gp3

More educational than anything, good object lesson on why to stick to the diet (I do, 100%), to rest and to stay hydrated.

While I did not anticipate the return to the hospital (ER first, which always takes forever it seems) the net result was a good outcome and hopefully no long term issues.

I'm back home, tolerating foods well (puree only at this point) and my incisions and drain are at least superficially healed so that is all good for now.

Unavoidable but I'm definitely staying away from cream of wheat or anything else that could possibly expand.

Not that I had much of it but I've focused more on very well pureed Soups and [baby] foods without binders like apples, bananas & Pasta. Drink constantly, being hydrated really helps - thankfully I was not dehydrated or I could have had a longer stay.

Also getting away from the pain meds (which I was well on my way to) is a good start as they can cause another issue which does not help evacuate what little food you may be eating at the time.

Not sure if everyone is irregular or not but keep an eye on how you are out processing, I chalked it up to post-surgery irregularity & perhaps the pain meds but I was wrong.

Essentially the blockage was the cause of very intense pain (reminded me of waking up after surgery) and an inability to eat/drink anything additional - terrific as they have you drink contrast which was the tipping point for me later that evening.

My scans & fluoroscope tests did not show any hard kinks but certainly swelling & irritation from the procedure.

The solution was rest & a lot of IV fluids, if there is a recurring issue it will likely have to be resolved via additional surgery.

Ended up in the ER, little stay in the hospital due to blocked intestines about 2 weeks after surgery.

Well hydrated, eating only purée & watching what I was eating turns out I have some inflammation & swelling - hopefully not permanent - which ended up creating blockages.

Amazingly painful, takes X-Ray & CT Scans to figure out - not something you want to encounter.

Back home & relaxing, on baby food and plenty of Water.< /p>

Watch what you eat, drink plenty & listen to your body!

Find a Protein drink you can stand with just some Water.

If you can get a sample great, seems so many come in huge cans so you are stuck.

I do have some on hand, too bad I really don't like it :-)

I did get some pre-made Protein drinks I like much better.

have 3 flavors of cream of wheat (plain, maple & cinnamon).

I have a few boxes of different good veggie Soups (small boxes in the fridge), vanilla yogurt & ricotta cheese.

I have plenty of Turkey Hill diet, caffeine free iced tea and crystal light mix.

I have plenty of little Water bottles.

I have my Vitamins & other meds.

I also have gauze, wide paper tape & drain pads (polyester)

Other than that - not much!

I had my surgery on Sept 10th, doing well so far.

I put the Ricotta or Yogurt in the Soup as needed for flavor...

Just make sure to sip, sip, sip!

Good luck, take your time after!

I've only told my immediate family and a few friends.

No one from work.

If anyone asks I've had my gallbladder out and a hiatal hernia repaired.

That's it.

Everyone progresses differently, plateaus at different times, etc.

Concentrate on you and your path, what you need to stay on it.

Don't let it become a contest and if it has stop it from continuing.

Let people know that if anything you need their support, not a running critique.

Walking was the best medicine for me.

Sept 10-11 were my absolute worst days, bar none.

When I first woke up they made me cough, I simply passed out.

What I did find was that while they were giving me Dilaudid it did not work nearly as well as Vicodin/Hydrocodon.

As others have said don't skip sipping, etc.

You need to stay hydrated.

Keep in mind they would have pumped you full of CO2 during surgery and it will eventually make its way out.

Take your meds religiously - don't leave much of a gap if any.

If you are still in the hospital make sure they don't leave much of a gap.

Get up and walk around, just laps around the floor really helped me.

Do you have a drain in?

I had terrible muscle spasms from mine, made me unable to walk with it in.

That was a 3rd day occurrence for me & once they took it out it made me a lot more comfortable.

I don't think anyone can prepare you for the pain but 13 days out I'm sore but not in crippling pain.

The pain lasted a good 5-6 days but the only saving grace is that your body can't remember it so once you are past it you are done.

Best of luck, stick with it.

My family has a history of Diabetes on both sides of my family. My Uncle lost both legs, another a foot, my father his kidneys. All were adult onset, eventually insulin dependent. I've had a long struggle with weight loss, hypertension, etc. and was on a trajectory to see Diabetes in my near future.

For me the band was a consideration, but not an option. It would not be permanent, it's mechanical, can fail, needs maintenance and would eventually go away. Not to knock it but it is not for me.

The benefit of the sleeve is that you don't have the Vitamin dependencies as with others, it is permanent and is a positive control. You know you can only eat so much, hopefully you won't exceed that frequently, and there is feedback if you eat too much. As the sleeve can later be revised to a duodenal switch it provides another stepping stone, should you need it.

I reviewed all of the options with my surgeon well before hand. I've had friends - with diabetes - who have had a full bypass leave insulin, reduced their BP, etc. - but the switch was the best option.

I'm now 13 days past the operation (first couple of days, not the easiest) but generally getting around, drinking and eating a little. You may question your decision after you have it done but you are not alone in that. Good luck!

Totally understand.

Here is where I am since my Sept 10 VSG: My stomach fits around 4oz of anything.

That helps me control portions, how much I drink, think about what I'm putting in my mouth, being selective with the foods I can eat and it also helps me know when I'm full.

So at this point although I may be only eating gruel that tastes similar to the foods they were pre purée I don't miss the 85% of my stomach.

Just try to avoid coughing & sneezing for a month or so or it will remind you that your stomach is missing

When you weren't 'obsessed' with loss you were probably totally preoccupied by how uncomfortable it was being overweight - appearances, not being able to lose, etc. or in other words - obsessed with your weight.

Enjoy you and other will enjoy you. It's important from a maintenance perspective that you pay attention to what you eat & drink and now that you are feeling better about yourself embrace it. Maybe your family will come around, if they don't it's their problem. You've already found a solution.

Break a leg -

Pain is a little intense afterwards, subsides & the staff should help you all the way.

My surgery was on Sept 10th and other than a painful sneeze yesterday to remind me I'm still recovering I feel pretty good, +20 lbs down.

Right after the surgery you'll probably still wonder if you made the right decision but you wouldn't have passed the battery of tests if it wasn't something you weren't a candidate for - so from a medical perspective you are in good company.

I know for me it was necessary and so given the options was the best decision I could make - and I'm totally comfortable with that!

I'm 48 and +20 pounds down after a few weeks. Another lifer I've tried everything, surgery Sept 10th this year.

I had bad pain for a few days, up and running soon after and relatively ok (other than a sneeze yesterday - ouch). So far skin looks good but I'll see if I can't let you know how things are in a month or two.

Good luck!

I sneezed yesterday, buckled my suture line above my belly button a little so I pain there again but a few weeks out not too bad overall.

Sneeze caught me totally by surprise, I had just gone downstairs to get something from my desk when it happened.

Don't overdo. Let people around you help out. Try and rest, let your doc - in my case we also have nurses, nurse practitioners and the staff to call if we have any issue - know of your pain.

While I don't like to take it regularly Vicodin works best to take the edge off although I try to take it only as needed

I had a drain for the hospital stay, removed before discharge )it was causing spasms) - removal was not bad, not really painful, but they do leave the drain hole open.

I keep the old dressing on, shower & then change it. You need to keep the drain covered during shower.

I had spasms when my drain was in so they took it out - nearly pain free, pretty easy. That they leave the hope open after is the part I don't like...

Mine took around 4hrs. They did the sleeve, took my gallbladder out, found and repaired a hernia - thought they might have nicked something so had to take extra time to check & put in a drain