Seattle WLS Newbie

That is so typical in hospitals. I have had 6 previous surgeries and one of them left me in the same state as you. This time around when I got to my room I felt I might be able to pee a bit and got up. The nurses tried to restrain me from urinating until they had a bed pan because it was a liability to have me walking so soon after surgery. I gently moved them aside and went for a glorious piss. I did not want to wait for the bedpan because I was afraid I might have a shy bladder and moving my mass to urinate in a jug would have been complicated.

I was sleeved on May 1st. Had some problems waking my bladder up. I had to be straight catheterized twice. They ended up putting in a Foley catheter which made me miserable. One of the volunteers from my surgery group who had the surgery came to visit me. I explained what was going on. She said to tell them you want to stay another night and push the issue. On top of that, my mother was pushing me to stay another night. Of course, I wanted out!
I finally came to my senses and realized I didn't want to have a catheter for a week. I said I want to stay. The resident who was on call said they wouldn't let me stay for a catheter. Then when I argued she got defensive and brought back another doctor. Again, the volunteer came back and intervened. The next thing I knew, she had my surgeon come back to the hospital.
My surgeon (who I absolutely love) came and talked to me. He suggested we take out the catheter, stay another night and see if I could urinate. If not, I would go home with the catheter. I agreed.
At around midnight, I started to go on my own! I am so glad I didn't have to come home with a catheter. The moral of the story is you have to have someone in your corner to fight for you. I'm so glad for the volunteer from my surgical group.
Also at 39, I realized that Mom still also knows best!

Easy-to-digest Protein sources for the early days include:
1. Greek yogurt; add a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast low-sugar for additional protein
2. Canned refried beans; top them with melted cheese for additional protein
3. Protein Shakes (my favorites include Premier Protein, Muscle Milk, and Slim Fast high protein)
4. Add unflavored protein powder to foods
5. Syntrax Nectar (if you dislike milky tasting products and prefer fruity tasting stuff instead)
6. Ricotta topped with Pasta Sauce, melted mozzarella and parmesan
7. sugar-free pudding with a scoop of powdered milk (powdered milk is the cheapest protein source)

My smaller fat clothes are starting to fit!

Sent from my SM-G930P using BariatricPal mobile app

Agreed! I have two weeks of a full liquid post op diet. Hoping to be cleared for purée on Tuesday! So Sick Of Soup!!!

In Seattle and just had RnY Bypass on 4/24. Wishing you all good vibes on your journey!

@OutsideMatchInside Thanks for reading the post.

It'll be a modified DS, so more of a RNY and VSG mixed together. He's keeping a longer intestinal track so there is more room for absorption. There is medical reason there (see above). I was all gung ho for the VSG initially. As for not doing the RNY, that's being avoided for personal reasons. My mother had an RNY and while I know rationally that she did everything wrong, I still am terrified to get the same procedure after watching her almost die multiple times due to surgery complications (and then having no success - again, entirely due to her being a bad patient).

I won't speak to your specific surgery because it sounds like you've done your research and trust your surgeon's advice on it.
What I will speak on is being healthy and getting bariatric surgery, which I know well.
The first surgeon I met with didn't want to give me surgery. I am short and was about 80-100 lbs overweight. I have PCOS and struggled to lose weight for 5 years after giving birth to my daughter. I gained fifty pounds in that time instead. Even when I completely overhauled my life during my last pregnancy, I lost 20 lbs in two years... knowing full well that regain was lurking in my future, because that's just what the odds are.
But my sugars are great, my blood pressure is fine, i have some joint pain but I'm not disabled by it, etc etc etc.
The first surgeon I met basically said to me "I am looking at a woman who on paper is completely healthy, but obese, and I don't think surgery is worth the risks."
He was speaking complete sense and I 100% respect his opinion and his choice not to take me on as a patient. The second surgeon I saw disagreed, though, and thought that I was a good candidate for surgery and had made a lot of changes that suggested I could be very successful post-op.
Could I survive without surgery? Yes, definitely. With a lot of effort, I may have been able to maintain my lifestyle changes and my modest weight loss... but I could also backslide, regain, gain more, and get even sicker than I'd been at the very start.
Type 2 diabetes is riddled through my family. My dad is on the verge of losing a foot to it. I saw the pattern of my life and was afraid.
And I saw so many women in their mid fifties, sick and in pain and with BMIs over 50, saying they wished they'd done it earlier. I figured, what better time? I'm young, I'm healthy, I'm at good odds to get through surgery safely and bounce back in my recovery. I haven't done too much lasting damage to my body yet. Why wait for the stuff like the joint pain and insulin resistance and PCOS and depression to just get worse and worse and worse, perhaps irreversibly so?
I'm not advocating for some twenty five year old who's 20 lbs overweight and is worried she might be 50 lbs overweight thirty years from now once she hits menopause to have this surgery, but I think if you are already obese and have good medical evidence you will continue to get more obese and MORE sick... then getting the surgery preventatively is a valid choice.
I wasn't overly sick from my weight, but my life is still exponentially better now that those 50 lbs are gone off me, too. My knee pain has vanished. I have higher energy. But best of all, I'm not AFRAID anymore. Regain could still happen, of course it could, but it's not a given anymore. Type 2 diabetes isn't a given. I feel like I am in control of my own future, and that matters. I'm making healthy choices secure in that knowledge, and encouraged by that knowledge.
As for "the nuclear option", my surgeon initially suggested the RNY because that's the surgery he does most and he considers it the gold standard. I told him no, I wanted the sleeve. I felt it was wayyyyyyy too invasive for my situation and tipped the balance of the "benefits vs risks" of getting the procedure, and I didn't think it fit the lifestyle I envisioned for myself after surgery. he respected my choice. if you're confident about getting the DS, then do it. but if you think it's too extreme for your specific situation, you CAN talk to your surgeon about that. I expected to have to argue my case for why I didn't feel comfortable getting the RNY, since my surgeon was so gung ho about it, but he immediately was on my side when I told him I wanted the sleeve. your opinion does matter. it's your body, and you have to live with this surgery for the rest of your life. so make YOUR decision. and if it aligns with your surgeon's opinion, then be confident about that!

I'm just wondering if anyone had any problems keeping their BS below 200 prior to surgery. I had my pre-op phone call with the anesthesiologists office yesterday and the lady told me my sugar MUST be below 200. It's a crap shot honestly with my blood sugar in the morning. I can not eat anything the night before and my sugar will be 250 or even higher then on other days will be like 120-140. I'm stressing a little about this.

Surgery went well. Came home on Wednesday afternoon. No nausea at all but struggling with serious gas pain. Getting much better sleep now that I'm home. I'm talking walks and GasX strips but the relief is minimal. Struggling with getting in my fluids. Thanks for asking!

Instead of the normal rolls, look to see if the sushi chef can make you a Protein roll which is just a roll without rice...usually wrapped with soy paper, seaweed, or thin long slices of cucumber. If they don't offer a protein roll on the menu, most sushi chefs will gladly make you a custom roll!

Stay strong. Maybe try mixing in some PB2 into a Protein Shake to give you that rich Peanut Butter flavor. I'm 1week post op [emoji4] Hang in there. I had a small decafe soy latte to change things up a bit.

I had surgery on Monday and am on a full liquid diet for 2 weeks post op. But yes my gas feels like it's constantly battling against liquids and when I drink it makes a gurgling sound

Thanks for the suggestion because I'm not meeting my requirement. Its so freakin hard

Ok, im going to have to try that. I'm going to roll with you on the potatoes. Had them like 4 times in last 2 weeks. I never ate them too much b4 WLS anyway n now im all potatoed out. Im done. Like u im on Google looking for recipes but im trying to increase my Protein intake. I see diff now. The more Protein i drink, less hungry i am. Ahhh, if only they had protein DORITOS.
Slim n sexy... woohoo WLS
Summer 2017 here we come

I gained weight while in the hospital. Had RnY on Monday, 4/24. Still sore and full of gas. No nausea but struggling to get my fluids in. Going for walks and taking gas x but the relief is minimal.

You are slaying it! Congrats!!!!

I have surgery on Monday 4/24. Good luck!!!

You are slaying it! Congrats!!!!

I have surgery on Monday 4/24. Good luck!!!

I have surgery on Monday 4/24. Good luck!!!

I'm in Seattle and going to Swedish.

Good luck, sending you healing vibes! I have surgery on Monday.

I have surgery on Monday 4/24. Good luck!!!