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hey there! been healing away. since i am now one week post op, thought i would give an update!!! was doing well overall with lots of soreness and some actual pain. had trouble getting liquids for about three days but finally am doing a lot better. (did about 23-28 oz those three days sipping as much as i could… then have been increasing since) was burping with every single sip for three days. also had issues with gas pains that would randomly come on and feel like my sternum would rip in half. moving makes such a big difference !!! i Tuesday and wednesday i started to have a lot of pain/tugging and difficulty with my main incision … the bruising around it spread like deep healing bruises do and i think that was part of the issue. it also felt like a hard lump under the incision area there. i talked to my surgeon and said that was all normal and just keep at it as long as i didn’t get fever over 100 or it started getting red… this morning it feels a lot better, but still hurts… big victory for today is that i can sit and stand more comfortably than the last two days!!! i was finally able to “go” 5 days po.. no real problem but had the runs yesterday… i know, tmi but it’s what we go through zero real hunger and no real desire to even drink but doing it because I have to … i am only down 4.4 lbs so far (actually went up for the two days i was in acute pain this week) … but i am ok with that because my body is healing and know that is more important during this first healing stages… i am wary about going back to work next week part time. know i am going to be slow and really take it easy… i should be fine but know how doing nothing exhausts me lol (i am in bed before 830 every night… used to be 11 easy) hows everyone else in the early stages of post op????

Sounds like everything is going pretty smoothly. I also had a huuuuge lump under one of my incisions this last surgery. It was the size of an egg. I thought it was a hernia or something. I do everything not to go to the doctor's but I was so concerned I went in ASAP, and let him squeeze and manipulate it, and then to ultimately tell me "That's normal" lol. Been looking for your update the past few days, and hoping you'll get a speedy recovery. If you don't feel like going back, I hope you can take another week off. The post-op exhaustion is real.

I regret not doing this sooner.

Glad to hear things are going well.

In general, I'm not a huge fan of pedal exercisers, but especially the low cost ones. They just are not very stable, which makes them quite jerky when you use them. Look for heavier ones with a nice wide base to overcome this tendency. Note that there are basically two types of pedal exercisers. One (like the one you show in the photo), is supposed to mimic an elliptical machine. The other type mimics an exercise bike. I'm not a fan of ellipticals at all, but especially for someone rehabbing from a knee replacement, I believe they should be avoided. The elliptical motion itself is not a natural movement, and it forces you to over engage your quadriceps muscles. This can put extra stress on your quadriceps tendon and patella and cause pain. This also can create muscular imbalance (overworking your quads and not your glutes or hamstrings), leaving you more likely to injure yourself. If you are determined to get this type of machine anyway, at least make sure it also allows you to go in reverse as this will help address the shortcomings above. It probably should be clear by now, but I personally think a better choice would be a traditional "bike-like" pedal exerciser. This is a more natural motion. I should note that If you're going to Physical Therapy post surgery (and hopefully pre-surgery as well), then you may not need to buy anything. Once you're through with PT, you should be fine walking. Walking is the best exercise you can do post surgery, since it's what our bodies were meant to do. If you do decide you need one, DeskCycle is probably the best known brand and likely the only one I'd personally buy if I were shopping for one. Just my thoughts and not meant to dis anyone that loves their elliptical.

These comments are encouraging. I’m revising from my VSG (2015) to RNY in 8 days and I have SOMUCH anxiety about it! I’ve lost more weight this year than I did post VSG thanks to a combination of severe GERD, aerophagia from my CPAP, and Ozempic. It’s worth it if it resolves the GERD and aerophagia (maybe sleep apnea altogether but I won’t hold my breath 😜). I’m just worried I’m trading one set of problems for another. One specific thing I’m worried about is immediately post op. I still can feel viscerally the heaving/gagging in PACU once I was extubated and they were trying to wake me up. It felt like I could breathe due to those dry heaves! I’m scared of going through that again!

First I asked about getting the MGB before I got my revision to RNY for gerd, I was told that there are recent studies that MGB is linked to bile reflux. Because I was in the minority groups of VSG that got severe reflux (I think it's 15-20% of VSG), there is no way I was going to risk getting bile reflux. Also, my surgeon cautioned me against the MGB and told me to go RNY to help with my gerd. So, I was apprehensive like everyone else. I just suffered so bad and so long from gerd, I was actually looking forward to sleeping and no fake gnawing feelings of hunger that gerd gave me, or burning throat all day long... Etc. So 15 months since my revision, and no severe gerd. I also do not have any side effects like dumping, fluctuance, and am getting great post-op blood tests. I am feeling so normal (pre WLS op normal) but the only difference is I eat very little comparatively speaking. It has been an incredibly smooth ride.

My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner! WLS has changed my life and the lives of my family, as I'm a better mother and wife as a result of being healthy!

Zero regrets! Had VSG 2/5/2021. Highest weight was 363. Current weight 185. No more blood pressure meds, no more sleep apnea. I feel in control of my life and have a process to help manage my food behaviors for life. I still log my food every day and follow the guidance of my surgeon and nutritionist. Surgery allowed me to make long term behavior changes.

No regrets whatsoever! I’m just almost 2 weeks post op. I’ve stopped taking many medications and lost about 20 pounds.