Little Green

I will be googling nerve root overstimulation very shortly to compare my symptoms! Haha, thank you sweet lady. I will surely be so proud (I am already am) and ready to cheer you onto the slim and narrow weigh!

sleeping in the bed was... ok. I had a tremendous amount of pain getting into position (on my side with my upper body twisted toward the pillow - I know, I know) but I slept roughly 4.5 hours once I got there. However, once I woke up I couldn't get back to sleep in any position I tried. So I came out here to the recliner to try and catch another 2-3 hours but now I'm awake! I might try to nap a little bit later. Right now just sitting here sipping some Water. Hey, maybe I should start a Protein Shake so I don't have to play catch-up like yesterday haha.

My RNY is still happy, I think, but today I've been feeling kind of weird. Not quite nauseated, not quite crampy, not quite bloated... some kind of mix. Things seem normal - I had two normal bowel movements today. I am having spotting/bleeding although that's been going on for nearly a week now. The nerve pain I was discussing before is much less today. The only feedback I get from eating or drinking is occasional burps. Everything seems just fine and getting better, except I'm feeling blah. Not really sure what's going on. Maybe lack of sleep? I did nap later in the morning but I don't think I felt particularly rested today.
I am having trouble getting in all my fluids and Protein on a regular schedule because of my disinterest in food. I've been hitting at or just below my goals (usually only miss by 5g) but I have to do a fair amount of sipping at night to make up the difference I miss during the day. Starting tomorrow I am going to pour out my Protein Shake into a glass - I am thinking I will do half a bottle at a time - so that I have a visual guide of how much I've had and how much I need to go. And maybe I will split up the day into quadrants. 7am-10am, 10-1pm, 1pm-4pm, 4pm-7pm and try to drink at least one half of a protein shake during each quadrant.
When I say "try to drink" I don't mean I'm having trouble getting the Protein Shakes down. Again, today's weirdness notwithstanding, my belly seems happy. Nothing hurts going down or tries to come back up and I don't have any sense of hunger or fullness yet so I don't hit a wall or anything. Maybe I'm just mentally tired of protein shakes and that's why I conveniently "forget" I have an open one sitting next to me for hours at a time. Because I am definitely excited about purees, lol. HUMMUS, REFRIED Beans, oatmeal, Peanut Butter, COME TO MAMA!!!
I wanted to make it until Friday before weighing myself, but because I'm feeling kind of crappy tonight I went ahead. I've lost 15 pounds since surgery day! I am 11 days post-op so that's a pretty crazy number, but makes sense in the context of my weight. It's hard to feel that great about it since the reason is because I'm literally starving, hahaha, but I'm happy to be getting the weight loss honeymoon started and looking forward to eating again soon!

Today's been my most normal day since pre-op life. It is SO NICE TO BE HOME OMG.
We went out and ran errands earlier... for the most part I was ok, a little tired and overheated at one point, but feeling pretty good. However, about halfway through our trip to Home Depot my belly started screaming at me. Maybe the combination of walking and pushing a cart? I'm actually not convinced it's the same pain I was feeling before - I think my plan to help heal that deep, ripping pain really did work. This is in the same area, but it seems closer to the surface and it's almost like a fiery, burning, stinging pain. I don't think I've ever had nerve pain so I don't know if that's what it feels like but that's kind of what my brain wants to call it. The pain, when it happens, tracks along a narrow curved band of numbness that I have from my belly button to the left side of my waist. So maybe something related to those nerves coming back? No idea. As of last night I do know that I cannot bear to inject Lovenox on that side because it sets off the fiery pain in a very intense way. So there must be something going on there. I'm not sure the office is open tomorrow for the holiday but I'll call Tuesday and get some counsel.
I have so much more movement than I did before - sitting and standing are both almost completely pain-free. Bending over is easier as long as I facilitate the movement with my legs somehow - like widening my stance or kicking my left leg back. Bending over at the waist with feet in normal stance is still not okay. I'm much more able to stretch (my back is thanking me) and make quick movements. So I know that it's 10 days post-op and I'm still talking about my pain but I truly have made a lot of progress and I'm pain-free most of the day. Yesterday I had one small dose of pain meds after the vacuuming issue but today I've had none and don't plan to. Yay!
I'm a little nervous because I plan to try and sleep in the bed tonight. My mom's recliner was much more comfortable to sleep in than mine, lol. sleeping in the bed last time (I think it was last Tuesday) was, I believe, how I set myself back so far pain-wise because every position and change of position made my belly feel like it was ripping apart. So I'm warily trying again and if I can't get comfortable in a reasonable amount of time I'll try something else so I don't cause a flare-up again!
So, surgery-wise... I have been bad today - I've only had half a Premier Protein shake to eat. Gah, I know! Don't flay me! I have been hydrating well, though. I'm going to catch up on the shake with another shake and some Protein Water. I just have zero interest in eating for the most part. Interestingly, last night while we were watching TV I caught the "munchies" (drinkies?) and had some Jello and broth which helped a bit.
I'm getting a little tempted to weigh myself at this point, mostly because I bought a new scale that measures body composition, but I really want to hold out until Friday morning to get a true 2-week reading. I'm nervous! It could be something small like 8-10 pounds or it could be something massive like 25-30 pounds, I just have no idea! So exciting!!!! Eeeek!
Hmmm... everything else is still the same. No nausea, no vomiting, pretty regular BMs (almost daily at this point), no gas, no issues with incisions, no problems taking in fluids. My RNY seems very happy.

Home now! I can definitely see why I wanted to recover at Mom's. It's so difficult to stop myself from taking care of my husband and stuff around the house just by second nature or unconsciously. Unfortunately despite not helping with unloading the car, I did enough running around - including unthinkingly bending over to vacuum with our little handheld vac - that my belly started protesting again. Not quite as loudly or painfully as a few days ago, so I'm still happy about my progress, but enough for me to know I need to sit down for a bit and keep taking it easy. So my husband (I guess I'll call him Mr. Green for ease of readability in the future) is unpacking as best he can and loading up the fridge with my shakes and Protein waters. Love him
It's so good to be home! Thanks to the holiday, Mr. Green and I have the next two full days to be together in the quiet - no one working from home, no cats running around. Just the two of us. So happy!
Sorry for the endless posts. I'll just keep shouting into the void here, it's nice to journal and maybe it will help someone some day.

Going home in the morning!
And you guysssss... it's working! I took some Tylenol and moved very cautiously today and did the best I could to avoid any ripping pains. And it's working! Tonight I was able to stand up twice without any pain at all! I'm still going to take it easy for another day or so but YAY! I'm on my way to being pain-free!!!!

YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!! This thread! I'm thrilled and honored to be in the presence of you ladies. I honestly feel like it's a totally different experience when you have a BMI above 50 and sometimes there is so little to relate to when reading about smaller women's journeys, no matter how hard you try.
My highest known weight is 381 - I had stopped drinking soda and started trying to change my diet about two weeks before I saw that number so I'm assuming it was higher, 385+ at least. My BMI was 58, I believe. I weighed 367 when I first met with the surgeon and 342 on surgery day. No idea what I weigh right now but I'll know Friday
It's difficult to realize you need to lose 220+ pounds (the same weight as some women who have WLS!) in order to be a healthy weight, and particularly depressing when you look at statistics that say you'll likely only lose 70% of your excess weight.
Honestly, I like being "big and tall." I would really like to have a normal BMI for health reasons, but I don't expect or desire a "slim" silhouette. My secret wish is to play roller derby and I would love to have a solid, strong body with big skating thighs and hips I can bodycheck people with My only concern is my health, my fitness, and my mobility.

My RNY is still happy, I think, but today I've been feeling kind of weird. Not quite nauseated, not quite crampy, not quite bloated... some kind of mix. Things seem normal - I had two normal bowel movements today. I am having spotting/bleeding although that's been going on for nearly a week now. The nerve pain I was discussing before is much less today. The only feedback I get from eating or drinking is occasional burps. Everything seems just fine and getting better, except I'm feeling blah. Not really sure what's going on. Maybe lack of sleep? I did nap later in the morning but I don't think I felt particularly rested today.
I am having trouble getting in all my fluids and Protein on a regular schedule because of my disinterest in food. I've been hitting at or just below my goals (usually only miss by 5g) but I have to do a fair amount of sipping at night to make up the difference I miss during the day. Starting tomorrow I am going to pour out my Protein Shake into a glass - I am thinking I will do half a bottle at a time - so that I have a visual guide of how much I've had and how much I need to go. And maybe I will split up the day into quadrants. 7am-10am, 10-1pm, 1pm-4pm, 4pm-7pm and try to drink at least one half of a protein shake during each quadrant.
When I say "try to drink" I don't mean I'm having trouble getting the Protein Shakes down. Again, today's weirdness notwithstanding, my belly seems happy. Nothing hurts going down or tries to come back up and I don't have any sense of hunger or fullness yet so I don't hit a wall or anything. Maybe I'm just mentally tired of protein shakes and that's why I conveniently "forget" I have an open one sitting next to me for hours at a time. Because I am definitely excited about purees, lol. HUMMUS, REFRIED Beans, oatmeal, Peanut Butter, COME TO MAMA!!!
I wanted to make it until Friday before weighing myself, but because I'm feeling kind of crappy tonight I went ahead. I've lost 15 pounds since surgery day! I am 11 days post-op so that's a pretty crazy number, but makes sense in the context of my weight. It's hard to feel that great about it since the reason is because I'm literally starving, hahaha, but I'm happy to be getting the weight loss honeymoon started and looking forward to eating again soon!

I'm extremely unstable emotionally right now. I don't now if it's hormonal, situational, anti-depressant not absorbing correctly, or a mix of all of these. You're not alone. We're here for you.

Scientific review of the literature demonstrates that the diuretic effects of caffeine are much lower than people think. And that if you drink it regularly for more than a week or so it is no longer a diuretic at all—

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19774754/

I’m weighed in today and I’m proud and humble to say that I’m down 102lbs. It’s been the best 4 months ever. I’m so excited to continue to accomplish my goals. Thanks for being apart of my journey. Xoxo

@Frustr8 thank you!!! That was so sweet. Surgery day tomorrow!! I will be sure to remain active as much as I can during recovery <3

TEST RESULTS CAME BACK FIND I DONT HAVE CANCER KR ANY SUCH
ITS A FATTY TISSUE THAT HAS BEEN CLIPPED AND TATTOORD DO IT CAN BE REMOVED JUNE 26th when I have my vsg surgery

Agree 100%!

If my husband had stayed the 2 days I was in the hospital, I would have gone mad. He's a "hoverer". I don't like to be the "hoveree". He was at the hospital until I got put in a room, then I sent him home to sleep. The next day I told him to go to work and I would call him when they were filling out my discharge papers. I think it's whatever makes the patient feel best and we are all soooo very different!

Just wanted to pipe up that while this is true the effect is very small. According to this study, the effect can be offset by "as little as 1-2 tablespoons of milk." So maybe if your labs are showing a calcium deficiency, then be careful, but I don't think it's enough reason on its own to drink decaf if you want caffeinated.

I'm honestly assuming I'll need to lose 100 pounds before I have to buy new clothes. I wear mostly dresses and skirts just out of preference and I know all of my sundresses will keep fitting for a long, long time lol.

Hate to break it to you, but you may not do well after only 2 days off. You’re still going to be on pain meds & it may be difficult to get water/protein in. Not to mention you should be sipping Fluid often. Not doing these things consistently can leave you dehydrated. I was hardcore taking multiple naps at day 3
Why are you only able to take 2 days off. Are you a student in school or a teacher?

Thank you! I'm hoping to bypass the problem of not always being able to drink water with the CamelBak. We have some Protein Shots that I could always add to the water to regulate my protein throughout the day.
And luckily for me, I really have no interest in drinking at all. I know that I can easily become addicted to things given my family history and my weight problems, so I'd rather not even try drinking.

Oh. How I'm looking forward to being less sweaty and hot! I'm always hotter than everyone else!

Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

My surgeon's plan is pretty open. Protien first then veggies and fruits, carbs last for now. I'm only 1 month out.
For some reason certain forms of protien are more filling to me than others. I am still in the trial and error stage of figuring put my new stomach. My portions are small, so to meet my protien goals I still need shakes.
Today I had a few bites of veggies and avocado with my Protein and I felt MUCH better. I can still only eat very small portions and softer food, so I was hesitant to add anything. Turns out I feel better on a "balanced diet".
Ha ha. 😃 Not sure I can call 1/2 cup of food balanced, but that's what it is for now. I am going to stick with veggies, avacado, and plant protien to balance my diet.
Good news is it's grilling season and grilled veggies are magical, I love them SO much.
Will definately add fruit as certain things come in season. . . . . I mean who can seriously pass up fresh peaches and blueberries?

Yes! I would like a foot tattoo of a molting snake to commemorate my adventure. I have an inspiration photo from google that is somewhat loosely similar to what I would like the artist to design - particularly the intertwining and the white, lacy molted skin. But I'd like a much more colorful snake and obviously the size and shape of the two snakes would have to be fit to the top of my foot. I really prefer to let the artist take over as much as possible, I feel my pieces are truly unique and a sort of bond of trust between me and the artist. I know most people are way too a-n-a-l (sorry, trying to avoid filters haha) and want to control what it looks like which I totally understand, cause it's going to be on your body forever, after all! But anyway, yes, I definitely want a tattoo in honor of this huge life change.
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/471611392210692236/

Hello all I started at 313. I had surgery on May 15th and I’m currently at 253.

I am feeling up a bit. Today I bought new pajamas in a size 2X -- I started in a 5X. That feels like some progress!

Fiber is a terrific idea:)
Split peas, lentils, black Beans, artichokes, peas, broccoli, raspberries, blackberries, apples, pears, spinach, soy, chia seed pudding, potatoes with skins,...are all terrific sources of fiber.
Fiber not only makes you feel fuller and helps ya poo.... it's the food eaten by better gut bugs and helps establish a strong diverse gut microbiota.