lauraellen80

I like to cold-brew a pitcher of decaf iced tea with some mint sprigs from my garden thrown in. I also buy Tazo iced tea bags in "Iced Citrus Bliss" (they also have "Passion," but I didn't like that one), which so far I've only found at Target.

I slept in a recliner for about a week and a half after surgery. I found that I couldn't get comfortable in bed, even propped up with pillows, and my usual side-sleeping position was no good because of the pulling sensation of my large incision. I also share a queen-sized bed with my husband and our 60-lb dog, so it was easier overall to manage in the recliner initially. At 3.5 weeks out, I'm back to sleeping in our bed and can sleep on either side and on my stomach again.

Unless they put it in and took it out again while I was under and I was none the wiser, I didn't have a catheter.

I had 3 steroid injections over a few months last summer/fall--one in my S/I joint, one in my facet joints, and one epidural. I know a lot of people find relief with the injections, but they didn't make a difference with my pain. However, I think that my weight (and the fact that most of it it in my gut) has been causing most of my back issues--at over 40 lbs down now, my back is not bothering me nearly as much. The injections themselves are not a big deal. My doc did put me under to do them, but they only take about 10 minutes each. I couldn't drive the rest of that day, and slept most of it anyway. I did end up taking the following day off as well, because often you have increased pain for a few days immediately after the injection.

Huh, I've never heard of that! But I agree with sleevenv, my five incisions are not very noticeable (I'm 3.5 weeks out)--the big ugly stretch marks on my gut are way more visible!

Open surgery also has a much longer recovery time than laparoscopic.

My mom had a spinal fusion several years ago. It is a major surgery--hers was about 8 hours long, though that may depend on how many vertebrae have to be fused. She had a bone graft, but they harvested bone from her hip for it. She doesn't have a cage, just a lot of screws and rods in there. After surgery, she had to be in a special custom-fitted molded plastic brace that went from her breast bone to her pubic bone. She had to wear that for several months for everything but sleeping. Then she transitioned to a more corset-like brace for a few more months. I don't remember how long she was off work, but it was several weeks at least. She was still working as a floor nurse at the time (which is why she had to have surgery in the first place), and had to be on desk duty for a while after she went back. I also have a friend who had a more invasive spinal fusion done a couple years ago, and I don't think he had to be in a special brace at all--I don't know if the procedure changed in the 6 or 7 years between when my mom had surgery and when he did, or if it was based on where on the spine the surgery was, or what. My friend's surgery hasn't been that successful, but he has an underlying chronic condition that results in a continued deterioration of the spine--he's a 40-year-old with the spine of a 90-year-old, basically. My mom's, on the other hand, has been very successful. She's almost ten years out, and only occasionally has pain--more a feeling that her back is "tired" than anything. She will sometimes have an ache where they took the bone graft out of her hip. But she can go horseback riding, kayaking, and even water-skiing.

Oh, my god... I'm blaming you if I pop a stitch!

Am I the only one who's never been told, "You have such a pretty face..."? I realize that it's an awful backhanded compliment, but at the same time it makes me depressed to think that I must not have a pretty face at all. Like, "Oh, poor thing, even if she lost the weight she'd still be a hag." Or maybe it's because the first place I gain (and lose) weight is in my face, I have a round face even when thinner, and I tend to look really bloated when I'm heavier.

I agree that we sometimes project our own insecurities onto other people. I was worried about telling a group of our friends, most of whom are marathon runners. I always feel "less than" around them because they are so freakin' skinny and actually love kale, and I figured that they would all be like, "No, no... all you need to do is start running! Here, sign up for this ultramarathon!! That's what you need to lose weight!!!" Seriously, they are like pod people about running. But they were all very supportive and positive about my surgery and didn't try to offer any well-meaning but ridiculous advice!

It will depend a lot on your surgeon and your insurance. You can try giving your insurance company a call and asking them if they cover weight loss surgery, and if so, what if any requirements they have. Some require a 3-month supervised diet, some a 6-month one, some don't require anything besides a BMI of over 40 or a BMI of over 35 with co-morbidities, it varies widely. Most insurances, though, do require a referral from your primary care doc--if your PCP is really anti-WLS, you may see if you can change to a new PCP before you start the process. My PCP just had me come in for a physical before I started with the pre-surgery visits, as I hadn't been to the doctor for a couple of years. The approvals that you have to get before surgery will mostly be dependent on your surgeon. Mine required a chest X-ray and EKG to make sure that I didn't have any underlying heart or pulmonary issues that might cause problems during surgery. I had to have a bunch of bloodwork done, again for the same reason. Some people also are required to do a sleep study to check for sleep apnea, and an endoscopy to look for hernias, GERD, and other abnormalities. If they find a problem, this doesn't mean that you can't have surgery, just that they may need to deal with the problem beforehand or adjust your surgery to make it safe for you. Then you typically have to get clearance from a nutritionist/dietitian and from a psychologist. The NUT works with you to make sure that you understand the pre- and post-op diet and are willing and able to comply with it. The psychologist evaluates your mental and emotional readiness for surgery and makes sure that you have a good support system (whether that's your family, friends, a therapist, support group, etc) and that you don't have underlying mental/emotional issues that indicate you wouldn't be able to comply with the post-op directions from your surgeon and NUT. The psych eval is the one that worries a lot of people (myself included). But really, they want you to succeed--they just want to make sure you're prepared for this huge life change. The NUT and psychologist may be a part of the bariatric team, or you may have to go to outside practitioners, but your surgeon's office can probably recommend someone.

@@Running2theSleeve, the NUT is the nutritionist (or in my case, dietitian), whom you typically meet with before and after surgery to go over the phases of the eating plan for pre-op and post-op, and who can answer questions you have about the eating aspect of surgery. Getting clearance from the NUT involves showing them that you understand the eating plan and are willing to comply with it. I met with mine twice, using MyFitnessPal in between appointments so that she could see my commitment to changing my eating habits. The psychologist is there for the mental/emotional aspect, and will evaluate a surgical candidate on their psychological readiness for surgery. Some have you take a really long test, but mine just talked to me. Either way, they look for underlying mental/emotional issues that might need to be dealt with before scheduling surgery. They are also looking for signs that a patient may have unreasonable expectations of surgery (it will fix everything in their life, they won't have to work at the weight loss, etc.) or have personality issues that indicate an unwillingness to comply with the surgeon and NUT's instructions.

I decided I have to stop wearing my engagement ring because it keeps sliding around and the setting gets in the way--gonna get a ring guard for now, no point in re-sizing it until I'm closer to goal. My wedding ring is still okay for now, since it's just a plain band, but I'll have to keep on eye on it as I keep losing so it doesn't fall off!

@@Bufflehead, that's what I'm planning to do if I don't get suggestions for non-barfy alternatives before my next follow-up appointment on the 21st (we're leaving on the 24th). I can't see how it would be a problem for just a few days. I'll actually be staying at my parents' house for some of the time, so I can probably take my regular powders with me for that part of the trip. I'm just concerned about while we're on the road for 11 hours each way and camping overnight.

I'm going on a road trip in a couple weeks where we'll be camping for a night or two. I'd like to take some ready-to-drink Protein shakes, since it will be hard to keep the milk cold and to wash my Blender Bottle for my regular shakes. I'm less than 1 month post-op and am supposed to drink 2 8 oz. shakes per day. I tried doing a search on here, but the ready-to-drink shake I see recommended over and over is Premier. I like them, but my surgeon and NUT only allow shakes that are made with whey protein isolate, and Premier is not. I know a lot of people drink Isopure, but I'm really not sure that I would like it, since I prefer chocolate, vanilla, or PB flavored shakes, and fruity-flavored ones tend to make me gag. Are there any other whey protein isolate shakes out there that I'm missing?

Hahaha... touche`! Don't tell my husband, but I might leave him if Tom Hiddleston asked me to run away with him.

Yeah, I think the fear guys have falls into 2 main categories: 1. OMG, she's going to have this major surgery and die on the table! or 2. OMG, she's going to get all skinny and hot and leave me for a Channing Tatum lookalike!

Awesome! I'm hoping that my back and hip pain will be resolved enough soon to start doing some swing dancing and taking some modern dance classes again. I miss dancing so much!

From other posts I've read, it seems to me that the relationships that are destroyed by WLS are the ones that were no good to begin with. In fact, it may be a good thing in the long run because it forces into the daylight issues that may have been there all along but were never dealt with. How does your fiance feel about you having WLS? I know a lot of significant others (especially men?) are scared at first, but get more supportive as they learn more about the surgery. It can help for them to go to some appointments with you so they feel involved and informed and can ask the surgeon questions, too.

OK... I am not saying this is AT ALL the case with you... but from his perspective, he may have concerns about you following through with all the requirements. Only because you said that you asked for a referral to a psych. and never went, and that you were prescribed medication that you then did not take. With WLS, you absolutely have to go to all your appointments and take all the medications/supplements prescribed to you, and follow the phase diet before and afterwards. Again, I'm not saying that you won't be compliant; I'm just trying to consider what you told the psychologist from his perspective. In your next visit with him, I would be sure to mention that you understand the importance of post-op care, are committed to following the surgeon's instructions, and will promptly go to your surgeon, nutritionist, therapist, PCP, or whatever with any issues that may arise after surgery. Good luck!

I didn't get cleared right away by the psychologist at my surgeon's office, either. I have depression, but for me, the concerns were more due to my deep-seated need to be perfect (an "all-or-nothing" mentality) and my nagging sense that maybe I just don't "deserve" to be healthy and happy. So while I was initially upset that I "failed" my eval (hey, more "all-or-nothing" thinking!), I realized that, yes, I do need to be in therapy. I started going to a great therapist who is really helping me get to the root causes of my negative view of myself and will be able to help me throughout my post-surgery process. A lot of it has to do with making sure that you have a good support system and can manage the ups and downs of the process--yes, your depression may be directly related to your weight, but are you prepared if you have complications, or you don't lose as quickly as you want to, or have stalls? Not saying you aren't prepared, just that this is the sort of thing that the psychologists consider. Is the psychologist within your surgeon's practice or one that they work with routinely? If not and is just a random psychologist you found that takes your insurance, you might want to ask your surgeon's office for a referral to a psychologist that they recommend or that other patients of theirs have used. I say that because you mentioned that you got the sense that the one you saw thought you should try losing weight on your own. If he's not someone who routinely works with bariatric patients, he may have a bias against WLS and not be the best person to evaluate a surgical candidate.

My extra-wide flats are starting to gape on the sides. Hoping to be able to buy shoes in a store and not have to get them all online soon!

Totally normal. For about the first week and a half (I'm three weeks out now), I felt "blah," too. Just no energy, couldn't concentrate on anything. By the time I went back to work at the end of the second week, I was feeling much better, though still tired.

I'm almost 3 weeks out, and I felt a little left out of things over the weekend at the shore with a bunch of friends. There was some really amazing-smelling bacon for Breakfast one morning that I wished I could eat. I would have liked to have a chocolate-chip cookie another day. And there was a really delicious-looking Greek salad at dinner one night that I was sad I couldn't eat yet. I'm on soft foods, so I brought my own food, and my tiny portions and limited menu were depressing to look at. But, while I was taking my tiny bites of scrambled egg or refried Beans, I looked around at what everyone else was eating and picking out what I would choose to eat next year on this trip. I'd have a piece of that bacon with my egg; I could plan my calories out to eat a cookie one day; I'd have a piece of grilled chicken with a side of that Greek salad. And honestly, it was a good opportunity for my friends to see how I'm eating right now and that I'm still recovering. Most everyone seemed positive and supportive about my surgery, but if they had any lingering unspoken thoughts of "she took the easy way out," those would be quashed by seeing me sit there with my 1/4 cup portions!