ahappycamper

I have been taking half the prescribed dose at night before bed, as I tend to have more pain at the end of the day. Tonight I'm going to substitute extra strength Tylenol to see if that helps. Thanks for the tip! This brain fog has GOT to go! Sent From BariatricPal App

Last night I went to a cafe to do some homework. I was climbing the walls and so bored. It was great to get out, but there was a lot of brain fog to work through. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Definitely think I will be waiting before I go out again if I can help it. I have class on Tuesday and I really shouldn't miss it, but I may have to. Today I'm sleeping as much as possible to make amends with my body for taking it out on a joyride before it was ready lol Sent From BariatricPal App

I've lost* Sent From BariatricPal App

November 2015 I was at my highest weight of 343lbs. By the end of January 2016, I'd had my first appointment with my surgical team to start this process and weighed 330lbs. It is now November 28, 2016 and I had my vsg done 6 days ago. Today I weighed 268lbs. Only 5 of those pounds were lost after my surgery. I've love 75lbs total in one year, and 70lbs strictly on my own (which I'm most proud of). The last time I weighed 268lbs was nearly 6 years ago. Sent From BariatricPal App

Thank you all for your responses! This has been very reassuring! I've been awake more today and even left the house and drove for the first time! It's great being out, but as I came to a cafe to do work for school, I realized how difficult it was to focus. Lots of brain fog! I'm plugging away, but definitely a little frustrating. Thankfully, it sounds like it improves with time! Sent From BariatricPal App

Im also 4 days out, but I have read that it varies for everyone. Some people have it for a few days to a week, others for more than one week. Are you walking much? Taking any Gas-X chewable tablets or dissolving strips? Both those things help me a lot. The more you walk, the faster the gas breaks up is my understanding. Sent From BariatricPal App

So very happy to have found this thread! I'm on day 4 post-op and started noticing some cramp-like pains in my calves and the side/back of my thighs right above my knees. There were no obvious signs of blood clots (per the paperwork I was given), thankfully, but no one mentioned this possibility to me. Getting my liquids in has been a struggle thus far. That's pretty common from what I understand, but I'm hoping to remedy that. I've found that sugar-free popsicles have helped some. Up until this evening my pain (both from the gas and the being stabbed five times and having one of my organs split in half) had been quite bad, so I was taking the higher suggested dosage of pain medication which made me sleep a lot. This cut down on my waking hours, which meant there was less time to get my liquids in. Thankfully, I believe the worst of the pain is over. Another day with the dosage cut by 3/4 and I hope I'll be ready to ditch them completely. Being groggy and tired is the worst. Once I can figure out how to get more fluids in, I'm hoping my legs will be less sore. @@Dub That's really impressive that by day 3-4 you were drinking so much! May I ask if there was some sort of method to your drinking madness? Did you time your sips or mark how much you had to drink each hour? I've only once felt full since the surgery, and that was from eating an extra half a popsicle. It passed in about 40 minutes. Other than that, I'm actually not sure how much I'm able to drink per hour. My medical team gave me a sleeve of 30mL cups and told me I could have one per hour maximum to begin with and could work my way up to more as I felt comfortable. I've been very, very careful about how much and how quickly I ingest and make a point to wait 10-15 minutes between pairs of sips. If I take 3-4 tiny sips close together, I wait 30-40 minutes. There have been no problems with keeping anything down and I have a number of methods via which to take in Protein. My fluids stay with me all day and in my mind, I'm sipping often, but I see its clearly not as often as it ought to be. I think I'm just being overly cautious, perhaps? For me, my problem seems to be a timing/frequency issue and a treading too lightly issue. I found an app for timing how often we take a bite of food and that seems like it has great potential, I'm just not totally sure how to determine how much I can hold in this new stomach and how long it takes to pass through so I don't make myself sick. How do you feel about the rest of your recovery? Did the leg soreness return? Sent From BariatricPal App

You've got this! Sending love your way! Sent From BariatricPal App

Thanks for reminding me. I need to pick up a pack before Friday.It didn't help me day 2, but I'm about to try it again. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I found I had to take them much more often than the recommended dose. My surgeon didn't have a problem with it, but I'd definitely check with yours so they're aware. I'm going home today, thankfully. I feel much, much better compared to yesterday. I wasn't sure yesterday would ever end, but it did. Just kept reminding myself that time takes time. How are you feeling today? Sent From BariatricPal App I'm 6 days post-op and you're definitely a happier camper than me. My doctor's office doesn't mind about gas-x. I bought two boxes but since they didn't help at the beginning I sort of wrote them off. Do you take them regardless or when you're uncomfortable? BTW, I hate mint, so it's a big deal to put one on my tongue So glad you are going home today! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I'm so sorry to hear you're struggling, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I was taking 2-4 at a time regardless, but now that I'm having a little less gas build up, I've been taking just one every few hours. If I start to feel more build up, I'll take one or two every couple of hours until it subsides. I hope you start to feel better really soon! Sent From BariatricPal App

I'm going just my feet fell asleep while I was going and prevented me from getting of the toilet because I can't use my abdomen because of the pain Sent from my HTC6525LVW using the BariatricPal App My team was very adamant that I stay on top of my pain medication, because, as they said "once it builds back up, it's difficult to get it under control again." I'm two days out, still taking my pain and nausea meds, and wearing a binder while also bracing my stomach with my hands as I walk. They give us the pain meds for good reason. One of our organs just got sliced in half and we got stabbed in the belly a whole bunch. It's okay to still rely on the medication to take the edge off, that's what it's there for. Also, if your body is tense and freaking out from being in pain, your body can't use that energy to also heal itself. Please be good to yourself, be careful, and get lots of rest and protein! Sent From BariatricPal App

I have been using a velcro binder thing that goes around my waist, and that helped me. Yesterday I couldn't walk until I had it. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like what works for me has worked for you so far. Are you keeping up with your pain meds? Sent From BariatricPal App

Thanks for reminding me. I need to pick up a pack before Friday.It didn't help me day 2, but I'm about to try it again. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I found I had to take them much more often than the recommended dose. My surgeon didn't have a problem with it, but I'd definitely check with yours so they're aware. I'm going home today, thankfully. I feel much, much better compared to yesterday. I wasn't sure yesterday would ever end, but it did. Just kept reminding myself that time takes time. How are you feeling today? Sent From BariatricPal App

What kind of pain are you experiencing? Is it from your abdomen or?? Thanks in advance Sent from my SM-G928F using the BariatricPal App Abdominal and gas pain. My nurse warned me, but I was really surprised how tough today has been. I spent most of it crying or in spasms from the pain. I'll be going home tomorrow presumably. Sent From BariatricPal App

Not going to lie, my post-op Day 2 has been HELL. The pain has been worse, I'm doubly exhausted, and the transition to swallowing pills before they even had me swallowing Water was nuts. I'll get through, but wow! Thankfully yesterday was a good day and kind of balances out today. I will probably stay another night at the hospital as I'm honestly not at all ready to be on my own yet and there will be no one to help me tomorrow, so I should get as much as I can here. Sent From BariatricPal App

Hi there I just had my surgery yesterday, the 22nd. When I first woke up, I was in a lot of pain in my stomach from the incisions and the gas, but the majority of it was taken care of within an hour. Unfortunately, the gas pain in my stomach is still frequent and painful, even if I am keeping up with my pain pump. I've been burping non-stop, but it helps. Yesterday my incisions and actual stomach hurt less because of the anesthesia and shock, but this morning I am hurting more. My nurse told me to expect this, so I was prepared -- it just stinks. Though, overall, the pain is not the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. It's just very unusual, consistent, and uncomfortable. I had to wait a while before I could walk as all the nurses and staff were busy, and my hospital considers all patients who had anesthesia to be high fall risk patients and can only walk when with one of the staff until determined otherwise. I've only been permitted to have ice chips until now and will be moving to Water, broth, and a bariatric shake today. No idea how I'm going to get that down, but I'll figure it out! I've really felt quite well, and think this has been a lot easier thus far than I had expected since I'd never had any surgeries before. You'll do great, but I totally relate to the nerves! I was really nervous before but it was mostly for naught! Best of luck to you! Let us know how it goes for you! Sent From BariatricPal App

Have you looked into whether you are permitted to use crystal light flavor packets or those Water flavor drops by Mio? I'm one day post- op and am allowed to use those once I can have sips of water instead of just ice chips. Sent From BariatricPal App

Yep, I wanted to document as much of this as I could for the future! I'm also not really into cable TV and my phone has my amazon prime, kindle, and netflix, so ** Not that I felt like watching anything lol. I've mostly been visiting with family and nurses, walking, and drifting off. This is great advice, thank you! I've been doing this and it really has helped! Sent From BariatricPal App

Today is Saturday and my surgery is Tuesday. I've been so busy with school, my volunteer work, and more school that I haven't quite had time to entirely process how soon this thing is going down. This is my first surgery of any kind, so partially the surrealism comes from not knowing what happens once I'm in the hospital. (Obviously, I've read all my paperwork and can see on paper what will occur, but to me that is different than knowing from personal experience.) Additionally, I'm discovering that I'm a little afraid. I have some anxiety issues that tend to crop up at the dentist and, as I discovered this summer before I went under for my endoscopy, when it comes time for anesthesia. I think my very little experience being a patient in hospitals paired with my dad and boyfriend both dying in hospitals a few years ago creates anxiety around the prospect of not waking up. Did anyone else experience any of this, the surrealism or fear? Did you find something to help you quell those concerns and anxieties? My late boyfriend was actually an RN. He had the utmost faith in the team of medical professionals caring for him and he instilled in me that faith (though, never, ever blind). I try to focus on that, that these people are well-trained, dedicated, and caring individuals who will do everything they can to give me the best treatment. Sometimes focusing on this helps, but sometimes not. I'm just looking to hear what others' experiences were. Thanks! Sent From BariatricPal App

Thank you! It is! I went in at 7:30am and was finished by 9:50am or so. Woke up with LOTS of pain (by my standards, which are low because I rarely ever have pain of any kind, but tummy pain turns me into a big baby), but it's mostly been taken care of by the pain killers. The gas pain is pretty intense in my belly still, and they don't have me up walking yet. Sent someone to find gas-x dissolving strips. Hopefully it'll help. Tomorrow I go home and life will be forced to fall in line under my new management! I really appreciate you asking! Sent From BariatricPal App I have a low tolerance for pain also. I bought the gas x chewable. I need to find the strips before my surgery. I know that's right. Hey we have to stick together on this new journey Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App I believe mine were found at CVS, but they have been SUCH a life saver, so if you don't find them right away you should definitely keep looking if you can. The gas pain seems to be the worst, but sitting up, burping, and these strips help! How are you feeling about your upcoming surgery? Sent From BariatricPal App

Congratulations!!! That's so exciting! Keep us updated Sent From BariatricPal App

Good luck to the November 23ers out there! You'll all do great! We're here with you! Sent From BariatricPal App

OH! Don't know if you all know about them, but the thing I found to help the gas pain that worked the best are Gas-X strips that dissolve on the tongue. I found mine at CVS near the antacids, but have seen them at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc. Sent From BariatricPal App

How are you doing? I hope everything went well! Sent From BariatricPal App How did it go? Doing okay? Sent From BariatricPal App 21st in OklahomaHow's recovery going? Feeling okay? Sent From BariatricPal App How was your surgery? Hope everything went well! Sent From BariatricPal App Just had mine today! How are you doing with yours? Sent From BariatricPal App

Thank you! It is! I went in at 7:30am and was finished by 9:50am or so. Woke up with LOTS of pain (by my standards, which are low because I rarely ever have pain of any kind, but tummy pain turns me into a big baby), but it's mostly been taken care of by the pain killers. The gas pain is pretty intense in my belly still, and they don't have me up walking yet. Sent someone to find gas-x dissolving strips. Hopefully it'll help. Tomorrow I go home and life will be forced to fall in line under my new management! I really appreciate you asking! Sent From BariatricPal App

I'd love to do this! Sent From BariatricPal App