*Lexie*

I had my first post op appt today and it went really well. I started puree a few days early because I was so hungry and weak on just liquids. They were completely fine with it and told me to progress as I feel comfortable. What a relief to hear that versus them being really strict on following the time table. I know their goal is to get their patients on regular food as quickly as it's safely possible. Otherwise, I'm down 13lbs in 12 days since surgery. There's not a universe that I could complain about weight loss like that. I'm curious when that three week stall will start. At the start of the 3rd week or after 3 weeks. Either way, I'm sure it's headed my way.

Fantastic progress!

Very normal. We imagine much worse than the reality of it. I slept a lot the few days following surgery but by day 5 or so, I felt really good. I'm not even 2 weeks post op and I feel really good. I'm able to work out now and my energy level has come up. It feels really good on this side of the surgery. All you have to do is make it to the other side and you'll be so glad you did. Hang in there.

I used STD but we don't have sick time. It took a week of my paid time off and then I started getting paid out at 70% of my salary. This would not be considered the same as plastic surgery. If it's covered by insurance it's considered medically necessary.

I have had some tomato soup and mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes have filled me up.

I had one that they put on me before I woke up from surgery. It helped tremendously the first week. I took it off around a week or so post op. It just provided extra support to my weak/sore ab muscles that were cut and stitched. Helped me lay on my side and sleep without discomfort as well. I highly recommend it.

From what my surgeon says, a leak is very painful and you'll know something is wrong. The food probably moved through as you ate.

Mine wasn't discovered until during surgery. I found out after that he found it and repaired it.

Welcome and congratulations. I've learned a ton from this site so you are definitely in the right place.

Today's weight - 234

I went through this for a few days. I wasn't physically hungry but my food demons were out there and they were strong. It went away on it's own a few days ago so hopefully it doesn't last long for you either. If you feel physical hunger in your stomach, it could be acid. I'm on Protonix from my doctor so I have not had this happen but I've read about it.

Try to focus on the excitement and not the fear. Surgery is only one day and recovery is fast but the results last so much longer. Ask for Xanax or something similar now if you need something to take the edge off your nerves leading up to surgery. As soon as they put in the IV, ask them for medication to calm your nerves. I have no idea what the anesthesiologist gives you but you don't have a worry at all. They wheeled me into surgery and I moved over to the surgery table and never felt a bit nervous. The power of pharmaceuticals!

So exciting!!

I couldn't agree more. A few days ago, I went for a 10 minute walk and it kicked my butt. I was weak, shaky, out of breath, etc. Today I went for a walk and only stopped at 20 minutes because it was raining. I felt great after my walk today. I'm also feel less preoccupied by thoughts of food. It's not really bothering me anymore. Just try to get my fluids and Protein shakes and getting joy out of seeing the number on the scale drop.

I had hernia repair and didn't have any pain swallowing or any cramping when liquids get to my stomach. I'm still on full liquids (which includes Soups and pudding) so that might be a factor. I'd ask my doctor, sounds unusual.

@@Babbs I completely agree. My gallbladder surgery was a walk in the park and this was nothing in comparison. I was dressed and home an hour after waking up from my gallbladder surgery and never took any pain medication. I believe I had lots of morphine on the day of the sleeve surgery and needed pain meds for a few days after. What's nice though is the hardest part is over. I still have some incision site discomfort and weakness but it's minimal. The only thing I'm afraid of now is throwing up from overeating.

@@TheBlissfulNatural My surgery was on 9/24 and I found the first 3 days or so pretty rough. I slept a lot, was in a good amount of pain and had no desire to eat or drink anything. I'm still feeling weak but I'm relaxing and taking it easy. I hear that about a month out, energy is back and higher than before. My issue now is that I really want to eat and have another week or so until I move to soft food. This liquid diet is for the birds! Hang in there, it sucks but it's a means to an end.

I didn't care for plain Water before or after surgery. I drank a lot of diet soda before surgery and now am trying to make nice with the water but find myself usually using Crystal Light or drinking decaf tea.

It's a normal fear, especially when we fail at every other diet. I was afraid and sometimes am still afraid of that myself. However, data shows as well as what I've seen on here, that it works a whole heck of a lot more than anything else you could do. 5% success rate for all other diets up to 80% success rate with surgery. And yes, you have to make changes but the surgery does enable those changes. I've logged my food for years and stayed fat but of course, I always stopped logging when I started overeating. I have just started logging again in the past few months. But I'm very focused on getting the right amount of Protein and the only way to know is to track my food. As we lose weight, exercise becomes easier to do so again, the surgery enables the new, healthier habit.

@@lose4life2 How'd your appt go?

Still on full liquids and ditto everyone's feedback. On a side note, I have lists of soft food recipes piling up. 5 more days, but who's counting.

It's been a week since my surgery and overall I feel pretty good. I lost 7.5 pounds the first week. I'm off all pain and nausea medications but I'm still wearing a binder on my stomach for support. I've heard that I should expect to be more tired the first month. I really haven't been napping a lot the last few days so I figured I'd head out for a walk this morning. I lasted 10 minutes and was out of breath, sweating, my stomach cramping, shaky and weak. I was truly surprised. I was walking 60 minutes prior to surgery. It really does take a while to heal. Guess I'll just take it slow and wait for my energy to come back. Hope everyone else is doing well. I'm amazed at how fast I got bored with the full liquid diet. So ready to move on to the next stage.

@@cdenney123 A binder is this stretchy band that goes around your waist. It helps support your abdominal muscles for a short time after surgery. (think of holding a pillow to your stomach to help reduce discomfort when you cough or sneeze) They automatically put it on me after surgery. I take it off here and there but I'm more comfortable with it on. They cut and stitch at the muscle level which is where most of the post op pain comes from.

How's everyone doing? I lost 7.5lbs the first week which is probably a record for me. Didn't exercise at all the first week because I was tired and did have some pain I was dealing with. I've been laying around binge-watching The Tudors. I did take a short walk today and am going to try to ease back into a routine. I'm starting to struggle with the food demons. Thinking of all the foods that I want to eat (despite not being hungry at all) and I suddenly really want a Diet Pepsi. I drank caffeine-free before so I know it's not caffeine withdrawal. Just a bad habit that doesn't want to leave quietly.

Very easy surgery. I was dressed and leaving by about an hour post op. Much easier than the sleeve surgery.