becomingmandikaye

My doctor said I could use Benefiber, but not Metamucil.

My doctor prescribed a stool softener, not a laxative. I take Colace 2x per day (but you can buy it OTC). I haven't had a BM since the morning of surgery, but they told me it could take 4-5 days before I have one again.

It could be from the gas too. I have so much gas in my stomach/esophagus area. Drinking cold water can often push some of it up (I burp A LOT), but sometimes the air gets stuck in my chest until I walk around.

I brought more than I needed, and I barely brought anything at all. The absolute essentials? Phone & Charger Chapstick Biotene Mouth Rinse (the anesthesia leaves your mouth so dry and you can't drink Water quickly enough to help). Hairbrush Anything else you may or may not use.

Premier Protein RTD shakes - they have 5.5g of protein per ounce. Isopure RTD has 4g of protein per ounce. I have also started mixing GENEPRO into broth and strained Soup - I end up with 30g of protein in 8 oz of soup, which I can drink in less than an hour.

sugar free popsicles are my go-to right now, but there are so many Protein shakes out there that you can turn into a protein milkshake - or even protein ice cream - that we aren't short of options. I also found Arctic Zero ice cream, which is really not half bad.

I have a blog, and I'm toying with the idea of YouTube videos - I did one about why I chose surgery, but haven't done one since.

I'm also enjoying Propel in both lemon and strawberry kiwi flavor. And Powerade Zero.

Way to go! You're doing great.

It was my last dose of IV Zofran that did it, and then I was still getting the fluids/electrolytes. It's sore, but slowly going down. Thanks for the info!

Oh, no. It was waking sedation. But I think they assumed I wouldn't remember or was too out of it to understand what they were saying. (And to clarify, that's only for the tap block - I was completely out for the surgery itself).

I'm home. The nurse saw it when she took the IV out yesterday. I'm just not used to having IVs in my hand, it's usually near my elbow instead.

They had to put my IV in my hand (ugh) and it's super swollen now. Seriously - it looks like a Water balloon up under my skin, and it's gone up my arm some. Will ice help this sort of swelling, or should I just let it rest and go away on its own?

Well I survived. Wednesday was pretty rough - I did NOT want to wake up from the anesthesia, and when I did there was definitely some pain.Most of the pain has been from the muscles under the largest incision though. They did a tap block on my abdomen, which i think has helped a lot with the pain - except I really think it only worked on one side. The guy was having a hard time getting the right spot on my right side - and that's the side I feel the most pain on (side note: this guy made me cry. they thought I was completely sedated while he was doing the procedure, but I wasn't. And he started complaining to his assistant that they made him do that procedure on people of my size). I started getting up and walking and going to the bathroom on my own on Wednesday evening. I was still getting IV drugs then, and they were so lovely. The dilaudid knocked me out, which was enjoyable, and surprisingly enough the IV Tylenol took away most of my pain too. I had several periods that were pain free. I'm not accustomed to feeling nausea - I've always had a cast Iron stomach - so that threw me for a bit of a loop. I'm taking the Zofran like clockwork every 8 hours. Otherwise, I'll end up retching which is NO FUN AT ALL. I'm still only drinking 4 oz per hour, but 2 of those oz are Isopure, so I'm getting 4g of Protein each hour. Hopefully I can increase in a day or two, but right now if I drink more than an oz in 15 minutes it's too much.

I didn't manage the timing of my Nuvaring well, so I've started bleeding the day before surgery. It's light, but it can sometimes go light to heavy overnight. How will this effect my surgery tomorrow, does anyone know? I've already figured out I can't wear a tampon during surgery, but this is no big deal, right?

'course I did!

I'm like you, I respond to the comment and not the user. Unless it's @@KindaFamiliar because it's impossible not to know it's him.

There's a chicken crust pizza recipe floating around out there that sounds interesting to me. I'm sure it can't take the place of real pizza, but it'll be chock full of protein!

I'm tomorrow too! I plan to bring a pillow, my phone, phone charger (!), chapstick, a few Protein shakes (my hospital only has ensure and glucerna, so they told me i could bring my own), a book, and comfortable lose clothes.

Where in NC are you? I know two people who have gone through Rex (a bariatric center of excellence) and one of them got the DS. I'm going through Duke, and have no complaints about their program.

Things that make me giggle? Um, THIS THREAD! You guys are too awesome.

I echo what @@Sophie74656 said - it's going to depend on your insurance. I got super lucky and had very few requirements. I'll tell you what helped me the most - YouTube! There are so many folks who have gone through this journey and have documented their experiences on YouTube. Go search for weight loss surgery or gastric sleeve and you'll find tons of information. I also searched for blogs to read, and of course, joined this forum. Information is your friend, and it will help you understand what to expect and keep some of those nerves at bay.

Hey there surgery buddy! Mine's on Wednesday too. I only had to do a week of an official pre-op diet, but I started cutting way back on calories and sugar on the 1st. I'm down 10 pounds since the first, so the misery has been worth it. Tomorrow, however, is the clear fluids only day. I am NOT looking forward to that! Especially since I didn't take the day off work!

I had my gallbladder removed years ago. My symptoms were intense pain in my upper left abdomen after I ate certain foods (very fatty and/or spicy foods triggered it for me). And when I say intense, I mean - rolling around on the floor crying intense. I never threw up, and it happened more than once. I finally took myself to the ER when the pain got so bad I couldn't stand it.

This may fit the bill but I am in need of a recommendation for a book based on a fairy tale for my 2016 reading challenge. Does anyone have any ideas off the top of your head? @@Inner Surfer Girl If you don't mind YA, you could read Cinder. It's an interesting sort of dystopian retelling of Cinderella. I've also heard good things about September Girls, but I haven't read it yet.