hopekate

I thought I was the only one craving popcorn!

My surgery was April 3rd, too. I've lost 39 pounds since surgery. I think you are doing great! I keep telling myself that slow loss may help my skin not sag (I don't know if that's true or not). It makes me feel better anyway [emoji4] I have been in a stall for three weeks. It's weird though because my measurements are changing despite the stuck numbers on the scale. It's like the scale takes forever to catch up to my changing body. I wish you luck[emoji256] HW: 277 SW: 240 CW: 201 GW: 140

I have a season pass to an amusement park (Waldameer in Erie PA) and I'm 3 months post-op. It's five minutes from my house, so I go all of the time. I still go on all of the rides, and the food is a non issue. No motion sickness. The rides are way more fun than thinking about food! I still love the smells of the fair-type food, but it's more like smelling roses to me. I love that I don't have to worry about fitting into rides like I did last year. Sweet Freedom!

Thank you so much for the encouragement! I noticed during my tour of the school that three different teachers offered to share their healthy snacks; they are so kind and considerate. A mini fridge is a great idea. I'm impressed that you were back to work so soon! It sounds like you have a great group of fellow teachers

I applied and was hired as a high school teacher for this fall! I'm three months post-op and am very nervous about shopping for new clothes when the time comes. Also, my department eats lunch together, so I'm wondering how that will work out. I have to move to another state for this job, so I'll be alone for about 9 months before my family joins me. I'm so excited, scared, nervous, and happy!

After speaking to the nurse, they wanted to see me asap. The doctor had me go in for a scope yesterday. I had a stricture and gastritis. They used a ballon to expand the tight spot. The only thing that hurt when I work up was my eye. Somehow I got a scratch during surgery! They gave me some antibiotic numbing drops and sent me home. I am now on Carafate 4x a day. I am so hopeful and ready to get back on track.

I am 7 weeks out, and for almost a week and a half now my ability to eat has taken a nosedive. Before, I was eating the suggested potion sizes. Now, I can barely eat a few bites before feeling like I ate a horse. I am following all of my surgeons rules about liquids, too. I hope to speak with a nurse tomorrow. This stinks [emoji30]

I woke up from surgery with a binder on and wore it for two weeks.

The nurse told me that Carafate coats and protects the stomach and prevents ulcers. It's a pink liquid.

I wish the dr would have told me about the 2x a day prescription liquid medicine Carafate I have to take for three months. The directions say take an hour before eating or 3 hours after eating, and you can't take it with vitamins or acid reducers like Prilosec or dexilant. I'll be glad when it's gone! Yuck.

My doctor has his patients eat honey in the hospital after surgery and encourages us to continue after returning home. It made my throat feel so much better after surgery!

I did not have a pre approval. Perhaps it depends on the particular plan. I have Highmark commercial through my husbands employer here in Erie. The only thing I did was to call Highmark to make sure they covered gastric surgeries. After that, the doctor's office took care of the rest. I was sooooo happy that they dropped the six months!!

My dr office didn't know that Highmark changed their policy about the six month wait, so four months in I found out about the change thanks to this forum! I called the office and they submitted my paperwork right away. I believe it was less than a week to get approved. I received the approval from Highmark via mail and had to let the office know.

I have Highmark and was approved in March and had no problem. It took under a week. Good luck![emoji256]

I woke up from surgery with a binder on. For me, it helped when getting in and out of bed or chairs at first. Also, I had a funny sensation that my insides were shifting the first week or so when I walked. The binder helped stabilize my jiggly belly so the incisions wouldn't pull or move. I decided to remove my binder for good at the end of week two. Good luck!!

You look fantastic!!!Your black dress with the sparkles on the top is beautiful. That would be my dream New Years Eve dress [emoji4]

About ten years ago, I lost over a hundred pounds. I had severe chest pain that went undiagnosed for a year. My family doctor sat me down and told me it was all in my head and to stop complaining (I was so mad)! The hospital thought I was looking for drugs (I don't even drink). Convinced that I was dying, I moved back to my hometown and went to the ER. They drew a simple blood test and knew right away that my liver tests were off the charts. They had me back in the hospital to remove my gallbladder. It was infected and contained over 60 stones!! Not too long afterwards, my old family dr that told me to stop complaining lost her license- I don't know the exact reason but good. She almost killed me.

I stayed three nights due to the pain, low oxygen, sleepy bladder, and my inability to drink 40 oz in a day.

I wore the hospital gown and was in the hospital for 4 days. The nurse would help me shower in the morning and give me a new robe. I was also catheterized after surgery because the anesthesia put my bladder to sleep (not my first time experiencing this). I recommend bringing a robe for walks. I used medical tape to make sure my gown was security closed in the back lol The other thing I really liked was having dry mouth spray. Good luck on your surgery!!! It will be here before you know it

I have yet to reach my Water or Protein goals, but each day gets better. My tastes have changed so much. I loved cottage cheese, but now it just tastes like rotten milk. I really like my chocolate Premier Protein shakes, but they make me incredibly nauseous after drinking just a few ounces. I can't figure out why. Even tried hot, cold, or warm temps. The weird sensations from my sleeve have disappeared, thank goodness. No more internal movement or poking. My incisions seem more painful because my activity has increased. Oddly, I think most of my pain is from an irritated nerve just at the skin surface; the burning feeling skin is right around my biggest incision and includes a completely numb area. It's not red or infected. Weird! I can now drink at a more normal rate instead of mini sips. Ice Water seems to help me drink more. I even add ice to my skim milk. I am down 11 pounds since surgery. I'm still in the same size zone. Hopefully next week at my follow up the numbers will get better. It's surprising how the body holds on to weight. Cheers to our two weeks out!

I use prescription Voltaren gel for pain. It is like (or is?) ibuprofen but topical. I don't know if it would help for cramps though. I hope you feel better!

I had this problem after dropping over 100 pounds about ten years ago. Went from 230-118. My doctor had no answers- it was a nightmare! She said something about it being broken and then having it removed, so I never went back. (She lost her medical license shortly after). The pain went away when I gained weight. From what little research I've done, it seems to be linked to changing posture after dropping weight. This time, I will see my physical therapist before it gets out of hand like last time. I hope you feel better!

My instructions say no gum because it could cause a blockage if swallowed.

I'm almost three weeks out and not driving. My incisions (7) make me a bit slow; I'm afraid to drive with hampered reflexes.

Thanks for the suggestion! I am ready to move beyond water and chocolate premier protein. I'm hoping actual food protein will settle my stomach (especially in the purée stage). I cleaned out my freezer today. It was the most time Ive spent in the kitchen for three weeks! I totally understand passing through the kitchen and feeling that pull to grab something. Now I look at the food and think "eh". I'm going to pick up the oikos, some fat free cheese, refried fat free beans, fat free cottage cheese, and eggs for next week. I feel nowhere ready for the next stage, but just in case I want to have everything in the fridge! My husband and teenager already ate my stockpile of fat free pudding and other sleeve friendly foods I bought ahead of time. It's annoying because the whole pantry and kitchen is full of their "normal" food. I guess that's another topic all together lol