WildIris

Okay, is this weird or normal? I have a birth control implant (Implanon--fairly new). I've had it since March. Prior to that I was on Depo Provera (shot) for six months. Up until surgery, I was not having my period, which was fine with me because it was what I was after with the birth control. Now, suddenly I'm going from spotting to having agonizing cramps and fluid retention (the reason I wanted to stop my cycle in the first place). I don't even have any sanitary supplies in the house. That one's really easy to remedy, but what gives on the sudden resumption of my cycle? Help!!!!

I take Lovaza fish oil pills, myself. They're a prescription-strength, super-concentrated form of the fish oil. I take one gram (1000 milligrams) twice a day. And it actually ends up being cheaper to get it via prescription, especially if you're taking high doses of fish oil pills. Plus, with the Lovaza, I've found that I don't have issues with burping fishy flavor all day long (they get it out in the concentration and purification process). And it's a lot fewer pills: one, twice per day. They've made a huge difference in my cholesterol and triglyceride levels, even before surgery. I'm excited to see what my levels are when I get the labwork done again in another couple of weeks. :001_smile:

Donna, you and I had our surgery on the same day. :001_smile: I'm having trouble with fatigue as well, and I just saw my primary care physician on Wednesday for unrelated stuff. He's familiar with the various kinds of weight-loss surgery, and he told me that it can take 4-6 weeks before you feel back up to your pre-surgery energy levels. I've found that aspect of this really frustrating, especially after three days in a row of going to the gym and then going *splat* today. But, I think we just have to remember to be nice to ourselves. I've started reminding myself frequently that I went through major, serious surgery, even if it was done laparoscopically like mine was, and that most of a major organ was removed. It's more than the incisions that have to heal (I do have to keep reminding myself of this). And fatigue is a big part of the healing process, because the body uses up huge resources to do it. Combine it with being on a liquid, low-calorie diet, and it starts to make at least a glimmer of logical sense. I hope I don't come across as lecturing--unless I'm lecturing myself at the same time! Anyway, keep your chin up. I'm trying to do that too.:thumbup:

Oh, thank goodness I'm not the only one feeling exhausted. I'm 16 days post-surgery, and I was feeling so good that I joined a gym on Monday, and on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I worked out. Or at least walked and swam. I walked one mile the first day, 1.5 miles the second, swam vigorously for a half-hour yesterday, and today...well, I am absolutely exhausted. Couldn't drag myself out of the house. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it tomorrow, either. I slept in until noon today, then had a three-hour nap late this afternoon, and now I'm ready to go to bed. I feel like a wimp! I think in retrospect, I probably pushed myself 'way too hard. What I WANT to do versus what I CAN do are still poles apart. On the good side, at least, I can handle more than tiny sips of fluids now. It still takes me a half-hour or longer to finish a 16-ounce bottle of Water if I'm not doing anything but focusing on drinking it, but that's 'way down from taking a couple of hours (or longer). I don't feel on the bare edge of excruciating thirst now. And water, just plain water, has never tasted so good in my life!

Juicy, spicy radishes with salt and lime juice Crispy cucumber Walla Walla Sweet onions Fresh, tender baby spinach (raw) Ripe sun-warm tomatoes, grown in my own garden Unbelievably nutty, smooth ripe avocado ...and then combining all that into a salad, with grilled, marinated chicken breast over the top. Fresh-snapped green beans; asparagus, raw or steamed; broccoli; cauliflower; kohlrabi; turnips; zucchini...mushrooms. I'm such a mushroom addict. That's the kind of stuff I'm looking forward to eating again. I've found that I've missed that the most of all, being on the liquid diet.

Donna, I haven't gotten to the pureed food stage, but I have some ideas with what I am going to do with it anyhow. I bought baby food, and I'm going to blend it with cooked vegetables that I saved when I was making broth pre-surgery. Also, if you have a juicer, you can do a lot with blends of vegetable and fruit juices as well as using the pulp for a little bulk (bonus points: you can put unflavored protein mix into the juices you make). And vegetable purees to make endless soups, pureed with whatever your favorite preparation of meat happens to be. I'm planning on making some of my favorite stews (including lentils and quinoa), and whizzing them up too.

I was looking at your ticker in your signature, and you're actually five pounds under your targeted weight? I'm impressed. Very much so.

Unjury chicken broth? I'm going to have to check that one out. I found out that I like the "Better Than Bouillon" turkey broth really well, if anyone's interested. It really does taste like turkey. Bit of a change of tastes from beef or chicken. This is probably a dumb question (please don't think I'm questioning your intelligence), but have you tried chewable Gas-X? It comes in this really revoltingly sweet cherry flavor, but it kicks bloat and gas in the butt, so to speak. And I've found that for myself, if I get the bloat under control, the overall pain is a lot easier to manage, and I've found that it's made a huge difference in my ability to get out and do stuff and not feel exhausted afterward. My stamina is increasing by the day. My incisions have healed over completely now, and I can swim!!! And I don't look absolutely disgusting in a bathing suit, because *gasp* I have a figure! I can fit into really flattering swimsuits that I hadn't worn in years.

I'm post-surgery by eleven days now, and quite frankly, I'm feeling GREAT!!! The pain is now down to the level of "minor discomfort once in awhile if I remember to think about it," I haven't had to take even Tylenol for three days now, and I LOVE the weight-loss. I'm still in the stage where it cracks me up how little it takes to make me feel satisfied. I'm still on the clear-liquids-except-for-protein-shake diet, and it takes me two days to eat two ounces of sugar-free Jello. I have to space out my Protein shakes more than the original 3x/day because I can't go through even four ounces of it fast enough for it to be palatable. My husband and I joke about it. He's calling me "the incredible shrinking woman." And I have my gym membership card, finally, with a gym that has an indoor walking track and swimming pools (brutal summers and winters around here make climate-controlled exercise something of a necessity). I'm starting tomorrow morning. I'm actually looking forward to exercising for the first time in years! Yeah, my quality of life has gone up sharply since the surgery, and it's only going to keep going up. Next to marrying my husband, this is the best decision I've ever made. And this one was for me.

I cheated once, today. It's the only time it's going to happen, too. I sucked a tiny amount of juice out of a vine-ripened tomato straight from my garden. Managed not to eat anything and just got juice, and it was the most heavenly thing in the world. I need to get a juicer for later, and make my own V8. The part that's difficult for me is that I am absolutely addicted to fresh vegetables. I don't need a lot on them besides salt and maybe a little lime or vinegar: turnips, mushrooms, radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, onions, avocados, spinach, kohlrabi, celery...I'm SOOOO looking forward to being able to eat all of that again!

It worked out GREAT!!! I loved it. I used Green Tea Peach Mango, and I've used Citrus Splash, and Fruit Punch, and it tastes absolutely wonderful. I put about double the called-for amount of Gelatin in, so it's really, really firm. And it's a much better taste than regular Jello flavors. I have to admit, I cheated just a tiny bit this evening, even a week post-op. My husband was slicing up fresh tomatoes, straight from the garden. I sprinkled salt on one tomato slice and sucked the juice out of it. Best taste in the world. I didn't eat the tomato, just the juice. *whimper*

This is going to gross some people out, I'm sure. But I'm a week post-op, still on Clear liquids, and I'm absolutely sick of sweet anything. My pain medication is even sweet--some disgusting pineapple analog, I think. I quit taking it just to get away from the ghastly syrupy taste and texture. The Gas-X chewable is faux-cherry. Gah. Multi-Vitamin chewable is sweet. I want some character in my clear liquid diet, drat it!!! So, I got my husband to buy a bottle of cocktail olive-thingies, all briny and stuff, and a bottle of pickled pearl onions, plus some Perrier, and a bag of Key limes (those little bitty ones). Poured some of the Perrier Water over ice, added some spoonfuls of the liquid around the olives and onions, squeezed in some lime juice, and took a sip. I started *DROOLING* it tasted so good to me. Sour, salty, a little bitter...and no carbs or sugar. I may try tonic water next. Also, I think I've hit on a winning combination for the next party I go to, so I have a drink to carry around without drinking anything alcoholic and that'll actually taste good (to me). My doc said to not drink carbonated stuff, and I think Perrier is close enough to not-carbonated (plus, I don't exactly drink it every day) that it won't be cheating. Those sour onions and the olives were delicious, though...How silly is that?

I'm going to check that out. I am SO tired of sweet.

It's not anything protracted, but sometimes (I still haven't figured out a pattern), I'll just suddenly realize, "Oh shit, it's coming up!" and barely make it to the bathroom in time. Then I heave for a couple minutes, and I'm fine again. I haven't felt like it was worth taking anti-nausea medication for, because it doesn't happen often enough to make the side-effects of the medication worth the hassle! The abdominal soreness at my incision sites is the worst, actually. Also, nothing comes up but whatever fluid I was sipping the few moments prior to the sudden attack. No fever, nada. I've got my post-op appointment tomorrow with the surgeon and I intend to ask about it. I'm mostly just curious to see if anyone else has run up against this.

Okay, so I actually had the surgery a week ago, July 14, and I've been hanging out, bored silly the last couple of days, in a hotel room, recuperating. Couldn't find my password for the forum here, or I'd have posted before. It went VERY well, though I checked into the hospital at 5:30am on the 14th, and didn't actually get prepped for surgery until 7:30pm that evening. After that, I don't have any clear memories. That's when they gave me the sedative. I think they only did it then to make me shut up, because I remember that I had been making comments to the surgery prep team that they were giving me rat poison derivative (blood thinners--and I was trying rather lamely to tease them), to cover up the fact that I was scared out of my gourd. Apparently I didn't want to wake up from the general anesthesia, either, because I don't actually remember anything until 7:30ish the next morning, and I could hear a nurse squawking out in the hall, "You gave her IV WHAT?!?" Then The Bitch From Hell marched into the room and announced, "You're taking a walk. Right now." So I replied very suavely by leaning over the bed rail and throwing up on the floor. I couldn't walk straight. I was only dizzy if I let my autonomic nervous system function, so I tried to figure out some ways to A) not breathe, not blink, and C) lose the whole heartbeat thing. I mean, a pulse is seriously overrated anyhow, right? Anyway, so this nurse attaches herself to me, and informs me that I never should've gotten any IV pain medication post-op, that I only got to take it orally, and that the reason behind this was because they had a hard time getting me to come around in recovery, and that thereafter, I was going to Start Walking, No More Lying Down, I had to Start Drinking, and Start Peeing Without A Catheter. And that I had to drink 50 ounces of fluids and KEEP THEM DOWN before I could get discharged. It actually wasn't bad, once she pissed me off enough to make me focus... Took me awhile to get started on what TBFH-nurse counted as my 50 ounces, because I did end up having to get some more pain medication and some serious anti-nausea medication via IV. And, I should say out of fairness that I really did end up liking her. She was actually pretty funny. I eavesdrop shamelessly all the time, no matter where I am, and I'd hear her out in the hospital corridor griping to the nurses about how I wouldn't cooperate, and I was hopeless, and the surgeon had already yelled at her twice, and then she'd come back in the room and drag me out for a walk. She was nice enough on several of these perambulations to steer me the other direction when somebody had come in with a perforated bowel and the smell was making me turn right past green into gray...but she made a little dark aside comment about how "THAT'S what it smells like if you don't get walking..." I'm probably not doing a very good job of relating all this, but she was really very funny, though I don't think she entirely meant to be. I thoroughly approved of her, actually. Absolutely competent, bossy, manipulative in a good way... She became steadily more approving of me as the day wore on, and I pushed myself to finish my 50 ounces so I could get discharged when she came off her shift at 6pm. I gauged her increasing approval by the fact that I overheard her out in the hall briefing someone coming on-shift telling them that I was really a sweetheart and very polite. It was pretty funny juxtaposed with her bustling into the room a moment later and informing me that I needed to get a move on and drink some more fluids because I was falling down on the job! She gave me a hug when I left. I grinned really big at her and told her, "That last time I puked on the floor, and it got all over your shoes, I was aiming for 'em." I waited for her to react, then I said, "I'm kidding!" I'm pretty sure I was actually kidding, too. :thumbup1: All-in-all, not the best day of my life, but not the worst, either. It did have its funny moments. And it's all downhill from here, so to speak...

*very big grin* Hey, I'm only a week post-op, and it's great so far. My stitches haven't even dissolved yet, and I think it's 'way cool. Of course, I've dropped fifteen pounds since July 14, and I haven't had anything that would fit the definition of "complications" whatsoever, so I think I might have gotten off pretty easy compared to some. Also, the fact that so far I haven't had to take ANY oral diabetes medication since July 4 really figures into my loving this. This has been a snap, compared with being on Metformin for the last 3.5 years and the GI upsets and nausea and headaches that accompanied it. I've had to shoot myself up with ten units of Lantus once a day, and repeated checks of my glucose levels prove this is doing the trick. I am quite certain that as I continue to lose weight and get into an exercise routine that I'll be able to even quit that. So this has definitely been worth it for me already. I'm even looking forward to joining this gym and hauling my butt out to exercise, because I'll finally get visible, measurable results!

Bigtime congrats on the weight loss. I'd dance around for you, but I think I'd jiggle a bit still. ;> I'm only a week post-op, as of today.

My own aside: my husband grew up in Huntington, and graduated from WVU. His dad still lives there. I'm a West Coaster, myself, but I think it's a gorgeous area.

Oh god. I'm so sorry. =( I wish I could say something more adequate than that. But...keep trying? Again, I am so sorry.

For me, anyway, the worst part was the first 48 hours. I am doing the clear liquids diet for ten days pre-op as well, and I've reached day six. The last four days I've felt really good, but the first 48 hours, I had a raging headache that I thought I couldn't do anything about because I didn't know I could take Tylenol. I've heard other people say the first 48 is the worst too, that it's a combination of no caffeine and the body adjusting to burning fat (I think that's called ketosis, but I just barely woke up and could easily be wroooong) instead of carbohydrates, which is its usual state, and which is the body's primary fuel source (because it's the easiest one available). I took a cellular biology class during winter quarter, and learned all about how the body converts carbohydrates, fat, and Protein into glucose, which becomes ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as the 'cell energy currency,' but describing the process would almost certainly profoundly bore every single person reading this, including me. In any case, knowing what's going on inside your body doesn't particularly help the fact that too much stress and physical activity at this point might leave (or is leaving) you feeling weak. My advice--after spending three hours yesterday getting pre-op shopping done, when it was 107F outside--is DRINK. Your body's adjusted to burning fat and you're undoubtedly taking all kinds of dietary supplements, so all you need to do is make sure you get your Protein shakes in, and drink the prescribed types of fluids 'til your pee comes out odorless and either clear yellow, or totally colorless. I didn't drink nearly enough fluids yesterday, and by the time I got home, I was limper than an overcooked noodle until I'd had a nap and rehydrated myself. I've found that staying well-hydrated keeps the weakness and fatigue pretty well at bay. Of course, your mileage may vary--drastically. Keep going and persevere. You can do it!!!

I tried an experiment last night, with the whole jello thing. I have yet to check the fridge and see how it worked. What I did, is I got some of the unflavored Gelatin stuff, and dumped some Crystal Light powder into it. Put extra gelatin in it, so it (hopefully) won't be so slimy. We'll see. When I'm more awake and feeling like 'eating Breakfast,' I'll test it out. An interesting side-note: night-time has historically been a bad time for me getting the munchies, especially if I'm going through a bout of insomnia. I've started saving my jello and broth-making experiments for those nights, so I get the satisfaction of cooking, but the results are all a valid part of my liquid diet. I'm on my fifth day now, and so far I've cheated exactly once: I chewed some Cloves gum. Astonishingly (to me), my only real food fantasies involve desperately fantasizing about crisp, cold, juicy, spicy radishes sprinkled with a little salt and lime juice. I told my surgeon about that one, and he laughed so hard he went into a coughing fit. One other tip that has worked for me (and of course, your mileage may vary) is that I still work around having a mealtime schedule. I have to get 90+ grams of Protein per day, so I break it up into three shakes. Breakfast includes jello (if I can make myself eat it on any given day) with the shake. With the dinner Protein Shake, I drink hot chicken broth. "Dessert" is as many sugar-free popsicles as my little heart desires! During the day, it's just Water and more water that I flavor just a tiny, tiny bit with lemon juice and Crystal Light.

Okay, so this is the second day of my pre-surgery liquid diet. I'm actually doing fine on the diet itself--come up with some really interesting ways to get plenty of fluids and still drink stuff that tastes really good. What's driving me absolutely insane is the headache. I often wake up with headaches in the morning anyhow--not something that is due to caffeine dependence, either--but my usual remedies are not working, mostly because of the fact that I can't take over-the-counter headache remedies. I've tried sleeping through it all, but I've had a non-stop headache since Sunday morning. It's not a migraine--I already tried my prescription-strength migraine medication, and it didn't even provide temporary relief. I just can't kick this blasted headache, and my doctor's office was closed today for the holiday. What I'm finally doing this evening is treating it as a 'classic migraine,' and I've caved in and made some really strong caffeinated tea, and taken some Tylenol (both no-nos on this diet), but I'm in so much pain I have to do SOMETHING. I'm sound-sensitive and light-sensitive, and every time I stand upright or have to bend over, I feel like I want to scream--except that would make the stupid thing worse. Has anyone else run into this, and if so, how did you deal with it? I'm going to call my doctor first thing tomorrow, but I've got to sleep tonight. :eek:

Whine and complain all you want. That's what we're here for! Hey, I know it's mid-summer and all, but I found out that drinking hot broth goes a long way to making you feel full. I got 99% fat-free chicken broth (doesn't matter what brand, as long as it's not in a can!) and cooked it with fresh carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic, black pepper, and wasabi (gotta be careful on quantity with that, or you'll need a fire extinguisher for your mouth and sinuses). Then I strained out all the chunks, and voila! I have a delicious broth that I can reheat and drink any time I want. Another thing I discovered is that Celestial Seasonings herbal teas has this tea called Bengal Spice, and if I brew it up and put it in the fridge until it's cold, then mix it with either vanilla flavored Protein mix, or unflavored, it's REALLY GOOD. Very spicy and cinnamon-ey and flavorful.

My surgeon ordered 90+ grams of protein a day for me, which I'm getting exclusively through Protein Shakes, since I'm on a clear-liquid diet (with the exception of the shakes). Good thing I found a Protein shake I really like! My surgery is scheduled for July 14. I lost 3.4 pounds just since yesterday, on the diet. I'm pretty sure it's Water weight, but I'm still in awe (at the risk of sounding insufferable). I'm not sure what the average per-day protein intake is supposed to be, though, sorry.

I feel your pain. I'm nine days pre-surgery, and I'm on a no-carb, no-sugar, no-caffeine clear liquid diet that started yesterday morning. I'm actually not obsessed with thoughts of food (at this point), but I've got this headache that will not quit. And I think I will hate Jello--no matter the flavor--from now into eternity!