Thank you Meggs11! I have been very weak and tired and I told this to my nutritionist and she just said "it'll get better". She's given me conflicting information and I think maybe even bad information. It just makes sense that there has to be a minimum protein grams and calories. She also told me not to have Protein Drinks and to concentrate on eating real, although soft, foods. I just can't eat enough to get what I know I need. That's why I started drinking that Protein Drink. I'm definitely going to add another protein drink to my day, among other things. Like maybe add part of a banana to my protein drink. Thank you!
For those of you struggling with low energy are you tracking your calories and macros? I ensure I am getting 600 to 800 calories a day, my Water intake is good (plus electrolytes) and my Vitamins are on point. 6 days out of 7 I feel amazing and feel like I have way more energy than before (knock on wood). I definitely notice my energy is low when I am consuming less then 600 calories. Plus increasing my calories I think is what broke my stall!
Your stomache is still swollen. It takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks for swelling to go down. Keep walking and doing cardio. I looked exactly the same for the first 4 weeks just now people and my family are noticing a difference. Lol
No problem! I stalled for 10 days and was really down/frustrated about it. Now I’m 5 down in a week. Nuts! I’m between my 800-1000 calories a day now and I’m getting my protein from food as a whole. My program doesn’t want us using very much Protein Powder or shakes long term. I still put a shake in my diet once in a while, but I’m hardly using my powder. The best thing I’ve found so far are these turkey burgers that have 35g of protein in each one! One lasts about a meal and then a snack. Or 2 meals depending on how I’m eating that day. Add 2 pieces of cheese and there’s another 10 more grams of protein. Good stuff! I never get anywhere near the 90g but I usually get about 70-75. Most days I get at least 50 oz of fluids, but I too still struggle there. I think it’s because I was diabetic and always thirsty before, but now I’m not. I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself to take a drink.
As for celebrating, I’m right there with you! I mean I was 311 lbs 14 months ago! I can’t believe I’m in the 220’s and so close to being a full 100 lbs lighter!!! Insane! I know I’m going to totally lose my sh*t when I hit 211. 😂
I can hardly believe we’re doing so great!! Keep me posted on how you’re doing! I really look forward to seeing your successes and celebrating with you!
A lot of people find their pre-op diet (especially if on all liquids or 3 Meal Replacements a day) is the hardest of all eating stages for them. I was one of the lucky ones who didn't have major issues, however I got to still have a meat and veggies dinner, and I spent the few months prior to my pre-op gradually phasing out sugar, caffeine and other processed carbs, so the diet change was far less dramatic for me than for many others and didn't trigger headaches. I also knew in advance that I get terrible headaches from MSG (including the 129 hidden forms of MSG), soy milk and aspartame so I made sure I had meal replacements without any of these ingredients.
Post op liquids stage can also be pretty harsh (some people remain hungry) but I was not very hungry at all, especially in the first week, and I was also using really tasty Soups I made with my own real slow-cooked rich chicken stock, so my soups had a lot of Gelatin and "substance" to them compared to tinned/packaged stuff and any physical hunger I had was fully satisfied by the soups (though I was mentally looking forward to more solid foods towards the end too hehe).
Oh, and apparently my belly shrank more overnight (possibly because Aunt Flo finally nicked off). These pants were still fitting loose on the legs but ok yesterday, this morning when I quickly put them on to do school drop off they almost fell down again! I'm going to have to retire these ones now too.
105kg on the scales and falling, 10 kilos lost pre op, and 6 kilos lost so far 2 weeks post op.
You can do it! Be comfy at the hospital and excited about how life will be after. Im 3 days out from post op. Just FYI stock up on childrens chewable Mylicon (no gas-x what so ever!) and Mylanta. When you come home you will be in the right direction...Good luck!
I was sleeved 5/9. Slowly making progress. . . . Abdominal binder and pain meds helpful. Just barely getting in all my fluids. Had some Protein yesterday, will try to get to goal today or tomorrow.
Excited to join the losers bench, but it might take me a week to walk over there!
I wish I would have done it sooner than waiting until I was 30.. missed out on so much of my young adult life being overweight and unhappy. Don’t let anyone try to talk you in or out of something that is YOUR decision! It is YOUR life, not theirs! Getting the sleeve was the best decision I could have made for my life.. if I wouldn’t have been so naive when I was young 20s, I would have done it then!
I was feeling so good about having the VSG until 2 weeks ago when a few coworkers bombarded me with their so called plan of intervention of why nots. Now i have anxiety and nervous and feel like cancelling my surgery in a few days on 5/10. If given the choice all over again would you still make the same choice?
My only regret is that I didn't have the surgery sooner! There will always be those negative people who feel its their right to have a say so in someone else's life! The decision is yours and yours alone. I only told a select few and those few supported me to the point that they joined me in the liquid diet! If your come this far and have a date, don't let anyone deter your decision. Ask yourself if its better to be unhealthy!
I read somewhere on here to take activated charcoal for the gas in your torso, not intestines. It worked great. I took before bed and at least TWO HOURS AWAY from any other meds. Got mine on Amazon and it's coconut charcoal. Not expensive and it works. Hope this helps.
Hi Everyone,
I was sleeved 5/3/18 about 5PM. I want to share my experiences so far, both pre and post op.
PRE OP:
Pre surgery I went through what (I think) pretty much everyone else goes through...anxiety. I worked so hard to get insured and then approved and was focused on that and the need to get the surgery done. Once I was approved and it was really going to happen, it finally occurred to me that I was going to have surgery for the first time in my life (I'm 65) and I got VERY scared. I wrote about it many times here. It was actually a roller coaster for me cuz I kept fluctuating between "This is going to happen." and "I don't have to go through with this." My husband, God Bless him, told me he was ok with whatever my final decision was. The day of surgery when he left me with the nurse he said "I have my phone, all you have to do is call and we're out of here." His attitude definitely helped me deal with this. Many people on this forum kept reassuring me that the risks for the surgery are very low. I researched this and it's true. I have a specific medical condition that had me particularly concerned. I had to advocate for myself and not give up and be a pain in the axx until I got my questions answered to my satisfaction. I kept saying "This is something I know I need to do, but I'm doing to so I have better quality of life and longer life, the last thing I want is to die on the table." There were times I was in a panic. I was afraid of general anesthesia as much as the surgery. The truth is, there's actually an extremely low risk of death from this surgery. Ultimately, I had my wonderful husband's support, either way, and I made the decision to ask God to watch over me and keep me safe throughout my journey. I'm not religious, but consider myself spiritual. Meaning I pray everyday and I do trust and believe God loves me and cares about me and will take care of me. I was rolled into the operating room and I swear, I had no anxiety and hadn't been given any anxiety meds. Once in there, while everyone was gathering in the room and setting up, I said loudly "Can I please have everyone's attention?" they stopped and looked at me in surprise and I said " I know I probably won't ever see any of you again after this so I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for taking such good care of me." Everyone came to me at the table, very surprised, and each assured me they'd take good care of me. I felt completely at ease. Soon after the anesthesiologist asked me to breathe into a mask and the next thing I knew, I woke up in my hospital room.
POST OP IN HOSPITAL:
Husband was waiting in the room for me when I got there. I was out cold. He asked how I was & I told him it hurt but I just wanted to sleep and to go away. Nice, huh? After all his support? He stayed another 45 minutes until he realized all he could do was watch me sleep. Again, my surgery ended around 6:30-7PM, so it's now like 10:30PM. I slept through the night and have vague memories of people coming to take my vital signs, test blood, etc. throughout the night. I was VERY sleepy the next day. The call buttons in my room (2, me & roommate) were malfunctioning and kept going off without being pushed. The nurse would ask what we want and we'd say we didn't touch it. They'd have to come in to check on us anyway and were getting annoyed after a few hours that it kept happening. I'm thinking "You're annoyed???" I would just fall to sleep and one would go off again. I had been told it's possible to just stay one night and decided I needed to do whatever I had to do to get out of there and I thought it was just another barium swallow to check for leaks and started reminding them this needed to be done. I nagged and dozed until they brought be down for the test. I felt weak and wasn't even sure if I could stand, but had to. Good news, I didn't have to drink barium or a big quantity of anything. I was afraid I'd have to do exact same test as before surgery, nope. They gave me an 8-10 oz? cup, half filled with some clear liquid in it. I got it down and no leaks. YAY! Back upstairs I'm asking when I'll be released and was told I had to drink, and keep down, 4 cups of Water or crystal light before I could go. They were 10-12 oz. cups. I panicked. It was like 2:30 and I really just wanted to sleep. I remembered to SIP VERY SLOWLY. I was fine. I just paced myself. Slept a bit, more vitals, etc. Then was reminded I also had to be up and walking around by myself before I could be released. So I did that, making sure to walk by the nurses station so someone would see. Eventually (around 4:30?) I threw one of the cups of water into the toilet because I knew I couldn't do it fast enough. Talked my husband into drinking another 1/2 of the other cups, then he refused. He said "If you really need to do this before you're released, then you have to do it." He had a good point. If they'd told me earlier in the day it was a requirement and I had started earlier, it would have been easier to do. By 5:30 I had finished what was left at the same time my doctor came in to check on me and tell me I could go. YAY! Truth be told, if it weren't for the malfunctioning call buttons going off practically nonstop, I would have been very happy to stay and rest and spend another night. We live a couple hours from the hospital, so was home and in bed by 9PM by the time they got my release papers together, the wheelchair and me downstairs and plus, it was rush hour in Boston. Soon after I got home I did vomit. It's the Oxycontin. I took once before and the same thing happened. All that came up was clear liquid and what looked like shards of dried blood. Because I really wanted my tummy to heal, I chose to stop taking it that night and haven't vomited since.
POST OP AT HOME SO FAR:
I slept like a baby that night. Out cold. I remember feeling pain throughout the night but not enough to wake me up. 40 hours post op, I switched to Tylenol only 1000mg. 3 X a day. I had some nausea that day as I figured out what to drink and how much. Trial and error. I drank 2 sips and waited. Fine. So, 4 sips and after the third went down, the 4th was in my mouth but I knew it wouldn't go down. It sat in my mouth for a few minutes, then went down, but I could feel it in my esophagus. So I stayed with 2 sips at a time with 10 minutes in between for a couple of days. Then 3 sips, yesterday I got up to 4 at a time with no problem. The first day home, I did not get all 60 ounces of fluids down. Second day I got close, probably 45 oz. Third day I got the full 60 oz. down comfortably and have stayed that way. I want to be sure to allow my new stomach proper healing and not do anything to aggravate it. By Monday night, I actually forgot to take nightly Tylenol. Took just one dose yesterday and probably won't take any today or from here. As far as my pain goes, I would describe it more as tenderness on the skin where the incisions are and I've had some internal pain that I'd really describe as spasms or cramping. Everyday it gets better. I did rest a lot the first three days wanting to heal and because I was weak and tired. I noticed I couldn't take a deep breathe. Like my breathing was restricted and I posted about it on here. An Angel answered me and told me to use the Spirometer they sent me home from the hospital with. My husband did pack up everything that was on the table, which included this weird blue thing. I didn't remember anything about it or any instruction on it's use. Once I was told what it was and how to use it and how often, my breathing got better, my alertness and energy got better and I was up and walking around more. I can't emphasize enough how important the Spirometer is! It's made a bid difference in my general overall feelings of wellness. My husband was able to "walk me" (he's been walking our dogs, but now also walks me! LOL!) the day after first using Spirometer for 10 minutes with 2 rests. Next day 20 minute walk with one rest. We'll see what today brings. I still feel somewhat unsteady on my feet at times because I'm somewhat dizzy. I have a problem with dizziness even without surgery, but it's worse now. I hold onto railings, my husbands hand and other stationary objects to make sure I don't fall. I move slowly on purpose. Plus I'm still a little mentally foggy. That part comes and goes. Surgery last Thursday night, it's now noon the following Wednesday and I can say all my panic and anxiety has proven to be for nothing. Not in pain today, just sporadic, temporary internal spasms that are getting better and fewer. Likely no pain meds today or after. I was very afraid I'd be STARVED, but no. I haven't found that at all. My husband has been eating his dinners in a different room and they do smell good but, so far, I have no interest in eating anything. So far. This was a huge worry for me ahead of the surgery. I was really afraid I'd need to eat something and not be able to and I'd hurt myself or make myself sick. This hasn't happened. I'm still concentrating on getting my 60 oz. of liquids down. I have noticed a bit of gas. Is it I'm now lactose intolerant? Is it cuz I'm making my Protein Drinks in a blender so they're like a milk shake with lots of air in them? Is this my intestines adjusting? Time will tell. I also didn't have a bowel movement 4 days post op and didn't think much of it until I was reading posts on here. I thought I hadn't actually eaten anything for 6 days so there was nothing to pass. Turns out there was. My doctor said to take 2 tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia and that worked within 2 hours and I haven't had a problem since. It's possible we all need something to get started.
Bottom Line at this point: No complications or problems up to 6 days out from surgery. A few minor aggravations or inconveniences. Feeling pretty good and better every day.
Update: everything still hurts but I’m a little more upbeat about it haha. The two times I’ve tried to stand, I’ve nearly passed out so I’m on bed rest for now. About 5 minutes after my family got here for a visit, I started vomiting and peed myself lol. I’m taking toradol right now and I can take scheduled Tylenol but honestly the pain I’m in is from gas I think, so Idk how much that would help.
My mantra: this won’t last forever, this won’t last forever...
Doxiemom65 got a reaction from debbie89 in Any MAY sleevers???
