Mews

I started taking my pills about three days post-op. I only had one that was larger than an M&M but I took it anyways as it really wasn't that big. No problems. Check with your pharmacist before crushing or breaking open pills as that could negatively affect how the medication is delivered into your system (ie, some are time time released).

Some people experience fatigue and others do not. I was one of the unlucky ones in that I felt like crap for at least a month post-op. I could barely function because I was so tired and my husband had to drive me to work as I was too scared to drive in my condition. I would recommend taking as much time off as you can. This way if you feel horrible you can use the time to rest. If you feel better you can go back early.

Actually while Lovenox is a sub-q shot, it needs to be injected into a fatty area, not a muscle (like arm, thigh, etc.). This is why it is done in the stomach. I've been on Lovenox since 2005 and I'll tell you it really isn't bad. It's nothing like flu or tetanus shots that go into the muscle (and hurt like a b***h afterwards). The best thing to do is pinch part of your belly fat and give the shot there. This way it is only going into the fat and will not hurt as much. Yes, you'll get some bruising but that's par for the course with blood thinners. As I have to take two shots a day, I joke that I hope nobody will see my stomach because they may think my husband beats me. LOL. Here's a good link on how to give yourself the shot: http://blood.emedtv.com/lovenox/how-to-give-lovenox-injections-p2.html

@pdxman - I did but almost all of the people discussed the nausea immediately post-surgery, which I did not have. This is something that started out of the blue a week ago. I am taking presciption Prilosec as a PPI and my doc didn't want to increase it as I'm already taking a large amount. I was diagnosed with GERD many years pre-surgery. And as I said, this is something that just started. Also, I have gone back to mainly liquids but even those spark pain and nausea. When I do eat solids I eat very slowly and chew. However, after the second bite the nausea starts up again.

I had my surgery on March 15. Over the past week or so, I've been getting nauseous after everything I eat. The only exception is water. I didn't really have this problem beforehand. Also, with some foods, including protein shakes, I get a very sharp pain in my stomach (actual stomach, below the sternum). It goes away after a few seconds but it's starting to scare me. I cannot see my doctor until Monday. Anybody else have something similar? I'm actually scared to eat right now as I feel so uncomfortable afterwards.

I'm not sure if having only Protein shakes is good for you in the long term. My NUT wanted me off Protein Shakes once I hit the soft foods stage in order to make sure I was eating regular foods. I had a very conservative diet too: two weeks of Clear liquids, two weeks of full liquids, and two weeks of soft foods before I was able to eat regular foods. When I told my NUT that I was doing protein shakes for breakfast on work days she wasn't too thrilled about that. As she explained it, we all need to learn how to eat regular foods in the long term and protein shakes provide limited nutrition outside of protein. Here are some links that might be of interest for those doing more than two protein shakes a day: http://www.livestrong.com/article/479801-are-too-many-protein-shakes-bad-for-you/ http://www.naturallyintense.net/blog/diet/nutrition/are-protein-shakes-bad-for-you-and-do-they-work/

I was supposed to be but stupid me forgot to do the shots. Guess what happened? A nice blood clot in my calf. For me it was pure stupidity as I have a genetic predisposition for them and I'm supposed to be on the shots all the time. Though my husband tells me not to bash myself too hard as I wasn't in a good mental state after surgery, but still... To be honest, the shots aren't bad. Yes, you will get some bruising in the area that you get the shot but it's worth it to avoid getting a clot.

I was pretty miserable for about a month post-op. I would recommend postponing your surgery until after the vacation. This way you can enjoy the time with your family. Also, you don't want to be anywhere too far from a good hospital in case you develop a complication.

Doctors all use internal stitches as they close up the various layers. Some use glue for the outermost one. I had this happen to me with ankle surgery a while back. Just keep the area clean and dry and don't pull it out if it hurts. Just in case you may want to call your doc to get some advice on how to deal with it.

I would recommend about a month off. That's how long it took me to feel normal again and handle the rigors of a long commute and day. You can always go back to work early if you're feeling better.

Six weeks for me. Another reason why they want you to hold off is that you increase the risk of infection. I had to wait until I was completely healed.

No caffeine? My doc just limited me to no more than two servings a day. I pretty much gave up on coffee as my sleeve didn't tolerate it too well but I'm still drinking about two cups of regular tea a day. With my commute and long days I need it!

I didn't think that legally they could ask you for the co-pay in advance. It must vary from state to state. I say this because what the doctor charges might be different from what the insurance pays and what you'd actually be responsible for. My doctor said the surgery would be at least $25,000 so I expected to pay the 10% of that as per my insurance. However I only had to pay about $1,000 out of pocket instead.

That's not a bad idea especially if you are a gulper like me.

Mederma does work well but it does tend to be expensive. I used it to lessen the appearance of my scar from knee replacement surgery. As for tanning, I would put some heavy duty sunblock on your incisions as they are newly healed and still very sensitive.

I did two weeks of clear liquids, two of full liquids, two weeks of soft foods, and then I was able to start eating real food.

While I didn't get the flu I did become very sick due to low calories soon after the surgery. My doc says that I need to get between 800-1000 calories a day to keep my body functioning properly. I've felt quite a bit better since I upped my calories.

I was supposed to do them myself but between the fatigue and the mental fog I was in for about two weeks I forgot to take them. The clot is definitely my fault as I should've made those a priority. Live and learn.

They are hard to digest, especially the skins. As you're still healing they would be too rough on your stomach.

Is it warm to the touch? I would recommend calling your doc.

I've been eating sashimi since I was allowed soft foods at one month post-op. I just tried regular sushi the other night (I'm eight weeks out now) and I had no problem with it. I've had the wasabi with no problems but I don't like the ginger so I can't help you there.

I still suffer from some fatigue at eight weeks out but it was worse during the first month. Once I got on real food it eased up a bit.

Just sit down with her (virtually or physically) and just tell her the truth. You need this surgery to improve your health and your quality of life. Tell her about the surgery and how good the surgeon is. The more confident you are the easier she should take it. However, if she is a worrywart then she's going to worry no matter what you do. Also you'd be surprised about people's reactions. I was very nervous in telling my mom as she is very critical. When I told her she was very supportive and quite glad I was having the surgery.

Maybe your stomach isn't ready for dairy yet. It took me about six weeks before I was comfortable with it. Hold off for a few days and then try it again.

One of the key things is to make sure you eat properly throughout the day. Remember that if we skip meals we cannot "make them up" like before. I'm infamous for skipping meals so I started to set the alarm on my phone to remind me to eat. It has helped a bunch.