November 2023 buddies

[Char V 52]

17 hours ago, MJbypass said:

Hi everyone, I hope I can jump in!

I had a sleeve in 2018 and just had a mini bypass (omega loop) performed on mon 27.11. Just got home from hospital today and still feeling quite swollen and poorly, but hoping every day feels a bit better.

Hi MJ

hope this time round is a success for you.
I had to have a 2nd gastric sleeve. Had an emergency GS last August 2022 due to my hiatus hernia and diaphragm strangling my stomach. After a non successful 14 months I had to have another part of my stomach removed and the hiatus hernia repaired again. But this time it was way ip in my chest.
29 days post op and am feeling good now. Besides vomiting a few times this week.

[RTL1234 99]

Hoping to hop on the train too! I had a revision to a bypass on 11/28 for severe GERD, as well as a hiatal hernia repair. Almost my entire stomach was up in the chest wall he said. I am feeling pretty decent 4 days post op. I did lose 85lbs with my sleeve, and had gained a little back 10lbs. They did a full bypass but didn’t not take out as much bowel so that I don’t lose too much more weight and be malnourished they said. Any way, glad to find others in similar situations just like last time. :)

Hope everyone is doing well!!!

[ChunkCat 722]

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm already doing all those things. I get 60-90 grams of Protein a day (I'm a DS patient so my protein requirement is higher), I am getting all my Water in daily, I'm walking when I can, and doing anything physical that is safe for this stage of my healing. Truly, there is nothing I can do to break the stall. Stalls break when they are ready. This is my body recalibrating. It is discouraging but I'm trying to be patient. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and the body needs down time to rest and recover and recalibrate so we can move forward. The best thing I can do right now is stay the course so I don't give it anything new to have to adjust to! LOL

I'm one month post op today!! So happy with that. My healing is going well. I'm still nauseous on and off, especially in the morning, but other than that I feel good. My incisions are almost invisible already. No more soreness in the muscles of my abdomen. I still can't lift much yet but I'm being very careful about that because I don't want a hernia. I can sleep on my side again. I'm getting the hang of estimating what portions of what foods I can eat without measuring cups. I still think anything resembling chicken breast is vile and dry and a concrete block in my tummy. But I can get all different sorts of Protein Drinks in now when I need them!! Aaaand my partner bought us an espresso machine for Christmas so I can have my favorite espresso drinks Decaf with my high protein Fairlife milk!! That's true love man...

Edited December 1, 2023 by ChunkCat

[MJbypass 5]

So nice to hear from everyone.

has anyone felt like they had muscle strains or internal pain while healing? I don’t think it’s incisions, but more like a sharp deep pulling pain along my left hand side. Almost like I’ve done a million crunches without knowing haha.

[ChunkCat 722]

46 minutes ago, MJbypass said:

has anyone felt like they had muscle strains or internal pain while healing? I don’t think it’s incisions, but more like a sharp deep pulling pain along my left hand side. Almost like I’ve done a million crunches without knowing haha.

Most definitely yes!! Felt like I had done a core muscle marathon. 😂 It lasted a few weeks but now at 1 month post op it's gone. It is there to remind you to take it easy!!

[MJbypass 5]

13 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

Most definitely yes!! Felt like I had done a core muscle marathon. 😂 It lasted a few weeks but now at 1 month post op it's gone. It is there to remind you to take it easy!!

Thank you!!! I thought something was wrong as I don’t remember it from my old sleeve surgery but it is definitely a reminder to slow down I think. Not easy with four kids! 😅

[MJbypass 5]

13 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

Most definitely yes!! Felt like I had done a core muscle marathon. 😂 It lasted a few weeks but now at 1 month post op it's gone. It is there to remind you to take it easy!!

Thank you!!! I thought something was wrong as I don’t remember it from my old sleeve surgery but it is definitely a reminder to slow down I think. Not easy with four kids! 😅

[ChunkCat 722]

3 hours ago, MJbypass said:

Thank you!!! I thought something was wrong as I don’t remember it from my old sleeve surgery but it is definitely a reminder to slow down I think. Not easy with four kids! 😅

You had a bypass, right? I had the DS. Both involve alteration of the intestines. My guess is that is what causes that feeling, things being rearranged in that area. I had the same feeling after a hysterectomy. I think the surgery impacts the muscles in the area... 4 kids would definitely make taking it easy challenging!! LOL

[BoilerBob 51]

Welcome to December everyone. Things physically have been going great in terms of little to no pain and virtually no nausea. I have been having back pain I can’t really explain. Mentally it’s been more of a challenge. My wife and my PCP both asked me the other day what was wrong because I wasn’t acting like myself. People assume I don’t want to do social stuff that involves food and say they feel bad for eating around me. I was getting on myself for eating too much real food now that some options are available to me. Just feel a bit of a mess right now.

[heaven1881 9]

My surgeon had a last minute cancellation so I had the gastric bypass on November 27th (my birthday). Day 2 was ROUGH but I’m home now and feeling pretty good.

[brandycsiz 39]

Well I had my gastric bypass on the 29th and I got home yesterday. The first day and a half was rough, painful and I was full of doubts. Now that I am home I am good. I am keeping Water, Jello and Protein Gatorade down. I am going to try some broth and yogurt today. Now trying to figure out this Christmas stuff for 3 boys.

[RTL1234 99]

On 12/01/2023 at 17:30, MJbypass said:

So nice to hear from everyone.

has anyone felt like they had muscle strains or internal pain while healing? I don’t think it’s incisions, but more like a sharp deep pulling pain along my left hand side. Almost like I’ve done a million crunches without knowing haha.

Yes definitely!! I think that and gas is the worst part. It’s like constant achy/shooting kind of pain. It’s aggravating. Lol. Hopefully it passes soon for both of us!

[RTL1234 99]

On 12/02/2023 at 07:59, BoilerBob said:

Welcome to December everyone. Things physically have been going great in terms of little to no pain and virtually no nausea. I have been having back pain I can’t really explain. Mentally it’s been more of a challenge. My wife and my PCP both asked me the other day what was wrong because I wasn’t acting like myself. People assume I don’t want to do social stuff that involves food and say they feel bad for eating around me. I was getting on myself for eating too much real food now that some options are available to me. Just feel a bit of a mess right now.

I get that way too. I was like that after my sleeve, and now after my revision. I should be happy, I don’t have any GERD thus far but it’s like I’m just sad. I think this is almost just normal hormonal shifts. I feel down and out after every surgery I’ve ever had, as well as after my kids with postpartum depression. I wonder if it is just something that’s ingrained in me. Hoping you are getting back to yourself soon.

[ChunkCat 722]

9 hours ago, BoilerBob said:

Welcome to December everyone. Things physically have been going great in terms of little to no pain and virtually no nausea. I have been having back pain I can’t really explain. Mentally it’s been more of a challenge. My wife and my PCP both asked me the other day what was wrong because I wasn’t acting like myself. People assume I don’t want to do social stuff that involves food and say they feel bad for eating around me. I was getting on myself for eating too much real food now that some options are available to me. Just feel a bit of a mess right now.

You have just had major abdominal surgery, the body has to take a lot of resources to heal from that and some of the meds we are given can affect us for weeks after. Then you have to take into account that you lost a nice chunk of weight very rapidly, causing hormones to be released into your body that are not normally that high. This impacts mood a LOT for some people, myself included. Think of it like having PMS/PMDD from hell. Irritability is very common, higher emotionality as well, sometimes depression too. Major surgery can also trigger depression and in men depression most exhibits itself as anger. Talk to your wife and GP about this. If it continues to be an issue you might want to try a medication to even things out for while you are losing...

I hate when people say they feel bad for eating around me. Eat your damned food!! LOL I'm not a child, I can handle my feels about it. It is nice when people are willing to eat (at least partly) what I'm eating so I feel like a part of the gathering instead of the one in the corner with a kiddie meal, but even if no one wants to join me, I don't need pity. I need empathy and time spent with the ones I love that doesn't involve food! Or that involves food without people feeling bad for their own food. I'm not here to food shame anyone.

Are you tracking your meals in Baritastic?? If not, I highly recommend you do. It helps you keep track of your routine daily food and you can see what your macros look like and get an idea for when you have room to indulge a little and when you need to stay on the straight and narrow. Sleeve surgery is a purely restrictive procedure, which means it relies heavily on dietary restriction to help you lose the weight. You have to work with it to help it accomplish this. Make sure your first focus is Water, then Protein, at least 60 grams or whatever your dietician suggests, then some healthy carbs if you have room, and then if you still have room, a bite or two of a starch or something indulgent. You shouldn't have much room for straying right now. And you may need to talk to someone about the food struggle because the food you are eating right now IS "real food" and will need to become the foundation of your eating from here on out to be able to maintain the results you get from the sleeve's weight loss. I don't say this to guilt you at all, my indulgence is dark chocolate, always has been. But the DS requires me to adhere to a low carb diet, so I get a bite of chocolate in the evening after I've hit all my goals for the day! Hence the app tracking things. LOL

Be kind to yourself, you are going through some huge changes, we all are, and our bodies are under a lot of stress. What it needs most is kindness and nurturing right now, not shame and guilt. ❤️

Edited December 2, 2023 by ChunkCat

[ChunkCat 722]

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Yesterday I went out for lunch with my partner. I got some items people might frown at, but they fit in with my overall DS macros and I didn't eat as much as I felt like I did. And it didn't have as many calories or carbs as I thought it might. A tablespoon of this, a tablespoon of that adds up, but there are still ways to keep it balanced so in the end it doesn't set you off track. I wouldn't eat this every day, but it was a nice treat this week and being able to eat out normally really cheered me up!