It's been a week since my surgery and overall I feel pretty good. I lost 7.5 pounds the first week. I'm off all pain and nausea medications but I'm still wearing a binder on my stomach for support.

I've heard that I should expect to be more tired the first month. I really haven't been napping a lot the last few days so I figured I'd head out for a walk this morning. I lasted 10 minutes and was out of breath, sweating, my stomach cramping, shaky and weak. I was truly surprised. I was walking 60 minutes prior to surgery. It really does take a while to heal. Guess I'll just take it slow and wait for my energy to come back.

Hope everyone else is doing well. I'm amazed at how fast I got bored with the full liquid diet. So ready to move on to the next stage.

What is a binder? this is the first I heard of it.. Is this something you bought or they gave to you? Congrats on the quick recovery Im looking forward to the same

Yep! I was the exact same way. It was like all the cardio endurance I'd built up by exercising for two months pre-op went right out the window and I was huffing and puffing just trying to get ready for work in the morning. The good news is, that all started changing rapidly once I was able to eat more and get more calories in. I'm now consistently getting 850+ caloires in per day and now when I do my prescribed "brisk walking" for exercise, my heart rate doesn't get up as high and I don't get tired nearly as quickly.

I'm 3 weeks out today and I'm exhusted! I'm going to count up my calories as JamieLogical, as she suggested on my other post. I could sleep all day if I would let myself do that.

I'm at four weeks and still pretty weak. I sleep quite a bit. Before sx I was very strong - gone now. I expect it will come back gradually.

@@*Lexie* awesome progress. my energy came back a little after a week and I started hitting the gym. walking at first, now I am getting a good hard sweat on the elliptical just 3 weeks out. very light weight lifting using machines that do NOT target the stomach muscles. I can still feel the incision site when I bend over to touch the ground or twist or arch. almost there.... puree stage was a life saver. yummy cottage cheese, eggs.... you'll be there soon.

@@cdenney123 A binder is this stretchy band that goes around your waist. It helps support your abdominal muscles for a short time after surgery. (think of holding a pillow to your stomach to help reduce discomfort when you cough or sneeze) They automatically put it on me after surgery. I take it off here and there but I'm more comfortable with it on. They cut and stitch at the muscle level which is where most of the post op pain comes from.

Congrads, on the 1st wk.. I also was sleeved the same day as you, and I am having great difficulty with meeting goals of protein and water.. I really thought the gurgling noises would have passed but they haven't .. I had 1/4 of cup of miso soup.. And that was amazing and that was at 4:30 pm yesterday and I felt to satisfied. So I thought maybe on Friday I will treat myself to another 1/4 cup of miso soup.

Hi Lexie, yes, you are in a weakened state and on limited calories. When you start getting on soft foods ( and calories), you will feel your energy return. The first week, I was practically immobile. I am week 3 and spent 90 minutes walking in walmart this week ( while they changed my oil). Rest is your best friend right now.

Oh and that 90 minutes? No back pain at all!! Three weeks ago, 20 minutes of the store and my back hurt! Now I'm down 30 lbs (including preop) and it 's great!

Good to hear you're doing well!