gr8ful1

I'm going to be honest with you, not to scare you, but to prepare yourself for what might happen. Keep in mind that not everyone's experience is like mine.
My surgery was just a few weeks ago. I am no stranger to surgeries and anesthesia, as this is my fourth. I woke up in the recovery room in sheer panic. I didn't notice pain, but I felt like I couldn't expand my lungs enough to breathe and I said so with my first breath. A nurse standing over me said, "you are doing fine, your oxygen saturation level is 98%. We'll put you back to sleep to give you a bit more time before we take you up to your room." And just about the time she finished saying that, I was out again, and don't remember waking up again until they were wheeling me down the hall and into the elevator. And I could breathe much easier then, though I still couldn't take breaths that were as deep as I wanted to breathe. I felt *much* better as the hours went on. Nurses told me that pain meds could cause nausea, so I refused them. Never even had Tylenol. And honestly, the pain was never above 3 out of 10, so I didn't miss them.

My plan says 1/2 cup per meal, 3 days per meal, no snacking or grazing. This is the permanent phase starting 7 weeks out from surgery.

I found this today actually because I was getting ready to reorder.
https://www.southernsurgical.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RYGB-VITAMIN-COMPARISON.pdf
I am currently on the Celebrate 45 Multi bandwagon. 2 chewable vitamins a day + 3 chews. That's it.
I decided to try the opurity stuff, since it was on the approval list. 1 chewable Multi-Vitamin a day + 4 chewable calciums + 1 Vitamin C/Iron pill. A little bit more pills, but it is like half the cost. Knowing the ingredients are not from China gives me a little bit of comfort.
I noted on the chart that the Flintstones scored quite badly. Maybe print this out and see what your doc says?

Multivitamins are best absorbed when taken with food. Some Vitamins, namely the fat-soluble Vitamins, are ONLY absorbed with food. Since I don’t drink Water while eating food, even just a small sip with a pill, I will never take a non-chewable Multivitamin pill again.

I also have my gastric bypass on 7/25, and you're both doing better than me. I am down 16.5 pounds from my morning weight on 7/25. Add 7.5 pounds to that if you want to count my 3-day clear liquid diet immediately before surgery. I think I'm just about where I need to be. My first goal is to lose 16-19% of my excess body weight and 2.5-3" from my waist by my 1-month weigh-in. This will put me at the 50th to 75th percentile for gastric bypass patients according to one large peer-reviewed study.

Then I will be there for sure! My #6 Nutrition Appointment is just a few hours before.

My plan says 1/2 cup per meal, 3 days per meal, no snacking or grazing. This is the permanent phase starting 7 weeks out from surgery.

I couldn't agree more! If I had listened to my doctors years ago, I would have probably avoided a heart attack.

Hi Fin! I too had some serious doubts when I first started considering weight loss surgery four years ago. It's not just a surgery, but a new lifestyle, and you have to get your mind right before you proceed. Would you consider attending a support group? Dr. Fitzer's office offers 2 monthly support groups to his patients. The groups are especially welcoming to pre-surgery patients, and everyone is very open about sharing their own experiences and answering your questions. The support group definitely helped me with my fears and made me feel less alone in my journey.
By the way, I am exactly 2 weeks out from gastric bypass surgery, and sleep apnea was my only major co-morbidity as well. But I knew that I could be told I have diabetes or hypertension at any given checkup, and I didn't want to wait for that to happen, or worse. I am doing great. I am not disgusted by food now, which was one of my fears pre-op. I feel like I now have a control over food, as opposed to food having control over me. And that is a GREAT feeling. :-)

In short, it’s going great! I’m having no problems getting 65-70 oz of Water and 9 oz of Protein Shakes down daily. I never took any pain meds, either at the hospital or at home. I have taken some gas-x, but honestly, I don’t even know if I need that. I do toss and turn in bed and get some lower back and hip pain while trying to sleep. Probably because I’m on my back 98% of the time I’m in bed. I do have an adjustable bed, so I don’t think sleeping in a recliner would be more comfortable. And I love my bed!

In short, it’s going great! I’m having no problems getting 65-70 oz of Water and 9 oz of Protein Shakes down daily. I never took any pain meds, either at the hospital or at home. I have taken some gas-x, but honestly, I don’t even know if I need that. I do toss and turn in bed and get some lower back and hip pain while trying to sleep. Probably because I’m on my back 98% of the time I’m in bed. I do have an adjustable bed, so I don’t think sleeping in a recliner would be more comfortable. And I love my bed!

In short, it’s going great! I’m having no problems getting 65-70 oz of Water and 9 oz of Protein Shakes down daily. I never took any pain meds, either at the hospital or at home. I have taken some gas-x, but honestly, I don’t even know if I need that. I do toss and turn in bed and get some lower back and hip pain while trying to sleep. Probably because I’m on my back 98% of the time I’m in bed. I do have an adjustable bed, so I don’t think sleeping in a recliner would be more comfortable. And I love my bed!

Indeed my friend!!!

Good to hear you made it out! He meant rupturing the staple line before it has healed. It's pretty rare, but serious enough to be 100% fatal if not treated fast enough with emergency surgery. Basically, he said to stop drinking if I get a feeling like bread is stuck in my throat. Take small sips, and wait about 5 seconds between sips to see if I get any "I'm full" feedback before taking the next sip.

It gets better every day. I'm very blessed to have had a complication-free experience so far.

@Laura7 and @mercmerc I hope you both are doing well and free from complications. I convinced my surgeon to discharge me when he made his evening rounds yesterday. The main thing he was concerned with was that I could drink enough to get off of the IV fluids. I was up to 4oz per hour, so he gave me a stern talk about not "popping my pouch" by drinking too fast the first 3 weeks, then he let me go. It's good to be home.

Checking in from my hospital room. All is well so far. It’s a real pain, literally, to get up from this bed for potty breaks. Anyone mastered a technique? Flatten bed? Raise head more? Everything method hurts.

Had bypass surgery today. Hope I’ll be much more mobile tomorrow.

Thank you, @Frustr8!

Checking in from my hospital room. All is well so far. It’s a real pain, literally, to get up from this bed for potty breaks. Anyone mastered a technique? Flatten bed? Raise head more? Everything method hurts.

Checking in at the hospital. I am first of SEVEN bariatric surgeries here today. Four surgeries with my surgeon Dr Fitzer, and three with Dr Trad.

Checking in at the hospital. I am first of SEVEN bariatric surgeries here today. Four surgeries with my surgeon Dr Fitzer, and three with Dr Trad.

Thank you! All the best to you!

Praying. Tomorrow is our big day. You've got this!

Praying! You're not alone. You've got this!