Good morning all. I've been reading up on VSG for several years now but was never to the point where I was really truly ready to make the life-altering changes required. In that time, I've lost and gained 40lbs twice. I've been put on hypertension meds, and my knees creak when I walk. I've been miserable about my weight for as long as I can remember but wasn't ready to never eat a full meal again, or chug a glass of water when I was parched. But something finally clicked when I was planning a family vacation (which should be the most exciting thing ever) and was focused on "will I fit on the plane? How about the rides? Will I run out of energy halfway through? Will my knees give out?" etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. Not the stuff I want to be focusing on!! So, now I'm ready and I'm signed up for three different information seminars at three local hospitals over the next two months. I'm hopeful to get sleeved around Sept/Oct depending on insurance and doctor requirements. That would be the best timing for me. Unless for some reason they could get me in before the first week or so of June (which I know isn't likely) so I'd be on my way to recovery by the time school is out for my kids. Summer is a bad time for me to be on my butt, with 2 very active boys running around.

If anyone has any tips/suggestions for someone at the beginning of the journey, please share. I'm going to be spending a lot of time on this and other forum soaking up the experiences and knowledge. A little about me - 36 year old mom of 2, married, current BMI 43 . Been struggling with my weight since I was 10. Tried alllllll the things - Weight Watchers, FitnessPal, very low calorie diets (which work, until you eat normally again), etc. The weight always comes back. I'm sure most people here know exactly where I am and how I feel. I do have someone close to me that had the surgery 5 years ago and has been talking me through the overall process but I'm big on getting as much information as possible.

Thank you for your support

Oh, and if anyone has used Harvard Pilgrim insurance and has any info related to that I'd love to hear it


CJ

Edited March 31, 201610 yr by CJ'sready

March 26, 2017
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5 days Post Op
Yesterday was rough. Every time I drank anything I got this horrible squeezing sensation. The only thing that helped was getting up and moving around while I drank. It's much better today, and I was able to sleep in my bed last night and get some good solid sleep. I have a lot more energy today. Down 6lbs since surgery (based on the weight I took before I went to the hospital) so that's cool [emoji4]
It's only going to get better from here! [emoji4]

I had those! Ugh...they hurt me. I called them stomach spasms and were less intense when I didn't drink cold things. I drank room temp water and premier protein shakes that whole first week. Warm, clear broth feels good too.

Thankfully they pass. I don't have them anymore. Whew!

Take care.

6 pounds!!! You rock!!!!!

I hope you keep updating. Great read! Hope you're feeling good today.


Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

March 29, 2017

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8 days post op.

Feeling better every day. My stomach doesn't hurt much anymore. I'm down to taking a few chewable children's tylenol a couple times a day just to take the edge off but honestly it's not bad at all. I'm still exhausted but I'm only taking in like 500 calories a day so that makes sense. I've been slowly getting back to doing stuff around the house, going for very short drives, etc. My 2 week NUT appt is on Monday and I should be advancing to purees at that point. That will be nice, I'll be happy to chew something My surgical glue is staring to fall off most of the incisions except one. It's really hard not to pull at it, but I know I have to wait for it to fall off on it's own. Sleeping is much easier. I can roll over and move around with minimal discomfort now.
Amazing how fast our bodies heal themselves!

I think once I am able to take in some 'real' food, I'll feel pretty good! I can already feel my stomach getting smaller (my least favorite body feature). I'm going to try to only weigh once a week on Fridays, otherwise I might go crazy with the daily ups and downs from fluid retention due to diet changes over the next month. There's no way I won't lose weight with this, so I just need to trust the process.

April 11, 2017

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21 days post op.

I feel basically back to normal now, have since about day 12. That's also when I hit my first stall. Fun! I lost 10 lbs in 10 days and then stalled. I know it's normal - I lost 20 lbs total in March between the pre-op and post-op very strict diets so it makes sense that my body would need a week or two to catch up and figure out what's happening. I'm trying to avoid the scale except for Friday weigh-ins. I feel lighter and my face and neck seem to definitely be the first place I'm losing. Which is nice because i wasn't a fan of my double chin and it's almost gone. I'm at about 41lbs gone total since starting this process. I just hope that when I hop on the scale Friday it shows some positive movement.

Eating - I'm currently on purees until next Wednesday (my 1 month checkup), when I'll move to soft foods for a month - then I'm put on a "normal" diet with a few restrictions. So I've been using my blender/processor a lot. I skip that part sometimes and just chew really well but it doesn't do quite the same thing so sometimes I regret that. I haven't gotten sick yet (vomiting) and nothing I've tried has really gone down "wrong". The only time I feel uncomfortable is when I eat too much or too fast (or both!). I'm eating chicken, tuna, beans, guac, sour cream, melted cheese, ricotta, cottage cheese, yogurt, pudding, etc - all pureed/chewed to the consistency of pudding. I'm off red meats until at least 2 months out per my doc, bread until at least 4-6 months (if ever), and alcohol until further notice (my own restriction - it hit me hard before, I can only imagine how it would affect me now - plus alcoholism runs in my family and I figure why risk transferring my food addiction to alcohol!). Constipation hits every few days but usually eating some beans helps within a day but if not, I've been drinking a half cup of regular coffee and that always works (I'm not "supposed" to have caffeine but a half cup once or twice a week won't do much I'm sure - and I prefer that to taking a laxative!)

I started back on the treadmill this week. Just 3 days a week, 20 - 25 mins for now. I have been doing all my regular daily routine stuff for about a week and except for getting tired (I'm only taking in 600 - 800 cals still) or having a little incision pain if I do too much, I feel pretty good. My incisions are all closed up and healing well, albeit ITCHY some days. One is almost invisible already! I have a few random stitches sticking out that bug me but I'm trying to leave them alone and let them work themselves out. I have been putting aquaphor on them daily to help them heal. Once they're completely healed i have some Bio Oil to use at night and I'm going to try coconut oil as well.

Overall, I feel WAY better than I expected to at only 3 weeks out. Now if only the scale starts moving again...

April 17, 2017

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27 days post op

My incisions are almost completely healed, had a few stray stitches fall out last night when I was putting lotion on my tummy. I don't think my scars are going to be bad at all so that's nice. We had Easter over the weekend and I did well. I ended up hosting a small group so I made stuff I knew I could eat - mashed potatoes, butternut squash, cooked carrots. I didn't even miss the pies and ice cream that everyone else was eating. It was weird. I figured I'd be bitter about missing out on that but I didn't even think about it, just sat with everyone else while they ate and had no cravings. After wanting to eat SWEET, carby stuff daily for over 30 years, it feels so weird to just look right past it all.

I think I'm about to break my stall. I dropped a pound on Saturday and didn't gain it back so hopefully that means the scale will be moving again now. I have my 1m post op NUT and surgeon appts on Wednesday. I should be able to stop wearing my compression socks and stop taking my Zantac. I should also be cleared for more physical activity. I want to start Couch to 5K so fingers crossed. I need to get moving again, more than just walking slowly around my house

Still haven't found any foods that don't agree with me. Mostly eating beans, guac, sour cream, meatballs, eggs, tuna, canned chicken, and protein shakes. Sometimes I'll have some pureed fruits or a SF popsicle. I also found some high-protein low sugar ice cream bars and allow myself one a week as a treat. I don't want to get into the habit of eating them daily.

Overall I feel great except for being tired a lot. But I should progress to more food varieties this week as well so here's hoping that helps!

Really enjoyed reading your whole process. Keep updating!

I just completed the seminar and took the first steps towards getting sleeved. So this was very beneficial to read about all of your steps!

Have been reading your posts. Sounds like you are doing well. Keep it up and keep us posted.

I've enjoyed reading your posts. Thank you for sharing! I'm struggling to lose the pre-op weight as well.

May 29, 2017 -- 10 weeks post op

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Been a while since I updated! I'm 10 weeks out and have been cleared for all foods as tolerated (they suggest avoiding alcohol for the first 6m - 1y which i planned anyways - I was never a big drinker). I have still yet to find something that really doesn't agree with me - some things go down harder or fill me up faster, but I can still eat pretty much everything (just in very small servings!). I'm down a total of 58lbs since I started this journey, about 22 since surgery. I've got another 48 to go to hit the top of my goal range. I feel that I'm a slow loser, but honestly I'm OK with that at this point. I seem to lose 6lbs in a week, then stall for 2-3, then lose again, then stall. It appears that just what my body likes to do! I am down 2 pants sizes from a tight 20 to a comfy 16 (sometimes I can fit 14s), started jogging again and resistance training for strength. My knees and ankles don't hurt anymore. I have SO much more energy! I wake up refreshed and ready to go, instead of wanting to go back to bed. I was taken off my BP meds at my 1m appt and my BP has been good. I've started getting compliments and comments when I see people I haven't seen in a while, which is nice but weird I've gone to "girls' night out" events and BBQs and dinners with my family and had NO issues with any of them. Just nibble and move on. My life no longer revolves around what food I should eat next. I get my protein, veggies, and water in; and if I have room I indulge in a bite of dessert.

I feel amazing. I am still in the transition phase of course, but I think this will end up being one of the best decisions I've ever made for myself and my family. <3

July 10, 2017 - 16 weeks post-op

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Struggling a bit right now. I've been stalled for about 2 weeks, but I have to take the blame for some of it. I do still have the lose-stall-lose thing going on, but I've been eating too many carbs and not drinking enough water. I've done better the past couple days so I'm working on pulling myself back out of this. There is only so much "honeymoon" time after surgery, I refuse to waste it!

I feel really good overall. I went to several family events over the holiday weekend and got a ton of compliments - which always feels good I saw my PCP for the first time since last Summer and she was really happy with my progress. I have some labs to get drawn, I'll be interested to see how those come back.

Been feeling a little more nausea and pinching in my tummy lately but nothing too bad. I think I just overdo it some days. I've been working on getting back to the easier-on-the-system foods and it's helping. Protein, water, fruits, veggies. Nothing too heavy or too rich.

HW: 276 size 20

SW: 240

CW: 215 size 14