BJay

Thanks for reading: I am 13 days post op today. Until yesterday morning, I was feeling pretty good. I went out to lunch and had potato and leak soup - unfortunately it wasn't in a measured bowl and I believe I overate. I didn't get my usual hiccups that I get when I overeat, but the person who I was at lunch with says we definitely were not there for more 20 mins (I was told to take 30 - 45 mins to eat / sip food). I was fine on the way home, then about 1 and a half hours later I started to get terrible pain (like irritable bowel syndrome pain) and I put it down to the leak in the soup. I was quite ill sitting on the toilet while having a bowl in my lap in case i threw up. Whenever I feel nauseas, I always feel like I have something caught in my throat (since the operation). This episode made me quite tired and I sipped some water in the evening then went to bed. Normally I lay on my left or right side, but last night I could not do this as it felt like my stomach was bending in half. I woke after midnight and was quite dry so took a sip of water as I usually do but could not go back to sleep as I started to get constant pain beneath the sternum. Even laying on my back was uncomfortable so i tried sitting up, which was also uncomfortable. Then this morning, trying to ignore the pain (3/10 type pain), I had breakfast which was extremely painful to take. Throughout the morning I have had a couple of episodes of very slight left should tip pain (I did not previously have this at all - even day 1 post op). I tried to ignore the pain and took my dog to the park, but with every step, it felt like my whole sternum was lifting up and down so I came home. I know I will not even manage 500mls of fluid today, because it is too painful to swallow (the pain is similar to the initial pain I had when I first started drinking post op - which is almost like air and food trying to swap places in my oesophagus. Background information: *I had 2 x days post op vomiting that the nurses and drs could not get under control *felt fine until yesterday *after my initial two days of vomiting post op, I swallowed fluids / soups with minimal gas type pains but since day 8 post op, didn't have any problems swallowing foods *have NO temperature *have had oral thrush for past 7 days, despite using nilstat, mouth wash and chewing gum to try and get rid of it *I have been walking everyday for between 30 - 60 minutes I want to know if anyone else has felt pretty good, then a week or two post op, started to feel worse. I am not sure what is going on and would really appreciate anyone's advice or other people's stories of funny pain like this. Thanks

6kiddos, I'm day 13 post op and I have lost 11.1 kgs - I've only been walking the dogs everyday for 30 mins - 1 hr (at a stroll type pace). Tomorrow will be 2 weeks post op. Some people seem to drop weight better than others but 5-10 lbs seems so little for 4 weeks...

Vool, how are you going with your optifast preparation?

Bec101 - that's a great idea! So, who wants to meet up? Kazza, are you in? It would great for some of us that are fairly new to the process to pick the brains and get ideas from those of you who are well on your way to a FANTASTIC life :-)

Smashelle, for me, yes, it is discomfort, not pain. I had pain post op but none now - pain is SUBJECTIVE

That's what they say. I'm day 8 and get very little gas pain now - I just get that weird pain when I swallow where it feels like the fluids and air are trying to swap places in the oesophagus. It will get better - regular analgesia helped me too

Well done Amanda - it sounds like you are doing great. I was a the supermarket today and found Protein drinks with 30grams per cup (250mls) - I got strawberry flavour to try it. I hope they are ok. Well done and good luck with the puree stage.

Damn! I should have been born in America!!!

What's a slider? Do we have them in Oz?

Rebellious butterfly - yes, in WA it's what we are recommended to get by the dietician. It goes through every single stage of diet including the pre op diet and it has delicious recipes in it. Just google it - I'm sorry, I can't seem to ad the picture. Does anyone know how to ad a pic from the desktop? I see the option to ad an image URL but everytime I try to do that it tells me 'not allowed'.

This post is hilarious - something I never thought about before but definitely will have to give it some thought

Hi, I returned home from hospital day 2 post op. From day 3 post op I walked 20 minutes (it was uncomfortable on the way back), then day 4 I walked 30 minutes (casual stroll type pace); since then I have walked 40 minutes every day (I am day 8 post op). The main reason is to reduce the risk of DVTs and move move move that gas! Just do what you can handle - your body will let you know when it is too much. The first day I walked half an hour I was sweating on the way back and starting to feel like vomiting - I think my body was saying, thanks but no thanks! Everyone is different. My friend had this op and did not have ANY pain after the operation - no shoulder tip pain, no nausea or vomiting, for me it was very different! Work yourself up I say and listen to your body.

Egg mayonnaise is good for protein, not sure about fat though, but dang it tastes great!

Congratulations...see you on the other side. Remember to just take it one day at a time - I'm day 8 post op, down 20.5 lbs since my one week pre op diet. I'm just starting to go from feeling ók' to feeling 'good' today. Good luck with it all, how exciting for you. Wishing you all the very best

pink dahlia - Who are we to judge though hey? People eat for different reasons - many overeat because they have been sexually abused as a child (studies show there is a strong link), hypothyroidism, he could have been placed on psych drugs (drugs such as seroquel make a person crave carbohydrates), these drugs also cause a condition called metabolic disorder (nearly puts the metabolism to a stand still). IF I looked at my sister in law from an outsiders point of view, I would think, wow, she must eat a lot - but in fact she has hypothyroidism. He could be in his wheelchair because of conditions like MS, he may have had an accident when he was younger damaging his spine; I have a friend who uses a wheelchair because she has Crohn's disorder and gets tired. We aren't in a position to judge.

My contact is Gidgetboo7 - pls send me a request as I would love a my fitness pal contact

Glad you are ok. Yes, I was told at list 30 minutes before bed - it's probably a health habit to get into anyway

Congratulations - best birthday present ever. Keep us posted

Haha elfnow, that's so funny - sad but true. A beer type hat is just what we need!

Hi, I am day 5 post sleeve gastrectomy and am just wondering how people managed as far as pain is concerned? Did your pain get better or worse? I vomited and vomited and vomited (and vomited some more!) for two days post surgery. Finally I was able to go home on Wednesday afternoon but I have found it increasingly difficult to sleep. I sleep on my back and right side but unfortunately I can only manage 2 hours (despite taking endone and paracetamol) in one hit and then I wake up with a feeling like someone is giving my stomach a Chinese burn, it is pretty uncomfortable to say the least. I can drink fluids ok with a few 'bubble' type pains and I make sure I don't go to sleep until at least 30 minutes after drinking. I'm just wondering if other people have had the same experience? The pain gets worse if I try to sleep for too long (longer than 2 hours). The pain is under the left to the side of the sternum. I can cough fine and have no temperatures. It takes me about 1 - 2 hours to comfortably get down a 'meal' (if you can call the full Fluid diet a meal!). Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Wow Premier Protein sounds great. Wish we had Walmart over here. That's a high protein intake for sure

Is there anyone from Perth, WA who would like to meet up in a public place to support each other? I am 5 days post op...

We need more people in the world like you Bariatricgirl

Hi Tiffany, I had my surgery just Monday gone (17th March) after waiting 12 months for Private Health Insurance to kick in. I vomited for two days post op, managed to be discharged on Wednesday but still feel ill now (Saturday). The wait for PHI to kick in felt like it took forever - I would look at people's YouTube videos and read blogs and then just burst into tears because I so badly wanted to be on the other side. I had always managed to lose weight but my problem was not being able to keep it off (I would put it all back on plus some). As the surgery neared, I got cold feet but was NOT going to back out. It helped because one of my friends works on the ward where I was going post op so she was a great support for me (and she had had a band by the same Dr in the past). The 2 weeks leading up to the surgery, I had a few people raise their concerns with me about the operation; it didn't help that one of them was looking at the consent form that said "the risk can include death" when she raised her concerns. I told her that did I not go ahead, I was sure I would be dead of a heart attack by the end of this year. I struggled with the pre op diet (Optifast for 7 days) only because I couldn't imagine myself never being so obsessed with food. I'm now day 5 post op and eating just feels like a chore - I couldn't care less about food. On the way home from the hospital, we drove past Red Rooster, Subway, then we went to the shops where there were all the Easter eggs - it was just like walking down an isle full of cleaning products - it had no appeal whatsover. My mum bought Chinese and curries for her and dad in the first few days - again I couldn't have cared less. On the lead up to my surgery (about 3 months before), I loaded my spare room with clothes that I had kept from before, hoping that one day I would fit into them. I put them all into boxes according to size. About 1 week before the surgery I also started to buy clothes online! I started to make a list of all the things I wanted to do that I was not willing to do as 'a fat person', such as kayaking (too scared to go and join because worried they may tell me I'm too heavy and will sink the kayaks). I knew I would always be approved for surgery (BMI of 48, been obese since I was 8 years old, tried every diet under the sun, and the psychologist I saw was the psychologist I had seen since I was in my early 20s who had watched me struggle with weight issues). I know for some people the fear of not being approved can be quite stressful. And, same as Sopia above, I drove my family and friends crazy with talk about weight loss surgery. Now 5 days post op (and staying with my parents for a week), my mum told me yesterday to 'stop going on about it'!!! It's frustrating because they just don't understand. The only people who will ever 'get it' are people who have lived in a body which they despise for so very long and are at their wits ends with how to get the weight off. I found this book 'Your Complete Guide to Nutrition for Weight Loss Surgery' my holy bible. Here in Australia, Perth specifically, it went through every thing I needed to know about every stage including the pre op diet. I had to see a psychologist, dietician, surgeon, get bloods taken, and have one final appointment with the surgeon before surgery was booked. Good luck with your journey. I'd love to hear how you progress.

Thanks for your response. I'm not sure if these are gas pains - I don't get any shoulder tip pain as some people describe. I have read on so many people's blogs that each day gets better but I feel like my best day was Wednesday afternoon (when the vomiting stopped) and night and then from there on, it's just been downhill. Did you get pains like your stomach was being twisted? I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel