Megan Kolar

Looking for some advice/thoughts. I return to work on Monday after 3 weeks off. I work in a very, very large office and told my immediate 2 bosses that I was "having surgery and expected to be off work 2 to 3 weeks". I didn't elaborate at all because it's really none of their business and as it turns out they couldn't keep their mouths shut and told at least one other person on the team who I used to report to who immediately asked me about it. With that I told a few other team members which brings to a total about 15 people that know that I was out for surgery. Post surgery plus the 2 weeks pre-op I have lost 19 pounds which means there is a noticeable weight loss. While that excites me I am also nervous about the questions I will face. I am normally a very open person so it feels awkward to smile and tell everyone I'm doing well and, yes, maybe lost a few pounds while out. Throw in eating 3 oz of cottage cheese for lunch and my cover is blown for sure. I hate the idea of being the topic of gossip. Anyone else out there not wanting to go public with the reason for your leave? How have you handled it? Help.

Your "bosses" broke what I think would have to be a law of some kind. I can't imagine it is okay for the higher up's to tell people why you took off time, especially being medically related. If you work for a corporation or have any sort of corporate structure, I'd check with HR asap.

I had no intentions of telling anyone, except co-workers that I am close with. When others see you eating six teaspoons of applesauce, or walking slower in stretchy pants, it's hard to hide. I try to be honest with people when they ask about my weight loss and most people are either super supportive or just very intrigued. They have a lot of questions about the procedure itself and what you can/can't eat, etc... You can tell them as much or as little as you want to, it's your body and plan. I have yet to have anyone ask me "why" or give me any sort of negativity. My "general" response to people, especially if I don't know them that well is that "I had bariatric surgery. I had some health problems and after discussing it with my doctor(s), we decided this was the best course of action."

I had my surgery 3/9. Things are going pretty well. I am still struggling with fatigue at times, mostly after work and especially towards the end of the work week. The only time I experience any weakness or extreme fatigue is if I haven't eaten anything or had any Protein for an extended period of time, which seems normal.

I am back in the gym which feels great: 2x week right now, 30 minutes each. Next week I'll increase to 45 minutes.

food is going well.. So far, my only issue with food as has been egg yolk, whether it be half of a hard cooked egg or a little scrambled egg, it does not end well so I'll be sticking to egg whites for a while longer. I'm eating a lot of flaky fish (Pinterest has the best recipes!) and potatoes.

My one problem, consumption wise, is with the Protein Shakes. I know these are supposed to be our "life blood"for a while but some days, it can be next to impossible for me to even get one down. I've made all different kinds using additions (sugar and fat free, of course) but it is not easy. I'm excited to hit that six week mark when I can add back in fruits! Hopefully that will make it easier.

I am having a bit of trouble getting my Vitamins down. I've never been a good "pill taker" but now that I can't consume as much Water at once as I'd like, it makes it even harder. I'm looking into the chewables for the Vitamin and Calcium. We'll see if those fair better.

I hope every else is doing well and keep up the hard work!

I am four weeks out from surgery and doing alright except for these gas bubbles. I'll do my best to describe them: I can feel the bubbles/gurgling in my stomach then the "bubbles" go up the esophagus and up to my throat but I'm not burping. I have to swallow to get them to go away.

Sometimes nausea accompanies it, sometimes it doesn't. It seems to be associated with drinking, both Water and Protein Shakes. I don't notice it with food, sometimes food actually makes it feel better so I don't know if it is just a sign of an empty tummy?

The only acid related medication I am is pantoprazole.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!