Krysty

If you don't have a lanyard, use a piece of yarn or string to hang your drain around your neck while you shower. It was easy to adjust it to just the right length.

You're all so inspiring! I can't wait to see myself in a smaller size. For now, I'm just enjoying feeling everything fit so much looser.

Sounds pretty normal to me too. Walking helped me with the gas. Like iegal said, keep hydrated. Many people report no bm in the first week. The area around my incisions felt just like yours. Give it a couple of weeks for the swelling to go down. Get some rest, and good luck to you!

My surgeon used my primary care physician's records to document my weight over a two year period along with a questionnaire they gave me listing all the different diets I had tried, the amount lost, and the amount regained. I'd suggest you call your surgeon's office and ask them if this is something you need to put together yourself, or if they're going to help you with it.

Congrats and good luck!

Wow! I guess I've been lucky because that has never happened to me since being sleeved. That must have felt awful! I hope the boss at least let you go home early!

I found this on their site: http://www.redlobster.com/health/ Check out the Lighthouse Calculator in the lower right hand corner of that page. You could also just order off the kid's menu.

I moved to the soft diet stage (4 weeks post op through 6 weeks from date of surgery) and I'm still there. I'm eating scrambled eggs, oatmeal, cream of wheat, tuna salad, egg salad, baked fish, the inside of a baked potato, well cooked rice or Pasta, thin shaved deli meat, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, well cooked vegetables, and soft casseroles like tuna noodle casserole, enchiladas, and lasagna. I'm allowed soft fresh fruit (no peels, large seeds or membranes like an orange) but tend to mostly eat bananas. For dairy I stick to 2% milk, low fat yogurt, and cottage cheese. Portion size is hovering around 1/3 cup total per meal. If I try to eat more than that at one sitting, I'll feel pain. My calorie count averages around 350/day. I make the big switch to a regular texture diet next Thursday, June 21.

My first thought was gallbladder too. Are you having any pain in your back?

Good luck to you! It will be over before you know it!

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. I'm praying for you right now!

For those who experienced pain, I'm curious......what did the output in the bulb look like prior to removal? Mine was watery and red...almost like fruit punch (gross, I know). And it seems like there was about 12ml output every 12 hours or so.

I was able to eat jello and sip liquids without pain, as long as I did it slowly and in very small quantities (no more than 2 ounces over a 15 minute period). Any more or faster than that definitely left me in pain. I practically lived on sugar free popsicles and ice chips those first few days.

It didn't hurt at all, but it did feel really weird. Sorta like how your tummy drops when you go down a dip in the road....a wiggly sensation inside your belly. It made me giggle, but I'm very ticklish.

I also had alot of chest and shoulder pain after the surgery. I was told to expect it because of all the air they pump into the abdomen for the surgery. The best advice I had was to walk and take my pain meds. I also slept alot in my recliner the first couple of days. It was just more comfortable for me. It took about 5 or 6 days for the pain to finally ease up. I've never taken Reglan but have had great success with over-the-counter Prilosec. In fact, that's what my doctor instructed me to take for my reflux. It will get better, Catalina.....I promise! This and the next few weeks will be the hardest part, but it will get easier. Hang in there!

The workout tanks should be pretty comfortable, unless the band of the bra rubs across any incisions. I was sent home with a JP drain, so something loose was what I had to wear until they pulled that darned thing out. Not all docs send their patients home with a drain though. You might want to ask your doc beforehand.

That's fantastic! What a great feeling that must be!

Congrats on your revision! Not "running hot" all the time is a real change for me too! I'm going to have to crochet myself some shawls pretty soon just to stay warm!

I agree with what alot of the other folks here have said. Find yourself a new PCP. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time trying to educate her, but I can understand your desire to do so. Perhaps a better approach would be to do as Kimmy suggests.....a letter to the hospital board. My PCP and his entire staff has been extremely supportive, and it has made a tremendous difference in how I feel about the entire process. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you to have to deal with a non-supportive PCP on top of everything else. No wonder you needed to vent!

Welcome to the group, and good luck to you!

Mary and Jimmy, I'm praying for both of you. Keep us posted and let us know when you're home!

Baby food stage two meat falls under "pureed" on my diet. So do refried beans, which I really like with a dab of salsa and plain yogurt. The yogurts tastes like sour cream to me. And the beans don't have to be "refried." They just need to be those canned mushy pinto beans. It's the texture that's important, not the fact that they're fried.

The first week after surgery was an emotional roller coaster for me. It seems like I'd have two days of feeling like a wreck, then the next day I'd feel great. That cycle has pretty well held steady for me up until the past couple of days. Just hang in there, Diva. And try not to push yourself so hard so soon.

I do have sleep apnea, but it was diagnosed over a year before my surgery. I was sleeved a little over two weeks ago, and I'm still using my CPAP. I haven't noticed any difference other than the headgear fits looser. It was a co-morbidity and helped me qualify with my insurance, and I'm told it should improve and/or go away with continued weight loss. MizzLiz....have you been diagnosed with sleep apnea?

I wasn't given a binder, but I've heard they're a lifesaver for some folks. Glad you're getting some relief!