sassypants

I still smoke my doc knows all about it we talked about it before the op he had no issue with me quitting so yes I still smoke. As for you I would say no don’t! Honestly if you haven’t for this long just don’t I know the urge to just find the comfort in the vice of smoking but it won’t be just one we both know that! yes i do still smoke so you might think oh its easy for me to say don;t but i kinda wish i was made to give up and i will be working on that very soon! Trust me I know how you feel I still don’t keep things down well can’t drink a lot or eat nearly as much as I am told too and I had the worst experience of my life for a whole week not being able to go. I almost went er I was taking all sorts to help me go and when I finally did spent the whole next day in bed in pain. Now I drink half a cup of prune juice every day over ice to help. in my food log in the top corner I keep a note of going like bm lbm bbm which stands for bowel movement little and big so I know when I am going when I am not it can be 3 days of nothing then 2 or 3 days of movement. I can hit you up with what I did but its way way too much info for this thread lol its easy to fall back on but please don't you will feel crap after for going so long without then doing it again.

You have to adjust to the machine you feel crappy while getting used to it its like your body doesn’t understand, it was doing all this fitful crazy sleeping now air is being forced into it and its trying to do what it was naturally doing but its being stopped so its going crazy adjusting at the start. Getting used to it is annoying the masks the air the not feeling too hot when you wake up thinking its easier and more comfortable without but once your over that hurdle and sleeping you do just drift off and sleep very well. You will notice the benefits while awake more than asleep the headaches go, the feeling groggy and tired go, the actual falling asleep randomly go. Before I had mine I was restless in my sleep sitting up, throwing myself back, I would even get to a point where I was tossing and turning so much I would do the sitting up lean back with pillows behind me and sleep like that, then push them out the way and lay back down and over and over. When I got my cpap I started on my right side and woke on my left hardly moving all night. Personally I have never taken sleeping pills and never would I think your body should naturally adjust to everything than drugging it up to deal with it but that’s just my personal opinion.

You need to look up Jamaican, west indian or maybe middle eastern recipes for goat, it could be too spicy for you not sure on your palate when my best friend makes it or I used to get it from the west indian take away it has a kick I can handle but you can go easy on some of the ingredients if your not too keen on food with a kick when your making it yourself. thanks now i wish i could have some ox tail or brown chicken or maybe a little curried goat lol

If your cook a whole chicken or turkey for that matter always cook them breast down the natural juices flow into the breast and help keep them moist. Another way which my mum does for her turkey on chirstmas or easter is stuff it with sausage meat, sausage meat chopped onion some chopped tomato (you can add chestnuts she does 2 types with and without I don’t like with so ick) all mixed up and stuffed in side as stuffing the juice from the stuffing and the bird its self has bird very juicy and moist. Another roast chicken I used to like to do (not cooked it since the op lol) Stuff the inside with chopped leeks then 2 onion quarters then squeeze in honey, then repeat till you shove half an onion in the end to keep it all in. I then salt pepper the whole outside then rub honey all over it into the skin not LOADS so it’s drenched just a light skin rub. The chicken has a nice earthy slight sweet taste to it. That also works really really well with goose the flavours go nice. But yeah whole birds breast side down helps them stay nice and moist.

Yep! But I didn’t do meal replacement I picked the milk diet and learnt just how lactose intolerant I was! Didn’t drink milk before not as a drink didn’t do milkshakes etc just some cheese now and again so never knew sure found out! I was told to stop immediately as your body will be in bad shape for the op and was told to go on the food option. If you’re in major pain and feeling sick you need to tell them it could be an issue and not have the desired effect of the pre op diet and they could have a alternative option for you.

I took and used:- Pjs Slippers Book Glasses for reading Phone and charger Cottonwool and cleanser Night cream Toothpaste and toothbrush Deodorant Robe Body pillow Triangle pillow Baby wipes Vaseline for my lips hair brush Socks I know there isn’t enough pillows nor can you get enough to put on your sides for support while you sleep learnt that from the gall bladder op so I brought my own so all I did was slight movements adjust the bed a bit and I was comfy. Thing I didn’t bring that my sister had to bring me was a fan! So hot in there I asked for one and they said sorry we don’t have any so one was brought in for me to keep me cool. Things I took and didn’t need:- Cpap machine (told me to hold off using it for as long as possible) Laptop (couldn’t logon couldn’t get the dongal to register when my sis bought me one) Shampoo Conditioner Body wash (wasn’t allowed to shower but was offered a bed bath lol used baby wipes!)

I’m in my 11th week and I have lost 91lbs I asked if that was a lot or fast etc they said no some do less some do more some the same its fine. I also started out heavier so I dunno if that’s a factor in my more rapid weight loss. i also don’t exercise yet as in, in a gym or hardcore dunno if that slows it/speeds it changes loses because muscle is building and weighs more. I think the op and the first stages are such a dramatic shock to the body it falls off and for me I am managing maybe 3oz (if lucky) of food a day still having a very hard time with both drinking and eating and they are not too concerned I am starving or anything like that. We all react differently our bodies do different things we may have big drops now and level out and be a lot slower say 6 months out others might be slower now their body adjusts and 6 months out the weight slides off with ease. Keep a food and drink diary and see how much your doing then you have a exact log to show them I had this much fluid this much food so they know.

I also wasn’t allowed shakes or protein for a couple of weeks after the op it was more about the fluid as in hot and cold drinks and broth nothing creamy its clear broth they say to drink cream soups were next stage for me. I made my own broth because I find pre made very salty and full of additives I know what i put in mine so it was easier. Also got water nausea so I bypassed that and just drank decaf tea the warm tea was sooooooo nice it just felt very soothing still does over any kind of colder drink. Kept a thermos of broth and another of tea with me to pour out little bits and sip on. First week or 2 you’re still really raw, tender and healing so have to be careful what you expose to your stomach. Try warmer drinks see if that helps.

Never? lol for me the warmer the drink the more I burp, but then again my family are kinda burpy people anyway so I dunno if its just me or not. I think its very common for all of us to be a bit burpy for a few months it maybe a tiny little stomach but it seems to get a lot of air in it. Not really an answer but I too burp when I drink not when I eat but yes when I drink I burp.

I tried cream of mushroom soup, now beforeeeeee this was one of my fav soups also used it as pasta sauce bases or over chicken as a base sauce first try after it tasted so rank and made me feel ill. Mad me sad because its just soup but nope! I have had puking reactions to a few things tuna is one and eggs is another like I am trying to turn myself inside out its so bad shakes sweating and extreme retching. And I tired egg twice 2 teaspoons of egg white same reaction! Will not go near eggs or tuna for the foreseeable future lol Homemade soup or canned tomato soup is fine so is other fish its really random!

Just wanted to add I was sick on the second day they kept bringing me water and saying drink it then tea then water drink it drink it drink it! I was sipping and trying and grabbed the puke bowl and blughhhhhh boy was it loud and like dramatic lol Even when I was done empty I kept retching badly lol I had the blood guy and the other 3 people on my ward section all asking are you ok do you need a nurse? Between puking water and retching I was shaking my head or saying no I am fine then blughhhhhhhh lol Also never had a pain pump they would give me iv liquid paracetamol (that’s like tylenol ) twice a day one around 10am and the other around 8/9pm they did say to me if you feel pain just tell us but I really didn’t feel the need to keep getting pain meds dealt with a lot worse than this felt. I’ve made it a point to never take morphine if offered it (gall bladder op I was asked if I wanted it in recovery) because it backs you up to put it politely lol and I know you can’t leave hospital without going loo, so if I can deal with the pain on a lower pain med I don’t take it plus it makes you spacey and sleepy which to me would make you seem more tired and sick than you really are. But that’s my personal preference if I really needed that high a pain med I would take it.

lol i have noticed that word comes out the same all over the forum lol

More protein you take in can make your urine darker you have protein markers in it normally so we intake a lot more protein and a lot less other stuff so we have more protein in our urine which makes it darker. That’s what I was told anyway lol

As far as being able to move and pain I wasn’t too bad my gall bladder op was far worse I feel. I had my op last on the list so I got on ward at like 9pm-ish still a little groggy I was out of the bed standing by it and told them to move my bed by the window told my mum to take my pjs out I wanted to get dressed in my clothes then i wanted to pee the nurse tried to help me and get me to use one of the pans I was all NO! so she tried to hold me and walk with me but she was too slow and I just shuffled off by myself with my iv stand and come back by myself instead of calling her to get me lol I watched how they hooked up the leg pressure things so when I wanted out of the bed I just turned it off and unhooked myself and hooked it back up when I got back in lol The next day my nurse took me for a walk off the ward and down the corridor and back again I did that twice a day. But I had bad cotton mouth and was on iv fluid so I went to the bathroom a lot to either brush my teeth or use the bathroom and I get bored really easily so I would just stroll about. I napped a lot but I sleep really poorly in hospital (always too hot and noisy for me) and the lady opposite me was a moaner who wouldn’t use her pain pump and did odd things in the middle of the ***ht that would wake me up. Once home I did a lot more sleeping but moving was far easier than the gall bladder op I feel. I think as long as you listen to your body and rest when its tired or your in pain then its ok to be moving around it helps blood flow lung function and you to feel “normal” and better than to just lay there.

just a ps why can;t you say n.ight/s on this forum lol i can guess what they think the first 3 letters are going to spell but its so random lol

When I was being fitted for my first one and they do that test the first time its on your face OH MY GOD the feeling it was like I was being suffocated! The panic rising inside me and when you open your mouth and it all whooshes out you just want to rip that thing off and take massive lungfuls of air! I didn’t but yeah first ***ht of at home I had to mentally tell my self not to freak out to just breath I ramped up for 30mins first time and spent most of that time controlling my mind and breathing to not freak out!

i smoked and still do my doc asked me if i smoke i said yes he said ok one thing at a time deal with this first then if and when you want we will help you stop smoking. It was never a issue for me I didn’t have high blood pressure or bad lung functions or a bad EKG. The anaesthetist was very very anti smoking and told me I should quit!! Now!! Never smoke again!! My doc said yeah they are like that because they have to deal with all the issues smoking throws them in surgery. I had some issues with he told me but it wasn’t too bad. I did have very low oxygen levels the whole next day which kept me on the nasal oxygen thing till the breathing exercises were done a few times clearing my lungs and me taking deep enough breaths not shallow light breathing which apparently I was doing I wasn’t breathing deep enough unless I thought about it and made sure I was taking big deep breaths. Be honest because they will know and they are more prepared if you tell them you smoked or still do they know they may have problems and its on the paperwork and they have stuff to hand to deal with it you do also need to do the breathing exercises after and they need to know like for me that low oxygen or blood pressure is due to smoking and not something else. You also take the fasttabs for longer if you smoke you take 2 a day for 6 months if you smoke then another 6 months you’re on them once a day.

first few ***hts in my getting used to it stage i pulled it off too, a few hours after falling asleep i dunno if it would bug me or what but i would half wake pulling it off and drop it on the floor lol getting used ot it is such a pain but once you are its sooooo good! but i am glad i am off it now and sleeping normally lol

I have a lower back problem and part of my notes say exercise is not really a option for several months, and even then my back will take a lot more building up and checking before I can do anything crazy hardcore. I can’t even take my pain meds to take me from a constant 9 of pain down a bit so all my doc said to do was walk around my house. I am allowed to go swimming which I did this week my back did start to hurt a lot even in the water but I just tread water fast for my legs or held on to the side and kicked my legs. If they know beforehand that its not as easy because of pre existing medical issues they won’t expect you to be hitting the gym they should tell you what you can do for you. Its not hopeless hun you just have to adjust things to work for what you need.

I suggest going to a piercer and getting the plastic ones not funky uv ones or anything these are a lot cheaper just say your going in for a op and need a plastic bar during the op and hospital stay they will do one the right size for you and switch it out. They just cut a little strip off and make a thread on each end and add the balls it’s not pre made. The rings are a pain I actually bought both a opener and a closer the little ball is such a fiddly pain in the butt to try and get right my sister and partner tried to put it back in for me kept dropping the ball so I just left the bar in and glad I did so I didn’t have to go have it removed again for this op lol Had mine for 15 years so 5 or so days wasn’t gonna close up on me lol

maybe too personal but ring or bar? i had a ring in til my gall bladder op and was allowed the plastic bar for the op and recovery they told me no in the tongue but down there was ok but no metal incase of xrays or scans etc this time i just didn;t bother to use the plastic had it so long its not gonna close up on me and its been bar since the gall bladder op so easier to put back in than the ring which you need closers for. you can always use nothing for the op get a plastic bar and have your partner or someone put the plastic in after.

It is your on medication that makes it darker plus protein is meant to make it darker and we don’t drink enough to be lighter. Think of it as concentrated pee rather than diluted lol

I do and don’t at times for me I have other server medical issues that wouldn’t of got better (still may not) and treatment is pretty intense and on hold for months. weightloss is a hope that my body helps I don’t really want to discuss my other medical reason but its not heart problems high blood pressure or diabetes I never had any of them. For me what I am over is being sick I have been sick as in actual puking for many years for a couple of reasons and i am just over the constant puking and pain. I had gall stones for years and was told I was too fat to have the op so I dealt with that for over 5 years till a baratric team (same peeps who did my wls) said they had no issues with doing it. I was at the point I was barely mobile and in hospital for biopsies and blood tests and appointments several times a month so for me this is helping to save my life. It’s a different life and in some ways I feel I replaced some problems with others but I hope these die down and I become more normal. The only problem I have it’s the constant you must drink you must eat you must take meds oh you must drink and on and on I feel I spend my entire day forcing fluid and what little food I can take into me and its hard. I haven’t yet managed to eat 3 times a day and only once i ate 4zo of food that took almost 2 hours i can do about 1oz of soup or something ok and maybe not puke it up. so its hard going and yes would be easier to be how I was and just eat or drink when I wanted but I WANT a life and a good one not one stuck at home not able to do anything or go anywhere. If I have to have treatment for my other things it will be easier to do and go to hospital being smaller.

It may not be the protein it might be something else in that brand. I have been on the same brand phd and got the ready to drinks 1 of each flavour cranberry and orange were fine the lemon I had a reaction too. I didn’t know what exactly I reacted to the first day as I had actually eaten the same things for 3 days only difference was the lemon ready to drink next day I was fine and having different things to eat and drink till I drank more of the lemon drink so then I knew it was that one drink. So whatever the lemon flavour is that’s whats making me react.

i had to take all of min out my tongue ones had to come out no plastic ones because nose and mouth they want clear of anything that can get in the way choke you or they rip. It’s the same reason they ask about teeth because they could knock them and any fakes can come out. I had to remove my other one too and this time I didn’t put the plastic one in which I did during my gall bladder op, it didn’t close up and I put it back about a week later. I had to remove all nail varnish including clear because the monitors they put on your finger and big toe during the op can get wear or interrupted readings from nail varnish. During my gall bladder op a few years ago I forgot to take off my toe polish they were less than happy and that’s when I got told readings go wrong or are weak.