Gingerisgreat

I am four weeks post today and I just had mine died on Saturday. I had been contemplating it for weeks however I put it off only because my hair is waist length and it means sitting in a salon chair for three hours to have it completed. I was so sore that I knew I wouldn't tolerate sitting that long. They say that hair loss starts around month 4-5, so I figured I had better enjoy my hair now just in case!!!!

I am still very new to this journey and I am only down about 40 pounds so far but I already miss just being "me". I know that eventually this will wear off since right now the weight loss is drawing peoples attention, but I miss walking into a room and not having everyone stare. The other day I went to work to drop off a tray of Christmas treats. Nobody has seen me since November 14th since I can't return for a long time because my job is very physically strenuous. When I walked in someone whistled at me. I felt myself turn red. I don't like that kind of attention, it embarrasses me. Now I am dreading returning to work as I don't want all the attention and questions that will ensue. And I miss being able to wake up in the middle of the night thirsty to chug a glass of Water and go back to sleep satiated. My thirst is NEVER quenched so if I stayed up until I was satisfied, I would be up all night long. No regrets, just stuff that I miss.

I am very fortunate that my best friend of 10 years had the sleeve in June. She had her surgery and I stayed with her all day in the hospital, then the following morning I saw her surgeon for my very first pre-op eval (Obviously I had attended informational meetings and met with nutritionist prior to this, but had to wait to see the surgeon). I researched the sleeve myself however my reasons for needing surgery were not the exact same as hers, obviously we both had extra weight to lose, however she had hypertension and sleep apnea. I had neither of those, but I have PCOS, chronic pelvic pain that was not resolved with two prior surgical interventions, multiple female complications including hot flashes, night sweats, and severe anxiety all due to hormonal imbalances. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and Insulin Resistant back in March, and I was told that it was inevitable that one day I would be on Insulin as a result. During my pre-surgical testing, I was diagnosed with esophagitis as well as stomach ulcers and started on two more meds for those diagnoses. In the year prior to my surgery I was screened for cancer in three regions of my body, and I am only 33. After watching my best friend of all those years undergo this surgery and walk out of the hospital off of all of her medications, I just KNEW that I needed to make the decision! I chose RNY because I needed the absorption change in order to give my body the best chance possible of overcoming my hormonal difficulties as well as IR, and sleeve is more risky if you have an ulcer. BUT I HAVE NO REGRETS!!!!!! I am still on pureed foods until tomorrow, however this last week while enjoying a VERY nice and overdue shopping day out with this BFF (whom I might add has almost reached a 100 pound loss in the last 6 months and LOOKS INCREDIBLE), we were both able to shop together in areas of the store other than plus size! She is about two sizes smaller than I currently but we joke about being able to share wardrobe again soon since now neither of us have much that fits! While on our shopping day, we stopped at a Panera Bread for lunch and we were able to share a cup of their clam chowder for our lunch. We both ate and were satisfied off a SHARED $4 lunch!!! NOTE: You don't feel so bad buying yourself a new top for $20 when your lunch only cost you $2.....and the bonus is that you can wear your new item time and time again!!!! Now, why did I share this info about my journey through this with my BFF? Because I want to encourage you to find someone new that shares this experience with you!!!!! I am lucky to have the most amazing husband and this very dear friends by my side, and I SERIOUSLY commend ALL of you that have done this alone and without the kind of support that I have had. I am VERY VERY lucky, and I know it. I thank God for them both as I am certain I would have had a MUCH harder time with this process had I been doing it alone. Yes it has been hard to not be able to eat what my husband does, and I was on pureed diet on our one year wedding anniversary even so we were unable to celebrate in the fashion that we would have in the past. But knowing that I am going to feel better and be able to live every day to the fullest from here on out is well worth those small sacrifices. Surround yourselves with people that understand that!!!! For our one year wedding anniversary, I made us homemade shrimp bisque soup and I pureed my little portion. I lit candles on our table and we ate by candlelight at home. For dessert I made us little ramekins of a sugar free vanilla custard topped with sugar free cool whip. It was still romantic, and my husband never complained. He is now taking his health seriously and has set a goal to start running again as he used to run marathons. Now I am going to join him in his running. I wish I lived close enough to you girls to start a WLS club with encouragement and friendship, but that is what this forum is for! Good Luck to you all, visit a local support group and find new friends that encourage you, IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!!!

Same here! Yesterday our furnace quit working and it was 52 in our house!!! I wouldn't get out from under my blanket until the furnace had been repaired!!!

I have sensations like this every time I try chicken, even pureed with salsa added to it to moisten it. So far my pouch just does not care for chicken. I will just give it some more time as I do fine with eggs, tuna, and very moist ground turkey. Later this week I plan to try some shrimp to see how I do with that. Also, just curious but had you tried tortilla or wrap before? I have yet to try one however my BFF had surgery in June and now she says that at first trying any kind of breading or tortilla was very difficult for her. Or did you not eat any of the wrap? I hope you're feeling better now.

I have noticed this as well, and I am very sensitive to smells now as well. I can't stand to have anything in the kitchen trash because I can smell everything and it turns me off to the idea of eating completely. I've been brushing more often but when I return to work I can't brush all day long so I will be buying mints!

I felt this way about drinking as well. I was putting my G2 in the microwave and warming it because warm fluids went down better at first. Then one morning I took a sip and exclaimed "I can take normal sips now!!" I was sooooo happy and my husband laughed. It's still work to get in all the fluids but even now when I'm tired of water I have a hot tea. It soothes nausea and the warmth doesn't cause those belly spasms. Keep your chin up, it's up and up from here!!

Oh the cold! I live in MICHIGAN and had surgery in November!!!! I wish I had known better, I should have done this in July! I have to wear double socks, one pair for hunting just to go see a movie. I am constantly under a heated blanket at home, and I now wear three layers to leave the house. I have an outdoor job so I am dreading my return to work.

I am curious if anyone has experienced any symptoms similar to my own. I had been progressing very well, I saw my surgeon at two weeks post and he was pleased with my profess. I was walking and had little pain unless if I tried to sleep on my left side. He progressed me to puree stage foods and a few days later (I started with eggs and Soup first), I attempted some moist, pureed chicken. The chicken did NOT settle well with me at all and I was sick for two days. Since being sick, the prior "dull ache" that I had in my left side flared up and now I can barely control it. It hurts to cough, sneeze, reach, turn, and I can not let anyone hug me. Has anyone else had an increase in pain and a setback in how they feel after a week or so of feeling great?!?! I am getting discouraged. I want to be able to have fun with my children this holiday.

I am still losing but it is very slow! I have averaged out to about one pound a day but I can tell you that Ive been paying close attention and it does not fall off one pound at a time! According to my scale, I will stay the same for a day or two and then I will see a two or three pound loss. Some of this is probably due to Water and Fluid retention at times.

Thank you both for your advice! I will attempt reverting back to the full liquids and see if that helps as well as calling to speak to the surgeons nurse tomorrow as I know he does surgeries on Thursdays. I was told that there would be set backs and I tried to mentally prepare myself for them however I am a medical professional myself so sometimes I think of all of the things that it could be and make myself worry.

Hello Ladies! First of all, Congrats on taking the first steps! I am not in the beginning of the 6 month journey but my surgery was just the week of Thanksgiving so I remember all too well how my journey started. I had a horrible addiction to caffeine as I work midnights in an extremely high stress profession, and I work a lot of hours a week on top of having a family to care for. I thought i would NEVER kick the habit. I started by cutting back on the number of coffees I allowed myself in a day. I made a small "surgery bucket list" of things that I wanted my husband and I to do together before the time came to put all of my focus into resting, healing, and working out. We went hiking at a favorite location, we went on a few dates that we had been talking about doing and hadn't done, we went to a couple restaurants that I knew I would always experience in a different way after surgery, and I ate Wedge salad about six times because its my favorite taste ever and I knew it would be a LONG time before I was able to have a taste of it again. With that said, my list only contained four of my absolute favorite restaurants and we went to about one a month for the first four months of the six, and I made healthy choices at ALL of those meals to test myself. I found that I was NOT any less satisfied with making healthy choices than I had been with prior meals at those locations. I learned that what I enjoy most is the environments, the company, the conversation, the time with my family, and good quality food, not quantity or fat content. So as it turned out, I was learning new things about myself and my eating habits while I was completing my bucket list. Start slowly by picking one or two things a month to work on within yourself, and start rewarding yourself with things other than food. Enjoy it, the time will FLY by!!! Best of Luck!

I have been tracking my calories on myfitnesspal and I have noticed the same thing! I am right around 300 or so calories a day unless if I use G2 as my fluids because it does contain calories. I also noticed that on days that I am craving sugar free creamsicles (20 calories each), I can add 40-60 calories with those because my pouch likes them and they help me when I am feeling parched. I prefer Water over ANY flavored anything because I am so sick of sweet and fruit flavored stuff.

My surgeon had told me to expect about three or four hours and he advised my family of that as a timeline. I had the bypass which does take longer than the sleeve to have done. On the day of surgery, one of the only things that I remember from waking up was seeing my husband and my best friend standing at the foot of my bed and they said "It went so well that he finished in 2 1/2 hours!". My surgeon did say that my liver was no issue so my pre op diet must have done the job it was intended for but I was very strict and followed it to the letter. Also, I am not built with a very large abdomen, I carry most of my weight in my hips and legs which his nurse said sometimes is a benefit in the actual procedure. One of my best friends had the sleeve done this summer and her family lives on the other side of the state so I waited in the waiting room and reported to her dad while he traveled. Her procedure took several hours, I was in the waiting room for at least three hours. Again, her shape may have played a part as she carried most of her weight in her abdomen and has long legs. We are built exactly opposite. I hope this may help to answer some of your inquiries. Best Wishes on your journey!

My journey actually started with my OBGYN, so if you have been under the routine care of a OBGYN maybe they would help to point you in the right direction? All of my health problems are related to female issues and I hardly ever have to see my PCP so I did all of my surgical prep with the OBGYN and only consulted with my PCP's nurse via the phone and through paperwork because my OB had documentation that my recent (last two years) health was declining and two surgeries did not help me. Just an idea. Good Luck!

@simplyblessed- I did not have a heated blanket at the time of my surgery however my husband bought me one within a week because I have been absolutely chilled to the core ever since my surgery! This blanket has become my BEST buddy! I went to spend a night at my best friends house and I pulled it off my bed to take it with me! @coastalchick- I wanted a hairbrush by the time day one post-op hit and I asked my hubby to grab one from home. I was allowed to shower that night while sitting on a shower chair but I did not wash my hair because the brush was forgotten and I knew there was NO way that the brush the hospital gave me would do the trick. Im not sure how much hair you have but this was the only item I wanted that I did not have with me. I took a book and my iPad but I never touched either of them because after walking I was always only awake for minutes. You're exhausted at first. Good Luck!

I had the same symptoms until about day four of the liquid diet, then those symptoms subsided and they have yet to return! I believe for me it was from "withdrawal" off of all forms of caffeine and sugar. I used to be a two to three cup a day coffee drinker and I had weaned myself down to only one a day during my six months of nutrition training. It does get easier and you will feel betters in a few days. You may have some hunger pangs right up until surgery, but relish them because you're going to feel very full for a long time now!

I too had RNY with the main reason being PCOS. My sister suffers from PCOS, and was diagnosed at a very young age. Nine years ago, she was diagnosed with DMII and since then her health has deteriorated quickly. She was lucky enough to conceive a child naturally when she was 29 years old after years and years of not even a possibility. The doctors were ASTOUNDED!!!! She then went on to have another baby naturally as well as once the body goes through a pregnancy, it is often easier to conceive again immediately after. So she has two beautify little girls 17 months apart! We Praise God for the little blessings, however he health was very unstable during her pregnancies and she was on record amounts of insulin. She now wears wigs because she has so little hair due to her PCOS. Now that she is done breastfeeding, she is attempting weight loss on her own however I knew it was time for me to try another route. I have had endometriosis since I was a teen, and at 17 my first surgical experience resulted in the doctor telling my mother that one of my fallopian tubes was already scarred shut so I was down to one working tube. I was able to have one perfect baby girl at age 25. I was a single mother for 6 years to her and I was grateful that I was able to experience motherhood at all. Then I met my husband, and we are undecided at this point if we want to have another child. I have had surgery every year for the last several years due to chronic pelvic pain because of my PCOS and Endometriosis. When I heard that RNY might help me live pain free, get me off of Metformin for Insulin Resistance, and possibly reduce the other symptoms that come with PCOS (For me they were hot flashes, night sweats and night terrors, anxiety, RLS), I knew that I had to try it. One surgery that although MAJOR and a TON of work, might prevent me from needing surgery every year for the next ten. To me it was an obvious choice. I have a life to live!! I am already off of all of the meds that I was on pre-op! All that I require now is vitamins! Not only would it increase my chances of getting pregnant on my own should we decide to try when I can, BUT this will mean that my pregnancy wouldn't be as high risk because weight can affect a pregnancy in so many ways. Good Luck to all you future mamas!

I have always been big on cooking my family home cooked meals. Actually in my preop visits my nut and I discussed this Many times. My surgery was the week of thanksgiving, I actually came home on thanksgiving night and my main concern with having it that week was that I am the family cook! My husband and I each have a daughter, mine is 8 and his is 5. Mine is with us full time and his is half of the time. It has taken my step-daughter years to learn that will not get macaroni and cheese for every meal at our home. One day when I asked her what ideas she had for dinner she said 1) corn dogs! 2) macaroni and cheese with hot dogs 3) spaghetti-o's....my response was well we do not buy those items for our house, but I will gladly make spaghetti. (Note: we have one child that will eat ANYTHING.....olives, loves beets, Brussels sprouts, radishes, etc. but she is a horrible sleeper....and one child will go to bed and not get up until you wake her up but that chuld will not eat much of anything, God thinks it is funny I am sure) As a family we have meals that everyone loves like spaghetti, chili of any variety, chicken pot pie with homemade biscuits, biscuits and gravy with eggs, mini pizzas(so everyone gets what they like), egg scramble bowls, French toast sticks, and lasagna soup. Now, from a Bari standpoint I am only on puréed foods however we spent months changing our eating habits as a whole family prior to my surgery. We started last winter to make vegetarian chili with four kinds of beans and three kinds of peppers, my kids always take seconds on that. My pantry NO LONGER has a snack section in it like it did before. My daughter loves popcorn and I never have so I keep bags of it on hand for her as a snack when she wants something during movie night. No temptation there. I buy the girls true moo single serve ice cream cups in chocolate vanilla swirl for desserts if I don't make one, that also doesn't temp me because I've always been high maintenance in ice cream....hagan daas, coffee, rum raisin, dove bars. My husband is a cheese and cracker snack kind of man and when I am allowed to have cheese again, I will share that pleasure with him one little piece at a time. Tonight I made turkey chili with two kinds of beans for added protein, and I puréed my portion and added a small amount of cheddar to melt into it, it was delicious. Do I miss corn bread? Yes! But I do NOT miss taking five pills after my dinner so it is well worth the trade off! I hope this helps, and if anyone needs any recipes I will gladly start sharing! Happy LOSING!!!!

I am three weeks post op and I am having this issue as well, it is very frustrating. I haven't been extremely adventurous because nothing sits really well and it seems that if I try to eat puréed foods I get so full that I can't get in my proteins. My stomach likes Mrs. Grass broth, creamsicles, and small amounts of cottage cheese. I have managed two eggs on separate occasions, scrambled and then mashed, but it takes me so long to eat one that it gets cold before I am done! This has been the most difficult part of my journey thus far.

I also felt this way for a little while in the beginning, the only stumbling blocks that I encountered was a sudden aversion to my beverages being cold. I was an ice person prior to surgery and when I arrived home I had to microwave even my G2 to get it down. I have had a couple more hurdles to jump with introducing foods in the puréed stage, but taking it one day at a time is only way to go. At my post op appointment the surgeon asked me if I was still doing as well as I did in the hospital and was the surgery too hard on me, I said it was nothing compared to child birth!!!

I did stock myself on a few items, first being jello because it does give you something to "chew" on days where drinking feels old! I also bought Mrs. grass soups because the broth is approved for both pre and post op diets, and it comforts me when I feel ill or nauseous. I also had plenty of waters and G2 on hand. I honestly did not feel like going into a store for at least five days post op. I did have chewable vitamins at home prior to surgery however I could not ingest any for at least a week post op. I did experience quite a bit of abdominal cramping when I first started on the protein drinks and it did subside after about a week. Good Luck! You've got this!!!

I am almost two weeks post, and I have yet to have a real hunger pain. I have smelled some things that have made me think "ooooh that smells delicious", but even the smell does not make me feel hungry. I have continued to cook for my family as I did before, and the hardest part is knowing that I can't test any of what I make to check the seasonings. I am cooking off of what smells right now lol. I am thirsty ALL of the time. I can't even go into a store for groceries without a bottled Water in my purse. As far as cravings go, I can honestly say that when I first did an assessment with my Nutritionist, she asked me what my favorite things to eat were. I told her ANYTHING that went well with coffee.....sweets with coffee. Cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, nutty donuts. I would skip meals to have a coffee with a treat. Now, I can't even fathom drinking a coffee like I used to, and I don't want ANYTHING sweet. I am SOOOOO sick of sweet. On the liquid stage diets almost everything that you can have is sweet, and fruit flavored, and I am SOOOO over it! broth helps to break up that monotony. I keep telling my husband that I can't wait to have mustard again!!!! I want to taste test a mustard sampler platter! lol

I know that all surgeons post-op instructions vary. Mine personally does not allow for pudding or cream of wheat, anything other than Protein drinks/smoothies, or broths/soups with NO chunks or noodles until you have had your two week post-op appointment. They do however give us some recipes for smoothies to try while on the Phase II diet, and tonight was the first time that I felt well enough to try something of a smoothie consistency. I will share this recipe as I am DELIGHTED with it, and it contains 27g of Protein which is nearly half of my daily requirement. Even my husband said "WOW, you're really sucking that down tonight!" Because its DELICIOUS!!!! Recipe: 3 Ice cubes 1cup Skim milk (8 grams of protein) 1 individual container of low fat vanilla Greek yogurt (14grams of Protein) 1 sugar free Vanilla Carnation Drink (5grams of Protein) 1/2 a banana cut into chunks 1/4 small chunks of mango I blended mine in my Magic Bullet blended until smooth.....I hope someone can get some positive results from this like I have!!!

Day 3 and 4 were definitely a struggle for me as well, but after day 4 it got MUCH easier!!!! The crunch of real food is definitely something you miss in the liquid phases however after surgery you will be so focused on getting what you need liquid wise that it shouldn't bother you as much. Just keep you eye on the prize, and know that it's only for a short while. The sacrifice is worth it!