pnw218

My experiences are below however I did not have a revision. Could be lots differrent. 1. I know everybody is different, but how long did you stay in the hospital? I'm having surgery early Monday morning and I'm hoping I will be able to go home Monday night (my doctor says it's a possibility). I went home the same day when I had the band put in. I was in the surgery clinic overnight and in the recovery house for 2 days. Kinda different when you travel instead of staying home for surgery. To me, it was an easier surgery than my tummy tuck and was home by noon the same day. 2. How long were you on liquids after surgery? I think I'm on clears for a week. I didn't like clears. LOL I followed the sleeve diet guidelines from Cornell University. Worked good for me. 3. The week of my surgery is my spring break (I'm a middle school teacher). I will have that week to recover plus I'm taking another week off (2 weeks total). I'm constantly on my feet and moving when I'm at work...although I don't do any physical labor. Do you think 2 weeks is enough recovery time? I had surgery on Thursday, flew home on Sunday, worked 4-6 hours per day, every day the next week. I am mostly at a desk but am up and around a decent amount. I think teaching is harder, especially depending on the age group : ) 4. I've read that some people have clear Protein on after surgery when they're on the clear diet...I've bought the clear powder before (flavorless). Do you just add it to Crystal Light or something? 5. Is there anything you wish you would have brought to the hospital that you didn't? I remember after my band I was happy I brought Chap Stick...just wondering if there is any other little comforts I should think of. I was very happy to have my heating pad and gasx! My body temperature was hot and cold constantly, so the heating pad came in handy. The gasx was nice for the gas and also a 'treat' before you could have ice chips or anything else. I didn't read very much or use my laptop. I did send a few emails from my cell phone tho. Good luck with your surgery! It is coming up quickly!!

Depends on who you talk to : ) The clear liquid thing didn't work for me. A nurse I spoke to said that her dr advised moving to mushie and soft foods quicker was ok if you were able to tolerate it. She was doing similar foods at the same time period and had actually moved to Pasta and other foods faster than me. She was mushing and chewing well tho. The first couple of times I had chicken tho, it sat like a rock in my stomach : ) Now I can eat it just fine. It was sometime mid to late that first week when I added the shakes. To me, it wasn't that different from yogurt and I was eating that on day 3. I did have to take very small sips and go very slowly. You will have to see what you tolerate. You may be fine with adding powder to soup broth or something like that. It just didn't work for me.

Stacey, The first few days were ok, but by day 4 and 5, I really needed something more substantial to feel better. I use Atkins Lo Carb shakes (Walmart, etc), Nutrilite Meal Replacement Shakes (Amway/Quixtar) and Premier chocolate Protein Shakes (Costco) usually first thing in the morning. It takes me about 2 hours to get one down - they are 11 oz. I also moved quickly to mashed potatoes, yogurt and potato Soup. Protein has been the most important thing for me to feel better. I also do milk a couple of times per day. Good comfort food for me. I think I already gave you the sleeve diet guidelines from Cornell University. They worked good for me.

I certainly don't know what the difference is. I thought about every next meal all the time and grazed in between meals. I am probably quite fortunate that I didn't weigh more than I did at surgery time. I ate to Celebrate and ate when I was depressed. I am always busy and active, but not in an "exercising" kind of way. I still miss food mentally. Had a party at my house Saturday night - kept walking by the food bar and reaching for something, and then would realize I couldn't have it. It didn't ruin my night but drove me nuts. Not sure how long before the auto pilot to eat stops. Overall, I am doing well and like you said, really doesn't matter what type of issue it was, I needed the surgery for a variety of reasons.

CONGRATS!! So glad you finally got some good news! It seems so frustrating that businesses can hold us as hostages sometimes, especially when it has to do with our health. Celebrate and know that you are on your way!

I used to be a call receiver for 911. Many people would probably be shocked by how many guys "die in the saddle" first thing in the morning. Especially if there are any other contributing factors beyond just age and prior heart conditions. All guys should be more careful in the am. Take a walk around the house or something first to get the blood moving before they overwork that heart : )

If you don't find anyone else who will be there that day with a companion who would do it ... and I can still get the SW airfare for about $225 - I would be open to doing it. Let me know : )

What day is your surgery? And I do have a digital camcorder : ) I would love to eat some of that food they were cooking at the recovery house, and it would be interesting to watch the surgery too. lol

Maybe you can rent one? Or buy one and then return it? Sorry, it just didn't work out? : ) Get one that uses a little card rather than a disc - easier transfer the data - or at least for me it was. Confirming you meant Betancourt above? Who is your coordinator? I am pretty sure mine said that she had stood in on a surgery once - or maybe Tony could do it. He was always asking us what we needed or wanted. LOL

Seems to vary by patient and by surgeon. I had a lower starting BMI and did not have to do a pre-op diet at all. In fact, my pre-op diet consisted of eating as much as I could of all of my favorites during the final week. LOL There were others there who did do pre-op diets tho. It is scary upfront - but you will be happy later!

The meds issue is a pain : ) I didn't like the idea of crushing any of my meds or even breaking them in half. I was swallowing them whole around day 3 or 4. I did take a couple of back meds for pain and a muscle relaxer on about day 6 or 7. I was very sick to my stomach that entire day. I probably didn't take any more for almost two weeks. Now I can take them without any problems, altho I do still usually space meds and vitamins out, just to be careful :001_unsure:. Hope you are doing well !!

Hi slebme, Here is a link to the Cornell University sleeve diet guidelines. It should give you some ideas of food, liquids and supplements. Your surgeon may have a different plan but this will get you started for now :confused1: http://www.cornellweightlosssurgery.org/pdf/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf Happy Planning! It is an amazing journey!

Hey Fab, A bikini? Are you gonna get a belly ring too? I want one but wondering if I am old? LOL Maybe we can both do it ?? : ) Wonder if they set off the metal detector at the airport????

My oldest daughter was not happy at all when I told her that I had surgery in Mexico. She is 5'9" and slender. Clueless about the struggles of being overweight. Because my youngest daughter still lives at home, I did tell her ahead of time. She is 15. Her only concern was if I would be skinnier than her. LOL Ok, even if I weighed the exact same as her, she is almost 5'10" and I am 5'4". I told her that 130 pounds would always look better on her! I am glad that I was able to do my surgery quickly - within 3 weeks of deciding on it, cause I would have driven my husband crazy talking non-stop about finally losing weight. And there was no dieting for me ahead of time. Had it been ordered, I would have, but not happily. I was eating anything I wanted for Breakfast, lunch and dinner. If only I would have eaten at Wendy's just one more time . . . .

You could probably search high and low on the internet and find all kinds of stats; who knows how correct they are. And sometimes you will find that a research project about the effectiveness of something, was actually done by or paid for by the creator or parent company. I agree with you about the accomodations. But then I have paid to stay in a mud hut with no running Water, very little electricity, no showers and bathrooms that were merely holes in the ground. They were very clean holes in the ground tho! LOL I really haven't heard of many people having complications. There is that saying that bad news travels faster and wider than good news. It seems reasonable to me that if there was a high complication rate, it would be plastered all over. I also have doubts about infections - or rather the cause. I have read on other sites that someone knew of several or many people who ended up with incision infections. I would like more info - did they have the infection prior to leaving the clinic or hospital, did they take poor care of themselves when they got home, or were they just more susceptible to infection for one reason or another. Of course, those stats are never available or provided by those posting. To me, it seemed that overall this was a successful surgery with few if any complications for most people.

LOL That is a really dangerous question around here. I will send you a private message. It is safer than responding here.

Tiffany, your dad can spend his money any way he wants. I am sure he will do something special for your sisters some day - if they get over the jealous bitch thing : ) Like you don't have enough on your mind regarding just the surgery and recovery. I don't remember when your surgery is - or if you have it scheduled yet, but maybe you can find somewhere to hide out for awhile so you can avoid any unwanted phone calls.

Seriously?? You went commando?? LOL and I thought going bra-less was daring!

I don't know what you started at weight wise but there really isn't a "normal" - there are so many variables. I wouldn't panic yet tho : ) Give it a chance to work. I wasn't expecting to lose much possibly because of the Water weight from IV, like FreetobeMe, so was surprised that I was down when I got home. And yes, I loved the smells of the Mexican food they were cooking for the guests of the patients - and that was just the day after surgery! LOL The mental is hard for me; I am hoping it gets easier. As the pounds fall off tho, it is all worth it. I think on day 2 post-op, I had a few spoonfuls of Soup broth. It was so good!!! : ) Hang in there!

Kathy! I just now realized you are in Spain! Are you a native of Spain or at one of the bases?? I have been to Cartagena once and Barcelona twice. Love Barcelona!! So have been on either side of you : ) How similar to Barcelona is Valencia? I see they have a cruise port there ~ will have to put it on my list!

What they said and then screen your calls : ) He's not the boss of you and while his concern is nice, it's your life, not his.

wow! sounds like you are off to a great start! I had little to no luck keeping weight off! Hopefully a surgery date will come quickly for you!

I never had any pain in the abdominal area. My lungs/chest were sore from being tubed and inflated during surgery for the first 2 days post-op. Ice packs were helpful. I didn't take any pain meds after day three. I do have a higher pain tolerance tho apparently than others; I have never taken pain meds longer than a few days following any surgery, unless I needed something to sleep at night. Think positive. Pain is temporary : ) Good Luck!! You will be so happy when the scale starts going down!

This guideline has suggestions for supplements immediately after surgery and beyond: http://www.cornellweightlosssurgery.org/pdf/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf It is from Cornell University.

LOL Post of the day!!!! Sabrina, I did have surgery in Mexico. Maybe it depends on what type of surgery you are having, how long you will be sedated and what your movement limits will be afterwards. Hopefully a nurse will answer you more. Seems they always want you to get up and walk right away, and if you have to get up to use the bathroom, that is a start! lol I wore my underwear during my tummy tuck and lift surgery; in fact I didn't even take my pants off.