VSG - Documenting my surgery

[lily06 31]

Hi Everyone!

I’m having my VSG surgery tomorrow, april 3rd and i plan on documenting my journey here.

I’ve searched and read countless threads to try and anticipate what tomorrow will be like so i thought i’d create this topic to document and be able to look back on how things went.

I’ve been in the pre-op requirement journey since october 2023, my requirements were pretty flexible: 10 days of nutrition, psychological and art therapy as well as physical activity classes in a specialised facility - there were also mandatory support group meetings to attend during the past 7 months.

I also did not have any pre-op diet as my surgeon doesn’t require any weightloss before performing the surgery.

I’m happy with the team i have working with me, and the clinic has a great reputation.

But, obviously nerves have started to kick in and for the first time i’m actually scared. What if something goes wrong during surgery ? I guess these are normal thoughts, just trying to get through the stress and get to the other side of the surgery so i can concentrate on the long road ahead :)

I’ll report to the clinic at 8.30 am tomorrow, and my surgery is scheduled for 10 am. Hoping everything goes well !! Fingers crossed.

[Bypass2Freedom 310]

As my surgery date creeps closer I am definitely feeling that anxiety of the surgery itself - I think it is the fear of the unknown and is entirely normal!

One thing my psychologist said to me when I was speaking about these nerves, is that not only is the surgery itself quite safe and routine, but that there is more risk in staying obese and the long-term health implications of that, so I have to kind of self-soothe with this thought every time I feel myself slipping into anxious ways of thinking!

Good luck with your surgery tomorrow, I hope it goes well for you. Looking forward to reading more

[lily06 31]

Well, i went in on 3rd april, at 8.30am as planned. I was rushed in pretty quickly because the surgeon was done with his earlier procedures and so i didn’t have time to really get to grasp what i was doing - i went from registration to being rushed by the nurses to change and next thing i knew i was being wheeled into the OR.
The operation didn’t go as planned - it was supposed to last 1.5 hours but ended up being 3 hours long because, as my surgeon tells me, my abdominal muscle wall was thicker than expected and he had to pull apart my muscles to access my stomach.
I woke up in so much muscle pain … like having done 1500 crunches or something. I was in and out of sleep for the rest or the afternoon and night.
I was on a morphine drip, and hydration drip but in pretty much the same pain - i had a drain in also that was unplanned and uncomfortable.
The next day i was feeling pretty terrible : pain and nausea really set in. I had horrible acid reflux and having not eaten anything for now 48 hours i was really feeling just down and exhausted.

Today, i hurt way less. I’m off the morphine and hydration drip and drinking by myself. I’ve also had my first non liquid food in the form of yoghurt and apple sauce. I think that’s made me feel so much better.
I still have mild muscle pain but it’ll get better.

I get to go home tomorrow thank god i feel like being home will help soooo much

[lily06 31]

Saturday 6th april and i am finally home !! So excited to be in my own bed tonight i could not get comfy in hospital … i barely made it through 1.5 hours without waking up each night.
I can’t wait to finally get some rest.

I picked up all my meds and a nurse will be coming twice daily to change bandages and administer injections but i feel pretty good.

Trying to get into the swing of drinking and eating but it feels like i can’t do both right now. I’ve had 500ml of Water by 3pm but one managed to eat like 70g of food all day.

Hoping it gets easier each day because today got me worried about the lack of calories i’m getting in … going to work on making lower volume higher cal and higher Protein purées so it’s less quantity but better quality food

So glad to be home ! Everything feels so much more manageable being in a comfortable environment 😊

[learn2cook 535]

Congratulations!

[lily06 31]

10 days post op today and i feel sooooo much better. Those first few days were tough !

I was kind of panicking because i wasn’t keeping things down well but the past 3 days have been a breath of fresh air.

I moved to purees, and was able to eat scrambled eggs with a little low fat cream cheese, mashed veggies and white fish puréed together and i have finally found the one Protein Shake that does not make me throw up haha

Every day is getting easier - i think i’ve finally mastered the quantity i can eat after the first 3 days of purees where i systematically threw up after eating too much …

I realised that no matter what my eating plan says i need to adapt size of the meal to what i can actually manage.

I can finally also manage Water comfortably and that is such a relief !!

[lily06 31]

Officially 2 weeks post op as of yesterday and i feel like i’m finally in a groove : i can serve food and know if it’s too much. I’ve mastered what my new normal portion is.

I have also managed to make sure my Water intake is ok (not great, around 1.5 litres per day should be a little more).

I feel much better and have even had morning or afternoon Snacks on the go which is great as i feel i’ll be able to manage once i go back to work next week.

I’m not getting enough Protein in daily yet because i can no longer stomach Protein Shakes, they feel heavy on my stomach and have made me throw up the last 2 times i’ve tried them.

I have a couple more brands to try and hopefully one of them works.

I tried protein water but honestly i can’t stomach it either (taste wise) - everything seems so sweet …

I don’t have much room for vegetables and i’m craving some so badly. I’m going to try and incorporate some but i have to prioritise the little protein i’m getting in so it won’t be easy.

One thing i’ve learnt this past week: some days i can eat more than others. It almost scared me one day but the next few days i ate so much less than i realised we just need more sometimes !

Weight wise i’m at 10.9 kgs (24 lbs) down which is great so far :)
I know a stall is near as everyone mentions the 3 weel stall so i’m’trying to be reasonable and weigh in less !

My new goals for the week are to make sure i reincorporate Vitamins and minerals that will help me fight any fatigue next week when i go back to work. And also, to up my protein intake !

Hope everyone is doing well :)

[NickelChip 1,012]

You might try some plain Protein Powder mixed into Soup. I was very happy with 20g Syntrax Nectar unflavored Protein in Tomato or butternut squash soup as a substitute for Protein Shakes. The only one I can still stand is the orange flavor of Syntrax nectar Naturals, which reminds me of orange juice enough that I'm okay drinking it.

[lily06 31]

On 04/20/2024 at 18:42, NickelChip said:

You might try some plain Protein Powder mixed into Soup. I was very happy with 20g Syntrax Nectar unflavored Protein in Tomato or butternut squash Soup as a substitute for Protein Shakes. The only one I can still stand is the orange flavor of Syntrax nectar Naturals, which reminds me of orange juice enough that I'm okay drinking it.

Thanks ! I have unflavoured Protein but it’s so hard to actually mix in that i’d given up on it entirely. I’ll try changing brands hopefully that helps 😊

[lily06 31]

Week 3 Post Op

Sw: 155kg / 341 lbs

Stats to date: - 11.6kg / 25.5 lbs

I hit 3 full weeks post op yesterday and met with my surgeon + nutritionist

So far so good, nut is happy with the progress i’ve made and have given the ok to move to solid food no restrictions.

We looked at my hydration levels, all are good thank god because this particular subject is one of my biggest worries !
She gave me some ideas to up my Protein but told me it’s quite normal to not be getting protein in yet and that month 2 is generally when you can build on that.

We talked a lot about actually going up in food quantities. She told me that i should be eating 150g meals from month 1-3 then around 200 g from 3-6 months and ending up at 300g meals (standard portion size) from 6-12 months.
She explained how to start adding quantity : adding one more spoonful per week.

She and my surgeon are both pretty against weighing food they want me to start eyeballing as they both say the goal is to be able to live a normal life and be able to visually know one’s serving.

Not sure how i feel about that and the whole upping the quantities thing is scary right now … we’ll see.

My surgeon is completely happy and has provided my estimated weightloss curve. He estimates per his calculations a loss of around 60kg in 12 months - fingers crossed.

He also gave me the ok to got back to work earlier than he had anticipated - but with a warning that i need to take particular care in having my daily Vitamins because work means being more active and more fatigue.

He did however not clear me for any physical activity on top of work. I work in an airport so i walk a LOT daily and he doesn’t want me to add more activity on top of my above average daily steps.

I’ll be back in his office at month 3 now so early july !

I am officially stalled and have been for around 5 days so far weight wise which is expected and i’ve decided to just put the scale away and check back one week from now.

I have survived my first ever restaurant with my boyfriend - and it went great ! I ate very slowly and was able to adapt my portion and my meal (steamed salmon and 1 baby potato)
Incidentally we had a little conversation about his exclamations of « is that all you’re having are you sure, are you really sure » and i realised it’s strange for him to be seeing me eating so little and he has this kind of guilt about going all out and eating big portions.

It made me feel ssooo good to get back into « normal » life, even at work i packed a snack box of individually portioned Snacks (16g cheese slices, 30g watermelon, 30g strawberries and then a lunch of tuna salad and 3 crackers). It was so much easier than i thought to actually get into a real life normal routine - i love it !

[Bec K 4]

Thank you for documenting!

My surgery is fast approaching and this helps calm my nerves.

[lily06 31]

On 05/03/2024 at 16:27, Bec K said:

Thank you for documenting!

My surgery is fast approaching and this helps calm my nerves.

I hoped this thread would help at least one person because i devouuuured every post and every account of surgery and post op journeys i could before my own 😊 good luck for your surgery !

[lily06 31]

Week 4 Post op

Sw: 155kg /341 lbs

Stats to date: - 13,8kg / -30.42lbs

One month post op today !

I’ve been back at work for a full week and feeling great. I work as higher management in a corporate environment so except the daily and expected stress it’s not too strenuous. I had promised myself i wouldn’t go for long hour days unless i felt ok about it and i do. I am working as per usual and managed to get back into the swing of things after 3 weeks off.

The only difference has been i actually take the time to take snack breaks. My daily eating schedule looks like:

- Breakfast + around 300-400ml Water + coffee with milk and stevia

- mid morning snack

- lunch

- water all afternoon

- dinner

I have adaptes super super well to the « real food » stage and i can eat absolutely everything i’ve tried.

The only thing that does make me feel slightly uncomfortable is raw vegetables (lettuce, beetroot, carrot) or certain fruits (watermelon). It’s not that i feel pain i just feel super bloated when i eat them.

I think the most shocking thing has been the fact that i went from being unable to eat more than 30-50g in the early days to actually being able to eat a (dessert) plate of food.

I took what my surgeon told me about not measuring and ran with it: no more weighing food i just eyeball my dessert plate and i’ve learned my limit so i know when i’m full.

I actually think it’s crazy when i think back to the amount i used to put on a plate …

It did scare me to be eating more but i have understood that the actual goal is to be able to eat a « normal » portion. Because before i used to serve 2-3 in one sitting !

I have family friends that are visiting for 5 days and don’t know i’ve had surgery (we’re not specifically close enough to discuss this topic) and they actually haven’t noticed anything (or at least haven’t mentioned it haha) but i can sit and enjoy a meal with everyone without restrictions on anything other than the quantity.

I’ve been able to eat carbs for a few days so i made a delicious bell pepper Tomato and chorizo tart served on a bed of baby spinach - i had 1/6 size tart, and served everyone else the standard 1/4 size slice.

Even though i know i’m eating much less i do feel guilty about eating more than 3 weeks ago at times. I feel like my surgery isn’t working because i feel hungry if i miss a snack mid morning … but, i know from having logged all food and drink for a while that i’m’at 600-800 cals per day

So i’m reassured by the fact that it’s scientifically impossible to not lose weight eating so much less.

Hopefully this slight panic, scared feeling subsides with time.

[lily06 31]

Week 5 Post op

Sw: 155kg /341lbs

Stats to date: - 15.9kgs / -35.05lbs

Huge NSV today, getting ready for work and it being very warm weather i decide to try on a shirt i hadn’t warn in 3-4 years because it didn’t fit anymore. 

It fits great now !

So i went shopping in my old clothes that i haven’t worn since 2019 ish and everything i threw on was fitting so nicely

Crazy ! I hadn’t noticed my weightloss physically until now 

It put a good spring in my step 

I’m feeling good - if a little tired. My surgeon prescribed some Vitamins that are specific to bariatric patients but i swear they are HUGE pills and i can’t swallow them they get stuck 😣

I need to research new Vitamin options in the mean time i’ll continue the powder form that’s not bariatric specific. 

In other news i’m no longer daily weighing or weighing out my food. The pressure is wayyy too much i’d rather weigh once a week and continue measuring my food visually on my little plates. 

Can’t wait for the next few months of new victories on or off the scale 🥳