lauraellen80

I agree that there are a lot of people--not just on here--who seem to be either extremely ill-informed or willfully disregarding their surgeon's instructions... ...however, these types of threads make me really nervous about posting anything on this site in the future. I'm still pretty new, both to this site and to WLS (I was sleeved 3 weeks ago). I posted a thread a while back with that I thought was a reasonable question. I'd looked through search results, had left a message with my surgeon's office, and just wanted some opinions because I couldn't stop obsessing/worrying. A few days later, someone posted a ranting thread which mentioned essentially the same scenario that I'd asked about. I had to assume that it was a complaint against me, but I wish the member had sent me a private message instead of calling me out publicly. And yes, I agree with @@judyoz that it's usually not hard to figure out who is being ranted about, which I think is worse (and kinda passive-aggressive) than just bluntly responding to the post or PMing the OP. So, while there are certainly plenty of people who may just be on here to try to get someone to justify their poor decisions, most of us newbies are looking for a community of support when we can't even tell a lot of people in our "real lives" about our WLS, let alone talk about the nitty-gritty details.

Sticking my arms inside my knit tops when I put them on and pre-stretching them out so they fit better.

How far out are you from surgery? I'm almost 3 weeks out from surgery, and I still have some pain on the lower right where my larger incision is. The other day it started hurting more than it had been, and I was a little concerned, but then it was much better the next day. I've noticed if I'm bending or moving more than I should be, it will start to bother me, and I need to rest. I think that big incision just takes awhile to heal. However, you notice that the pain gets excruciating, you have colored drainage seeping from your incision, or that you are running a fever, call your surgeon ASAP to rule out infection.

My Fitness Pal app, Blender Bottle for protein shakes, Brita water dispenser for fridge, and child-size spoon.

I passed through the bakery section at the grocery store the other day, and the smell made me gag. I was at a different store today and walked through the bakery area there, and I didn't smell anything at all. I have a huge weakness for donuts and usually get seduced by the aromas in the store, but at least for now, that temptation is gone!

Update: I can, in fact, pull them off and on without unbuttoning them!

Einstein on Germantown Pike with Dr. Dallal.

I'm in the outer Philly suburbs and am post-op.

I'm almost two weeks out and frustrated at my first stall, but this morning I got dressed for work and realized that the pants I had been able to just barely fit into before surgery are starting to get loose. They sit lower on my waist, are really roomy in the thighs, and no longer look like high-waters!

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who went commando in the hospital!

First, I'm right there with you on the stupid scale. I weighed .4 lb more this morning than I did yesterday... on full liquids, less than 500 calories?? Second, I've never heard about drinking an additional cup of Water per 25lbs of excess weight. My surgeon's guidelines say 6-8, and I generally am getting 7. Plans vary, but my NUT said no caffeine for at least a month, and some say to avoid for life. coffee can have a laxative effect, but it may do other things to your body that aren't so good at this point. Take some Miralax or Colace if you're concerned about constipation. However my surgeon said that most people, especially in the beginning, will not have BMs every day, so unless you are not going for a week at a time, it's usually not a big deal.

I was sleeved on 6/15 as well. I'm on full liquids at this point and am doing well on strained broccoli-cheese soup, a Campbell's roasted poblano queso soup (chiles strained out!), and Imagine brand creamy potato leek soup. Sugar free pudding is good, but jello is not, and I tried Greek yogurt the other day and felt weird and gurgly with it. I've been making my protein shakes with light soy milk (started with almond milk but got really tired of the taste after a few days).

@fritochip--I was sleeved the 15th, and my surgeon's office said that my incisions have to be completely healed before I get in the pool. When I saw the PA on Wednesday, she said it would be at least another 2-3 weeks for me. I'm already anxious to get back to my water aerobics classes!

Wow, you're able to garden already? I'm about a week behind you (sleeved 6/15), and I'm still so afraid to do anything that might strain my incisions. I just started sleeping in my bed last night, rather than the recliner that I've been in since getting home from surgery, because I sleep on my side and felt a pulling sensation when I tried to do it. I'm walking about a mile a day, but I am still really leery of bending and stooping and pulling on anything. Maybe I'm being overly cautious...

You're welcome--I have plenty of time to stalk the boards here at the moment, as I'm still off work recovering from my surgery!

My surgeon didn't give me a goal weight, either. The goal weight I picked (145 lbs, I'm only 5'2") is still technically overweight according to the BMI charts, but it's a weight that I felt might be attainable and one that I felt healthy at in college. I'll be thrilled if I can lose more, but I didn't want to set myself up for failure, either.

When I was discharged from the hospital, the nurse told me I had to follow up with my PCP within a week of surgery. I called my PCP, and they told me that I didn't need to come in for an appointment as long as I was following up with my surgeon regularly.

You said you're 2.5 months (10 weeks) out and down 34 lbs. That means you're losing an average of 3.4 pounds per week, not 1. With gastric sleeve, 1-2 pounds per week is average. To figure out your percentage of excess weight lost--first subtract your goal weight from your start weight, and that is your excess weight. So if you started at 317, and your goal weight is 180 (no idea how tall you are or what your goal is, just picking a number), your excess weight is 137 lbs. Then you divide the amount of weight you've lost so far by the excess weight, and that's your percentage of excess weight lost: 34/137 = 0.248. So (again, assuming a goal weight of 180) you've lost 24.8% of your excess weight.

I had a 1-night hospital stay, and like a lot of others, I packed more than I needed. My hospital is about 25-30 minutes from my house. What I packed and actually used: Chapstick--my lips were really dry after surgery Heating pad--I put it behind my shoulder blades, and it helped a lot with the gas pain Pillow--it was comforting to have my own memory foam one in addition to the hospital ones Kindle--by midday the day after surgery, I wanted something to do between laps of the floor. The noise of the TV irritated me, so I just read something that I've read before, nothing deep. Scrunchie & hairbrush--the soft scrunchie worked better for me than a regular hair tie so I didn't have an uncomfortable bump on the back of my head when I rested it against the pillow My surgery binder--I have all my paperwork, instructions, etc. in a binder that I take to all my appointments What I packed and never used: Shorts--like others, I just wore a second gown like a robe when I was up. I also just wore the grippy socks they give you to walk, no need for slippers Multiple changes of underwear--I don't usually wear underwear to bed, and didn't want to be fumbling them up and down, so frankly I just went commando the whole time Incontinence pads--I have stress incontinence and was worried about needing them if I was throwing up. Never puked in the hospital, never wore underwear anyway Toothbrush & toothpaste--just used the ones the hospital provided, as they were already in the bathroom Face wipes--I went home the afternoon after surgery and just figured I'd wait until I got home to get cleaned up Biotene mouth spray--I was allowed ice chips once I got to my room, so I didn't need it Gas-X strips--the heating pad and walking helped my gas pain, didn't need them Phone charger--I didn't turn my phone on until just before I was discharged, so no need of it Extension cord--thought I might need it for the charger or heating pad, but my hospital is brand-new and tricked out, so there was a free outlet right next to my bed

I was worried about the psych appointment, too. I filled out a couple of questionnaires, but nothing like some of the tests some people have to do. The rest of the time was just chatting with the psychologist. I'll be honest--I did not get cleared right away. I have a personal and family history of depression, and I have some really deep-seated issues about my self-image and self-worth. The psychologist referred me to a therapist to start regular sessions. After a month, I came back to see her again, and she also called and talked to my regular therapist. She gave the go-ahead after that, with the understanding that I would continue regular therapy throughout the process. They really just want to make sure that you understand the surgery and the lifestyle changes required, that you don't labor under the delusion that it's a magic pill, and that you have a support system set up to help you through surgery and beyond (maybe that's family, spouse, friends... maybe it's a therapist).

My surgeon has you wait until the second week to start taking supplements. I was sleeved 6/15 and am now taking Opurity Calcium citrate, and Centrum Chewables Multivitamins.

Yes, my surgeon said the same thing. I don't think he gave a specific percentage, but he used the example of identical twins, one of whom was normal weight, and one who was obese, then lost the weight. Even though she now weighed the same as her twin, she would have to consume significantly fewer calories to maintain that weight than her twin consumed.