Gottajustdoit

Hi everyone. I had surgery around 1pm on Wednesday and was discharged from the hospital around 7pm last night. Felt good to sleep in my own bed! No complications during the operation, but it took me a while to get out of the recovery room. After the surgery, the gave me Dilaudid in my IV for the first day. On the second day they switched me to the oral Oxycodone. I stopped the pain meds yesterday morning. I was about to get out of the hospital yesterday morning, but my body was low in magnesium and sodium so needed those added to my IV before I could leave. I was given broth and Jello in the hospital but didn't feel like eating much. I have three kinds of pain..the stomach itself is very tender, as if someone had plowed into me. It's not unlike super sore muscle pains. I also have gas pain in my right shoulder, which caused a lot of pain but that's subsiding. The other pain is a more like a tightness in my chest or reflux. Now that I'm home, I've been sipping on Premier Protein shakes and Water, but that's it. I may add in Unjury chicken broth later in the day.

What I"m wondering is what kind of pain y'all are feeling post op? My husband just left to pick up my prescriptions for Zofran and the acid reducer. No a fan of crushing up my other meds (e.g. my thyroid me) and getting those down. Yeck. Overall less pain that I was expecting, but realizing it will take a while for the tummy bloating and soreness to subside. Total pounds lost from the date I started all-liquids (Feb 3) until today is about 5-6 pounds. I plan on taking a 2-hour flight to see my family on March 7 and am pretty sure I will feel up to it.

11 minutes ago, ldawn said:

Y’all I’m down 6 lbs from surgery (I had to lose the 9 lb iv fluids gain also) and 22 pounds since starting the liquid diet on 1/21. I am ecstatic!!!!

wahoo!!!😀

To all those who are joining me on the operating table tomorrow, February 13, Godspeed!

12 minutes ago, Joe P said:

I am 69 and having my surgery on feb 26th, quite nervous about the whole thing but I find the support here most helpful. I am a young 69 and finally decided to have the surgery after battling weight loss for some 50 years. I hope all goes well. I have decided not to share with my friends that I am having the surgery. Wish me well.

Welcome to the February group! I definitely wish you well. Surgery for me is the day after tomorrow and I have only shared my decision with my family and a very close friends. We are all nervous. First, we are having major surgery and second, we have to change our lifestyles forever. Good luck!

1 hour ago, tcowen648 said:

I did spend the entire weekend. My pain was horrible yesterday and had a allergic reaction to something. Plus we had an ice storm so I probably would have stayed one more day anyways. Wouldnt want to end up in the ditch and be in alot more pain

Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using BariatricPal mobile app

Sorry to hear about the long hospital stay. Where did you have the pain?

6 hours ago, Recidivist said:

I hope everyone here is doing well at the various stages of pre-op and post-op. In a few weeks we will all be on the other side and compare notes about how much gas we have! 🙂

I'm going out for a big steak dinner tonight before I start liquids tomorrow. When I was having my favorite foods over the last week, I kept thinking, "This is the last time I will ever eat this." It's getting very real!

Enjoy every single bit of that steak. Savor it. Enjoy! And remember, some day you will get to eat teeny bites of really lean steak again!

6 hours ago, froufrou said:

I'm confused... I don't have any gas pain, no restriction when I'm drinking... the only pain I have is that it feels like a thousand bees have stung my stomach and then acid was thrown on it.

Has anyone else had this? I would have thought I'd have gas pain and it'd be hard to drink. nope!

Hmmmm...this does seem odd. Might you be allergic to the surgical tape? When you say you have no restriction to drinking, do you mean the amount? Which surgery did you have?

2 hours ago, myriam569 said:

So happy for you I and mine 2/6 and bed use some gas in my chest here and there I feel.fine ...I have no problem with my liquid so.far ...I am so proud of myself so far

Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Great job both of you! This makes me feel a bit braver as I head to my surgery on Wednesday. I have been straining my Soups and my best so far has been the Soup I strained today at Noodles & Company. Kind of embarrassing, but I strained their Thai chicken Soup at the table so I could eat with my family. It was soooo delicious. pudding, I must say, though, sounds AMAZING.

2 hours ago, BlueIGT said:

Mine is tomorrow too, at 1pm. Best wishes to you guys

Thoughts and prayers for all three of you who are going into surgery tomorrow. 😀

2 hours ago, BrooklynKay said:

On 2/3/2019 at 7:37 PM, Frustr8 said:

Nah I still expect someone to be on February 28th, they just haven't showed up yet. I thought I was the only September 5th when I started the September 2018 Surgeries and Success thread yet 5 or 6 showed up. Don't give up hope, I'm sure there will be a February 27-28,yet , in the meantime you can watch,the earlier people, see if there is anything from their experiences you can use for your Good. You do pick up the tools on here.

I’m scheduled for the 27th!!!!

BrooklynKay--Welcome to February Weight Loss Buds!

36 minutes ago, Recidivist said:

Hey, Marine. How is the liquid diet going so far? I'm starting on Monday, and I'm going out for a steak dinner on Sunday before I give up solid food for quite a while!

So, the liquid diet for me has been very, very hard. Tomorrow will be one week on the all liquids and then surgery on Wednesday. I have strained a lot of Soups and my favorite so far has been Trader Joe's chicken Kettle broth and Progresso's canned French onion Soup. The seem to have the most flavor of the ones I've tried. I've made three types of Jello-o and overnight I'm putting my Protein Shake into popsicle molds to see if they will taste like fudgecicles. Fingers crossed! It has been so hard to watch TV with so many food commercials. My funeral meal (Mod Pizza) is what I'm craving the most. I had my favorite meals (yes steak was one!) each day of the week before the liquid diet. It's frighting how much I miss just ordering off the menu or grabbing a snack from the refrigerator. The agony is real!

8 hours ago, Gotta win 4me said:

I am being discharged. I still feel tied but at least I’m not sore. All I want to do is sleep because of my lack of energy. I really hope that gets better because I have a 1 year old that needs mommy to be energized for her play play time!

Glad you have been discharged and don't have pain. I don't know how you are going to do it. Will you be able to lift your baby? I was told not to life anything about 20 lbs after my surgery for at least two weeks. I hope someone will be able to help out so you can rest. Hang in there!

6 minutes ago, froufrou said:

I am in a cycle of: wake up, drink something, take meds, fall asleep... this keeps happening every hour (except the meds bit, that's every 4 hours). In a lot of pain - far more than the sleeve. Crazy.

When was your surgery? What kind of pain? Did you have a gastric sleeve originally followed by a recent gastric bypass? I sure hope my doctor will give me something to help me sleep. I understand the only pain meds he prescribes is Tylenol with Codeine. I'm allergic to codeine so once I leave the hospital it's fend for myself with just regular Tylenol, which I haven't found in liquid form yet (other than the children's Tylenol). Are you taking anything for the pain?

14 hours ago, thelostmermaid said:

OMG I was and still am craving mac and cheese!!!! I keep getting this commercial showing the best looking mac and cheese and it's absolute torture. Towards the end of it, I ditched the Soups and stuck to low fat greek yogurt and Jello. Idk where you live but if you have a Trader Joes near you, they have an amazing black bean and chipotle Soup.

I do have Trader Joes near me (yes!). Is the black bean and chipotle Soup spicy? Do you buy it in a can? There is a cafeteria in the building where I work and the soup of the day switches from day to day (then repeats). I have been straining the various Soups for my lunches but I'm TIRED of them. I strained a beef and barley soup today that had a vegetable/tomato base. Ick. The one soup that I keep going back to is Progresso's French Onion soup. I strain out all the onions and it has a salty rich taste to it. I try not to have it too often because I fear it will also lose its appeal.

9 hours ago, EmzBee said:

So... perhaps a weird question, but does anyone else think that inevitably they are going to be the one who ends up with complications? Because I've just had a feeling that it's inevitably going to be me, and I have no idea whether it's me being neurotic, or a general concern that most people have before major surgery...

I'd love to know how you felt/feel about the likelihood of complications!

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

Don't worry, EmzBee....I know what your worries are. I'm the kind of person who goes to the doctor for one thing only to find out I have something worse. If it wasn't so traumatic to my psyche, it would be funny. So, you can imagine I'm thinking the same thing, that I will have complications. Take comfort that so many of our February buddies have already through the surgery and doing great! That's what I'm focusing on. Also, if we do have complications, the surgeons have probably seen it before and know how to fix them. I am taking heart in what my surgeon said, that the surgery is quite common and the chances of complications are very rare.

3 hours ago, Frustr8 said:

I surely didn't, I thought I had crossed every T, dotted every I, followed their handbook they had given to me. Yeah usually get,like Eeyore the Donkey in Winnie the Poo , standing in swamp up to my fetlocks, all depressed. But no THIS TIMEI actually thought things were going my way. But Surprise Surprise here I sit, a little after 8 am my time , 23 weeks from surgery with a double lumen 48 cm tube running in my basilic vein and up through the gradually widening Venous tree,until it is lying 5 cm from my Right Atrium in the Superior Ven Cava. Did I forecast THIS, no way Jose! Been in since 29th November, a possibility of 2 more months. And a battery operated pump is pumping a Total Paraenteral Nutrition solution in and will for 2 more hours, then I will flush my lines with 2 saline syringes, cap both lumen off with sterile plastic caps, I will be free for in theory for 12 hours, although I hope to start my 12 hour feeding a little earlier this evening. Had 2 medical type appointments yesterday, 11 am for my weekly blood draw, my lines were not being cooperative, had to de-clot them, this time took multiple hours, I can infuse with great impunity but the blood wasn't drawing out. They put a declotting drug called Altaplase in there, they say there are no side reactioons, I beg to differ, it makes my heart fibrailate a little.I know that's a misspelling but I don't have my other phone here to go to my search engine for spell check.Wednesday I had to go to the East Side of Columbus for a MRI, my Cardiologist is in a different hospital group than my Bariatric Surgeon, actually I have been to 3 different hospitals this week alone. My Thoracic Aorta Aneurysm is stable at this point, I have a check list of things to look for, going to have to ask Primary Care if I should be on a blood pressure med to protect it? Anyway that part was okay but I have a Renal Cyst, they tend to be benign but still called my Urologist office to bring them into the loop. Then after all that , I had a DEXA scan to assess the status of my skeleton. Do I need to start on an Osteoporosis med? SO My Life has got complicated, still I am more healthy and in basic better shape than before my surgery. I am down over a 100 pounds since my highest weight in October 2017. I have lost 60 of that in the last 5 months, although my weight descent slowed when I was put on TPN I'm still losing 3-6 pounds a month at this point. Before I had the PICC catheter put in I had become malnourished and very deficient in Protein, I have ulcerations in my jejunem, the second part of my small intestine, and my pouch opening has strictured down until only liquids can get through. I have been non a liquids diet since August 1st when I went on a liver-shrinking one. That makes a little over 6 months, rather cruel isn't it? But in the Final Days I will get as good as everyone else, at least that's the Promise I was given.

Dear Frust8--

This sounds so horrible and sorry to hear of all the complications. I'm not clear--what surgery did you have when and what, exactly, was the complication? Are you having another surgery this month? I am beyond shocked that you have had to be on a liquid diet for so long. It sounds miserable. I am only 6 days into my liquid diet and am trying to stay sane.

4 hours ago, Gotta win 4me said:

My surgery went well beside my heart racing after some meds they gave me during the surgery. They are going to watch me again today and I will go home tomorrow. I’m not in mich pain but I get to sip on Water, ice and Protein Shakes.

Hoorah! So good to hear you are through the surgery and pain is minimal.

43 minutes ago, EmzBee said:

I craved cheese, too!
The good thing about starting my diet early was that I had a cheat day where I got cheese and crackers out of my system. That and sushi, crisps, ice cream and a caramel slice. Nom!

First time I went thru the ketosis flu/detox was the hardest. Like you, I had headaches and nausea in the evenings... I had a policy of 'IDGAF about anything else, I will treat myself to sleeping as much as I want and playing hours of video games so long as I don't cheat on this stupid diet'. The distractions seemed to work, but I get that not everyone is lucky enough to be able to check out and watch hours of Netflix.

Though if media isn't your thing, I totally recommend pedicures, massages, going to a sauna/swimming etc... really important when you're doing something this hard to find ways to keep your honeypot full

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

The way I feel must be like the Keto flu, then. I never tried the keto diet so I didn't experience it. My nutritionist did not mention I'd feel so yucky. It is good to hear that I may be going through a normal process, then. I DO have Netflix and am binging at night after work when the kids and hubby are eating dinner. Cooking would be too difficult right now!

5 hours ago, thelostmermaid said:

So they actually didn't state where the blood was coming from, but they did say that it could be common with patients who undergo weight loss surgery. I'm part of another support group and asked them if anyone had experienced that and a good handful of them said yes. Some of them said the had bloody stool for up to a few days, and that they just have to let it pass but to make sure that your blood levels don't go down too much. And thank you, have you had surgery yet?

Interesting! I am glad to hear that it is treatable. Hope you are feeling well now. My gastric bypass is on Feb 13 so I still have 6 days left of this miserable liquid diet. I am not adjusting well--not just hunger, but I have headaches and some nausea. The smell of some of the Soups I'm eating is off-putting. I went grocery shopping tonight for more supplies and--no surprise--it was difficult. For some reason I wanted cheese really badly. I thought of sucking on cheese cubes! I didn't, but was thinking about it! I did buy some sugar-free hard candy to keep me occupied when the hunger strikes.

4 minutes ago, ldawn said:

I learned today that my new tiny stomach can not handle all my pills plus Vitamins at the same time. Will definitely start spreading them out.

I will have to take most of my medications after surgery. Even though I consider them to be quite small, my surgeon says I need to crush them. I will be taking two soft chew Multivitamins, two soft chew calcium citrate, and one soft chew Iron + C after the surgery. What type of Vitamins are you taking and do you have to crush your pills?

9 hours ago, thelostmermaid said:

So, I had the gastric bypass done February 1st. I had a few complications right after surgery, I was really dehydrated and the second day I had a lot of blood in my stool. However, I am doing much better now. I have lost 7 lbs since the day of the surgery and have lost 24lbs in total from the start of my pre-op liquid diet.

thelostmermaid--What was the blood stool from? Did they say it was at all related to the surgery? Sorry to hear you had complications. Congrats on the weight loss!

7 hours ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

I think the best way to handle anxiety pre surgery is to make lists, make sure you have everything ready so you feel you have some control. Have some good books or magazines and try to look forward to down time. I know that sounds crazy but that is my plan. I even added some silly games to my phone that are distracting and mindless.

Do you have the Calm app on your phone? I don't but have been thinking of getting it. I keep seeing it pop up on Facebook and it looks like it might chill me out. Other ideas are just listening to quiet music and breathing in and out. I suffer anxiety and I know how awful it is. Hang in there!

1 hour ago, EmzBee said:

Congratulations, Idawn and Courtney! Showing us all the way it's done

Gosh, I disappeared for a while, didn't I? Nice to finally catch up with everyone and see where we're all at. I notice we now have quadruplets (or, potentially quintuplets??) booked on the 13th! How exciting!!

I've now finished my pre-pre op diet and I'm on to my plain old pre-op diet--no room for the occasional cheat day now.

Since December, I've lost a total of 35 pounds! I'm already noticing a difference--clothes are a lot looser, certain activities and day-to-day functionality is a lot easier.

My focus is now on getting my fitness up before surgery. That, and I have a manuscript to edit for a client and a book I'm trying to finish by the end of the month for a competition... it's nice to be busy, though!

Looking forward to hearing updates from our first bunch of post-ops! Go Team February! =D

Congrats on the weight loss PRE surgery! I see your weight goal and I bet anything you'll blow by it. Nice!

3 hours ago, ldawn said:

I’m back home now. Doing very good. Today I feel sore. Some of the incisions sting. I’m moving without any problems.

Awesome!!!! Keep on moving!

15 minutes ago, Recidivist said:

It's pretty exciting to see the February club starting to have their surgeries--and it certainly makes it seem real for those of us who are coming up soon. It sounds like everyone who has had surgery is doing well so far, which is great news.

I have still not started my pre-op diet--I will next Monday (Feb. 11). Is there anyone else with a February surgery date who isn't on the liquid diet yet?

Please keep the updates coming--they are very reassuring!

So glad to hear of those who have had the surgery and are feeling well! I am one-week out (guess I'm one of the quads/quints with a Feb 13 surgery) and I just finished my umpteenth bowl of sugar-free green Jello-O. Ugh. I had my preop physical for clearance today and all looks good. Bloodwork tomorrow. I love my primary doctor. After my physical she gave me a hug and wished me good luck. I had tears in my eyes. What doctor does that? I am blessed! Wish I could pay all the hugs forward to all of you. That small gesture meant so much to me.

13 minutes ago, Recidivist said:

LOL! I'm going to have the exact same thing for my "last supper!" Good luck on the liquids!

I had Mod Pizza...loved and savored every bite. Would pay big bucks for another pizza right now!