Luvin_Life125

I say research it and make sure it is a decision you can and will commit to. It is amazing the doc pulled those strings ( and I am very certain he did) to get you scheduled so quickly. WLS requires a lot of commitment and education to be successful. If you aren't committed and aren't willing to make the necessary changes, WLS will be hell on earth for you . It can be one of the best things you ever do for yourself also. Hugs and much support to you while you make the choice that suits you best. There is an amazing wealth of support, knowledge , and experiences on these boards. Read and research while deciding if this is the right move for you. Please let us know what you decide.

Hang in there! Post op sucks but it gets better every day. Keep working on your fluids and keep walking and soon this will be a distant memory. Hugs to you and I hope you feel better soon!

Today was day 5 and I am definitely feeling better every day. I went grocery shopping with the family today and walked the first half of the trip and ended up needing the electric cart for the second half. My post op diet was advanced from Clear liquids to full liquids and will stay that way until post op day 21. I have made 3 different things so far for dinner time and have thrown each in the garbage because nothing tasted even close to being good. I will keep experimenting to find something I like or at least tolerate. My pain is getting better daily, but I am still using pain medication just less frequent than before. Hiccups hit me for the 1st time since surgery today and I will say they hurt! Definitely an interesting experience and I can only imagine how much a sneeze would hurt. I find the abdominal binder the hospital provided really comfortable and helpful to keep my incisions from feeling like they are pulling. I am putting antibiotic ointment on each of my incision sites after showering and covering each with a piece of non stick gauze with just enough tape to keep it in place. The gauze protects the sites from being pulled on by the binder. So all in all life is definitely getting better each day and I am grateful!

ps and yes we already have over 20 inches of snow on the ground. Last winter we had over 8 feet on the ground by the end of February. Our decks, railings, fences, bushes and any other landmarks were completely buried.

We live in the boonies and near Lake Superior so winter lasts way longer than summer here. I injured my back when I was 20 when I slipped on ice. The fall has permanently disabled me and I am only 36. I am VERY Leary of frozen ground or potentially frozen ground because another fall may be more than I can handle mentally, emotionally, and probably figuratively. Right now I do the Leslie Sansone walk away the pounds DVD, beginner yoga videos on YouTube, I bought a used copy of Zumba for the Xbox, and I will probably stick with this exercise assortment for those days we can't get out of our driveway. We also are signing up for a gym blocks from my kids school so I have somewhere to walk without worry and later advance my exercise as I can. We drop my kids off at school every morning (other wise it is a 1.5 hour bus ride) so we plan to he straight to the gym after dropping the kids at school. I am only 5 days post op so I am still laying the foundation for when I feel better and advance beyond my walk at home DVD. You can also contact local hotels. Some of them offer a "gym membership" for their fitness center and or pool for a really reasonable rate. I am also researching snow shoes and learn to cross country ski programs in my area. You really have to look at what you have available to you and how you can use it to your advantage. Exercise doesn't have to be done in a gym and it doesn't have to be drudgery. You can find fun ways to burn calories and save money.

Have you contacted your surgeons office and let them know what is happening? I would rather be safe than sorry.

The gas pain seemed to be well controlled and the heating pad helped so so much in the hospital. Today is day 4 and I can't believe how much better I feel in just 2 days. I make laps around my house every hour during the day and every 3 hours or so at night. I am still sleeping in my recliner and can't wait until I can get back to my bed. I will probably give the bed a try in another 2-3 nights. I am so glad I bought a new recliner 3 weeks before surgery. It has been my nest since I have been home. I was able to get 45 grams of protein in yesterday and 30 oz of fluid. I have gotten 20 oz of fluid so far today and am really trying to push my fluids by using a 5 minute timer and it is really helping. Tomorrow I start working on full liquids which I will be happy for a bit more variety. I am still exhausted and sore but don't have any nausea which I am so grateful for. I am getting there and time does help. I just keep looking forward to the next day and the next and keep telling myself it will get better. Now I am off to the shower for my first solo attempt since surgery. My husband has been showering with me and helping me wash my hair and everything since surgery. It is such a hardship (not-I think he has enjoyed that more than anything) for him to be needed so much.

I am hoping people will have realistic expectations for the first week after surgery. I never thought it would be this tough. Even though I had done so much research and looked forward to surgery I still wondered if I did the right thing. I know in my my heart I am on the right path. I just need to keep chugging along.

Your feelings are normal and something many of us wrestle with. I am 3 days post op and despite how much research I did before the surgery I still have the same feelings that you are now going through. You are not alone. Please know that your feelings are normal and they will pass. The recovery period is probably one of the toughest challenges we will have.

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

I have a lot of gas but no diarrhea or constipation. My surgeon started me on a probiotic the night of surgery and then twice a day since. I had surgery 11/11 and one bowel movement since surgery and that was yesterday. It was the easiest bowel movement I have had in years . I take daily narcotics for chronic pain and have for a few years so constipation has been a constant companion. I sent my hubby to the store today to buy a bottle of probiotics as recommended by my surgeons office. If it is that easy to make a bowel movement a regular event I will take it every time!

I think Graze was a decent value. It was $5 ( I think) per box and came with 4 snacks. I think it was a little expensive but with our post op appetites would be definitely sufficient. I am extremely frugal and still think it is a decent value for good quality and healthy snacks that we so desperately need after surgery!

I got a weekly Graze box pre op and really enjoyed it! It was wonderful to have healthy snacks and try new things. I suspended my graze membership since I am only 3 days post op, but I intend to re-start delivery once I am back to real food again.

Day 3 is better than day 2 was and day 1 was better than surgery day. I am feeling better every day, but this has not been a walk in the park. I am keeping my head up and moving forward to get through the worst of it. Thanks for the encouragement everyone! It helps me to know that it will keep getting better from here.

Please help! I know it is late, but I am hoping there are a few people awake. I have my sleeve surgery in 7 hours and was told to drink a bottle of magnesium citrate as a bowel prep at 4 pm the night before surgery. The day before surgery was clear liquids only. Well I followed all instructions but the bowel prep hasn't had any effects! Sorry if this is tmi. I did have one bowel movement about half way through the bottle of magnesium citrate and it was mostly water. I just haven't had anything since and I am so worried that surgery will be delayed because of this. Can anyone tell me if they have experienced this?

Congratulations on your surgery and I am happy everything is going so great!

Well I am scheduled for surgery at 5:30 am with a 4am arrival on Tuesday 11/11 and I live 3.5 hours from the hospital. So I am driving there today and getting a hotel room for the night. Now we are under a winter storm warning with snowfall starting around 6 am this morning and continuing through Tuesday afternoon. This storm also comes with high winds and we are told to expect blizzard like conditions and visibility under 1/4 mile at times. We are expecting 20+ inches at home and only 12-15 inches at the hospital where my surgery is being done. Wish me luck on my 3.5 hour drive that will probably take us over 7 hours if we are lucky to get there. Why does it have to snow tomorrow and Tuesday of all days? Grrrr at least I will be so worried about the weather I won't have time to get antsy about surgery!

Good luck and let us know how you are doing when you can

Oh yumm! I bookmarked that for after surgery and once I can get back to real food. Thanks for sharing!

I will also say smooth move tea works wonders ! Make sure you let the tea bag steep for 10-15 minutes before you take it out of the water and it works like a charm. I have been on heavy duty narcotics for a few years so I am a bit too familiar with constipation. Smooth move tea works every time with no cramping, no side effects and you can buy it at Walgreens.

I bought a bunch of samples from Nashua Nutrition for $1.95 each. They even package samples for products that don't manufacture and individual serving size. I LOVED being able to order such a large variety of samples and not be stuck with tubs of mix I can't stand. I do love the peanut butter cookie protein powder. It is amazing!

Congratulations! It's all downhill from here.

Great job and hang in there! You will be back to full throttle before you know it!

Congratulations! You are so much closer to the losers bench.