lkcraig316

Welcome to the loser's bench, Michelle! I had my surgery last Monday. I agree that the second day was worse. I had some dry heaves that day as well as keeping my finger on that pain pump. Keep walking, though, it helps no matter how bad you want to stay in the bed.

I am five days post-op and I don't think I can take the thin liquids much longer. I still have 9 more days of them. I'm doing better with my Water, but everything else just tastes disgusting. Everything has some sort of weird underlying taste that I can't really identify. Here goes the whining . . . I'm so freaking tired. I did some laundry today. Just lifting up my arms to fold towels made my muscles weak. I could barely hold them up to curl my hair. I walk a bit and then I have to go lay down. All I want is something that doesn't taste sickly sweet. But other than chicken broth there is NOTHING on my thin liquids list that is not sweet. I know what's done is done and I will be so thankful in about another month, but right now I'm grouchy and tired and never want to have a sugar free fruit jello/popsicle again. Anybody have any suggestions for getting through this period?

Thanks, Rev Me Up! I was planning to go with my daughter this afternoon to get her crown put on. But by the time I showered, dressed, "prettied up" and ate some broth, I was worn out! Good thing she's 20 and can take herself! I don't plan to rush into moving up to thick liquids, BUT at my check up Thursday, you can sure believe I'm going to ask!!! I don't know how people go back to work after one or two weeks. I'm SO glad I'm not going back until 5/31.

Best wishes tomorrow, meggiep! You will do great and your other body parts will be thankful for what you have done. Please let us know how you are doing as soon as you feel up to it. Lisa

I TOTALLY agree about Baptist inpatient care. Several times my hubby or daughter had to go get a nurse because nobody would ever come even when I called. My stupid IV alarm kept beeping incessantly and I would buzz to tell them but we'd have to listen to it for 15-20 minutes because nobody would come in. But you are right about Spaw and Rebekah. They were both GREAT! I had a hernia repair at the same time, and that is really the only pain I have. The sleeve incisions are just itching like crazy! Wonder why my surgery was only a day before yours but I'm going back for my two week a full week before you? I hope they didn't just schedule mine wrong.

Hugs to you, Barb! It's me from Support Group. I looked for you when I was roaming the halls the day after my surgery, but I guess we were out and about at different times. You are just one day behind me on ALL the same things I'm feeling. The day you had your surgery, I spent mine either dry heaving, sipping, or walking. This Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday I have been "down in the dumps" too. Watching my family eat all the food that people have brought over has just made me so depressed. Not hungry . . . just left out. Allow yourself naps and more naps. I am getting outside now, and the sunshine seems to help my mood. Let's hope it hangs in there for awhile and we don't go back to the day after day of rain that we had the whole month of April. I've been reading, watching movies and letting everybody else do the work. I tried to do some laundry yesterday, but that wore me out. I go back to see Spaw this coming Thursday. When is your follow up? I'm kind of hoping he might let me move along to thick liquids a few days early.

I was very upfront at work about it, and I really did not get ANY rude comments at all. Most people are just very curious and ask about the surgery itself, the eating plan afterward, etc. Our youngest employee kept asking me during my pre-op liquid diet if I was OK. She even told her mom she was afraid that I would pass out. I laughed about it but found it very touching that she cared that much. I did get one of the weirdest, most ignorant comments one day. I NEVER saw this one coming. A coworker said she was very excited for me and that she needed the name of my doctor because she needed to get rid of her "chicken neck." WTF?????? I guess she thought I was having magical plastic surgery. She was SO SERIOUS I had a hard time not just dissolving into giggles right there. I think I eventually got through to her that she needed a plastic surgeon and not a bariatric surgeon. LOL.

Thanks for all the replies. My husband and youngest daughter are doing most of the laundry, but I just felt like I needed to get up and move around some. I feel like such a slug. I did let my daughter put the clothes up once I got them folded. I took a short walk down the street and other than my legs getting tired, I did well. I thought about going out to run an errand, but ended up taking a nap instead. I am so glad I took three full weeks off. There's no way I could go back to work Monday. Right now my scheduled return day is the day after Memorial Day, the same day I start mushies. Question: does strained soup count as a thin liquid? I was just thinking if I could strain some vegetable soup or something at least it would add a little flavor and some calories. I may send hubby to the store tomorrow to get some vegetable broth for a little variety

So happy for you meggiep. I know you would have been so disappointed if the surgery had to be put off. I will be waiting to hear from you when you feel like posting! See you on the loser's bench!

So today I wore a pair of jeans that were a bit loose before surgery, but I could still wear them in public. I figured they would not hurt my incisions. On my upstairs to get ready for bed I made it to the next to the top step when the jeans just slid right down around my ankles. I just stood there laughing for a few minutes and then hitched them up until I could get to my pjs. YAY!!!

Yay, JoJo! I think I got much better mentally once I got home and had a good night's sleep. I'm still waking up in the middle of the night (although last night I slept all the way until 4:00 am) not in pain, but just because my sleep pattern got all messed up in the hospital. Be sure to walk, sip, and rest when your body tells you to. I think anesthesia takes a lot more out of us than we would think.

Congratulations, Connie!!! I'm so glad your surgery was successful and you are feeling better. I agree about the pain meds. I had a pump and whether I needed it or not, I pushed that sucker as often as it would let me. I figured I would have plenty of time at home to try to handle the pain on my own. If that stuff was available, I was using it!!! And it turns out I haven't had to take anything since I've been home. Keep hanging in there!

Just on the two-week pre-op diet I figured I saved anywhere between $50 and $80 per week on breakfast and lunch. I ALWAYS ate those out during the work week. It's amazing how much money obesity costs us individually, with food, meds, docs, etc. So not only are we becoming physically healthier, we are also becoming FINANCIALLY healthier!

Haha! Nobody saw but me. I see today is your 5K and I'm probably commenting too late, but Good Luck!

Congrats on your new suit and your new love!

Yay Kristy! You joined the loser's bench a day after me. And I am positive that we are both going to be tres successful!!!! MeggieP--can't wait to hear about your successful surgery! And all the rest of the Red Velvet/May sleevers.

Yay for you!!! Keep on dancing that happy dance!

I'm having a hard time too. The first couple days every sip would have to stop at my diaphragm for a few seconds, make some gurgling sounds and then I could feel it go on down through my tube. For those few seconds I would have a very sharp pain that would almost make me gasp. Now at 4 days post-op, the pain has gone away, unless I take too large of a sip. I was trying really hard to get in the Protein shake yesterday, but then I realized that I was already getting protein in my multi-Vitamin and that I needed to focus more on the fluids. My tastes have changed greatly since pre-op and I can barely "stomach" the taste of SF Jello or SF popsicles. I'm hoping as time passes, this will change. The broth does feel good going down, though, and it's a nice change with the salty flavor.

Four days post-op and I am back to sleeping on my right side (my preferred position). I can lay on my left side IF I position myself very carefully and stay very still. Once I got back into my favorite sleeping position, my nights went so much better.

Congrats and welcome to the loser's bench!

So I am three days post-op and at home. I know what the requirements are for Water and Protein. However, I am not even coming close. Today I had 1/4 cup SF Jello, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 SF popsicle, and about 2 oz. of Protein shake. I will have more water tonight, but there is no way I'm going to make the requirements. Is this OK and will I be able to get more in as the days go by? I just have no appetite at all right now and I can only tolerate a tiny amount of something before I get sick of it. I had trouble keeping stuff down in the hospital, but that's not the issue anymore. I just don't want anything. (I shouldn't be complaining about that, should I?) Lisa

My surgery was supposed to be the second one of his day, but the surgery before me went over and I didn't get pushed into the OR until 11:30. I was fine in recovery, not hurting and not in pain. The first night I just used my pain pump every time it would let me. I was determined not to hurt. Tuesday was a bad day. Dry heaves, lots of gas pain and I think where he repaired my hernia was hurting too. The actually incisions felt fine. Wednesday I was able to drink without feeling nauseous so they let me come home. I am still sore from the dry heaves. Let me tell you THEY WERE STRONG! I was so afraid I was going to throw up a staple or too, but nothing ever came out. I slept so much better in my bed last night. So much more comfy cozy than a hospital bed. Today I still feel pretty wobbly when I move around, but I am determined to do my "downstairs laps" today. Not really any hunger. In fact, some food smells actually make me nauseous. I can tell, though, that my two week thin liquid post-op diet is going to get old quick. I'm already scrounging around for some Soup recipes that I can make for the fam and then puree for me. Anything that doesn't taste sweet. Dr. Spaw said he made my pouch really tight and that it will take a couple weeks for it to soften where I don't have that spasm pain every time I take a sip. Right now I have to wait for that pain to come and go before I can take another sip. I guess I will be happy with my very tight pouch once I can start eating real food. It will help keep me on track. I'll update either this weekend or the beginning of next week. I expect to feel MUCH better by then. Also, I got myself a present for getting through the surgery--tickets to Death Cab for Cutie in August. I'm SO EXCITED! And my cousin gave me the most awesome gift. It's a big gift bag full of wrapped presents. One said "Open Now" and one says "Open Last" and then the others I open one each day. The first one was a journal. I am going to go back to when I first started thinking about the Sleeve and catch up to now. Then today's gift was the cutest plastic margarita glass with a pink seahorse for a stem. I am sipping Water out of it now. I can't wait to see tomorrow's surprise!!!

Had my surgery Monday and did fine on the ice chips. I made sure they continued the zofran in my IV for the nausea. Tuesday was a completely different story. I dry heaved once that morning (after some water) and then again several times in the afternoon after the liquid Lortab. I will NOT take that stuff again.

Congratulations, chicadee! I was sleeved the day before you and it is my first full day at home. The liquid Lortab did the same thing to me. I had dry heaves for about 5minutes and I decided then I wouldn't be taking the Lortab anymore. Since I came home yesterday, I haven't taken anything for pain.

Walking has been pretty easy. But I had a real tough time with dry heaves yesterday. My little pouch feels more settled this morning. I will post more once. I get home today.