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According to my surgeon, that's pretty standard. He said there's kind of a diarrhea-constipation-diarrhea-constipation cycle that goes on for a while, and then it all eventually works itself out. I suspect that the working itself out part must happen when you get to start eating real food, because I haven't gotten there yet. The doctor said you can take immodium if you need it, but that he generally tells people to let it take its course. He also said you can take colace for constipation.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new life for you! Try to get some sleep, you'll need your energy. I just had surgery two weeks ago, so I remember the way you were feeling well. Bring lots of gossip mags to distract you in the pre-op area :-) Godo luck!

It's going to go great, and you're going to be so happy you did this. I had surgery two weeks ago, and I remember getting really nervous a couple of days before. Then something happened that got me refocused again. I was back home for Christmas, and my dad, who has been morbidly obese my entire life (I'm 36), has essentially become completely immobile. He has lost a lot of weight in the last year (mostly because he can't get up to get his own food), but the lifetime of problems that have accumulated because of his weight (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, destroyed knees, bad discs, incontinence, etc.) aren't reversing and probably won't because he waited too long to do anything about it. He had an opportunity to have gastric bypass four years ago, and didn't do it because he was scared. He still can't accept responsibility and acknowledge that any of his problems are due to his weight. In any event, my mom was supposed to come back to Dallas with me to help take care of my toddler while I was in the hospital and recovering at home, so that my husband could be with me. But because my dad is in such bad shape, she ended up having to stay home to take care of him. It was very upsetting to her that she wasn't going to be with me, and to me that we had to round up friends and ask them to use vacation days to take care of our child. I almost rescheduled, then I thought, "this is exactly why I'm doing this." Surgery is scary, but to me, essentially being bedridden while having your full mental faculties at the age of 63 is terrifying. That may never change for him, but it's not going to become my life, and I'm not going to do that to my child. And it's not going to be your life either. You're going to make this change, and be there for your family in the long run, even if it means you're going to be sitting on the bench for the next few weeks.

I had the same fears, but everything has gone smoothly. I have a three year old, so we spend a lot of time before the surgery explaining that mommy was going to go to the doctor to "get her belly fixed", and that afterwards she would have an "ouchy belly" and we would have to be very careful. We showed him my belly when I got home, and we had a big routine where he kissed each incision. I think it helped keep him very mindful of the fact that he couldn't climb on it. We practiced comfortable ways for us to cuddle, and my husband played defense any time my son got near me to make sure he was gentle. It all worked out fine. As for the lack of mindful eating, I almost popped one of my son's pieces of tortellini in my mouth just a couple of days after surgery. I stopped myself just in time! So it does take a little focus at first. It's easy now, a couple of weeks later. It will be helpful if someone else can do the family food prep for a few days, while you get used to it, so that you don't accidentally slip up. If you do slip up and put food in your mouth, you'll probably realize it before you swallow, and can spit it out. You will have some changes to get used to, but we all got through it, so I know you can too. Good luck, you're going to be so glad you did the surgery.

My doctor actually doesn't allow me to drink for 15 min before and 30 min after meals. That's been a very difficult change for me (in fact, I've forgotten a few times), after a lifetime of being told to load up on water at meals so that I'll eat less.

I drink one of these 25 g shots twice a day (actually, I drink a half one four times a day). http://www.pureprotein.net/pages/category.aspx?cat=SPECIALTY#Protein_Shots The grape ones are available in boxes of 6 at Target. A little pricey (around $2 each), but so worth it to not drink those nasty shakes. The fruit punch flavor is better, and you can order it online. 25 g of high-quality Protein in less than 3 oz of liquid, then you can drink whatever you want the rest of the day for hydration instead of nursing a Protein shake. I'm only two weeks out, but I'm not sure how I would have made it this far and met my protein goals without these. I just ordered a few cases online, as they're going to be a staple for me. I realize I sound like I work for the company, but I don't, I swear :-)

Oops, I meant the protein shots AREN'T gross at room temperature. Also the fruit punch flavor is apparently better, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I ordered it online.

Yes, there is a place for someone else to sleep. It's kind of a loveseat thing, that folds out. Your "company" will want to bring linens or a sleeping bag and a pillow. If you get lucky, they'll be full, and you might get upgraded to a VIP room (which has a little nicer guest sleeping arrangements). But the rooms were plenty big, and really very nice for a hospital. There's no charge for the TV, and there were lots of channels and good volume control. I hate it when you're in a hospital and can see the TV, but can't actually hear it. I don't actually know the answer about WiFi. I had my iPhone, but not my computer. You might just call the main line and ask. I'm sure they answer that question 20 times a day :-) As far as the drain, I had Dr. Nick, and my understanding is that it's a doctor-by-doctor decision. I had a drain, which was removed before I left. It didn't hurt. I also had an On-Q pump, which is a littleexternal raquetball-sized pump that pumps numbing medicine directly into the bigger incision on your left size through a tiny tube. That was removed before I left too, and also didn't hurt. The staff will get you up and walking as soon as you're awake enough to look like you won't fall over :-) You won't have any food or drink the day of surgery, but you won't be hungry. The morning after surgery, they'll bring you a tray with some decaf coffee, apple juice (or something similar), and icky broth made from bullion cubes. The nurse will also bring you some Isopure Water with Protein in it, and will tell you that you need to sip 1 oz every 15 minutes. It sounds ridiculous, but it really does take that long to sip an ounce. You have to track it on paper. They won't let you out unless you're drinking well and keeping track of it. I ended up having to stay two nights, but only because I was dehydrated. Most people seemed to leave the day after surgery, later in the day. I'm trying to think whether there was anything that surprised me. I think the only thing that really surprised me was that after the surgery, for the first week or so, everything that you drink has to be at room temperature. I had stocked up on Protein shakes that were disgusting at room temperature. In the end, I ended up drinking my "emergency" protein shots that I had bought for work, and that's all I've been drinking for protein since then. You might want to check them out. Here's a link, but you can buy them at Target: http://www.pureprotein.net/pages/category.aspx?cat=SPECIALTY#Protein_Shots (it's the 25g grape one). For me, getting my protein is all about getting the most protein in the minimum amount of liquid possible, and those are only 3 oz. Becuase they aren't a powder, they are gross at room temperature. I just ordered a few cases of them last week, because I can tell they're going to be a staple for me going forward. I hate protein shakes. I took one into my doctor's PA and she said they were really good, she just recommended spreading the two shots out over four servings throughout the day, for absorption purposes. The other thing that surprised me was the pain. Not how bad it was, but where it was. I thought my stomach would hurt, but what really hurt was my left side, deep in my flank, almost as deep as my kidney. They actually put a deep stitch there, and that's why it hurts (plus that's where they move all the instruments from), but I hadn't ever heard that before, so I was unprepared. I've had several abdominal surgeries, and was surprised by the pain from this one. Having said that, the medicine controlled it well (you'll have a button on your IV for the first night - use it LIBERALLY to stay ahead of the pain). I had my surgery on a Wednesday, and was back at work the following Tuesday (I have a desk job). Oh, one more thing. You'll probably get a prescription for liquid Lortab when you leave. There's a pharmacy downstairs, and if they're open, fill it there. Or go to the Dougherty's at Royal and Preston. CVS, etc. haven't been able to get it from their distributor for a long time, and you don't want the pain medicine to wear off while you're trying to hunt down a pharmacy. Boy, that's WAY more info than you asked for. Sorry, I'm a rambler. Let me know if I missed anything! Good luck, your surgery is going to go great, and you'll be so happy you did it.

I was at Forest Park on 12/28 with Dr. Nicholson. I met lots of people who had Dr. Kim who were there at the same time. The facility pretty much focuses on weight loss surgery, so in a way it's good because all of the nurses know exactly what you need. On the other hand, my nurses were a bit of a mixed bag -- some good, some average, some really not good at all. Having said that, it was the week between Christmas and New Years, and I think they had a lot of traveling nurses filling in for the regular nurses, who were on vacation for the holidays. Some of the nurses had had weight loss surgery themselves. I had a bit of a rough go, because I dehydrate easily and they had a hard time with my IVs (in all fairness, basically, I'm rating the nurses based on their ability to place an IV and react to a blown out vein). I ended up having to spend two nights in the hospital because I was dehydrated. Dr. Kim and Dr. Nick are definitely the doctors to go with, and I have no doubt you'll have a good experience. You'll have a private room (all of the rooms are private), good pain control, HUGE hospital gowns (so no flashing the other patients), comfortable beds, good TV, etc. Bring your own pillow, and you'll be as comfortable as a person can be in the hospital. Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I'll try to answer them.

I was on a two week pre-op diet that consisted of 3 slim fast each day, plus one meal that consisted of a 5 oz portion of lean meat, two cups of non-starchy veggies, and one serving of fat. So every night, I treated myself to filet mignon with a side salad. Much easier than an all-liquid diet. I only cheated once, on Christmas day, but I didn't go crazy, just had a couple cubes of cheese and crackers. I lost almost 10 lbs, and my doctor said my liver looked good and shrunk enough for him to comfortably do the surgery (which is the whole point). It's amazing how much each doctor's pre- and post-op diets vary.

I can't speak to whether you've stretched your sleeve, as I'm only a couple of weeks out myself. But as someone who had a complete thyroidectomy earlier in the year, and has had several periods of time where I was hyperthyroid while they try to get my synthroid straightened out, I can promise you that not everyone who is hyperthyroid loses weight. In fact, each time I was hyperthyroid, I gained a lot of weight (7-10 lbs) within a few days. Totally unfair, considering that losing weight is the ONLY benefit of being hyperthyroid, right? I know of others who've had weight gain as a result of being hyperthyroid as well, and it certainly makes you crazy hungry (mentally, not so much physiclally. I'd bet once you get that under control, all will return to normal.

Can I ask a totally naive question? (Naive, because my insurance paid for my surgery). Is the surgery that much less expensive in Mexico? I went to a fantastic surgeon here who is natially known, and my OOP (if I hadn't had insurance) would have been $12,200 for surgery, hospital, and a lifetime of follow-up. Is it that much less expensive in Mexico, when you take into account travel? It's just something I never looked at. I wish you the best of luck! I'm only two weeks out, and I'm so glad I had the surgery.

I'm a week and a half out, and asked the nurse about this pain when drinking yesterday. She confirmed that it comes from "gulping" instead of sipping, because I take in too much air. So I'm trying to be more mindful about sipping.