ChunkCat

I think some get around this by having their insurance approve the staged treatment plan ahead of time, that way it isn't considered a revision, it is considered the second step in a primary surgery. This happens most often when a person's weight is high enough the surgeon believes the intestinal part of the surgery will be easier and safer at a lower weight. I've seen a number of people do this on the DS groups so it is possible, but my guess is not every insurance company lets their patients know it is possible and I'm sure there are some that outright refuse to because insurance companies like to be difficult. I wish you much luck with your surgery!!

Dates are getting close guys, I'm so excited for you!! I'm almost 2 weeks post surgery, mine was on Nov. 1st. I'm still on liquids and still getting the weird tummy spasms but I can now get some protein drinks in so that's progress!! Still hitting my fluid goals daily. I cannot stress this enough, try everything you can to hit your fluid goals post surgery and remember ALL fluid counts towards it, even protein shakes, broths, soups, etc... Being hydrated really helps things. Vary your fluids, use flavoring powders and decaf tea and decaf coffee, it helps you feel like you aren't just chugging along on one thing. I'm less sore this week abdominally so that's nice, less episodes of nausea so that's good too. Yesterday I was able to lay on my side for a bit with a pillow supporting my tummy. It felt sooo good, I'm so tired of laying on my back! I will tell you though one thing that has helped a lot is that our bed is on a platform that elevates the feet or head, so we've had the head elevated since my surgery. Sleeping on an incline has helped a lot with the pain and I seem to rest better with my head raised some. You can mimic this with pillows! Oh, and while you are in the hospital, if they don't do it automatically, ask for a script for a proton pump inhibitor. It will help with the over acidity that new tummies seem to deal with and you won't get reflux when you lay down at night. You can wean off after a few months once everything settles down, but I've noticed consistently that those who don't get prescribed these after surgery tend to have more indigestion and reflux post surgery as they are recovering, so something to think about.

I feel pretty awful now if I guzzle water so be careful with that, it hits our tummies hard to take in that much fluid in one go. I know it sounds weird because I'm not a bypass patient but I get dumping symptoms (nausea, pressure, dizziness, fatigue) if I take in too much water too quickly and it leads to wicked diarrhea if I'm not careful. Remember to slow down... If you are drinking too fast it is possible you are eating too fast too. This could cause all the issues you are describing. I've found that what I thought was slow was not slow enough. Take your slow and double the time and try that!

Congrats, it sounds like you are doing fantastic and really enjoying the change in your mobility and activity level!! That's awesome! May it continue to get even better yet!!

Are you meeting your protein goals at 400 calories a day?? Some programs will give you calorie goals, but others tend to focus on macros. Which does your doctor/dietician use? I know at 400 calories I'd be waaay below my protein goals, and those protein goals are very important to maintain your muscle mass as you lose weight. By 3 months out you should be able to hit them most days, or at least get close.

Mine was within a month, but we had to move it up ASAP from 3 months out because I need another surgery in December for my shoulder. You can absolutely give your surgeon your preferred dates! They may not be able to schedule you on the exact one you request, but if you give them a window they should be able to work with you!!

You need some electrolyte powders to mix in your water. Look for one with a good amount of potassium and magnesium. It stops the "keto flu" symptoms like fatigue and headaches! A lot of people underestimate them. I did 3 weeks of a pre-op diet with no headaches or muscle cramps after the first day because I started taking those handy little powders! They help post-op too.

Talk to your doctor about a medication for this. It will help a lot while you are healing and your new tummy is adjusting to things. You can try weaning off of it later once everything has settled. Also, sleeping on a wedge pillow can help as it elevates your head and help slow the reflux. Congrats on your surgery!!!

If I'm calculating right, you are about 6 months out. You lost all that weight in 6 months?! Take some time to be fiercely proud of yourself and your body! At 6 months out you are probably not done losing, but you are in the realm of stalls for sure. Are you keeping track of your body measurements? Sometimes when the scale doesn't move the inches do. Your body has a lot of reorganizing to do as you drop weight, sometimes it needs a time out to make sure everything is going to continue working! Losing weight this fast is actually pretty hard on the body. I wouldn't stress it by changing up a bunch of things trying to force the scale to move, it'll just take your body that much longer to recalibrate. Honestly, this is probably just a stall and will take TIME. The body will not let go before it is ready to, no matter how much you punish it... Surgery is rough and I swear the majority of the struggle is with our head game. If your mind isn't right with these things, you will experience it all as a suffering and be angry at your body for not cooperating. I think most of us have spent chunks of our lives hating our bodies. This surgery and weight loss is an opportunity to heal that, but only if you take it. Let go of the diet mentality. Show yourself some kindness. Celebrate how far you have come in such a short period of time. And trust things will move when they are ready to move. I'm talking to myself as much as I'm talking to you, I have to remind myself of this EVERY DAY. ❤️

My bed is on one of those platforms where you can raise the head or the feet---the head has been raised since I had surgery. It has helped me sleep much more comfortably on my back after surgery (I'm a week and a half post op). A pillow wedge would simulate that just fine without the added expense, I used one for years, which is why when we replaced our bed we got the adjustable platform. I'm going to say a 5. I have a recliner and it has helped some, but pillow behind me on the couch is just as good. I wouldn't think it is necessary for this surgery unless you start to have reflux issues, in which case you should talk to your doctor about meds and get a wedge pillow, they *really* help with reflux.

Oh, if you want to do something fruity you could have a baked fruit pudding if you are fine with some sugar and want a dessert treat. Mmmmm....

I think colcannon would be good with maybe baby spinach or a more tender cabbage! My first thought when I read your post is a shepherd's pie. The ground meat and tender veggies would be perfect for soft foods, it's on my list to make as soon as I hit that stage because I think it'll be perfect in little ramekins! Or a Guinness stew! ETA: My partner who is from New Zealand and has eaten a fair amount of that sort of food says black pudding if you want to be really authentic! LOL

I've been getting whatever flavor soup I want and just putting it through a fine sieve. My favorite right now is vegetable beef! It makes for a lot more variety. Also some bone broths are pretty good. Kettle & Fire is pricey but I like their Thai flavors.

I don't have any since I don't have a uterus. LOL But I have seen some comment here about it, you may want to use the search function and see if you can pull up past posts about infertility. I've also seen a number of bariatric pregnancy groups on Facebook so you might want to check that out too! They will probably have much more targeted information for you! I wish you a lot of luck!!

You'll have to call your surgeon's office and ask. Every surgeon is different. Some require fasting the day before, others do clear liquids only, some require you take Miralax the night before, some don't. Mine required a 3 week pre-op diet for me, the last week of which was liquids. And nothing but water after midnight the night before except the pre-op drink, though I stopped drinking shakes at 5 pm since my surgery was scheduled for 7:30 am the next morning and I wanted to be extra safe. I had to stop all fluids one hour before arriving at the hospital, even water. They should go over all this for you at your pre-op appointment!

That's awesome Charlie, great job! It feels so good to get rid of that BP medication, doesn't it??

Thanks @summerseeker! I'm fairly sure it is from my stomach being so new. I had this issue with my bladder after a hysterectomy, it was spastic for a while like it forgot how to work from all the nerves cut in the area and its position being moved. That's how my stomach feels right now. Thankfully I'm on Dexilant which is a very good PPI and ensures I have no acid issues. I metabolize omeprazole too quickly for it to work, which I thankfully found out BEFORE surgery! Anything thickened like a cream soup or yogurt with milk provokes the spasms really bad, so I think that will have to wait until I'm at the pureed stage, maybe by then the spasms will have stopped! I did try different temps because I was drinking everything room temp from the hospital. Turns out my stomach prefers either really icy drinks or hot ones, no in between. LOL I remember you saying you had prolonged nausea issues from the surgery. Did it come with spasms like this or was it just nausea and acidity?

Listen to your doctor and give your body time to heal. Just because you can't feel everything that has been done inside doesn't mean it is healed yet. I've found this out the hard way with other abdominal surgeries. Their time limits on activity and sex are there for a reason, they are to keep you safe and keep you from accidentally rupturing your sutures or causing a hernia right after surgery. I know it is hard to wait when you feel good, but you only get one chance to heal from this surgery!! Make it a good healing!! ETA: I'm one week post op and sitting with my feet up instead of putting the groceries away! All that bending and lifting is not for me right now. I could do it if I wanted to but I'd rather give my body every opportunity to rest and heal right now, so I'm staying put. LOL

I'm still on liquids so can't have much, but have you tried bone broths? Or strained soups? I just get the Campbell's soups, make them, then strain them through a sieve to get all the solids out. It helps counteract the sweet stuff a LOT and there are a variety of flavors to choose from! You could even add an unflavored protein to it if you want!

This is incredible! You have done so well, what a transformation! Thanks for posting this, it is really inspiring!!

Getting excited for those of you pre-op approaching your dates!! For those in the pre-op diet, it seems so slow but you WILL get through it! Keep going!! For those post surgery, how are things feeling now?? I'm officially one week post op today! I continue to have the weird stomach cramping when I try to drink anything other than water. I'm hitting my fluid goals every day but of course not my protein since my stomach won't have it! I'm still pretty sore and napping in the afternoon. My incisions have decided they hate the surgical glue and today flared into a red rash so I sent a message to the surgeon, hopefully they can suggest something. I weighed myself today (I weigh only once a week) and according to my scale I am down 10 lbs from surgery day!! I freaked out, shrieked, weighed myself again, then went and tried the other scale which thinks I'm 7 lbs down. Either way I'm officially below 300!! I haven't been that way in years. I'm so, so excited. I was really worried this wasn't going to work for me because I only lost 6 lbs on the pre-op diet. I feel a little better now. LOL

I'm one week post op and have been having the oddest stomach spasms when I try to consume anything other than water (and it happens with water sometimes too). It feels like my stomach bunches up into a fist and tries to somersault within my belly. It provokes a wave of sharp pain and nausea and is very unpleasant. I mentioned this to the doc when I was in the hospital and he gave me a med that worked some for the smaller ones, but it has stopped working (he warned it might). I can usually drink water but anything heavier like a protein drink, a strained soup, a protein broth, or even jello provokes this odd cramping sensation. Sometimes it even happens when I'm not eating or drinking at all (in the middle of the night). Has anyone else had this happen early post op? I'm still on liquids and my surgeon said it is okay for me to focus on hydration right now instead of protein so I've been hitting my hydration goals everyday, but getting very little protein beyond what is in lactose free milk. I'm starting to wonder if my stomach will ever let me progress my diet beyond water. LOL

Oh I'm so glad! Congratulations on your surgery! I just got the DS done a week ago. So far, so good!

I would think a scoop of powder is enough, add it to your portion not the whole pot, and make sure the temp is below 140 or the protein will clump. I don't add protein to mine right now because my stomach is still struggling with protein feeling too heavy. I just add a can of lactose free low carb milk to mine, strain it, and then thin it out a little more and sip it like that. Once I can stand the protein feeling I'll probably add it, but right now I'm focusing on getting my fluid goal daily. So you CAN eat it without the protein, but most add the protein to try and meet their protein goals while still on liquids.

Sure! It's this one, though I have to figure out how to adapt it to the stovetop. https://ketosisguide.us/keto-crockpot-chicken-and-dumplings-2-1004rk/ I also found this one which looks good too! https://www.thewickednoodle.com/keto-chicken-and-dumplings/