Hi guys I am new here and looking for September surgery buddies!! Mine is scheduled for the 12th! I am so excited! Who’s with me???

10/20/2022 11:59 AM, Hope4NewMe said:

How is everyone doing? This group got really quiet and I miss new stuff to read. Do you guys go to different groups that do more talking? I just hit my 1 month yesterday and had my appointment with my dietitian and all is going really well. I was sad at 1st because I thought I wasn't hitting my Protein goal every day and then he told me that the goal was lowered after surgery. So before surgery I was supposed to hit 75 to 90 but after surgery it is 60 to 80. So I have been hitting my Protein every day yay! I also finally found something that helps with my constipation and that is Monk Fruit sweetener. My daughter got me into drinking tea in the morning instead of coffee and I added the monk fruit to make it sweeter since I wasn't using my Protein Shake as Creamer like I was for my coffee. Apparently it acts as a laxative and now I get to have my tea and also don't have any stomach issues. Its soooo much better. All of my incisions are almost all healed. Just one is is taking its time. Pain wise I feel almost back to normal and my energy is doing great. I'm slowly increasing my exercise and I'm so proud of myself that I'm walking a mile every day. I know that's not a lot to most people but to me it was a huge 1st step. I've always hated exercise so even to be doing it every day is a good step for me but a mile was my 1st goal. Now to hit 2 miles a day Hope everyone is doing well and please come back and post so I have something to read lol!

I hit my 1 month today. I’m down 8.7 lbs since surgery, almost 27 from sept 5 when I started my preop diet. I started at 220 and I’m at 193.3. Last week I hit the stall and it was starting to be discouraging and then boom more drop. I was cleared to work out so I have been back in my peloton. I want to go biking outside while the weather is still nice but I’m still afraid of getting hurt. My incisions have healed and I started using a scar remover to try to lighten the scar. My family has noticed my weight loss as have my coworkers. My clothes are starting to actually fit me, instead of being so tight. I also took my kid to an amusement park and was able to walk the whole day- 15,000 steps and while I was exhausted, my knees didn’t swell up and my feet didn’t give out as they would have 27 lbs ago. 

I’m having challenges in learning what satisfied feels like. I’ve been basically either hungry or just stuffed. The only thing I’ve been asked not to eat is a salad so I have been prioritizing eating the protein in my plate. My partner made my favorite- rice and lentils with chicken- and I couldn’t even get a bite of the lentils in- the chicken was the priority and it kept me full for hours.

My biggest struggle right now is eating slowly. I eat on the go- I’m working consistently and eat at my desk (im a lawyer) so it is hard to find the time to eat a meal for 30 minutes 3 times a day. I think once I get to do this, then maybr I’ll learn the difference and learning when I am satisfied. I’m still struggling with Water intake- it’s hard to take small sips and get through 64 ounces bc I’m busy. And big gulps are just a no no. Getting there though.

Today my therapist asked if I had made the right decision. I told her yes. I believe the surgery saved my life and quality of life. I was down a spiral and would have easily found myself heavier, more depressed and with pain everywhere. My chest pains are gone; my joint pain is gone, and while I am exhausted (more due to long days and I think less due to surgery), I know that my quality of life is improving. All in all, not bad for a month ;)

Hello all so.my original surgery date was September 15, 2022, was on the made.it through my 2 week pre op diet. Even made it to the surgery table , cut open only to find out i have a rare anatomy called Situs Inversus which means all of my organ are on the opposite side. The surgery had never seen anything like it before and i didn't even know i am like this,and you dont until you have a surgery. So my bybass didn't happen because the surgeon didn't have experience with my unique ? anatomy a nd wasn't comfortable performing the procedure. But on a good note was recommended to another facility with hopefully surgeons that have the experience to perform the surgery so im starting all over agian. Im a little discouraged, but at the same time keeping a positive attitude ? ?

5 hours ago, Slwhurst said:

Girl I am 5’4 and started at 238. I feel that is an extremely high weight for my height. But apparently it might not be. How tall and where did you start and where are you now? I am at 208 currently.

I’m 5ft on a good day I started at 196 and am at 179

14 hours ago, Garfield1987 said:

I hit my 1 month today. I’m down 8.7 lbs since surgery, almost 27 from sept 5 when I started my preop diet. I started at 220 and I’m at 193.3. Last week I hit the stall and it was starting to be discouraging and then boom more drop. I was cleared to work out so I have been back in my peloton. I want to go biking outside while the weather is still nice but I’m still afraid of getting hurt. My incisions have healed and I started using a scar remover to try to lighten the scar. My family has noticed my weight loss as have my coworkers. My clothes are starting to actually fit me, instead of being so tight. I also took my kid to an amusement park and was able to walk the whole day- 15,000 steps and while I was exhausted, my knees didn’t swell up and my feet didn’t give out as they would have 27 lbs ago.

I’m having challenges in learning what satisfied feels like. I’ve been basically either hungry or just stuffed. The only thing I’ve been asked not to eat is a salad so I have been prioritizing eating the Protein in my plate. My partner made my favorite- rice and lentils with chicken- and I couldn’t even get a bite of the lentils in- the chicken was the priority and it kept me full for hours.

My biggest struggle right now is eating slowly. I eat on the go- I’m working consistently and eat at my desk (im a lawyer) so it is hard to find the time to eat a meal for 30 minutes 3 times a day. I think once I get to do this, then maybr I’ll learn the difference and learning when I am satisfied. I’m still struggling with Water intake- it’s hard to take small sips and get through 64 ounces bc I’m busy. And big gulps are just a no no. Getting there though.

Today my therapist asked if I had made the right decision. I told her yes. I believe the surgery saved my life and quality of life. I was down a spiral and would have easily found myself heavier, more depressed and with pain everywhere. My chest pains are gone; my joint pain is gone, and while I am exhausted (more due to long days and I think less due to surgery), I know that my quality of life is improving. All in all, not bad for a month

I agree that it is amazing what changes can happen in just a month! I'm happy that everything is going well for you. It seems a lot of us have trouble with knowing what satisfied feels like. Hopefully it'll come to us soon.

14 hours ago, Yearofme43 said:

Hello all so.my original surgery date was September 15, 2022, was on the made.it through my 2 week pre op diet. Even made it to the surgery table , cut open only to find out i have a rare anatomy called Situs Inversus which means all of my organ are on the opposite side. The surgery had never seen anything like it before and i didn't even know i am like this,and you dont until you have a surgery. So my bybass didn't happen because the surgeon didn't have experience with my unique ? anatomy a nd wasn't comfortable performing the procedure. But on a good note was recommended to another facility with hopefully surgeons that have the experience to perform the surgery so im starting all over agian. Im a little discouraged, but at the same time keeping a positive attitude ? ?

I'm so sorry that you went through the whole pre op process and even have the pain of recovery, just to have to start all over again. Its good to know now how your body is set up and that it wasn't during an emergency or something. I'm glad that they found someone who can still do the surgery for you. Hopefully things will go smoothly next time. Good luck!!

18 hours ago, Yearofme43 said:

Hello all so.my original surgery date was September 15, 2022, was on the made.it through my 2 week pre op diet. Even made it to the surgery table , cut open only to find out i have a rare anatomy called Situs Inversus which means all of my organ are on the opposite side. The surgery had never seen anything like it before and i didn't even know i am like this,and you dont until you have a surgery. So my bybass didn't happen because the surgeon didn't have experience with my unique ? anatomy a nd wasn't comfortable performing the procedure. But on a good note was recommended to another facility with hopefully surgeons that have the experience to perform the surgery so im starting all over agian. Im a little discouraged, but at the same time keeping a positive attitude ? ?

Wow, that's got to be so disappointing, but you seem to have the right mindset about it!

Kudos also to that doctor. For him to decide not to move forward meant he cared more about your health and safety than his ego.

While not really the same, my unusual anatomy did cause my surgeon some extra work. Simply put, my intestines are routed differently than most people, so she had to put in a lot of extra work to locate some on the anatomical markers they use to properly measure the roux limb for the bypass. Apparently it made my surgery take about an hour and a half more than usual. Thankfully she is one of the most experienced bariatric surgeons around.

18 hours ago, Yearofme43 said:

Hello all so.my original surgery date was September 15, 2022, was on the made.it through my 2 week pre op diet. Even made it to the surgery table , cut open only to find out i have a rare anatomy called Situs Inversus which means all of my organ are on the opposite side. The surgery had never seen anything like it before and i didn't even know i am like this,and you dont until you have a surgery. So my bybass didn't happen because the surgeon didn't have experience with my unique ? anatomy a nd wasn't comfortable performing the procedure. But on a good note was recommended to another facility with hopefully surgeons that have the experience to perform the surgery so im starting all over agian. Im a little discouraged, but at the same time keeping a positive attitude ? ?

I understand what you are going through. My original surgery date was Aug 1st. I was on the table and they cancelled it because they were afraid of a med complication. They changed it to Sept. 8th and then right before changed it again to the 12th. I had to change meds and let the other ones out of my system. They were worried about C-diff. Even after my surgery, I was scared based on the things they told me. It was hard at the time, but I am glad it finally happened. Your situation is so unique. Kind of cool. I know it probably doesn't feel that way. I cried for a while after I got home. The pain meds didn't help. Everything is good now. I figure better safe than sorry. (((hugs)))

So anyone on an unrestricted diet try crunchy food yet. I don't have any restrictions other then they say that peas, corn or steak might not digest well. I've been afraid to eat crunchy food though. I really want to eat baby carrots or raw broccoli but I'm afraid it will hurt my stomach or get stuck or something. So has anyone tried things like that yet and how did it go?

So anyone on an unrestricted diet try crunchy food yet. I don't have any restrictions other then they say that peas, corn or steak might not digest well. I've been afraid to eat crunchy food though. I really want to eat baby carrots or raw broccoli but I'm afraid it will hurt my stomach or get stuck or something. So has anyone tried things like that yet and how did it go?

I haven't tried any yet, I really want to, but my team suggested waiting until I'm about 2 months post op before trying crunchy vegetables... so I'm in the same place as you right now ...

1 hour ago, Hope4NewMe said:

So anyone on an unrestricted diet try crunchy food yet. I don't have any restrictions other then they say that peas, corn or steak might not digest well. I've been afraid to eat crunchy food though. I really want to eat baby carrots or raw broccoli but I'm afraid it will hurt my stomach or get stuck or something. So has anyone tried things like that yet and how did it go?

I ate some crackers and was fine. Also ate some mango salsa (raw onions, mango & peppers), on top of salmon and was fine there too. I have not done any raw carrots or broccoli yet. I'll probably hold off on that for another week or two, but raw veggies with some humus sounds really good right now!

Seems like the things you can't do or can't eat are the things you want the most. I remember how amazing refried beans tasted after so many weeks of a liquid diet. It seems like it went by pretty fast now, but at the time it was not fun lol. So I'm sure this time waiting until we can eat certain foods will be over before we know it

My dogs are officially my clean up crew and they are loving it. They get all my healthy food that I can’t finish. Tonight my little baby ate all my broccoli and my big baby at all the chicken! My big boy is a husky and absolutely refuses veggies, but my little girl is a jack russel and schnauzer mix and loves all plants? funny how different they can be!

Hi guys. I’m 5 weeks post opp today. No issues with food. But I am exhausted. Absolutely and positively exhausted. No matter how much I sleep. And since last night I have had pain on thr right side of my abdomen. Considering even getting one of those IV drip treatments. Anyone else?

On 10/25/2022 at 05:16, Garfield1987 said:

Hi guys. I’m 5 weeks post opp today. No issues with food. But I am exhausted. Absolutely and positively exhausted. No matter how much I sleep. And since last night I have had pain on thr right side of my abdomen. Considering even getting one of those IV drip treatments. Anyone else?

Get the IV treatment!!! I did and it helped so much and I went down a little sooner than you. I think mine was around week 3!

4 hours ago, Garfield1987 said:

Hi guys. I’m 5 weeks post opp today. No issues with food. But I am exhausted. Absolutely and positively exhausted. No matter how much I sleep. And since last night I have had pain on thr right side of my abdomen. Considering even getting one of those IV drip treatments. Anyone else?

I am also week five and I’ve been getting the Ivs for the last two weeks and it has helped - it’s not like a magic energy pill but it does a lot to ease the fatigue. I find that on the weekends i have to just fully rest and i pushed myself last Saturday but doing too much and spend the next two days in bed. I’m hoping this gets better when i start eating normal?