DeniseM

At my one-week post-op visit my doctor told me not to worry unless I was feeling bloated and cramped like I was constipated. She reminded me that it had been two weeks since I had eaten any solid food, and not to expect normal bowel movements for several more weeks, when I started eating solid food again. I told her that my bowel movements were very loose, almost like diarrhea, and she told me that I was basically eating baby food and could expect baby poop, which I thought was funny but made sense.

Good point- I could do much worse than some random hiccups!

Has anyone experienced this? Several times a day I get this random hiccup. Never more than one, just one out of the blue. I'm a little worried about going back to work next week because they are so sudden and loud- not exactly good office etiquette....

All the wraps do is remove water from the tissue in the area where they are applied, which could cause dehydration. They are expensive and temporary. It would be fine for a special occasion, but if you are looking for a long-term solution, wraps are not the way to go. The only way to truly remove loose skin is surgery- there is no cream or wrap that can permanently fix loose skin.

It was day 10 for me when I was able to sleep on my side.

My NUT told me that you needed to be able to put the liquid in a glass and see your hand through the glass. If you can not see your hand, it is not a clear liquid. So, I guess it would depend on the stock. I made myself a large pot after surgery, and mine was not clear, so it would not have worked. I hate the taste of canned chicken broth and bouillon, so what I did do when I was on my pre-op clear liquids was ordered won-ton soup and took out the won-tons (hubby ate them) and drank just the broth and it was SO much better than anything canned.

That's weird because I am never eating when it happens. The last one I had, I was doing dishes, and it had been at least 20 minutes since I had had a sip of my water.

I didn't wear underwear at the hospital either. It was not my first choice, but I was in a lot of pain and it was just easier. I did bring a loose pair of bikini undies to wear home though- I didn't want anything touching my stomach. It was a few days after surgery before I was able to put on undies by myself as well- it hurt too much to bend.

I have worked in the medical field for 20 years, and typically when an insurance company denies a procedure for medical necessity, such as they did with you, the only thing that I have seen success with is for the surgeon to write the appeal letter giving his medical opinion on why the surgery is medically necessary. Have you talked to your surgeon's office and asked them for help? Now, this could be different for bariatric procedures, but in my experience, patient appeal letters do not work as well as physician appeal letters.

My doctor told me no exercise at all except walking for 4-6 weeks. I cannot lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for 4-6 weeks as well.

I avoid being in any family pictures by always being the one to take the pictures- I hate my wedding pictures as well, and plan on retaking them in two years for my 15th anniversary. It is sad that so much of my life has been spent avoiding the camera, I am looking forward to the next half of my life being much different.

I've been having one can of protein shake (35 g protein) and one bottle of Isopure (40 g protein) every day, and then adding in whatever I feel like as far as soup, yogurt, jello, or pudding. I know between the shake and the Isopure I am almost at my protein goal, so I don't stress out about my meals and just eat what seems good at the moment. I also wanted to add that I tried all the flavors of Isopure, and the ONLY one I can drink is Alpine Punch- the rest were just terrible to me, and the only way I can drink the Isopure is watering it down- 50% water and 50% Isopure- it makes a really big difference in the taste.

I use straws because they help me take smaller sips. I was told not to use them because it causes you to swallow air and gives you extra gas, but I have not had a problem with that.

Not tired, just irritated because it takes so long to eat and my cold stuff gets warm and my warm stuff gets cold.

I start in the morning with 22 oz of plain water, once I finish that I start sipping on an 11 oz can of protein shake which usually takes me at least an hour, then I start sipping on half Isopure Alpine Punch and half water throughout the rest of the day, it usually takes me the rest of the day to finish the bottle of Isopure. Then in between I'll have 4 oz ounces of yogurt, soup, or pudding. All together it is usually about 70 oz of fluids and 80 grams of protein. My pouch is really small (so my doctor tells me) so I can take in about 1 oz of fluid every 10 minutes, which means I am literally sipping something from the time I wake up until I go to sleep.

Fayetteville

I had my surgery on June 4th with Dr. Perkins at Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, NC. Today is post-op day 10 and we had a big going away party for my hubby who is deploying tomorrow and I was going all day long and feel great. I was worried about overdoing it, but I was surprised at my energy level even though I am still only on full liquids. It was a little hard when everyone was eating, but I just volunteered to feed my 14 month old nephew during dinner and that was a nice distraction.

I am only 10 days out and I have definitely noticed a big difference in both our grocery bill and dining out since we used to eat out 5 times a week- my groceries were half what we normally spend, but it is just me and my hubby, so a family with children might not notice as much of a difference at the grocery store.

I liked Joe's Crab Shack when I was on my low-carb diet before surgery because crab legs and butter have no carbs. I didn't eat anything else (corn or potatoes) but you could get a salad as an appetizer and have a healthy, low-carb meal that is still a nice treat for your anniversary. You could also get crab at Red Lobster, or any other seafood restaurant.

Your doctor has been paid by you (or your insurance) to answer each and every one of your questions!

Definitely a question for your doctor, but I would imagine 4-6 weeks, the same as heavy exercise.

From the time I went into the operating room until I woke up in recovery was 2 hours and 15 minutes, but I am not sure how long I was sleeping in recovery- I think my surgery took one hour.

I am post-op day 8 and I have been sleeping sitting up on the couch (do not have a recliner) because in bed even though I prop myself up with pillows, I seem to slide down and wake up with back pain. I think the fabric of the couch keeps me from slipping so it has been more comfortable to sleep sitting up in the living room. I tried seeping on my side once and it was extremely painful for me. My pain dropped significantly by day 3, except I have one incision that really bothers me, the other four are fine. I haven't even thought of exercise yet- my doc told me it would be 4-6 weeks before I could do anything but walk.

How long after surgery did you stop taking pain meds? Today is post-op day 8 for me, and I decided to skip my 11:00 dose of Roxicet to see how I do without it because I hate the way it makes me feel. So far, so good, but I will have to see how the afternoon goes.

Well so far today my pain has not been any different today than it was yesterday when I was taking the meds, so I am just going to stop. I probably could have stopped a few days ago. One of my incisions is really bothering me, the other four I barely feel. Another bonus is that I have stopped itching, so apparently my itching and rash was being caused by the Roxicet.