Officially Not Fatty Matty

Update on my progress.
1. Took out the catheter yesterday morning. The nurse said it would just about "fall out". The nurse lied. Things are still tender there. I understand why they sent me home with the catheter, but definitely my least favorite part of this whole process.
2. I'm now officially 48 hrs post-op. I used narcotic pain meds until this morning. Now I am alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen at the surgeon's instruction. Yes I know that we sleevers shouldn't use many nsaids, but his opinion was to do about 800mg/day for a few days to manage pain and help with the swelling. I doubt I have any significant issues over that short time frame.
3. Getting a bit tired of sleeping in a recliner, but it is easier on my body to do so. Make sure you have a chair you really like, because you are going to be spending some quality time there.
4. I haven't yet removed the compression wraps they sent me home in. Tomorrow I'm allowed to shower for the first time and it will be nice to see what everything looks like under the compression.
All in all, I feel like I'm doing well. Some discomfort when transitioning from place to place, but overall OK. Of course I may still be enjoying that Exparel and worse days are ahead. I've read from others on the forum that days 2,3,4 were the worst. So far, day 2 is OK.
More to come tomorrow after I get out of the compression wraps for the first time.

That hunger can also be pain from the long cut as it heals. When your stomach empties it contracts just like it did before and if those nerves are still tender it can hurt and that pain (for most people at least) is indistinguishable from hunger pangs. Filling the pouch stops those contractions and the pain can stop. Conversely you might be one of the people where hunger never goes away. But at three weeks don’t assume the worst, it still can get better.

If the bypass is what you want you’d be better off finding another surgeon instead of trying to force the issue. I know doctors are professionals but I wouldn’t get my car fixed by a mechanic who says “I don’t do many of those” let alone a surgical procedure. In my completely uneducated opinion that has zero value, your reasons for preferring bypass sound legitimate and worthy of pursuing further.

Yeah. My problem is, I do not feel hungry so I don't think about eating. Like the opposite from before when I thought about eating all the time! I will be adding another Protein Shake to my food list I believe.

Tell them you’ll compare your weight loss to theirs and when they say “zero” yell “divide by zero error!!!” and run off.

Tell them you’ll compare your weight loss to theirs and when they say “zero” yell “divide by zero error!!!” and run off.

I drink coffee without issue, have since day two if you count the cafe mocha Protein Drinks, probably day three of real coffee. There are some doctors (in all specialties) who give the absolute safest/healthiest/trendiest advice just because that’s what they do. The reality is caffeine isn’t needed by the body. Any research or study that even remotely indicates a negative association will cause some doctors to put (insert food/drink item here) on their prohibition list just because… it’s like a mechanic who says “get your oil changed every 5000 miles without exception” because technically it is the best/safest advice vs the mechanic who says “it’s honestly fine if you go over a little, just don’t go crazy and get it taken care of soon.” The first is covering his butt so the one in a million customer that has their engine blow up at 5001 miles past the last oil change doesn’t blow a gasket (hah!) and blame them even though it’s not likely connected vs the second who understands the realities of the situation and gives practical honest advise that is more compliant with the busy lives of the vast majority of people.
Many doctors are VERY risk averse due to malpractice lawsuits, some are just exceptionally health conscious on behalf of their patients to the point of being unrealistic, some even misunderstand physics and how the body works (straw prohibition!! Grrrrrr!!).
The real real answer? You’ll almost certainly be absolutely fine drinking coffee. There is a chance you won’t. There is a chance caffeine will cause you health concerns down the road. There is a chance it won’t. Your body doesn’t need it, but you may want it and that’s ok.
Me? Sipping my coffee as I type this long ramble of a mess of a post.

I drink coffee without issue, have since day two if you count the cafe mocha Protein Drinks, probably day three of real coffee. There are some doctors (in all specialties) who give the absolute safest/healthiest/trendiest advice just because that’s what they do. The reality is caffeine isn’t needed by the body. Any research or study that even remotely indicates a negative association will cause some doctors to put (insert food/drink item here) on their prohibition list just because… it’s like a mechanic who says “get your oil changed every 5000 miles without exception” because technically it is the best/safest advice vs the mechanic who says “it’s honestly fine if you go over a little, just don’t go crazy and get it taken care of soon.” The first is covering his butt so the one in a million customer that has their engine blow up at 5001 miles past the last oil change doesn’t blow a gasket (hah!) and blame them even though it’s not likely connected vs the second who understands the realities of the situation and gives practical honest advise that is more compliant with the busy lives of the vast majority of people.
Many doctors are VERY risk averse due to malpractice lawsuits, some are just exceptionally health conscious on behalf of their patients to the point of being unrealistic, some even misunderstand physics and how the body works (straw prohibition!! Grrrrrr!!).
The real real answer? You’ll almost certainly be absolutely fine drinking coffee. There is a chance you won’t. There is a chance caffeine will cause you health concerns down the road. There is a chance it won’t. Your body doesn’t need it, but you may want it and that’s ok.
Me? Sipping my coffee as I type this long ramble of a mess of a post.

I drink coffee without issue, have since day two if you count the cafe mocha Protein Drinks, probably day three of real coffee. There are some doctors (in all specialties) who give the absolute safest/healthiest/trendiest advice just because that’s what they do. The reality is caffeine isn’t needed by the body. Any research or study that even remotely indicates a negative association will cause some doctors to put (insert food/drink item here) on their prohibition list just because… it’s like a mechanic who says “get your oil changed every 5000 miles without exception” because technically it is the best/safest advice vs the mechanic who says “it’s honestly fine if you go over a little, just don’t go crazy and get it taken care of soon.” The first is covering his butt so the one in a million customer that has their engine blow up at 5001 miles past the last oil change doesn’t blow a gasket (hah!) and blame them even though it’s not likely connected vs the second who understands the realities of the situation and gives practical honest advise that is more compliant with the busy lives of the vast majority of people.
Many doctors are VERY risk averse due to malpractice lawsuits, some are just exceptionally health conscious on behalf of their patients to the point of being unrealistic, some even misunderstand physics and how the body works (straw prohibition!! Grrrrrr!!).
The real real answer? You’ll almost certainly be absolutely fine drinking coffee. There is a chance you won’t. There is a chance caffeine will cause you health concerns down the road. There is a chance it won’t. Your body doesn’t need it, but you may want it and that’s ok.
Me? Sipping my coffee as I type this long ramble of a mess of a post.

Carbonation and straws are two (of many) things you’ll hear both sides about here. Generic answer: follow your surgeon/doctor. I drink a LOT of zero calorie carbonated drinks, have since about week four and haven’t had a single issue. The stomach stretching thing doesn’t make sense to me because the liquid and gas are both fluids and as anyone here will tell you fluids pretty much just pass through your empty stomach unobstructed (and I never feel any more or less “full” from carbonated drinks as I do from non-carbonated).. I’d say be extra careful if you’ve eaten in the past hour though.. but I down several cans of stuff a day and after 15 months my capacity is still the same as it was at week 15: one egg fills me up two makes me feel like I gorged myself.
Don’t even get me started on the no straws thing…

I naturally fluctuate between 189 and 196 lbs and I can make that full swing in a day or two. I entered maintenance around the ten month mark as well (at the request of my wife and mom despite the fact I know I have around 10-20lbs to go) but changes in my diet, and particularly Water intake/output (sweating or urine frequency) can really change the scales quite a bit. Small regain is typical though as our bodies adjust. Keep an eye on it, if it’s constantly going up slowly you’ll want to consider making adjustments to calories or exercise as needed. Maintenance is a tightrope and it’s so far from our previous “normal” it can be hard to find that perfect balance right away… just be mindful and open to the idea that you may have to keep making small changes until you reach your happy middle ground. Congratulations on your success already though, it’s a great accomplishment!

I drink coffee without issue, have since day two if you count the cafe mocha Protein Drinks, probably day three of real coffee. There are some doctors (in all specialties) who give the absolute safest/healthiest/trendiest advice just because that’s what they do. The reality is caffeine isn’t needed by the body. Any research or study that even remotely indicates a negative association will cause some doctors to put (insert food/drink item here) on their prohibition list just because… it’s like a mechanic who says “get your oil changed every 5000 miles without exception” because technically it is the best/safest advice vs the mechanic who says “it’s honestly fine if you go over a little, just don’t go crazy and get it taken care of soon.” The first is covering his butt so the one in a million customer that has their engine blow up at 5001 miles past the last oil change doesn’t blow a gasket (hah!) and blame them even though it’s not likely connected vs the second who understands the realities of the situation and gives practical honest advise that is more compliant with the busy lives of the vast majority of people.
Many doctors are VERY risk averse due to malpractice lawsuits, some are just exceptionally health conscious on behalf of their patients to the point of being unrealistic, some even misunderstand physics and how the body works (straw prohibition!! Grrrrrr!!).
The real real answer? You’ll almost certainly be absolutely fine drinking coffee. There is a chance you won’t. There is a chance caffeine will cause you health concerns down the road. There is a chance it won’t. Your body doesn’t need it, but you may want it and that’s ok.
Me? Sipping my coffee as I type this long ramble of a mess of a post.

I had zero change in actual taste. Tbh I was looking forward to it and thought it would be an aid in my new life, so I was initially disappointed.. but while my taste buds haven’t changed, my tastes (as in what I choose to like/dislike) has.

I had zero change in actual taste. Tbh I was looking forward to it and thought it would be an aid in my new life, so I was initially disappointed.. but while my taste buds haven’t changed, my tastes (as in what I choose to like/dislike) has.

If the bypass is what you want you’d be better off finding another surgeon instead of trying to force the issue. I know doctors are professionals but I wouldn’t get my car fixed by a mechanic who says “I don’t do many of those” let alone a surgical procedure. In my completely uneducated opinion that has zero value, your reasons for preferring bypass sound legitimate and worthy of pursuing further.

Sorry but I made the thread and I made it about my experience and I’ll call it what I want… plus it’s accurate. As I said, do as you see fit, lie, don’t lie, make half truths or just tell them to piss off, I don’t care.
I’ve only ever done two things when people ask… tell the truth and lie (dependent on who they are) and this post is about my thoughts on those two options, and those two options only. The “create a new post” option is available for you to use as you wish.

Also the famous three week stall (not always right at three weeks), glycogen storage (needs lots of Water for the body to store it)… if the scale fluctuations bother you there are a few options… one, just weigh once a week. Do it after your morning bathroom routine so it’s consistent with your daily pattern.. two: if you want to weigh each day take today’s weight and subtract it from your weight seven days prior. This will give you a rolling average of your weekly loss, it’s handy for spotting true stalls / slow downs etc.

Ok the no straws thing is a pet peeve of mine to the point where I would have walked out if a surgeon said this to me. One, air or gas in your stomach isn’t a problem, it’s there now, will be there tomorrow etc, it isn’t going to leak out like a bag of cheap balloons from the dollar store. Two, and this is the huge logic fail that blows my mind that anyone who went to medical school could not understand…. your stomach isn’t creating the negative pressure that draws liquid into your face hole… your mouth does this… So no matter how you suck liquid in, it’s up to you on how much air you swallow after it’s in there. Here’s a stupid overly complicated test to prove my point. Sit in a chair. Take a big sip from a cup (don’t swallow yet!). Stand up. Walk around your kitchen table two times. Swallow. Now repeat the same process using a straw. That Fluid sitting in your mouth when you get up and do the chicken dance around your table is the same. It doesn’t care how it got there. It doesn’t MATTER how it got there. All that matters is how YOU swallow it, and being a grown ass adult you can make that choice yourself.

Yes! Absolutely. You should be drinking 4lbs/2kg of Water at a minimum each day. That alone coupled with urination/defecation frequency, food intake, water retention (different than water intake) can very easily account for several pounds up or down each day depending on when you weigh.

Also the famous three week stall (not always right at three weeks), glycogen storage (needs lots of Water for the body to store it)… if the scale fluctuations bother you there are a few options… one, just weigh once a week. Do it after your morning bathroom routine so it’s consistent with your daily pattern.. two: if you want to weigh each day take today’s weight and subtract it from your weight seven days prior. This will give you a rolling average of your weekly loss, it’s handy for spotting true stalls / slow downs etc.

Matty, you had coffee out my nose with this. LOLOLOL. Thank you for the best laugh.😘

Sorry for my grumpy post. I have no valid excuse just a very bad day etc. I’ll leave it so I can remind myself of how I can act if I don’t think and instead react. I apologize futureselyph, your points are valid.

Nope, not your fault at all :) I reread it and understand what you’re saying, and even agree. Sorries all come from this side of the interwebs. I try to be a positive person all the time but the reality is I’m not, and it skips out sometimes. But…… to put the past behind us now… I do agree that “not interested in discussing my private affairs” is a good response too. It’s not for me. The one thing about lying that really bothers me…. My wife’s brother is large. It’s her side she wishes not know and so I stuck to the half truth of “protein shakes and exercise” and where the pain comes in is when he confides in me that he’s trying but just can’t stick to it long enough to make a difference. That was me until I had surgery so I know what he’s feeling and I feel like my half truth (lie by omission) is hurting him. I don’t want to break my promise to my wife, that comes first. But it was that feeling of putting this man in a position of feeling like he failed (again) when I didn’t (because my stomach was removed) is what really made me want to be open with strangers who happen to ask (and that’s a rare occasion since they don’t know what I looked like unless they see my id. It felt GOOD to give them hope and it felt better for me to be able to give that to them.

First…. I 100% support YOUR decision to tell people about your surgery or not. I am in no way saying you should or should not….
I recently went on a trip and on this trip I had to show my old ID a few times. When I applied to TSA PreCheck I got a triple take when they looked at my passport photo vs the new me… so I explained… then on the trip I just decided to preemptively say “yeah I’ve lost a lot of weight since then” when they looked at my ID. Twice I had the person (quietly) ask “mind if I ask how? It’s none of my business I’m just wondering.” Both times I told them the truth, both times they said they’ve been thinking about it. Both times they smiled when I told them how stupidly amazing I feel and how I wish I had done this sooner. Both times we held up the line entirely too long while they and I both opened up about our weight issues and weight wishes. They were great moments and they wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t open up to them.
My wife does not want me to share my story with her side of the family and I’ve respected her wishes in that regard. I don’t personally care if they know but she has her reasons and that’s good enough for me. I totally understand that someone you know and will see repeatedly is an entirely different story….
But a stranger I’ll never see again? Someone who is like I was and clearly is looking for help? I’ll never lie to them. They deserve to know that traditional diets are damn hard if not impossible for most of us. I feel like it would make them feel worse about their own diet failures and their self esteem if I lied about how I did what I did. I’ll share my story with anyone going forward with joy, because I’m so happy about it and I want them to feel this way too. I gave both of those people info on this forum and my username. If you’re here reading this now, welcome. I’m glad you made the effort. Please don’t feel the need to introduce yourself just yet. Read, absorb, self reflect. But welcome nonetheless. I’m happy that you’re here.

Weird. When I was 350lbs and had big boobs no one helped me with the cat litter…. Joking aside sorry you’re dealing with that. My wife gets it too and she not only hates it but it affects her to the point of not wanting to go to certain places where it tends to happen more often (Home Depot). From a guys perspective I think most of the time we don’t know how creepy or unsettling it can make you feel. I say we because I’m a guy, not because I’ve ever done it. I’ve been too shy to say anything to anyone ever in that regard my whole life, and I’m ok with that. Hell I don’t even make eye contact with strangers in public.