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Some pre-op advice :)



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Hello,

I'm 8 days post-op and wanted to share some tips that might help others survive the surgery and recovery without stress, complications and pain. My surgery was 45 minutes long, I had no pain or nausea, I walked and sipped Water the same day, walked home on day three and never took any of prescribed pain meds. I must've done something well, so... ;)

Pre-op

1) Stay well hydrated! After the surgery you will be able only to sip Water so drink as much as you can until the last moment;

2) Stay active! Get your cardiovascular system in shape, it really makes a difference in your recovery time; You might also consider doing some respiratory exercises or respiratory joga;

3) Stick to your diet! No cheating, seriously! :) It might be hard, unpleasant and boring but your surgeon knows better. It will speed up your recovery and reduce the risk of complications- totally worth it!

4) Most important- stay POSITIVE! If you are struggling don't be ashamed to seek professional help.

Bonus tip

Quit sugar- it was recommended by my surgeon, I have no idea if it helped during the surgery but my skin looks great, and I'm full of energy. :)

Post-op

1) Start moving around as soon as possible; Walk a lot- it will also ease digestion.

2) Sip water constantly... I used to drink 2-3 liters of water, now I'm down to 1,5 which is quite hard to get in, staying hydrated is very important;

3) Take your time, you will probably want to eat food you shouldn't- don't! I ate one shrimp- dumb idea. ;)

4) Appreciate yourself more- You did it! :) You made a decision to change your life, be confident and proud of yourself... :)

5) Get a hobby- you will have plenty of time to think about food, so it's better to keep yourself busy. :)

Bonus tip:

Ask your surgeon for a letter that explains simply the surgery and post-op care. You can share it with your family members and GP. In case of emergency it's important that somebody knows what was the exact procedure. I also found that people understand my surgeon better than my explanations. ;)

I really hope that my personal experiences will help. I was also scared and going through this forum over and over again obsessing about pain and complications. Thankfully I did not experience either so far.

I wish you all the best on your weight loss journeys :)

A.

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Thank you for taking the time to share. This is encouraging. I still don't know what day I will have the surgery so I am grabbing onto any and all encouraging words. Go be marvelous Alexandra85????????

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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@@Alexandra85 thank you for this! My surgery is 19 days away. I am a ball of nerves and excitement :D

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Thank you. I will be sleeved in 6 days!! I have kicked the sugar to the curb. I walk about 2 miles a day purposely on top of my day to day stuff. I drink about 100 oz of Water a day an have been close to a full liquid diet since my consultation about a month ago. Lost around 20 lbs already....so ready to get this done!!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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Thank you for sharing your experiences. My surgery is on Monday and I'm both excited and terrified. I've been very good about sticking to my pre-op diet. First four days were the hardest, but I'm just trying to focus on the good and why.

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This is good advice, and thanks for sharing @@Alexandra85 but am I reading this right, you walked home on day 3?

Hello,

I'm 8 days post-op and wanted to share some tips that might help others survive the surgery and recovery without stress, complications and pain. My surgery was 45 minutes long, I had no pain or nausea, I walked and sipped Water the same day, walked home on day three and never took any of prescribed pain meds. I must've done something well, so... ;)

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This is good advice, and thanks for sharing @@Alexandra85 but am I reading this right, you walked home on day 3?

Hello,

I'm 8 days post-op and wanted to share some tips that might help others survive the surgery and recovery without stress, complications and pain. My surgery was 45 minutes long, I had no pain or nausea, I walked and sipped Water the same day, walked home on day three and never took any of prescribed pain meds. I must've done something well, so... ;)

Yup, I walked home. It was only 30 minutes. :) I'm NOT saying anyone else should do it. ;)

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This is good advice, and thanks for sharing @@Alexandra85 but am I reading this right, you walked home on day 3?

Hello,

I'm 8 days post-op and wanted to share some tips that might help others survive the surgery and recovery without stress, complications and pain. My surgery was 45 minutes long, I had no pain or nausea, I walked and sipped Water the same day, walked home on day three and never took any of prescribed pain meds. I must've done something well, so... ;)

Yup, I walked home. It was only 30 minutes. :) I'm NOT saying anyone else should do it. ;)

Wow, good for you!

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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