Tony B - NJ

I am 58 and just completed the surgery about a month and a half ago. I recovered very quickly and was back to work in 9 days. The first couple days were hard because of the soreness and tenderness, not really pain, just achy. Every day I felt a lot better. I made it a point to where compression stockings (thigh high) for several weeks after the surgery since I was older than most who get the surgery and wanted to make sure I had not DVT since my circulation may be not as good as a 40 year old. My advice to you is to start walking as soon as you get out of surgery and wake up and don't stop walking. I try to walk 5 or 6 times a day and aim for 10K steps minimum. This has really helped me recover and firm up.

My surgeon required I had the CPAP with me the day of surgery. When I got to my room I never even gave it a thought since I was so out of it. I ended up using it for maybe an hour or so.

3 minutes ago, HeatherE said:

Hysterical! I know the feeling! I was waiting until I finished losing weight to buy new panties, but down over 90 pounds, the saggy ones weren’t working. I also donated my size 18 jeans and was sooo excited to squeeze into a size 4 that ran big!!!

size 18 to a size 4...wow. Great for you!!

So what Med School did your partner graduate from that informed him on how fast you should heal? Some of us are back at our normal activities in a week or so while others take months to get back. It really depends on a lot of things like your starting weight/BMI, your physical condition before surgery, your nutrition, the complications of the surgery, any other conditions you have etc, etc. Even totally healthy people after surgery have different healing rates.

1 minute ago, HeatherE said:

I’m down two shoe sizes and no longer wide width. Wish I hadn’t donated all my old shoes. I have none that fit now!

That is what I was thinking about all my old clothes!! I had so many pairs of pants that I thought I would never fit in again and donated them to the Church. Now, I wish I had them all back because it is costing me a fortune for new clothes that I am probably going to not fit in after a couple months.

The Doctor is normally going to frown on coffee because, well, that is what Doctors do. I started having a shot of espresso in my morning Protein Shake about a week ago after 6 weeks post op and I really enjoy both the flavor change and the little caffeine buzz I missed in the morning. I don't drink any coffee after that, although prior to surgery I was a 5 or 6 cup a day guy. I think like anything, everything in moderation and when you are past a month or so when all the major wound healing is past, a cup of coffee is not going to hurt your recovery too much.

Another option for the Protein is the clear Protein Drinks. I found a good one in lemon flavor on Amazon that iced down is very good. You get 20 grams of protein in 16 ounces. It is called READY protein. I use it when I am not feeling like drinking a shake which is more and more the norm lately.

For a lower fat version, try replacing 1 tbsp of the mayo with greek yogurt and still use .5 tbsp of the mayo. It is a lot less fatty and less calories with very little sacrifice in taste. I use this for egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad.

I never thought of my feet as fat but I have shrunk somehow and my old shoes no longer fit and had to go down a half size. Very strange.

On 10/5/2021 at 10:51 AM, codevsg said:

Dropping meds so quickly was surprising. I was able to drop two blood pressure medications and metaformin.

Similar situation here. No BP MEDS, off Trulicity, off Lipitor. Glucose dropped to 89, A1c to 5.0, triglycerides to 116. All in 6 weeks

Just now, Pricilla said:

@Tony B - NJ

That makes sense. I can see why you wouldn’t want to reintroduce the foods that led to the surgery in the first place.

There is a lot of reflection happening in this pre-op stage that has me evaluating how I feel about food. I must get a dopamine rush for yummy foods because I would describe the feeling as “bliss”. I guess I’m hoping one day I can have a taste here and there without wanting to have it all. Or maybe I will not want a taste at all. That feels very foreign to me, not being excited about what I’m about to eat. It’s a part of me everyday and has been my whole life. Alas, which is why I am here.

I have really not craved anything at all to be totally honest. When I make up my mind to do something I go all in and will not stop until it is done. Just focus on the types of foods you CAN eat. After the first couple weeks when you get into soft foods there are enough choices to keep you satisfied. Some foods even when on solid foods will not go down right and you will have that pain in your chest from dry or food that is too large....or if you eat too fast. You will get into a niche of foods you tolerate well and introduce new foods every now and then.

I have personally not even done that. I am about 6 weeks post surgery and I am committed to sticking to my plan. I don't want to introduce any bad habits or food obsessions which could get me off track. A taste here, a taco there, a scoop of ice cream etc. keeps going and going. Once I started dropping the pounds I became more motivated to keeping the loss going. You could sit a donut in front of me and I would not even touch it.

I would say you have a 99% chance of being just fine after the surgery. I was back to work in a week and a day and was just fine. If you are sitting all day then make sure you get up every now and then and take a quick walk to stretch things out. Not a huge deal really. Ask your surgeon, but he may recommend compression stockings if you are going to be sedentary for long periods of time.

I agree with you on that. I have no desire to eat candy, cake, etc. I guess the real reason is that if I am not getting any Protein or nutrients from it, it is just going to stall my progress. I really don't need any empty calories right now.

I experienced the same thing with lima Beans. I tried them again a couple weeks later and much better, My biggest struggle is chicken. Unless it is shreaded, it gets stuck in my throat and hurts bad.

I really just started being hungry in the last week or two. I had the surgery on 8/31/21 and went a few weeks with little hunger. Now, I could eat every hour on the hour if I followed my hunger feelings. I think it is hunger, but not 100% sure from reading all these posts who insist it is not hunger....not sure what it is but it feels like I am hungry. I try drinking Water but it does not make the feeling go away.

I am currently going through the same thing. I have been stuck for about 2 weeks now. It is very frustrating even though you know it is somewhat common. I am barely eating anything (less than 800 calories) drinking plenty (80-90 ounces) and exercising 45-60 minutes per day, walking. I am keeping Protein around 80 or so per day and virtually no carbs. It really gets discouraging when you do these things and do not see the scale move. Yes, I know, don't weight yourself every day.........it is still an issue, even more so if you wait a week and still see no losses.

On 9/29/2021 at 3:29 PM, Jaye W said:

I am currently 1/2 way through my first all- inclusive vacation in Punta Cana since surgery. We go every year as we have a membership at a resort. It s a challenge for sure. I am walking an hour every morning at sunrise so I get my 10K steps in before Breakfast. I am having some mixed drinks and this is the first week I have gone since surgery in February not measuring food. I am curious to see if I lose, maintain or gain weight this week. I was on a long stall prior to vacation so maybe it will just shake up my system back into weight loss. It is wonderful being here 109 lbs lighter than last year at this time. Anyone else take an all inclusive vacation after surgery?

I have one scheduled for the end of October at Playa Mujeres north of Cancun. I plan to spend time walking an hour or so as well and limit my food intake to high Protein foods like sushi, lean beef and fish. The alcohol I am going to have to limit as well. No mixed drinks with fruits and syrups, sticking to bourbon or scotch...3 to 4 a day max.

Being stagnant in the car so long you may want to consider wearing compression stockings. Ev3n a month or so out there is some risk of DVT for prolonged periods of immobility.

I think of it like this. How does everything I eat fit into the plan. Am I getting Protein from it? Is it high in sugar or carbs? Am I getting any nutritional value from it? If not, it is simply too high a price to pay. Thinking from a money analogy, if a piece of cake cost $100, you would do without it, simply not worth it. The same logic is how I treat those foods high in fat, calories and carbs. Not worth the price my body pays. Need a snack? Find something that provides some benefit to you.

Just stick to what you are doing. Each week brings marked improvements.

Nice post. My story is very similar to yours except the reason. I just want to be more able to enjoy things a little more like I did when I was younger. After many years in the Navy and working in the business world for the last 18 years, I tend to work a lot and have little time for exercise. I am getting to where I can retire in a few years and want to be able to truly enjoy it. My post surgery experience has been very uneventful. I had zero pain from the beginning and have been able to do everything I needed to do. the only challenge has been eating since i have gone on solid foods. I tend to eat fast, so I have to consciously slow down, chew, put down the fork and wait for the next SMALL bite. Outside of that, smooth sailing. I had the Sleeve done.

It is surprisingly easy in my experience. I was mostly tired. I was never in any pain except when getting up off the bed and scooting back on the bed. Walking was painless which I did pretty quickly after surgery. The days following I had no pain at all but I did have a Fentanyl patch for 3 days. I was back to work in a week and have had no complications at all since.

Everyone is different but I cannot see any reason you can’t do that in a couple days. I was able to take care of our animals right away. I napped a little the first couple days but that should not be an issue. Dogs love to nap.

My total out of pocket expense for the surgery was $158. I have Tricare (retired military). I paid some co pays for appointments along the way but that is pretty much it. Very happy with Tricare!!!