lovingmomof3

I don't know if this is necessarily the place to post this, but I just got married!!!! This woman has been by my side through the last 2 and a half years in this journey. She met me when I weighed over 600 pounds. I am now back down to my playing weight for football in college, but I am much healthier and and in better shape than I was then. I still have a lot of work to get under 3 bills, but I am extremely happy to head down this new path in life.

Glenn - Welcome to the club!
I like what the previous people have had to say ... and don't have much to add .... but I thought I'd throw a few things out there anyway ...
coffee - I don't drink it , never have .. but was told in my paper work that starting 2 weeks pre-op only have Decaf - and that applies to after as well ...
Pain - The pain from the actual surgery really isn't "pain" ... it's just more of a discomfort ... the only "pain" I felt was from the gas that crept up to my left shoulder ... I wanted to cut it off ... lasted a week and nothing helped it ... I was in tears ... just being honest.
and I love what Miss Mac said about the food part ... We should go live with her * wink wink *
Glad you found this forum ... I love the fact that I can ask silly and "stupid" questions ... and everyone "GETS" it !
I do wish you the best ... it's one of the best things I've ever done for myself ... You will be so much happier
Congratulations!

Many thanks for the responses and great links. Ironically, I work in a restaurant and get to eat for free, but rarely take advantage of it. I hate the food. -) As for the coffee, I think I'm going to start breaking the habit now, the least of my worries. Is Decaf a problem before or after surgery?

Hi. I will answer what I can.
1. I don't drink coffee, but I do drink tea. I had to change to Decaf because of reflux, but that has not been a problem. I could have it pre and post op.
2. My sleeve was my 12th surgery, and was the least painful of all. I was on pain meds for two days, and that was it. There was some discomfort to be sure, but tolerable. By the end of the first week I was bored. Think of the surgery this way: They give you a nice nap, and when you wake up you have a new lease on life and are free to re-invent yourself. The spot that hurt the most was the largest incision (which by any standard was still a small incision which they closed with surgical glue and a steri-strip). That is the one they took the remnant of my big ol' stomach through. I slept in my lift recliner for a couple of nights so that I would not pull on it getting in and out of bed. I did not have the shoulder gas pain that some people get.
3. I was allowed to do all the walking I could tolerate, but was told not to lift anything more than five pounds for six weeks. I am retired but I know that if I were still working, the fatigue and recovery from serious surgery would have flattened me. Coming off of ten days of liquids pre-op and 2 1/2 weeks of full lliquids post-op left me pretty much wiped out. When I started soft foods, I started to feel much more alert and mobile.
4. I took waaaaay too much stuff to the hospital for a two day stay. You can bring pretty much what you want to entertain yourself, but I mostly slept off the anesthetic. Don't take anything you will miss if it is stolen.
5. food... I am blessed to have a Mediterranean chef in the house, but if my food prep was entirely up to me on a lazy day, I would be batch cooking in the crock pot. The more you prepare your own food, the more control you have over it's content. Unless you are totally unteachable, this is a good time to learn how to cook from scratch. You can go a long way with a Foreman grill. Grilled meats are easy. Canned veggies are better than no veggies. There is not much work to boiling eggs or cutting off a piece of cheese. Since fruit is the peach and not peach pie, there is zero prep there.
6. Reading material.....if you mean concerning learning about bariatric surgery and recovery, look under the Resources tab at the top of this page.
Congratulations on the decision you have made, and I wish you the best.

Hi and Welcome!! Congrats on your upcoming surgery!
1- Coffee- depends on the nutritionist. Mine said no pre-op and said we could add back post-op if we needed to but to please limit to minimal amounts. She wanted us off caffeine s she says it makes you hungry and also dehydrates you. She doesn't allow us to count any caffeinated beverages in our Fluid total for the day. For me not a big deal as I am not a coffee drinker and I quit caffeine years ago.
2- Pain- I had some mild pain and discomfort after surgery, moreso from the hernia repair than the sleeve surgery. I took liquid painkillers for the first 3 days and then stopped. The pain was not bad at all for me. They don't want you "exercising" right away just up and moving. The more you move about the faster you can recover. Do take some time to rest and recover!
3- Work is going to deplete your energy. You are still healing from surgery for up to 2 months. You will be fine at work after 2 weeks but will come home tired. The exercising will be in small amounts as in walking initially.
4- The hospital allows all electronics. I was sleeved as an outpatient but all hositals have wi-fi etc. You will want to be up and walking every chance you get. It helps with the discomfort from gas pains if you have that. (I didn't)
5- For suggestions, search the pre-op threads here. You will need to prepare meals for yourself preferably as you will want to control your sodium intake as well as staying high protein/low carb.
6- For reading material re you referring to places to research the surgery? If so look into these...they also have recipes, info on puree's and more:
http://milestogo.squarespace.com/
https://www.bariatriceating.com/
http://www.mygastricbypassstory.com/
http://twosleevers.com/
http://www.foodcoach.me/category/recipes/
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/browse-results.asp?category=Low+Carb
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html
http://healthylowcarbliving.com/recipe/
Good luck with your surgery and keep posting!

I'm not sure where to begin except to say hi. I'm glad I found a place where I can talk to like-minded people. I am almost through the insurance requirements and my doctor told me I have nothing to worry about regarding approval. While we haven't set a date for surgery, I hope to schedule it at the beginning of October. I do have some questions, hopefully appropriate.
1. coffee - what is the story? Allowable pre-op and post-op?
2. Pain. How much? I'm not a fan of pain. Since it's recommended that exercise be started as soon as one is released from the hospital, I assume it can't be too bad. Are pain killers necessary? I assume the pain is where the surgery takes place?
3. Work. I have an office job, sitting in a chair most of the time. I wonder why exercise is recommended right from the start but going back to work can be up to 2 weeks.
4. Hospitals. Haven't stayed in one as an in-patient for a few eternities, since I had my tonsils taken out in the paleozoic era. Do they allow laptops? What is there to do besides go bonkers?
5. food, if you can call it that. I rarely go to supermarkets or cook. I order online from Fresh Direct (like Whole Foods). I had to look up puree! I'm not crazy about preparing my own food. Yes, I am very lazy. Here's a BIG request. Can someone prepare a generic list of items (food or anything else, like a blender) for pre-op and post-op?
6. Reading material. What is recommended?
In the way of introduction, for the past 15+ years, my weight has gone from one extreme to another. When I'm in shape, I am athletic. I want so much to get back to those days. The last 10 years, I've played around with a liquid diet, Medifast. I've been "successful" a number of times of losing a huge amount of weight, keeping it off for a short time, and then going back to what I was plus some. I'm an idiot for letting myself go since I have heart disease. My cardiologist recommended weight surgery years ago and I thought he was crazy. It was actually me who was crazy for not listening. Like most or many of you, I'm a scaredy cat of the surgery, but am hopeful.
Thank you
Glenn.

Thank you Karen. It's very helpful knowing there's lots of other people in the same boat as me and the positive attitudes AND results I've read about. I was actually looking for a live support group for a few weeks but the forum is actually better suited for me. I found out about it from the psychologist who interviewed/dissected me. I've been spending a lot of time reading the posts and about the resources. I guess it's time to get a little more serious and not be so lazy or ambivalent about things. I did buy Alex' Big Book and read a good deal on the train today. And tomorrow I see my doctor, probably for the last time before surgery. Thanks again for your comments.

I am really beginning to notice how much of a difference being 272lbs compared to weighing 222lbs is. Most of my life I hovered around 220-230 but after multiple failed diet attempts and switching from a job that requires constant movement to a desk job, I gained weight. I always told everyone being heavy did not effect the ability to do things, and that even at my weight I was still able to run, walk for hours, and live my life without issues. Now at 272lbs, I am embarrassed to admit that it does effect me in so many ways. I dread walking up stairs, I can't walk a mile without my back and feet killing me, and I get out of breath doing the most simple tasks. I long for the days I can go somewhere without worrying that I physically won't be able to do it. This is a terrible feeling. So grateful that I will be having this surgery and giving me a second chance at getting my life back.

a lot of things can go haywire after surgery and low cals, do get things checked like Iron as mentioned, but also consider thyroid and low blood pressure etc 0 go get some blood works and a general check up and keep up the protien and Water All the best

This happened to me. It was awful. I am now 11 weeks out an am starting to feel normal again. I am still tired, but certainly not to the extent that I was. I think it is the shock of surgery on the body and not being able to get many calories in

Yes I had this issue as well once I started drinking more I felt better also I was low on potassium but I have AFib so that may not be your problem I was told to try some low sugar orange juice and some mashed bananas which did actually help I actually had to force myself to get up and do things if even for a few mins at a time took all my energy to shower

It may not be lack of Vitamins but lack of hydration. It can even be low Protein. If none of those apply check with your doctor as you may be low in Iron.

Anyone that drinks it...GNC Total Lean Online Weekend Sale $24.99. Just a heads up because it's less than the BOGO 1/2 off in the store.

Thanks, and good luck with your surgery. My hairstylist had a Tummy Tuck to remove her C-section flap and says once it starts causing sores and infections, insurance will often pay for it even if you haven't hit your goal weight yet. I don't have insurance and I doubt skin removal surgery is an option for me yet anyway. At this point I don't really have loose hanging skin so much as loose hanging fat rolls. I think once it's not so heavy it will be easier to deal with.
My upper roll isn't a big problem and my chest I just stuff into my bra, smooth out as best I can, and it doesn't bother me. The side skin is an issue with bras that have low-cut armholes, but the Goddess bras with side boning keep everything in place, hold "the girls" up away from my chest so I don't have the same skin-on-skin sweat issue there, and they look pretty good under my clothes, too. Once it's cooler and I have more skin than fat, I imagine I can use shaping underwear basically the same way--lift it up, stuff it in, and smooth it out as best I can.

You're upset about losing 15 lbs in 17 days? What were you expecting? Are you expecting that you will keep losing almost a pound a day? Because, I wish I had a way to say this gently -- you won't, unless you are some kind of freak of nature. Seriously, you are doing great with weight loss. Hang on because you may be about to hit the three week stall (if you don't know what that is, use the search function here and you will learn tons!). I don't want to freak you out, I just want to reassure you that if it does happen, it's completely normal and you are not doing anything wrong.
As for the hunger, are you on a PPI? I am not sure what surgery you had -- your profile says lap band, but you are posting on the sleeve forum. Most sleeve patients are prescribed a PPI by their surgeon due to excess stomach acid after surgery. Excess stomach acid feels just like hunger. If you are on a PPI, you may need a stronger dose or a stronger PPI -- consult with your surgeon.
Also, you are likely in an early eating phase. When you get to more solid foods, you may feel more sated with your meals.
Finally, if you are feeling doomed and depressed, I hope you can reach out to your medical care team. No one should feel that way. A contributing factor can be that you are losing weight very quickly (you really are, despite your perspective on it -- I promise you!). Fat cells are where your body stores hormones, and right now your body is emptying out fat cells and dumping hormones into your blood stream. That can make many people feel extremely emotional, weepy, depressed, and even angry.
Also, just the trauma of surgery poses a huge stress to your body and can make you feel sad and overwhelmed during recovery.
I'm not a medical professional so I can't diagnose you or anything (even if I was a medical professional I couldn't diagnose you over a message board) but I can say I have seen a lot of people feeling similar to you right after surgery posting here. Hang in there, you are doing great.

Okay I will have to tell you, vomiting with a tiny stomach is so so so different then vomiting with your big stomach, it doesn't hurt after and honestly it hurts more to try and stop yourself from vomiting

I get sleeved today!

Good Luck and wish you a speedy recovery

@@LaBxChula
You'll b fine! If u weren't nervous and scared u wouldn't b normal lol u have any ?'s just ask on this site, people are great about helping! I was sleeved the 6th and have no regrets. Excited about my new journey to a healthier life. Good luck!

Hi had my surgery Monday,feeling better n better everyday! Still find it hard to get all fulids in an Protein but getting there. C doc Tuesday to get staples out. Hoping he puts me on puree foods!

I get them and that's been a concern of mine, especially with the food intake restrictions. The last thing I need is a shot in my behind to break it up. My doctors office told me to continue taking my medication now and after surgery since its small enough to swallow. Good luck.

I got Migraines for years prior to surgery. THey are believed to be hormonal. I'm most apt to get a good one at that time of the month.
The only thing that has helped reduce the frequency is topiramate. Then if I do get one, I will take a presciption pain killer and it knocks it down. It is what works for me. Fortunately, it's not too often. Only twice have I ended up in the ER for a shot to break one.
I stopped the topiramate after surgery, hoping that all of the changes would some how be a help. For the first two months, I didn't have any headaches. Then they started to creep back in to my life. By month 4 I asked to go back on the topiramate.
The problem with migraines is...everyone is different. I'm 52 and haven't gone through menopause. I hope when I do, and the hormones settle down, that the migraines will stop. (I can hope!)
Unless there's some other factor, I wouldn't think they'd cancel surgery because you popped a Migraine before surgery. Unless you're "medicating" for it and it interferes with the anestesia. Just try to relax and look forward to that nice sleep :-) Good luck!!

i would just ask the doc - but i don't see why they would - unless your meds would interfere with the anesthesia - you might have to fight it cold turkey if you get one that day if that is the case - i can't really tell you 'cause i'm not a doctor. lol

i have Migraines - what exactly are you asking? i haven't really had any change in mine yet - the weight loss hasn't made any difference in them. I was hoping it would but i guess that it isn't going to be the case with me. i was able to take my meds even when on my liquid diet - even after surgery - while in the hospital - just talk to your doc about them and see what he tells you but i am sure he will ease your mind about it. i hope you are feeling better soon.

I will have my surgery July 16 th very excited and nervous.... So many different emotions going on.