Josey Quinn

Lookin' pretty darn good from here! Congrats!

Have you tried standing up when you drink liquids? My doctor said that helps at first because it lets gravity do some of the work for you, and it seemed to work for me.

I know it's hard to take time for doctor visits, but it's vitally important to your health to know what's going on. Folks here can tell you their own stories, but everyone's body is different. I strongly encourage you to call your surgeon with your concerns. I'm sorry this has been so difficult. (((hugs)))

I'm post-op day 5. I've done well since surgery. I stopped taking the hydrocodone yesterday; I only took a few doses, anyway. Any remaining pain is gas pain. I'm focusing on Protein, Water, and walking. Honestly, I'm not measuring yet because I don't want to discourage myself. I know I'm not dehydrated, and I'm able to take larger sips each day. I have a few tips that seem to be helping me: 1. Walk around the house when you drink your protein. This helps everything go down, especially my small thyroid pill, which I resumed on day 2. 2. Use decaffeinated, herbal teas to help get your water in. There are so many flavors that taste wonderful without any sugar or milk. I personally do not like to drink regular iced tea, but I love herbal teas. Especially ones with mint, which are soothing to my teeny, tiny stomach. 3. Try not to stress over hunger. I had pretty bad head hunger (craving specific foods) the first few days, but that's already starting to decrease. I still want to eat things I used to eat, of course, but the intensity is lessening a little each day. 4. Remember to rest often. You are still recovering from surgery. The more you rest now, the shorter your overall recovery will be. Congratulations, fellow new sleevers! We're really doing this!

Just remember, junk food never tastes as good as it smells, and you always feel worse after eating it. It is a fleeting "pleasure" with a high cost.

Sending those good vibes!

I'm sorry you are in so much pain. Keep talking to your doctor about it to make sure you have what you need to get to the other side of the pain. It WILL get better. Surgery pain is unique for everyone. When I say that I have little pain, I am comparing it to the five other major surgeries (non-bariatric) I've had over the years. And I started early, at age 12. So, my experience of pain may be different than yours. Three days out from surgery, though, I am still taking half-doses of hydrocodone. Don't be afraid to use your prescribed medicine. If you try to simply tough out the pain, it often wins. The tummy gurgling is normal. It means your new teeny, tiny stomach is working! This is a happy sound.

It sounds like you've turned a corner. Congratulations on making it through the very difficult part physically. It sounds like you might have overdone it a bit with the physical activity. Please keep remembering that you're still in surgery recovery. As for hunger, I am two days post-op, and I feel a bit of stomach hunger and a whole lot of head hunger. I know it's head hunger because I'm focusing on certain foods. I get full very quickly, though, if I do my sip-sip-sipping, as my surgeon says. Everyone's body and mind are different, of course, but I think as you transition into more solid foods that particular sense of hunger will fade.

I did not have a drain.

It is 2:00 a.m., and I'm sitting in my hospital bed writing this post on my iPad. My surgery started at 3:00 p.m. yesterday. It finished around 6:00 p.m., and I was in my room for the night around 9:00 p.m. Yesterday was a little rough because I had an afternoon surgery and had to wait so long without even a Protein shake. I don't remember much from the surgery itself. ???? I apparently was quite vocal in the recovery room. I asked for lots of pain and nausea meds, and this kept me in recovery for a little longer than usual. I'm glad, though, because I kept tight control of the nausea. I got settled in a regular room around 9:00 p.m. It was hard to get comfortable in the hospital bed, but the pain was not terrible. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst, I've stayed around a 3. This is definitely the least painful surgery I've had (out of 5 surgeries at various times in my life, including 2 c-sections). I do feel the sharper gas pain around my shoulders, but it's tolerable, and I have not taken a gas remedy. I was able to make several trips to the bathroom, so it's obvious my kidneys are working well. I finally slept for a few hours. While sleeping, I left the ice pack against my new "holes," and managed to cold burn the skin a little. I don't recommend putting the ice pack directly against your skin. ???? Now, I'm quite awake. I'm uncomfortable, but the 2 ice chips I ate haven't caused a problem. My mouth is dry, but not intolerably so. After surgery, you'll want to wet a washcloth and clean your lips and nose. Mine were pretty grimy. Yuck. Chapstick really helps, too. I'm finally hit the little target on my breathing apparatus. Overall, I feel like things have gone well. I have the barium test in the morning to check for leaks. I've heard that can be a little rough. I will report back. It does feel great to be on the "other side." ????

Update on barium swallow test. It wasn't too bad. I was really worried about nausea with it, but I didn't have any. The taste of the liquid leaves much to be desired, of course, but the doctor running the scan had me drink only 4 swallows. It was very quick. They gave me a cup of Water to rinse and spit the taste out of my mouth afterward. They said everything looks good. No leaks for me! Woo hoo! Now, I'm waiting for my delicious chicken broth Breakfast.

Best of luck!!! You'll do great!!! My surgery is at 2:30 p.m. today. I'm right there with you!

Huge (((hugs))). I'm two days preop. I just had my last "solid" meal for a while. I feel the same way about food. I love it and hate it. It has a hold on me that seems impossible to break. I know the sleeve is not magic, but I sure hope it makes it a little easier to put down the fork.

Woo hoo! Great job! I can't wait to go closet shopping!

Yessss! So tired of feeling like my stomach (and every other abdominal organ) is in my throat when I bend over!

I'm four days preop, and I've been thinking about non-scale victories (NSVs) that I'm looking forward to. Here's my top 10 list. I'll come back and update the list as I accomplish each one. What's on your NSV wish list? 1. Shop for clothes in the "misses" or "juniors" part of the store 2. Cross my legs when sitting in a chair 3. Go at least two hours without thinking about food at all 4. Make exercise a daily habit 5. Get rid of every scrap of clothing over a size 12 in my closet 6. Climb stairs without losing my breath 7. Buy sexy underwear 8. Wear sexy underwear in front of my husband 9. Go indoor rock climbing 10. Go indoor skydiving (Yes, I'm a wimp!)

Yessssss on both of these! I've cringed many times at hearing a football player's weight.

I hope you're feeling better, Trillian!

Thank you for sharing your cautionary tale! I hope you don't have to go through that pain again. (((hugs)))

Yay!!! I'm getting sleeved this week, too.

December 17 in Texas

I'm 9 days preop (GULP). I've been on my preop diet for two weeks. I gave myself a headstart because I knew I would a stumble at first. I actually did really well, though. Now, it's for real, and I'm fighting some vicious head hunger. Yesterday was probably the worst day so far, but I'm proud to say I made it through. I used my coping strategies -- drawing and coloring -- to overcome the cravings. My biggest clothes are already sagging. That's a nice reward for starting my preop diet the day before Thanksgiving and staying focused. ???? I can't believe my surgery is NEXT WEEK! After months of preparation and years of thinking about making this change, it's surreal to be this close. My preop appointment with my surgeon is tomorrow!

I've waited years to type that sentence: My surgery date is 12/17/15. I've worked especially hard over the last six months to make it a reality. My insurance company requires a physician-supervised diet, psychological evaluation, and other health workups before approving surgery. At the last minute, they threw me a curveball by asking for more weight history. I scrambled to produce the requested records, but at the same time, they realized I had started my process before that information was a requirement. They approved me the same day. I started my preop diet on 11/25/15. Yes, the day before the U.S. Thanksgiving Day. :-) My surgeon uses Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet as the preop diet. For the first three days, I thought I was going to starve to death. The carb withdrawal was fierce. Fierce, I tell you. Day 4 was better. Today is day 5. It's still early, but I feel good so far. I lost a pound since yesterday. I'm trying not to focus too much on my weight for now, though. I've been obsessed with my weight for as long as I can remember, from the time I was 11 years old, 5'6", and weighed 106 pounds. Today, I am 43 years old, 5'9", and weigh 278.8 pounds. I've been overweight since my first pregnancy at 24. I'm now morbidly obese with a BMI of more than 41. I know the facts, of course, but I'm doing my best to focus on what I want to gain rather than what I need to lose. I want to wake up without shooting pain throughout my body. I want to make it through a day at work without swollen ankles. I want to walk up two flights of stairs without losing my breath. I want to look forward to exercise every day. I want my energy back. I will continue to update this thread with my progress. It's great to meet you. :-) I wish you wild success as we take this journey together!