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So I am 2 weeks post op today and I am down 13 lbs already. I lost 10 lbs the first week and only 3 lbs since last friday. My doc said its just the bloating and Water retention. HOW LONG DOES THAT LAST? Only thing I have read was regarding bloating but not water retention. Is this normal? Still tender and occassionaly I have shooting pangs near the incision areas that the doc said will subside but this bloating and water retention is for the birds. So ready for it to go away...

LOVE THIS POST! A TOTAL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE!

Hi guys. I see a lot of you are struggling and worried pre-op about the pre-op diet. It is a HUGE challenge, but for me, it was an important one.

Exactly 1 year ago, I was in the middle of a 2 week liquid pre-op diet because my BMI was 55+ and I was self-pay in Mexico. Traveling from Canada meant that a reschedule would be A LOT of extra expense if my surgeon had to stop due to an enlarged liver mid-surgery. I had NO CHOICE but to follow the diet.

It also meant that cheating would increase the chance of complications and a longer recovery (or worse), all because I could not follow a 2 WEEK diet. Really? Here I was, about to take a seriously radical, life-changing step and get 85% of my stomach cut out permanently. But I can't follow a 2 week diet? That's crazy.

Post-op was going to be difficult for MONTHS, not days. So if I couldn't get my head in the game for the pre-op diet, then maybe I wasn't ready for what was going to follow post-op. I was terrified!

So I started the liquid diet. And I was STARVING. I was dreaming of all the foods I thought were leaving my life forever. Suddenly I didn't care that I had spent my life morbidly obese, I wanted my comfort back. I wanted to fill myself to bursting at every meal, like it was my last meal forever.

But I didn't break my diet.

Because for once, I wasn't going to cheat myself. It was time to grow up (I'm 43....) and take responsibility for my health, my future and my choices. A lifetime of justification, gluttony and excuses brought me to that operating room. Now it was time to face the music and get on with owning my future.

The first 3 days were HELL. That is when your body is detoxing from the carbs. You are using up the glycogen in your liver (to help "shrink" it) and it's screaming for replacement carbs to fill it back up. You can get through it. After 3 days it gets MUCH better. After a week you start to feel normal and more healthy than you have felt in years. You may be hungry, but you don't have the carb cravings anymore.

Most importantly, you feel IN CONTROL; and mentally and emotionally strong for battling your demons and winning. This is the first tangible proof in an unsure future that you CAN get through the post-op recovery and that you CAN succeed in losing the weight this time, FOR LIFE.

Whatever weight you lose during your pre-op diet is really inconsequential. What is important is what you gain:

- Confidence

- Emotional and physical self-control

- The desire to succeed and overcome "impossible" obstacles

- The knowledge that you are a WINNER as long as you do your best

Please don't look at the pre-op diet as a "condition" that your surgeon imposes on you (and some surgeons don't require it!). It is an OPPORTUNITY for you to test yourself, to help build your will, character and emotional toughness BEFORE you have the surgery.

It's like training for a marathon.....you put the blood sweat and tears in before the race to help you finish the race on game day. Without training and preparation, you will likely fail and you can get hurt really badly along the way!

Use your pre-op diet to work through your demons, build up your confidence and prove to yourself you can do it. If you "fall off the wagon" one day, the next day is a fresh start.

Aim for excellence. You owe it to yourself.

So tomorrow will be one week post op. yay, I didn't die... Lol... It has been a definite struggle. liquids are getting boring but I have figured out cream of chicken Soup is much better than broth and very satisfying. It has been my saving grace the last two days. I got on the scale this morning and I am already down 10 lbs. on surgery date I was 231, today 221... 90 more to go....

I'm starting to walk tonight.... Haven't been able to take a deep breath until today due to the hiatal hernia repair...

I can't wait to be able to drink more. At 3 days out I can barely take in 60 cc's in one sitting before feeling that tight knot. Glad I found this site. My job is a unique situation where I started a new position so my last day with my old boss was Thur 6/13 and my first day at my new position/new facility (same company) is Mon 6/24. I am a bit scared because I will be in an all day orientation and then have a tour of the new facility which scares me because I am not sure if can make the tour especially if I am feeling the way I am now.

Hi, I am new to the forum and VGS. Just had my surgery on Fri June 14, 2013. I was releases from the hospital after my swallow test the next day and have a lot of pain. the anti-nausea gives me headaches while the pain elixir makes me nauseated. I guess I really underestimated the surgery. I didn't think I would be in so much pain. Can anyone tell me how long the pain takes to fade? I really need to go back to work as soon as possible but I can't if this feeling continues for too much longer. I am so fatigued as well.