KathyLev

My first two weeks,I had uncontrollable diarrhea . Don't get scared - it's a very unusual happening and seems I was pretty much one of the unlucky ones. Other than that,pain was mild and only in the incisions . It went away fast. The worst part of it was being so tired . That lasted about 3 weeks and I was totally back to normal. Walking exhausted me,but I still did it. I'm 69 years old , and I'm lucky it was very easy. Good luck to you !

Yes --- Walden Farms has a big selection of low fat and sugar free food. That's what I use now.

NickelChip - keep track of your measurements. That happened to me - my weight was so slow, but the first time I measured myself ,I lost 15 inches ! I'm glad you feel so great after surgery !

The nurses at the hospital were so anxious for me to poop - they gave me full strength Miralax after I drank a bottle of something to check for leaks ( which was ALSO a laxative ) I spent 2 weeks in adult diapers and finally I took immodium to stop the volcano eruptions. That was the worst 2 weeks of my life !

NickelChip - keep track of your measurements. That happened to me - my weight was so slow, but the first time I measured myself ,I lost 15 inches ! I'm glad you feel so great after surgery !

I certainly feel for you, just 3 days was all I could stand. That was last week and my back still hasn't recovered from hours on the toilet and cleaning up messes. Immodium helped me also.

NickelChip - keep track of your measurements. That happened to me - my weight was so slow, but the first time I measured myself ,I lost 15 inches ! I'm glad you feel so great after surgery !

Hello Irene,
Welcome in here and congratulations on your surgery date. You will find a March 2024 group on here that you can join.
Don't read anything on the net. Scare stories are not needed. This surgery is very safe. This forum is a safe place.
Stick to your teams advice, There is not a single person on here who has the same regime as you, pre or post op.
Don't buy loads of things you think you may need. Our tastes buds change after surgery because of Ketosis. Just buy a few of a selection of Protein Shakes. You may want to buy pain meds if you are not in the UK.
You will not need much at the hospital. Go in clothes that you can go home in. Take a Chapstick and some Biotin. Some people take a phone charger with a long lead.
You might want to use a recliner chair for sleeping, if you have one. I didn't and had to sleep upright in bed for a while and a recliner would have been easier. I had a bed wedge and lots of pillows.
If you have a pre op diet they are tough for the first 4 or 5 days but its worth it in the end.
You will have a weight loss stall at 2-3 weeks. You have not done anything wrong. You may get over emotional and / or get the regrets at this time. Our hormones are in the fat cells and releasing them in such a hurry makes our hormones go on a wild ride.

You will only get help and kindness here but we are not surgeons or dieticians. We can only help so much. We always recommend a visit with your team if possible.
If you are not eating well and not getting enough liquids in then your body is holding every little calorie it can because you are in starvation mode. You will not loose weight, your body is in charge of this.
If you can not get Water down and you could a while back then you have a narrowing/ swelling in your new tummy and it needs a little easy tweak to stretch it back out. Its called a stricture.
If this is something you have had from the beginning then you are forcing too much food and or drink in at once. Small sips of drinks, they can be hot, cold or frozen see which might work . Once you have mastered drinking, then pare down the foods to really soft, Protein based ones again. Chew well and add sauces, it helps. Soft eggs, protein yogurt, soft cheese etc. Only eat a small amount, say 1 - 2 ounces and see if you can keep the foamies at bay. Foamies happen when your stomach rejects the food or drink it does not want that day. It may have been ok the day before but.... today, oh no you are not putting any more of that in me ...
I haven't exercised as such, I was too decrepit too start with and I lack motivation now so I walk a few miles a week. Exercise doesn't really count for much weight loss unless its marathon running or such.

HI All!
More of a vent/ anyone else been in this situation?
I want to preface by saying I am smaller than when I first met my partner 4 and half yrs ago, he's been an amazing and supportive person during my journey. My initial fear was he would not be attracted me smaller since he met me as a curvy woman, I was open with my concerns before pursuing the surgery and he assured me that it would not change. We communicate really well and are open which is great and I love it!
Last night, he mentioned that it felt like he was having sex with a different person, he said not a bad thing and he is very much attracted me but it caught him off guard. I am not sure how I feel about him saying that. He seems to be more attracted me, he has even suggested clothing that shows off my figure more which he never cared about what I wore. I asked him if its because of what he wanted, he told me that he just wants me to feel confident in my body and that I should be proud of my hard work.
I was in a very mentally, emotionally and physically abusive relationship for 12yrs before I met my current partner. I think maybe I am just am in the mind set that I I have to hide myself. Its a new feeling of having a partner supportive and loves me for me. So, I am not sure how to work out my feelings with it.

I have 2 insurances - Medicare and United health care. From about a $75K bill,I've only paid about $600 out of pocket. I got my money's worth this year !

Hello to all my surgery buddies, I've read some really amazing posts on here and just want to say thank you to all of you that show support to each other. It can be a very scary time, specially for those of us who are alone in our process to recovery.
I had my gastric sleeve surgery on February 8th, I am 17 days post op as of this post. I still struggle a bit to consume even liquids. I burp a lot, and feel bloated all the time. I also have a constant feeling like everything slowly creeps up in my esophagus and just sits there. My pain levels are actually quite low, and my surgery incisions are healing quite well. I'm just worried about my stomach, my doctor wanted me to start introducing some solids slowly, but I told him no way I can barely tolerate liquids. So he has me on liquids for another week.
I hope I am not one of the unfortunate few where the surgery will have long lasting complications and although I will lose the weight, my quality of life will be lowered because of all this discomfort.
Thanks for reading, I wish everyone here a speedy recovery.

I have 2 insurances - Medicare and United health care. From about a $75K bill,I've only paid about $600 out of pocket. I got my money's worth this year !

Thank you, everyone! I would do this 1000 times over. I feel amazing in every area of my life

1 day
1 week
1 month
3 months
6 months
1 year, 2yrs, 3yrs, 4yrs
had my last regularly scheduled appt at 5 years post (about 4 mnths ago).
Also worth noting that i had labs (bloodwork) done each time (except the 1 day post one) and i had dexa scans/checks before surgery for baseline and every year until 5 years post.

My program has follow-ups with surgeon at 2 weeks, 4 months, 8 months and 1 yr. Then annually after that. I met with dietician more frequently - 2 weeks, 1 month, 8 weeks, then at month 4, 8 and 1 yr. Again at 18 months and then annually going forward.

My package had a 2 year lifespan. I could see them every month if I needed to and I did in the beginning. That lasted about 9 months because I had some problems. The last year was 2 x quarterly and a last check in at 2 years for my pat on the back.
I enjoyed my visits because I did well at weight loss, unlike weight watchers etc where I would just stall for months on end. All the while enduring the ritual non humiliation/ seething jealousy that these groups use to motivate

Our program was for 18 months of follow up as part of the surgical fee, and then annually thereafter on our (or insurance's) ticket. In normal situations, follow up with the PCP is fine as they can order labs, etc. However, we find it useful to keep in touch with the surgeon for his annual follow up as a means of keeping him "on retainer" in the event something odd happens. We all have things happen as we get older, and one of the common questions that would come up in our support group (mostly veterans of 10-20 years) is that they are having some health issue, and is that related to their WLS? Usually it is not and just part of the aging process, but if there is something questionable, our PCP can call up the surgeon and ask about it, MD to MD. It is less common for something odd in our health balance to happen with a sleeve as it would be with one of the malabsorbing procedures like the DS or RNY, but that's where some odd long term nutritional balance issue is most likely, and that's where the surgeon's experience can help out.

Best wishes for tomorrow @NickelChip, we'll see you on the other side of it. After everything you've been through and your unfailingly positive attitude, I know you'll do great.

I have a wedding to go to in a few weeks and went into my wardrobe to see if I needed a new outfit. My last summers posh frock still fits beautifully. The jacket that didn't fit yet - fits beautifully. Its such a revelation.
The shoes are a different kettle of fish. My old shoes drown my feet and are flats. My new style is heeled and a narrow size smaller. So new shoes and of course a bag is now mandatory.

Good wishes for tomorrow @NickelChip. Onwards and downwards x

This is such a great piece of advice, @BigSue! My background is in costume design and I love clothing, both historical and modern, but it's been years since I could really indulge in stylish clothing in the way I wanted to. Right now, I tend to favor a lot of wraps and kimonos. I have heavier ones for winter and silky ones for summer, with tunics and leggings.
I was talking to a friend recently about needing to replace my wardrobe and she said something along the lines of at least I would still have all my wraps, since those are one-size. But I realized when she said it that I might not want to wear those so much in the future, or might choose differently. I admit I choose what I do to hide my figure. I have no idea what I'll like if that isn't a necessity anymore. But, like @Arabesque, I think at a smaller size I will feel like I'm drowning in fabric with some of what I wear now.
I will say that going through my closet now, I have too many clothes, none of which I love. I'll be happy to see most of them go. For the next year, I'm going to do my best to take it easy with my wardrobe buying. Easier said than done, I know! But it feels like a good time to enjoy having a lot less, and make the most of the seven thousand or so scarves and necklaces I have to achieve different looks until I can settle into a maintenance weight and really think about how I want to dress.
I'm tempted to do the Wool& 100 day challenge this summer, where you choose one of their dresses and document yourself wearing it for 100 days in a row and get a $100 gift card toward buying a new one when you complete the challenge. The variety of looks people achieve with accessories is amazing, and wool jersey is a surprisingly good fabric for all seasons, including summer. I figure by June my rapid weight loss will have slowed a bit (surgery is tomorrow!!!!!) and by the end of 3 months, I'll be ready for a new dress size anyway, so win win! Besides, I love me a good dress in the summertime.

I love this topic, I'm recently thinking about how I will want to dress when I hit my stable weight. I've reinvented myself many times over the years and now I'm going to again. Right now I'm only wearing sweatpants and pajamas since it's so cold but come summer there will be lots of dresses. I'm 7 weeks post op and already my swimsuits are baggy and I'm hesitant to get new ones, I don't know what size I'll need now, and I don't think it will fit for very long, but maybe worth it anyways then donate it. I did splurge on a pair of jeans that I love but they're starting to sag on me. This is going to be fun and a bit scary I think.

Before my surgery , I'd constantly look like I was going to a funeral - I was always in black or really muted colors. You know - black is "slimming" ....LOL Now , I'm in bright prints and colors ,,what a difference Also, every year I'd pack away my summer clothes . I would just panic when it was time to get them out again - I knew I grew out of them. Very rarely did any of them fit. Now I'm reaching into the back of my closet where I saved some of my favorite clothes and I'm actually growing INTO them - instead of OUT of them ! What a great feeling !

2 weeks, 1 month, three months & has been every 6 months for the last 2 years. The next appointment I have to make will be around my 5 year anniversary in May. Don’t know how long this will continue but it’s reassuring that they’re keeping an eye on me & are there if I need them. I actually look for ward to the appointment as I get on well with the doctor who does these appointments & we always have a good chat as well as the follow up.