gr8ful1

I believe I was told that 2 nights is the "standard," but I asked to go home after one night, mainly due to financial concerns, but also because I was doing well after surgery. Fitzer said he would only release me the next day if I met all of the criteria, such as being able to drink enough water, no complications requiring a longer hospital stay, and understanding the discharge instructions. He visited my room to give me a quiz to make sure I knew what to do on my own, and when he was satisfied I was ready, he discharged me.

Stayed one night and went home the next day. Everyone's experience is a bit different. The nurses and all of the staff at Reston were fantastic and took care of my every need. Not that I needed a *lot* of help. You are actually up and walking shortly after you are out of the OR.

I'm also going (back) to Fitzer's office in 2 days! It's been 2 years since my surgery with him, and it's time for my annual follow-up. As @SampTheChamp said, Fitzer is the best. He may come across as a bit over-confident, but he is not wrong about how good he is and how relatively few complications his patients have. ? I had to work a bit to get him to recommend which type of surgery was best for me, but when I finally asked him if he were in my shoes, would he choose sleeve or bypass, he said bypass all the way. He explained why, and that's why I went with the bypass. Best decision I've made in a long time.

Dr. Fitzer's office also runs a very good support group that meets at Reston Hospital the first Monday of every month: 6:00 p.m. Pavilion 2, 2nd floor, Classroom A

Fitzer is fantastic. I had my gastric bypass with him almost exactly a year ago. I would recommend taking at least 2 weeks off from work, including telework. It's not that you can't manage things like e-mail and phone calls, but you will want to focus on your post-op routines during that time, and that includes drinking frequently, as well as eating different types and quantities of foods as you progress through the green sheet.

My program requires all solid foods.

I had no problem taking the huge Citracal pills when I got home after my bypass.

Since yesterday I’ve only been able to eat 1/3 to 1/2 of the portion sizes that I’ve been able to eat for the last 5-6 months. 1/4 cup and I’m done. No pain, no acid, just a very full feeling. I haven’t changed what I’m eating (firm oatmeal, rotisserie chicken breast, cauliflower, broccoli...). I simply can’t eat as much of it at one time. I don’t think this is anything as serious as a stricture because I have no difficulty swallowing water or my giant Citracal calcium pills. Yes, I called my surgery team. The PA will contact me when she isn’t busy seeing patients. Has anyone experienced anything similar months after gastric bypass?

My surgeon's post-op dietary plan imposes no coffee restrictions on gastric bypass patients. And I am so thankful for that! ?

Oh wow. So 1/4 pound of chicken is really a lot of volume!

Sooooo thankful that when I tried chicken breast (on a Panera salad) yesterday, it went down well. I've also got chicken thighs at home. I have at least 2 more meals left from my leftover salad, but I'm tempted to eat a chicken thigh for lunch to see if it fills me up. I also want to know if 4 oz (by weight) of chicken thigh is anywhere near 1/2 cup by volume. @FluffyChix, I will chop up 4 oz of chicken, put it into a measuring cup, and report back with the results later! LOL

Oh, I also read somewhere about a study that found almost no correlation between pouch size and weight loss success after bariatric surgery. So consider your bigger pouch a gift! :-)

I’m not going to worry to much about it. Bottom line is that this surgery is helping me to control what and how much I shovel into my face, and so far it is working! I like the way you think with regard to the vitamins. That is the reason I don’t take vitamins in pill form. I want to take my fat-soluble vitamins with food, and I don’t want to drink water while eating. So I have my chewables with breakfast.

I haven’t been allowed chicken until now. Chicken salad sounds pretty good. I’ll have to add that to my diet soon!

I hear you, and the thought did occur to me. Tonight I had chicken for the first time since surgery, and I must admit I did seem to have more of a full sensation after eating that.