logicwand

That's funny, my doctor never discussed a goal weight with me either. He just pointed in a green section of healthy BMI numbers for my height and said this is where I should be. LOL. Maybe they do this because it does vary so much from one person to the next and also to put the reign in our hands.

I had surgery 2/28 so I'm 5 days out. I was hungry leaving the hospital and have been hungry since! LOL I not only have the hunger pain, but I sometimes have pain on my right side after I swallow anything. In the beginning it was excruciating, but it has lessened. I am able to hold down everything I'm allowed: water, sf popsicles, broth, yogurt, thin cream soups, sf pudding, and my protein shakes. The first two days home I had trouble reaching my water goals for SURE. I only got in about 16 to 20 oz. But by day 3, I finally hit 32 oz. Today, I hit 40 oz. So I'm definitely making progress. I'm getting all my protein from the protein shakes (with skim milk), Premier Protein Clear and yogurt which probably puts me right about 65-70 grams of protein a day. I'm relying on the shakes for my vitamins as well. NUT said to begin vitamin supplements on 3/7. I'm looking into getting some of the vitamin patches here on Bariatric Pal because it'd be one less thing to think about putting in my mouth! Today was my first day back at work and I was a little weak but I have a desk job. I wonder if the weakness is from a drastic calorie drop. I'm probably getting about 300 to 500 calories a day. (I also use Propel with electrolytes for my water goals, so I'm hoping my body appreciates that too.) I've been sleeping on my back which sucks because I'm a side sleeper but I don't want to mess my incisions up. They are a tad sore, but I have to really twist or hit a bump in the road to feel pain. They look good so far. I'm hoping the glue doesn't wear off too soon because I feel like I need the reinforcement for a good while! My one week post op is Thursday and hopefully I get a thumbs up from my doc. Oh, and I'm down 7 pounds since the surgery.

I lost a lot of weight on my own several years ago and my brother said I looked like a cancer patient. It really hurt how I felt about such progress for my health. I know he was trying to be funny because he's the family comedian. But he's also 300 lbs. I'm not sure if there was underlying insecurity there (probably). But I know he wouldn't have said it if he thought it'd hurt my feelings. He shoots from the hip a lot too. Was your husband half joking, half being serious? Maybe talk to him more about the surgery and what this means to you? I don't know y'all's situation, but it's definitely at a point where you two are in a disagreement about what's best for you. So maybe time to talk.

Congratulations daylany!!

That’s so awesome!!! Rock on Gassy!!

You got it, frust8! You have such a great frame of mind and resilience!! You will do this. Post an update about your upcoming seminar and let us know what you find out!

Juju! Congratulations! Your story brings a tear to my eye. How beautiful. So happy for you.

Ohh that's good. Whew. Yes, I do feel guilty. LOL

Do you know why it's required? I pretty much threw all my pre-bought cream soups away cuz they tasted so gross. I hope I'm not missing out on something important. Eek!

Crystalbear, I've also read that your tastes can change. You may not even like certain foods anymore. I only got sleeved last week, but apparently I don't like cream soups anymore. LOL It literally tastes like I'm putting flour in my mouth.

Monkeyol, bless you for this post! This is music to my ears and I hope I have your exact sentiments in 6 months! LOL Congrats!

That's AWESOME!!! Congrats SeaHawks!!!

Hello fellow Houstonian! My starting BMI was 33.7 (215lbs at 5'7") - however when the nurse measured how tall I was at my consultation, apparently I had shrunk an inch (maybe it was mismeasured or maybe my degenerative disc disease is to blame). That made my BMI a 34.7. Anyhow, pretty close to yours. I just had surgery on 2/28, so I will have to report back here in about 6 months. I hate the sight of blood, I think organs are precious, and bodies shouldn't be prodded and poked. I was terrified before they wheeled me into the surgery room. I cried on my gurney in the pre-op room. How did it get to this? This is so incredibly scary and drastic. Was I going to pull out the IV and run out of the hospital? It crossed my mind literally every second. However, I prepared a letter to myself to read before surgery. I listed all of the reasons I needed to follow through with this decision despite my fears (most of which were irrational). I am in pain from osteoarthritis every day. My spine , my hips, my knees, my ankles, etc.. I am carrying at least 70 extra pounds that my joints cannot handle. I have days where I cry because I'm in so much pain and there is literally nothing I can do. What kept me on that gurney? Wondering how I'd feel in 10 years if I didn't go through with this surgery. There are other folks on here who shared their story of leaving the hospital on surgery day and they said they had regretted it (and they have since been sleeved). Those posts also helped me tremendously. (I wish I could remember their names! Seahawks?). Anyhow, this first week post op has not been as smooth as I expected, but I'm getting better each day. I am fully aware that in the first month there may be feelings of regret and even depression. I have prepared myself for that, but who knows how difficult it will be. But I am very hopeful that six months from now I will have more energy, my joint pain will be somewhat alleviated and I will be able to move around more. I would love nothing more than to update you on my progress to let you know that it was the best decision I could have ever made. *Fingers Crossed*

Hey Sleeved! Glad to see your post! I'm a 2/28 sleever and I'm still on clear liquids but have slowly incorporated sf pudding and thin cream soups. I can keep everything down okay, but it takes a loooong time to finish an ounce or two. Probably not hitting my water goal but it's tough! (Especially when we sleep 8 hours a day.) I was wondering when my first BM would be too. Okay, no one read further as this may be TMI for you. I have been sitting here at the computer and all of a sudden I felt like I had to pass gas. YAAAAY! So I just let go! Wooohoooowwaaaaait a minute. Uh oh. Oh boy. That wasn't just air. I ran to the bathroom and yes, I sh*t my pants. So NOW, lesson learned, I have to sit on a toilet to fart. I'm just glad my body finally moved some semi-solids out of my system. Surely you won't have to wait too much longer for a BM, but if you need to fart, it could be what you're looking for! LOL

Thanks all! Ok, I am home now. I stayed 2 nights in the hospital. I was super sore and out of it and didn't want to talk to anyone or see anyone. I swear I wanted to punch a nurse for talking too much LOL. The day after surgery I was really sore. They took me off morphine which was fine because it didn't alleviate the pain I was having. It was painful to swallow my own saliva. Felt like a rock was going down. By the next day it wasn't so bad. So I began taking sips of water. Water felt like a boulder going down and I also had some mild nausea. But soon after any sips, I would get a shooting pain on my upper right side. It was excruciating. Doctor wasn't worried and said it should go away. Since coming home, this pain has let up quite a bit. It was hard to meet my water goals with that kind of pain. But today, I was able to take bigger sips of water and sooner without any problems. I still have the pain in my upper right side but it's definitely less. Incisions are sore / tender and it's painful to stand up or get out of bed - or twist around. Other than that, I feel pretty good! lol I wish this went a little smoother, but I knew anything could happen so I feel lucky so far that this is all I've had to deal with. I weighed myself today and I'm 207 from 209 surgery day. Haha.

Ok, so I didn’t run out of the operating room. I actually followed through with this decision. Very proud of myself for that. In the pre-op room I did shed a few tears (ok, I wept) mostly because it feels like a drastic action - did it really have to come to this - I’m a failure, etc etc. Procedure was successful. However, I was in quite a bit of pain when I came to. I did have nausea from time to time too. They gave me meds in my IV but they didn’t help much. Oh, and every nurse and doctor asks me why my heart beat is so low. Like I have clue?! Lol Not getting very good sleep because a nurse is always coming in to do something. I am so exhausted! I stayed over night and still in hospital. Haven’t been brought any clear liquid foods yet. Still in pain but it’s better than yesterday. I might be discharged tonight if everything looks great, otherwise in will stay another night...which honestly makes me feel better. Hope all of you are doing well!!

Holy Cannoli!!! You look AMAZING!! I know those muscles didn't make themselves. You have done an incredible job! I am so inspired.

I've been drinking the Premier Protein Clear in Mixed Berry. I'm 3 days post-op and it's another good way for me to get protein while also hitting my 48oz water goal. You can definitely water it down and it should be great.

I know after surgery you can be in pain...some more than others. Do you actually feel like your stomach has been cut? If so, when does that feeling (pain) go away? After 6 or so months when your stomach is supposed to have healed fully, do you still feel your stomach or do you forget anything ever happened?

Ok, so I was really groggy after surgery but not in any kind of pain ....till I had to start drinking fluids. Within 30 seconds of swallowing anything, I experience a sharp, excruciating pain on my right side. Obviously this makes me want to drink less. Lol. But it is really disconcerting to me because no one else has had this exact issue. I told my doctor twice before I was discharged and he seemed to think that it was fine and it will go away. Other than that? Yeah, I’m doing great! Thank u! [emoji41]

Not at all. I take limited, slow sips. The water usually feels like rock going down, then there’s no feeling. But about 30 seconds later I get a shooting pain on my right side. It’s making me not want to drink. Ugh. Same thing with my full liquids - yogurt and cream of chicken soup. Doctor said everything looks great, X-rays, blood work, and I had no soreness when he pushed all over my abdomen. He said keep going slow on drinking and eating and it should go away. I see him for my first follow up on Tuesday.

Thank you!!

I am still in the hospital and have the same sleep deprivation! Those dang nurses! Ugh. When I get home I plan to sleep on my bed that’s adjustable. If I didnt have that I would definitely want to recover in an easy/reclining chair. Maybe you could also prop a bunch of pillows and blankets around your bed.

One of my concerns after surgery is that I will be cold all the time. I’ve seen people mention it as a side effect. For those you that experienced this, does regular exercise minimize this effect? Would regular exercise help maintain a higher body temperature when at rest?

Ahh yes! One week ago was your surgery! I need to follow you as reference cuz of our similar stats!