silverthreads

The best thing I brought to the hospital was a pair of Bose noise cancelling earbuds and my phone/iPad with some music and videos. I didn't watch too many videos because I really wanted to sleep much of the time but those noise cancelling earbuds cut out all the noise of the hospital, alarms from the IV pumps, and people constantly coming in and out of the room. I could put on some music I downloaded at home and sleep peacefully -- so much so that people had to touch me to wake me up! I didn't really need anything else -- clothes to wear home. I also had my comfy slippers for walking the halls, but they gave me non-slip socks so I didn't really need them.

I've had two studies done in a sleep center. The second time I brought up the Ambien I take when traveling to help me sleep under that stress. They said Demi could take it during the test--helped me sleep and helped them get their readings. You might want to ask about that. As far as apnea goes--I too had 85 "incidents" per hour when I had my first test years ago. I've been on CPAP about 13 years and never miss a night. It took some getting used too, but now I sleep well and feel so much better! Don't fight it, it's worth it. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

@@Inner Surfer Girl -- that's definitely on my reading list. I hear it's great! Thanks for reminding me of it... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I just finished Jungle of Stone (about the first serious exploration of the Mayan cities by Stevens & Catherwood in the early 19th century). About to start "The Gene, an intimate history ". I tend to like historical nonfiction and medical history. One I would recommend is "Blood Work" by Holly Tucker. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

@@2goldengirl @KristenLe. Thanks very much for your insights. Interesting especially about the fluid shifts. I was going to contact my NUT this week to ask about the calorie situation. Very helpful information indeed. Thank you!

@@Charlie Brown's Momma give yourself a break! 9 pounds in the first week is fine and your surgeon was boneheaded if he said otherwise. OK, you made a mistake. None of us got here without having issues with food and eating what we shouldn't. Not many of us can put it down once we've started something we really like. Personally my only chance is if I don't take the first bite. You've learned a good lesson, so get back on track and feel better about yourself. I doubt you did yourself any damage from this incident but I'm sure it was very unpleasant. You're going to do just great -- you wait and see! Don't let a boneheaded doctor's comment after one week make you feel like a failure. Surgeons in general have a reputation for having a poor bedside manner -- yours may be a good example. Go prove him wrong!

Thanks @@KindaFamiliar . I didn't believe for a minute that I could have gained 10 pounds of muscle so quickly -- I'd be happy with a couple but no way 10! I failed to do my research -- 1 pound/week on a proper regimen seems much more likely. Thanks for the advice. I'm happy to wait out the stall -- this too shall pass. BTW I am keeping my Protein in the 80-100 gram range though perhaps I'm not hydrating as much as I should. I keep forgetting to drink! I'll work on that.

Hello guys, I've got a puzzle that perhaps you can help me understand. I'm about 6 weeks post VSG surgery and on the whole I'm very pleased. I'm down about 34 pounds from surgery day. I hit the expected week 3 stall at about 4 weeks, and I'm not sure I'm through it. I say I'm not sure because I have lost about 3 pounds over two weeks but nothing consistent and I go up or down a little each day. I'm not panicking or anything -- I've always seen stalls on my diets before but usually no more than a week. I noticed something today that's puzzling me... I've got one of those fancy Withings scales that connects to the internet and charts my weight, total fat mass, etc. I've never been convinced of the accuracy of the fat mass measurement (especially since it can jump around a couple of pounds from day to day) but the downward trend is very clear. Here's my puzzle: According to the scale, from the time I started weighing about 5 days after surgery to today I've lost 21.3 pounds. However, my fat mass has gone down 32.6 pounds. I'm having trouble believing that. Now the other variable is that I really started hitting the gym about 3 weeks ago. I'm not a gym rat and was really out of shape, but I've been doing 25 min. on the elliptical (at a consistently increasing level) plus some bicep curls and chest presses (no abdominal work since I wasn't cleared for that until yesterday) then finishing with 15 or 30 minutes on an incline treadmill (walking fast, not running). According to the machines I'm expending about 400 calories from the cardio. (And I'm doing 4-5 days/week). I'm also eating about 750 calories/day so I'm in a serious calorie deficit and should be losing weight. Is it in any way possible that I've actually gained roughly 10 pounds of muscle from this already? It would fit the data but I'm having a lot of trouble believing it. It would also explain this long "stall" if I'm gaining muscle at roughly the same rate I'm losing fat. I'm the sort of guy who has gotten religion about the gym several times over the years but always given up after a while because I didn't seem to be gaining any muscle mass -- so I'm perplexed. What say you? It would be good news if I can believe it, but I'm skeptical!

@Lisswell I sure hope you're beginning to feel a little better. I'm not about to give you any medical advice but In watching this board over the past few months I have seen a few stories similar to yours and people did get better. It's absolutely true that all of us have different experiences and our bodies react differently to this or other surgeries. You sound like you've had a truly miserable experience. I'd be embarrassed to tell you how smooth my recovery has been since my VSG on 4/28. I hope that you turn the corner soon and start feeling human again. My bet is that in a couple of months you'll be feeling good and this will all be a distant memory. Hugs...

You're forgetting to take into account the dehydration. Sure it'd be tough to lose that much fat but you can lose an awful lot just from dehydration. A liter of Water is 2.2 pounds.

Sorry -- the ACA (Affordable Care Act) doesn't apply here either! In any event it's inappropriate if asked in an official sense, and she didn't push the point so there isn't much to complain about. Better if it comes up again since she's a newly minted supervisor and also a friend to say "you know, as a supervisor you can get in trouble with HR asking about this sort of thing -- we're friends but don't let someone else file a complaint because you made this mistake".

That is awkward. Nobody where I work asked what sort of surgery I was having -- but people will notice the weight loss, etc. My VSG was 5 weeks ago and one of my friends at work invited me to a dinner party this weekend -- and also inquired if I was doing OK since my surgery. I took that opportunity to let out a little info -- I said that I hated to pass on her kind invitation but I had stomach surgery and am on a very limited diet for now. So it would probably be best to wait a few months. She's a clinician and we've talked about some of her medical issues in the past -- I think I've given her just enough to satisfy a friend and if the rumor mill gets going she will probably tamp it down for me. We have lots of pot lucks, etc. at the office so people are going to notice that I'm not enjoying everything the way I used to.

Well, I wouldn't be in a rush to eat the whole hot dog & bun until you've reached your goal -- but no reason you can't shoot for half of one... If you're satisfied, that's enough, right? Seriously, I'm just ahead of you -- about 5 weeks out. My personal experience was that at 2-3 weeks I could barely eat 1.5 oz. of food. Today I find I'm quite comfortable with 2.5 oz. of lean Protein -- maybe 3 oz. but that's pushing it. The amazing thing is that even with so little I'm perfectly satisfied. I used to still be hungry 5 minutes after finishing a big meal. Gotta love the difference. I used to love going to a great restaurant and having the Chef's tasting meal. Instead I'm just going to have to settle for being a normal size and enjoying an appetizer. I can definitely live with the trade-off.

@@CHM is absolutely right about how difficult it is to peel fresh eggs -- that could easily be your problem.

Hi AnaLiza -- I had my VSG on 4/28 and had the same nervousness and second guessing the day before. I think we all do! But now I'm 5 weeks out and happy as a clam. This is easy and my surgery was a piece of cake. I hope you have the same experience! You'll be amazed a month from now how much better you feel. You can do this! Hugs... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I agree the VSG pain wasn't much of an issue. I also had a small hernia repair so I can't distinguish between the two. I remember reading on this board that it felt like you had been punched in the stomach, but it resolved in a few days. That was a very good description! I was on a pain pump in the hospital (1 night) and went home with hydrocodone. By the end of the first day home I wasn't sure the meds made a difference. So day two I cut the pills in half and added a Tylenol. Felt fine. Day three I did Tylenol only--no problem. Day four I stopped the meds entirely. Not sure I ever needed them and within a week of returning home I really didn't have pain even when bending or getting out of bed. You'll do fine. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

@@Seastars I haven't had any reflux problems at all. I do take my omeprazole every morning as directed, but my surgeon says I can try skipping it when I'm about 2 months out. The big thing on the hiking and hydration is you don't want to get half way up a ridge or something, unknowingly dehydrated and then get into a heat crisis. It can come on you very quickly and hopefully you'll have someone with you because your judgement quickly becomes impaired. If you feel this coming on of course you need to get out of the sun, rest and hydrate! Perhaps too much information but I'm a former Army officer -- and I've seen it happen even to young healthy soldiers (often because they've been drinking the night before and are thus dehydrated) and it seems to come out of nowhere. Just don't put yourself at risk needlessly -- plan a nice safe hike that you can enjoy without overdoing it in those early weeks/months until you've had some experience with your new situation and know your new limits (if any). Have fun! You've inspired me -- I think I might walk around the local lake this evening, it's a beautiful spot!

You might want to plan some lovely hikes on level ground for the first month or so. I love to hike but don't think I could hydrate that much yet! Honestly my biggest problem early on was remembering to drink. I could only get in an ounce or two, then would get distracted and forget to drink for an hour or two. Practice sounds like a good idea...

@@Seastars I'm 5 weeks out. Clearly my stomach is no longer so swollen. Drinking water is no longer a problem. Keeping my workouts modest, but just finished 25 min. on the elliptical and drank 10 oz during that time. You'll be fine.

Thanks all--sounds like we have a trend here! Mine is an auto CPAP so I don't think it's the settings. I doubt I'll be able to get off CPAP even with weight loss--I had apnea even when I was close to what is now my goal weight. I do recommend that if you are prescribed one you use it--it does take some time to adjust but the health impact is worth it. Give the XyliMelts a try too--they're about 1 calorie so no worries there... I've also taken to keeping a glass of Water on my nightstand for the times I need it.

I'm a long-term CPAP user and it has really helped me. I have noticed a problem since my surgery however -- I've been waking up after a few hours with a bad case of "cotton mouth" -- completely dry. It reminds me of when I first started CPAP and wasn't keeping my mouth shut, but that hasn't been a problem for at least 10 years. I've started using the humidifier (which I didn't need before since we live in a humid area near the coast) and that didn't seem to help much. I have found a product called Xyli Melts which is helping somewhat. They're little Xylitol based tablets you stick between your gums and your cheek -- two at bedtime. They help you salivate more and last most of the night. (I found them on Amazon--recommended for dry mouth and CPAP users.) I'm thinking maybe this is an indication that I'm just not as well hydrated post-surgery. Anyone else have this problem or any ideas how to deal with it? Thanks.

Congrats! You should feel noticeably better each of the next few days. Welcome to the club!

@@OMW2Slim -- congrats. Good for you in making a wise decision! I also got the "you don't look like our usual patients" routine... @@tryingtobemybest -- congrats to you too. "Buyers remorse" is so common -- but you're already here and I think you'll be very happy with your choice in the long run. I'll bet you get that way when you buy a nice new car too -- then you come to love it in the coming weeks. I'm delighted with mine now. Yesterday was 4 weeks from my surgery, and I've already lost 29.5 pounds (and I'm firmly in the first "stall" but that's to be expected). I already feel so much better than I did before the surgery. I suspect you'll feel just the same quite soon. One thing I want to warn you about -- you mentioned your blood pressure. Are you still on bp meds? I think what happened to me is common: I was still taking my bp meds, and about 2 weeks after surgery (and 20 pounds down) my blood pressure dropped about 20 points and I thought that was great. Next day it was down to 90/60 or something and I wasn't feeling well. Spoke to my doc who took me off the bp meds immediately, and now by bp is at the textbook perfect levels I had 15 years ago! (I measure my bp at home daily). So if you're still on your meds look out for that. If you can monitor at home, great. In any event be sure to consult your doctor. May you both have the same easy recovery I've had!

One issue is lifting limitations after any abdominal surgery. Even though I had a laparoscopic procedure I was still told "no lifting over 10 lbs for two weeks and 20 lbs for another month". (Risk of hernia I assume) Talk to your surgeon but light cardio and weights should be OK but avoid anything that engages your abs too much for six weeks or so. Definitely ask your surgeon though--he/she will likely be very supportive.

I'm just under a month into the sleeved life but I'm very happy so far. One big thing is I no longer crave all the junk foods. I do enjoy the occasional diet peach Snapple though... As for Vitamin deficiencies you do need to take your Vitamins because you will eat so much less. With the sleeve there is no malabsorption so you shouldn't have a problem absorbing what you take. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin so it can be difficult to absorb with the bypass procedures. As you lose weight you may find you have less problem with Vitamin D. (Since it's fat soluble it tends to get absorbed by your fat instead of staying in the bloodstream and getting where it needs to go!). Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App