Bluesea71

Hello everyone. I had surgery 4/16 (5 days ago as of this posting) and curious how others are treating their surgical woulds or have any suggestions. My surgeon uses stitches internally but applied surgical glue to the outside. There was no gauze or bandages covering them post surgery. I didn't take a shower for 3 days to give them more time to heal. I now gently wash them in the shower with Hibiclens surgical skin cleanser. I let them air dry before I get dressed, but don't apply any dressings. What are others doing? I know they need to heal before I can apply the Mederma scar gel I bought. Any other suggestions? I've had surgeries before, so I know they will be red for awhile. I want to decrease the changes of them looking worse than they need to. Thanks in advance!

Am I reading this correctly? You were sleeved a week ago and are eating string cheese and beef?!?

I replied above but thought I'd give you an update since I actually started back at work this week. My surgery was on 4/16, exactly 2 weeks ago today. During my surgery they also found a hernia that needed to be repaired. I went back to work this Monday (12 days post surgery). Actually, I met with a client for an hour 5 days post surgery with no issue. The first 24 hours after surgery in the hospital were pure hell for me. I was cursing every veteran on this board for not warning me how hard it was! The next day I felt 70% better. By the 3rd day I felt mostly normal except for that feeling that I did too many sit-ups. I haven't had any kind of pain medicine since day 4. I have had a really easy recovery. No gas pain, no nausea or throwing up (past the first 24 hours.) I haven't really felt weak - but I've also been very good about eating at least 40-90 grams of Protein a day. I added the unflavored stuff to Jello, Soups, etc plus my standard premiere Protein shakes. Honestly, if I didn't have 5 ugly incisions on my belly, I would question if I actually had the surgery. I feel normal. I work three 9-10 hour days so I can have 4 days off (the beauty of self employment.). I have made a few accommodations. I carry a bag on wheels so I don't carry heavy files. I have a huge bottle of iced Water with me at all times. I packed a cooler with 2 ready made protein shakes and a small container of cottage cheese to bring with me to work. I had to remind myself to eat. No hunger sensation at all post surgery (again, I think this is because the protein keeps me full.) Let me tell you why I like working. It gives me a nice distraction from how much I've been obsessing over this surgery. It was much more difficult to deal with the temptation to eat or "head hunger" when I was home and could walk into my kitchen every 5 minutes. My work is very sedentary. I sit and listen to people for a living. If my work involved being on my feet all day or was physically demanding, I would have taken more time off. My struggles have always been around balancing work/life. The old me would not plan and leave the house without packing any food. I would eat out almost everyday. I am now forced to pack my lunch. As I mentioned before, this surgery is a wild card. None of us knows what our experience will be like. Eat as much protein as you can. It makes a huge difference in your energy level and recovery!

1. 5'7"/ 236 at orientation 2. 224 day of surgery 3. Only lost 1.6 pounds this week, but lost inches 4. Current weight: 213 Total pounds lost 23 5. Goal weight: 140 , Pounds to go: 73 6. Biggest success - going back to work this week and finding out it wasn't too difficult. 7. Biggest struggle - learning the hard way that while my new tummy could handle those few sips of coffee, my intestines didn't like resulting in diarrhea (sorry, tmi!) 8. Lifestyle change I incorporated this week: packing my lunch and other Snacks for work. The old me wouldn't plan and would eat on the run (fast food and eating most meals out)

Happy 2nd week sleeviversary everyone! It's time to check in to keep us on track and motivated! Questions: 1) height/weight starting our WLS programs 2) weight day if surgery 3) week 2 post-op pounds lost/gained 4) total pounds lost since program began 5) current goal weight/ pounds to go 6) your biggest success this week 7) your biggest struggle this week 8) What is a new lifestyle change you incorporated this week? (Working girl now has to get out of bed and in the shower! I will answer in a bit!)

My doctor prescribed 40 mg of Protonix (pantoprazole) to take daily for 3 months. Kaiser prescribes this short-term for sleeve patients and forever for bypass patients. It's to help prevent heartburn/gerd.

I was incredibly nauseous in the hospital. I finally figured out it was the pain killer in the IV doing it. I can't remember the name, but it was synthetic heroin! Don't be afraid to ask for something different if you feel nauseous.

This is bluesea71, not Monique . You won't have a problem being accepted with your comorbidities. I qualified just having PCOS. Kaiser does all three surgeries. Gastric bypass, the sleeve and the band. I've been doing great. First 24 hours are pure hell. I felt 70% better the next day and somewhat normal by day 4. I haven't had gas or any issues. I consider myself lucky though! You never know what your personal experience will be.

I went through the SSF kaiser. It was 2 months from the first orientation class on february 18th until I had surgery on April 16th. It would have been quicker but I had to work around my work schedule. I didn't have any comorbidities except PCOS, so sleep studies and other tests could delay things. Each surgeon has their own requirements on how much weight they want you to loose before surgery, so your surgery date is partly determined on your compliance with the pre-op diet. My BMI was below 40, so my surgeon didn't require me to loose much. Typically, it's 20 pounds less than your weight on orientation day.

I can only speak from my experience - when I drink liquids, there's a point where it becomes uncomfortable and I need to stop. Kind of like a tight, at capacity feeling. But you're right, a few minutes later, the liquid moves through and I could do it again. With food, that full feeling lasts longer. The first week after surgery it took me over an hour to drink a pre-made premiere shake. Now i can drink one in 15-20 minutes. I had pintos and cheese from Taco Bell last night around 6. I ate about 1/2 and it's an obvious feeling when you're full. As in, "if I take another bite I may throw up"feeling. I really haven't felt physically hungry since the surgery. It might be that I was only required to do 3 days of clear liquids post surgery. I have been averaging 70-90 grams of protein post surgery and consuming around 400-500 calories.

The first day went great! I had a rolling backpack to carry my files and paperwork around. I worked from 10-6:30 and during that time, consumed 2 premiere ready made protein shakes and a spoonful of hummus. And lots of water! Honestly, it was kind of nice to have a distraction as I've been so focused on this surgery the last 12 days. I was too busy to even notice any head hunger. Much easier to manage when I'm not able to walk into my kitchen every 5 minutes! I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be. I think the protein helped a lot with that.

Good luck Miss mojo. I'm now 12 days out. If I didn't have those ugly incisions on my belly, I wouldn't believe I had surgery recently! It's a wild card though, you never know how your experience will be. I have been lucky and haven't had gas or any of the other side effects. The first 24 hours were brutal, but it's been smooth sailing since then. Back to work today and I'm going great! Hope your experience is similar!

First day back to work! Well, if I can get my arse out of bed! I'm dragging this morning without coffee! I feel great otherwise! I swear, if I didn't have those ugly wounds on my belly, I'd think I just had a dream that I had this surgery 12 days ago. I'll check in at the end of the day... I may have a different story to tell after working all day!

Hello ladies! Checking in from Yosemite village. This first experience traveling has had it's pros and cons. I brought protein shakes, hummus and cottage cheese with me. The family just left for a hike and I stayed behind to read my book and relax. We were just here a few weeks ago and I was able to get my hiking fix. Can't wait to heal and hit the trails again!

And now it's time for a TMi moment...... I wonder if anyone outside of Bariatric land knows what NSV stands for? Probably not. That's a "non-scale victory" for those of you not in the know So it dawned on me yesterday that a serious issue I was being plagued with in middle-age has disappeared! Prior to surgery, I constantly felt like I had to pee! Sometimes I would rush to the bathroom only to have a small amount come out. It felt like something was sitting on top of my bladder. I would pee and 2 minutes later I felt like I had to pee again! It was a frustrating cycle and my doctor and I concluded I had organ prolapse resulting from age and my muscles weakening from childbirth. Post surgery, the problem is GONE. The only thing I can conclude is my stomach was sitting on top of my bladder. With most of it gone, it's allowed things to shift around inside of me and now everyone seems to have their own "personal space" within and are happy! I am thrilled! Just in time for a long weekend car ride to Yosemite! Don't worry girls, I won't be hiking any major trails this trip. I plan on finding a nice place to plop myself down and reading a book while the rest of my adventurous family hikes. Can I get a shout out for bladder control?!?! Awesome!!!

Have you guys heard of powdered peanut butter? It's made from peanuts and has half the fat and calories. I put it in my protein shakes sometimes. I bought it on amazon.

I didn't need help post surgery caring for myself at home. With that being said, I put our two dogs in the kennel for 4 nights and my children slept at my parent's house for three nights post surgery. My parents have helped with running the kids around to their various activities. I have middle school and high school age children, so they are pretty self-sufficient anyway. If they were younger, I would think it would be more difficult. If its just you, I think you will be fine alone. Stock up on the foods/drinks/supplies you think you will need post surgery. The first 24 hours were brutal. The second day I felt 70% back to normal. Everyone's experience is different though. I just discovered that those 3 oz Dixie cups (you normally use in the bathroom) are a God send! I hate doing dishes and it doesn't make sense to dirty up a whole bowl or cup to have a scoop of something! It's also the perfect 3oz size to pre measure! Good luck!

My incisions are itchy as heck! Although I'm impressed how tiny the actual incisions are, the skin around them hates me. How are you guys treating yours? I use hibiclens in the shower and air dry. I wasn't putting anything on them but yesterday found putting a tiny bit of triple antibiotic with pain relief (similar to neosporin) helps with the dry itchy feeling. The one closest to my breasts looks the worse. I think it rubs against my bra and maybe there is more moisture up there?!? Any tips? I go braless at home to avoid irritating that one incision. Tmi?

I would suggest rethinking the quality of the food you are putting into your body. Protein first should be the rule, not the exception at every meal. I don't plan on ever eating cereal again post sleeve. Nutrition wise, you're better off having a egg, protein shake., or other high protein option.

Hello Everyone, I am new to the board and to the WLS process. I have been lurking on here for a few months now and have found everyone's posts so informative and helpful! I had a few questions regarding rate of weight loss and sagging skin for those people who have 100 pounds or less to loose. While I know everyone is different, I was hoping to hear people's real life experience. I am going to assume that when you hear of someone losing 40 plus pounds the first month, it's because they were several hundred pounds over weight to start. Obviously the more weight you have to loose, the quicker it will come off in the begining. Does this amount of significant weight loss happen for people with less weight to lose? What is typical? How bad is the saggy skin? I have had two pregnancies and already have stretch marks on my belly as a result of that. I have come to terms with the fact that I will likley have saggy belly skin. I'm curious about the rest of me though! I am 5' 7" and currently weigh 231 pounds (BMI is under 40 but I qualify because I have PCOS and insilin resistance.) I would like to set my goal weight between 140-150. I am almost done with the required classes at Kaiser and scheduling my sleeve surgery for early summer. Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Good luck tomorrow!!!! I'm one week out today! The first 24 hours were brutal, but feeling great now!

1) 5' 7" / 236 2) 224 3) 214.6 (9.4 pounds lost) 4) 140 5) biggest success - seeing and feeling my jaw bone and clavicle bones from weight loss and having minimal pain after day 2 6) biggest struggle - recognizing that old habits are hard to break and I need to learn to slow down so my body can heal

Happy one Week Sleeviversary everyone! Should we do a check-in to help keep us motivated and on track? Include: 1) height / weight starting our wls programs 2) weight day of surgery 3) weight one week post op / pounds lost/gained 4) goal weight 5) your biggest success this week 6) your biggest struggle this week (I will post in a bit as I'm about to drive a kiddo to school!)

Welcome Mschwartz924! Good luck with your first day back today. Remember to eat and drink!

Welcome aboard, Piña Piña!