winning_by_losing

Thankfully I still love my Protein shakes. Granted, I've only been drinking them daily for just over a year now, but I still prefer them over many other meal options.

I've definitely noticed it. I freaked out not too long back about the Xyphoid Process thinking the worst, but after some online research I realized it was normal and had just been hidden away for all these years.

In my program we're not supposed to have salad for the first 6 months. When I get to that point I'll likely still avoid them from restaurants as most have so many calories and such little Protein that it wouldn't fit into my plan. In the early stages I tried not to go out to eat much as I assumed nobody had options that would work for what I needed nutritionally and I have a hard time judging portions without my scale. Now that I've tried it a few times, I no longer hesitate, but I make sure we're going somewhere I can get a steak or grilled chicken and plan on taking home leftovers for another meal or two. I still second-guess myself on the portion as I still rely heavily on my scale though.

I didn't sleep a bit from the night I got my surgery until after my 1 week post-op appointment. In the hospital it was because I was constantly getting up to walk or having someone checking one thing or another. When I got released I assumed it was because I couldn't lay on my stomach (drain port), so I could never get comfortable enough to doze for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Once I was able to comfortably lay on my stomach again though, I've had no problems since (though I've only slept about 3-4 hours a night for the last 20 years anyway).

I planned for the worst, so took a week off, then worked from home for 2 weeks before returning to the office. I felt good enough that I could easily have worked from home around day 3 or 4 as mentioned above and after getting cleared to drive at my 1 week post-op, I felt like I could definitely have started back to the office then (though I was a bit timid as my office is almost 50 miles from the house). As for the starting slowly - I did take the first few days a little easier cutting back to about 10-12 hour days instead of the usual 18-20. But had I needed to, I'm sure I could have pushed through a full day if necessary.

I think this really depends on the program. I know with mine, I had to be approved before I could even start the process. When I got going they said it would be 8-10 months before the surgery took place. They changed things around a bit as I was going through the classes though so it really only took about 5 months.

In the early stages I was very open and honest with everyone and just told them I wasn't interested in going to the bars or going out to eat. Everyone was very understanding and willing to compromise. Bowling, Movies, Hiking, Fishing, etc... all gave the opportunity to get out and have fun without feeling like people were taunting me with their food. Once I hit week 7 and could start "real food" it became a non-issue and I could simply go along with whatever the plans were.

I went for a walk outside the day after surgery. It was only around the block, but felt great. Took a few more that day as well, but kept them all short. By day 3 I was able to make it most of the way around my neighborhood (avoiding the uphill part though) and by the 6th or 7th day I was able to walk pretty much wherever I wanted (though the clear liquid diet kept my energy low enough that it was pretty tiring).

In my program, all 3 surgeons tell everyone to expect to be in the hospital 2 nights. I had surgery at 7AM on Tuesday and when the surgeon came by to check on me Wednesday morning he told me I could leave as soon as I could arrange a ride (that took most of the day as everything had been planned for a Thursday release). But with all of the medication, monitoring and walking, I never had enough down time to miss anything/anyone. Had I needed to stay that 2nd night it could have been different, but I can only guess.

I tried pretty much all of the ready-to-drink options that were acceptable for my program (20+g of Protein, less than 2g sugar) in the months leading up to surgery. Premier Protein was (and still is now) my fave as the flavors are good and they keep me full. Muscle Milk light was runner-up as it kept me full but the flavor isn't quite as good. Isopure tasted terrible but kept me full (and was allowed during the clear-liquid only stage) None of the others kept me feeling full so even though a few tasted OK, I stayed away.

If someone asks I tell them all about it. Some of the stories others tell in our support group makes keeping it secret sound so much harder. One thing that our program stressed through all of the pre-surgery classes and in all of our checkups is that this surgery is just giving us a tool. It still requires hard work and dedication to make the lifestyle changes that accompany it and allow us to be successful in the end. The couple of people who've scoffed when hearing I had the surgery quickly change their mind when they give me 10 minutes to talk about what we truly deal with after the operation to keep things successful. My vote would be that if you're confident you've made the right decision for you - don't hide it. But no matter what, be proud that you made the decision to change your life, regardless of who you share that information with.

The suggestions I've heard at my support group meetings are all about change. Change up the exercise routine either through the exercise itself, the intensity or the duration. Change the diet. Some folks recommend the "5 day pouch test" , or going back to the liver-shrinking diet for a while. Last night we even discussed the idea of intermittent fasting (though this doesn't appeal to me as I fear not getting my daily protein). Not sure what your definition of "forever" is, but for my program, they told us any time in the first year if we stall for more than 3 weeks to call the nutritionist.

At just over 5 months out I still get dizzy quite a bit. Whenever I try to stand up from a reclined or laying down position I get dizzy. Enough that my vision goes black and I have to hold onto something to stay upright. I have found that if I sit upright for 30-60 seconds before standing that this doesn't happen. I still forget at times (alarm clock, phone rings, etc...), but otherwise I can control it. Every once in a while in the evening if I haven't had enough Fluid through the day I get a little dizzy. Not to the point I do when standing up, but still noticeable. I also recently started one of those DVD workout programs and notice with some of the stretches and exercises, they cause the same dizzy feeling. I don't yet know exactly what/why, but whenever it comes on, I opt to skip that step and wait for the next.

Day 2 of my liquid diet was like that. Luckily for me though, my program only required 3 days of the clear liquid diet immediately prior to surgery. Since you still have over a week to go, if it doesn't slow down I'd call your surgeon just like Chelly suggested.

I haven't been able to find a Walden Farms product that I can stand yet. Granted I've only tried three of the BBQ sauces, Cocktail sauce and a couple of the salad dressings, but all have been terrible (at least to my tastes). My kids did enjoy the chocolate sauce, but I opted not to try it myself, as I don't want to stir up a potential craving for sweets.

It is all up to the surgeon or surgical program as far as what they believe gives them the best chance at a successful surgery and us as patients the best chance for success afterwards. The pre-surgery routines differ just like the different post-surgery nutrition programs. My program for example has strict criteria. Those who are above a certain BMI must do a 2 week "liver shrinking diet" consisting of 2 meals being Protein shakes and the 3rd meal being 4 oz of lean protein. This gives the surgeon more "room" to maneuver the tools while performing the surgery and also kick starts the weight loss pretty well. Then all of us, regardless of BMI have to begin the clear liquid diet 3 days prior to surgery. Luckily they allowed 1 bottle of Isopure (since it is a clear liquid), so we could at least get 40g of protein each of those 3 days.

They explained it pretty good in my pre-surgery classes. Apparently berries are the worst as those little tiny seeds can easily get stuck as our pouches are healing. They sit in by the stitches and rot until things are infected and eventually surgery may be necessary again. As for me, the only fruit I've even tried since my surgery 5 months ago is a tomato (and I still make sure to remove the seeds). Other than that, I've avoided all other fruits due to the sugars, as I want to avoid anything that may slow my progress.

Are you getting in your minimum of 64oz of fluids each day? Are you getting your recommended amount or Protein each day? Are you getting some form of exercise in regularly? From everything I was told, as well as what I've experienced personally, those are the keys. The days I don't get in enough Fluid, or enough protein, or skip working out, I can see it reflected on the scale for sure.

If you can get comfortable enough to sleep, I'd say go for it. i'm a stomach sleeper, so other than the drug-induced nap the day I was released, I didn't sleep for a week until they removed the JP Drain.

I would think it all depends on when you plan to return to work. Those first 2-3 weeks I could not have made it 8 full hours with no access to a restroom. After that point though, things regulated themselves.

The cinnamon chewables from Bariatric Advantagearen't overly sweet. They are very chalky though, which is why I switched to the Chewy Bites, which are just like a Starburst.

I recommend taking measurements. I am down 168 pounds, so I know there has to be change, but yet I still see the same guy in the mirror every morning, so I know exactly what you're going through. Part of it is all of the extra skin, but a lot of it is mental, so some factual numbers (clothing size, measurements and the scale) tell the true story.

Thankfully I've never had this issue, but I know during my pre-op classes one of the things they stressed every meeting was small bites chewed until you really aren't swallowing, but the food just goes down (like thin applesauce). They recommended to us to use baby utensils to keep the size of the bites appropriate and said no bites should be bigger than the tip of a finger. I've followed those recommendations at all times, which I believe is part of the reason I haven't had any issue. If you are doing differently, this may be something to try.

I have the same pain in the same place. It isn't constant and seems to be caused by different activities (though not consistently) and doesn't seem to be helped by ice/heat/massage. When I asked my nurse, I was told that it was essentially a combination of the scar tissue and abdominal muscles not playing nicely. She said it should subside at around 6 months but if it didn't that I should set up an appointment to let them check things.

If you haven't done so already, I recommend taking measurements ASAP. I've noticed that each time I hit a plateau on the scale, it is time to plan for new clothes as I start losing on the tape measure. But as others have already mentioned, it sounds very normal. I hit my first around 2 weeks out and started questioning everything (even wondered whether the surgeon had even done the surgery for real). Luckily after reading of others similar experiences on numerous forums similar to this one (hadn't found this one at the time), I quickly realized I wasn't alone. Our bodies are in shock after the surgery and need breaks at times to try and "recover" from the trauma. Stick with the program your surgeon and nutritionist gave you and your body should come around.