Jaelzion

I was discharged alone for my recent knee replacement. The hospital was NOT happy with that, but as GradyCat mentioned, since I had stayed overnight there was no real reason against it. I wasn't required to sign an AMA waiver or anything. They just asked me a million times if I was SURE there wasn't someone I could call to come get me? I went home via Uber. I definitely wouldn't have been able to drive but you're having a different procedure so YMMV.

Ground beef did that exact same thing to me when I tried it after surgery. I got so sick that I haven't tried ground beef since. Logically, I know it would probably be fine now, but in my mind it's associated with that terrible episode. I don't have any insight as to why ground beef set me off like that. Other vets may be able to explain it.

You're doing fine. I lost 15 pounds my first MONTH after surgery. Then 10 the next month and 10 per month for the next year. Stalling early on is very common, just stick with the program and the weight will start coming off again.

Is there anything in particular that you are worried about? If you have specific concerns, you should talk them over with your bariatric team. They've probably heard every question under the sun and can set your mind at ease. But if it's just that general "OMG, SURGERY!!!!" feeling, I think we can all relate. There's no question this is a big step. Maybe review what led you to choose surgery in the first place. Is your next diet going to end any differently from your last diet? Are your hypertension and pre-diabetes going to improve without the surgery? How does the risk of having these conditions compare to the risk of surgery (not just now, but over time)? If your reasoning for wanting surgery was sound, then it probably still is.

Hm, is there a main number you can call and speak to someone else? Or can you email? It's possible that she's on extended leave or doesn't have access to her normal work phone during COVID-19.

An autoimmune condition alone can be responsible for a 3 pound gain. I have rheumatoid arthritis and when my joints flare up, that means extra water retention and (temporarily) extra pounds. Many people use 5 pounds as their "emergency alert" so as not to over-react to those normal small fluctuations. Edit to add: oh I see you're exercising with weights. That can also cause gain in 2 ways: muscle is heavier than fat, so as you add muscle, you might see a gain, even though it's because you're actually in BETTER shape. Also, the day after a workout, my muscles carry more water but that only lasts a day or two.

You can always call and check in. I had to do that a couple of times to keep things moving. They're dealing with a lot of patients so it can take them a while to get back around to you.

Once I was finished with all the counseling visits and all the tests, it was about two months until my surgery.

1. Before the six months of counseling visits, I had to attend a seminar 2. There was a list of tests I had to undergo - EKG, Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, check X-ray, blood work, mammogram and a bunch of other stuff. We did that concurrently with the sixth months of weight loss counseling. 4. After the six months were up, I had an all day appointment where I met with the surgeon, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a nurse practitioner, insurance specialists and some other folks I can't remember. 5. My surgeon's office requested pre-auth from my insurance and got it. 6. There was one last pre-surgery visit with the surgeon. Consents are the forms they have you sign saying that they've gone over all the risks and benefits with you and you agree to have the surgery. I signed these at this pre-op appointment. 7. We scheduled my surgery and it took place on 3/26/2019. The rest is history! 😀

Let's see, a few things: 1. You may have a few uncomfortable days when you're wondering what you got yourself into. Don't worry, it gets better quickly. 2. Being "full" will feel different after surgery and you'll want to learn to recognize that feeling quickly. Overeating or eating too fast after surgery makes you REALLY miserable. 3. You'll only be able to eat a tiny amount at first. Just getting enough water and protein in will be tough. Don't worry, you'll be able to eat more soon. 4. Stick as closely as you can to the eating plan your bariatric team gives you. 5. About a month after surgery, you might stop losing weight. It happens to almost everyone and it's called the "three-week stall" here on the forum. Don't worry, you'll start losing again. 6. Don't buy a lot of clothes as you start losing weight. You'll be blowing through sizes really quickly. Just get a few inexpensive pieces until you know what size you are eventually going to be. 7. Don't compare your progress to other people. We have a different metabolism, dieting history, lifestyle, etc. Some people will lose faster than you and some slower. It's all good. 8. You will definitely reach a point when you can have your favorite foods again, although likely in small portions and not very often. Some things might taste different after surgery. Just a few tips! Hope all goes well with your surgery. 🤗

You know how you incidentally touch yourself all the time without really thinking about it? As my body composition changes, I am feeling a bit disoriented because my body is so unfamiliar...for example: 1. When I lean my head on my hand (you know, elbow on the table, chin in hand), the shape of my face feels different - I can actually feel the point of my chin pressing into my hand. 2. I generally fall sleep lying on my left side with my right arm lying along the length of my right leg. Now, my leg feels different - the curve is more pronounced because my leg is smaller overall. Before the surface felt almost flat and now I can feel the curvature very definitely. 3. When I wash my face, my forehead feels very firm now that there is less fat under the skin. 4. As I continue to lose weight, my tummy, which used to be firm and packed with fat, is now soft and squishy as the fat dissolves. It's almost like a pillow that has had some of the stuffing taken out. 5. I have an over-the-shoulder-around-the-body style messenger bag and I can feel the bag pressing on my collar bone when it's heavy. That never happened before. 6. As my arms slim down, they hang closer to my sides. I find myself adopting an "elbows-in" posture more often, because my arms fit into the curve of my waist now. Then there's the visual disorientation...when I look in the mirror, I have a hard time internalizing that that is me. It's been decades since I was this thin...I don't know this body. Anyone else feel a little disoriented living in a new body?

It's really crazy how different surgeons take completely different approaches to this. My surgeon's office gave me a plan that included protein and hydration goals, plus a carb limit. Other than that, it only said to eat protein first and avoid sugar and sweets. I didn't get a calorie target either. My surgeon said if I followed the guidelines, calories would take care of themselves. Fortunately, it did work out that way, but I can imagine that some people might feel lost without a clear target number of calories.

I had the sleeve and yes, I felt like that many times in the first couple of weeks after surgery. It felt like food was stuck halfway down and I couldn't swallow it down or throw it up. It was a miserable feeling but thankfully, that stopped happening over time. If it remains a problem, I'd check in with the surgeon just to make sure everything is okay. Hope she feels better soon.

Very true. As my weight came down I eventually had to add exercise in order to keep losing. Over time, it may become necessary to change things up.

I think this may be my situation as well. Instead of 3 main meals, I've settled into a routine of 5-6 mini-meals. But I weigh and measure everything and overall, my daily caloric intake averages 800-900. I've been able to reach my weight goal and a normal BMI. We're all different.

700-900 kcal a day does not seem excessive given your current weight. You're only 19 days post-op. Focus on sticking with the eating plan you were given and hitting both protein and water goals. Give your new tummy and your prescribed eating plan a chance to work. I was also fearful that surgery would not yield successful results for me but it turned out that what has worked for so many others, worked for me too! Give it a chance. 😊

That's amazing! I only lost 15 pounds during my first MONTH! I'm 5' 1" and my starting weight was 250, so my stats were similar to yours.

I had to stop eating protein bars because they slowed my weight loss (even though I diligently counted those calories and factored them into my total). But I like No Cow Protein Bars.

I'm almost two years out and at goal, so I was pretty relaxed this Thanksgiving. I tasted everything and had fun doing so. I even had a mini-cupcake. I was careful not to overeat though because I didn't want to be miserable. I put on a few pounds of water weight from the carbs, but I didn't stress over it. The next day, it was RIGHT back on plan, no leftovers, no "I'll wait until Monday" (anybody remember that one?). It worked out okay, so I'll probably take the same approach for Christmas. I'll taste everything and maybe even have dessert, but then it's right back to my plan the day after.

what kind of surgery did you have? And have you talked these symptoms over with your surgeon's office? They may be able to help. I'm sorry, I hope this is resolved for you soon.

It was the other way around for me. I really wanted to have the bypass because average weight loss is higher than for the sleeve. But it turned out to be medically contra-indicated for me and I had to have the sleeve instead. I was super-disappointed, but it has turned out well in the end. I got to my weight loss goal and a normal BMI and I didn't have any major complications or issues. I know it's frustrating not to be able to do the surgery you want, but it can still be a total success. The sleeve does exacerbate GERD for a lot of patients, so when you balance the risks/benefits, are you taking that into account as well? Are you willing to possibly have to do a revision surgery at some point down the road if you have the sleeve? I guess another option is not having the surgery at all but obesity carries its own serious risks. It can be hard evaluating all these trade-offs, so I wish you well in making the best decision. 🤗

Humph. I'm 56 and I'm pretty sure plastic surgery is in my future, LOL. You are by no means too old.

I kind of had to learn by trial and error what works for me and what doesn't. I learned that I can have chicken noodle soup and it does still make me feel better when I'm sick. But crackers are not a good idea for me because I'll eat the whole bag, LOL. I can eat some rice when I'm feeling sick, but bread is a no-go. I typically eat more fruit than normal when I have the flu (I don't know why but cold fruit is so good when I'm sick). Sure that pushes my carbs up a bit but I'm okay with that temporarily. I think over time you'll figure out what you can do to feel better without kicking off massive cravings.

You're 12 days post-op? A lot of us were eating tiny amounts at that point because your tummy isn't even fully healed yet. But it might make your husband feel better to know that intake usually increases over time, you aren't intended to stay at 500 calories forever. Your tummy will heal, your restriction will ease a bit, your appetite will re-assert itself and you'll start eating more (almost everyone does over time). I stayed at about 600 calories for the first year and now I'm up to 800-900 calories. I have always kept carbs reasonably low (typically 50g per day) because it helps me lose faster and crave less. I am still losing very slowly (like 2 pounds per month) so to maintain I could probably eat a bit more and I'd stop losing altogether. So early in the process, my bariatric team told me to focus on getting enough hydration and protein. As long as you're doing that, I'm guessing your dietician will be pleased with how things are going.

During the first few days, I drank a lot of clear protein drinks. They're not thick like shakes, they're more like Crystal Light but fortified with protein. They were helpful because they gave me both hydration and protein. https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/bariatric-predigested-protein-liquid-protein/products/bariatricpal-fruit-drink-15g-protein-concentrate-pink-lemonade