Isalithe

Bralettes are the way to go. One of my incisions was right under my boob and there's no way an underwire would work. Also, you might be too swollen to tolerate an underwire bra for a while.

I was terrified of being put under. I was nervous walking into the OR, but once I was laying on the (shockingly comfortable) table I was okay. They put a mask on my face and told me to take deep breaths. I was laying there after a few breaths going "well, this isn't going to work" and then I was waking up, being told everything went well and they were taking me to recovery. I have no fear now, knowing the process and seeing how many people were there solely to take care of me.

Only thing I really used was my phone and the charger. I wish I would have brought my own nonslip socks because the hospital ones were useless.

I didn't have one, I was kind of surprised when I got to have ice chips a few hours after surgery.

Oh. This might be why I'm waking up after a couple hours of sleep. Thank you for sharing!

I liked both the banana (think banana pudding with real bananas) and salted caramel.

If you don't sedate easily, let them know. I was awake, but loopy. Even then, it wasn't that bad. The drugs they give you are wonderful.

How i get out of bed without much pain is gently roll on my left side, pull my right knee up and hold it with my right arm. I use it as a weight to help get myself up. Most of the work is done by my arms, so there's only a minimal amount of stress on my stomach. I'm bad at describing things.

1. You may hate that Protein shake you loved before surgery. Be prepared. 2. Figure out how to get out of bed without using your core muscles much. Once I got that down, I was up walking so much more. 3. Take your Vitamins once you get the okay from your surgeon. I was told to take mine two days after surgery and I didn't until 11 days after. Don't do this. This is bad.

Getting up from a seated position was pretty bad for me. Remember to rely more on your arms to move you around. I managed recovery alone, for the most part.

Caffeine absolutely destroys me now. It's like I've never had it before. I miss it!

Gas x strips for sure. If I could go back, I'd bring a blanket.

I'm outside of Annapolis. My surgery was on November 22nd at Holy Cross Hospital with Dr. Cantor.

It does get better. What is toughest for you right now?

It was about a week after it was submitted to the committee that they called and scheduled my pre-op appointment and the surgery. I had about a month between the call and surgery. They'll want you to have a health assessment from your physician before surgery. That's pretty much the last hoop.

My surgery was on the 22nd. I'm exhausted. I spent yesterday in the hospital getting IV fluids because I clearly needed more than the 64oz recommended. My drain is out and I can now lay on my side if I hold a pillow to my stomach. There's no real pain, just some muscle soreness. I am so swollen though.

Yeah they really really really like to drag things out. I started this mess in august 2015 and I only had my surgery on the 22nd. Heaven help you if your weight fluctuates, then they want another 2 months.

I love it. I expected it to be awful, but it's really nice.

The whole process took over a year. When they tell you what you have to do, you have to follow it 100%. He is very very strict, but it's because he cares about your health. He's a bit... odd, but I think most surgeons are. I didn't lose very much weight to start, really. Mostly stress eating. I had to lose 7lbs total. The info sessions are by far the worst part of it. They are in the evening, usually at Holy Cross Hospital, and people like to ask things that have already been covered. Bring a drink, the room is miserably hot. The nutrionists are the people you'll see the most. You can try to schedule phone visits, as long as you agree to a weight check at a kaiser facility that week. You will be weighed every single time you are there. Even the first class. That is your starting weight. It was a decent experience. It was drawn out, but I understand why. If you have any questions at all, I'm happy to answer while it's fresh in my mind.

It was moderate for me. Gas pain in my shoulder was the majority of my pain. It felt like I was being stabbed every time I breathed. The rest of the pain is general soreness, mostly from muscles and learning how to get out of that damn bed. First day was crappy, second day was better. I was fine the third day when I was at home. Still had muscle pain, but it's not bad.

I've been living in bralettes. Underwires aren't happening for a while.

I had my surgery with Dr. Cantor on the 22nd. Are there other options now? When I went through approval he was it.

Buy samplers! This is the best way to try new teas. If you hate it, you only have a couple bags instead of a whole box. Numi teas has a really nice box that I'm working my way through now. The Stash holiday teas right now are good. If you're going to try Republic of Tea, try the ginger peach. They also have some nice holiday teas.

Ordering through their website was an absolute disaster. I got spammed (30+) with order confirmations, but they never sent it. I asked for a refund if they weren't going to send it, they gave me one instantly and then sent the package the next day. Never again.

About 30 minutes. The huge surveys are par for the course when seeing a new mental health provider. They want you to be as stable as possible when you go through this because it's a huge change. I have severe depression and a history of eating disorders, but since it's all controlled, I was good.