Diana_in_Philly

Try varying temperatures. I found that some days the water needed to be ice cold not to hurt. Other days, it had to be room temp. Somedays, warm. Experiment. That chest pain will go away. Be patient.

I slept on my side in the hospital. That wasn't something my team told me, but try putting a pillow under your knees, that might help with the back pain. Your team must have a reason. (Or call the office to find out why.)

This could be a combination of sugar and caffeine withdrawal. Also, make sure you are drinking enough water, as both of those can be symptoms of dehydration. Take Tylenol for your headache, assuming there is no medical reason for you not to take it. Make sure the liquid diet you are doing is giving you enough protein, that will make you crabby, too. Good luck.

Depends on the doc who did it. In my case, it was three weeks because the doc left for vacation the day after we met. Others who saw the same doc had the report in about a week to 10 days.

I had surgery on a Tuesday. Was out of the hospital on Wednesday. On Saturday, I was at the Y riding a recumbent bike for an hour. Slowly, but riding. By 3 weeks out, I was cleared to swim. Between then, I had started lifting lighter weights (nothing more than 25 pounds) and doing at least 30 minutes of cardio a day - usually recumbent bike because it was easy on my knees.

Check for names with your program. My psych eval was not covered by my insurance, but my team referred me to a group where I paid $80 for my eval. Not horrible. But that was one of the few large costs I had for this and getting that approval was worth every cent.

Please call your doctor's office and leave a message for your doc about your issue. He may have a simple answer for you, but without calling the office, you won't know. At my group, these kinds of things are handled by the nurse practitioner who usually gets back to us very quickly.

They are these great little cups - 4 ounces, 140 calories and 14 grams of protein. Tasty, too. Sometimes I'll make a wrap with Damascus Bakeries high protein whole wheat wraps - but I usually can only eat half.

I'm a year out. So my lunch may be different than yours just from where we are on surgery dates -- 1.5 cups of mixed green salad 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette dressing 1 4-ounce container of the low-fat cranberry almond chicken salad that they sell in 8 packs at Costco (because its easy to transport.) That will be my lunch. I also pack a morning and afternoon snack. My morning snack was a Sargento Balanced Break (those little things with the cheese and nuts). Afternoon snack will be Oikos Triple Zero if I get hungry. Had a protein shake for breakfast this morning (Fairlife Skim - 8 ounces, 3/4 cup tropical frozen fruit, scoop of protein powder - 235 Cal. and 31 grams protein) and black coffee I will fence for about 2.5 hours tonight for my exercise. My lunches are pretty boring because I don't have access to either a fridge or a microwave at work, so I pack what will work in my little insulated lunch box. I find if I stay with the same thing (I'm only in the office 2 days a week) it makes it easier.

You're doing great. There are going to be ups and downs. Some months will be better than others. You are 5 months out and made amazing progress. Be proud of what you have achieved!

I think many people have some anxiety right before surgery - a week or so - because it's getting "real". It is still surgery with all the risks and anesthesia - both of which have real risks. While I know some say they never got nervous or panicky, I did. And I've had 2 c-sections, ankle reconstruction, multiple arthroscopic surgeries to knees, removal of part of a thyroid, and another abdominal surgery prior to this. I'm no stranger to the surgical suite -but I was concerned. You've got this. Deep breaths. It will be fine. Best of luck.

I've been fluctuating between 172-176 for the last three months. Can't get below 172, but the way my clothes are fitting is changing. Today, I put on a pair of size 9 juniors Levis that were my daughters -- I haven't been this size since I was in high school 40 years ago. But I'm frustrated, too. I have my 1 year check up in a week and I'm my own worst critic, so I'm concerned that my team will be disappointed. Work the plan. It will work. Be patient. You've got this.

Want to relate a funny story. Was at a birthday party for the mother of a friend. A mutual acquaintance was there - she is a good friend of the daughter hosting (I'll call her Karen). I've known Karen casually over the course of the last 20 years. I hadn't seen her in about a year as we only see each other when this mutual friend hosts events. She came up to me and introduced herself. I looked at her and said - Karen - it's Diana - we've spent quite a bit of time together. She was completely flabbergasted, turned around and walked away, I guess not knowing what to say. FWIW, it made me laugh because I never liked the beeotch anyway. It was good to see her embarrass herself. She was always very thin and very critical of anyone with an extra pound on them - she was sure it was because they were lazy. I don't have time for that kind of negativity in my life.

I usually ask for a to-go box as soon as my entree arrives and then put half of it (at least) in the box as soon as it arrives at the table. That becomes lunch or dinner over the next few days. Or if I don't want to be carrying around a to-go box, I order an appetizer as my "entree". Usually, they are sized just right.

I have had a Vit D deficiency for years pre surgery - still take 10000 IUs a day - While I was not dangerously low, I'm always at the very low end of normal and it didn't affect my surgery.

I think the thing for me that has ben the craziest is my bra sitting firmly against my sternum. I can't remember the last time that happened.

I had to travel for about a week 6 weeks out when my mom died and we had to do the big Italian funeral. At 6 weeks, I had been cleared to eat most foods. I stayed at a hotel with a mini-fridge. I bought Oikos Triple Zero and brought along Premier Protein pre-mixed shakes, which I would mix with a couple of shots of espresso in the morning over ice. As for lunch and dinner - I would order a child's portion (usually explain at the restaurant that I was on a restricted diet due to surgery) or share something with one of my kids - I would eat 2 or 3 ounces of protein and a bite or two of vegetables. I always carried a water bottle. Really, it wasn't much of an issue. I worked out in the hotel gym.

I didn't tell work, other than I was having a surgical procedure and would need to be out for a short time. When I was asked what the surgery was, I reminded my law firm that it is against the law for them to inquire as to what the procedure was and I was happy to provide a note from my doctor stating how long I had to be out. That pretty much ended that discussion. When people asked, I just said I was having some abdominal surgery and would be out. I had surgery on Tuesday and was back to work the following Monday. (Your mileage my vary). When people commented on my new eating habits, I just said that the diet I was following was prescribed by my physician as a part of my surgical recovery. Best of luck. (If you can push the surgery to semester break, it might be a better idea - it would give you time and then you could avoid questions completely. But that's up to you and your surgeon.)

I did at both 6 and 9 months post op, but I'm over the 3 gallon mark, lifetime, with Red Cross. I'm an O neg and get called every 6 weeks. I drank extra water both before and after and brought my own "snack" that was protein rather than the juice and cookies that are usually offered. At 9 months I did packed red blood cells. Check with your team, but I think a lot of it has to do with how your body reacted to donating blood before surgery.

The first three or four days suck. You just have to power through those first few days then it gets so much easier. You've got this. Keep your eyes on the prize.

You are eating too fast and not chewing enough. Slow down. Cut one tiny piece of food. Put it in your mouth. Chew 25-40 times. Put your fork down. Do not cut a second piece. Wait 40-60 seconds before taking your next bite. That's why you feel like you are going to puke.

My standard response: I eat 60-90 grams of protein a day, I have pretty much eliminated bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar and rice from my diet. I work out for at least an hour 5 days a week I work with a medical team and a trainer. I drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. All of that is true. None of it mentions my surgery but it enough that people go - oh - I could never give up . . . insert item here. I told my husband, two teen daughters and two best friends. Did not tell my mother or my sister. I'm one year out next week.

Assuming you are in the US, no one needs to know why you are out. Your immediate supervisors only need to know how long you will be out. Therefore, you need to come up with a stock answer. " I'm having some health issues and need to take some time off. Thank you for your concern, but I do not wish to discuss it outside my family. " If they push, ask if they had sex the night before. When they freak, you can explain that you view your personal health information the same way they view their sex life - as a private matter which no one is entitled to ask about. Trust me. It works. Particularly with the do-gooder types who say they just want to offer help. Generally shuts them down. Best of luck.

Notice - I didn't say it was wrong for him. I said how it appeared to me. If that is what his team is telling him, then he should do what they say. My point was just because you can test limits and eat carbs and sugar doesn't mean you should do it. Relating my experience with those things. No judgment.

At 10 weeks, you should be eating everything (except bread/rice/pasta). If veggies were put on my plate, I'd push them away. Depending on what was being served, I would ask that sauces be put on the side (same with salad dressing). It is very important to be conscious of cutting off your drinking as outlined by your team ahead of your meals and after your meals -- probably the toughest thing for me at first was not having a cup of coffee after a meal. At these kinds of events, if they do a continental breakfast in the morning, do make sure you have either a shake or hard boiled egg or some other protein before you go past the continental breakfast and keep some cheese sticks with you to snack on. Same goes for the afternoon break - just have a cup of coffee and chat - avoid those platters of cookies. I spent three days out of town 6 weeks out for my mother's funeral -- a big Italian job with tons of food and pasta and survived by making smart choices where I could and just pushing food around on my plate when I couldn't -- no one noticed I wasn't really eating. Best of luck!