Arabesque

I’m sorry you’re experiencing such terrible gas pain.

A big part of the not drinking before eating is to allow your tummy to fully empty before you start to eat. And the reverse after you eat. Remember your tummy is very small now & can only hold a small amount of food or drink.

As you just had your surgery you should be on liquids only (surgeons differ on for how long). These liquids (broths, shakes, etc.) all count to your Fluid intake for the day. So at this stage there is no real difference between ‘eating’ & drinking. I added more Water (about 1/2 cup more) to my shakes to make them thinner & easier to consume and I would take hours to finish one just slowly sipping. I would swallow my meds with the diluted shake.

The waiting before eating & drinking kicks in once you begin eating ‘real’ food from the purée stage. Even at 13 months out this is still true for me. As is being unable to drink more than a mouthful of liquid at a time. If I drink close to when I eat or drink a little when I eat, I can’t eat much because I feel full & I don’t get my nutrients in. Plus I gurgle something terribly.

Constipation is an issue for many after surgery but so too is diarrhea. The high Protein, low carb diet is the culprit. I added benefibre to my shakes every morning. Keep your fluids up & have some stool softeners in your medicine cabinet. When I got to day 3 without any movement I’d take some coloxyl. Some need much stronger stimulants or enemas to get things moving.

Once I was in maintenance & added some good carbs - multigrains - I became more regular again.

Congrats for starting your weight loss journey. I too wasn’t a social media user but this forum has been fantastic & very helpful. I’m so glad I joined.

I’m 5’3” & was 200lbs with a bmi of 35 at the beginning. I’ve lost about 89lbs which has put me at the low end of the healthy bmi scale for my height. Any more loss & I’d look all bony & gaunt.

I live alone, so before my surgery, I purchased the shakes, bone broths, clear Soups, etc. I would be able to eat in the first fortnight. I also purchased hydralite, benefibre, Imodium, de gas, over the counter pain meds & coloxyl. I also filled all my scripts so I would have them as new, unopened packs to take to the hospital & for after. A friend also purchased sustagen & adult diapers. She swears the adult diapers were the best buy because of the sudden attacks of diarrhoea. (It does happen, without warning & it’s not pretty!)

I also purchased a small thermos to keep my soups & broths warm while I slowly drank them & a couple of Protein Shake bottles so I could make up 2 at a time in different flavours.

I wasn’t allowed to drive for two weeks, so by getting everything I needed before my surgery I didn’t have to ask others to try to find things.

You will be tired & lack energy. Don’t push yourself. Go for strolls for 10 mins to begin with & then up the duration, frequency & pace according to your energy levels.

Sip your liquids slowly. And don’t be surprised if you struggle to have a second ‘meal‘ a day to begin with. I would finish the shake I made for Breakfast around mid afternoon & then be lucky to drink 1/2 cup of Soup for dinner over the next couple of hours.

You’ll notice your taste buds will change. I used to dilute my shakes & hydralite (at least 50% more Water to the mixes) to make them easier to swallow & more palatable. And yes, all the shakes, soups, broths etc. count to your daily Fluid intake.

Everyone recovers differently & loses at different rates so don’t be concerned if you take longer to recover or lose more slowly than others.

Nothing helps to stop the loss or speed up when your regrow begins. Sorry.
The surgery is a shock to your body & speeds up your natural Hair loss cycle. You may notice a change in texture too. As @catwoman7 said it is common after a lot of surgeries & pregnancy & can happen after experiencing excessive stress or trauma.

All the Vitamins & minerals supposedly for Hair growth will only help the new hair growth not the hair you have now - it’s all ready dead. Special shampoos & treatments may help the quality of the hair you have (make it smoother or shinier) but they won’t stop it falling out.

You just have to go through the process & it will be different for everyone. Mine started at about month 3 & lasted a good 6 months losing close to 50%. I have several inches of regrow now.

We’re the same height & I agree 170lbs seems too high. I do agree with @catwoman7 too that that would be the weight loss you should be able to get to based upon the stats. However, i’d look at it as a guide. It would be a great achievement if you reach it but if you want to get to an even more healthier weight range & want to set a lower final goal you can.

You just need to find your sweet spot weight wise. The weight you can maintain while living a happy & healthy life & sometimes that’s not ruled by a number on the scales.

Good luck.

Lyrica is renowned for increasing your appetite & weight gain. It’s a great medication for nerve pain but ...

Your appetite is probably coming back, with the meds contributing, & you may be sub-consciously eating more. It’s easy to do. Check your serving size and if you aren’t counting calories, you may need to give it a go for a couple of weeks.

All the best.

What diet did your Dietician/nutritionalist put you on to lose your pre-surgery weight? shakes? Keto?

You need to follow the plan they gave you.

They call this first week hell week for a reason. It is hard! But it will be worth it.

At the moment you’re suffering withdrawals from your previous diet - sugar, carbs, alcohol & caffeine (if you dropped or reduced that too). It will pass and you will get through it.

This whole process is not easy. You will have to work hard to be successful but the benefits are amazing & sooo worth the pain & effort.

Good luck.

Stalls are very common & this is just the first of several you will experience. Some last a week others a couple of weeks. My longest, just before I hit goal, lasted almost three. They are frustrating but keep your spirits up. You will start losing again.

I always thought of the stalls as my body needing to take a breath to come to terms with my weight loss to that stage. Remember your body is going through some big changes: surgery, reduced food intake, a change of diet & removal of foods your body was used to/dependent upon (sugars, fats, caffeine, alcohol, carbs, etc.), plus a increase to your physical activity.

Some veterans will suggest you adjust your diet to start the weight loss again but I just kept to my plan & it started again.

I suggest you contact your medical team about your infrequent urination & possible Fluid retention sooner rather than later just in case something else isn’t going on.

Good luck.

Feeling nauseated & vomiting after taking multivitamins was not a new thing for me after wls. I always had issues & it didn’t matter what brand I took.

I found taking my Vitamins on an empty tummy worse. I split mine so I took one later in the morning & one at night. Morning was still bad but least the night time was generally ok. Try taking them after lunch or dinner when you’ve more on your tummy.

I gave up taking my vitamins with my dietician & surgeon’s ok when I hit maintenance & I was eating more & a more nutritionally balanced diet. But I had a sleeve & multivitamins aren’t as essential post weight loss as with other surgeries.

Congrats on your weight loss @JRTMom.

I think we’re all guilty of still having moments of misjudging our size. I too didn’t think I was as big as I was before my surgery. I even thought photos taken then were just very unflattering and not a true reflection of my size.

The same still happens now at times. Earlier this year I was at a swanky spa when three ‘beautiful young things’ came in and I suddenly felt embarrassed by my size. In that moment I thought I was still obese. In reality I was actually thinner than those girls. Then last week I looked down at my thighs & thought gee they’re so flabby. Absolutely crazy thinking both times but your head can twist things up bad.

Get out a pair of your old fat pants (if you kept a pair) & compare them with a pair of your skinny ones. There’s nothing as confirming as physically seeing the many, many inches difference between the sizes. The other day I put on a US size 8 skirt I used to wear years ago when I was last slim & it literally fell right off me. Pooled at my feet. Inches too big. Very reassuring.

Congrats on your coming grand baby.

Why not get a co host? Is there another family member or close friend you can work with to organise & manage the shower? This will take some of the pressure & concerns off you.

I was a bit erratic with my recovery re general energy levels. I’d feel super fine for a couple of weeks & then my energy levels would drop for a few days or week or so.

Ever have one of those days? Yesterday did a load of washing, hung it out but then I remembered I hadn’t put any washing powder in the wash. D’oh! Put it all back in the machine & started again. Washed my sheets only to discover after they were dry & I was putting them back on my bed there was a dirty mark on the bottom sheet. WTF? Then the bulb blew in my microwave. Late in the afternoon I realised I had left the air conditioner on in my bedroom all day with the window & door wide open. There were other little things that went wrong too. Sheesh!

Thankfully today seems to be going much better. Went out to do my hunting & gathering (grocery shopping) & noticed my favourite dress shop had unexpectedly opened earlier than usual. Popped in & found a pair of wide legged leather pants I’d been looking at for months, on sale for half price AND they had my size left. Yippee. Some things are just meant to be. Happy dance. (Sorry pxt is a little dark.)

100% agree with you @ambernshearer. You are fortunate to have found a surgeon you feel comfortable with & trust. It makes the process so much easier.

I’d add it helps if your GP has a relationship with your surgeon & their team too. My GP knew one of the doctors on my surgeon’s team who does some of his follow ups. Meant they communicated well, shared test results & were on the same page with the whole process. Very beneficial when I had a few hiccups along the way. Fortunately they weren’t serious but I feel confident that I couldn’t have been in better hands if they had been.

Good luck with your recovery & with the journey. Very exciting.

I made up slow cooked casserole type dishes & minced meat dishes with some vegetables. I froze small serves in ziplock bags. Just grabbed a bag in the morning & microwaved at work. Soups are also great. Took them in a small thermos. I also put Protein Powder in a shake container & if I felt hungry I’d make it up - never felt hungry but it was handy just in case. Soft fruits like pawpaw (papaya), apple purée, preserved peaches make good Snacks too.

Soft foods should still be pretty mushy with a soft bite. No hard edges & nothing that is crisp or crunchy or takes a lot of chewing.

Scar tissue takes time to develop.You’re only a week post surgery. It’s likely internal stitches, swelling & bruising. Remember they cut down through a lot of tissue to reach your stomach. Give it time to heal then use products like bio oil, Vitamin E oil or similar to reduce scaring. Gently massage the oil into the wound area to reduce the likelihood of scaring.

I just have small, very faint lines left barely a centimetre long that I have to look for to see now & I usually keloid scar.

Watch for redness. If the incision sites become sore to touch (more than tender), ooze or bleed seek medical help.

All the information I read pre surgery said no NSAIDS but when I asked my surgeon he said it was ok to take them for random use or for short periods due to injury. Long term daily use was a whole different story & should be avoided.

I agree with @ms.sss advice to speak with your doctor about his recommendation but I’d be talking to your doctor ASAP about the swollen lymph gland & the pain you’re suffering first.

I was a Water gulper too & used to drink a lot but struggled to drink much water at all after surgery. Still do 13 mths later. I used to dilute my Protein Shakes - at least an extra 50% more water to the mix. Made them easier to swallow as well. Also diluted my hydralite - instead of adding 250mls to a sachet I added 500mls. (Made it less sweet & generally more palatable.)

I’ve just passed my 1yr anniversary & it’s a wonderful new world.

However, my biggest fear is regaining the weight I lost. I mean it’s what I’ve done all my life: gain, lose, gain again. Rinse & repeat. The fear is keeping me motivated.

I generally do eyeball but in saying that I check the weight of meats & will cut it into pieces to keep my intake to 80-100g raw. If I have a pre-packed food or multi serve packs (meats, seafood, rolled oats, etc.) I ensure I eat only one serve or less than the recommended serve. For example the bulk pack chicken tenderloins I buy recommends 1 1/2 pieces per serve - I eat one. I know about 1/2 cup fits in the curve of the palm of my hand which helps eyeballing when I go out (remember when we used go out regularly) or prepping fruit & vegetables.

And I always try to eat slowly & to listen to my body - do I really need that next bite.

I was told no carbs except for those that occurred naturally in the food like in fruit & vegetables but could eat rolled oats. Also had to find the lowest carb options in shakes etc. And a most definite no to rice, Pasta & bread.

Once I got to maintenance I was allowed to add a small amount of multigrains to my diet. For me this is multigrain crackers as I can use them to carry other foods like hummus, avocado, eggs, etc. This small addition helped a lot with that weight loss haggard look & also with keeping me regular - lol.

My mum had the surgery too but only the once & the problem was fixed. We had a few scares with her choking before that.

Agree with watching the clock while eating, pacing your bites & putting your cutlery down between bites. I aim to take 20-30 mins to eat a meal. Gives your brain time to realise you’re satisfied or full. Also use smaller cutlery & dishes so your serves don’t look as small & each bite is less than on full sized cutlery. I also often ask myself if I really need that next bite.

At three days out I was barely having a sip of clear broth twice a day. Was not hungry & not interested in eating. By the end of the first week I was drinking more. I’d make up a Protein Shake & then sip it for hours. I didn’t consider time until I was onto solid food after 6weeks. Now I just make sure I eat slowly over 20-30 mins so I get the message I’m full or satisfied.

Goid luck.

How frightening for you (& your seamstress).

I’ve never fainted but have had cold sweats, nausea, general weakness & had to sit down because of my low BP. The last time was about 3months ago. Was just standing chatting at a shop I frequent when I suddenly became very weak. They got me some Water & I sat down for about 20mins in the shop before I felt strong enough to drive the 5mins home. I do have vision loss multiple times a day when I stand up & my BP drops. Not fun.

I used to take a bottle of diluted hydralite (full strength was too sweet) with me to sip wherever I went which I found helpful.

Interested to see what your GP says & if the BP meds were the cause.

Happy birthday @Dtrain84. You always bring it. Super sharp!

Do you find that sometimes putting on a dress or skirt just makes you feel prettier @GreenTealael? So lovely.

How amazing are those balloons. Never seen any as wonderful before. What a talented gentleman.