Mitten Phyllis

I am 18 days post op....and the last 4 days I have these pains in my abdomen....like muscle pain....so weird. No fever...when I am sitting no pain. Only when I move around. Any ideas?

Surgery date Feb 2nd. I was originally scheduled for December 10, but my work job couldn't work around my surgery time off until after year end (I am in accounting).

Just in the first week of my pre-op diet I have lost 16lbs. and my fasting BS has gone from 119 (pre-diabetic) to 89 (normal). I am stoked!! The fatigue, dizziness, and diarrhea stopped around day 4 and I am just enjoying feeling so well. I kept away from everyone on Thanksgiving so that I wouldn't be tempted. Since I'm a widow and my kids are grown and out of the house, I'm sure it's been easier for me than for those of you who have to cook for your families. I gained 90% of this weight over the last 7 years since my husband was killed by a drunk driver. I've always struggled to keep weight off but when I lost him I went into such a horrible depression that all I did was eat and sleep. It's time to get my life back. I'm only 48 years old and I want to chase my grand babies! With this surgery as a tool and God's help, I know I can!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

I felt so much worse on the pre-op diet than I have in the almost 3 weeks post op! If you can make it through pre-op you can make it through anything
Sent from my iPhone

Oh, friend, I know what you're going through. My bariatric center requires a 14 day liquid diet before surgery. I'm on Day 12. You're right, it is not fun, but it is doable. The thing is, if you are getting enough Protein, it's probably not your body that's hungry--it's your brain. If you drink some Protein every three hours or so, you shouldn't feel like you're starving. Every single day for the past 12 days, I've woken up and thought, "Today I will drink only protein shakes", and then follow through. I don't think about yesterday, or tomorrow, or the things I want and can't have, just about today and what I'm doing. Stay busy, drink them every 3 hours, and ignore the world.
There have been bad spots. I had massive headaches the first day or two because I was going through caffeine and sugar withdrawal. Took some Advil and powered through. Once I hit Days 3 & 4, I thought, "Okay, I can do this." By Day 10, I never wanted to see another Protein shake again, lol. The good news is, I don't have cravings any more, I don't have energy spikes and drops throughout the day, and I'm sleeping like a baby at night.
But the diet is important because it's shrinking your liver, which has to be lifted to get to your stomach (and that I'm sure you already know!) What has motivated me to maintain a perfect diet, though, is the knowledge that my doctor will make the first incision to determine the state of my liver, and if it's still too fatty (revealing my failure to follow instructions) then they will close up, and try it again another time after I've lost more weight. That terrifies me. I'm so afraid of waking up from anesthesia only to find nothing happened. I do NOT want to have to do this liquid nightmare again. So that is darn well keeping me in line.
I can't say that every doctor operates like that (literally!), but you may need to find out the consequences of not following the diet to help motivate you. And take it one day at a time. Today, drink the shakes. Tomorrow, drink the shakes. And if I may offer a gentle prod from a new friend in the same boat as you, if we can't even succeed in doing the pre-op work, then what hope have we of succeeding with the post-op lifestyle changes? food addiction has long, sharp, delicious little tentacles, and it can be a beast to fight your way out of them. But you can do it! Don't be scared! You're not alone! *thumbs up*

I'm not real good at looking away if you haven't noticed. Why? Because there are SO MANY LURKERS in this forum who are reading, reading, reading and if no one speaks up, they are absorbing bad advice and patronizing warm fuzzy validations.
Am I wasting my time? Absolutely. Am I ever going to win any popularity contests for having strong opinions and a big mouth? Probably not. (And I really don't care. I have real life friends who live outside my computer.) Did I get my fair share of finger shakes', eye rolls and kicks in the pants as I went through this process? YUP. Did I learn from those "meanies"? Without a doubt (and DANG I miss them!!) Was I always happy about it? NO FREAKING WAY. But I listened and ultimately, I earned back my health and a MUCH smaller number on the scale.
Giving myself permission to eat what I wanted against the advice of WWs and Jenny Craig and Atkins and South Beach and my doctor got me to 264 pounds. Clearly I **didn't** know my body best and caving to the head hunger and cravings did some permanent damage to my body that can never be undone.
So if even one person can be reached and jolted back into their new reality of WLS, FABULOUS. That's why I waste my time.

Hoping for December surgery, all hoops have been jumped through except final meet with surgeon,
which is scheduled for Nov 9th. So Late November/Early December? Hopefully.

Hoping for December surgery, all hoops have been jumped through except final meet with surgeon,
which is scheduled for Nov 9th. So Late November/Early December? Hopefully.

Drink one cup as soon as you get out of bed, pee and brush. Drink a second cup within the half hour. Right there you've got a good percentage of the day's goal. Getting the rest in will be much easier.

Buying and wearing matching bra and panty sets that are actually pretty.
Doing my toenails by myself.
Forgetting to eat.

Buying and wearing matching bra and panty sets that are actually pretty.
Doing my toenails by myself.
Forgetting to eat.

I go out as much as I want. I eat out out at restaurants a couple times a week at least. It's all about choices and what you order. High Protein apps or Entrees. Share something with a friend. Take what you can't eat home. Avoid carbs.... Get the veggie of the day instead of fries, skip the bread. My social life has never been more active and it is wonderful!!!! Driving home from 'socializing' as we speak. Had steamed shrimp appetizer as an entree and some of the hubby's veggies. Lol I will have shrimp omelet for Breakfast from my leftovers tomorrow.
WLS is about living not giving up your social life. You will need time to heal but after 4-6 weeks get back out there and enjoy the new you. Of course follow your surgeon's advice on alcohol consumption.