BandMomsRock

I'm 4 days post op and I was wondering about a few things. About how long does it take for the incisions to heal? I guess I'm trying to figure out about how long it will be until I can sleep on my side again. How long might it be before I can consume more fluids? Yesteday, I could only get about 8-10 oz total in all day. I know everyone is different, but I'd love to get some input and get a feel for averages. Thanks

I'm still on clear liquids and I advance to the mushies on Tuesday. I'm struggling a bit myself, too. Can't wait to eat something. The only thing that keeps me going is that I really want my stomach to heal properly and I don't want to have trouble with a leak. I keep trying to remind myself that this stage is just temporary. I wish you luck with the rest of diet. You can do it!!!

Rhea, pneumonia is a possibility with any surgery. But it's very preventable. The spirometer is a little apparatus that you use to help prevent pneumonia. You have to put a tube in your mouth and inhale as much as you can. There's a little plastic ball that goes up as you inhale and it measures the volume. I guess I wasn't using it enough. After my trip to the hospital, I used it much more and I reversed my condition. All is well now. Just make sure you use the spirometer as much as possible after your surgery and you'll be fine.

Wow - Can't believe it's been a week already since surgery. Time flies... The week in review. Had Surgery Monday morning, 6/14 Release from hospital by noon on Tuesday, 6/15 - Only had 3 incisions and no drain tube. The first 3-4 days were the hardest for both pain and consumption of fluids. I could only consume about 8-10 ounces per day Day 5 went back to hospital with pain in left upper chest and left shoulder. Went through tests, no stomach leak, but beginnings of what could become pneumonia - remedy - use the spriometer more!!! and all seems well now. Day 6 - Started feeling more normal, no more holding my stomach in when walking and finally able to sleep on my side in my own bed!!!!! (That in itself did wonders for my moral) - Finally making some progress with liquid consumption. Was able to drink 24 oz. Only had a few tears at dinnertime when the kids made an awesome father's day meal and I had 4 oz of chicken broth. Day 7 - Feeling a bit better each day. Went on a short walk outside for the first time and just reread some paperwork from the surgeon and realized that I was supposed to start taking vitamins right away. Oops, I'll have to get right on that. I took pictures and stood on the scale tonight. So far I lost 4.2 lbs on my 4 day pre-op liquid diet and 9.4 lbs since my surgery for a total of 13.6 lbs lost so far!!! :crying: Next stop - 2nd and final week of all liquid diet. :scared0:

I think every surgeon gives slightly different foods that are allowed, but here is what my surgeon gave me: Weeks 3 & 4 Soft Foods (Mushies) - If it's not on the list, you can't eat it. ALWAYS EAT PROTEIN FOODS FIRST Dairy Skim Milk or Light Soy Milk Cottage Cheese - Low Fat or Skim Ricotta cheese - Low Fat or Skim Yogurt - No fruit chunks, low carb, low sugar, light Cheese - Shredded - 1oz/day - NO American slices or Velveeta for first month. Eggs - soft scrambled Pudding - Sugar Free - (You can add your protein powder to it) Vegetables Always eat Protein foods first Green beans - canned NOT fresh, cooked soft Carrots, cooked really well and mashed Zucchini/squash - remove all seeds - cooked & mashed Potatoes - Must be instant (very small amounts) Fruits Always eat some protein first No fresh fruit for the first month Mashed peaches or pears - canned, packed in water Applesauce - no sugar added Fruits are naturally high in sugar - eat small amounts. NO fruit juices after surgery SOUPS Broth - chick, beef, or vegetable Chicken Noodle - no chicken chunks Vegetable - no beef or barley, cooked really well (soft) Lentils - cooked well (soft) Miscelleneous Refried Beans - Fat Free (NOT FAST FOOD, they are loaded with lard) Tofu - not in form of veggie burger, etc. Grits, cream of wheat or malt-o-meal (plain, in small amounts) No Oatmeal or Rice (wait 3-4 months) Spices/Sweeteners Any as tolerated - salt, pepper, garlic, etc. Any artificial sweeteners - Equal, Stevia, Splenda, etc. No salsas or hot sauce for at least 1 month (acid & spice will irritate surgical area) Beverages 64-80 oz per day (If it has caffeine or alcohol, it doesn't count as fluid) NO FRUIT JUICES 0-4 grams of TOTAL carbohydrates (not sugars) per serving. REMEMBER Don't drink 30 minutes before meals, during meals, or 30 minutes after meals. CHEW, CHEW, CHEW - chew everything extremely well. I hope that helps, Best of luck - Terri

Sending up prayers for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery. Before you know it, you'll be sharing your weight loss successes with us!!!!

Congrats Jeanni. That's great news. Glad to hear you are doing so well.

That's fantastic DeeDee. Keep it up, you can do it. I'm still looking forward to the day that I can make it through a jazzercize class. Best of luck!!!

Well, you have certainly done your homework and are very thorough. I hope they will reconsider and approve your surgery. Best of luck and keep us posted.

I was sleeved on 6/14 and I'm still on Clear Liquids. My surgeon does 2 weeks clear liquids, 2 weeks mushies, than slowly introduce regular foods. I can't wait to get to the mushies but I won't dare rush it. Just remember that your stomach is healing and it's very important for it to heal right so you don't have a stomach leak. This surgery is going to change our lifes for the better, we just have to stick it out until the time is right!!! Good luck, you can do it!!!!

Defininately make sure your surgeon and your anesthesiologist are aware of your condition. And make sure they will be setting up your bipap machine for you in in the recovery room. The hospital I went to only needed me to bring my mask and asked me what my setting is. Make sure you know your bipap pressure settings if you are only bringing your mask. My surgeon was very on top of that. He is the one that required the sleep study before surgery. I didn't know I had sleep apnea until then. I think most of us are concerned to some degree about what can go wrong, but the more informed your surgeon is the better. They will know how to handle things better during surgery if they are well informed. Best of luck, and keep us posted.

Leo, I'm so happy that you've decided to do this for yourself and for your family. I know this is going to be the answer for you, as I believe it is the right answer for me. I am only 8 days post op, but I'm already feeling so much better. Good luck to you and you have my prayers for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery.

I hope all went well with your surgery!!!! I'm praying for you for a speedy recovery!! Please let us know how you are doing as soon as you can.

Wow, that's awesome - You go girl. I'm impressed. Keep up the good work!!!!

My prayers are with you. I hope all goes well. Hang in there.

Sending up prayers for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery. Keep us posted!!! Terri

I was woken up from sleep by pain in my left shoulder area. My husband, being the wonderful, caring, protective man that he is, remembered that the surgeon told us that pain in the left shoulder area is one possible symptoms of the stomach leak. :thumbup1: Needless to say, my husband refused to take any chances and we went on the hour drive to the hopital to check things out. I must admit, I was a little bit nervous. After spending the WHOLE day at the hospital, mostly just waiting. They did a CT Scan and determined that there was no leak, :scared0: but I had some condition in my lungs (mostly the left one) that, if not reversed, could turn into pneumonia. :thumbup: Basically they told me to use the incentive spirometer (the lung ball game looking thing) more often.

I'm 6 days out and I had a really tough time my first 4 days. What I noticed was that for me, warm chicken broth went down easier than cold stuff. I'm finally able to get in a couple of ounces in about 15 minutes. Sip, Sip, Sip. I hope you are doing better soon!!!

Thoughts and Prayers for a safe surgery and speedy recovery. I'm excited for you!!! This time next week, you'll being the journey to the new you. Congrats and keep us posted!!

I arrived at the hopital at 7 am and was taken back to the pre-op area. There I was given a shot in my stomach to prevent blod clots and the nurse tried to put the IV in my left hand. It was awful and she couldn't get it to work. I different nurse had to come in and put the IV in my right arm just below the bend of my elbow. My husband was trying to keep me occupied so I wouldn't freak out. (I really am not good with needles.) I was also upset because I only go to speak to 2 of my 3 children before surgery. My one daughter had gone to a friends and wasn't answering her cell phone. I was being very emotional about that. So we started naming all of the musicals I've seen on Broadway. That was fun and kept my mind off things. I really don't remember anything else until I was in my room. I'm told that the surgery took an hour and a half and that everything went very smoothly. I have only 3 incisions and had no drain tube and I had no catheter either. I'm told that I was talking while in the recovery room, but I really don't remember even being in the recovery room at all. I remember waking up in my hospital room and my wonderfull husband was right there with me. I was pretty groggy and would doze on and off. But every time I moved my right arm the alarm on the IV unit would go off. I had the IV in one arm and a pressure cuff on the other. It was so annoying not to be able to move. They told me that they would come in a few hours to get me walking, but I think they forgot about me. Finally I had to use the rest room so badly that I initiated that by myself. I was a little annoyed when the nurse admitted that she thought I had a catheter. You would think they should have known they I didn't. Anyway, we walked 3 times the first day and I used the lung thing thats supposed to prevent pnuemonia. The night wouldn't have been too bad except that nurses kept coming in about every hour to do something. At 3 they took blood. I was like what the heck, couldn't they do that in the morning. They woke me up to do a breathing treatment too. It was crazy and annoying all night. God Bless my husband, but he slept through it all. In the morning someone came in just as I was waking up and asked my husband how my night was and he told them great. I opened my eyes and said "Speak for yourself, you slept through it all" They brought me a protein shake and clear liquids for breakfast. I managed to sip down most of the protein shake, but couldn't consume any more. The surgeon came in and discharged me at about 10:30 am and it took forever for the nurse to come in and remove the IV. I felt so much better once that was removed. The road leaving the hospital was in desparate need of fixing and every bump was painful. I was hugging a rolled up blanket against my tummy and that help some. Now I'm at home and trying to figure out how to get all the liquid in. I didn't do very well yesterday (my first day home) Hopefully today will be better. The pain is there but not real bad so I'm trying to not take percocet. (It makes me itchy). I guess that's it. We'll see how today goes.

Wow, did I ever make a mistake. I've been having trouble getting in fluids. So I tried drinking some chicken broth instead of the protein shakes and it went down much better. In fact, too well. I think I had about 3/4 of a cup of broth in about 45 minutes. And then the pain started. Oh my goodness, did the pain start. It was awful. :scared0: Talk about learning an important lesson about not consuming too much at one time. I hope I've learned the lesson well and that I never feel that pain again!! :thumbup1:

I think this is a great idea. I don't need anything yet, but I'm sure I will. And I'll be happy to offer my clothes as well. I think we should should have the receipient pay the shipping. The one giving the clothes needs to weigh the package. Then, the receipient can use USPS, you can print a shipping label and pay for it, and then send the shipping label to the person that has the clothes to send. Just my thought on how it can work. I'm only 4 days post op, but as soon as I have clothes to give, I'll offer them. I think it's a great idea.

Can't believe that it's all done. I thought for sure I was going to chicken out. My hubby was so supportive though and helped me calm my nerves. He was a great nurse for me in the hospital, too. :thumbup: Only 3 incisions were made and I didn't have to have a drain tube.

Yesterday was the worst day so far. I was in a significant amount of pain and finally got a new subcription from the doctor. I couldn't take the original pain killer because it made me itch all over. Took my first shower since surgery last night. I have to admit that I cried a bit before going in. I was afraid. - I guess that's what pain does to you. But it was fine and I felt better afterwards. I had my first bowel movement since surgery this morning. I was very excited about that. I know - it's a strange thing to be excited about, but I'm glad to know that my insides are starting to function again. Woke up feeling much better this morning. Less pain, less bloated. I'm hoping today will be better than yesterday. I actually consumed 1/2 of one of those whey protein shots this morning. It only took me an hour and a half to do it, but I'm already doing better than yesterday. I bet I only consumed about 5 oz of anything yesterday. I know that's not enough, but I was so bloated and so sore that I just couldn't do it. Hopefully today will be better. I'm getting closer to my pre surgery level with the lung incentive apparatus. So I'm doing pretty well with that. For three days it's felt like I've had to hold my insides from falling out while walking by using both hands or a pillow. Today was the first time I could walk with only slight pressure with one hand on my tummy. Woot, Woot. I just know things are going to start getting better now!!!!! :thumbup1: