SunnyinSC

Just checking in! 12 days post op and I think I'm hitting my first stall. Doing my best to remind myself it happens to everyone and just keep on plan and the scale will start dropping again. Overall down 14lbs since surgery on the 8th. So even if a stall for a week or more, that's still an excellent start

The reason I think I'm stalling is cause today is the first day I haven't had a loss. My weight is dead on the same as it was yesterday. It's a bummer cause I almost got down into the 240s (I'm 251.4!), but it will pass!

Oh, also.. I did some puree "taco" stuff. I basically threw taco seasoned turkey meat, guacamole, sour cream, and refried Beans into a blender. The texture was kinda ick. If any of you do this on your pureed diet, I would instead recommend pureeing only the taco meat, then adding that to the other stuff, since it's already pureed. Texture is a lot more tolerable that way.

On 6/18/2021 at 4:39 PM, Ct06033 said:

I had my surgery on Tuesday. I have not told anybody about it. Im just so afraid if this does not work long term.

Surgery recovery has been surprisingly “easy” so far but i know Im not done yet!!! One day at a time. But so far so good.

For the last 10 years nearly every Month I was starting another diet. I dont even recognize myself in the mirror. This really is my last shot at changing long term health. I’m an empty nester and I'm committed to this change!

2 general questions:

how long are you wearing the compression stockings?

how long are you using the breathing machine? My doctor gave one to me but really did not explain it. (Ive called them and I'm waiting for a call back)

Congrats on surgery! As for your questions, I didn't wear compression stockings. I had the little compression deals on in the hospital the day of surgery, but as soon as I got up and was walking around, they took them off and never put them back on. That being said, I've been really good about getting up and walking, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it.

The breathing do-hicky I used for about 7 days post surgery, just to be safe, since that was the doctor's orders. However, the nurse who discharged me said whether I brought it home or not was up to me. Where I was walking enough and taking deep breaths and all, she didn't think I'd have trouble with or without it.

Hopefully your doctor gets back to you soon!

13 minutes ago, BDL58 said:

My DS was done June 1st. I did feel alone for the most part, especially at the hospital. My hubby has severe heart disease and uses oxygen so driving me to the hospital, waiting during the surgery and staying with me were totally out of the question. My coworker, who had the DS about 6 years ago, actually got up super early (had to be there by 5am) and drove me to the hospital and dropped me off. It was very hard being there by myself and I was very nervous preop and I admit a few tears slipped out. Fortunately, my anesthesiologist was wonderful…he’s a friend of another coworker and she contacted him ahead of time (weeks beforehand) and arranged for him to take my case! Awesome!!! He made sure I received something for anxiety right away and took great care of me. In fact, all the hospital staff were just phenomenal to me…made me proud that we all work for the same hospital system. My sister in law came and drove me home post op and stayed a few days. My son also was here and made sure I got all the broth I wanted/could tolerate. Both of them made sure my husband was well cared as well. He told me later he was so, so sorry he couldn’t be there with me. We’ve been married for 40 years and he’s still my sweetheart!

That would have been scary! I am so glad you had some amazing coworkers who were able to make sure you were looked after. Sounds like a great hospital

12 hours ago, Morachia said:

I know I need to be patient...

But I'm curious, for those a week out from their surgeries, have any of you lost weight yet? I haven't lost anything and I'm 8 days out.

I know my body is still in trauma and is healing, but I hear of people losing weight immediately. I guess I'm paranoid I'm doing something wrong lol.

I had my surgery June 8th, so I'm 9 days out. The last time I weighed myself was 2 days before surgery and I was 265, as of this morning I am 252 so have lost around 13 lbs in 9 days. That being said, I did not have to do a pre-op diet (I actually gained a little weight going up to surgery because I did some food funerals), and they sent me home on a pureed diet. So a good chunk of that, for me, is most likely Water weight.

Please don't compare yourself to others, I know that's easier said than done, but truly each surgeon, person, and plan is different. Some people hold in all the IV Fluid from the surgery for longer than others, some lose quicker, and so on. Just stick to the eating plan your surgeon provided and the weight will start coming off. If you're worried, you could also call your nurse/dietician/whatever resource your hospital has provided, and just check in. I'm sure they get a lot of similar questions.

14 hours ago, BDL58 said:

Do you have a good recipe for the refried Beans? I get to progress to soft and/puréed food on Saturday and I am soooooo looking forward to it! I love refried Beans but I’ve never made it from scratch.

I also just buy fat free refried canned beans. Add a little salsa to them, maybe even a little fat free cheese if that's fine by your surgeon. I'll be adding turkey taco meat to it when I make them in a few days and then blending it all up. Hoping for it feeling like I'm eating the innards of a taco! Seems like it would at least.

3 hours ago, MAMAM513 said:

June 29!! Exactly 2 weeks away!

I am so ready to take the next step on this journey! I start my pre-op liquid diet on Saturday.... I'm a little nervous about that, but overall I am so excited.

I do have a question - even with your supportive friends and family - did (or do) you feel a little bit alone in the process? I'm not sure how to explain it, I'm hoping people going through it (ie. all of you) will underatand what I mean.

Good luck everyone!!!

I think I know what you mean. I've told a select few people about the surgery, and while the people I have told have been supportive, it does still feel kind of lonely in the journey. Mainly because none of the people in that circle of friends and family have struggled through the weight issues I have. Most of them have managed their weight without much issue. Even my husband has a normal relationship with food. So in that sense I don't feel I have any actual people I can relate to in my life. That being said, I have been seeing a bariatric therapist and that has helped cause I feel like I can talk to her about the things my family or friends wouldn't necessarily understand.

7 hours ago, Idk91 said:

Good luck, you’ll be absolutely fine! I had mine at 5pm yesterday and I’m already feeling much better, just the first few hours after were rough but it passes! X

Congrats! Glad to hear everything went well, and you're already feeling better. First few hours after were definitely a bit rough, but I don't remember much about them beyond that thankfully, lol. I think maybe my brain blocked most of it out, or the anesthesia was still working it's memory magic.

8 hours ago, jessica.palmer said:

My surgery is today at 7:30 I’m nervous….

Best of luck! I know you'll hear it 5 million times but definitely walk when you can post-op. It really does help with the gas pain. Once you feel up to it, let us know when you're out!

4 Bariatric fusion Multivitamins per day. And then 2 Vitamin D gummies (approved by my surgeon) because I was deficient on labs.

Are you constipated at all? Any changes in diet? I know some of the absolute worst abdominal cramps I've gotten in my life were when I was constipated. I thought I may be dying. This was before any sort of surgery, and how I found out I have IBS.

My favorites so far have definitely been refried Beans with a little salsa, and then this ricotta bake that reminds me of lasagna. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to trying eggs. You're a lot more organized than I am! On my list of things to try within the next few days, once I eat all the leftovers I currently have, are a puree of refried beans and ground turkey meat with taco seasoning, and then I was gonna try and do an imitation crab with a Mongolian sort of marinade and then mush that up. I am hoping it'll work cause imitation crab is generally pretty soft, so I imagine it'll mush well. There's also a "shrimp scampi" puree recipe I found that I wanna try. It's shrimp, garlic, parsley, low fat plain Greek yogurt, and a little olive oil pureed up.

Yeah, I burp a lot too. I apparently won the jackpot and get both ends. Looking forward to when it goes away. Though, really, even if it never went away and was a known long-lasting side effect of surgery, I'd still have gone through with surgery. Thank you for the response!

4 hours ago, Morachia said:

You absolutely are not alone. I'm really struggling to figure out this new pouch. The only time I feel full is when I have to take my medications (which they told me to take them normally). Its brutal and takes about 10 minutes where I used to be able to do it in 30 seconds lol. Trying to get my 64oz of Water in and 3 Protein Shakes a day. Its a little bit difficult. I hope it will be easier to differentiate our fullness once we hit puree and soft foods.

I know that I made the right choice by doing this surgery. I thought about it for years and went through 7 months of preparation. But I did experience some buyers remorse last night. I think I'm feeling overwhelmed by it all - I did pull a muscle in my shoulder a day before surgery and that hurts more than anything my surgeon did so its hard to really gauge my pain right now. I feel like I studied and really self reflected leading up to all of this but somehow, I feel that I'm underprepared. I'm sure this feeling will go away with time. I've also stalled...which logically I know its fine, because I'm healing but then the worry sets in, am I doing anything wrong? Its way too easy to slip into comparing your journey to others. We all move at our own pace.

And then my birthday is tomorrow. Kinda sucks feeling so low on such a milestone birthday, but I'm sure once I recover, things will be good. Don't mean to have a pity party lol, I guess I'm just all up in my feelings at the moment. I'm super proud of all of us though. Its not an easy journey.

Happy birthday! Hopefully next year will make up for it in that you can Celebrate normally and you'll have the added life changes that come from going through this process to celebrate Also, I am with you, taking medications in the morning is the most awful part of my day right now. There are just so many for the first week post-op.

Edit: I got you and @CharismaticGlammixed up. The sorry for liquid pre-op diet is actually for her! Sorry. Was replying to you both at around the same time and got it all mixed. So CharismaticGlam, sorry you had to spend your birthday on the liquid diet, and for Morachia, sorry you have to spend yours on the post-op liquid diet! Fingers crossed that next years is much better for you both!

20 hours ago, CharismaticGlam said:

Mine was June 2nd as well!!! Do you feel full at all drinking the liquids? I’m having a hard time noticing my signs of fullnesss.

Congrats on the surgery! Just wanted to let you know you aren't alone in having trouble determining fullness. The hospital I went through actually releases you on pureed stage. I only did liquids day 1 and the first two meals of day 2. However I still don't know what "full" feels like. Currently I carefully measure portions and eat until I no longer feel hungry (hunger did come back for me a few days after surgery). My hunger isn't super strong, and I have to sort of pay attention to even notice it. I definitely don't feel physically full or anything. Fingers crossed that there's some other indication when I move to soft foods, cause the hunger feeling is leaving before I've gotten near enough calories for the day and I'm terrified of eating too much and hurting the new tummy.

So I had my RNY surgery on the 8th (yay!). Everything so far has gone really smooth, no complications to really speak of. Gas pain from the surgery itself seems to be gone, walking got all that out by day 2. However, I've noticed that whenever I eat or drink -anything- at all, even Water, I get super gassy. My abdomen gets that gassy uncomfortable feeling and it stays for a good while but will eventually dissipate. It's not a huge deal or anything, and it's not really painful, but I was just wondering if this was common, and does it eventually pass? I was expecting it with maybe Protein Drinks or dairy, but wasn't expecting it with water.

2 hours ago, Somber said:

How's everyone doing?
I'm scheduled for June 21st, so it's getting close now... Popping by the clinic tomorrow to meet the doctors, nutritionist etc.

I guess the majority of the members on this forum is from the US, and I read somewhere that the average costs in the US is 23 k, is that true?? Do you always have to finance it yourself?

I've got Cigna Health Insurance and they have exclusions specifically for weight loss related stuff (even prescriptions). Doesn't make sense to me, but it is what it is. It does mean I paid out of pocket though. The surgery itself was around $19.5k. That said, insurance also does not cover any of the pre-op or post-op care appointments either. I think we're already up around 23k total paid if you include surgery and appointments. Then it's usually a good $500-$600 per appointment at the hospital if it involves seeing the surgeon. Little less if it's a registered nurse. And less again if it's the dietician. So the number will steadily increase over time with follow up visits.

Each doctor's office is different, but Protein Shakes and other pure liquids, like broth or milk (on its own), count towards my liquid goal for the day. So a Protein Shake counts towards both my Protein and liquid goals for the day, which does make meeting them a lot easier right out of surgery. If you have questions about your specific office's plan though, the best thing to do would be to give them a call to clarify.

10 hours ago, Sch902 said:

It's good to know I won't feel like this post op. I just gotta keep my eye on the prize!

I just wanted to throw out everyone is different and not everyone loses their hunger. My surgery was on the 8th and while the first couple days I didn't have any hunger I definitely do still have some hunger now. It's not nearly as strong as it use to be, and it is much -much- more manageable, but it is still there. For some people it does disappear completely, but I wasn't one of them. I can keep it at bay by making sure I'm eating and drinking on schedule, and with much smaller quantities of food. So it does get easier at least, and will continue to do so. The pre-op diet is one of the hardest bits to overcome from what I've read!

I'm currently in pureed stage and refried Beans are great so far. Chili is also on my list, so I second what SummerTimeGirl mentioned about finding a vegetarian/vegan chili. My hospital also recommended blending up some Soups for pureed stage (adding in some Protein powder if needed). At the hospital I had some pureed green beans and they were super yummy. The texture didn't bother me as much as I thought it was going to, so maybe cook and season some veggies you like and then puree into a mash potato sort of consistency?

I also did a ricotta bake. It has ricotta, parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper in it. Then a bit of marinara/pizza sauce over the top. I don't usually like ricotta cheese on it's own, but the bake tastes more like lasagna to me. Really nummy option -if- you like lasagna but maybe don't like ricotta solo. Just throwing it out there as I'm not sure if it was just ricotta that you hated, or if ricotta in things was also a no-go.

I just had surgery, but the hospital I go through does the same. For the 2 years I have a one month, three months, six month, 12 months, 18 months and then 24 months follow ups, and then it's once yearly for life to review lab work. They have already collected survey questions surrounding my personal feelings on my quality of life. My PCP is also through the hospital now, so my labs are all in one easy to access place for tracking for both my surgical team and my primary care. In addition to all that, they have support groups which are free and open to anyone, even if you didn't get surgery at the same hospital. That all being said, I did specifically pick the program I went with because of the follow up care, so I don't know that it's normal or anything.

I didn't have a pre-op diet at all. Had surgery on the 8th. So far everything has been going well My surgeon mentioned they don't do it for individuals less than 50 BMI. Could be your office is similar. Doesn't seem like no pre-op diet is common by any means, but you aren't alone!

Just checking in. I'm at home now and doing pretty good. So far no real nausea. Drinking Water and Protein Drinks thus far. Had some cream of chicken Soup, yogurt, and pureed turkey while in the hospital. Pain isn't too bad. Heartburn is gone! Most the gas pain is gone, just have some pain from surgery itself. So far no hunger. Hope everyone else is doing well!

7 hours ago, LizzLosingIt said:

I've read about some people failing the psych eval and it's always baffled me. What is this psychologist looking for as a "pass/fail" sort of patient? Most, if not all, people who have struggled with weight maintenance and weight loss have an emotional attachment to food, yet it feels like that's what they're on the look-out for. What is it that "fails" someone at the eval, if you don't mind me asking?

I imagine it's not the same for everyone, but for me it was a combination of a few things. First, I had stopped taking depression medication a few years back, and my psychiatrist was concerned that based on the evaluation, I had been eating my emotions and that my depression would spiral once food was taken away as a coping mechanism. So one of the things she recommended was getting back on medication. Second, while she didn't think I had binge eating disorder exactly, she did want me to first address some of my eating behaviors, specifically I would eat until over-stuffed and uncomfortable around lunch time and then not eat for the rest of the day. That habit in particular would be pretty detrimental post-surgery. I got put on a 3 month hold while I got back on medication and continued work on my eating habits (I had been working on them prior to the psyche eval anyway, so had a jump start). I continued following up with a psychologist throughout the 3 months, and later got approved. My surgery date is actually tomorrow

I haven't had surgery yet, so can't speak to that exactly. That being said, I have experienced spotting (usually dried blood which is thick and brown) when I've lost a lot of weight quickly in the past. I'm on Mirena so I don't get periods at all, which means the spotting came as a surprise. I was advised it's very normal when losing larger amounts of weight. If you're worried definitely phone your doctor though!

7 hours ago, Shrink&Grow said:

I've had a wobble today.. been down a deep YouTube rabbit hole. Need to get back into the excited place I was last week!

Oh no! I do the same thing and get in my own head sometimes. YouTube videos don't have to be bad, maybe try and focus on some positive success stories. I also go browsing through before and after photos, and the success stories portion of the forum. Hope you get out of the rabbit hole soon!