Bufflehead

I didn't have a "support person" and I did just fine . . . what are you envisioning this person will do for you? There may be some heavy housework type stuff that you need help with for the first 2 - 4 weeks -- other than that, barring complications, most people can handle post-surgery on their own. I did have a friend who drove me to the hospital and then drove me home after, but that was pretty much it.

This is what I do. I have a couple of strength/toning dvd's and some that I can stream from Amazon to my tv. I have 1, 2, 3, 5, & 6 lb hand weights that I use with the exercise programs. I will be getting some 8 & 10 lb ones soon I hope!

Pretty sure you have to be on the web version, not the app, for starters. Then: --from the My Home tab, click the Goals sub-tab --click the green "Change Goals" button --select the "Custom" radio button, then click the green "Continue" button.

My doctor wouldn't have permitted that at four weeks, but definitely check with your own!

800 calories, 60 g carbs, 31 g fat (actually my real goal is 30 g fat, but that's the closest I can get it on MFP), 70 g protein (true goal = 75 g), 13 g fiber, plus I track calcium because I prefer to get my calcium from food, not supplements.

If you are having no trouble with liquids, that should indicate that your surgeon did an excellent, meticulous job and you have very little swelling in your newly sleeved tummy. What causes people to feel restriction with liquids at the outset isn't really the underlying size of the sleeve so much as it is a swollen, traumatized, post-surgery sleeve. So if you don't feel restriction with liquids, odds are very high you had a great surgery and are healing well. On the other hand, it probably isn't a good idea to push it by seeing how fast you can chug a protein shake. Also, you had nerves snipped in your stomach and they aren't healed yet, which explains why things feel "easy" with your stomach. Believe me, once you get to solid foods, you will feel your restriction. As for feeling hungry, some people do . . . if you aren't on a PPI, you may want to check with your surgeon about a prescription. Often, especially early on, stomach acid can mimic the feeling of hunger.

I just wanted to say I am so sorry about what happened with your husband. Glad you are doing well with your recovery and have supportive friends and family around you. Sending you warm thoughts and virtual hugs!

My doctor doesn't allow snacking (other than protein shakes) for six months after surgery, so for now, no and no.

I used Wellesse liquid Multivitamins for the first month after surgery, then switched to Trader Joe's High Potency Chewables. Never had a problem with either. And the Trader Joe's multi-Vitamins cost about $6 for a 45 day supply (2 tablets/day) while the Bariatric Advantage cost about $20 for a 45 day supply (2 tablets/day). I also get my B12, Iron, and Probiotics from Trader Joe's - much cheaper than I can find the same stuff anywhere else.

That is very interesting, thanks! I haven't tried anything sweet since surgery, but I guess when I get to that I should "practice" at home before trying anything sweet in public.

No catheter but I almost wished I had one -- when I woke up in recovery I was desperate to pee (they pump a lot of fluids into you!) and had to have the nurse bring me a bed pan since they wouldn't let me out of bed. My surgery was early Wednesday morning and I was out at noon on Friday.

Of course you should talk to your doctor about it, but from what I understand the DS won't fix issues like stomach acid or ulcers and the bypass will. I know we all chose the sleeve over the bypass for good reasons, but there are tons of people out there with the bypass that do great and love their surgery. This may well be something that leaves you feeling tons better as well as something that helps you out with weight loss. My niece had bypass and she is doing great and has no issues. There are also lots of bypass patients at my support group (more sleeve than bypass, but still lots of bypass) and they are all doing super and are very enthusiastic about their surgery. So I would encourage you to keep an open mind going forward

It took me about three weeks before I was completely nap-free (everyone is different though). Major surgery makes your body need a lot more sleep in order to recover and heal, so take all the naps you need.

Each doctor seems to have a different plan. my doctor says no more than 3 ounces per meal, and meals only 3 times per day, no snacking or grazing, until 6 months out. Not sure how much nuggets and a chick-fil-a patty add up to, but I would guess I couldn't do that and follow my doctor's orders. What does your doctor recommend?

yep, the gas pains suck . . . keep walking, that was the only thing that I found helped. Sounds like you are doing great overall!

Unless the doctors are out of town, make arrangements to pick the records up yourself and hand-deliver them to the surgeon's office. I wish I had done that instead of waiting two months to figure out that my PCP sent the records to the wrong surgeon!

I wasn't cleared for anything other than walking for four weeks, and after that only cleared for low impact aerobic exercise for another two weeks. And I was told if I felt even a twinge or tug in my abdomen I had to stop immediately and wait another month before trying again. Luckily I had no twinges!

it took me less than 24 hours - but my surgeon's insurance coordinator has an excellent relationship with the Cigna pre-approval people (so I am told) and my result is probably not typical!

There may be other laws that apply to protect someone's medical privacy in the workplace, but HIPAA applies to medical providers, not employers, as far as I know. Disclosure: I am not an attorney who specializes in health law issues!

I had a great recovery. No nausea, no vomiting, no constipation, no diarrhea. I was up and walking within an hour after surgery and didn't even get into the hospital bed in my room until 10 PM that night when I decided to try to sleep. No food has disagreed with me. I've hit my protein and fluid goals every single day since the day after surgery. I'm not surprised that you are seeing a lot of posts from people with issues and complications. That's how people tend to use a forum like this -- for help if something goes wrong. But meanwhile I am pretty sure there are tons of us out there who have had nothing go wrong. Best wishes to you!

Most people's diets will vary depending on their doctor's plans. I'm currently in the soft food phase, which for me is months 2 through 6 after surgery. Here are the rules I have to follow: --three meals per day of 3 ounces of food or less --no snacking (other than liquids) --no grains, no starchy veggies, no soup, no sweets Here are some typical menus for me: breakfast: 1/4 c. refried Beans with melted cheese and a slice of bacon, 1/2 large sausage link, or a poached egg; OR 2 oz. Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter stirred in lunch: (1.5 oz deli meat or tuna salad or chicken salad) plus (1 mini babybel cheese or a slice of cheese) plus (2 prunes or 1 ounce of chick pea & bean salad). dinner: 2 oz. shrimp plus 1 ounce broccoli salad; or 1.5 oz. hamburger patty with melted cheese and a couple slices of avocado. snacks: I make all sorts of Protein shakes. A lot of times I add in 1/4 c. frozen berries for some extra Fiber. I focus on protein first but do try to eat a little bit of something with fiber in it at every meal. My dr. just wants us to get at least 64 ounces of Fluid per day. Mine is usually 3 16 oz. bottles of Water (one finished before 8 AM when I leave for work, one in the later morning before lunch, and one in the afternoon) plus 2 8 oz. Protein Shakes. One Protein shake is my morning iced coffee when I first wake up (yum!) and then another in the afternoon or early evening. I don't have any trouble hitting my liquids goal during the week. Sometimes on weekends I'm out of my usual routine and get sidetracked.

Your exercise routine sounds like a lot of cardio? Cardio is great but I find that the more I do weights and strength training, the more I lose. You might try adding some of that in if you aren't already. Oh and I agree with the water advice. Another thing I didn't use to believe in, but I definitely lose more when I am on track with my water! Good luck to you.

I was on clear liquids for the first 24 hours. Then my doctor's program calls for four weeks of full liquids, four weeks of purees, and four months of soft foods. But the dietician bumped me up to purees and soft foods a week early each time because I was doing very well, no issues or complications. I'm still on soft foods for the next two months.

You need a food thermometer. Make sure the broth is under 140 degrees (or better yet under 130) before stirring in the protein powder.

I am not pregnant or planning to be pregnant -- but I can tell you what the bariatric nurse told us at surgery boot camp. She said they strongly advise against getting pregnant until you are one year out, but after that they think it is okay. You would need to work closely with your OBGYN and your surgeon's office about nutrition. She also disclosed (and I don't want to appear like I am endorsing anything here, I AM NOT) that each year they have at least a couple of pre-one year pregnancies among their patients, because a lot of women just get more fertile after surgery and also aren't as careful as they need to be with birth control. She said that with all of those patients, they had to work really hard with their OBGYN, the dieticians on staff, etc. to get the proper nutrition and vitamins but they all ended up with healthy moms and healthy babies. I wouldn't advise anyone to disregard their own doctor's advice, this is just what the nurse told me and my fellow pre-op patients.