Berry78

Hernia repairs are MUCH worse than the surgery. You can expect to have abdominal pain for a few weeks But, at the moment, that does sound like gas, and the more you can get up and move, the better off you will be. You will need to be extra vigilant about not bending over too far or lifting weight... but regular walking will do you good. You get to be a delicate flower for a while! {Hugs}

Her own history of scarring will tell you more than anyone else's experiences. If she weren't already scheduled so soon, I would tell you to go with Dr. Illan in Mexico (he was my surgeon), as he has a technique where he only goes in through one incision through the bellybutton. Of course, there are BMI requirements in order for him to do so, so it's possible she wouldn't qualify anyway. You can always speak with a dermatologist once the skin is healed over, and they may have ideas for minimizing the scars (laser treatments, vitamin E, keeping them out of the sun or tanning beds.. etc.) Ultimately, a few little scars are nothing compared to the aesthetic and health improvements made possible with surgery.

You are right on target for weight loss. If the scale has you down, I give you permission to take a month-long vacation from it

To go from a BMI of 45 to 31 is actually amazing And, if you continue a healthy lifestyle, you should be able to keep it off. Did your diabetes improve at all? Eating small meals is good, but it would be nice to have more info about what an average day looks like, maybe we can help you tweak your diet.

Glad they figured out the problem. Keeping my fingers crossed you don't have a stone.

If you were my family member, I would tell you to eat the same way you would post op. See if you can drop those extra pounds on your own.. and if you make it a permanent dietary change, then you likely won't gain it back. There is no harm in trying it this way. Surgery really is designed for people that have closer to 100lbs to lose. The complication rate for the surgery is low, but complications can be severe.. so a basically healthy person with only 50lbs to lose.. it just may not be worth it... Just because you aren't exercising with a unit anymore doesn't mean you can't join a gym on your own (you'll need to post op anyway...) The thing with surgery is, yes, it knocks off the excess pounds in short order.. but you'll still have to watch what you eat and exercise forever afterwards. So why not just do that now? Sample menu: Breakfast: 4oz. cottage cheese and a piece of fruit Lunch: 2 eggs and 6oz black beans with salsa (can change type of beans as you prefer) Dinner: 4oz of meat or fish, unlimited non-starchy veggies Snack: 2oz salted nuts or seeds Drink at least 64oz of non/low-caloric fluids. Low sodium v8 and/or coconut water will give additional potassium. Take a multivitamin, because this diet is lacking sufficient B-vitamins and calcium. My husband (who has not had surgery) started eating this way, and has already lost 23lbs on it, without exercise. It's simple and effective.

I think you should visit a chiropractor. Chiropractors don't always just pop necks anymore. Find one that has a nice selection of supplements/vitamins and the like in their practice, since those are the types that tend to think holistically. Your physician can look in your nose to see if it looks like allergies. Otherwise, you can try taking something like Claritin to see if allergies are playing a role.

Warm tea went down easiest the first week for me. Maybe try making some herbal tea.. just be extra certain it isn't the least bit too hot. Don't want to scald your baby tummy!

It sounds like your job may be on the line. Try to get the doctor to write another note that says you need 10 minute breaks at 10:00 and 3:00, and lunch should be at noon. Something that specific may help HR understand that your requirements aren't excessive (like breaks every half hour or some other craziness). It might be best to take off as long as possible, so you are more able to withstand working with only occasional breaks. This early out, every week will have you feeling much better and stronger, and able to drink more at a time. At around 5 weeks, much of your tummy swelling will go down, and you'll be able to drink much more at once. (For this reason, 2 more weeks of down time might be helpful). At lunch time, avoid solids. Drink milk or diluted protein shakes instead (knock out fluids and protein at the same time).

Ideally you'll leave to "visit the hall" about every 2 hours for a drink or snack. For an 8 hour work day that starts at 8, you'd leave at 10, 12 (lunch), and 3, going home at 5. If your day is longer you'll need to squeeze an extra break in there. But on this schedule, you're not going out much more than you have been. And if you drink, and have a couple bites of food, then that will help tide you over in case of late lunches. Drink all the way in to work, and all the way home.. and you should be ok.

How often can you stop and go to the restroom or take a smoke break? (I hope you don't smoke, but what if you did?) Those types of breaks are your opportunities to get something to drink. In a few months, you'll be able to drink enough at a time to really make it possible to stay hydrated with relatively few breaks.

I agree with you that it's not from the surgery directly. Did they do the full panel of tests for your nutritional status? (There are a lot more than the 3 things that need to be checked) Tell us more about your diet.. what are you eating, how many calories, etc...

If the scale hasn't moved, and your measurements haven't changed for 2 months, this IS something to be concerned about. (The scale can hold still while your clothes get looser, so if this has been happening, then it's not a concern). If you aren't near or at goal, then it's time to evaluate what you are doing and make changes to get things happening again. Even though you are within bounds of the chart, your own loss (or lack thereof) is of more importance.

JohnnyCakes does have a point. You're, what.. 10 weeks postop? Some gym time is probably ok, but you probably have bitten off more than you can chew at this point. There is SOMETHING physically causing your issues.. but the cure may well rest partially in more REST. Talk to your doc, make a plan.

Sleeves are lower maintenance than bypasses, but they can have complications (leaks are more common with sleeves than bypasses, GERD is also more common, and strictures and "kinks" can happen). Long term malnurishment is probably more of a concern with the bypass, but we don't have solid numbers on that. (Strictures, issues with the intestines, etc. are also potential complications of bypasses). In general, bypasses are great for people with preexisting GERD, true food addictions, resistant to weight loss (those that diet, but don't lose much weight), type 2 diabetes, PCOS, etc. Sleeves are good for the generally healthy people that just tend to "eat too much" without severe food addictions. (of course the food addict also needs therapy.. the surgery won't cure an addiction.. but the bypass can give that little extra ooomphh for if/when they are struggling).

The low carb, low fat preop diet was the pits. I was constantly crying! Postop, once I got onto full liquids, it was much better

You might always need to drink a smidge slower than preop, but now at 4 months postop, I can drink about 6- 8 ounces in less than a minute. Not quite chugging, but not sipping either.

There is someone running around here with a BMI of 21. I forget if she has the sleeve or bypass... hmm.. but she wants to be that weight, and is happy about it. (And it's still within healthy limits). But, anyway, the body is an amazing thing, and it almost never lets you go below a healthy limit. Those that do almost always have something wrong.. either physically, or psychologically (anorexia). As long as you heal normally, and you develop healthy eating habits, you don't have much to worry about. Do keep in mind that many of our family and friends kinda freak when we start getting near a normal BMI, because they are so accustomed to us looking plump. It doesn't mean we ARE sickly looking.. the way to tell that is by asking someone who has never met you before if you look sickly.. and you almost never do. That said, at around a year postop, bypass patients CAN get a little pinched-looking. And it's just a consequence of their ultra-rapid loss. By 2-3 years postop, their bodies adjust, and that look goes away. I think of it in the same light as hair loss. It's unattractive while it's happening, but it's ultimately temporary. (And don't go to tanning beds, it compounds the "pinched look" a heck of a lot!!). Sleeve patients lose a smidge slower, so not sure if they go through a phase like that.

I can't do artificial sweeteners either. I add milk to my tea and coffee, and the sugars in the milk make them sweet enough. I think it's because our ability to taste "sweet" has increased drastically, so the artificial sweeteners and sugar are just too much. I was eating some unsalted almonds the other day and realized they taste sweet! (I usually eat salted nuts, so that was a new thing).

Sore how? Do you mean your abdominal wall, or internally? The main thing this early out is to 100% follow your diet, and get up and keep moving every couple hours. Just walking around the house is ok, if that's all you can do. Hope you start feeling better soon!

I also went on vacation 3 months postop, and it was perfect! I was able to hike up a (LITTLE) mountain, and keep going for about 5 miles. I felt as strong as I was preop.. but that took the whole 3 months getting there. 8 weeks postop would have been a different story. So.. barring complications... I expect you'll be fine Once Caveat.. blood clots are a risk for the first 6 months postop, so please take precautions during extensive travel by car or plane. (Movement, compression stockings, etc.).

At least 4 bathroom trips a day is a good rule of thumb.. that's really not many! Once when you wake up, once at bedtime, and just twice all day. Once a day means she wakes up and pees, but doesn't go again until the next morning. That is VERY concerning, no matter how big her bladder is.

Bone broth has protein in it, regular doesn't. If you make it at home, just simmer meat and bones in a big pot for 4-8 hours (I like using a pack of chicken legs.. cheap and simple. I add about a teaspoon of salt, pepper to taste, and a tablespoon of italian seasoning). You can save the meat in the freezer for use in a month or so... I had trouble finding commercial bone broth, but it ended up being in the organic food section at my local grocery store.

Today is my 4 month surgiversary too! I'm down 66lbs! You're beating me! Lol! Congrats to us!!!!

Water and electrolyes.. check out how much sodium, potassium, and magnesium you are receiving through your diet. It may take a bit of research, looking at the nutritional content of each of your foods.. (google helps, since potassium and magnesium usually aren't on the labels). Check out your prescriptions.. maybe your needs have changed. At the very least, you should put a call in to your primary care doctor so they can draw some labs and check things over...