Hello everyone! One month ago, on May 17, I went into the operating room and received my brand new sleeve. And what a month it has been! The first two days were the worst - I underestimated both the gas pain and how tired I would be. Had it not been for the gas pain, I would have felt great, but it really hit me hard. However, come the day I was released from the hospital, it was all gone and I felt like myself again. I have to say, I feel like my recovery has been a lot easier and quicker than some I've read on here. I have not touched my pain or nausea medicine at all, I've had no heartburn, no depression, no fatigue, everything I've eaten has gone down just fine, and I can eat more than the one or two tablespoons some people talk about on here so I guess my swelling is gone. I've only thrown up once, and it wasn't food related; oh no, I learned the hard way that when your ursodiol (gallstone prevention medication) says for you to take it with food, you do as it says and bottled water is not a substitute. I have really small bouts of nausea here and there, but it's usually when I take my vitamins or in-between my meals. They quickly pass over, and don't happen often. Before surgery, I was able to lose 140 pounds, and post-op I have so far lost 21, bringing me to a total of 161 pounds. But, I weigh today, and I hope I've lost more! I go swimming and walking everyday for my exercise (I bought a shakeweight for men too but it wears me out really quick!). So here I am, one month out and doing very well. I'm not sure what size bougie my surgeon used on me, so I'm going to ask him when I go back. I go to see him on June 30, and I believe this is the day he will place me back on solid foods. I have noticed I get some weird cravings - I want a burrito from Taco Bell, and I never ate there before, for instance. I am missing solid food and can't wait to start eating normally again; I want to feel how this sleeve really works. I haven't weighed what I do now in years, and I'm amazed. I hope to post on here again, as I'm not done yet and have much more work to do. But before I finish, I do have an NSV I'd like to share. As several of you know, I love anything to do with trains and railroading (I think my name and avatar give that away). If you search the internet, you'll find online train stores that sell t-shirts with all sorts of railroad logos and artwork on them. However, they don't make most shirts like these beyond 3x sizes, so I was once left in the cold from wearing any of these awesome shirts. But yesterday, in the mail came a shirt I ordered from one these sites in a 3x size. I put it on, and it fit great! Finally, I have a railroad shirt to show off to the world. I just might post a pic, but I'm some what leery of doing that. But when you once wore a 6x size shirt and can suddenly fit into a 3x shirt, it makes a world of difference.
Hello everyone! One month ago, on May 17, I went into the operating room and received my brand new sleeve. And what a month it has been! The first two days were the worst - I underestimated both the gas pain and how tired I would be. Had it not been for the gas pain, I would have felt great, but it really hit me hard. However, come the day I was released from the hospital, it was all gone and I felt like myself again. I have to say, I feel like my recovery has been a lot easier and quicker than some I've read on here. I have not touched my pain or nausea medicine at all, I've had no heartburn, no depression, no fatigue, everything I've eaten has gone down just fine, and I can eat more than the one or two tablespoons some people talk about on here so I guess my swelling is gone. I've only thrown up once, and it wasn't food related; oh no, I learned the hard way that when your ursodiol (gallstone prevention medication) says for you to take it with food, you do as it says and bottled water is not a substitute. I have really small bouts of nausea here and there, but it's usually when I take my vitamins or in-between my meals. They quickly pass over, and don't happen often. Before surgery, I was able to lose 140 pounds, and post-op I have so far lost 21, bringing me to a total of 161 pounds. But, I weigh today, and I hope I've lost more! I go swimming and walking everyday for my exercise (I bought a shakeweight for men too but it wears me out really quick!). So here I am, one month out and doing very well. I'm not sure what size bougie my surgeon used on me, so I'm going to ask him when I go back. I go to see him on June 30, and I believe this is the day he will place me back on solid foods. I have noticed I get some weird cravings - I want a burrito from Taco Bell, and I never ate there before, for instance. I am missing solid food and can't wait to start eating normally again; I want to feel how this sleeve really works. I haven't weighed what I do now in years, and I'm amazed. I hope to post on here again, as I'm not done yet and have much more work to do. But before I finish, I do have an NSV I'd like to share. As several of you know, I love anything to do with trains and railroading (I think my name and avatar give that away). If you search the internet, you'll find online train stores that sell t-shirts with all sorts of railroad logos and artwork on them. However, they don't make most shirts like these beyond 3x sizes, so I was once left in the cold from wearing any of these awesome shirts. But yesterday, in the mail came a shirt I ordered from one these sites in a 3x size. I put it on, and it fit great! Finally, I have a railroad shirt to show off to the world. I just might post a pic, but I'm some what leery of doing that. But when you once wore a 6x size shirt and can suddenly fit into a 3x shirt, it makes a world of difference.