Arabesque

All the prodding, pushing & pulling of all the laparoscopic instruments, etc. cause a lot of muscles strain & general internal bruising. The right side incision is from where they pull out your tummy which is possibly why it is more painful. If the discomfort persists, contact your surgeon just to be sure.

I let any carbonated drinks get pretty flat. I have about 450ml sparkling water every day sipping over a couple of hours. I enjoy the mineral taste as a change from plain water. The only other carbonated drinks I have are tonic or soda water with a rare gin or the equally as rare champagne (single glass). But I am someone for whom excess bubbles irritated me a lot prior to surgery anyway: stirred up my reflux & gave me terrible hiccups so I had given up soft drinks (soda) years ago. My first was a low ball gin & tonic around month 2 after surgery. I stirred it frequently to reduce the bubbles & took literally hours to drink it. Then it would have been another month or two before I had another.

I got photographs too - during & after. He gave me one after my gall surgery too. I thought it was hilarious. Couldn’t decide if it was it evidence or a souvenir?? You may find videos online of surgeries. They often show footage of part of the surgery on My 600lb Life.

A one off aberration is ok as long as you get back on your plan straight away afterwards. Good luck with your surgery. For others who may find themselves in a similar situation & if your colleagues/friends don’t know about your surgery, you could say you’re having a routine medical test & are on a restricted diet to prepare (colonoscopy, endoscopy, blood tests, etc.). Most people are understanding when you say it’s for a medical reason. There were times in the staged returned to eating phases after surgery I was out & couldn't eat what everyone was. I ordered soup if I could, or just had something to drink. I even took a protein shake to my friend’s 60th birthday & sipped that. I circulated a lot so no one knew if I was eating or not.

A lot of soups are just purées anyway like pumpkin, potato, tomato, cream of chicken, etc. soups. I’d make my own & purée just l did when I usually made them. Make a slow cooked chicken & vegetable soup (use chicken on the bone). Strain it & eat the broth. Strain any purchased soups just to make sure there’s no chunky or fibrous bits like herbs. Add some unflavoured protein powder to the vegetable soups. Try scrambled eggs made with a little more milk so they’re sloppier. You can blend them a little if still a little dense. Mash a boiled egg with low fat Mayo. Baby food can be tasteless to adults because of the low salt & sugar content. Babies haven’t developed an addiction/desire for salt & sugar yet.

There’s no right or wrong answer. Some people do start making changes before their pre surgery diet to get in their new mindset. They may drop some foods or swap out some to healthier options. Some have food funerals & will eat all their favourite foods before they start. It’s really up to you. Mine all happened so quickly (we don’t have the hoops to go through in Australia like you do to get approval). So there was only a few weeks between getting my referral from my GP, seeing the surgeon, then the dietician then my actual surgery. Didn’t have a food funeral and had already cut out & back on some things because I had been trying to lose weight for a couple of months anyway.

Being nervous before any surgery is understandable. You’ve not had this surgery before. We all react differently because we’re not exactly the same so there is no single set of things to expect after surgery. … Fear of the unknown is real. Remember you made this decision for a reason. You must trust your surgeon otherwise you would have gone to a different one. And you likely have family & friends who will support you. Some people have no hunger or interest in food after surgery some do. As @lizonaplane said she was prescribed medication to help with her continued hunger. But everyone’s hunger comes back at some time. As for enjoying food in the future, that doesn’t change. In the short term while you are healing & your body is getting used to the changes you may struggle with some foods. Even your sense of taste & smell can change. But it is all temporary. While losing you learn so much about your eating habits & cravings. You learn the difference between real hunger & head hunger. The difference between eating until you’re full & stopping when you’ve had what your body needs. You’ll learn about better nutrition, healthier food options & alternatives, portion sizes, etc. You may look at food differently - food as fuel & nutrition your body needs vs simply to offer comfort. Some of this learning you’ll do alone. Some you may do with the help & support of a dietician &/or a therapist. Take each day as it comes. Listen to your body & its cues. If something feels wrong contact your surgeon or go to a medical centre. Never be afraid to ask for help. All the best.

Your multi vitamins can make you nauseous too. Calcium, iron & vitamins A, C, D, E & K can all cause nausea. Check to ensure you’re not doubling up on dosages like taking a separate iron &/or calcium tablets as well as multi vitamins with iron & calcium. Try splitting the dose across the day e.g. one in the morning & one at night. Take them after you finish your shake so you have something on your tummy. Try a different brand. Try a patch to avoid them entering your tummy. I was slightly nauseous most mornings from my vitamins. Sometimes bad enough to vomit & sometimes I just needed to lie a down for a little while. I was allowed to stop taking them once I reached goal as my blood work showed I had more than enough of all the vitamins & minerals I needed. I was never nauseated again. Some people develop a lactose intolerance or sensitivity after surgery (most just temporary) which can cause nausea. Try a lactose free shake & dairy products.

I was told that post surgery the caffeine is too harsh on your healing tummy. Said it was best to break the habit before surgery as you have enough to deal with afterwards without adding caffeine withdrawal. I drank green tea so wasn’t an issue & I was allowed to drink it after surgery too.

That was me too. Equal opportunity snack craver. 😁 PS - I used to like the chocolate covered pretzels way too much so I had to ban them from my shopping trolley. Oh and that sweet n salty popcorn. Mmm!

Over the counter meds aren’t strong enough to counteract the extra acid your healing tummy is producing. They only work for ‘soothing’ heartburn. You need PPI meds that work on reducing the acid production & maybe a stronger dose as @catwoman7 suggested. You may only need to take them for a month or so until everything is healed.

Liquids tend to go through you more quickly so you don’t feel any restriction or real sense of fullness which is why you need to tread carefully. All because you can doesn’t mean you should. Remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy together. Were you given any recommended portion sizes? Are you getting in or close to getting in your protein goals (usually advised from 60 to 80g)? Over what time frame are you drinking this fluid? We’re usually advised to consume 64oz/2litres of fluids including shakes, soups, broths, herbal or green teas, water, etc. which you are exceeding (if my maths is correct) which isn’t really an issue. Remember sip slowly. Leave a few minutes between sips. If you are really concerned call your surgeon & your dietician. Glad you are recovering so well. PS - Some people struggle at first because of swelling from the surgery & breathing tube. I struggled to swallow for a couple of days & then wasn’t interested in eating/drinking which why it was tough to meet my goals to begin.

I had injections for the 24 hours after surgery only (also did after my gall surgery). Nothing after so it seems strange to be having them for a month to me too. Blood thinning injections are renowned for causing bruising. Try a hirudoid or arnica cream to help the bruising. Make sure you draw your surgeons attention to the bruising & any issues you feel the blood thinners may be causing you. (Make a list before you go so you don’t forget anything.) Some people struggle with certain brands, lots of side effects, & have to trial other brands to find the one that works for them.

Lactose intolerance can cause excessive wind & foul odours so I agree it’s something worth exploring. Have you ever spoken to your surgeon about this because it isn’t a common experience. If not, i think it is something you need to seek medical help with from a someone who specialises in gastroenterology like your surgeon. Hope they can find some answers & a solution.

Started at around month 3 or 4 & persisted for about 3 or 4 months. Just noticed more hair in my hands when shampooing. According to my hair dresser I lost about 40% (I think it was more 30%) but I had heaps to begin. You may lose more or less. It’s very individual. I cut my long hair to just above my shoulders so it wasn’t as noticeable. The hair the sheds is hair that you were going to lose anyway - your natural hair loss cycle is just accelerated. Your new hair is growing at the same time but at it’s usual rate so isn’t really noticeable for a while - you’ll start to see fluffy new growth after a month or so depending on how fast your hair grows. Remember all the hair on your head is actually dead & naturally sheds. The live part is root under your skin. So all the vitamins & supplements may do is strengthen your new growth. Fertiliser won’t save dead leaves on a plant or stop them falling off but can promote new leaf growth. Some people swear by vitamins & supplements but they still lose hair over that similar 3 or 4 month period. I never had a problem with my teeth. I go to my dentist every 6 months & he gives me a gold star every time (he was my PE teacher at school & we laugh about it as he never gave me a gold star at school 😆😆). My skin didn’t get drier actually the opposite. Always had dry & itchy arms & legs & those little bumps on my arms regardless of how often I exfoliated & moisturised. Don’t exfoliate at all now. My skin is soft but I do moisturise but not as lavishly. My legs have started to get a little itchy again but I think it’s more to do with shaving than anything else. The better diet. More protein & little or no sugar are why. You will look a little drawn & tired while losing but this settles once you are in maintenance & eating a little more. Everything seems to need time to resettle again.

First meal probably about the same but second meal more. I could only eat one egg & nothing else. Remember ordering 1/2 a grilled tomato as a side to an egg at 8 months but I could only eat one bite. But that was me & we can be very different. How much I am able to consume also depends on the food I’m eating. Portion size & (approx) calories still dictate how much I put on my plate. Usually it’s all I need but sometimes I can’t eat it all.

My surgeon is like this too. After 12 months he said I could have the occasional NSAID if needed. I was to take them rarely (maybe every couple of months or so). Only take one tablet at a time & keep to a low total daily dose & only for a day or 2. Last Wednesday, my oozing discs decided to throw a tantrum. Took a NSAID mid morning, another one mid afternoon but no more. Battled through it on Thursday but the pain wasn’t quite as bad. Only twinges now.

The dehydration occurs if you’re not getting in or aren’t close to getting in your 64oz/2L. Some people struggle at first because of post surgical swelling (hurts to swallow) & for many it’s a new habit to drink that much &/or to sip slowly. I always drank a lot of water so I probably went into surgery being long term hydrated. For the first 24hrs after surgery my surgeon pumped me full of fluids. I had a lot of swelling & wouldn’t have drunk 1/2 cup of any liquid. Slept a lot & wasn’t interested in consuming anything. Day 2 maybe drank a cup but peed all day long. Day 3 could have a little more & each subsequent day I was getting closer to goal. Probably took a good week to be reach or be close to goal. Was never dehydrated. Sip all day long. Set an alarm on your phone so every few minutes you sip. Keep fluids beside you at all times including by your bed (sip whenever you wake through the night - I still do). Some people find ice cold liquids easier to drink. I preferred them to be warm - more soothing. My first mug of green tea was glorious. Remember your fluid goals include all the liquids you consume: shakes, water, herbal or green teas, broths, soups, etc.

I only took ones I could swallow so tasteless. They were capsules, not those dry horse tablet size ones & I started taking them a few days after surgery & my swelling had reduced.

Bread was always my PMT craving. Peanut paste, Promite, honey, cucumber, apricot jam were my go to toppings. Sometimes I felt like a whole loaf wouldn’t satisfy. At almost 3 years I still don’t eat bread (too heavy). Fortunately I don’t get the PMT cravings any more. Even though I generally avoid sugar, I find desserts can be a real temptation. Last night I watched my family eat jelly, custard & pavlova with fruit & whipped cream (early Easter & s-I-l’s birthday dinner) & fought the voice in my head saying a little serving won’t hurt. I won over the voice but …

Yes, there are a lot of variations & factors that influence your rate of loss. I’d lost all my weight by 6 months so 31kg (68lbs). I lost another almost 12kgs over about the next 11 months (got slower & slower). Wasn’t intentional. Just trying to sort out maintenance & it seemed to be where my body wanted to be.

After surgery your tummy can be fussy . You may eat or drink something one day but the next it’s tummy says no. Then a few days later it’s fine again. This can occur for a little while after you get onto solid foods. Also a lot of us experience temporary changes to our tastebuds &/or your sense of smell can become extra sensitive. So foods you always liked suddenly taste or smell disgusting. I couldn’t wait to have vegetables when I got to solid foods but I could stand most of the ones I used to love. After a couple of months they were delicious again. Also foods can taste super sweet. I embraced that to get off the sugar train & still avoid it a lot of it including artificial sweeteners & sugar alternatives. Can’t advise on the premier shakes or the yoghurt as we don’t have them in Australia but I really struggled with shakes full stop. A lot of dieticians here recommend Chobani yoghurt with 15g protein but I found it too sweet. I discovered Yopro by Danone which has 15g & 20g options. They used to do a 22g yoghurt drink too but no more ☹️. I am fussy about the flavours I like though (mango, passion fruit, banana or lime are my favourites). Maybe buy a few individual protein shake sachets from different companies in a variety of flavours so you have options.

My 12yr old niece excitedly told me about some pumpkin breakfast biscuits she had made which her family devoured & said she’d make me some. She did that night & bought them round the next day. Didn’t have the heart to say I don’t really eat biscuits anymore so I ate half of one with her (they were huge like palm size). It did taste pretty good & thankfully not too sweet. It’s a Good Housekeeping recipe with pepitas, cranberries, coconut oil, brown sugar, oats, pumpkin spice (she used cinnamon & nutmeg), can of mashed pumpkin (she cooked & prepped her own pumpkin). First ‘sweet’ thing I’ve had since Christmas. The smile on her face was worth it.

My 12yr old niece excitedly told me about some pumpkin breakfast biscuits she had made which her family devoured & said she’d make me some. She did that night & bought them round the next day. Didn’t have the heart to say I don’t really eat biscuits anymore so I ate half of one with her (they were huge like palm size). It did taste pretty good & thankfully not too sweet. It’s a Good Housekeeping recipe with pepitas, cranberries, coconut oil, brown sugar, oats, pumpkin spice (she used cinnamon & nutmeg), can of mashed pumpkin (she cooked & prepped her own pumpkin). First ‘sweet’ thing I’ve had since Christmas. The smile on her face was worth it.

Just keep sipping. My surgeon was ok not meeting goals for the first couple of weeks as long as I was making a concerted effort & was close. But if you’re drinking your three shakes a day you should be fine. (I diluted mine cause I found them to thick & I got more fluid in.) Some find setting a time on their phones helpful so they sip every day 5 minutes. I keep water beside my bed so I drink during the night too. I also found it easier to drink warm/hot drinks than cold. I even heated my shakes (the chocolate one & pretended it was hot chocolate😉).