KathyM

Humpty your doctor is mean! lol When you feel like it, do it - it doesn't have to be a marathon haha, just fool around and see where it goes.

Oh, and this is completely random, but take along a little travel clock. There wasn't a clock in the room I stayed in at the clinic and it drove me crazy during the night not to know what time it was! hahaha

Silverlining- Welcome! I am so proud of you for taking this step to a better life! You are not only doing this for yourself, you are doing it for everyone you love including those two precious little ones! You have taken your time learing everything you can about the surgery and it is so great that you have taken the time to educate your parents as well so that they can feel a little less scared about it. I can completely relate to the self imposed social isolation that overweight people put on themselves, I did it...many of us on here did it. I don't know where you are with your relationship with your husband, but I am sure that he is afraid of several things, he is afraid of you having surgery and something happening to you, he is afraid of things not working again like so many times you have tried before and not succeeded and probably he is also a little afraid of you being successful. Change is hard for people and he may be afraid that if you change, you will not want to be married to him anymore or want someone different. That seems to be a common feeling for spouses of people on this forum. You say that he is on a longterm assignment away from home and in a way that might be good so you can spend some time just focusing on yourself and relearning some new behaviors with regards to your new lifestyle and new relationship with food. Don't keep him in the dark about things, but there really isn't anything you can do that will force him to be comfortable talking about it. Let him see that the changes in you that will be coming up are good and eventually he will come around. In the meantime, surround yourself with people who are positive and supportive (this is a great place for that!) and take care of you! This time next year you will be a whole different person and you are so lucky that your kids are young, you haven't missed out on doing things with them - you will be able to do so much with them!! Good luck in your journey and keep your eye on the prize, it will all be worth it! The sleeve is the best gift you could ever give yourself. Kathy

You look so awesome!!! I had been wondering how you had been doing. Isn't shopping the bomb? At first it is so intimidating when you realize you can shop in just about any store......and then....it's crazy fun!!!

How awesome is that!!!!! Congratulations!!!

Why are you sleeping girl? Get up and move! If you want to start to feel more normal, you need to start getting back to a normal routine. Your bowels are pretty empty, I wouldn't worry too much about no BM just yet. For me, anything that was really sweet would usually help with that. Being active will also help, general anesthesia slows the gut down and you haven't really had any food yet. Try maybe only taking a short nap in the afternoon if you have to but then being up, doing low key things around the house the rest of the day. Good luck!

I think you will do just fine. Your biggest hurdle will be creatively planning ahead for what you are going to eat while there. Have fun!!

Don't sweat it too much, one goofup won't keep you from your surgery. Just get back on track with the preop diet and keep going. If it is that hard for you to resist, you may find that you just have to stay away from situations where there will be that awesome food while you are on the preop. I know it's hard, but it will all be worth it.

I am taking my friend down there on the 29th, but we will be leaving the 1st . I went by myself and you are right, it is scary but they will take good care of you and you will meet other people while you are there who will feel the same way you did. I am still good friends with a couple of the girls I met when I was there a year ago. If you have any questions, message me and I will be happy to answer whatever I can. You will do great!!!! Kathy

Now THAT is what it is all about, isn't it!!!!! You look great and sooo happy!

It is worth mentioning to your doctor, but if you are just 3 days post op I wouldn't get too worried yet. There is some bleeding in your stomach during the procedure and it may just be old blood passing through the GI tract. Signs that would make you worry right away would be increase or changes in bleeding, dizziness or lightheadedness especially with position changes, shortness of breath, significant increase in pain, fever or as anonynurse mentioned, vomiting blood or coffee ground emesis.

Congratulations! Isn't the sleeve the best thing ever?? One of the first things that I noticed when the weight started coming off was how much better I slept and how rested I felt when I woke up! Everyday is gonna be like Christmas for a while, you will discover all kinds of things that are better or new! All of them will be awesome!

Isn't it crazy how you notice all those food commercials post-op and you just want to eat all of it? I can remember that as well. When you are to the point where you are eating soft foods, go ahead and try eating the topping from a piece of cheese pizza - a little cheese, a little sauce - a lot of flavor. You will probably be happy with just that much for now and you will get to feed your craving. I think I was 3 or 4 months out before I actually tried eating a whole piece and I made sure it was thin crust. The first time I didn't do too well with it, later I was fine. I only eat one piece when I do and it is always thin crust. I haven't even considered trying a thick crust. Kathy

Lindalee- I am one year out from my sleeve and about 25lbs from my goal weight. I can and do eat whatever I want and you will be able to do that too! You will just find that you don't actually want as much as you used to. I go to parties, I snack, I drink alcohol - all of the things that I was doing before.......just a fraction of the portions now. I did have some times in the early postop stages where I missed totally pigging out and stuffing myself on pizza or bread, but now my relationship with food is so different that I don't miss it. It's kind of hard to explain, but you really do shift from living to eat and start eating to live. I haven't regretted my sleeve for even one moment. It is the very best gift I could have ever given myself. I hope you will find that it is the same for you! Kathy

I went to Mexico alone, flew home and drove myself home from the airport. I didn't have anyone with me but I did just fine, in fact I kind of liked the alone time a little - I don't do good with people hovering over me. Kathy

I had my surgery on a Thursday and flew home on the Sunday after. I had very little postop pain was just tired when I got home. I checked my bag so I wouldn't have to worry about lifting it into the overhead and it seems like now EVERYONE is trying to cram their bags in the overhead so they don't have to pay to check them so it can be crowded if your flight is full. Also, take along some $5's and get one of those little guys in the airport that drive people around in the golf carts. Tell him that you just had surgery and need a ride to your gate or to the baggage area then tip him. It made getting through the airports soooo much easier.

I am from Newton, 30 min from Wichita

Usually a nurse, sometimes the doctor. The tube that will come out of your tummy is usually held in place with a stitch, they will clip the stitch and then just pull it out. It will freak you out, because it is pretty long but it doesn't hurt much coming out if it does at all. It is more of a weird feeling.

I agree with Rootman, you are off to a good start. Kudos to you for getting in your liquids, that is really hard to do. I usually eat a scrambled egg or a one-egg omelot with cilantro, a sprinkle of veggies or cheese in it for breakfast. I haven't been a big fan of any of the Protein drinks. I eat whatever I want, but always make sure that I start the meal with protein and then eat whatever else after that so if I get full, at least it I got the protein in. I also agree with Rootman about the carbs, I don't count them at all, I pay more attention to the calories for the day. I average anywhere from 800 on a low day to 1200 on a big eating day. I love, love, love MyFitnessPal.com too! They have an app you can put on your phone and it is so great. My phone can actually scan the bar-codes of things and will find the exact food that way. You will do fine, it takes a bit, but you will find the things that you like to eat and pretty soon you won't worry so much about it. You said that you were worried because you can't eat very much at a time. That is still the old you thinking that way, where we were so hungry if we didn't just plow through and inhale everything. Eat slow, and listen to your tummy. When it feels full, stop. You can eat more later if you want, don't try to finish things just because that is what we are programmed to do. Kathy

Oh - and how long will you have the drain? It kind of depends on your surgeon's preference and how much drainage you are having. I had mine in for about 48hrs after surgery but I have seen on here where some people had them for about a week.

Pretty much as everyone has said above. The most commonly used is the JP or Jackson Pratt drain. Below is a picture of it. When they do the surgery, they will irrigate everything inside the abdomen, most of that Fluid is suctioned back out, but some of it will remain and needs to drain. Also your body will produce some fluids as part of the inflammatory and healing process. The flat part of the drain has holes in it, the fluid that has accumulated in the abdomen will enter through these holes, go down the tube and into the little egg shaped bulb. This bulb is squeezed when it is emptied, and will expand as it fills with fluid until it needs to be emptied again. The part of the drain that you will see outside of your body will be a couple of inches of the little round tubing and the egg shaped bulb. It might look scary, but don't be too intimidated by it. You won't really notice that it is there, and when it is removed it doesn't really hurt, it just feels weird. It's good to ask questions, everything is a lot less scary if you understand what is going on. Kathy

Completely normal. You received fluids when you had your surgery and what you are experiencing is not unusual at all. Hang in there, don't focus on the scale at this point (I know it's hard!). Focus on getting good rest, taking care of yourself and learning to drink, drink, drink. The weight WILL come off of you...guaranteed! Kathy

Get used to it, lol you will have it for a few weeks until you are eating food again. Almost everyone does. I can remember by the time I got to actual foods with texture to help clean off my tongue and teeth my tongue felt like it was wearing an angora sweater most of the time. Brushing your teeth often and chewing gum can help some, but it will get better. There is some controversy about gum because it freaks people out if they swallow it and they worry about it getting stuck in their new tiny tummy. The answer to that is...don't swallow it. Kathy

Breakfast: Scrambled egg with Salsa Lunch: Won ton tacos (2) from Applebees, coke Supper: Egg salad, Arizona Iced Tea

Hey girl - don't be too hard on yourself. When I first started, the same thing happened to me. I would get on here and see how people were flying through sizes and weights. I was losing pounds steadily, but not so much in size. I had my surgery and I know that I didn't really buy any new clothes until after Thanksgiving. It turns out I was actually swimming in my old clothes but I was afraid to buy new ones - figured they wouldn't fit and I would just be disappointed. It will happen for you too - you WONT fail this time!!! I promise!! It does seem all consuming at first, you have to reprogram every aspect of your life, but it will get better!! I don't think that you will ever get to the point where a day goes by that you don't think about your sleeve or what you are eating, but that isn't really a bad thing. It won't consume you - it will just become a part of your everyday life. I am a year out and I eat whatever I want whenever I want. You will not regret this, just give yourself some time. I think one of the biggest surprises that I had early on after surgery was how MUCH of my life had been consumed with food! When that is taken away from you, it is a big adjustment. But you can do it!! Hang in there - and definately use this forum for support! We have all been there in some form or another and everyone here wants to support everyone else. Some days you have questions, and some days you just have to vent! Kathy