JamieLogical

Post-sleeve it's all about trial and error. I'll figure it out!

Next thing you know, we'll only be "overweight" instead of "obese"!

The Mayo clinic disagrees: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeinated-drinks/faq-20057965

I went back to my desk job at 15 days post-op and I will say that, while I handled it, my main issue was fatigue. I was simple EXHAUSTED all of the time until I was able to start eating more real foods. I was allowed to have soft/pureed foods until 18 days post-op. So definitely look into what your post-op nutrition schedule will be, as I think that will play a big role in how you are feeling.

I've now watched all of the one season of My 600 Pound Life that's on Hulu. I have to say, I definitely prefer Fat Doctor. It just seems to me that a lot of the people on My 600 Pound Life are poorly educated or just don't fully understand what eating will have to be like for them post-op. They are like "well, I'm allowed solid foods again, so I guess I'll have two bratwurst and some beans!" Or, "hey, I'm allowed chicken, so I'll just go through this KFC drive through and get a bunch of fried chicken and a giant drink to wash it down with!" It's like they either received ZERO instruction about what they should be doing/eating post-op or they have all just chosen to ignore it. I wonder if it's to do with the one doctor they show (Dr. Nowzaradan) in the season I watched. Maybe his practice just isn't as thorough as most in providing pre and post-op direction?

It was my first attempt at raw veggies post-op. I had eaten SOME cooked veggies without issue, though not very much. I think it was probably too much to try all at once.I will rethink my plan for tomorrow morning's snack, though I do ultimately want to get to where I can eat more raw veggies. I don't think it was the dip, though I couldn't say 100%. I haven't had any issue with greek yogurt (I eat it daily) or garlic or lemon juice before this. Don't know that I've had much dill post-op, so that *might* have been the problem? I really think it was just the fibrous texture of the raw veggies that my stomach was struggling with.

Well, I tried my veggies and greek yogurt dill dip in place of my morning snack just now and I think I might die. I had red and yellow peppers and some zucchini and my stomach is like "OH NO YOU DON'T!" I managed to eat about half of what I had packed, but I'm paying for it right now. Guess I'm going to need to ease into this!

Welcome to the Halfway Club!

Some of us are slow losers. I lost almost 15 pounds the first month, but only about 6 pounds per month since then. Remember, this isn't a race. There is no great value or advantage in getting to goal ASAP, because you will never be "done" with WLS the way you might be "done" with a diet. This is the rest of your life now. So you have all the time in the world to get to goal. 10 years from now, when you are maintaining your goal weight and are happy and healthy, do you think it will matter if it took you 6 months or 16 months to reach your goal?

Just a heads-up. You are are approaching the three week mark and will likely hit a stall (most do). DON'T PANIC if/when that happens.

I had an extended tummy tuck (almost circumferential) and my recovery was ROUGH. I was able to walk with a walker petty much right away, but only very short distances. Getting up and down was a real challenge. If you love yourself, do yourself a favor and get one of those elevated toilet seats with arms on it! You won't need it for long, but just the first few days that will make your life a little easier. I would say I could walk around the block at maybe 2-3 weeks post-op? My main issue was swelling of the soft tissue in my lower back, because fluid collected there, since it was the only place where it could travel between the upper and lower halves of my body. I had serious pain associated with that, wich caused me to miss much more than the planned four weeks of work. I would say it was closer to 9 months for me to get back to feeling completely normal. But, that was because of my complications. I would think, had I not had those issues, 3-4 months to feel back to normal would have been about right.

Sounds like you are trucking right along! Congratz!

All sounds pretty normal to me. Gas is going to be an issue for a few weeks at least. You should also probably be on a PPI for the first month or two post-op to help with acid reflux.

I found that some shakes upset my stomach while others didn't. I would try another brand.

That's the package your employer chose. That's the only BCBS provider in my area. I suppose they could have chosen one of the other insurers instead of BCBS, but I don't even know what else is available around here. BCBS is definitely the only big one. Excellus definitely doesn't offer any better WLS at least. That link on their website is for their general WLS policy, not specific to any plan.

I live in Rochester!

Well, it took almost 50 pounds post-op and almost 75 pounds total, but I just got my first comment from a coworker on my weight loss. Someone who just got back from a two week vacation just commented told me "you're melting" and said that my pants might end up on the floor while I'm walking down the hallway soon. I wonder if being away for a couple of weeks and then coming back caused her to see me with fresh eyes for the first time in a while. My weight loss has been pretty slow and gradual (1 to 1.5 pounds most weeks), so I don't think the people that see me every day have really noticed. I have started running in the past 4 weeks and she was gone for 2 of those, so maybe the running is helping to shift things around an make me look a bit "leaner" even though I've only actually lost maybe 2.5 pounds since the last time I saw her?

Ha!

I grew up in Ohio, so definitely not the south, but I was drinking coffee for as long as I can remember. I remember ordering it at a restaurant once when I was about 6 and the waitress looked at my parents like "WTF??!?!" My dad literally put Pepsi in our bottles when we were babies, so I was hooked on caffeine from a VERY early age. BTW, my parents are the best parents in the world, contrary to what this post might imply.

My scar is right across the top of my "private" area to the point where my pubic hair is "cut off" by the scar, if that makes sense? It's hard to tell how far around yours goes, because of those black boxes. Mine goes ALL THE WAY around me except for about a 3 inch gap above my butt crack. Will definitely have the hubby take some pics next time we're doing progress pics for my weight loss.

I think it was about 5 days post-op for me? Of course, I had my surgery in Mexico and my husband didn't travel with me, so I wasn't even home until the night of the 4th day post-op, so it wasn't really an option before that!

I had my surgery in Mexico as well. I flew in on a Sunday evening, surgery on Monday, that night in the clinic, Tuesday and Wednesday night in the hotel in Tijuana, Thursday night in a hotel in San Diego (right next to the airport), then Flew home on Friday morning. I could have just as easily flown out on Thursday, but I couldn't make it work with flight times and the shuttle across the border, thus the need to stay a night in San Diego. I had my first follow-up appointment with my PCP to have blood work done at just about 2 months post-op.

I should be nice and have my husband take some pics of my TT scar for everyone. Mine is WAY lower than yours. Do you have any issues with covering yours with like a swim suit bottom or underwear? PS: You look fantastic!

I agree that you should call your doctor or surgeon.

That's definitely untrue in my case. The BCBS provider in my area, Excellus, does cover WLS but with ridiculous restrictions. They require a documented BMI of over 40 for 5 years with no comorbidities or over 35 with comorbidities. I lost 90 pounds "on my own" in 2010/2011, which put my BMI well below 40. I regained and re-lost and regained and re-lost my way back up over the subsequent 3 years, eventually ending up well over a 40 BMI again. However, since I just got back up over 40 in the past year, I would have had to wait another FOUR years to qualify for surgery. I felt like they were punishing me for at least TRYING to lose the weight on my own. Had I just stayed fat back in 2010, I'd have qualified for WLS this year! Edit: Here's a link to the specific policy on the Surgical Management of Obesity. Item 1B states: "The condition of morbid obesity must be of at least 5 years duration." https://www.excellusbcbs.com/wps/wcm/connect/7626cc31-589a-449c-8757-09ef8ac1a985/mp+surg_obes+tac+%232+13.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=7626cc31-589a-449c-8757-09ef8ac1a985