chair/recliner and taking a walker and toilet seat riser and will be there a few days before surgery for pre-op and getting groceries, etc. I called a Home Health care nurse the other day whom I can hire but she said her experience with Dr. Fisher's patients is they just need help for about 5 days post-op (including the hospital stay) and then I am fine to be on my own. But she said "as long as your friends and family are willing to do what they need to do". I don't know what that means! I don't mind (necessarily) my mom seeing some of my lady bits (if that is something that is going to happen) but not so sure about my friend. This is a very good friend mind you. (I was in the delivery room with her when she gave birth to her first child), but I work with her now and I am not sure I want her seeing my lady bits! I sort of thought I would just need her there in the hotel room to you know cook something or be there when I showered in case I fell or something, but am I wrong? I have tried to read about expectations on RealSelf and I have just gotten lost so hoping folks here who have been through it can give me realistic expectations. What will my friend need to be doing? Emptying drains she seems to be cool with. Is there more than that? Additionally, I was planning to drive myself home (5 + hours) from San Antonio on Day 15 - assuming dr releases me. I can get someone to fly down to drive me home, but I was hoping not to have to do that. And being new to my job (only 2 months) I was trying to kind of lay low and just be out of touch Thursday (surgery day) and Friday and then work remotely after that. And then hoping to go back to work on Day 18 post-op. Is all this unrealistic? So what I am wanting to know is: 1) What will I need my friend to do those first few days out of the hospital? Should I just call Home Health care instead? 2) Is working remotely 5 days post-op unrealistic? Is returning to work 19 days post-op (following a 1 hour drive each way) realistic? (I took 3 1/2 weeks off after RNY and needed every bit of that.) 3) Is there anyway I can drive myself home (5 + hours) at 15 days post-op? I know I have to stop and get out of the car every hour or so to move my legs. Should I plan on stopping somewhere half-way for the night and resting and then come on home? Any ideas you can give me are greatly appreciated! Or even point me to somewhere to read what to expect post-op care wise? I feel suddenly very in over my head...

One thing I might add is why did you go back to it at 50 minutes later? We're you hungry or just trying to make sure you are getting Protein in? The rule I was given is to take 20 to 30 minutes to eat a meal and no more. Sometimes that means very little bites and sometimes you are full before that time but going back to it in an hour (and essentially your stomach has emptied making room for more) just leads to grazing. This was tuna do not a bad choice if you are going to do it, but just be aware that you need to move on after your meal and not go back for more. Plus if you are waiting 30 minutes after eating to drink, then this makes it harder to get your fluids in. Have I done it? Yep. More than once but I try hard not to. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

I would go get a 2nd opinion. Regardless of all the other stuff, sounds like your Dr is an ass. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Same BS with me. And this girl kept telling me the stuff I should eat and how I should eat at least 1800 calories, blah blah - despite the fact that I told her repeatedly that I had a nutritionist that I worked with. She would just say "well ask your nutritionist about this" and then "what did the NUT say". Every time I would tell her that her advice did not apply in my circumstance. She just kept on and on. Once my paid sessions were done, I moved on. Very frustrating....

Yes, I do if I have room left. Probably 1/4 to 1/2 cup or so of veggies at that stage?

That's no fun! Could it be dehydration? How much Fluid have you had today?

I think at 10 months, I was about 1000 calories per day. I still drank 1 Premier Protein ready to drink shake per day (and still do at almost 16 months post-op). My NUT told me to get no more than 3 oz of meat (or primary source of protein) at one meal. I generally ate 3 meals and had at least 1 snack (usually the Premier Protein shake) and then sometimes an additional small snack. I ate (and still do) things like chicken salad (with low fat mayo), roasted chicken, deli turkey, pork tenderloin, 2% cheese sticks, Laughing Cow cheese wedges, goat cheese on tomato, cucumber and onion salad, roasted artichokes, fresh blueberries and blackberries. I generally prepare a roasted chicken breast and maybe 1 other meat (chicken salad or pork tenderloin, etc.) on Sunday night and then eat off of it during the week. For lunches, I often eat out and look for grilled chicken on salad (I can eat very little of the actual veggies after finishing the protein) or I eat fajitas and ask them to use as little oil as possible. Here is a link to a blog that has lots of great lunch ideas (and then all kinds of other meal ideas) - http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-bento-box-rocks.html. Hope that helps!

You need to call them. Perhaps it is something he can repair while he is doing your WLS? Many people here have hernias repaired at the same time - though I am not sure what type of hernias those are versus yours.

Congrats on your hard work!

It is great with veggies, but you are too early out for raw veggies. I ate it a lot in the soft food phase - with a spoon...

Thank you @ for your kind words! I am excited and nervous! I won't be posting pictures as some brave souls do.... That kind of thing really makes me nervous but I am thankful for those that have! I am going to do a search for LBL here and see what I can turn up!

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch - Thank you! I didn't see it as rambling at all (and as if mine wasn't).... I think you are right about the home health care nurse and I had every intention of hiring her when I called the other day, so I was a bit surprised when she suggested I might not need her. I mean she gave me her cell number and said to call her if I needed anything, but I think I would feel better if I had her come at least Monday and Tuesday (should be home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon). I feel better with a PLAN! And you are right about my friend. She has 2 daughters and we vacation together in Mexico every year (for the last 10 years), and she has visited me in the hospital after my hysterectomy and my RNY, so I think she is pretty comfortable with all those things. (Maybe it is just me that wouldn't be comfortable doing it for others so I am projecting that.) Honestly I don't really like my mom or sister or even a nurse helping with those things but you gotta do what you gotta do.... Anyway, I really appreciate your input. Mostly I just needed to ramble with someone else about it!!! Always appreciate your great words - full of kindness and wisdom!!

No wonder you are confused. Those instructions are very confusing. I am not even at 1500 calories in maintenance at almost 16 months post-op. And I would think it will be near impossible to get 1500 calories in just 3 meals without snacking. My meals are rarely (if ever) 500 calories per meal. There just isn't enough room. And if you are eating lean Protein and veggies, they aren't calorie dense enough. That said, we are very glad you asked about what you can have as it is tough with such little instructions. I had a huge booklet though and I was still confused (too much info really). There are some docs who say no Protein drinks, but I will tell you that at this far out, I am still having one per day. I just cannot imagine how I would get sufficient calories and protein without it given my stomach capacity is so small. I didn't read all the posts, so forgive me if the following is repetitive, but here are some suggestions: Try Premier Protein ready to drink shakes. They are great! They are thin, only 11 ounces and have 30g of protein. Some folks don't like them, but many do recommend them and that is what I still drink. For a powder (if you go that route) be sure to get whey Protein ISOLATE (it supposedly absorbs differently). I use Precision Engineered Whey Protein Isolate and I just love it. It also has 30g of protein and other good macro-nutrients (plus is 99% lactose free if that is an issue for you). What I liked about the powder (especially the first 6 to 12 weeks) was that I would add it to stuff. For example (once you can tolerate thicker "liquids" or soft food), I would add in 1/2 scoop of vanilla powder to 1/2 a container of greek yogurt (my favorites are Dannon Light & Fit Greek Key Lime or Dannon Light & Fit strawberry Cheesecake). I would also add 1/2 scoop of chocolate Protein Powder to a sugar free / fat free dark chocolate pudding snack container. Those things really helped amp up the protein and helped keep me full. Now one last thing, I would be happy to direct you to my nutritionist team if you like. They do all consultations over the phone so it is super easy. Throughout my weight loss phase, I would send her my food logs and talk to her about once a month. Since I reached goal, I have slowed down talking to her a bit (and to be honest with you, I have been backsliding a little and not tracking and wonder if a call to her wouldn't help with accountability and getting back on track). They specialize in bariatric patients and its not that expensive. If interested, send me a private message and I will send you the details. Hang in there! You can do this!!

If you are really concerned, I would say call the on-call dr and ask, BUT having said that - I recall Day 5 being the absolute hardest day. After that, the swelling goes down and it should get better. In the meantime, you have to do your best to stay hydrated. Not being hydrated can make you nauseas. So what I did was take a medicine cup (or even a shot glass) and fill it with Water and then set a timer on my phone for every 5 minutes and literally take a very tiny sip every time the timer went off. My medicine cup was 1 ounce, so I would take 3 to 4 sips taking 15 to 20 minutes to drink one ounce. I did that for several hours and then took a break and then started again. I know this sounds crazy but I stayed hydrated and it helped and if I just couldn't drink every 5 minutes, I set it for 7 minutes and tried. Don't force yourself but just keep trying. I promise the worst is almost behind you and the swelling will go down soon and it will get better quick. If you are too nauseas, ask the dr to prescribe Zofran (generic only) ODT (which melts under your tongue). it helps tremendously but know that it doesn't work if you are not hydrated. If you get to the point where you cannot drink at all or cannot hold anything down, please be sure to call the dr. Hang in there!! HUGS!!

Yes it is normal right now. It isn't a scar yet. It will get better. Once it is completely healed (i.e. scab has fallen off), you can use some sort of scar cream or even just Aquaphor will help. But at almost 16 months post-op, I cannot even tell you where mine are.

Curious what we consider a "serving" in the post-WLS world. I think nutritionally speaking that 1/2 cup is a serving (except for leafy stuff like lettuce which is 1 cup). That is tough to do when I can only get 1 cup of food in at a time usually, so I am still trying to figure that out (almost 16 months post-op and at goal weight). I almost always get 1/2 cup of fruit with my breakfast (usually with a Protein source such as turnkey and cheese). At lunch, I try for at least another 1/2 cup of something along with a protein. And then again 1/2 cup-ish with dinner. So I guess only 3 servings. I need to figure out how to get in more but honestly, I can say that is likely more (or certainly more consistent) than I ever got prior to surgery and my old ways of eating so I guess that is something. Plus I take Vitamins which I did not do prior to surgery and hopefully helps with some of those nutrients. I need to find a way to work in at least another 1/2 cup as a snack I suppose....

I think it depends on your surgery. I have heard some with sleeve say it is not as important but for bypass it is certainly extremely important. Even with sleeve, you don't want to drink with your meals (except for a rescue sip if needed) because it could take up too much space which you need to be concentrating on filling with Protein. I thought this would be one of the hardest rules and I do miss it a little but it is old habit now.

I'm at 15 months post-op and there are still times that I can eat something one day and not tolerate it the next. chicken can be finicky and if it is too chewy, it can be difficult. I certainly couldn't eat it as early as you were. I was told to try chicken thighs because they are more moist than breast (but personally I didn't like the fattiness in the thighs). This is a bit of trial and error for a while but I would go for a little softer foods for a few days and let your system calm a little. You will get there. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Wish I had a helpful answer. I'm not there yet. I have LBL and arm lift in 3 weeks. From everything I have read, it is totally normal. My PS said to eat at least 2000 calories per day in the first few weeks. That scares me a little and so I asked my bariatric surgeon and she said that was just a random number but to be sure and get enough Protein by having a couple of shakes per day. For now, that is my plan but I suppose we will see once I get there. I will be out of town staying at an extended stay hotel alone (after the first few days) so I will only be able to eat food that I buy before surgery since I can't drive right away so I plan to have lots of shakes and lots of high protein foods and hope to sleep through the rest of it! Good luck! Stay off the scale for now. The swelling lasts a long time and that is probably the cause of the gain. Try not to focus on that number but instead on how rocking your body will look (if not already)!! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

At 15 1/2 months post-op, 5'10", SW 326, CW 158. I always convinced myself I was "large boned". Turns out, not so much. In fact I feel like I look too thin and haven't had any plastics yet (first round 3 weeks from today!!!). Anyway, one of the comments I get the most is "look how tiny your wrists are". It is so strange to hear.... As far as size, I am down to a 10 pants, medium tops, etc. I never dreamed I would get here and again that is with a lot of extra skin so I can't even imagine what I will look like after my LBL. As far as hiphugger jeans with a shirt tucked in and cowboy boots, YEP and looks fantastic - so don't worry, you may totally get there. But as that picture above shows, everyone's shape is different. Even someone my same height and weight will carry their Wright differently and look different than me. Trust me as you lose, your confidence increases so much in so many ways, that you can rock just about any clothing item you want!! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@MaryCatherine The top of normal BMI at 5'4" is 151 pounds. At about two years out, there is a rebound of about 20 pounds. So to stay at normal BMI you would want to lose another 20 pounds and be too skinny for the next year. "Many people are too skinny during the second year after weight loss surgery. It is almost impossible to find someone who is still too skinny in their third year." Thank you. This makes me feel better. Somehow down 3 more pounds this morning!! WTH?! I don't remember losing 3 pounds in one day during my rapidly losing phase. I'm sure it's a fluke.... Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@Babbs - Thanks! I am curious about clothes. Doesn't that 10 to 20 pound bounce make a big difference in clothing? Just trying to decide if I should stop investing in clothing for a while. Of course with my plastics coming up, I suppose I have no idea what to expect clothing-wise anyway. Did you ever feel you looked too thin? I feel like my wrists and legs look ridiculously thin.... @ OP - apologies for hijacking your post!

I too ate it. Very tiny bites. I found it made me full very quickly. Re shakes, maybe try thinning them down? What kind are you drinking? I found Premier Protein ready to drink which are only 11 oz with 30g of protein and quite thin. I still drink 1 a day at about 15 months post-op BUT I didn't find them until I was after the liquid stage. Wait, you are still doing clears. Maybe try Premier once you move on to full liquids?

Well - a few responses for you. First, I was nauseas for about 6 months. It was not fun. I took Zofran and it helped. You have to stay hydrated for Zofran to work. Ask your dr to prescribe it (the generic brand and preferably the one that dissolves under your tongue as it works faster). Second, you have to stay hydrated. (I wasn't great at that.) If you aren't hydrated, it can cause nausea. Now lastly, it could be that you have a stricture - which is what I ended up having and they found right at 3 months post-op. It is a complication that occurs typically between 8 and 12 weeks post-op. It is VERY easily fixed with a balloon dilation via an endoscopy. If you keep feeling nauseated and/or reach a point where you cannot keep stuff down (like I did), insist that your surgeon do something such as an endoscopy to see if there is a stricture. I'm sorry. I know you are miserable. It will get better. Just hang in there and stay after your dr.

@@Josey Quinn - I am having the same issue re still losing. I was stable at 166-168 for 2 months and all of sudden last week I lost 5 pounds. I am trying to up my calories to see if I can stop losing. My concern is that I have my first round of plastics in a month and I was supposed to be "stable" for 3 months which I thought I was doing. It worries me as I already feel like I look too thin. BUT I think mostly I am just getting hung up on what the scale says and just like we can't do that during stalls, I have got to stop doing it now. Never thought this would be an issue for me. My good friend @@Djmohr assures me it will stop and stabilize. I hope she's right! @@alwtg - I never had a real goal weight either. I knew I wanted to be under 200. Then I wanted to be just at the "normal" BMI range. Then I went for my first plastics consult just about 1 year post-op at about 180 and he suggested I lose no more than 5 or 10 pounds (which would have put me right at top of BMI range though that is not the reason he chose that - he just chose that based on how I looked). Anyway, I lost that 10 pounds within about 2 weeks of that first appointment and then basically stopped and I was very happy with that. Then as I said above, all of a sudden, I am losing again. So all to say, I think your body is in control just as it has always been. Don't worry too much about a goal. I truly had more of a goal for a clothing size (US 12). Now I am in 10's in somethings and today bought Mediums in quite a few new articles of clothing which just seems unreal to me. ANd as I said, I feel like I look too thin. I am trusting it will stabilize and meanwhile trying to make smart choices though I don't seem to be succeeding at that as I just keep focusing on that darn number on the scale falling! I have got to stay off the scale I suppose for a while. Good luck!! PS - in case you cannot see my info, I am 5'10" and as of today at 161.