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

6 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I'm surprised your calories are that low so far out. I eat 900-1200 calories and I'm five months out. Some days are even higher.

Maybe try to increase calories for a few days/week to see if that shakes something loose?

Yeah, a lot of people say that to me. I just contacted my nutritionist again today to give her an update. I also sent her my logs for the last 60 days. So, before changing it up I'll see what she says. Having said that, by the end of the day I feel totally satisfied on the days where I stay close to 800 or under. If I ever feel hungry I do eat more of sensible foods. And if that means going over then I go over. But just based on how much food I can fit in, I normally don't go over 1200. I also stick to 3 meals a day but again, that keeps me satisfied so I'm not even sure how consistent I could be with staying close to 1200 every day.

7 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

I'm sorry you're struggling. YOU'VE LOST 90 LBS!!!! That's great! Remember that many/most people who have WLS do not end up with a "normal" BMI.

I can't tell you anything your dietician hasn't already told you. Stalls DO happen, especially as you get closer to your goal. DON'T use laxatives for weight loss. That is not healthy mentally or physically.

How many calories are you eating? Sometimes people need to eat more/fewer calories to get their weight to move. I assume you've already discussed this with your dietician, as well as weighing and measuring your food to make sure your calorie counts are accurate.

Your exercise plan is really amazing. I keep getting tendinitis and can't do anything...

Re: tendinitis. I’ve had that before too. It took a long time to get rid of it. What finally worked was kinesiology tape. A physical therapist will know how to position the tape. I was skeptical when they taped my foot and ankle, but I had relief after the first taping. After a couple more taping sessions, the pain was finally gone. I haven’t had the problem since.

11 hours ago, OutdoorsGirl said:

Re: tendinitis. I’ve had that before too. It took a long time to get rid of it. What finally worked was kinesiology tape. A physical therapist will know how to position the tape. I was skeptical when they taped my foot and ankle, but I had relief after the first taping. After a couple more taping sessions, the pain was finally gone. I haven’t had the problem since.

Thanks, I'll look into that!

So I meet with my Nutritionist/Dietician on March 3rd. Guess we'll see what she has to say then.

This is a great feed. So informative. Great details. Thank you for all of the information @SummerTimeGirl

You have had quite a journey and I would say a rewarding one. Good for you and keep up the good work!

I know you have times of being discouraged and frustrated but when you look in from the outside, you are doing an outstanding job!

1 hour ago, kcuster83 said:

This is a great feed. So informative. Great details. Thank you for all of the information @SummerTimeGirl

You have had quite a journey and I would say a rewarding one. Good for you and keep up the good work!

I know you have times of being discouraged and frustrated but when you look in from the outside, you are doing an outstanding job!

Thank you so much!

So happy to hear that you’re doing great! I hope I do as well as you ❤️

UPDATE:

So I had my meeting with my dietician this morning. She said based on the log I provided her from the Baritastic app for the last two months she did NOT see that I was eating anything that I shouldn't or in quantities that I shouldn't. She still seems to think I was/am still being a little inconsistent when it comes to protein. She said that based on a few missing days and some days where it may have been lower. But I tried to tell her overall, I think I HAVE been pretty consistent regardless of those few days/logs.

Anyway, she said at one time the 800 calories a day was probably good enough for me but now that I'm working out more regularly that maybe now I should up my calories and protein. Calories to around 1000 to 1100 and protein more than 80/90.

I feel like she's guessing, in a way, on what could be wrong too because of the fact that she said she does not see anywhere in my food logs or workout routine where I'm doing anything wrong. She also mentioned body composition. She said maybe I have actually gained more lean muscle over fat and whatnot and that I should pay more attention to that. I told her I DO have a scale like that and, even though I weigh regularly, I DO NOT log the actual weigh ins unless there is a loss so I can't or haven't seen if there has indeed been a change because it doesn't log it on the app unless I allow it to. So, I need to start logging those slight gains too in order to MAYBE get a better idea of what is going on.

My husband and I were talking last night and we still think that my cut in Metformin dose still may be playing a part in this long stall. I had my dose cut in September and October was my last real loss. Also the last time my period was normal. So, I brought that up to her and she doesn't seem to think that's the reason. She said it was right that my dose was cut because my sugars have been improving and warranted it. Like the doc said, she also said the weight loss itself could be causing the irregularity in period and stall. That there is no way to know for sure if it's due to the weight loss in general or the Metformin. But I don't know. Just awfully funny that it was cut down and suddenly I stop losing weight and my period has been jacked since too.

Anyway, I think I'm gonna go back to my old dose for the next few weeks and see if anything changes. If it does I will then discuss that with my family doc who I see in two weeks. Because, if the scale starts moving again, then just maybe I need to go back on it for now. I know my goal and point of having the surgery was to GET OFF this medicine but who knows. Maybe I still need it for now. I still feel so confused.

She said she understood but that I DO seem to be doing everything right and that I should stay the course.

Anyway, that's that.

21 minutes ago, SummerTimeGirl said:

UPDATE:

So I had my meeting with my dietician this morning. She said based on the log I provided her from the Baritastic app for the last two months she did NOT see that I was eating anything that I shouldn't or in quantities that I shouldn't. She still seems to think I was/am still being a little inconsistent when it comes to Protein. She said that based on a few missing days and some days where it may have been lower. But I tried to tell her overall, I think I HAVE been pretty consistent regardless of those few days/logs.

Anyway, she said at one time the 800 calories a day was probably good enough for me but now that I'm working out more regularly that maybe now I should up my calories and protein. Calories to around 1000 to 1100 and protein more than 80/90.

I feel like she's guessing, in a way, on what could be wrong too because of the fact that she said she does not see anywhere in my food logs or workout routine where I'm doing anything wrong. She also mentioned body composition. She said maybe I have actually gained more lean muscle over fat and whatnot and that I should pay more attention to that. I told her I DO have a scale like that and, even though I weigh regularly, I DO NOT log the actual weigh ins unless there is a loss so I can't or haven't seen if there has indeed been a change because it doesn't log it on the app unless I allow it to. So, I need to start logging those slight gains too in order to MAYBE get a better idea of what is going on.

My husband and I were talking last night and we still think that my cut in Metformin dose still may be playing a part in this long stall. I had my dose cut in September and October was my last real loss. Also the last time my period was normal. So, I brought that up to her and she doesn't seem to think that's the reason. She said it was right that my dose was cut because my sugars have been improving and warranted it. Like the doc said, she also said the weight loss itself could be causing the irregularity in period and stall. That there is no way to know for sure if it's due to the weight loss in general or the Metformin. But I don't know. Just awfully funny that it was cut down and suddenly I stop losing weight and my period has been jacked since too.

Anyway, I think I'm gonna go back to my old dose for the next few weeks and see if anything changes. If it does I will then discuss that with my family doc who I see in two weeks. Because, if the scale starts moving again, then just maybe I need to go back on it for now. I know my goal and point of having the surgery was to GET OFF this medicine but who knows. Maybe I still need it for now. I still feel so confused.

She said she understood but that I DO seem to be doing everything right and that I should stay the course.

Anyway, that's that.

If you are choosing to up your metformin, be sure to take your blood sugars regularly. You don't want to bottom out. Good luck!

UPDATE:

I go in this week for another regular check up with my family doc and so today he had me get my cholesterol and my A1C done again.

My LDL was 137 which is weird cause it was 135 in September. I would think it would have improved and gone down more. NOT go up.....even if it isn't up by much.

My A1C was 5.6 down from 5.8 in September. I would have thought that would have gone down more too. Especially since last March it was 6.7 and went to 5.8 in September last year. BIG difference in just 6 months. So why was this last 6 months not so good? Also been stalled for about that same amount of time.

These things make me think even more that maybe I should have stayed at my normal Metformin dose so I'll definitely be talking about that this week with my doctor. As much as I wanted to come off the meds it just may have been too soon.

EDITED TO ADD:

So even though I have an appointment with him this week he called me to go over the results already. He said my sugar numbers are excellent and responding well but the cholesterol isn't responding as well but it isn't terrible. Anyway, he mentioned Metformin and my weight loss and stuff and then I briefly said that I wanted to discuss it and why and he then mentioned that there are better medications than Metformin that accomplish the same stuff for my sugars but also help with weight loss so we'll talk about that this week too. Not sure what medication he is thinking about but I guess I'll see.

Edited March 12, 20224 yr by SummerTimeGirl

UPDATE:

Just wanted to give ANOTHER quick update to my situation. LOL So as you may know I met with my dietician on March 3rd and we discussed my food logs and exercise and how it appeared I was doing everything right. Also told her that the only new different thing that happened back when my stall started was the fact that I halved my Metformin. She didn't seem to think that was the issue. But for sh*ts and giggles I started myself back on my old dose the next day. So guess what, on March 4th I weight in at 243.2. But then two days ago I weighed in at 235.4!!!! Pretty much an 8lb loss in only 12 days!!! Coincidence or what? I did NOTHING else new or different. All I know is that the scale has NOT moved like that in like 5 months!!!

I also had my doc appointment today and we discussed what happened and he said if I feel like it's helping my weight move again then to stay on it. Otherwise, if I stall again, we can then discuss some other medicinal options to possibly help me start losing again.

Overall he is happy with my progress and tells me to just keep doing what I've been doing.

I HOPE the Metformin was the issue all along but I'm not getting too happy just yet. I'll keep updating periodically.

I just read your update from 5/21, and it was so helpful…I read most of your posts. Thank you for taking the time to write so completely of your experience. I appreciate it so much.
You are almost a yeSr out now, and I don’t know if you’ll see this, but I had to laugh at your liverwurst craving soon after your surgery. When I was of with my first, 43 yrs ago, I had a liverwurst sandwich every.single.day for lunch. ? I haven’t had one since, but I ate it for 36 weeks. She, to this day, has an amazing memory. I’m convinced it’s the liverwurst sandwiches.
Thank you again, and I hope you are well.

9 hours ago, Mariann812 said:

I just read your update from 5/21, and it was so helpful…I read most of your posts. Thank you for taking the time to write so completely of your experience. I appreciate it so much.
You are almost a yeSr out now, and I don’t know if you’ll see this, but I had to laugh at your liverwurst craving soon after your surgery. When I was of with my first, 43 yrs ago, I had a liverwurst sandwich every.single.day for lunch. ? I haven’t had one since, but I ate it for 36 weeks. She, to this day, has an amazing memory. I’m convinced it’s the liverwurst sandwiches.
Thank you again, and I hope you are well.

Thanks so much! Glad you found it helpful. I use it as kind of a log for myself too so that I can look back and see what happened and when.

That's so funny with the Liverwurst. LOL As I said before, I don't usually like it but every now and then I get a taste for it. LOL

UPDATE:

Another quick update since it's been a while. Well, I tired my old dose of Metformin for over a month and it did nothing for my weight loss. I was really hoping that the cut in dose was the issue/reason for my stall since October. But I'm still stalled despite still eating right (and logging everything) and exercise. So I contacted my doc through the patient portal and told him it wasn't making a difference and he switched me to Rybelsus.

He said I DO NOT need it for my blood sugar as it's been great, but he feels it may help with the weight loss as it has done so with many of his other patients. It's also supposed to be good for those with PCOS and Insulin Resistance. He told me I am doing everything humanly possible to lose weight on my own and he doesn't know what else I could or should do otherwise so we both agreed I'd give this a shot. I will have to give it a good three months to see. I will be on the 3mg for 30 days. Then 7 (or 8?) mg for 30 days. And finally, the highest does of 14mg for at least 30 days. We will reevaluate after that.

He also talked again about how he believes some bodies/people just may be predisposed to a set weight and that there may be nothing you can do to change that. I get where he's coming from but I'd hate to think my body is done losing and I'll be stuck here still at least 50-60 lbs overweight (from MY goal......which is still an overweight number wise by normal standards).

I have a meeting with my surgeon in a week or two. I think by their standards I will be on target (although I feel like a failure) because he told me before that he expects me to be between 201 and 234 at a year out. Well my lowest weigh in has been 235 but that was weeks ago (March 16th). Haven't lost more since and, once again, I am hovering around 241 and 245. Sighhhhhhh Still have til May 19th (my surgery anniversary) to lose more but I am doubtful that will happen.

Anyway, that's that and I feel so defeated. Of course I'd be the freakin' oddball that would STILL have problems losing weight even after surgery.

Edited April 25, 20224 yr by SummerTimeGirl

I'm sorry you haven't met your goal yet. But you're not "the odd one". It's actually more common NOT to get to a normal weight after weight loss surgery. People just tend to not talk about it. Losing as much weight as you have is really great and really important for your health.

Congratulations on your success!