Kennedy310

Hi IndigoSkye- My gastric sleeve surgery went well. I've had a few digestive issues along the way, but nothing too extraordinary & all have been things that I've been able to manage & get through with a few adjustments. My body just needed a little extra time to adjust to the new digestive system. I'm 9 weeks out from surgery & I feel great. My energy is back, I've lost 65 lbs & most importantly, I feel healthier. Dr. Trivedi & his surgical team did a great job. I had a terrific experience at Hackensack. The nursing staff I had was really nice & attentive to my needs. They encouraged me to get up & walk around and move. That was a big help in recovery. And my dad is doing great as well. He is 5 months out from his gastric bypass surgery & he has lost over 80lbs. He has better energy now & is getting around on his bad knee so much easier than he was pre-surgery. I agree with eboychik... call Michelle if you are having problems with your coordinator. My first coordinator was a nightmare as I explained above. She was "moved to another department" because she didn't know what she was doing. i was hopeful with a new coordinator, but although she was more responsive, she was still learning & clearly had too many cases. it always took at least a day for her to return my calls. of course that was better than the first coordinator who just never called me back. Definitely call Michelle & get what you need. It's a shame that such a great surgeon has such a problematic staff handling the insurance approvals. At one point, my coordinator was having problems because my insurance is through California. She advised me to change my insurance to New Jersey. Um, yeah, not the solution. Haha Good luck with your surgery approval. Let us know when you get approval.

Great to see you here. I was just sleeved on March 29th. Happy to answer any questions you have as your surgery approaches. Congrats & welcome!

As others have mentioned, the sensation and intensity of hunger will vary among individuals. I'm six weeks out & I don't feel hunger in the same way at all. Because of this my nutritionist suggested that I never go 4 hours without having something to eat. This has been helpful in keeping my blood sugar steady. On the few occasions that I've gone too long without eating, the low blood sugar seems to trigger a hunger sensation in me. So, I'm now pretty diligent about following the "eat something at least every 4 hours" approach. I do feel head hunger now and then, usually triggered by a pizza commercial or something like that. When it occurs, I simply direct my attention to my physical body and assess whether there is any physical sensation at all. Typically it's all in my head, and thankfully this surgery has made it so much easier for me to choose not to eat anything if I'm not truly hungry for it. And fullness will come as you add more substantial foods. I had one incident of overeating. I felt like I was going to die. It is very unpleasant & it reminded me to be more mindful when I eat. Good luck on your journey!

Oh and forgot to mention that there are 2 brands of flavored water I like that have no sugar or sugar substitutes. Hint water has various flavors. And Metromint has a variety of mint water flavors. To me, the chocolate mint flavor tastes like I'm drinking a dessert.

My digestive system just cannot handle the sugar-free stuff. Like a few others have mentioned, I would also suggest infusing natural flavors into your Water to give some variety. I just found a pitcher at Target for $7.99 that has a little plastic piece that slides in, so you can put your fruit or whatever into the pitcher without it floating around in your water, and take it out easily once it has the flavor you want. So, I mix it up by added things like lemon, lime, cucumber, orange, mint, basil, or rosemary. And you can make different combinations according to your tastes. Oh and PS - I am 6 weeks post-surgery, and I have virtually lost all my sugar cravings. I no longer have to fight that intense urge to eat or drink something sugary. So, hopefully you will find it much easier to post-surgery as well. Good luck!

Thanks so much!

My doctor said at least one week. That was his minimum and said we could determine what was right for us as long as it was a week.

Good point. I agree on the sugar-free stuff. I cut it all out of my diet, and I've had much better success with my digestion.

You're welcome. As for the fears... Once you're cleared by your doctor, you can add some weight training to your exercise plan again. Even a little resistance training will help keep that muscle (Protein in the diet helps with this as well). And as for the sagging, it's up to your genetics. But they do say that exercising & weight training on a regular basis helps keep you better toned than if you did not workout at all. if you're this committed now with boot camp, you will most likely be just as motivated post-surgery!

Congrats! I had the same discomfort from gas for the first 3-4 weeks. I even had some major digestive issues that kept me in bed for days & forced me back to pureed foods. But I took care of myself, added some probiotic foods to my diet & now 6 weeks post-surgery I feel much better. I'm still learning what I can and cannot tolerate, but I've seen a great improvement as the days go by.

Everyone is a little different. However, I had pain for a few days after surgery & I was still fine going up & down the stairs. Just took them slow & carefully.

It does get better! I was in a lot of pain post-surgery too. And I did not expect to be. I followed my doctor's advice and talk as much pain meds as were prescribed for the first few days. By the end of the first week, I did not need the pain meds anymore. And somewhere in the middle of week two, I woke up one morning and felt pretty normal again. Congrats! And good luck!

Definitely check with your surgeon if you lift a lot of stuff at work. My doctor restricted all lifting of anything over 10lbs for 6 weeks post-surgery. He said it was to prevent anything happening to the staple line since it is a long cut that needs to heal with the gastric sleeve surgery.

I only took one week off & I regret it! In hindsight, I should have taken 2 weeks off. Being back at work & only being on a liquid diet was to much. I got tired way too easily. Once I started on pureed foods, I felt more energy. Everyone is definitely different, but my suggestion would be to take the 2 weeks off if you can.

I felt nauseous for the first 2 days and it gradually improved. I also felt a lot of pain (I wasn't expecting that). My surgeon said it was normal & I should take the pain medication as I needed it. I did and it helped a lot. By the end of week 1, no longer needed the pain meds. And somewhere in the middle of week 2, I woke up one morning & just felt pretty normal again. Hang in there... it will get better!

Good for you! I'd follow the advice that several folks have given already, keep listening to your body and don't push yourself too hard. You don't want to harm yourself before surgery. But the exercise you're doing now will be so helpful. It will even help get the anesthesia out of your system faster than if you had not been exercising prior to surgery. As for attending boot camp after surgery, chances are you will not feel up to it. But that's okay! This is a major surgery & you will not be eating in the weeks immediately following. It is really hard to keep your energy up when it's just a liquid diet. I did not feel my energy come back until week 3 after surgery. also, you want to be cautious so you don't do anything to affect the long staple line after surgery. But don't be discouraged if you have to miss those final 2 boot camp classes. You are going to have an entirely new life ahead of you & soon enough you'll have the energy to continue where you left off with your exercise. You'll build up slowly & you'll have this new amazing weight loss tool to help you along the way!

It was very hard for me to find the calcium citrate anywhere in stores near me. So, I decided to order Bariatric Advantage chewables. First, I bout the wild cherry flavor. I hated the taste. Next, I tried the chocolate flavor & they are much better. The biggest annoyance is that they are a bit chalky, so I chew them slower. I've never tried the liquid, but if you think the chalky texture might bother you, then maybe the liquid form is worth trying.

Definitely check with your doctor or nutritionist. My surgeon said I could have one cup of caffeinated a day (and just have decaf after that). In my fourth week, post-op I had decaf coffee & my stomach could not handle it at all. The acid messed me up really bad. So, I'm waiting awhile before trying to add it back in even though I do miss it. Everyone is definitely different.

You've already been given some great advice by these folks, and I'll just add my experience to that. I am 6 weeks post surgery & very glad I made this decision. I've lost 47lbs, I have more energy & I can feel myself getting healthier day by day. I too had insurance issues. In fact, my first request was denied just 6 days before surgery! It was a huge blow to my psyche because I had mentally prepared myself for the surgery. It was like the rug had been pulled right out from under my feet. Not surprisingly, I turned to food for comfort to ease my sadness. But 2 months later, the insurance issues were straightened out & I was ready for surgery once again. I was nervous, but I kept reminding myself that I was doing this to get healthy again. The first couple days after surgery were challenging because of the pain, BUT my doctor told me to utilize the pain meds to get through it. A week later, I was off the pain meds completely & on my road to recovery. The best news is that I can confirm that this really is the tool they say it is. The road is not perfect & I still have a long way to go, but this surgery has made my relationship to food so much better. I'm not controlled by hunger like I used to be. I don't crave sweets like I once did. When the urge to eat for emotional reason strikes, I simply put my mind on whether I feel any physical hunger. If I am hungry, I eat. If it's just an emotional trigger, I can now say, "Nope, don't need to eat now." and the urge goes away much easier. Don't be afraid of the emotional ups and downs pre-surgery. Take them on as best you can & know that the challenges will make you stronger. So, when you do have this surgery as a weight loss tool, you will be able to manage it all the better. Hope that helps. Good luck!

Congrats to everyone on their success! I was sleeved on March 29th & I am down 47lbs. I had some major digestive issues in my second & third weeks following surgery, but luckily that seems to have passed and I'm back on track. Still incorporating new foods into my diet slowly. I had a bad reaction to decaf coffee a couple weeks ago, which really bummed me out. But I get it... my new digestive system is still sensitive & it just wasn't ready for coffee. My energy is finally getting back to good levels and that's been helping me get out & walk a lot. Tomorrow, I get to head back to the gym for the first time. Hope everyone continues to have great success!

Sounds good. Thanks for sharing what's been working for you. I'm 6 weeks out & I am finding it so much easier to make better food choices. I'm relieved that this really is the helpful tool they said it would be. Continued success to you, man.

Good to see you here, OneWritersSoul. It's not super active all the time, but it is great that there is a place on these boards for LGBTQ folks.

I had my surgery on March 29th & thankfully all went well. However, late in my second week I noticed that the juices and broths were no longer agreeing with me. I had to run to the bathroom shortly after drinking them. Yesterday, I began pureed foods with the hope that my digestive issues would end. Unfortunately, I literally have to go to the bathroom after everything i eat & even after I drink Water. I felt discomfort in my intestinal area all day long. I called the doctor on call at my surgeon's office & went over my symptoms. He said that some rare patients have a reaction to all the fluids & that my system is most likely trying to re-adjust. I'm keeping an eye on it. And I seem to feel a bit better today. Although, I'm still making way more trips to the bathroom than I'd like. The doctor also said I could take some immodium if it continues. Did anyone else experience a similar issue? Do you have any insight from your personal experience that might help? Thanks!

Excellent progress, ttisawsm! I just had surgery two weeks ago, so I'm always looking for some good advice from folks who are ahead of me on the journey. What have been the keys to your success so far?

I just bought the Bariatric Advantage Cherry calcium citrate tablets. They are super sweet for my taste. Can anyone recommend another flavor by BA that they like?