My husband is about 3 and a half weeks out now from surgery and doing well. Has successfully started soft solids this week and is tolerating them well. He is a bit discouraged tonight because he feels like he is frequently hungry. He was hoping to have the appetite diminish more than this. Small amounts do satisfy him...temporarily...then he finds himself hungry and able to eat more. I know some have said they were barely hungry at all.:crying:What do you think? Was anyone else this hungry? Will the ghrelin levels go down more?

Some quick notes:

-everyone does not have to do a pre-op diet. It depends on your surgeon and your starting weight and your medical issues

-acid reflux can make you think you are hungry. Getting on a PPI can really help with that

-some people report being totally hungry while on liquids. Liquids don't have a strong restriction feedback loop that more solid food has which tells your brian you ate something and should be full. Most people who experience this feel much better once they start on mushies or sometimes they don't feel better until they are on solid food

Getting on a PPI can really help with that...

what does PPI stand for? duh

Proton pump inhibitor. It's a class of acid reducer such as prilosec, nexium, prevacid.

Thank you. I learn something new each day. My doc put me on over the counter pepsid aC EZ chews 2x per day. Hey and while I'm here I gotta tell you I feel sooooooo much better today! My drains are out and by next tuesday I'll be on full liquids!!! I'm starting to feel happy like you seasoned sleevers and I thank God!!!

That's good. What did the doctor tell you? How long did you have a drain in? I had it for 3 days is all.

That's good. What did the doctor tell you? How long did you have a drain in? I had it for 3 days is all.

As of this morning the drain is out! It feels so good to have that phase over. Thanks for asking.

Wow, they left that hummer in a long time. Glad it's out; once that happens things get better a lot faster IMO.

Thank you so much ! I'm finding out so much just by reading the blogs and messages here. It is comforting to know there is such a place to start, and share such personal information. Thank everyone who responds to my questions. I'm sure there will be more.

BTW since I'm here...here goes another.

I'm 48 years old, I've been overweight for 25 years. My starting weight will be

235 lbs. I'm in pretty good shape other than the normal back problems associated with caring around an extra hundred lbs. I have high blood pressure occationally, but not that often. I have a very physical job, that keeps me on my feet all day, I walk at least 5 miles or more during my work hours. I lift, pull, push, bend, stretch, on a regular basis. But then again I eat plenty to keep up this pace. My BMI is 39. Do you think I will have to be on a pre-sugery diet? Also, I've had 3 major sugeries in my life 2 C-sections (in the early 80's, on year apart) and a hysterectomy 2 years ago. I've always come through with flying colors. Is this surgery similar in anyway?

Hi, I am making plans to have the sleeve, and am reading as many blogs as I can to understand what I will be going through. Does everyone do a pre-surgery diet? I have not had my first consultation yet so I have many simple questions.

Like: how often to you see your surgeon post op? I live 3 1/2 hours away from where I will have the surgery. Do you feel drained post surgery for the entire 6 weeks recovery? Do you have serious emotional sadness from the lost of eating food? I would think that is a Huge part of the process? Do you excercise at all during recovery? Have any of you experinced sagging skin from such a rapid weight loss? Is it true that if you excercise regularly that can be avoided? It seems to me that the "biggest Loser's" never have that problem, because they excercise constantly. So many questions....

Of course every program and doctor is different but:

-I have yet to see my surgeon. I saw him twice in the hospital. He does not have the best bedside manner so it does not bother me to not see him. I see a nurse practioner at my follow-ups. There is a "team" I can email or call at anytime for help.

-I have never felt drained or tired yet. The first several weeks I had so much energy and could not do much because of no lifting and such. I had insomnia but I have had problems with insomnia many times in my life.

-I don't know if I would say the loss is serious. I had sadness after surgery because I felt left out sometimes while my family was eating. I prepped myself and admitted I had a problem with food before surgery though. I knew there were going to be tough times. Yes it is a part of the process. You have to face your food issues head on and be honest with yourself. You will come out so much better on the other side. I promise.

-Yes I walk. You have to walk! Walk, walk, and more walking. This will help avoid blood clots. Also sometimes it is the only thing that will relieve gas discomfort or a stuck feeling.

-I am only 5 weeks out but yes I had some bat wings going on with my arms. That has since tightened up though. I have some sagginess going on in my stomach right above my.......lady bits. I knew this was going to happen. Better than fat to me.

-I have no idea what the role of excerise is in sagging skin.

-Your job sounds like a workout! That will be good after surgery. Be sure to discuss your physical job with him/her.

-Don't fret about the pre-op diet. I only had to do two days but got to do a "clean out" of my system. That was fun :cool:. I would do anything at the end to have this surgery. You get yourself phsyced up enough you can do anything!

-Right after surgery Gatoraide is your friend if you feel run down. I drank the red and green mostly.

Judy, most likely your doctor will require a pre-op diet with that high of a BMI. That's OK, it gets you ready for the surgery and afterward. The recovery is not bad at all, but since you have such a physically demanding job, you'll probably need to take off a little more time than most. You may not be able to do any heavy lifting for some weeks after. Ask your doctor to explain his/her protocol with you.

Thank you, these things are good to know. My job IS a work out every day. I am a floral Mgr. and a super upscale Kroger. I am constantly pulling down and putting up displays. We use wooden crates for most of the displays, and they are not light. I pull around palettes of product taller than me (5'5") with a palette jack, unstack and un pack boxes of plants, flowers and vases. I am constantly walking from the office to the rest room, to clock out for breaks and lunch, then, back to the floral work area, It's a huge job, that take all my energy, because it's a big store. And the time clock, restrooms, and office are on the opposite end of the store, then there's the box crusher and the trash ben....sigh....enough of that. I'm praying that with this surgery, I will have a ton of energy, and be able to do this job with ease. I like that it's physical, but somedays are just exhausting. ANd I don't even wanna talk about Valentines and mother's day!!!!!!

I can't wait to get this over with, get recovered and get started with my new life.

A BMI of 39 is not actually that high. It's only obese, not morbidly obese. We call people whose starting BMI is around 40ish or less "lightweights". (It's that ironic? I certainly never thought of myself as "light" at 223 lb and morbidly obese.)

Some surgeons require a pre-op diet for everyone, but some surgeons only require it for people with a BMI of 40 or higher. Some don't require it for anyone, merely strongly suggest it. Being a lightweight, it's much less likely you'll be required to do it.

Losing weight is a good idea though. OTOH, it doesn't have to be a liquid diet and you don't have to lose much. Anything low carb will do and just losing 10 lb. will make a difference in lowering your surgery risks and easing your recovery.

I see my surgeon all the time. He runs the seminars and support groups. So I saw him several times pre-op, including for my surgical consult. I saw him in the hospital post-op. I see him for my follow-ups, of which I've had more than they say you will, and I see him almost every month at the support group.

I have had two c-sections and an open surgery and this one was eaiser than those. I don't know how it would compared to a lap hysterectomy though.

You will have lifting restrictions for at least a month. Something like less than 25 pounds and then you can lift more as time progresses. (They all vary on the exact details.)

I didn't feel particularly sad about not being able to eat. I was pissy from week 7 to 12, but that's because I was on regular food, but could hardly eat anything, and I kept overeating and getting the "foamies" which hurt. One I could eat more and once I slowed down in my eating, everything went much better.

I went back to the gym at 2 weeks out and started running at one month out. I was back to work at 1.5 weeks out, but I think I should have taken two full weeks. But lots of people go back at 1 week and are fine.

Um, did I miss a question? :cool:

WOW you answered a LOT, thank you. Although I have no idea what the foamies are..... inlighten me?

Mac, do you know the statistics on those who attend the monthly support vs those who don't? I haven't been able to make one yet. This Sat, I have OT, again, so it's doubtful I will make it. And, I feel weird saying this, but I am a little afraid of Dr. C. It seems like I am not losing fast enough, I am eating too much, etc. But, Amy & Tara are going to be there this Sat . Tara always has good advice and is very supportive. And Amy does too. Does Dr. Jossart ever hold the support group?

Edited September 26, 200916 yr by Steph_123

There are studies that show that patients who attend the support groups do better than those that don't. But statistics are not predicative for the individual. :thumbup: You have to do what is right for you.

Dr. Jossart does the San Francisco support group every month. I don't know if he does any others.

If you prefer interacting with Tara and Amy, I would set up a series of reoccuring appointments with them. You can visit in the office or it can be a phone consult. They have people they call every month, even every week. It's part of what we paid for so you might as well use them, is my philosophy.

I really like Dr. C. But we have a similar sense of humor. You may warm up to him, if you go to the support group meetings. You can see a different side. Nicole goes to those meetings too and she's very nice. I think she had bypass so that makes her "one of us."

There also may be other groups in your area that are open to all patients regardless of who their surgeon is. Maybe one of those will be scheduled at a more convenient time for you.

Online support is great, but I find I need the in person support too. They can both work together.