1.Had to battle quite hard to get surgery approved by psychiatrist and surgeon because I'm bipolar,they were concerned about malabsorption of the meds and generally about my moods.

Now that I've got a date I don't feel excited at all about the surgery, have other people had similar experiences?

2. I've planned a holiday abroad for the 21st August,will I be able to cope so soon after my surgery ..11th July?

Congrats on the approval!

It's unfortunate your holiday is so close to the surgery. You will still be on purees, which will make eating a challenge. You also might still be fatigued. Is there any way to postpone the trip?

I just took my big vacation 3 months post op, and was super happy it wasn't closer to the surgery. I had already lost a bunch of weight, could eat anything, and could participate in hiking and physical activities that I wouldn't have been up to at 3 weeks out.

It will be possible for you (barring complications), but might not be much fun.

As for the lack of excitement.. I wasn't "excited" at all.. too scared for that. The excitement grew gradually postop as I healed and see the pounds dropping off.

Was there any chance you could switch to the sleeve? Then malabsorption of meds won't be as much of an issue.

Wow Berry78,thanks for your great useful,comprehensive message. Oh dear I didn't appreciate that I won't be fine for my holiday,I thought post op 5 weeks I'd be fine. I knew I'd be on purées but I'm not overly concerned as I'll be in Italy and there'll be plenty of minestrone soup,it will have to be puréed for me. You have got me concerned about the nature of my holiday,I'll be visiting lots of places on the Amalfi coast,maybe I'll just stay on the coach! I don't want to change to sleeve as I'm specifically going for the bypass;best surgery for diabetics,which I am.

I wasn't excited once I had my date. I was petrified! I just wanted it (surgery) over.
As far as your holiday. I don't know your general health and stamina. For me, five weeks would be ok food wise but not energy wise. I'm just not there. I have a vacation scheduled in less than two weeks and I'll be seven/eight weeks out and I'm already anticipating naps!

My advice to you would be build your stamina back through walking a lot and start now if you're not already exercising. I am still amazed at how easily I tire.

This journey has been very emotional for me. Make sure you follow what your doctors tell you to do physically and emotionally. I had 2 full weeks home before i went back to work and it was hard. My side hurt a lot. I was only really comfortable laying on my back for like 3 weeks. I dont think i would have made it on a vacation 5 or 6 weeks out.

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5 weeks is definitely better than the 3 I was thinking. (I even double looked, and still turned the dates around! Lol!) You'll be on soft foods, so no need to puree the minestrone (unless your diet is different from mine at 5 weeks).

Everyone recovers differently, but to give you an idea..

pre-op, I could walk 2 miles on the flat without being sore, tired, or winded.

At 5 weeks post-op, I was hurting after 1 mile on the flat.

At 3 months postop, I went 4-5 miles in hills (and I haven't actually started an exercise program.. so it wasn't that I worked up to 4 miles.. it's purely from having healed, and weighing almost 60lbs less).

Funny story.. it was actually supposed to be a 2 mile hike (and I was afraid of that!) But I got lost, so went a lot further!

Ultimately, Healing is a lot of mind over matter.. so if you arrange your trip to minimize long walks, and take lots of breaks.. you'll do just fine. Just mentally prepare yourself for being more tired than you would have been pre-op.

I also have bi-polar and I feel like I had to jump through hoops to get approved. My surgery is scheduled for 4/7/17 and it's been a bit on an emotional rollercoaster up to this point. I think it is a bit like mourning to your old way of life but I remain positive that better things are definitely to come

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Im 8 weeks post op. I think a vacation is doable at 5 weeks if you are able to rest and take breaks. I also had a really hard time transitioning to solid foods at 6 weeks and got sick a lot. I would not have been thrilled being on vacation during that.

I think the biggest thing though is he emotional toll. My moods have been up and down a lot since surgery and that would be hard to manage on vacation.

On 6/30/2017 at 2:05 AM, geets said:

1.Had to battle quite hard to get surgery approved by psychiatrist and surgeon because I'm bipolar,they were concerned about malabsorption of the meds and generally about my moods.

Now that I've got a date I don't feel excited at all about the surgery, have other people had similar experiences?

2. I've planned a holiday abroad for the 21st August,will I be able to cope so soon after my surgery ..11th July?

I too am worried about my medication afterwards. I have anxiety disorder and depression. It was difficult to get approved by the psychiatrist.

I am worried about the anxiety more than anything. I need my Cymbalta. I'm going to talk to my PA who works with the surgeon this Friday.

Hi there. I'm new here. Just read your messages. I'm concerned I won't get approved either, I myself take a lot of medicines and have depression/anxiety

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4 hours ago, suzym said:

Hi there. I'm new here. Just read your messages. I'm concerned I won't get approved either, I myself take a lot of medicines and have depression/anxiety

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Hi. I am approved by the psychiatrist, gastroenterologist, nephrologist and pulmonologist.

It was a bit difficult with the psychiatrist but I asked if I could continue seeing him for a while to help with medications, etc. When he said that my meds wouldn't work after surgery that really concerned me.

So, I got approved but have to work with the doc who prescribes my meds before the surgery. I will also do some research myself. We will be looking for the different forms of the meds - liquid, chewable, etc. We will also look at alternative meds to try if my meds stop working.

Ultimately we must be our own advocates.

Someone told me on here that really, he is a psychiatrist, not a bariatric professional. Therefore, I made an appointment for this Friday with the PA who works closely with my surgeon and I will discuss the meds issue with him.

I will come back to this thread and update you on what he said.

Talk soon. Nancy G.

Good post and advice, thank you. Look forward to your reply

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Have you thought of perhaps rescheduling your survey until after your vacation?

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Definitely update us, I'm curious as I take Zoloft ...

I started this thread,I'm bipolarand now post surgery 8 days. 1st surgeon I saw said there were no problems about me being bipolar and he approved me,however he couldn't operate in July so I saw another surgeon and he said he wouldn't operate on me as I'm bipolar,I spoke to their psychologist who okay'd me.
Prozac I'm taking in liquid form,Rivotril liquid,lamitragine dispersible,and quetiapine crushed yuck ?
I've decided that I would rather swallow lamitragine and quetiapine,no problems there. I had slight anxiety yesterday evening and I thought oh no I'm going to enter a depression. This morning I spoke to psychiatrist who said it's understandable post surgery to feel a little depressed and that I shouldn't swallow the tablet drugs,as they wouldn't be absorbed properly.
I then spoke to the nurse that works with the surgeon who said it was normal to feel a little blue and no it didn't make a difference what form I took the meds in!!
I believe her as she's a trained Bariatric nurse. Good news,today I've had a normal day,no blues. Food isn't an issue,I'm just pureeing my food. The surgeon that I used recommends eating puréed food rich in protein,and not focusing on protein shakes to get my protein. Interested in what you're told on Friday,Nancy.

That is one of my frustrations- different answers from everyone. I would pick a professional or group and stick with their advice. If you trust the bariatric nurse and your surgeon stick with them. You'll get a different answer every time you ask someone else!


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