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Three c sections and a lap chole here. VSG by far the easiest recovery.

My nutritional plan has "moderate" carbs, but I am nevertheless in deep maroon keto at three weeks post-op. I was curious, so I bought some keto sticks (cheap ones, $8 at Walmart). I think the low calories we consume, even if they include carbs, just aren't enough to cover what we burn daily. So the body starts using fat for fuel. If I can help this process along by eating less carbs, that's what I plan to do!

With stage three are you counting clear protein drinks as fluids, for fluid intake? I was told protein supliments don't count as fluid anymore and I am finding that getting my fluids in is super hard without my isopure made with water and the clear drinks. Scared but excited.

Okay, Hotwing&aprayer and Arabesque got my attention and I have been thinking about whether I carry myself differently at different weights. I don’t think I really do. Anyways, this Is what came to mind. Has anyone ever seen the fat suit experiment that Tyra banks did years ago? I am not able to find it anywhere in video form but I just read a review of it to refresh my memory. They sent her out to the store, on the bus and on three blind dates in her suit. People as you probably expect were horrible to her. In An article speaking about it Tyra said "It was one of the most heartbreaking days of my life." Noting that people "snickered" and "laughed" when she walked down the street, Banks admitted, "I had no idea it was that blatant." I know it’s not a perfect design but it’s about the closest we’re probably ever going to get to seeing how differently people treat us based on weight alone. After watching something like that I was convinced that the problem does lie with society and with certain people to a large degree and not in large part with the obese person or how they carry themselves. I’m sure that we do carry ourselves at least a little differently when heavy vs thin but I doubt that putting on a suit could change someones Confidence overnight yet everything seemed to change in the way People approached Tyra the second she put on that suit. Thoughts?

I’m guessing this is because if you are not cleared and you end up having the surgery at a later date you may have to get a new set of labs closer to your surgery date. From my experience labs come back pretty quick (like two or three days my last ones took) so it’s just a matter of how far they are out appointment wise. Do you already have a surgery date to get this all done by? If not you probably will have plenty of time to do your labs waiting on your date. If your really worried I guess you could go ahead and schedule an appointment for it a day or two after your other appointments assuming you will get cleared and get the orders right away. You can always reschedule if you don’t.

It could just be up because of your weight loss & the stress of weight loss on your liver but it’s probably best to monitor it for a while. There are tests to ensure it’s not related to cirrhosis, fatty liver, gallstones, hepatitis, bile duct blockages. Will be interesting to see what your doctor says. My bilirubin levels were high & still are three plus years on. My surgeon asked if there was Gilbert’s in my family as a sign of that is high bilirubin levels. I discovered I did have an aunt with Gilbert’s & I also had a lot of the symptoms of Gilbert’s too (explained a lot actually) so my surgeon believes I likely have it too.

Hi, I wanted to make a suggestion for those looking for a good way to exercise post-surgery. For those thinking of starting a jogging regimen but hate the thought of actually running, I strongly recommend a program called c25k, which is short for Couch to 5K. The idea is that by following this program, you go from sitting on your couch doing nothing to running a full 5K (3.1 miles) in 9 weeks. I've always hated running but doing something like a 5K was always on my bucket list, so I decided to give it a try. I've tried the c25k program in the past (years ago) with some decent results, but never stuck with it. So now that I've lost some decent weight post-surgery I wanted to try to kickstart my metabolism again and get some good exercise so I decided to try the program again. And it was a success! I followed the program, ran three times a week using my c25k app, and made it to the end. After I finished I ran three 5Ks a week for a few weeks until I ran in an organized 5K event where I placed 18th out of 63, and 2nd place for my gender/age group! Now, for someone who always hated running, I can't believe I'm doing this, but a few weeks ago I started the b210k program (Bridge to 10K), which is a six week program that gets you from running a 5K to running a 10K (6.2 miles). Today was day 1 of week 3, and I ran 3 intervals of 1.8 miles each with .1 mile walking in between, for a total running of 5.4 miles. If you've ever thought of trying to start jogging but didn't have a plan or thought it was impossible, give this a shot, you won't regret it. It starts off really easy and gradually builds up. There are a ton of free and paid apps you can use. I personally use Rundouble which has a free version, and you can pay to unlock additional programs. I've also heard very good things about an app called Nike Running Club, which is also free. I've also tried Zombies Run 5K which is pretty neat. Best of luck to whoever gives this a shot, hope you'll post your progress here! Bonus pictures of me and my daughter after the 5K (she ran the kids fun run and took 2nd place):

I got gastric bypass on September 19 2022. So it is fresh in my head. I call it my fat brain. My worst of my bad eating habits is eating late at night and lots of it. For me the second week was when I started to really look at other people and how and what they are. I kept thinking about not how I miss the food and snacks but more on the line of the poison people are stuffing into themselves. I started to really hate all the garbage food i see everywhere. Tv ads , social media, the supermarket and shopping of garbage food people buy. I kept seeing overweight and more and more people struggling. There are so many that are in worse shape than myself and most do not see or have given up. I am proud and happy you are making a change for yourself and family. It isn't going to be an easy road and it will be a long journey. I have been fat for 30 years and my health issues started 15 years ago. But I ignored them and kept trying to find an easy fix. Diet this and diet that. These magic pills or drink this magic shake. As I start seeing the real progress I'm making I find it easier to continue. I have to . Not continuing will only lead me to being in pain, being diabetic, struggling to get up out of bed with out feeling like a truck ran me over, sleep apnea, the list never seems to end. This group of people here are real and also struggle with you. But we are here for eachother. Don't give up. You are stronger than you give yourself credit. If you fall off the wagon. Get you fat ass back on! I'm like most on here struggle yet must keep going on. I send you love and positive vibes for you. You will be and see results in time. I started at 265.5 per surgery. Was 250 at surgery. Dropped to 243 and stalled for almost three weeks and today I'm at 236 five week after surgery. Still feel week and get tired quickly but gaining energy and strength a bit more every day. Keep your nutrition up and your proteins up, take Colligen and biotin, and walk as much as you can. It makes a big difference. . Best wishes and good health!!

So I've had three surgeries in three weeks (mini gastric bypass, plus two emergency surgeries for bowel obstructions due to internal adhesions from the gastric bypass...). I'm a stomach sleeper and planned to sleep in a recliner if necessary, but after the first surgery, I was fine propped up with extra pillows for a couple of days, and then within 4 days, I was sleeping on my stomach again. Healing from the last emergency surgery is taking much longer (I don't think I was meant to be cut open THREE TIMES), but I was still able to sleep in bed the first night home (3 days after surgery), as long as I was propped up. It wasn't so much pain, but more that the swelling from the surgery seemed to press more on my stomach when I wasn't flat on my back.

To add to @SpartanMaker’s list, spare knickers or disposable underwear - diarrhoea is a real possibility & attacks can be extremely sudden. your own pjs, soap/shower gel. I found putting on my own pjs & using my own shower gel much nicer & sort of soothing than wearing the hospital gown & using their awful anti bacterial soap stuff all your prescribed medication in unopened boxes/bottles. Actually I know three others who also have had surgery (different weight & ages) & none of us needed a cane, stomach binder or couldn’t sleep in our bed from day one so I don’t know about ‘most’ needing those sorts of support equipment. Think it’s very individual. Save your money unless you actually need them. All the best.

Thank you so much for the kindness. I ended up speaking waaaaayyy too soon. The last 12+ hours have been miserable. I was discharged from the hospital last night and I’ve dry heaved/vomited three times. The first one I can explain away because I took my pain med on a practically empty stomach without protein (which I didn’t know I shouldn’t do until after the fact), but the other two there’s no rhyme or reason to them. I’m not even taking any medications because I keep getting nauseous / dry heaving — except for the nausea patch behind my ear (which clearly isn’t doing anything for me), Zofran, and the Prilosec. I know for a fact I’m not drinking near enough between my fear of vomiting and then the fact I am (TMI) spitting up bile and some of my liquid the last two dry heaves. Worried I’m gonna end up back in the hospital at this rate. Also sucks that I’m heaving because I can’t take any pain meds to ease my pain — though most of my pain is when I get up and down or bend more than anything

I tried all three (bed, recliner & propped up). I'm a stomach sleeper, so I knew going in to it that the recliner and propped up don't work all the well for me. Obviously stomach sleeping right after abdominal surgery is problematic as well. Day 1 -- I tried the recliner and it was comfortable enough, but I didn't sleep all that well Day 2 -- Moved to the bed, propped up. This didn't work for me either because I kept sliding off the pillows and eventually worming my way on to my stomach. Day 3-5 -- back to the recliner for a few days Day 6 -- With the surgery gas finally gone, I was okay sleeping on my stomach again and have done so since. I guess my thoughts are: if you don't have a recliner, it would be silly to buy one just for this. I have heard of people renting a medical recliner or even a medical bed from a medical supply house, but this seems like overkill to me. You could always check on the cost of this and decide if it's worth it to you. A bed wedge may work better than just pillows if you have that available? Your overall success here may depend on your preferred sleeping position.

Medical Groups Replace Outdated Consensus Statement that Overly Restricts Access to Modern-Day Weight-Loss Surgery NEWBERRY, FL – Oct. 21, 2022 – Two of the world’s leading authorities on bariatric and metabolic surgery have issued new evidence-based clinical guidelines that among a slew of recommendations expand patient eligibility for weight-loss surgery and endorse metabolic surgery for patients with type 2 diabetes beginning at a body mass index (BMI) of 30, a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight and one of several important screening criteria for surgery. The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines on Indications for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery – 2022, published online today in the journals, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD) and Obesity Surgery, are meant to replace a consensus statement developed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) more than 30 years ago that set standards most insurers and doctors still rely upon to make decisions about who should get weight-loss surgery, what kind they should get, and when they should get it. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) is the largest group of bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals in the United States and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) represents 72 national associations and societies throughout the world. "The 1991 NIH Consensus Statement on Bariatric Surgery served a valuable purpose for a time, but after more than three decades and hundreds of high-quality studies, including randomized clinical trials, it no longer reflects best practices and lacks relevance to today’s modern-day procedures and population of patients," said Teresa LaMasters, MD, President, ASMBS. “It’s time for a change in thinking and in practice for the sake of patients. It is long overdue.” In the 1991 consensus statement, bariatric surgery was confined to patients with a BMI of at least 40 or a BMI of 35 or more and at least one obesity-related condition such as hypertension or heart disease. There were no references to metabolic surgery for diabetes or references to the emerging laparoscopic techniques and procedures that would become mainstay and make weight-loss surgery as safe or safer than common operations including gallbladder surgery, appendectomy, and knee replacement. The statement also recommended against surgery in children and adolescents even with BMIs over 40 because it had not been sufficiently studied. New Patient Selection Standards — Times Have Changed The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines now recommend metabolic and bariatric surgery for individuals with a BMI of 35 or more “regardless of presence, absence, or severity of obesity-related conditions” and that it be considered for people with a BMI 30-34.9 and metabolic disease and in “appropriately selected children and adolescents.” But even without metabolic disease, the guidelines say weight-loss surgery should be considered starting at BMI 30 for people who do not achieve substantial or durable weight loss or obesity disease-related improvement using nonsurgical methods. It was also recommended that obesity definitions using standard BMI thresholds be adjusted by population and that Asian individuals consider weight-loss surgery beginning at BMI 27.5. Higher Levels of Safety and Effectiveness for Modern-Day Weight-Loss Surgery The new guidelines further state “metabolic and bariatric surgery is currently the most effective evidence-based treatment for obesity across all BMI classes” and that “studies with long-term follow up, published in the decades following the 1991 NIH Consensus Statement, have consistently demonstrated that metabolic and bariatric surgery produces superior weight loss outcomes compared with non-operative treatments.” It is also noted that multiple studies have shown significant improvement of metabolic disease and a decrease in overall mortality after surgery and that “older surgical operations have been replaced with safer and more effective operations.” Two laparoscopic procedures, sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), now account for about 90% of all operations performed worldwide. Roughly 1 to 2% of the world’s eligible patient population get weight-loss surgery in any given year. Experts say the overly restrictive consensus statement from 1991 has contributed to the limited use of such a proven safe and effective treatment. Globally, more than 650 million adults had obesity in 2016, which is about 13% of the world’s adult population. CDC reports over 42% of Americans have obesity, the highest rate ever in the U.S. “The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines provide an important reset when it comes to the treatment of obesity,” said Scott Shikora, MD, President, IFSO. “Insurers, policy makers, healthcare providers, and patients should pay close attention and work to remove the barriers and outdated thinking that prevent access to one of the safest, effective and most studied operations in medicine.” The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines are just the latest in a series of new recommendations from medical groups calling for expanded use of metabolic surgery. In 2016, 45 professional societies, including the American Diabetes Association (ADA), issued a joint statement that metabolic surgery should be considered for patients with type 2 diabetes and a BMI 30.0–34.9 if hyperglycemia is inadequately controlled despite optimal treatment with either oral or injectable medications. This recommendation is also included in the ADA’s “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes – 2022.” About IFSO The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) is a Federation composed of national associations of bariatric surgeons and Integrated Health professionals. Currently, there are 72 official member societies of IFSO, as well as individual members from countries that thus far have not formed a national association. IFSO is a scientific organization that brings together surgeons and integrated health professionals, such as nurse, practitioners, dieticians, nutritionists, psychologists, internists and anesthesiologists, involved in the treatment of patients with obesity. About ASMBS The ASMBS is the largest organization for bariatric surgeons in the United States. It is a non-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about bariatric surgery as an option for the treatment of severe obesity, as well as the associated risks and benefits. It encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery, while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for patients with severe obesity. For more information, visit www.asmbs.org.

Doctors are all over the map with their opinions on drinking post WLS, probably similar to their views on drinking to begin with if I had to guess. My team said it was okay at three months for a special occasion. I have to say it’s not the same as it was pre WLS. I may be one of the few willing to admit but when I drink I do it to get a buzz, lol. Post WLS the buzz comes and goes in like ten minutes for me. I can’t drink fast enough to maintain it and probably would kill myself trying. It’s almost not worth it to me. Waste of calories. That being said my real advice is if you do decide you want to do it try it at home first. Your body may react welrd and the last thing you want is to feel sick or get sloppy drunk on your birthday off one drink. And make sure there is a designated driver around. I still worry about how long it stays in our system and all that being different than before.

The truth of the matter is not everyone reaches the goal weight they have chosen. And not everyone maintains that weight if they do attain it. Remember the average weight loss at three years post surgery (bypass or sleeve) is about 65% of the weight you had to lose to put you in a healthy weight range. Genetics, your body’s set point, lifestyle choices & preferences, age, gender, health & medications, etc. & yes a little complacency. But there’s nothing wrong with any of this. Any weight loss is a win. You may find a conversation with your surgeon, doctor & dietician helpful.

doing low carb of 50 total carbs now for pre op diet and it’s hard!! (If i could minus fiber it wouldn’t be so bad) and it has caused some intermittent issues due to reduced fiber intake (consuming some supplements now that i don’t count towards my 50 total, but would much rather use dietary fiber in foods) i went through the “keto flu” back in August (foggy head, achy feeling , low energy) in about three days. I also was ravenously hungry early on. my brother suggested that I increase my fat intake and that did the trick. I made cream cheese and peanut butter “fat bombs” with sugar free chocolate chips and monkfruit… scooped them with a 3/4 ounce scoop and ate two of them a day as snacks and it made the hunger disappear! i do not think i could do this low long term, personally, but will be integrating the low carb approach into my post op dietary lifestyle. Being very selective with any sugars, flours and starches is fine.. but it’s hard for me without being able to have much beans/legumes/peas/etc. I would kill for a big bowl of refried beans for dinner, but the total carbs are just too high pre op unless I am super cautious all day.

I talked with my pharmacist and told her of my surgery and sleeping struggles. She recommended I can take melatonin . I found these that are 3mg. A recommended dose can be from 5 to 10 mg. Si day one I tried just one 3mg. I slept ok. But still struggled a bit next day I tried two 3mg. And was great. Just to see I tried three 3 mg the following day and wes lights out quickly. Awesome! So I found that for me 2 or 3 work great. I try to keep it at two but I have the option of three. So I would ask your pharmacist and see what they would recommend. I also if woke up at night have a small glass of warm milk. And nighty night.

Day 2 post op vsg in Turkey. 5 day hospital stay. My first night was horrendous. I was nauseated and threw up three times. Since my stomach was empty it was just post surgery foam. But man that hurts. Today I was up and walking my post gas pains aren't too bad. I managed a bowel movement which helps get the gas moving. I've never been so happy to fart. I was allowed a little water today but am still on IV and I have a drain connected to my largest incision. I was told this is to monitor leakage. It should be removed tomorrow as long as my 2nd leak test is cleared. Pain has been manageable but I did ask for some relief in the evening as the getting up to walk every hour had caught up to me. I'm not sure if it was the pain medicine, antibiotics or anti nausea medicine injected into the iv that I could suddenly taste but it was such a weird experience. Luckily swallowing was no issue. So im hoping it's uphill from here, though I'll be curious if I also will have some gastro issues from my first "food".

Howdy! I've been so busy enjoying this new freedom called get up and MOVE! I have joined a fun dance group called Body Groove and it is a fantastic way of getting up and get moving with low impact. It's an app you can download on your TV and dance along. Overall I have been able to resume normal eating, but the raw food are still kinda iffy. I think I'll wait awhile before introducing salads. I need to stay focused on protein and hydration. With my morning protein drink (coffee replacement) and adding liquid protein to my water, I haven't had any issues with meeting my protein requirements. I find more than anything is that I'm tired. I was successfully able to give blood and my iron count was 13.5 so I know my nutrients and supplements are absorbing. I go for my 3 month checkup soon and they'll be analyzing my blood labs a bit closer. Constipation is a real issue. even though I take a Dulcolax chew about once a week, I think I'm gonna have to up it to every other day. Suppositories work real well, but I hate when it has had to get that far. I also started drinking a green smoothie most days to get in my trace minerals in wheat grass powder, veggies, and adaptogens from mushrooms. Anyone else try Ka'Chava? I really like it My weight stalled around 207/208 for about three weeks but I dropped a considerable amount of inches. So far I am staying within the healthy weight loss bracket. I'm anxious to post my Onederland scale picture soon!!

Like the title says. I’ve lost 110 pounds and have another 20 to go to be a ‘normal’ BMI. 14 months post op. However my calorie intake has shot up as I’m hungry again. Now eating between 1300 to 1500 a day. I’m tall (5ft 9). I guess I’m panicking that the days of 1200 calories and lower are gone and from here on in it’s about slow weight loss and/or maintenance. I feel like I’m heating so much at 1500 calories but logically I know I’m not. But it’s frightening. I work out two to three times a week and walk loads. Am I eating too much now? Did anyone else panic as more calories came into your eating habits.

I would’ve been fine by then but everyone is different. Is it possible to play it by ear?? I would assume you would have a pretty good idea a while in advance. Are they flying or driving?? Will you be working too or is entertaining all you will have to do each day?? I say play it by ear because some of us have very little to no pain and are back to relatively normal within a week. Others it takes a while longer. If I had to guess I would say it’s most likely you will be fighting a little fatigue still at three weeks if anything. Can you just drive separately so if you absolutely need a nap you could go home and then meet back up with them?

I am a year and a half out and have been around these boards for the same amount of time. This has popped up quite a few times for many women having unusual or missed cycles, spotting, heavier, lighter, cramping etc. it seems to stabalize as the weight loss slows down. I am on birth control and I had breakthrough bleeding and longer periods for about three months as best as I can recall.

Some people do experience diarrhoea. I had a terrible case on day three & a friend had attacks for about a week. Try some immodium to help. (It was on my list of meds to have on hand post surgery.) Don’t worry the constipation will come. PS - Watch out for wet farts. An unpleasant surprise.

Further to my post a while ago, I had my first micro needling session about a month ago but I had derma pen which is deeper & more precise. My reaction lasted about four days instead of the usual 1-2 days of redness. I spoke to my cosmetic physician & she’s going to do subsequent sessions more lightly as my skin is more sensitive. I’m expecting to have 4 sessions in total six weeks apart. It takes about three months for your skin to go through a renewal cycle & therefore to see any results. I decided to try it because of my cystic acne scaring & open pores. If it helps with loose skin that would be a bonus. My doctor also recommends a maintenance session every year. This pxt is about 6 hours after it was done. It was more rash like in the following days & no makeup didn’t cover the rashy blotchiness.

As long as you are not creating a financial hardship or hurting yourself or others in some other way this is actually a very healthy way of coping with anxiety. Sounds like you are a little nervous and taking control of whatever you can actually control in the process. So maybe you end up with a little extra food when you’re done recovering. I say Just donate it to someone or a food pantry if you can’t use it. I actually had a nurse that told me to do this when I had a melanoma. She suggested getting a binder and keeping copies of all my records and pet scans and stuff and taking it to each appointment with me. I never put so much effort into anything as I did in that binder. It helps to know that you are doing everything you possibly can (controlling what you can control at a time you feel slightly out of control). Ooh and you are definitely not alone in doing all the research or stocking up for this surgery either and I actually wish I had prepared more by cleaning cause it’s really hard to sit and stare at the mess post op and not get up and clean things. So I say keep doing what your doing. Just maybe pace yourself cause you still have three weeks.