Just wanted to fill people in on what my experience has been like thus far since surgery. If you want to know something I forgot to mention, please don't hesitate to ask.

HOSPITAL STAY:
So I had my surgery May 19th around 10:30 am. I was in recovery and waking up by 11:45 am. All that went smoothly.

The first day I was so dang tired that I drifted off and on while sitting in the chair in-between walking around and drinking. I felt bad for my husband who stay with me all day. He was totally content and happy to be there but I knew he too was tired so about 7pm I made him go home (visiting hours ended at 8 anyway). LOL

When I first got to my room I was like, OMG I have HORRIBLE burning like heartburn and even complained about it. They gave me some sort of Gas chew and it didn't do jack. It wasn't until I got up and walking around that I figured out it was NOT heartburn but related to that gas inside and the walking helped that feeling subside.

They gave me nothing but water or Gatorade Zero while there and I was totally fine and content with that. They mentioned medicine if I was nauseous but I never was. I felt totally fine and normal but for the one incision site that's to the right and up from my belly button. Doc said that's the typical complaint spot and where he pulls the extra stomach through so that's to be expected. But it hurt like hell when first standing from sitting and also wiping after peeing. Uggghhh. I slept in a chair sitting up that night when I could sleep which really only amounted to 3 hours total.

I was given Tylenol for pain and an Oxycodone once on that first night. They sent me home with the Oxycodone too for pain and so far I have only taken it once at night to help with that pain while sleeping.

The next morning they took more blood work and everything came back good and they allowed me to go home by early noon. Mostly because my pain was managed by meds and because I was easily able to get enough water down and I was not sick.

Also, I did not pack much but I did pack my cell phone, charger, kindle, Biotene, Chapstick, brush, toothpaste and toothbrush, extra underwear and that was it. I did not use ANYTHING but for my brush and, right after surgery, put on my own undies and a pad since I got my period the day before surgery. I did not even use my cell phone (maybe once to post here) cause I was just so dang tired (plus trying to get my liquids in and walking) and hubby did all the updating to others for me. I mostly watched TV as it was on for background noise more than anything.

MOVING AROUND:
Every day is getting better but this dang incision spot is a ******!!! Can't wait for it to stop hurting cause I'm really tired of sleeping sitting up. I tried every way possible to lay down and it's just not possible! The dang area feels like it's burning and tearing apart when I do. Otherwise I'm following orders and walking around. I do not feel I still have a lot of gas issues but I most definitely feel like I am swollen about my stomach area for sure.

APPEARANCE:
I was actually surprised at how weird my stomach looked after surgery. Normally my stomach is smooth/one size all over and flat/round-ish (except for my little fat pouch right under my left breast that's been there forever). But upon looking at my stomach after surgery, I feel like some spots are like poofed out and others dented in, if that makes sense. Especially the bad incision spot. Strange. Not sure how else to explain it. Today is day 4 and it looks like I'm starting to bruise around most, if not all, incisions. Just slightly.

FOOD/WATER:
So my after diet consists of 2 weeks FULL LIQUIDS, followed by 1 week PUREE, and 2 weeks SOFT FOODS, then finally normal foods. Strange enough, I have had NO problem getting in 64 oz of liquid at all. I've had no chest pain, full feeling or sickness. A few times I had what feels like if you drink too much how it creates a sorta air bubble that hurts for a split second but then it passes. Otherwise, no issues. In fact, a few times after trying to drink/gulp like I normally would, I had to stop and remind myself that I no longer could do that. So weird cause I feel, aside from the incision pain, I would never know I even had surgery. So right now since all I've been able to ingest is liquids, I'm not sure if this is gonna be a blessing or an issue. On one hand I'm glad I can seem to "eat" and drink normal and also have had no aversions to taste. But on the other hand, I worry that will not help me in the long run to lose weight. This remains to be seen but I am scared I won't lose for this reason.

So far I've had protein shakes, water, Gatorade Zero, the broths from creamed soups, sugar free popsicles and that's it.

MEDICINE:
I was told I wouldn't be able to swallow anything bigger than a tictac. That was a lie. I have been able to swallow all my pills, even the big ol Metformin, with no issue.

POTTY:
Had my first BM on my second day home. Had several a day since. No problems there either.

WEIGHT:
Not that I expected anything yet but, I have gotten on the scale and it's the same as it was the day of surgery.

I think that's it. Can't think of anything else right now but if you have any questions please ask.

Edited May 23, 20215 yr by SummerTimeGirl

UPDATE:
Good news, I've been able to sleep regularly (on my sides) all week now without anything feeling like it's burning or tugging.

Bad news.......I think I've been in that dreaded stall everyone talks about. LOL For the last week to 10 days I have been bouncing back and forth, up and down between the same 2-4 lbs. I ONCE got down to 285.8, which was two days ago, but mostly the scale keeps showing ranges between 286 and 289. Has NOT gone below 285.8 at all since that ONE time/day. So, that means at most I've only lost 14 lbs since surgery 24 days ago. Really sucks. Especially since I have done nothing new but move on to the soft food stage.

I've been getting all my water in, or very close to it, and all my protein. Have been taking my vitamins regularly too. This stall really messes with your head cause you think, I'm doing things by the book and calories fall mostly between 400-700 calories a day so, why isn't this working? I already have fears of this not working for me because I've eaten low calories like this in the past with well balanced food and 3 meals a day like I am now and it got me no where. Which is why I got the surgery. And also why I always questioned why and how surgery would make that any different if essentially I'm still doing the same thing I've already tried and done in the past, ya know?

Anywho, I guess the only comfort I have is knowing this is SUPPOSEDLY the norm and that it happens to many people. So, I'll go with that for now and keep my fingers crossed that things start moving again soon.

UPDATE:
Saturday I emailed my surgeons office to ask if I could finally go swimming. They got back to me yesterday to say I could. Of course TOM came today and put a small damper on that. LOL But good news is the scale had me weighing in today at 284. A SMALL movement but I'll take it. I'm hoping when TOM leaves it will go down a few more too. Also can't wait to get in my pool and be able to do some light exercises.

Everything else is going well. Moving through the soft food phase with no issues.

Hang in there you are probably losing inches but you had surgery and it takes a little while for you to adjust you are still have pain so things are inflamed stil so holding water weight probably it will come together in time- I can understand on liquids I was on clear liquids for a month them full liquids for a month my full liquids end Saturday yea!!!!!!!!

50 minutes ago, cinlankford said:

Hang in there you are probably losing inches but you had surgery and it takes a little while for you to adjust you are still have pain so things are inflamed stil so holding Water weight probably it will come together in time- I can understand on liquids I was on Clear Liquids for a month them full liquids for a month my full liquids end Saturday yea!!!!!!!!

Yay, the end of liquids for you! Can't imagine being on them that long. Between my pre op and after surgery, I was on them almost 4 weeks. That was ENOUGH! LOL

As for inches, I only lost 13 inches since last month. And that was as of the 7th of this month. I randomly checked a few body parts since then and nothing additionally has been lost. I haven't really had any pain for about a week or a little more now. I've been sleeping and moving around normally since then. Like I said, not gonna worry about it too much for now but I know once this month is over the doc already said then we're gonna have to start concentrating on weight loss goals each month so hopefully they say that knowing things (weight loss) will pick up after that first month. At least I hope. HAHA

UPDATE:
Ok, so today I'm 36 days out from surgery and down 21.8 lbs since surgery. A little bummed the progress hasn't been better. I expected it would have been more, faster but it's a loss. I'll take it. But since starting my weight loss journey/better eating and preparation for surgery back in March I am down a total of 49.6 lbs, and 8 down for my BMI and 8.8% fat loss total!!! All good things!!

Today I also start my "Regular Diet". I imagine it's not gonna be much different from what I've been doing the last two weeks on my SOFT FOODS diet. I worry about not getting in a lot of the servings they claim I should be getting each day.

For the SOFT FOOD stage I was supposed to be getting 5 servings of protein/dairy, 2 servings fruits/veggies, 1 serving of starch and 1 serving of healthy fat. I'd say 99% of the time that didn't happen. For example, the suggested/sample menu would say things like: 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast along with 1/4 cup of applesauce. But I was lucky if I got down ONE entire egg. I would cook two scrambled eggs each morning and end up only eating half and saving the other half for lunch. Most times I just tossed the second half cause I wasn't hungry at lunch or didn't have room for it yet in my stomach.

Anyway, now on the regular stage I'm supposed to be getting in even MORE: (7 protein servings, 1 dairy, 3 starch, 2 fruit, 2 veggie, 2 fat). Not sure how this is gonna happen. AND I need to stay under 1000 calories a day while still in the losing phase (which that should be easy enough). I have to laugh.......on their sample menu for dinner they suggest 2 oz of chicken, 1/2 cup green beans, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes, 1 tsp margarine. LOL On the soft food stage I was LUCKY if I could get down 4 oz of mashed potatoes in one sitting BY ITSELF. Let alone all that extra food to go along with it. LOL This is definitely gonna be interesting trying to get this done. I also feel like that is a bad example and would prefer to have MORE of the protein and less of the starch. Guess I can when it comes down to it.

On a side/good note: I am finally allowed to swim and try doing so as much as possible. Also been doing a lot of yard work. And yesterday I walked several miles OUTSIDE without getting winded or sweating profusely like I normally would. So, I definitely feel changes in that way and am thankful for every one of them. I'm still waiting for official word that frees me to do weights and other exercises. I guess that will come in two weeks when I see the surgeon again. I also have a phone call meeting with the dietician next week.

In about two weeks I will take my measurements again (I do it just once a month). I don't feel like there will be much difference but last month I lost 13 inches total overall. Time will tell.

Also wanted to add, for Father's Day I went out to a restaurant for the first time since surgery. Husband got some fried pickles as an app and I got steamed shrimp for dinner. I had 4 of his pickle chips as I waited for my dinner and when it got there, I could only eat 4 shrimp out of the pound they brought me (LOTS of leftovers). LOL WAY different dining experience than I'm used to. It sucked in the way that I was full and done so soon in the dining experience. I had to just sit there and do nothing as I waited for him to finish. Next time out I'll not nibble anything before my actual meal and just try going even slower. LOL

Edited June 24, 20215 yr by SummerTimeGirl

It's awesome to lose more than 20 lbs in just over a month. Were you expecting to lose a pound a day??? That's crazy! You're doing great! Thanks for sharing your story.

6 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

It's awesome to lose more than 20 lbs in just over a month. Were you expecting to lose a pound a day??? That's crazy! You're doing great! Thanks for sharing your story.

LOL Thanks! Don't know what I was expecting, I guess. I just know I've seen videos of people who lost like 30+ pounds the first month. Some people who lost like 75 by month 3. All who started at the same/similar or LESS weight which makes it even more frustrating cause usually the more you have to lose to faster it goes. LOL

On 6/24/2021 at 10:07 AM, SummerTimeGirl said:

I've seen videos of people who lost like 30+ pounds the first month. Some people who lost like 75 by month 3.

I suspect those pounds are a special bouncy kind that come back as quickly as they fall off. ? Try to aim for steady loss instead, that's my advice (not that you asked for any).

I really appreciate this thread and its details. Very welcome reading for pre-oppers. Many thanks!

UPDATE:
So I had my first post op meeting with my dietician this morning. And in our talks I found out that I've actually lost MORE than what I thought. LOL I was thinking I had weight in at 300.6 on surgery day but she told me no, I weighed in at 309.9! I now weigh 276.2 so that's a total of 33.7 not 24.4 like I thought!! YAY! Nice little thing to find out.

UPDATE:
Today was my 1 month check up with my surgeon (was really his PA). I'm actually at 7 weeks today but they had no other openings closer to my 1 month mark.

Anyway, she said I was doing really. She told me that they enter my pre surgery weight and stuff into some program and it gives them guidelines to follow of where I should be with my weight. The following is the guidelines FOR ME and MY WEIGHT and MY PROGRAM. This may or may not be the same for you so take it, or not, for what it's worth.

She said at.......

1 month out - my weight should fall between 286 & 293
3 months out - 263 & 277
6 months out - 232 & 255
9 months out - 217 & 245

At a year out they expect my weight to be between 201 and 234.

Since my last weigh in was 275, I have already hit the mark for 3 months out even though I'm only at 7 weeks. So she said I was doing really well and ahead of the game. We also discussed my goal weight and she feels I'm being realistic with selecting 180 as my final goal. Although she reminded me I'd still be considered slightly overweight. But yeah, like she said, we can talk about that goal when the time comes.

I asked her about being able to start using free weights and/or bands again and she told me no. That I have to wait until 3 months out. She said they only want me to concentrate on cardio for the first 3 months and that I should be getting in 150 min a week, minimum, of that. She said my heart rate should be elevated to the point that I am able to have a light conversation without being too out of breath while exercising. She said the weights and toning can come after 3 months. Bummer, cause I was really expecting to be able to start that again, but it is what it is.

So yeah, that's about it. She said I was doing really well with food and whatnot. She did ask about my water intake and I was honest and told her I usually only get in one of my 36 ounce bottles now. Sometimes more. Not for any other reason than I'm not finding myself thirsty otherwise. She said that's fine and to maybe set reminders and to try and get at least 48 ounces in rather than the 64. She said 48 was totally acceptable.

Anyway, that's my update!

UPDATE:

I'm almost afraid to post this because I don't want to jinx myself. LOL But, last week I had mentioned in several threads about how I thought my lack of the proper amount of protein may be stalling me more than I should be. I had mentioned how I was getting in like HALF of what I should be a day. So all last week I made a conscience effort to make sure I got 60-70 grams in a day, at least. Well, on July 5th I weighed 275. Today I weight in at 270.3!! So I'm HOPING that WAS my issue and that I continue to lose. I was pretty shocked and happy about the results. Fingers crossed!! LOL

UPDATE:
I'm almost afraid to post this because I don't want to jinx myself. LOL But, last week I had mentioned in several threads about how I thought my lack of the proper amount of Protein may be stalling me more than I should be. I had mentioned how I was getting in like HALF of what I should be a day. So all last week I made a conscience effort to make sure I got 60-70 grams in a day, at least. Well, on July 5th I weighed 275. Today I weight in at 270.3!! So I'm HOPING that WAS my issue and that I continue to lose. I was pretty shocked and happy about the results. Fingers crossed!! LOL

I'm a year out now, and I can't tell you I always lose better when I'm very careful to get in my 90-160 grams of protein a day. I had the Loop DS so I'm supposed to get a lot. I always lose the best when I do, so I don't think you're jinxing yourself! Congratulations on your fantastic loss!

15 minutes ago, STLoser said:

I'm a year out now, and I can't tell you I always lose better when I'm very careful to get in my 90-160 grams of Protein a day. I had the Loop DS so I'm supposed to get a lot. I always lose the best when I do, so I don't think you're jinxing yourself! Congratulations on your fantastic loss!

Thanks! That's definitely good to hear!! I'm gonna keep being mindful of it, that's for sure!!

Thanks! That's definitely good to hear!! I'm gonna keep being mindful of it, that's for sure!!

You're welcome. And that should have said "can". [emoji2368]

Going for a consult in August 26 for lap band to sleeve revision. I’m very nervous about the pain.