Orchids&Dragons

I get ya! I won't wear the compression hose because they bunch up like rubber bands at the ankles, which is more uncomfortable than the swelling

Thanks, @MIZ60. I did not have shortness of breath before the surgery except when I dragged my fat azz up a flight of stairs, but I did have a lot of swelling in my legs. The doctors had always blamed it on my salt intake (it's my favorite food group) and since I had no other issues, they pretty much ignored it. However, my salt intake is now <800mg most days, so that isn't it. I was actually shocked at how low it was, but since I'm still living on yogurt, protein water and minced tuna salad, it's not hard to explain. In the last month, I've gotten progressively worse. Kinda scary. I get super dizzy every time I stand and I'm nauseous all the time. They did an upper GI on Wed. and found severe reflux. On top of all that, I have a Grade-A case of the stupids. People literally have to ask me the same question 2 - 3 times before I get it. UGH! Because of a family history of heart problems, the surgeon referred me to a cardiologist before surgery. He thought I had a blockage from the nuclear stress test so he ordered a heart cath. I was already 6 days into the pre-op diet at that point and he cancelled my surgery until after the cath could be done. Turns out, my heart was fine, I just have super skinny veins, but no blockages. Wouldn't you know, I had one really skinny part of my body and no one could SEE IT! Anyway, I left a message at the surgeons office about the IV lasix. Hopefully they get back to me before I get another dose in about an hour. I appreciate your concern!

I'm in pretty much the same boat. That's all I could eat at 6 weeks and now, at 12 weeks, can still only handle a tiny bit more than that. Maybe 1.5 oz (by weight). At 6 weeks, my surgeon wasn't concerned, just said I was on the slow end of healing, but at my 12 week checkup he did get concerned. I am basically still on mushy foods, can't tolerate solid meat protein at all, although I can handle fish. Hopefully, you're just a slow healer and it will all resolve itself. Just pad out your day with extra yogurt or protein shakes/water until you can eat more at a sitting. Hope you're doing better soon.

Sounds to me like you just followed different medical advice - your own. Hope all goes well.

I'm glad to hear it's something relatively minor. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Sorry, I didn't explain well. I'm not on IV fluids. I'm getting shots of lasix into the vein (so that it doesn't have to travel the long way around through the stomach.) I drink around 100 oz of fluids per day and the cardiologist would like me to reduce it to 64. But I crave water, so the lowest I'd been able to do was about 80. That's why he's increasing the diuretics.

I know some of you have had issues with edema and I would appreciate some advice. I have been seeing a cardiologist because of some other issues, but one of the things that worries him is the swelling in my legs and my shortness of breath (which has been getting worse.) I have been on 2 different oral diuretics which didn't seem to have any effect. Now, the cardiologist is putting me on IV lasix and having me continue the oral diuretic too. He intends for me to get another IV treatment every day until the edema goes down. (This is basically a shot of lasix into the vein, not a big bag of IV fluid.) I drink plenty of fluids, so I guess my question is this: Can you get dehydrated at the same time you're carrying 30-40 pounds of excess fluid?

Maybe your hubby is just lop-sided? JK, congrats on the inches! That's what shows. Nobody sees your scale!

Hope all goes well! Sorry about the detour on your journey.

YEAH!!!!!! Congrats!

Do you want different levels of experience or just veterans? Sorry, didn't mean to post in the Men's room!

Thanks, I appreciate the info. I'll have better questions for the doctor next time!

I got a big No from my doctor and I have a sleeve. Guess it all depends on your doc!

I would have thought the swelling should be gone by now? No? I'll be 12 weeks on Monday.

What issue is there with NSAIDS that is not the same for sleeve and bypass? I thought you had to stay off NSAIDS for both procedures.

I had an upper GI yesterday and they found severe reflux. Haven't spoken with my doctor yet to see what he wants to do. They tried to take me off omeprazole a month after surgery, but I only made it 4 hours before I called and asked them to give me a new prescription. Within a couple of days, I was back to twice a day, where I am now. Even with that, I take a fair number of Tums, like at 5am this morning because the acid is still too high. UGH!

You can try ice packs if you're home. That will help with inflammation. Mine bothered me for about a week.

Otherwise we'd call it a day trip! Smart man, your hubby!

If you don't chew them well, they'll actually give you a bit of a "full" feeling on liquids!

I did one the morning of surgery and then for 2 weeks after I went home. I had plenty of tummy to keep moving the injection site around

You're right. Liquids don't fill you up, they just basically slide right through.

So sorry, Ash. That is so painful. Glad you're doing better. I suspect they don't do this because they've got nothing to hang over your head to make you comply. What're they gonna do, sew your stomach back together?

We understand your concern. Most of us have the same problem. Don't box yourself into a corner thinking that you've got to have everything figured out before surgery. This is an on-going process of learning and behavior modification. In some ways, our new "tool" is the teacher, i.e. dumping or foamies UGH! In addition, find local support groups. Mine has a speaker every month and lots of people with whom to discuss the ins and outs of life after surgery. Start going to those meetings now. Take advantage of every learning opportunity provided by your doctor's office. You never know when an "aha!" moment might hit! Most of all, if your insurance covers it, try going to a counselor that specializes in eating disorders. It's even better if you can find one with bariatric experience. I plan on seeing a counselor to work through my food issues, because, like you said, that's how I got here.

Mitchjoann, I understand your frustration, but be kind to yourself and stop worrying. We're all different. Since you're starting out in a much better place than many of the rest of us (Believe me, you did not want to start at 272!) you may lose slower. Or it may kick into high gear when you transition to more solids. Or once all the swelling goes away (can take over a month). We've all got our different bodies and metabolisms and we just have to ride it out. You're so petite - taller people have more muscle mass and that burns more calories. But you'll look way cuter when you get to goal You've lost 32 pounds and the scale is still going down - Celebrate! You have released 14% of your total body weight already!

I picked 150 as a goal weight because that's pretty much the smallest I've ever been as an adult. I may be able to get below that now because I used to be a lot more muscular than I am now and even with the gym, I doubt I will build back that much muscle. But I won't have any idea until I get there. Unfortunately, I have a large bone structure and carry absolutely minimal weight in what my Mom called "socially acceptable areas" (boobs and butt). At 150, I was still in size 14 for most clothes. However, I used to think size 14 was horrible, now it's a dream-come-true number! So, if I can get to, and maintain, 150-160, I will be delighted!