ange117

I'm just finishing a round of doxycycline for a bad ear infection. I'm about 8 months post op and this is my first round of antibiotics since surgery, but I haven't noticed anything! I do take them with food, but I've had zero pain or stomach upset.

Hopefully yours goes just as smooth!

Although I've lost a lot of my butt in the sense that it's flatter now than before surgery, my hips and waist are MUCH curvier with an actual waistline than they were before!

When it comes to the girls upstairs, I consider myself one of the unlucky lucky ones. I actually started at a 48DDD and am currently wearing a 40H! If I don't lose some of these babies during the rest of my weight loss, I'm seeking a reduction ASAP. My shoulders and back are killing me!!

Oh I need one now!!!

Once I got okayed for pills and not just chewables, I switched to generic Equate calcium citrate. My Calcium numbers have been great!

I've been taking the pill for over a month now (surgery 4/4) and I've been continually losing weight the whole time!

At 3 weeks out, I was still on purees. I'm still not allowed rice at 8 weeks, even. That doesn't sound like dumping syndrome, but like you pushed your new system a little too far, rather with the rice itself, or the volume, or the speed. We're warned to be careful with rice forever because it can get 'stuck' at the stoma and cause a very uncomfortable blockage. I'm not sure if that's what happened with you, but I would try to get some Water down if I were you, and if you're not feeling better by morning, call your surgeon.

I had mine 4/4, and I slept most of the time I was in the hospital! I'd wake up to sip fluids, do a few laps, and then crash for a nap. Your body is healing and needs the rest!

Welcome to the other side!!

Pilonidal cysts sound WAY scarier online than they really are, take it from a first hand perspective. 3 of the 4 people in my office have had them and we all agree they're miserably annoying, but overall way less scary than they sound when you Google them.

See your doc, and I hope it's something easier, but if it is a cyst, don't freak out! They're actually very common, a lot of people just don't like talking about them. Best of luck!

I'm calling mine the FrankenTum!

http://bariatrictimes.com/recommended-levels-of-carbohydrate-after-bariatric-surgery/

This study recommends 90g of carbohydrates for someone 6 months out eating 850 calories a day, so 50g does not seem high at all. At least on my post-op diet, I'm supposed to be eating about 600 calories a day right now, which would proportionally be about 65-70g.

Even with birth control or the morning after pill, your chances of a blood clot are quite low. They just don't want us to compound our risks because surgery itself increases the risk of blood clots. Take a deep breath and try to relax yourself. Call your doctor in the morning. If you get any distressing symptoms in the meantime, obviously call a 24/7 line or go to the ER like you normally would, but chances are you're going to be just fine.

This sounds like a pilonidal cyst than a sore from a 'bubble butt.' I had about 5 years back, had it removed, and haven't had any trouble since. I'd make an appointment with your PCP to see what it is for sure and then discuss what to do about it!

I think it's totally normal to worry that you're making the wrong decision. I know I did. But, like you, I did my research, and I knew that my chance of complications from the surgery was much smaller than my chance of complications from obesity. I thought: would I rather take Vitamins for the rest of my life, or diabetes meds, blood pressure meds, cholesterol meds, etc?

The gas pain after surgery is not that bad. I had it pretty strongly, with pain in my back and shoulders, but it rapidly decreased every day. While you're in the hospital, you get lots of great pain meds. Please don't be scared of the gas pain. It's annoying, but by no means torture.

In terms of 'missing food,' I suppose it depends on what you mean. If I see a commercial of a cheesy pizza, I sure think, "mmm that looks delicious." That's the point of the commercials. But... I'm really not hungry. Honestly, getting my foods and shakes in is kind of a chore. Sometimes it's a little tough when my fiancée has really good looking/smelling food, but sipping at my shake honestly makes me so full I can't even be upset that I'm not eating what she is.

And frankly, this restriction is temporary. If I want to have a slice of pizza six months from now, I'll be able to. Of course, it's up to me to moderate how often I eat pizza and to decide if a more nutritionally round meal would be a better choice, but the point is I WILL be able to have it, if I choose. Try not to think of it as things you can't have, but things that you can have very occasionally while you change your relationship with food to focus on Protein and nutrition. This surgery is about change, and change is scary. But being healthy doesn't mean being deprived! I can have zucchini pizzas or cauliflower crust pizza to sate my pizza cravings AND get some good nutrition! Try to envision yourself embracing the changes your body needs and maybe even consider seeing a therapist if your relationship with food is concerning you. I see one for my anxiety, and being able to talk about the wls with her has been amazing!

If you're willing to put in the work, there's a million resources out there to help you. Do your research, read the forums, talk to your doctor... And then make the best decision for you.

Best of luck!

Agreed. If you can't get ahold of them, find a 24 hour urgent care. Wound infections may start small, but can become HUGE really fast!

Just to let you know, I still have to drink 2 shakes a day on my puree diet. Everyone's different, so you might not have to, but my program pretty much assumes you can't get enough Protein on 1/4 cup servings, so we do 3 meals a day, plus 3 Snacks, and 2 of those snacks have to be Protein Shakes. Maybe you could try some different ones until you find something you like better?

I'm 10 days out (had RNY on the 4th), and other than some extra sleepiness, I've been feeling pretty normal for the past few days. I have some pain still when bending down or anything that compresses my tummy, but mostly I'm doing well!

NSAIDS are off limits for us because they can cause ulcers, most commonly where the pouch meets the intestinal limb. These can be really dangerous, especially if they perforate the stomach or intestinal wall.

Prednisone would normally fall under this category as well, but your doctor/surgeon may decide the benefit is worth the risk and allow you to take them for a short period, most likely with a ppi or other stomach protectant like carafate. I would speak very thoroughly with your doctor and surgical team to see if there are any alternative medications you can try, or how to best protect yourself when you do need to take these meds.

Yeah my problem is more like chicken Alfredo.. mac n cheese...

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You can still eat these foods if you're willing to modify them a little! Try chicken alfredo with zucchini or spaghetti squash noodles and a Greek yogurt alfredo! Or make a good mac and cheese sauce with real cheese and serve it over cauliflower. It's not the exact same, but you can really get the same flavors with lower calorie alternatives.

Can you use chewable gas pills

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Can you use chewable gas pills

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I've been using gas x strips at home, but I wasn't allowed to at the hospital, no. They wanted me walking to relieve the gas.

Pants are difficult for me still at 8 days! Thank god for leggings and sweat pants. I wouldn't want to feel jeans or dress pants on my sore tummy yet.

Just got to the hospital. Nervous.

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Nervous is normal! Hopefully they've given you something to calm you down by now, and you'll soon be on the other side!! Congrats!!

I stayed 3 nights, 4 days, and only used chapstick, my toothbrush, and deodorant. Everything else they provided and I went home in the same clothes. Pack light!

I am a bit heavier than you, but I think a Thursday to Monday turn around would be really pushing it. I had a very minor complication and spent 3 nights in the hospital, which would have meant going to work the next day, in your scenario. I certainly would not have been ready.

I'm 8 days post-op now, and I still don't feel ready. I could maybe go back at 2 weeks, but I'm really looking to take 3. Frankly the exhaustion from healing and consuming so few calories is significantly more challenging than managing the pain. Also remember that you're not allowed to drive on narcotic pain medicine, so you'd have to be going to work on nothing more than tylenol. That would be extremely uncomfortable for me, and I'd worry about your ability to focus on getting enough Fluid and Protein if you're distracted by work. It really is a full time job for the first few days.

In the end, only you and your surgeon can make the decision about when you'll be ready. But personally (and this is my 4th major surgery, so I'm quite good at handling surgical pain/recovery), I wouldn't consider going back that quickly. I would say at least one week, maybe two.

You might not even be home from the hospital yet if you have even the slightest complication. Remember, this is a major surgery on your organs, it's not a small outpatient procedure.

Best of luck to you!

It is entirely possible! My insurance actually required significantly less than my bariatric program did. My insurance only required 6 months of conventional diet attempts (which I had before I started looking into surgery) and a letter of approval from my PCP. It was my bariatric program that required me to have a psych evaluation, several nutrion visits, and two sleep studies.

Your surgeon may require less or more, depending on your program and comorbidities. They may want cardiac or pulmonary clearance if you have any heart or lung issues. They may want your endocrinologist on board if you're diabetic. Or they may want nothing. They gave me a list at my first appt of things I had to do regardless of my insurance. I'm sure you'll likely get the same.

Good luck!

So early April surgeries how did it go?

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It went well. I was April 4th, so I'm a week out today. Still sore, but meeting my Protein and Water goals. Luckily, I haven't had any nausea since the first day. I did have a small intestinal hemorrhage in the hospital and lost a good bit of blood, so I've been sleeping a lot to let my body heal. But really, I can't believe how quickly the last week has gone by!

Good luck to those of you coming up!