Lilfootie

On 10/11/2020 at 11:23 PM, Alsgal said:

Hello I'm new to bariatric pals, this is my first day actually. Im still trying to figure out how to fix my profile to show post op instead of pre op??

As far as my stomach issue, I do plan to call my surgeon in the morning. I am wondering if anyone else experienced this issue? I knew to expect pain on the left side however surgery soreness has improved everywhere except this one place is like along my ribs and an area about as big as my hand it is visible swollen and is a dull pain mostly except when I reach or bend I feel a sharp pain and it's gotten worse about every day.

Am I alone in this?

I am one week post op, but this is an area that I feel a ton of pressure. I described it to my doctor: “when I sit up and lean even a little bit forward, it feels like there is a ball that my rib is pressing into and it causes a ton of pressure in my chest and abdomen”. They said it could still be gas, but is most likely swelling. The only thing there is your spleen, other than your stomach. Maybe that’s where a lot of work was done? In the hospital, they mentioned that the doctor moves your diaphragm during surgery, so some people have pain and swelling there, as this was a major site of pain when I was there. Interested to hear if you figured anything out or if it subsided!

2 hours ago, SabanFan said:

It’s been one week and I think all is progressing well. Here is my routine at this point:

Premier Protein shake, 4oz 3xday; 32oz Water, 20oz homemade chicken stock

1oz liquid Tylenol (2-3x day)- as much for the superficial thrombosis left over from the IV with a painful knot in the vein Down from where it was. Incision site pain is negligible. B12 sublingual, Gas-x 3xday, prescribed heart burn med, blood pressure pill (hope to get rid of this one soon), two children chewable Multivitamins.

I’m down 23lbs from pre-op diet weight (300) and 10 from Pre-surgery. Low day was Friday we’re I was not a happy camper, but seeing the weight loss is a motivator. I’m heading back to work tomorrow to help establish that routine, but it shouldn’t be too bad since I telework. Just gotta remember to drink.

Not sure if it is allowed, but I added a little curry powder to me chicken stock last night and it helped change the flavor profile for the positive. As we know, the good stuff is always bad for us right we’ll, it was yummy and no side effects today so I might try to add some Asian flavors today. Not to worry, still sticking to liquids just jazzing them up a little. If anyone has heard this is a no-no, shout out and let me know. Curry was a no-no pre-op due to the turmeric (natural blood thinner) but no warnings post op.

Sounds like you’re doing great!!! Good luck on going back to work! I’m worried about that too, but not starting until Election Day. 😬 I am one week today too. I am moving well, and my abs have felt good, but I have a lot of pressure still in my upper abdomen and some burning type pains between incision sites. Today is a bad pain day, but I went 3 days without any Tylenol, so it’s just ups and downs. Still can’t stomach whey Protein, and until the dietician messages me back, the doctor won’t ok something else, so I am doing my best with milk and such to get the protein in. I have eaten cream of chicken Soup, Sugar Free Chocolate pudding, and watered down cream of wheat. Today I sipped on a skim Decaf latte from Starbucks which felt so good, because it is normal! My swelling is going down. It took until Saturday to be back to pre-op weight, although I did get the extra day of fluids with the 2-day hospital stay. Biggest drama now are some mild, but weird side effects that I am working on with the doctor: lovonox injection site that keeps bleeding, red dotted rash on belly, hands getting hot/red/fiercely itchy in hot Water and going away once dry, tons of bruising near my lower abdomen incisions. Does anyone else have major bruising?

Hi Everyone -

I had my surgery on 10/19. I am really struggling with whey Protein isolate. The only one I can stomach is the clear fruity kind, but only a few oz. I have gotten up to 12 grams of protein in one day and that’s it. The whey makes my stomach turn (it made me nauseated in pre-op too, but we were allowed one type of plant Protein Shake and one soy, so those helped me get through it). All of the pre-made shakes on my list are discontinued, aside from the clear fruity ones, which I find weird - why would they give us a list like that? I bought a few different kinds of powders and they are all awful. They make my stomach turn after about 2oz and then I am nauseas for the next 2-3 hours. I have tried mixing unflavored whey with watered down cream of wheat to get away from the dreadful constant sweetness, but it still makes me sick. Anyone else in a similar situation? Anyone have luck making their dietician budge on whey protein? My next step will be to email the dietician and see what she thinks. 60 grams of any protein is better than 12 of whey right? Maybe? I am doing ok on liquids and even well on pudding and Jello.

5 minutes ago, Orchidlover said:

Where did you buy the Tylenol dissolve packs?

I found them at Target. I also saw them at Walgreeens.

Hi! Had my surgery on Monday. Stayed an extra night in the hospital due to nausea. Pain is ok. It’s hard to get comfortable at night and have some nasty shoulder pain when I burp. One thing I found that has been a life saver is Tylenol dissolve packs. They taste yummy and dissolve right on your tongue!

Update: doc said as long as I cut them in half they are fine. Gave me liquid Tylenol this time

Currently in the hospital. Nurse wants me to swallow Tylenol pills but I am terrified is it normal to be given oral pills?

I’m going in tomorrow! Noon surgery. Hugs to the other October 19th surgeries. See you on the other side of the war 😬

8 hours ago, Morethanaprettyface22 said:

I’m having a terrible time getting all my Protein in. Where do you get the body armor light drinks? What kind of Isopure do you put in. I got two bags of Isopure, vanilla and plain I mix with Water & I can’t take it. Ugh.. I’m afraid my low protein levels are gonna hurt the whole purpose of getting the sleeve. Please help! 77 g is awesome.

I don’t know about the OP, but Isopure makes clear whey protein! They sell it at Target. It is lemonade or tropical flavor. They have an interesting feel in the mouth but much better than a shake. Also Bone Broth has a good amount of protein if you need savory. Most grocery stores sell it and I even have the “just add water” single packs which are great for work. Ooh also, I have put unflavored whey into watered down cream of wheat. They taste kind of similar, so it hides the protein powder well.

9 minutes ago, Blyss said:

I am pre-op. My surgery is 10/26. They gave mr the Bariatric Advantage high Protein Meal Replacement powders. I'm to drink four a day. It's partially taste, partially consistency but I'm barely choking one a day down. I have a bunch of Premier Protein shakes of various flavors ready to go for after surgery. I like them. I just don't know how I'm going to get through the next 8 days.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Are these the only ones you are allowed? I was allowed only specific shakes - I think about 8 choices. The first ones I tried (out of convenience - ensure high protein) made me feel the same way as you. I didn’t want to drink them, I felt nauseated and gross’s I switched it up to the recommended Slim Fast one (also the cheapest) and the only plant based one and it made such a difference!!!

I have to take lovonox injections for a few days and then Warfarin. I have two blood disorders that make me clot, so I have a Vascular Specialist working with me on the surgery. My BMI is 38.

I just want to post a little food for thought (lol). This has little to do with most of the posts on this thread, but I cringe when I hear people talk about others as “toxic”. People are not toxic. Nobody is toxic. It is a label assigned to someone that redistributes the power balance. These days instead of saying “this person does not respect my boundaries” “this person’s comments are constantly hurtful to me” “I don’t know how to assert myself when this person triggers my self-consciousness/self-hatred” “I am too sensitive to handle this person’s honesty” “It feels awful when I freeze instead of telling that person their actions were not ok with me” etc, etc, etc, people just say “that person is toxic”. Saying someone is toxic makes assigns the work to that person and then dismisses the issue (which is usually one of boundaries). We are not constantly fending off toxicity. We have all probably been called a toxic person by someone. In parenting right now (I have a 5 yr old) it is very popular to take on the idea that “my child is not responsible for my anger/anxiety/reaction when they __________”. If my daughter has to try on 6,000 pairs of shoes while telling me “duh” and having a meltdown, making me late to work, and I yell at her and am crabby at my meeting - that’s not her fault. I can work on this reaction, I can work on this routine, and I can find out why 6000 shoes were (duh) not enough and was so important to her. My kid is not toxic because I am crabby in the morning and late to work almost every day. I think this is true in any relationship - the other person is not you, not in your head, they have other priorities, and most of the time we don’t tell people how we need them to react to feel supported. The OP could have talked to her friends before surgery and told them what she needed from them - it might have changed how they supported her. Or she can set boundaries now (e.g. If we are going to go out, we are not talking about x,y,z, because __________”). Call someone rude, mean, dishonest, unfaithful, blunt, jealous - something specific that helps you and them learn from the relationship. If the person means something to you, give them something meaningful back. Calling them toxic will only lead you to more toxic people, because you will have the same reaction. My advice to the OP would be to be honest with the friends you still want to have. You won’t always react perfectly (or even well) to all of your loved ones’ life-changes either, so give them the chance to not handle it perfectly either. If they still suck after you are honest and set boundaries, then good riddance. Sorry - had to preach! Not meaning to offend! Somebody totally blew my mind about “toxic people” not existing a year ago and my relationships have been so much better.

Anyone else feeling foggy on the liquid diet? I am on Actigall and it’s not a side effect, but I am having trouble finishing a thought and feel drugged. I’m having a Gatorade Zero in case it is electrolytes (I have been peeing like crazy!!!). I can have only Protein Shakes and raw veggies. What has it been like for you all?

I originally went in wanting a sleeve, but my surgeon convinced me that bypass is a better option for me. I have asthma that has put me in the hospital a few times and the chance of reflux increasing and asthma worsening was not worth it for me. He said he could do the sleeve but there would be a chance I would need a revision, and I did not want two surgeries. I think sleeves are supposed to be safer, but revisions are pretty common.

Good luck to everyone who is having surgery tomorrow!!! ❤️

2 hours ago, Jscales11 said:

I have surgery scheduled for Oct 19th, and am starting my 2 week pre-op diet in the morning. I’m getting really nervous now. Supposed to have RNY, but will be sleeved if too many adhesions from pre ious surgeries. 🥺🥺🥺

Me too! We are surgery twins! Is your pre-op full liquid? Mine is all shakes and Clear Liquids with raw veggies.

On 9/29/2020 at 12:37 PM, AccountingCalories said:

Getting sleeved October 5th! So nervous to not have any visitors in the hospital with me, but beyond excited

Best of luck Monday!!!!

My doctor recommends 2 Flinstones Complete (the old formula, which is the same in most generics). They are cheap and taste pretty good. I got the Bariatric Advantage Chewy Bite for Calcium and the Bariatric Advantage sublingual B12.

6 hours ago, SusanMcG said:

MY surgery date for Gastric Sleeve is October 7th!! I am so excited and will be celebrating my Birthday while in the hospital ( 1st day post op). Can't ask for a better Birthday gift for myself!! No cake this year!! LOL..LOL... Iam currently on my 2 week Pre-Op food program..... Labs this week....Pre-Op with Surgeon...Dental Appointment...Hair appointment...Pedicure.... All things important to feeling good about yourself going in. I will be thinking about all my OCTOBER buddies and wishing them much success.

My birthday is October 11!!! I am having my birthday cupcake this weekend before I start the liquid diet next Monday. How has it been going for you?

I got my date! October 19

My heart goes out to you, because I have been in a handful of relationships like this one, and they never feel good in the moment. It must be double hard as you are about to make a major change in your life and really want that support from him. It sounds like he is afraid to say “I’m scared I’m going to lose you. I’m scared you will see that I am actually not worthy of your love. I’m scared that you will want someone better than me. I’m scared you are doing this so you can leave me.” Instead of saying those things to you, he wants you to take responsibility for his feelings, so it takes the pressure off of him and puts it on to you. Maybe you can confront this in a compassionate way, tell him what your own fears are for the relationship, and see if he will commit to 1session only with your therapist to talk through it, because you love him so much. He might go more often to therapy if you can get him in the door once. He seems like a sensitive soul who doesn’t have a good way of telling you that he feels unlovable. It is not on you to convince him, for sure, but we all have times (years sometimes) where we feel lost, or like we aren’t our best selves. Hope you have a wonderful experience with the surgery and that you have a good support system, whoever it may be ❤️

I should be too! I have my upper endoscopy tomorrow and dietician appt Tuesday. Submitting Tuesday afternoon. So exciting! COVID has delayed so much! Proud of myself for sticking with it since January lol. I think of it as more time to change my lifestyle before the shock of surgery.

My *** plan covers 100% for BMI 40+. For BMI under 40, a person needs to have 2 well documented comorbidities. All surgery patients have to go through Psych evaluation, 3 months (4 appointments) of supervised medical weight loss, an upper endoscopy, visit with dietician, 2-3 weeks of liquid diet (dependent on BMI) and anything else that may come up (I had to see a vascular specialist because I have blood clotting disorders). I have done everything through my surgeon’s office - so easy and they are really nice. I am 2.5 months in on the supervised medical weight loss and having my endoscopy and dietician visit next month. Should be good for surgery in Sept or Oct, depending on COVID and the schedule of my surgeon (they had over 3,000 surgeries to reschedule after the first outbreak of COVID). I will submit to be approved once I complete everything. Hope this helps!

Hi! I so appreciate the response! I haven’t seen many people talk about SMWL, even on the nutrition forum.

My “diet” is to build a meal around Protein (60-80 gm per day), have 3 veggies, and 1-2 fruits per day. I cannot snack in between meals. I can have carbs, but not white carbs, and if I have a sweet tooth I can have sugar free Jello or popsicles. I don’t have limits on calories, although I usually end up at about 1200. They said they are not trying to get me to lose the most amount of weight, or have me crash diet (like end up in ketosis), they are trying to teach me how to meal plan, focus on protein, and eat in a healthier manner. I should lose a pound a week.

Everything I read is so different. They want to cut out snacking and stick to eating 3 times, because they said that grazing is what gets people into trouble in the first place. I am not allowed to have shakes to boost protein, I have to get it from food only. I am a little confused by this, because to get in all of my protein, veggies, and fruit, with a small serving of carbs, I am eating pretty large sized meals, volume-wise. There is no way my body will handle what I’m eating now after surgery. I am having trouble not eating too much protein. When I build a meal around the protein, it is hard not to have too much. I have only met with them once, so maybe she will explain more at the next visit.

Thank you so much for the link!

Hi Everyone -

This is my first post! I started the process back in January - originally expected to have surgery in July, and due to COVID-19 will probably have surgery in late Sept or early Oct. My insurance requires 3 months (4 sessions) of Supervised Medical Weight Loss. I am able to do it with my surgeon’s office, which is awesome, but it seems tedious. I was supposed to start in March, though my first appt was pushed back to a week and a half ago. I just started the “diet” last week. The plan reminds me of how old people eat (LOL) - very little room to be creative with food. Is anyone else going through this right now? I’d love to have someone to bounce the experience off of, or a buddy.