Mews

Make sure that your doc has a good post care program. Ask about complications and ask how he/she will deal with them if they do arise.

I started sashimi around four weeks out. At eight weeks I tried sushi rolls without much of a problem. I can't eat a whole roll as it fills me up too quickly but I can do four pieces comfortably. My husband usually gets a bunch of rolls and I'll pick a piece of each. Ironically, sushi is one of the foods that doesn't make me nauseous afterwards.

Please forgive me for ranting but if I don't get this off my chest I'm going to explode. I am one of the few who are having a really miserable time with this surgery. My surgeon isn't helping matters at all. It was bad enough that I developed a blood clot but that was all my fault as I didn't take my shots like I was supposed to. That I'll take blame for but everything else has been out of my control. First I had some serious issues with the low carb diet beyond anything like withdrawal. I was constantly on the verge of passing out and my mind was so mushy--one of the reasons why I didn't take my shots--that I could not function. My NUT told me I needed more sugar in my diet, which went completely against all the written materials they had given me. That not only confused me but made me angry. Everything I had bought immediately post-surgery was sugar-free. Since surgery, I've been suffering from severe nausea. I feel sick no matter what I eat. Heck, this morning I threw up after just drinking Water. I've done everything I've supposed to: eat small, slow, and chew well. The minute the first bite hits my stomach the nausea shows up. Most of the time I can keep the food down but more recently it has been harder and harder. I've thrown up more in the past three weeks than I have in the past three years (and that's including all the stomach flus I used to get). Yes, I'm on meds for nausea (Zofran) but its not working. Also, I've had nonstop diarrhea, like four or five times a day. I'm trying to keep up my fluids but when even water makes me nauseous it's hard. What makes matters worse is the horrible gnawing pain I get in my stomach when I don't eat. I'm on Prilosec for GERD that I had pre-op but I've never had anything like this before in my life and the PPI isn't touching it. Whenever I bring up these issues with my surgeon he kind of blows me off as though it's nothing serious. He won't increase my PPI or change it nor will he do an endoscopy. It's clear there is something wrong, even if it's as simple as gastritis but he keeps on thinking that this will all go away with time. I'm sorry but it's getting worse, not better. I think I would know if there was something wrong with MY body. I'm seeing my PCP next week about all of this. I would see another surgeon in the group but the office "strongly discourages" me seeing anybody other than my surgeon. I guess they don't want to clean up someone else's mess. At least I trust my PCP as I've been going to him for over a decade. Maybe he can help me. On top of all of this, my depression got bad. I mean really bad. Pre-surgery I was diagnosed with moderate/severe depression but it was under control with medication. However, almost immediately after surgery I started a downward spiral. To be honest I'm not sure if it was the physical impact of the surgery or the psychological ones due to all the problems I've had relating to it. I'm in the process of switching meds right now and if you've ever been on antidepressants you would know how rough this can be. I'm pissed about a few things. The biggest is that my surgeon is literally doing nothing. I've seen him a bunch of times and each time I come out of his office even more frustrated. Second, why didn't they tell me how bad this could be? If I had known what I would actually go through I never would've had this surgery. At the very least, he should try to be proactive in my health. The group claims they have a great support system in place but all this guy seems to care about is getting the surgery done and not much else. While I know most people don't have issues post-op it's been hard for me. I'm incredibly proactive with my health. However, I just feel so alone. I've done searches on this forum and while I'm not saying I'm unique it's hard to find people who are going through what I am at this point post-op. Not getting help from my surgeon makes this worse. I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I hope they soon figure out what is going on with you. I'm going through something similar at 3 1/2 months out: constant nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal pain. My surgeon has not been helpful at all. I'm already on Prilosec from having GERD pre-op but that isn't touching it and my surgeon doesn't want to raise my doseage or have me go for an endoscopy. He's playing a dangerous game of "if we wait long enough, it'll go away". I'm going to see my PCP next week as I trust him and maybe he can give me some answers and how to fix the issues. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

The main reason why docs have you do the pre-op diet is to supposedly shrink the liver before surgery so that way it doesn't get damaged. That being said, I didn't have a pre-op diet but I have had issues since my surgery with nausea and diarrhea. I really don't know if there is a correlation between the two but my doc claims that none of his other patients have the same issues that I have.

I never really had issues with head hunger as I was one of the weird ones who forgot to eat all of the time. My PCP actually told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I was getting fat because my body was going into starvation mode constantly. To me, very few foods gave me any pleasure so I didn't resort to eating as a pick me up. Even before surgery I was eating to live, not the other way around. I still forgot to eat now but I have a different issue. When I don't eat I get a horrible gnawing in my stomach that can lead to serious nausea so I don't go for as long a period between meals as I used to. However, I do suffer from moderate/severe depression that had been under control prior to my surgery with meds. Afterwards was another story. My depression got terribly worse. It's so bad now that my doc is forcing me to switch meds. I know there is the whole hormones stored in fat issue but with me a lot of it has to do with the problems I've had since surgery. I've been constantly nauseous, having stomach pains, and even had a blood clot. I can honestly say that the surgery made my depression worse. Whether it was the physical aspect of the surgery or the mental stress I have endured since I'm not sure. Either way I'm pretty miserable right now. If I had known this would've happened to me I wouldn't have had the surgery. It's taken too much of a toll on me in a bad way both physically and mentally. Now, don't get me wrong. Most people do fantastic with this surgery. I just wish more people had been open about the negatives with me (like my doctor) before hand so I could've done a better joy researching my options.

I'm not enjoying food either at 3 1/2 months out. Whenever I eat anything, no matter what, I get nauseous. I'm on a prescription PPI and anti-nausea medication but neither seem to be working well. It has become very stressful to eat now, wondering if I'm going to throw up or not. Some days I can tolerate a food without nausea, others it will make me violently ill. And I'm doing everything I'm supposed to: Protein first, eat small amounts, chew well, yada, yada, yada. I don't want to be a killjoy here but I wish I had known that this could've happened before I had surgery because I may not have had it. Food was never a true pleasure for me before the surgery but eating is necessary even in small amounts. I seriously dread anything regarding food right now.

3 days for me but I was having problems drinking even an ounce of water. They suggested I stay longer but I just wanted to get home.

My husband claims that mine have shrunk, which to me is a good thing as I started out as a 44I. I haven't gone for a fitting for a new bra yet as my current ones still fit, albeit loosely, so I'm waiting until I lose 75 pounds total before I go. I know mine are related to weight but I've always been a big girl in the chest department. Even at my skinniest (around 140lbs) I was a 36DD. I already have a slew of documentation to get a breast lift/reduction once I get down to my goal weight so hopefully my insurance covers that. Until then, I'll be like that teacher on South Park whose boobs hang down to her ankles and has kittens playing with them. LOL

I get this all the time and I'm over three months post op. I'm on PPIs, drink plenty of water, etc. Even my doctor can't explain why I'm getting this. Never had it before surgery either. I've gotten to the point where I eat every hour or two just to hold that awful pain off for a bit longer.

A sleep study is really not a bad thing. As we're all overweight, there is a really good chance of having sleep apnea. Besides the fact that the condition can help you get insurance approval, it really is a safety issue. During the night you stop breathing but your body realizes what's going on and will cause you to start back up. However, after surgery when your body is still full of sedatives and anesthesia, your body may not start breathing again. This is why anybody who has sleep apnea is required to bring their CPAP machine to surgery with them so you can be on the machine while you're in recovery. While I'd admit that the sleep study wasn't a pleasure, having the CPAP has really helped me sleep better at night. Plus after finding out the above info from my pulmonologist, I made sure that I had the dang thing with me when I went in for the surgery. I didn't want to take any chances.

I think for most people it goes away but for me it didn't. It actually got worse. I get that horrible gnawing feeling in my stomach within two hours after I last ate. I'm even on a PPI and that hasn't helped at all with it. I've just learned to eat a little every hour or two over the course of the day. My doctor really hasn't explained why I'm getting this now as I've never had this issue it pre-surgery. It is frustrating when everybody talks about how they "forget" to eat. I was like that pre-op but now my stomach is constantly reminding me to eat.

It will take time. I can pretty much quite a bit now without hurting my stomach but it took a while. Sip, sip, sip every few minutes to make sure you keep hydrated. I know it's hard and frustrating but once your stomach heals you'll be able to drink more.

I am a slow loser myself. I've only lost about 34 pounds since my surgery on March 15. Everybody is different. My piece of advice is don't weigh yourself everyday. I don't even weigh myself once a week any more. I only do it when I go to the doctor's office. As I go about every six weeks I see the dramatic loss and it makes me feel much better. Also, don't fret about the amount. Think of it this way: at least you've lost weight! Every pound is a victory.

I had it a bit rough post surgery so I would have loved to have had seven weeks off. However, I am a professor and I decided to take the first summer session off so now I have the seven weeks to rest and recuperate. For me, I've been reading a lot. I don't get much time to do that during the semester so I'm enjoying it now while I can. I am also doing a lot of prep work for my classes for the second summer session I will be teaching and the fall. I'm not going overboard but I like to go into a semester knowing all I have to do is grade. You might get a bit of cabin fever depending on how well your post-op goes. I wasn't anywhere near normal until about 4-6 weeks after surgery so I wish I had the time off then. However, you may be on of the lucky ones with a speedy recovery. Make tentative plans that can be cancelled in case you do feel poorly and keeps the trips short. Good luck with your surgery.

I like the Lean Shakes from GNC. They have 21g of protein, are low in carbs, and the pre-made ones, which I get, are lactose free. They come in vanilla and strawberry. The ones from Costco, the Premiere Shakes, aren't too bad either but I have a problem digesting them. I think the higher protein level (35g) is a bit harder on my stomach post-op.

That's a tough one. I had a great surgeon but feel that the follow up is crap. Every time something goes wrong I just keep getting "canned" answers (ie, are you eating slowly? Are you drinking enough Water?). It has gotten to the point that I'm getting seriously pissed off especially since I've been following his instructions. It's almost like he only cared about the surgery. I had a couple of complications and his response was very nonchalant. For example, when I had a blood clot he was like "it was only a small one". While small may be a relative term (the Doppler tech said it was an "extensive clot"), it really bothered me as I've already had one clot nearly kill me a few years back. Sorry if I'm venting but I want to reiterate how important follow up care is. However, with that being said, you also want to put yourself in the most capable hands as this is major surgery. Do a lot of research and go with what you think is right. As for the incisions, I have five which I think is standard for the surgery. They're small and aren't prominent.

I've lost close to 50 pounds and it feels like I haven't lost any weight as my clothes are all still the same size albeit looser. I tried to buy smaller but those didn't fit. My husband is telling me I'm thinner but I won't really believe it until I go down a couple of sizes.

Hamburger meat is still giving me problems over three months out. Shouldn't you still be on mushies at the most right now? Your stomach is still healing and is probably rebelling at the food. It's probably not a leak but call your doc if it's still giving you problems in the morning.

If there is a suspected blood clot, the ER doc should have immediately scheduled you for a Doppler (ultrasound) of your leg to rule it out. I would call your surgeon if you still have the pain and get it checked out. This is something that could be very serious.

When I had a clot, it felt like a bad cramp in my calf muscle. I would recommend calling your doc if you're nervous.

I went through almost the exact same thing until about 4-6 weeks post-op. My doc basically said it was due to the low amount of calories we put into our system immediately post-op. He even encouraged me to add a bit of sugar to my diet to help with the energy levels (this contradicted everything that had been told to me previously). Things did get better once I was on solids though it took a couple of weeks to get back to "normal". I still have energy issues though. Not as bad, but it's still there.

Considering that I eat so little, I go with regular cheese. Manufacturers put so much junk into foods to make up for the loss of taste when the fat is lowered/removed. If you are going to melt cheese, go with the regular. I grew up on low-fat/non-fat cheese and it always reminded me of melted plastic.

I would recommend lab work to rule anything physical out (ie, vitamin B deficiency) first and then look into a therapist if everything comes out OK. I've suffered from clinical depression for about 15 years now and while it is under control with medication, I have too noticed a major dip since my surgery mid-March. I'm having the hardest time with fatigue and energy issues. I know part of it is depression as I've been suffering from this for so long. However, it's always best to rule out anything physical first.

I'm in the same boat as I'm currently a 44I at the moment and dread losing weight. Thankfully, there is a store that I go to that does free fittings and has my size in stock but it is an awful experience. Though I've lost close to 50 pounds, I haven't gone for a new fitting yet. I'm trying to milk my current bras as much as possible because a) the company whose bras I prefer stopped making the specific style and those suckers cost around $80 each. I figure I'll wear them until I hit the 75 pound mark and then I'll buy new bras. I'm just hoping I'll lose in the cup area as well as the band 'cause I'm sick of carrying around these boulders.