vikingbeast

I was just told to “try to lose some weight” but it was pretty low key. Don’t stress about it. Stress makes it harder to lose. That said, I had to talk myself down multiple times, convinced I was doing the wrong thing. I’m pretty sure it’s the right thing now I’m on the other side, honestly.

Good luck Smanky!!

I had my first closet purge, too. Five pair of pants went into the donation bin... I haven't done much on t-shirts yet because it's okay to wear those baggy for a while, but button-down shirts are next. I already know my custom-made dress shirts are ridiculously big, and it hurts to send those out, but they're not wearable. I always say I'm going to sell my stuff on Poshmark or eBay or Mercari and it's such a PITA I just end up giving it to charity and taking the writeoff on my taxes. Also, this is a thing for the guys—get rid of the chonies that are too big. You don't want fabric rubbing around down there and chafing. (Obviously used chonies go in the trash, not the donation bin!)

The first day after surgery, I did three 400 m "laps" around my cul-de-sac. It tired me out and I had to stop and burp up all that ridiculous gas they blow into you during laparoscopic surgery. The second day, I increased to 800 m three times a day. The third and fourth days, I did 1600 m (a mile) twice a day. The fifth and sixth days, I did 2.5k (something like 1.5 miles) twice a day. I see my PCP tomorrow and will see whether I feel up to jogging any of it. I should add that before surgery I was extremely active, worked outdoors, and did CrossFit. So I am no stranger to physical activity. One thing, as someone who has had large, active, intelligent dogs. They may be well behaved but if they start to pull for any reason you HAVE TO LET GO OF THE LEAD. You cannot allow them to yank you.

Like others have said, it's a time hop. My anesthesiologist didn't even say much. He put the little plastic cup over my head and the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room. I was incredibly sleepy all that day and much of the next. I had brain fog like when you're addicted to caffeine and can't have any (though I've been off caffeine for weeks now). My anesthesiologist gave me a TAP block, which is like an epidural nerve block for your abdominals, so I really didn't even feel much around my midsection. I was able to hoist myself off the bed and go walking, albeit slowly and clutching my IV pole at first. They also put a seasickness patch behind my ear in pre-op prep and I cannot even describe how much that helped.

I am six days out and have the same wrenching pains. I find that if I eat throughout the day I feel better. I'm on my surgeon's plan, but I do eat a bit more than they suggest—it seems to be working, I'm down 17.4 lbs. in six days (though I started a great deal heavier than some others). The hunger pangs are like someone is wringing my poor stomach like a wet washcloth and grinding it on myself. I do have omeprazole (it's available over-the-counter, it's called Prilosec in the US) and it doesn't help any.

Congratulations!! The worst is past!

Same. I was able to drink 1/3 oz. (10 ml) at a time immediately, and now can swallow enough where I don’t need the medicine cups anymore six days later. I still go slowly and separate by 4-5 minutes but if I’m parched then I can take small sips every minute or two until I catch up. The last two days I’ve been getting 70-80 oz of water and 90-100g protein. It can be done (Isopure is your friend!)

Let’s just say I know the pain from recent personal experience ?

That's really a question for your surgeon but I will say that two days after my VSG (which is less intrusive than umbilical hernia repair) I couldn't have gone out all day. I think I slept 17 hours. You should probably plan not to go.

If you drink coffee or eat a lot of sweets, now's the time to start weaning yourself off them so you aren't having to deal with caffeine and sugar withdrawal in addition to the pre-op diet. Hint for the caffeine withdrawal, if you can, eat a small bit of a chile pepper (I used chile serrano, they're hotter than jalapeños) and it'll jolt you awake. It won't help the headache, though.

Sounds about where I was at four days out! Today is five days out and I'm down 15 from surgery weight.

The hospital will give you a robe but I should warn you it will be HUGE. I took to the hospital a small bag with: a pair of chanclas/flip-flops/thongs/jandals/whatever you call them, for walking around a spare pair of chonies (TRUST NO FARTS) my phone and a charger my reading glasses (for signing check-in paperwork) chapstick and Biotene spray a book (which I never touched, I was so tired I couldn't focus on text) a chaplet/rosary (which I never touched, didn't even have a chance to count back from 10 for anesthesia) my CPAP mask (which I never touched, I didn't stay overnight) my ID, insurance, and Covid vax card, all of which were inspected a spare t-shirt from the 'fat' pile so that I wasn't stretching fabric across my incisions I also, thanks to this site, took a flat pillow with me, so that after surgery I put it on my belly and didn't have to buckle the seatbelt across my new incisions. The hospital will provide your liquid diet for the time you stay there; mine was soup so salty it tasted like licking a bouillon cube, weird diet cranberry juice, some thick vegetable gruel that was disgusting, and water.

Don't freak out. There could be a host of reasons why you gained two pounds. Maybe your food's extra salty. Maybe you're under a lot of stress. Maybe it's almost time for the monthly visitor. But do track EVERYTHING. Download MyFitnessPal or MyMacros+ or Baritastic and log LITERALLY EVERYTHING you put in your mouth BEFORE you put it in your mouth. Including water. Including coffee. Including the sugar and cream in your coffee. Including the oil you cook in. Including salad dressing. Weigh things out—don't look at a piece of chicken and say well that's gotta be three ounces, get a $15 scale off Amazon or at Walmart and weigh it out. If you can't figure out how to track it, don't eat it. (You'll need to do this at some point after surgery anyway.) Start "auditioning" protein shakes and protein waters. You'll be surprised how full they make you even pre-surgery, and most are 150-200 calories and give you anywhere from 20-40 g of protein. Start by substituting one meal with the protein shakes. Once you're past that, substitute another meal with a protein shake (add a little salad or something with just a spoonful of dressing if you're still hungry). Drink a cup of water before you eat if you're prone to binging so your stomach's fuller. You got this. It'll come off and your surgeon will say, yep, you're good to go.

I would be a 23-year recovering opioid addict had I not been given codeine against my will in 2017... so four and a half years here. Ask your anaesthesiologist to give you a TAP block at the end of surgery, which is an epidural for your abdominals—you'll have a little mark where the needle goes into your mid-section in addition to your incisions from the surgery. It is not opiate-derived, and it lasts 12-24 hours depending how fast your body metabolizes it. By 12 hours after surgery I was able to cope with just simply extra-strength Tylenol/Panadol/acetaminophen. I took three doses of that on the day after surgery and haven't needed anything for pain since.

Covid causes MASSIVE inflammation, so y'all're totally on the right track.

I had the same feeling, and I'll warn you that while you're working off the effects of anesthesia and the gas and fluid they float into you, you will probably have a real "what have I done" moment. But today (four days out!) I had the most insane levels of energy. I didn't run, because I'm trying to be careful of my innards at least until the surgeon sees me again in a week or so, but I easily could have. It is the most liberating feeling ever.

Thank you for this! You're close in age to me and you look like you got 10 years younger... here's hoping!

This exactly. My PCP actually had me take my BP med with the integrated water pill the day after surgery. It helped get the fluid out and I peed like a racehorse that day… and immediately felt better.

Yes. Right away. Everything tastes extra salty and everything with sucralose tastes like an oil refinery. I switched from Protein2O to Isopure which is better. My family had salmon one night and it smelled absolutely disgusting. They had burgers another night which smelled good but it was so weird to feel my brain go, “Huh. Burgers. Nah.”

Update: Getting much easier to deal with. My energy levels are coming back though I’m still as weak as a newborn kitten. Gas pains got a lot better, especially once I finally had a BM. I think it was backing up in there—take your Dulcolax or Miralax or milk of magnesia religiously! I do get grinding hunger pangs that feel like my stomach is literally twisting on itself. I made some protein jello (big box of orange sugar free Jello plus half a scoop of vanilla whey protein = creamsicle) for when I can’t handle the pains. They pass quickly but are debilitating. 8 cal of protein jello and I can sort of stave them off. I walk one minute every 15 minutes plus 5k a day which takes about 40-45 minutes. I’ll start running once I feel like I can sweat safely. Scale victory: down 9.6 lbs. in three days. NSV: Had to size down in shorts and throw out unders that are too big. Also my BP went from 145/85 with two meds a day before surgery to 123/68 with one med three days out.

The gas pains are so annoying but they do get better over time. I’m four days out and definitely still have it sometimes. One thing (sorry if TMI) is that the gas pains get less bad once you have a bowel movement. It took three DAYS for that to happen and I immediately get better and had way less gas. The “foamies” I get when I consume too fast. I forgot to sip yesterday and chugged probably 3-4 oz. of water and was in agony for probably an hour. The hunger pangs are the worst, it feels like my stomach is literally twisting itself like a wet washcloth. I made protein Jello (orange sugar free gelatin with half a scoop of whey protein isolate dissolved in the cold water used for the gelatin) for when I absolutely can’t hack the “grinding”. The big packet of Jello makes 8 portion cups and I usually eat about half a portion cup, so a whopping 8 cal. It helps a lot. I haven’t weighed myself yet today (doing it every day for the first two weeks per doctor’s suggestion—“you’re gonna wanna see the numbers”, then weekly after that) but yesterday morning I was 9.6 down from surgery weight in three days. I know that won’t last but some of these are numbers I haven’t seen in a decade, I already had to size down in my favorite Carhartt shorts, and had to throw out the larger size chonies because they were starting to hang off me. My blood pressure the day before surgery on two BP meds was 145/85. My PCP took me off the one with the water pill as of the day after surgery and last night when I checked, my BP was 123/68 on one med!! I am STUNNED how fast that happened. Almost like my body is like “YES let’s get this done, pitter patter!” Energy level is coming back, but am still weak. I walk 5k every day at least and once the incisions heal and I feel like I can sweat safely I’ll start running. Day after surgery was the absolute worst and then it’s a dramatic improvement. Already the best decision I ever made for my body. It’s really amazing to think, “This is the last time I’m ever gonna see this d**n number on that scale.”

Best of luck to you. I'm an extrovert, too, and let me tell you, even with the small weight loss I have between the pre-op and this week, I am already a bundle of energy... I'm gonna be annoying when I get down to fighting weight!

I guess, but I’ve been close to this weight in the past and not even able to drop medications. I hope you’re right… one of my most important goals is to be able to go off all my meds.

It was part of my requirements too, but I'd had one done earlier in the year. It's because so many people have undiagnosed sleep apnea, which can be very dangerous while under anesthesia. I had to prove my APAP settings for the anesthesiologist's office.