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Everything posted by momohime
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Let me preface by saying I am in no way an expert cook by any means! I actually prefer when things are kinda doughy on the inside and will purposefully not cook them as long as directed to achieve that. Stands to reason that cooking them longer would solve the problem, although you might have to adjust your cooking temperature to keep the outside from getting overcooked. You could also try baking things in smaller sized pans so the heat is more evenly distributed throughout. So.. for example, instead of a cake pan, use a cupcake pan. I've seen brownie pans that are purposefully divided so that there's more "edge", which to me looked crazy at the time cause I had no idea who would want that! But anyway... something like that might help too.
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I slept in a recliner for about 3 nights because getting up strained my incisions and hurt, even with a splint. I could lay flat and be comfortable for a while.. but getting up from a recliner was just much easier than getting up from a bed for those first few days. The pain wasn't horrible, it was just.. why do it if you have a less painful option, ya know? I'm also a side/stomach sleeper and it took almost a full week before laying on my tummy felt ok.. sleeping on my back in the bed just wasn't that great for me anyway. Actually, I think I would've been happier sleeping in the recliner until I could have slept in my preferred position in the bed. I don't have a recliner at home though and was staying at my mom's house, which.. well, that's pretty much the reason why I only did 3 nights. Everybody is different though, so you might be perfectly fine skipping the recliner altogether! You won't know till after your surgery how things are gonna go.. some people are just more comfortable at home in their own beds, which is totally understandable. Lots of pillows to prop up on would probably help a lot.
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Anyone else not want family sticking around after surgery?
momohime replied to NicoleSW's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
I felt pretty much the same way. I didn't want my surgery to be a big production.. that being said, I did have my best friend stay with me. I trusted her and knew she wouldn't hover over me. I was pretty wobbly for the first day after my surgery because of anesthesia though, so walking by myself wasn't a good idea. I also couldn't bend easily or get out of bed without a little assistance.. I preferred my friend's help over having to call a RN/CNA every time I needed something, but that might just be me. But anyway.. it's your surgery day. Do what YOU need to do to decrease your stress and be as comfortable as possible.. even if that means not having anyone there, including your BF. He might just need to feel like he's doing something for you though.. so tell him there are important things he can be doing for you at home, like taking care of your fur babies so you don't have to worry about them! Or if you haven't bought jell-o and popsicles or whatever else, give him a list that of things he can pick up and have ready for you when you get home. You know, just.. something to keep him occupied while you're in the hospital that can distract him from worrying about you! -
Sounds a lot like orthostatic hypotension. Not getting in enough fluids can be one of the contributing factors. Do you check your blood pressure regularly?
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I took 4 weeks off, which was the maximum time my surgeon would give.
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I feel your pain.. It's been a little over 4 weeks since my surgery and out of all the things I haven't been able to have throughout my first few stages of post-op diets, diet pepsi is what I've missed the most. Carbonation increases pressure in the stomach and causes it to expand though, which is not something you want happening with your sleeve. The acidity/caffeine can also irritate the lining of the stomach and contribute to reflux. Caffeine is also a diuretic, so it's kinda counterproductive when it can be hard enough to get enough Water in daily. There are other reasons like chemicals, sweeteners, or whatever.. it can affect your blood sugar, lead to increased hunger/cravings, etc. I know there are a lot of people who still consume caffeine and have no issues in limited amounts, but for me at least.. I kinda just want to baby my new little sleeve, even if that means I hafta hold off on my beloved diet pepsi. Maybe when I'm further out and my stomach is completely healed, I'll have one every once in a while. Or not. Sometimes I think I should put all the money I'd be spending on them every week in a jar and see how much I've saved in the next 6 months! Anyway. Not to be more of a downer, but.. I'm not sure if your surgeon advised against NSAIDs or not, but Excedrin migraine has aspirin in it which can also irritate your stomach lining & cause it to bleed. So, be careful with that as well. I had to stop taking mine, but Tylenol alone just doesn't do much for my migraines. I'm probably going to have to ask my GP for a prescription of some sort.
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4 weeks Post Op and Stuck
momohime replied to DaddyMarie's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Same thing happened to me. I'm 4 weeks and some change out and stalled pretty hard at the beginning of week 3. I'd lost 16 pounds in the first two weeks, then my weight stayed the same until this past weekend. Now it seems like I'm starting to lose again.. I'm down from 217 to 213 already in the past two or three days, for a total 4 week loss of 20 pounds. I've seen more than a few videos of people saying something similar happened to them and not to get discouraged... so while it's pretty annoying, I'm trying not worry about it too much so I can keep moving forward. That being said.. I think it's hard to see changes in ourselves if the scale doesn't give us confirmation. Even though I didn't see a drop in numbers and visually I can't really tell much difference (I still look pretty much as big as ever when I look in the mirror!), I have to admit my clothes are noticeably smaller. People who haven't seen me in a month have noticed as well. I wish I'd started taking before&after photos, but I was too camera shy to do that and still am. I think it would be a lot easier to see the difference for myself with pictures though. I've seen suggestions for taking tape measurements too, and even though I haven't started to do that, I can see where it might be helpful.. especially when the scale is being stubborn and refuses to budge! -
Are nut butters too sticky?
momohime replied to WhoKnows's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
My NUT recommends to stay away from all nuts and nut butters for the first 3-5 months because they're so high in fat and calories. All diets are a little different though, so some might have been given the ok to have those things earlier. That said.. given your reaction to it, it's something I'd stay away from until your stomach heals a little more for sure. Whenever I wanted to get away from all the sweetness of puddings and popsicles and Protein shakes, I had salty scrambled eggs or cream of celery Soup. -
Yay Approved/But CNA daughter trying to talk me out of it!
momohime replied to Time4Kindness's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm a RN too and getting my sleeve was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. Your daughter works as a CNA at a hospital? I guess I can see where that would cloud ones perspective on bariatric surgeries. People go to the hospital because they're sick and have problems.. she doesn't see the majority of people who DON'T have issues and are successful with it. She only sees the bad cases, which I'd be willing to bet are only a small percentage of the good ones. If you've done your research, you know that WLS isn't a quick fix. It still requires work and commitment on your part. As with anything, there are potential complications.. but you can look at statistics and make an informed decision as to whether or not surgery is worth the risk to you. I know for me, at least, it definitely was. Like I said.. best decision I've made in a while. -
Any tips would be great
momohime replied to rebecca61885's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
I have the same issue kinda, but with coworkers.. I'm a nurse and work with a whole lot of women. I had already lost almost 30 pounds prior to surgery, but it wasn't really enough for many people to start noticing. I haven't gone back to work yet, but I'm down almost 50 pounds total now. My scrubs are getting loose and I'm pretty sure they're going to say something after not having seen me for a month.. I don't really have any desire to tell them I had weight loss surgery. It was a hard decision for me to make and it's just not something I want to share with anyone other than a few select people. Plus, I know what they've said about some of the patients we've had that have undergone various bariatric procedures when it "apparently just didn't work or something" and all the judgment that goes along with it.. Like it wouldn't be awful enough for that to happen anyway.. then to know all your coworkers knew you had this surgery and you still failed to lose weight? No, thank you! Luckily, there's a Meal Replacement shake fad going around on in my unit.. so my plan is to just tell them I've been drinking Protein shakes like the rest of them, eating smaller/low carb meals, and exercising. True enough. I still don't know how well that's going to work though. Especially if they prod me about what kind of surgery I had.. I don't really want to lie to anyone, but a lot of them aren't really the type to know when to just mind their own business either. So hard.. I kinda dread going back, actually. -
getting closer to surgery, still excited BUT getting scared and nervous
momohime replied to Angi~2014's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
You'll more than likely be given an antiemetic, which will hopefully help decrease or eliminate nausea for you. Coughing, sneezing, vomiting, sitting up.. basically anything that causes increased internal pressure can be painful though. I would highly recommend taking a small, firm pillow to splint your stomach with for the first couple weeks post-op! Having my silly little dog pillow helped me so much.. it made all those things hurt a lot less. Not to mention, splinting helps protect your incisions too. -
Prior to surgery, I could drink skim milk and be ok.. but whole milk would make me feel really gross. When I talked with my NUT about it, she suggested that after surgery I try either acidophilus milk or soy milk for my Protein shakes. I wasn't too worried at the time, thinking I would still be ok with skim milk.. then I made some sugar free pudding with skim milk and tried it post-op and just, no. It was bad. I've never been a fan of just soy milk, so I got light vanilla soy milk and use that for my shakes. I'm not gonna drink it plain or anything, but it's ok and I haven't had any problems with it so far. Haven't tried acidophilus, so I can't say anything about it.. but maybe one of those will work for you!
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Nine days after surgery, how to help
momohime replied to pxinaz's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
My immediate reaction is that you shouldn't really have to do anything for him! He should be doing all of this on his own.. but not knowing the cause of his extended hospital stay or his co-morbidities, it's hard to actually say if he really is in continued need of assistance or not. Even so, his attitude is sucky and I think you know that. Unfortunately, if surgery didn't get him on board, there's probably little else you can say to convince him either. I know how badly you probably want this to work for him, but he's the one that's ultimately responsible for changing his lifestyle--not you. The only thing you can really do is keep yourself healthy, both physically and mentally. No one deserves to be screamed at, cursed, or belittled by their spouse.. and if putting your foot down is only met with more of the same, I would suggest spending some time apart if at all possible. Of course, doing that might come with consequences that you would have to be prepared for. But if this is something that happens regularly, there really is no excuse for it. It might be difficult, but you'll be so much better off without such a negative influence in your life. -
4-6 weeks sounds like a good estimate. I have 5 incisions total from my surgery and am almost 3 weeks out. For the most part, my incisions look like they're already healed. Where my drain was is taking a little longer to close, but I'm not really too surprised about that since it wasn't sutured or anything. They had to cauterize one of the smaller incisions so it's still pretty scabby at this point though.
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Question for people who have already been sleeved!
momohime replied to Kquinn's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Totally possible, but it really comes down to you and how you're feeling. I was out shopping the day I got discharged from the hospital, and went out every day after that no problem. Everybody's different though so you may or may not be up to it. Either way, just listen to your body and take it easy if/when you need to. -
It's not worth it! Sometimes I'd just about kill for a diet pepsi, but then I think about how much air I swallow just drinking plain Water.. After than, I don't even want to imagine how much pain I'd be in from drinking something carbonated.
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Mine NUT says 20-30 grams of Protein, with less than 7 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fat. Protein should also be whey. She suggested unjury to me, which is what I bought and it's ok.. I think Protein shakes are gonna be kinda hard to get down no matter what, at least for me. Premier Protein shakes from Wal-Mart are supposed to be good and easy to find, but I haven't tried them yet. If you're picky about taste/texture, a lot of the powders have single serving sizes that you can buy to try. Good luck finding one you like!
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Post-op update and photo(s) :)
momohime replied to hmk715's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Couldn't have said it better myself! -
Help! 6 days out and already a nervous wreck!
momohime replied to jazzypooh89's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I've been having pretty much every issue you've been having! Just thinking about the smell of a Protein shake.. ughhh. And those Vitamins, too. I think they get bigger as you chew them! I've been doing better with my Water, but it's still a struggle to remember that you hafta constantly be drinking.. of course, you can't drink too much in a certain time frame either. And no straws!? It's just a huge adjustment, I think. Chewable or liquid vitamins are suggested because they're so easily absorbed. They don't have to sit in your stomach to be digested like the pills do. A sleeved stomach empties a little more quickly, so there's not as much time for the vitamins to be digested properly.. because of that, you end up not getting the full benefit from them. You can try breaking the pills in half and taking them at different times during the day, that way you don't have to digest as much at one time. I think that might help, at least from an absorption standpoint. If you absolutely can't do any of the chewable vitamins, some vitamins are better than no vitamins for sure. As far as exercise goes, 30 minutes most days is a good start. You can always add to that later, but it's definitely something that's up to you.. My goal is to kinda start out slow and build up over time. I know I could do more now, and I'd lose more if I did. But I want exercise to be something that becomes part of my routine, something that I enjoy. I think if I try to do too much right at the start, I'm just gonna.. not want to do it ever. That was at least what happened to me pre-sleeve anyway.. -
Are you on Vitamins? If so what supplements do you take?
momohime replied to Avryv's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
My NUT recommended a multivitamin with iron since I'm still having periods and two 600mg calcium supplements a day (all taken at different times). At her office, the brand they sell is Celebrate.. but she said anything that had comparative values would work. Chewable is apparently better because it helps with absorption, but they are pretty gross. The taste is ok at first, but they're so huge and gritty.. yuck. It just seems like you keep chewing them forever. It's important to take them though just because a restricted food intake is probably not going to include all the vitamins and minerals you need. -
TMI........ BUT WHEN WILL I POOP
momohime replied to Rebellious Butterfly's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
My NUT told me to go ahead and buy a big thing of Miralax and take it daily because constipation is so common. My first week, I had no problems.. which was weird cause I was on an all liquid diet. Now that I've started incorporating actual foods, I can already kinda tell that I'm gonna hafta start using the Miralax pretty soon. Yay, so excite! I suspect all the sodium in the soups I've been eating isn't helping, but oh well.. not a lot of other non-sweet options this early in! Hopefully, it will get better. -
Not trying to be rude! Sorry you felt that way.. From what my surgeon tells me, a sleeved stomach is about the size of a 4 oz container. That doesn't mean it can't stretch like a non-sleeved stomach though! My NUT says 1 cup (8 oz) of anything at a time is a bad idea.. especially for the first 6 months, she told me not to do more than 4 ounces over a period of about 30 minutes or so. This is to give your stomach time to empty before adding more volume to it, which helps prevent stretching. For Protein shakes that are 8 ounces, it should take about an hour to finish.. no more than 2-3 ounces in a 20 minute period. This early in, your stomach is just now healing and getting used to things. So are you! I know that none of us would be in this position if it were easy for us to control our portions and whatnot, but.. I just tell myself, ok. You just had surgery, that is a BIG deal. You did this for a reason. Do not mess this up! That's the best advice I can give you too.
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When did you feel ok to go out into the world
momohime replied to Mzdiva3's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
I didn't drive the first week, but I was out pretty much every day walking around. The first thing I did when I got discharged was go to Target! I used "shopping" as a way to get my initial walking in because I live in the south and going outside to walk would be waaay too hot. I didn't want to sweat on my new incisions! But I never really felt bad.. the worst part for me was getting in and out of a seated position. That put some strain on my incisions that was uncomfortable, but other than that I was fine.. maybe a little slow though at first! -
My surgeon recommended waiting 2 weeks, but well.. that didn't happen. No ill effects here, just be aware of positioning and roughness and such.
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<2 weeks out and having problems with anything other than water
momohime posted a topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I was sleeved on May 5th, so I'm a little over a week and some change out. So far, everything has been great.. with one exception, of course. I know I'm supposed to be getting my Protein in and drinking a ton of Water.. problem is, just the thought of my Protein shakes makes my stomach churn. I have a hard time with popsicles and jell-o too, to the point where.. since my surgery, I have had exactly 1 Protein shake, 3 popsicles, 2 jell-o cups, and I tried a few bites of yogurt but my stomach said NO! I haven't even been getting in as much water as I should.. and my surgeon said wait before I start taking my Multivitamins and Calcium until 2 weeks out, so I haven't even been doing that. I've lost 15 pounds since my surgery date, but I'm worried that because my diet is so extremely lacking in protein and basically everything else that what I've lost has been muscle. Has anybody else had this problem? Have I just totally screwed myself with muscle loss instead of fat loss? I guess I just need to woman up and drink the protein shakes anyway, but holy crap.. do not want!