healthyme1963

Good luck with your surgery! You will rock this! Follow the pre-op diet to the letter and get plenty of Water every day. I had mild asthma before the surgery, but from the time I started my two-week pre-op liquid diet I have only had to use my inhaler once. I was also taken off my blood pressure meds at my one-week post-op visit. I hope your health issues start to clear up quickly after your surgery. I wish you the very best and a very speedy recovery!

That is great news! Just keep doing what you're supposed to do and before you know it, you'll be looking back a year from now with a huge smile on your slimmer face!

What you're experiencing is normal. Most people I know who have had surgery had those moments of doubt right after surgery. I went through the same emotions, if only for a fleeting moment. I am almost 7 weeks post-op and until just a few days ago, experienced pain in my pouch every time I swallowed Water or any liquid over room temperature. Between 5 & 6 weeks out, I spent almost a week feeling nauseated every time I ate. So, just those couple of times, I wondered if I had made a mistake; but, it was only because I was a little emotional over the pain/nausea I was experiencing. I am very happy overall with my decision to have the surgery. I am off all meds and have lost almost 49 pounds since beginning my journey. You will have moments of doubt, but just think of all the reasons you did this and the doubts will fade. You will heal and fluorish, and have a beautiful and successful journey!

Congrats! You look very healthy and happy!

The pre-op diet is strict and it's a struggle for most, considering it's generally a week to two weeks of liquids and purees prior to surgery. It seems to me that what you're feeling is perfectly normal. The closer it gets to your surgery date the more stress you are feeling. Just keep reminding yourself that you're doing this to regain control of your health and your life. You wouldn't be human if you didn't stumble once in a while. So, spend a day or two getting your 'food binges' out of your system and then set yourself on the straight and narrow. The end result will be so worth the struggles. I wish you the best of luck!

Good luck to both of you! I wish you a rapid recovery and great success!

Hello! My surgery was March 18 and I'm doing pretty well now. I had very little pain after the surgery and my energy levels were fine, but after being on a liquid diet for a month, I would get queasy every time I had to drink one of those nasty Protein drinks and even soup/broth was gagging me. I survived, though, and made it through the liquid phase and just finished the soft food phase. I've been cleared to eat 'normal' food now, but am still a little hesitant, so am sticking to soft cooked chicken, tuna, chili and soft cooked vegetables. I'm a bit nervous about trying raw veggies or salads. I guess I have to try sometime, so maybe I'll get brave this weekend. Good luck, everyone on your journey!

Hi Pam ~ You'll find plenty of support on this site. People here are very helpful and supportive. We are all here to support each other and offer whatever little pearls of wisdom we can. Feel free, as well, to message me if you want to chat privately. You will find answers to so many questions on this site and learn so much about what to expect as you go through this journey. You are definitely alone in this!

You are doing fantastic! 120 lbs in a year; that's very impressive. I have no doubt that you will reach your goal soon.

Now, that's the right way to look at it! I'm only 6 weeks post-op and haven't really hit a stall, exactly, but there might be 2-3 days go by and the scale doesn't budge. Then, on the 3rd day - BAM! - 2 or 3 pounds down. It's a really odd cycle, but heck, I'll take it! I'm steadily losing, so you won't hear me complain.

I have seen so many amazing cookbooks for post-WLS; but, I just can't decide which one or two to buy yet! Decisions, decisions. . . Let us know what you think of the recipes after you've tried a few.

I think that the desire to chew is perfectly normal. I just graduated from soft foods to a normal diet two days ago. The entire time I was on the liquid and then soft foods plan, all I wanted to do was chew something crunchy! I missed the act of chewing; who woulda thunk it? Now, though, that I'm on regular foods, I still haven't been brave enough to try raw vegetables, salad or not-so-soft meats. Go figure!

That is fantastic! Very exciting!

All of the delays would frustrate me to no end. I'm very fortunate that my insurance and surgeon's office worked together from day one to make everything a very smooth process. Hang in there. It may seem like it's taking forever, but your date will be here before you know it. Soon enough, this will be behind you and you'll be leaving the hospital to start your new healthy life!

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm definitely sick of my chewable. There is a GNC in my neighborhood, so I think I'll have to check into that today.

That's fantastic! Congrats!

Congrats! I'm also 6 weeks out and other than some nausea after eating pretty much anything, I'm doing very well (hopefully, this will pass soon). I had my 6-week post-op appointment yesterday and the doc was happy with my progress. This was definitely the right decision for me. I am no longer on any prescription meds and only take the Vitamins and supplements I need. Like you, I do have a few things in smaller sizes, but have been starting to pick up a shirt or pair of pants here and there. Even with a belt cinched up tight, it's become obvious that my pants are way too big for me now. It's a good feeling.

If you are lucky enough to sit down to meals with your family (too many of us are just too busy or work different schedules these days), then you absolutely should. Have your soup, broth, protein drink, whatever. . . but enjoy that time with your family. Don't look at it as being deprived of food; look at it as spending quality time with your family. You will most likely eat different foods than they do for the rest of your life (or at least a lot less of it ), but that doesn't mean you should take yourself out of the equation when it comes to meal time. Good luck!

I'm six weeks post-op and am having a very strange experience. For the last week, pretty much anything I eat makes me very nauseated, even foods that I had been tolerating well are making me sick. Very odd. . . I have my six week follow-up appt with my surgeon and dietician today, so will hopefully get some answers to this little mystery. Congrats, everyone, on continued success! 4.29.14 Well, my surgeon and dietician weren't much help yesterday. They suggested various things to do and try, which I am already doing. I have cut back on my portion sizes (I was eating about 2 oz per meal/snack). So, now I will try eating only 1 - 1.5 oz at a time. I already take the smallest bite possible and chew until it is mush. Hopefully, this is just a little hiccup and won't last much longer. I was able to eat a few bites of soup last night that only made me a little queasy. On the bright side, my doc was pleased with my overall progress. She said at six weeks, they like to see about 25% excess weight loss and I'm at 31%, so I'm right on track.

Congrats! You look fabulous! You are an inspiration to all of us just starting this journey.

I'm rather surprised that your surgeon is releasing you to return to work so soon. I would think that, if your surgery was laparoscopic, you would have to be off work for a minimum of two weeks, and four weeks for open surgery. Eight days just seems too soon to go back to work. You're not even allowed to lift more than 10 pounds for a month. Maybe you should call your surgeon's office? Good luck; I hope you can get a little more time off to heal. You just had major surgery, after all.

I had bypass surgery five weeks ago and experienced very little pain or discomfort. The only issue I've really had is minor pain in my pouch when drinking Water, or any liquid above room temp. This gets a little better each day, though as my new stomach continues to heal. I also have a desk job and was released to go back to work after two weeks. Just follow your doctor's plan and stay away from sugar; you'll do fine. Good luck with your surgery!

I am only five weeks post-op and have started going to restaurants again. Most restaurants have healthy options these days, so it's not been too stressful. The one time I couldn't really find anything suitable on the menu, I just ordered a decaf coffee and ate when we got home. No big deal. We can't avoid restaurants for the rest of our lives, so I am just using this time to educate myself as best I can about restaurant food. I try to go online and look at a restaurant's menu beforehand and be prepared with my order. Most things can be taken home and frozen, so I don't consider it a waste of my time or money to enjoy a meal out with my family.

Hello and welcome! I'm fairly new to this site as well, and I love it. There are so many kind and compassionate people here. You will get lots of great advice. People are very helpful and you can learn a lot from everyone. It's only natural to be nervous and a bit scared before surgery. This is, after all, pretty major. You'll do great. I experienced pretty minimal pain afterward and recovered fairly quickly. If you follow your doctor's orders, you'll be successful and have a speedy recovery. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

I only told my husband, kids and a few trusted close friends. I've always been a very private person, so for me to keep it quiet was just normal for me. My coworkers knew I was having surgery but didn't bother to ask what type of surgery since they know me well enough to know I wouldn't tell them. I don't plan on telling anyone else unless someone confides in me that they are considering WLS. I would want to be supportive and encouraging. One of the friends I confided in actually decided to have WLS after I told her and just had her surgery two days ago.