swimmom

My doctor said swimming was fine a week post-op. I started swimming laps 9 days post-op. I had been swimming laps regularly before surgery, and I am continuing to do so now that I am 4 weeks post-op. I have no idea on the weight lifting. I know that running requires some time as well. But my surgeon said swimming was just fine!

I am VERY glad I had it done, and yes, even though I am only 3 weeks post-op, I believe I'd have it done again. It has changed my life very dramatically already - it is forcing me into a much healthier eating pattern and lifestyle. I have had to re-learn how to eat and drink all over again. There is no gorging on anything without getting sick. And the weight loss so far has been phenomenal! However, I would caution anyone considering this to DO YOUR RESEARCH. This is not a magic bullet - it takes lots of work, and requires commitment. Fortunately, I attended a support group BEFORE having this done, and heard from a lot of post-op people about the hurdles they faced. I am sometimes shocked when I hear people on this forum talk about how unprepared they were. As long as you are committed to changing your lifestyle post-op (and maintaining that new lifestyle longterm), this is a GREAT option!!!!

I did, and they have been VERY supportive. However, I do work for a Charter School, so we have a little more flexibility on things.

Funny - I am ALSO a K-12 Administrator! I was sleeved March 18th - I took a week off before Spring Break, which gave me two weeks to get up and going again. My Doctor had me cut out all carbs from the end of January until the surgery - that helped me tremendously in adjusting to the new lifestyle! I started working on finding high protein, low carb things I liked - it really helped with the post-op transition. I was also super addicted to Diet Coke, so I cut that out before surgery. I tried the syntrax Nectar, but didn't like it. Instead, I found these fruit drink mixes on the website American Bariatrics. You mix them with water, just like a Crystal Light. I really love them! I enjoy drinking the Razzy Lemonade straight, and I mix the plain lemonade with iced tea to make an Arnold Palmer. Since I am continueing to drink these drinks (even at 3 weeks post-op - and I will probably continue to drink them for a while to help me meet my protein, water and calorie goals), found that investing in Blender Bottles was a GREAT move. Every time I leave the house, I mix up one of these drinks in one of my blender bottles and take it with me!

OMG - I LOVE Psycho Donuts! You must live in the Bay Area! I live on the Monterey Peninsula. Every time we go to the Bay Area, the kids beg me to stop at Psycho Donuts. I have not been up to the Bay Area since getting sleeved on March 18th. This will be interesting.... I am in the middle of planning a camping trip for my daughters' Girl Scout Troop later this month. As I plan my favorite camp foods, I am trying to figure out ways that I can have a food-safe, protein-rich weekend...

You may feel a little low energy for a while after surgery. I am 2.5 weeks out from surgery, and still struggling to get in 500 calories a day (most days, I am around 400). My energy level is fairly normal at the moment, but I am defintely working my way back to full workouts/activity levels. Really important to take those supplements and get in the protein! However, people in my support group that are a year + out from surgery say that their energy really picks up after a few months, and your eating gets stabilized - the first couple of months are a bit of a roller-coaster with trying new foods and re-learning how to eat and drink. I am hoping to get back to running, and perhaps do a 5K or 10K next Spring, but I need to wait another month or so to get cleared for running. I am trying not to "over-do" it! As you will find out after your surgery, PATIENCE is a virtue in this game!!!

I think I just had my first dumping experience last night. I am 15 days post-op, and I just got the OK to go to soft foods yesterday. I tried some boiled egg (half at a time) earlier in the day and it went great! For dinner, I tried 2 ounces of tilapia. After 1.5 ounces, I was full and quit. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks - I felt sick. I felt totally miserable and wanted to die. I felt like I had to throw up, but didn't. I tried laying down, walking around, sitting, standing - nothing made me comfortable. This morning, I woke up feeling better, but my stomach is sore. I feel totally guilty, like I totally screwed up. I am hoping I didn't do irreparable damage to my sleeve! But the rational side of me said this is probably just a "dump" - the first of many I might have in the course of this sleeve - and that it was bound to happen at some point. Hope it never happens again, but I know it just might....

I have experienced more constriction as time has progressed. At this point, I can only do a half a yogurt.

My pre-op diet was simply to go without carbs for almost 2 months before surgery. THAT was really the hard part! I was a total carb addict - pasta and bread were my dearest friends! When the doc said no carbs, I thought it would kill me, and that I'd never be able to survive without them. But after a month or so without the carbs, I started not to miss them as much - I really got into the swing of eating without them! Trust me - the first month was toruture. But then it got much easier. I got the sleeve 2 weeks ago. NO urge whatsover to eat those carbs at this point! I am rarely hungry, and really, I am just focusing on getting in my fluids, proteins, and calories. Food is not what it used to be for me. There are still moments when I see people eating pizza or other things and I'd like to have a bite, but it is not NEARLY as tempting as it was - I am already feeling much better about things.

I ordered some fruit protein drink powder from American Bariatrics - it is a little like Crystal Light. It comes in several flavors. I couldn't do the shakes, but I really enjoy these fruit drinks. They are 90 calories and have 15 grams of protein! Mix it with 8 or 10 ounces of water, and you are getting in liquids, calories, AND protein! They have really helped me to meet my minimums. And yes - take those supplements. I have known others who have not and have landed back in the hospital with complications.

My surgeon told me that some people are able to get off the cpap with weight loss, and others are not. I apparently have pretty severe sleep apnea - 69 - so he says that I may never get off of the cpap - it may just be genetic. But he said the weight loss will definitely help - I may be able to go down to a lower pressure level on my cpap with weight loss.

I am almost 2 weeks post op. My friends 40th birthday was last week, so a few friends planned a luncheon for her at a local fancy restaurant. They talked me into going. I just ordered iced tea and sipped it (without a straw!). I felt very awkward and out of place. It seemed to make everyone else uncomfortable that I was not eating. Maybe I just felt uncomfortable being there. Weird. I figure that once I am back to solids, I can probably just order a plain piece of fish and nibble. But at this liquid stage, it was awkward. And of course everyone had advice for me ("try juicing some fruit!") that of course, was not what I needed - they don't have a CLUE as to what I am going through or about the reality of this surgery and the postop stages.

I have a history of depression and anxiety, and have been very stable on meds for the last 8 years. I am now 10 days postop, and still on my paxil. I HAVE had some mood swings and mild depression in the last 3 or 4 days - but it has been pretty mild and short-lived (compared to what I have experienced in the past). My big trigger for it yesterday was that I was going to a 40th birtthday lunch for a friend at a fancy restaurant. I had already planned to eat ahead of time and drink only iced tea at the luncheon. But my clothes are already fitting funky, and the button on my pants was irritating an incision sight. I felt like I looked horrible, and I didn't feel great. At the luncheon, I felt a little awkward only drinking an iced tea while everyone else was eating (and I felt bad because I felt like it made them feel uncomfortable). I spent the rest of the day feeling irritable and depressed and frumpy. This morning, I woke up in a much better place. I was a little shocked at how badly I felt yesterday, especially since I thought I would feel so great after the surgery (and seeing some weight loss!). But I DO think there are some hormones at play, AND I think there are a lot of new triggers in this phase of the journey. I am sure it will settle down with time, but you will defintely need to be in tune with your moods - and perhaps schedule some extra time with a regular shrink to help navigate the new territory. I am going to see my shrink this Friday to discuss some of the new issues and feelings.

I am 9 days post-op, and have been living on Trader Joe's Lentil Soup (the kind in the BIG can), pureed! I eat a third of a cup for a meal. Low caloried and good protein! It is also super cheap and one can lasts almost a week for me!! My surgeon says there are two perfect foods: fish, and lentils. Since I am in the liquid/pureed stage still, I have made lentil soup a staple!

I couldn't do any of the "shakes" - I tried them all and thought they were gross! I DID, however, like the fruit drink mixes I found on American Bariatrics (most other Bariatric websites sell them as well) - they are like drinking a Crystal Light. What really helped me was ordering a Sampler Pack from American Bariatrics. It was like $40, and it came with samples of a TON of their different products! It allowed me to sample several different items before settling on what I liked. I ordered a couple boxes of products I liked before surgery. However, I am glad I didn't order too much. I LOVED their cappucino mixes (15 grams protein, 90 calories, and I mixed it with my coffee so I didn't get caffeine headaches!). They even worked well for my first week post-op. However, I am now at the 8th day post-op, and this morning, it was hard to get that cappucino down. Back to the starting blocks...

I LOVE the Trader Joe's Lentil Soup pureed - I have practically lived on it for the last week. High in protein, low in calories. And the can is cheap and HUGE - one can lasted me for 5 days!!!

I am a March 18 sleever too! Happy one week anniversary, all! I was going into surgery at this time last Monday - I was a 7:30 surgery. One week later, I am doing great, for the most part! I started back on the treadmill on Thursday, and I am now up to walking for 30 minutes on the treadmill at 2.2 mph. I started driving again on Friday. The biggest problem so far is that I get carsick when I drive or I ride in the car. Apparently, a couple of friends that have had WLS say this can be normal for a couple of weeks. I am calling the doc today to see if I should take OTC motion sickness stuff, or get a prescription. Other than that, I am feeling pretty good! Still getting adjusted to drinking SMALL SIPS SLOWLY. Sometimes, I just want to chug down water. Patience.....

I was sleeved last Monday. When my husband drove me home from the hospital, I felt a little nauseous because of the car ride. I stayed home until Friday, when I started driving - I figured I wouldn't get carsickness from driving. However, the feeling came back, even when driving. As long as I am not in the car, I am fine. But driving/riding in a car is making me nauseous. Has anyone else had this after surgery? If so, does it go away after time? Or is it a permanent issue?

I got sleeved last week. In preparation, I took some of my Christmas money to Costco, thinking I'd buy the Magic Bullet there since they had a good price. However, I was walking through Macy's, and they had the Party Bullet on Clearance (the day after Christmas) - for $20!! It is the exact same machine and does the same thing, but the cup/glass is shaped more like a party/margharita glass. Works in totally the same way. I have been using it a LOT this week already, pureeing lentil soup, etc. Such a great investment - and I am glad I found it cheap! I DO use the blender bottles for my protein drinks - I like the kind that are fruit flavored that you add to water - they are like Crystal Light, only they have 15 grams of protein! The blender bottle works great for these, and they are easy to take with me in the car!!

I got sleeved a week ago - March 18th. I am starting to feel really good! The past week has been a HUGE learning curve in terms of how I go about eating and drinking - SMALL sips, going SUPER SLOW. It takes me forever to drink a bottle of water! However, I am getting into the swing of it and feeling much better already! I was originally only going to tell a few people, fearing that people would be judgemental. However, I finally announced it to my Facebook Friends, because so many people that I HAD told were asking for regular updates on how I was doing. To my surprise, the responses I have gotten have not been negative at all! In fact, I have had 3 Facebook Friends message me on the side to ask questions about what I am doing because they are secretly thinking of doing it themselves! It felt good to be able to talk to these friends and share my journey with them - I hope it will help them make the right decisions for themselves! In response to the last post, I have double insurance, so Mexico was not even a consideration for me. I am sure many doctors here in the US will work with payments. I am very lucky to live in an area with one of the top Bariatric Surgeons in the US, and he has a great program of education and support! I think that is the KEY to making WLS a success - continued education and support. It is certainly NOT some miracle cure or wonder drug. I think you need to be connected to a strong support community for this for the rest of your life.

Good luck, all! I had mine done last Monday, March 18th. I was in your same spot last week. Everyone asked if I was excited or nervous. I told them I was just "ready." I am now a week out!

You should definitely consult your doctor on his/her plan for your first couple of weeks. I know that some doctors do only clear liquids the first two weeks, and then "full liquids" the second two. My doctor, on the other hand, does anything liquid during the first two weeks, as long as it is the consistency to be sipped through a straw (BUT DON'T USE A STRAW - TO MUCH AIR/GAS). Of course, protein needs to be FIRST PRIORITY. I have been doing lentil soup put through the blender, and fat-free greek yogurt. I have also been doing drinks that I ordered through American Bariatric - both their clear fruit drinks (a little like Crystal Light), and their cappucino mix (delicious - I mix it with warm coffee - 15 grams of protein and 90 calories!).

I am 6 days post-op. I never had any second thoughts about doing this - until I woke up from the surgery feeling nauseous and sore. That was the first time I thought "remind me why I did this to myself..." I felt like I was going to die. The first two days, I alternated between these thoughts, and feeling great. Now that I am home, I still alternate between "why did I do this" and "I feel great," but the "I feel great" thoughts are beginning to win out - I feel better more than I feel lousy, and it just keeps getting better each day! But it is a learning curve - it hurts when I take too big of a sip of anything, it hurts when I try to drink/eat too fast, and anything high in sugar makes me nauseous. However, I am beginning to look at these things as POSITIVES - this is what will help me lose and keep the weight off in the long run - these are good things, though it can be painful to learn! I think we will get through this and feel like everyone else in a few months - glad we did it!

Congrats! I had my sleeve done on 3/18 - the day before you! I was home on 3/19. Today I actually got back on the treadmill for the first time - 30 minutes, walking at 2 mph. Feeling MUCH better! I am also beginning to get a handle on the eating/drinking thing, and proteins, although I can tell this will be the biggest hurdle! The great thing is that my sleeve really tells me if I am eating/drinking too much or too fast!

I ordered some fruit drinks from American Bariatric - I like them MUCH better than the protein shakes (which I think are ALL disgusting). They are a little like Crystal Light. I also ordered Cappucinos from them, which seem to go down much better (the warm thing works for me) - they have 15 grams of protein and are pretty tasty!