Bufflehead

Less than you think. Hospitals take in emergency patients all the time -- no one shows up as a car accident victim with their hospital overnight bag neatly packed. Hospitals have what people need. Lip balm and an extra-long charger cord for my phone were the only things I really needed. It was nice to have my own toothbrush and hair brush and that sort of thing, but the hospital could have supplied any basic toiletries. You'll have hospital gowns to wear (wear two, one forward and one back, when you are out walking the halls). They have the pockets and openings needed for your IV pole, drain, etc. which your own clothes don't, so don't bother with something like PJ's or a robe IMO. Most hospitals provide socks with non-skid foot bottoms so you can safely walk around the hospital. Wear loose, comfy clothes to the hospital and you can just wear the same clothes home. Make sure whoever is driving you home brings a pillow so that you can put it between your abdomen and the seat belt. Good luck!

As soon as you want to start gaining weight.

You can bring something like chicken or turkey breast and it won't spoil. I do it all the time! The little packets of flavored tuna or salmon are another good option. My standard lunch (including for hiking) is 3 oz chopped chicken breast, tossed with an ounce or two of cooked chopped green veggies, with a half tablespoon or so of light salad dressing. Toss it in one of those small Gladware type round plastic food containers, include a fork, and you are good to go. For hiking snacks, I like roasted edamame.

Ask if your doctor can introduce you to some people who have had gastric bypass as well as some who have had the sleeve. Like, maybe a support group you can attend. Hear from real people about their own stories. Talk to your surgeon about the options, the pluses and minuses for each surgery. Personally, I think it's really important to make medical decisions on a medical basis, not "that scares me" or "that makes me feel ooky." I chose the sleeve and I think it was a good medical decision for me -- but I also know several people who have had gastric bypass and they are all doing great! No complications, they look very healthy and happy -- and slim.

1) No, I don't eat cereal and 2) Although my program permits grains in maintenance mode -- not in weight loss mode -- cereal is forbidden (by my program, your program's rules may vary) because of eating & drinking at the same time. So is soup, other than creamed soup. We are allowed to strain soup and first drink the broth, then eat the chunky parts, but why bother?

@@fat2fitDE I bought premade soups, I am too lazy to cook my own -- especially when I was getting over surgery! I was very careful to measure my portions and log everything in MFP. Even lowfat soups can pile on the calories and I needed to stay within a given calorie range.

I was allowed to have creamed soups as long as they were low-fat and any sort of chunks were strained out. Non-cream soups, I could strain everything out and drink the broth.

1. Get that report in writing; and 2. Consult with a couple of good medical malpractice lawyers. Damages may be hard to prove but at the very least you are owed a refund for the cost of that surgery.

Try Milk of Magnesia if you haven't already. If MOM doesn't work for you, get in contact with your surgeon's office. You don't want to let things go too long. Better to have a possibly awkward conversation with the surgeon's office than to end up in the ER with some stranger trying to use their fingers to dig out an impaction.

Smoothies tend to have a lot of sugar (not table sugar, sugar from fruit) and carbs, so they are basically just a way to mainline a lot of sugar, calories, and carbs into your system without even getting much satiety from them or even fiber, since much of the fiber is destroyed in the blending process. There is no way I could have had smoothies and still stayed within my daily limits for carbs and sugar during weightloss phase.

Soda/carbonated beverages/beer: never again? I usually have a small glass of champagne at Christmas -- but carbonation hurts me so otherwise I choose to avoid it. Low carb diet forever? For me, yes. If I stray from low carb, I end up on the slippery slope to regain, because for me high carb foods both cause cravings for more high carb foods and are super-easy to digest, meaning I can eat tons of them. Danger! YMMV. No caffeine forever? Depends on your team's plan for you and your choices. I went back to high-test coffee about 3 months after surgery and now drink more coffee than water. Like, a lot more. So far so good.

I want to know what do most people eat after they return to regular food? I try to stick to non-processed meat, green veggies, small amounts of fruit, dairy, and nuts. How much do you eat (especially at restaurants)? I eat about 3 oz meat + 1-2 oz green veggies, same at a restaurant as at home. At restaurants, I order leanly prepared meats and tell them to hold the high-carb items (potatoes, rice, Pasta, bread, etc.). Some sample orders for me might be grilled shrimp appetizer with a side of asparagus, or a fish entree with no high carb side. If I order a full entree, I usually take home at least half for tomorrow's lunch or supper. I can usually eat most of an appetizer, depending on the restaurant. Can you eventually eat popcorn and nuts again? I can eat popcorn but I choose not to: nutritionally worthless, slider food -- I only eat these on rare occasions as an indulgence, and I don't like popcorn enough for me to make it a special treat on a rare occasion. I eat nuts with no problem -- which means they can be a problem! They are also a slider food for me and are super high calorie. However, I think they are really healthy and they fit well into my plan, so I eat them regularly -- but only when I can weigh them and make sure I get the exact number of grams that will fit into my daily calorie allowance (usually 20 - 25 grams, which is about half a handful).

"Three week stall" -- completely normal, use the little search box in the upper right corner. Virtually everyone experiences it and it does not reflect how well you are following your program. Your body just needs a little break to catch up after trauma. Stay off the scale for a few weeks, keep following your program -- the weight loss will kick back in eventually, but you really can't dictate when, sadly.

You aren't going to stretch your sleeve with liquids. Liquids go right through your pyloric valve and into your intestines. The reason some people have trouble drinking enough early on is because they have a lot of post-surgery inflammation, swelling, and bruising in their stomach tissues, which makes it hard for even liquid to get through. If you don't, that means your surgeon did meticulous work, you are a great healer, and you should be happy because you are not at risk of dehydration. The four ounces per hour guideline is meant as a minimum for people who are struggling, not a maximum to avoid stretching your sleeve. Unless the liquids you are consuming are not enough, are causing you distress, or are loaded up with carbs and sugar, you are doing it right. Don't overthink it. As for hunger pains, are you on a PPI? Many people deal with excess acid immediately after sleeve surgery and your stomach gets confused and starts relaying "hunger pain" signals to the brain.

PPI - proton pump inhibitor. It's a class of meds that inhibit acid production, such as Prilosec (Omeprazole), Protonix, or Nexium. Most sleevers get put on them immediately post-op because excess stomach acid is a know side effect of the surgery. Regardless, a burning stomach is something you need to discuss with your surgeon, he is the one who can help you. Keep us posted -- good luck!

I have seen several people on this forum who have had this done -- you might want to try also posting in the bypass forum if you haven't btw. The ones I have seen have mostly done it to cure the GERD issues that tend to happen as a result of the sleeve. I have not seen anyone unhappy about it -- most people seem to do great both in terms of general health and weight loss. But as with all weight loss surgeries, you need to be willing to be 100% compliant with a strict eating program -- there is no surgery that will do that for you. Not saying you aren't or haven't been at all! But I have seen other folks here who are looking for a surgery, revision or first go-round, that will force them to lose weight without them having to work hard, and I don't think any surgery can do that. Good luck!

Chime in with the others -- try eating food that is easier to eat (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese) and eat much less of it. 4 oz is crazy. Try 2-3 tablespoons (measure carefully) and see if you have problems with that. If you do still have problems, go back to full liquids for a week, then try again. If you are still having problems, maybe then contact your surgical team and see if they think there might be an issue other than you just need a little extra time to heal. I was on full liquids for four weeks, then purees for four weeks (with a max serving of 3 tablespoons 3x/day). I was SO ready for "real" food when I could advance to soft foods! But being on liquids and then small servings of puree for a long time didn't hurt me.

I had a drain for my hospital stay (2 days). I really didn't pay much attention to it, the bulb thingy goes in a pocket in the hospital gown and I never had to mess with it. There was one time the nurse who was taking the liquid out jammed it back in a little too hard and that hurt. When they take it out, it feels weird -- you can feel it moving inside you -- but it didn't hurt. I did not go home with it. It was really not a big deal. I was glad my surgical team had another way to check for leaks or other problems very easily without me having to swallow a bunch of nasty medical liquid for an imaging test.

I found the best plus-size suits I ever got (got tons of compliments on them) at a local high-end consignment/thrift store. Didn't pay more than $25 for any of them.

Head hunger: I want something crunchy and salty. I want a cupcake. I want a hamburger. That fast food restaurant sign is making me "hungry." Watching people eat pizza is making me "hungry." True hunger: I would love a plate of dry chicken breast and steamed broccoli, that would be incredibly satisfying and I would be really happy to eat it. ETA: agree with above, you may want to get on a PPI if you aren't already, or see about adjusting your prescription if you are. There is a lot of acid floating around in your stomach immediately post-sleeve with no real food for it to work on, so that can trick your brain into thinking you are hungry.

Is my long thick beautiful hair going to fall out? Probably some of it, but only enough that you notice, not anyone else. People have mentioned drainage tubes? Is this standard? I would guess it's maybe 50/50? I had a drainage tube for one day post-op, it wasn't a big deal. Vomiting and severe gas pain? I don't think vomiting is standard. I haven't thrown up once since my surgery almost three years ago. I wouldn't call the gas pain severe, more like moderate. Walking and moving helps get rid of it. Mine was gone within a couple of days. I'm starting to feel VERY nervous. Morbid obesity should make you a lot more nervous than this extremely safe surgery to help you put obesity into remission. No surgery is a walk in the park -- but as surgeries go, this one is very safe and the recovery is pretty easy for most folks.

I lost 40 lbs in the first 3 months. I started out as a heavy weight and I think that most people would have considered me a slow loser.* I was happy and my medical team was happy with my progress. *Yes, I stayed in strict compliance with one of the strictest programs I've seen detailed here. I wasn't a slow loser because I was chowing down on oatmeal and mashed potatoes, I promise you.

Yes, my surgeon requires a "pre op bootcamp" in the two weeks before surgery. We heard from the bariatric practice nurse, exercise physician, dietitian, and the nurse in charge of the bariatric surgery floor at the hospital. We had to take notes and participate in a group test on what we learned at the end of class. If I remember right it was about four hours, and then we all went and got our blood drawn for final labs after class.

How long will it take until you can drive after surgery? For most people, they can drive as soon as they've been off narcotic pain meds for 24 hours. At least short trips, no long haul trucking. Can you drive yourself home from the hospital? No. Or do you have to have someone take you home from the hospital and if so do you need extra care and assistance getting into the car and getting out and walking to your home? Would a cab or something like Uber be okay to pick you up from the hospital? Yes, someone needs to take you home; no, it cannot be a cab or Uber (for most hospitals), no, you don't need extra care and assistance other than making sure you have a pillow in the car to put between your abdomen and the seat belt. When you're home do you need someone to fix your meals for you? What meals? The vast majority of people won't be eating meals for at least a couple of weeks. And anyway, no, you don't need someone to fix your liquids for you, or your "meals" if you get permission to eat purees or soft foods earlier than most. Help you with medications? No Assist you when you get up and have to walk around and such? No -- and you should be up and walking around the vast majority of the time anyway. Most people will need to nap a time or two each day, but other than that you should be on your feet. You won't be languishing in bed like the sad heroine of a Victorian novel with a mysterious illness Do you need someone to check on you? I don't think so, unless you had complications with surgery or pre-conditions that limited your mobility. How long will it be before you can do something like go grocery shopping? If you are driving yourself to the store, you need to be off narcotic pain meds for 24 hours. What are other things you would need help with? Anything involving lifting heavy objects. I have two cats and I use non-clumping litter, so I had to have someone change the kitty litter a couple of times as the bags of litter were above the weight limit my doctor imposed for lifting for the first 8 weeks. Good luck!

I took two weeks but for the first couple of days when I was back at work, I got too exhausted to keep going in the mid-afternoon and had to go home and sleep. After a couple of days of that, we had a long weekend. When I came back after the long weekend, I was fine to go all day. So three weeks probably would have been a better choice for me.