orionburn

My mistake is that I wasn't recognizing the difference between pain and nausea at the time. One of the nurses kept saying I needed to use the pain meds and looking back I would have been better off without it. It's something you may want to discuss with your doc in advance. They did start giving me another med to help with the nausea and it helped. My favorite was some sort of Tylenol drip that they gave me. That helped out more than anything else. I'm an oddball statistic so don't let my trials and tribulations scare you. The first few days are challenging, but with the right attitude you'll get through it just fine. Honestly you'll look back after a few weeks and be like "meh, that wasn't so bad".

Best suggestion is to not worry about getting the scales to move! You get pumped full of fluids while at the hospital. I had an extended stay but regardless I ended up coming home weighing 5-6lbs more than I did the day of surgery. It isn't that uncommon to not see much loss in the first week as your body adjusts. Just keep focusing on walking and getting your protein & water. Those are two things that can hinder weight loss if you aren't hitting your daily goals. Don't try to physically overdo it with walking/exercising. Isn't worth the risk of something happening and facing a setback. Don't worry, you'll see the scale move soon enough. Good luck!

No idea. Doc said the spleen is a funny organ and sometimes just brushing against it, even without something being sharp, can cause a minor bleed. My pain meds made me really sick and the wretching bouts I had probably didn't help matters. I really think it was a fluke thing. All the weird stuff happens to me.

Through Memorial Hospital's bariatric program. Their office is technically in Granger, but it's right around the corner from UP mall.

Ha! That's cool. I actually lived in Laporte for about a year back in the early 2000s. I had somebody message me yesterday that is looking to go through the same clinic that I did in South Bend so it's nice to have some fellow Hoosiers around!

Just to clarify I'm down about 70lbs since first starting my journey, which started last May. I have lost 35lbs since surgery though which has been amazing! I do feel different this time although I still have the same fears as you that I'll find a way to get around it. One thing that kind of woke me up was seeing quite a few people on here asking questions about when can I go back to eating this/that unhealthy item. Essentially it was trying to find a way to get around the limitations of the sleeve. It made me realize that isn't the right approach to this. If I choose to go back to eating fast food, or decide I'm going to start having ice cream every day then chances are I'm going to eventually find other bad things to work into my diet to cause me to gain weight back. It's easy to fall back into what they call slider foods and lose track of how much you're eating. Despite having a smaller stomach now if I choose to eat all day long I could easily get back up to over 2,000 calories a day making unhealthy choices. Different foods will go down easier than others. As an example I can eat a Oikos Greek yogurt in a shorter period of time compared to others foods. If I tried to eat the same portion size of chicken salad in the same amount of time I would feel like crap. Last night I took a few bites too fast at dinner and felt terrible. I hadn't eaten that much but because I didn't pace myself properly I had to walk away from the table and finish later. As to the physical appearance it's something to consider but having a healthier life matters more to me. I know there's always the option of plastic surgery down the road if it comes to it, but at this point I'm not that concerned. That's one of those areas where there are some cons but the pros definitely outweigh the bad.

I think it's safe to say that a good majority of us all go through the second guessing phase. This is a big undertaking and definitely changes your life. Weight loss surgery is a tool, and it's success depends on the willingness to make lifestyle changes. It's easy to say that same attitude applies to dieting & exercising, but for myself after countless years of back and forth of losing then regaining I was running out of options. Honestly I would have a had a harder time making a decision like this at your age. I had some health issues that forced my hand and decided that WLS was my best course of action. I'm now about 7 weeks post-op and can say that I made the right decision. I've seen some negative people on this site say it ruins your social life because you can't eat out like normal. So what? Just because you can't eat an appetizer, a full meal, and a dessert all by yourself doesn't mean your social life comes to an end. It can be a bit frustrating wanting to eat more and be limited to a 1/2 cup at a meal (which is where I'm at now) but not being able to control my portion size is why I was overweight to begin with. I've never ever been skinny or at a "normal" weight, so yeah, I'm kind of weirded out at what that will be like. For me the health benefits of WLS was what was most important. Do I worry about excess skin? Yes. But the excess skin isn't going to be the cause of a potential heart attack in the next 10 years like my weight/eating habits would be. This is something to definitely take your time to think about and by all means ask away with questions. Good luck to you on your journey!

If you physically go to State Department office which are far and few between you'd stay a better chance. Even with rush processing it would be cutting it really close depending on when in April the surgery is. You'll have to pay the extra processing/shipping fees but it may yet be possible.

Awesome progress!

I wasn't too adventurous during the pureed stage. I mainly stuck to the following: Blended soups Refried beans Cottage cheese (with some pureed fruit from time to time) Scrambled eggs (take your time eating as these are iffy in this stage. You can try mixing in a bit of picante sauce or sour cream to help it go down a bit better) Ricotta bake Greek Yogurts I also tried mixing in some yogurts and small bits of fruit into my protein shakes to spruce them up. I was burned out on them bad but had to keep them in my diet to hit my protein goals. Check out the Eggface blog for some good meal ideas. You can find the ricotta bake recipe there which many of us highly recommend: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

They pump you full of fluids while at the hospital. I had a longer than usual stay but when I did come home I think I had gained 5+ pounds. I was a bit surprised to say the least...lol. It'll come off quick enough. Congrats on your surgery and welcome to the group! Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Agree. I know it's frustrating sometimes seeing others having the okay to eat X or Y when my plan didn't allow for it, but I trusted my doctor had his reasons for following a set plan and I did my best to stick to it. I guess I consider myself lucky that I had a very good team that had handouts for the various post-op stages and what was/wasn't allowed. It took out all the guesswork of what I could have. Check with your team. You should be into the pureed stage which allows for a good variety of options. If you're allowed to eat eggs I wouldn't recommend doing boiled. Scrambled eggs can be difficult as is it. Eggs in general can be really hit & miss in how it makes you feel. Sorry, but I don't think trying something and see if you throw up is a really good game plan. Especially at 2 weeks out.

Love the idea! Afraid I'm too busy to be able to help out daily but would love to contribute my own daily meals when I can. This thread got me thinking about getting back to some basics that I need in my diet (like working cottage cheese back in on a regular basis). Think it would be a big help to many to have some meal accountability.

Hope you have a speedy recovery! Just remember to keep moving as that helps rid the excess gas. First week can be a real bear but sounds like you're off to a good start! Congrats on the new you!!!

I recall an article I read last year where an office (I believe it was a chiropractic office) had set out a plain McD's hamburger on their counter and it had been there for over a year. Didn't look appealing, but it didn't look rotten either. The point was to prove how many preservatives went into it. I had a major Diet Mt Dew love prior to surgery and I do miss my daily fountain pop. Since I cut it out right before surgery I can't say what impact it has had on me physically. I merely attribute that my it plays a part in my feeling much better since surgery. I don't plan on going back to it. To an extent that makes me feel sad, but then that's how I felt when I quit smoking 6 years ago. My life will go on without it and I'll be better off for it.

Look at it this way - either one is a tool to aid in weight loss. Without proper changes in diet and our relationship with food both types of surgery can fail you. Generally speaking it is true that you will lose more and lose weight faster with a bypass over the sleeve. All of us have to go through our own list of pros & cons for each type of surgery. There are hundreds of threads with people asking that exact question with good replies on why we choose one surgery over another. It's a big decision and yes, it really should be up to you in the end. Personally I think your doctor is kind of whack for saying you'd be stuck at a BMI of 40. That just seems like a stupid thing to say. For myself I choose sleeve because I didn't want to deal with the extra vitamins and malabsortion that comes with the bypass. I didn't have a problem with sweets and was more of a binge eater/portion control problem kind of guy. I was okay with not losing the weight as fast. The sleeve just made more sense for me and I've been happy with it so far. Each WLS presents it's own challenges and only you can decide what will be best for you in the end.

I was hit & miss with eggs during that stage. One day they'd be fine, the next day it was awful. I second the ricotta bake. That may still sit a bit heavy so take your time eating it, but it's an awesome recipe and I still make it from time to time even though I'm back to regular foods now. I wasn't very adventurous during the pureed stage. Did refried beans, cottage cheese with some pureed fruit (like peaches or pears), the ricotta bake, Greek yogurt, and pudding. You've probably seen it before but in case you haven't check out this site for some good recipes through the different phases http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

How many and what all are you taking? Is it because you're having difficulty swallowing or getting water down?

I couldn't have it until 4 weeks out, but I agree...you want it to be as moist as possible. I make mini meatloafs in a cupcake pan. While they taste wonderful they can sit like a ton of bricks. I try and mix in some sour cream and/or picante sauce to give it a little more moisture. It's something that you want to definitely take your time eating. There are times where I can feel that it's going to sit heavy so I'll walk away and come back to finish it. Honestly ground beef is the only thing I've had so far that has been mildly difficult to eat.

Staying positive is a big thing in this first week. Surround yourself with things to keep you upbeat, whether binge watching a funny show, good book, or be busy with a hobby. We've all been there and are here to help support in whatever way we can. It's easy to beat yourself up and second guess everything. You aren't alone in that thinking. Most of us go through it but you'll look back in a couple weeks and say it was all worth it. You'll get through it!

Popsicles and ice chips are helpful in the beginning. That way you're getting some water and the cooling from it kind of helps things going down the pipe. Your energy is going to be low for the first two weeks. You're barely taking anything in and you're body has just undergone a major change. Each individual is going to recovery differently, but you should start to see a change soon enough in how you're feeling. The first week really sucked for me, but the second week I started to see a difference and from there it got better and better.

Are you trying to do a bunch of sips in a short amount of time, or spacing them out? Try taking a single sip every 5 - 10 minutes until it gets easier. The swelling is what makes it so difficult at this point. It will get better in short order so you just have to hang in there. You're what...2 or 3 days post-op now? This part sucks but you'll be surprised at how big a difference in how you feel in a few days. I stayed on top of my pain meds the first two weeks. When time was up to take another pill I took another pill. By the end of the weekend you should start to feel much better. Best wishes on your recovery!

Forgot to post earlier this week to update my 6 week follow-up appointment. So far so good on everything. Getting back to regular foods has been wonderful of course. That 2 weeks before surgery and the 4 weeks of liquids & pureed was rough but it also was a valuable learning period to know the difference between real hunger and head hunger. My appointment was uneventful. My weight loss has tapered off a bit in the past two weeks. It had been about a pound a day but for the past week or so my weight had been stuck around 285 with some back and forth. Today I came in at 283 and that puts be at 35 lbs down in 6 weeks. I'll take it! I admit I was starting to mildly freak out with the stuck scale but I knew things would slow down a bit at some point. I got my old gym membership going and will be hitting it for the first time in a long time starting today. Since my sciatica is doing better I'm hopeful I can have a decent workout for once without being in terrible pain. And I'm also not dreading going to the gym. May sound dumb but when I'm focused on going to lift and build muscle I love going to the gym. When it was all about weight loss and doing cardio I loathed going, so I'm actually excited to be getting back at it. I won't see my doc again until 12 weeks out and am pretty much cleared to eat all foods again. Our office has a support group meeting once a month and will be going to that in a few weeks to see some old faces and keep some accountability going for myself. At this point just knocking on wood for continued improvements and fingers crossed that my initial complications were just a matter of getting that out of the way a head of time so I don't have any future episodes.

I'll second that the U.njury brand is really good (for the love of God I wish they'd fix the broken hyperlink). The chocolate was one of the best protein powders I've had. The strawberry and vanilla were meh in my book, so definitely get a sample pack. One word of caution - don't buy truckloads of any one protein powder for post surgery. Prior to surgery I loved my U.njury. Post-op I wasn't much of a fan. I went through a week or two of everything just tasting weird. I currently use Body Fortress protein powder. It's not the best but I can stomach most anything. They do have a ton of flavors to choose from. Optimum Nutrition makes a great powder as well but their pricing has really gone up over the years. The cost is worth it if it is something you like. You might try going to a local GNC or vitamin store to see if they have sample packs of powders. That way you can get a good variety without committing to buying a tub of something you hate.

In all sincerity best wishes to you on your journey. The first few weeks can be a challenge so that's why we're looking out for you. It really is sad to see people cheat post-op and seriously suffer from their decision, and worse is the potential damage you could to yourself. Good luck!