karen_marie

The 2x/day I think were for the chewable BA vitamins they initially had me on, and the bottle said 2 per day so that's where that came from. I think some vitamins are 3x/day, others 2x/day depending. And I was never told to space the calcium with the multi, but I take the iron as a separate dosage (no iron in the multi). Just goes to show how confusing it can be haha

Weird but effective short-term solution: hold your nose when you eat/drink. Not having the sensory input from your nose will either eliminate any taste or severely reduce it right now, which will make it easier to get your fluids and protein down. Maybe finish with your chewable vitamins, so the taste left in your mouth is mostly pleasant for you when you let go of your nose. And it wouldn't hurt to call your doctor and ask about it. They may have some other suggestions to deal with this short-term annoyance/frustration

Woohoo! Congrats!! And I'm diggin the new profile pic, gorgeous!

For my bypass, it took about a month to get the approval. My doctor’s office said normally they turn around fairly quickly, but with end of year they’re probably being bombarded with approval requests from tons of people trying to get expenses covered before deductibles reset. It’s soooo frustrating to have to just wait, but unless your doc has expressed any concerns about you receding approval, don’t sweat it just keep touching base with your doctor’s office to see if it came in.

For me, if I eat too fast or have one bite too many, I'll get an almost immediate pain right behind the lower part of my breastbone. It's a SUPER uncomfortable, bordering on mildly painful, feeling. I start creating A LOT of excess saliva (to the point I have to spit it out), which tells me that bit of food is coming right back up. Once I spit it up (it's vomiting, but it's such a small amount that to me it's just a bigger pile of spit haha), I feel better and that tightness is gone. I will either wait another 1-2hrs before trying to have anything else, or I may just postpone and wait until my next meal time to have anything. Depends on how 'normal' I feel after spitting up the offending food. I know some people have been able to walk around and that helps them keep food moving if they think they've got a small blockage from a piece of food not chewed well enough, but for me spitting up is the only helpful option. You get better at understanding your body's new limits, just take it SUPER slow and really pay attention to how you feel. I had to start using the stopwatch on my phone when I eat meals, just to keep myself mindful to eat slowly. I've gotten much better at slowing down and listening to my body about when enough is enough.

Exactly right, soup is basically a slider food in that it goes in and out easily and quickly. Just make sure you're hitting or getting close to your protein goals each day and you'll be good! Just take it slow when you are cleared to start having blended/soft foods. You'll fill up FAST. Like 2oz FAST.

I’ll raise my hand had mine at end of October so a touch over 6 wks out. My sister is now going to go forward with getting RNY also, so I’ve been thru it and am about to supervise someone else to go thru it haha. Feel free to reach out!

My nutritionist gives out a handout with general instruction on when to take vitamins. I've attached it here, and typed up a basic version below. The standard multivitamin from Bariatric Advantage they started me on (chewable) had B12 included in it, and the ones I use now from Bariatric Advantage are capsules and have both B12 and biotin in them. Essential Multi (incl. B12): Breakfast, Dinner Calcium: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Iron: Bedtime (iron and calcium need to be taken at least 2hrs apart, otherwise they block one another from absorbing) To make sure I had my vitamins portioned out each day, I got a pill organizer with 7 separate days and 4x/day. This is the one I got. It allows me to take that day's pills with me. Post-Op Vitamin Info Sheet.pdf

I slept on the reclining couch in the living room for the first few nights home (maybe 4 nights). The recliner made it MUCH easier to get back up off the couch, and being able to sleep in a partially upright position was much more comfortable than flat out on my back.

I'm almost 6wks out, and I don't remember having any one specifically bad day or days during my recovery. I only used one pain pill in the hospital (just to make sure I could get some sleep), and one dose of prescription pain med the first night I was hope (for same reason). Otherwise, I was like you, not much of any pain afterwards, no nausea - really happy about that lol. The gas pains were there for the first couple days, but I knew to expect that and did countless laps around my living room. For the most part, I think the most annoying part of early recovery was being a bit constipated (normal) and just general discomfort while my incisions finished healing. Plan for the worst, but I suspect you'll continue on your current pain/discomfort level for the initial recovery stage. Best of luck!

Not sure where in IL you are, but I'm out in the NW suburbs. Had my surgery on 10/27/17 so I'm not too far ahead of you. Feel free to reach out

I had sushi for first time post-op this past weekend. I’m only 4.5wks out, so I just had some sashimi without the rice. Just ate the small bits of tuna and salmon on top. It was DIVINE. Also had maybe 3 pods of edamame beans.

Amazing job, @Henning!! You can really see it in the pictures I'm a little over 4wks out. I weigh once a week - week to week any variance in normal fluctuations will work themselves out in the grand scheme of things. So far, I've lost 21 lbs since surgery! 10/27 surgery day: 279.4 11/3 1 week out: 269.8 (-9.6) 11/10 2 weeks out: 266.8 (-3.0) 11/17 3 weeks out: 261.4 (-5.4) 11/24 4 weeks out: 258.4 (-3.0) From my highest of 300, I'm down 41.6 lbs total. I couldn't be happier with my progress so far. I'm prepared for the inevitable stall, and I know to just keep doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and it'll work itself out. Same here, no regrets on deciding to embark on this journey

Thanks @FluffyChix! I hit my 4wks mark last Friday, and that was crazy! Can't believe it's been over a month already since surgery! BTW, my laparoscopic surgery scars are like a weird half moon shape - looks like a weird shark bit me lol They're all closed up and healed, but I can tell everything inside has just a little more to go before being fully healed. So the 6wks is definitely right on for your insides to heal 100%. But it's nice to be able to bend over and squat down again without fearing for my life lol

hahaha trust me, it's like palming a basketball for me LOL I'm not any closer to getting rid of the FUPA, but hopefully over time it'll deflate haha. I'm doing great! Have my 6wk appointment with my surgeon next month, but I'm doing really good. Was lucky and had no issues with nausea or pain after surgery. Part of that was probably just my body reacting well to surgery, part of that was my awesome doc. I'm eating more solid normal food now, but it's still trial and error as to what my body will tolerate and what it won't. I've had a time or two of having a few bites too many, and had to go spit up some of the food - I say spit up because it barely qualifies as vomiting lol. I know the signals my body sends when I have to spit up, and I am getting better at knowing when to stop eating. And it's not like I'm pounding back nachos (although, MMMM NACHOS LOL). I have like 3 bites too many and I know I'm gonna need to spit up within minutes. So I'm focusing on eating slowly, feeling when my body is starting to feel 'full,' and getting my fluids in. The fluids seem easier in this second to last stage, only because I'm not constantly planning my next mini meal/snack. I have more time between eating to be able to get fluids in.

@FluffyChix one of my friends got her tummy tuck the day before I got my RNY done (she had her RNY 3yrs ago). The first thing she was showing me and her other close girlfriends was how good her lady bits looked now LOL she was like 'look how pretty my bits are now! no more FUPA!' (TMI but FUPA (pronounced FOO-pah) stands for fat upper pubic area)

My doc said I can't do any birth control with hormones (which I had been taking for PCOS), so either an IUD with no hormones or simply use condoms. I've never liked the idea of having an IUD in, so we're gonna opt for condoms at least at first. DEFINITELY don't roll the dice with just pulling out! I was surprised when I got my period on my own without the birth control pills, so I think the body shift will be fairly swift.

I actually had the bypass, but I too have experienced super dry skin. It's probably one of the weird side effects from the change in diet and hormone levels. I just slather on lotion every day lol. Hoping someone further out from surgery may have some insight on if this balances back out again at some point.

I already told my dad and step-mom that I'll be bringing my food scale with me to measure out the turkey meat that I will eat, as well as the steamed sweet potato that she is leaving on the side sans butter and brown sugar lol. They're all super supportive, so holidays should be fairly easy :knock on wood: I don't really crave much, except nachos lol strange but true. I'm still only a few weeks out from surgery, so nachos will just have to wait

Definitely invest in a scale. It is your best ally and tool before and after surgery. Hat's off to you for going this long without one! My docs told me between 600-800 calories a day, 60-80g protein a day over the course of 3-5 meals a day. Depending on my schedule, I may just have 3 small meals, or I'll have two small snacks and 3 small meals. Just depends on what I'm up to. I have started keeping at least one Quest protein bar in my purse at all times for those weekend days that I'm running around and don't want to worry about lunch. I drink a lot of caffeine free hot tea, powerade zero, and water or water with crystal light to try and get my liquids in. I also use MyFitnessPal to track everything I eat, and keep an eye on the nutrition breakdown as the day goes on to make sure I'm at least hitting my protein goal.

It's not necessarily that your tummy loves unhealthy foods (good news!), but stuff like cookies are what people refer to as slider foods (not so good news haha). Slider foods are are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. When slider foods are consumed, they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. Definitely keep talking with your doc and nutritionist if you continue having issues with solid foods. Maybe try some vegetarian options that are higher in protein, like chili with beans but no meat. Good luck and keep us posted!

Are you just walking on the treadmill at the gym? not even 2wks out from surgery and being at the gym sounds concerning to me, but if your doc cleared you then go for it I wasn't allowed to do much more than walk and could only lift up to 10lbs first week or so, then was allowed up to 20lbs. But I won't get full clearance for all activity until 6wks out. Until then, walking and light exercise are ok, moreso to keep your body moving while your insides finish healing up.