Daisee68

I wish I had taken my own heating pad and ear plugs. Hospital provided both eventually - 4 hours after requesting and asking at least every hour.

Promise it gets better! Take your pain meds on schedule for at least the next day. Walk as much as you can. I used a heating pad and ice packs too. I think Day 4 or 5 was the worst then it gets much better painwise. Stay hydrated no matter what!

Well as everyone said it is a personal choice, but I told everyone - and I mean EVERYONE! And I have been so blessed to get amazing supportive responses. Maybe they are talking behind my back, but I don't care if they are. I think at first for me it was sort of like calling myself fat (pre-op) before someone else could - you know beat them to the punch to take the sting out and by telling about RNY I was getting out in front of it. But now, the more people who notice, the more I tell. I have kept how much I ate a secret in my past life and keeping this a secret or not talking about it just made me feel like I was ashamed of it. (I am NOT saying that those who don't tell are ashamed by any means. It is just how I felt when I considered not telling.) I think as a physician it will be difficult not to talk about it, but maybe you can keep it to only those patients you feel need to hear it and maybe keep the conversation short like "yes, I had WLS. I would love to talk to you about it when we have a little more time." I don't know. Something that gives you control of the conversation and allows you to tell what you want but also shows you are glad you made the decision. Good luck! You will figure it out! (PS - curious how you would advise your patients if they asked you the same question...)

Have you ever looked at the blog / website - http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/? She has a lot of great recipes and most of her blog is all about "a day in her pouch" so that will give you a great idea of some meals. I am only 9 weeks out and have had some issues with meat, so I am not a great example as I am still staying with pureed mostly. For Breakfast I generally have 1/2 container of yogurt mixed with 1/2 scoop of Protein powder, then a shake for mid-morning snack. At lunch, about 1/2 ounce deli turkey and a string cheese and maybe 1 cracker. And dinner similar or pimento cheese with extra Protein Powder (its a Southern thing if you haven't heard of it) and/or hummus. I had tilapia and butternut squash last night but a very tiny tiny amount. Eating out, I have pretty much only ventured into tortilla soup (without tortilla strips) and I even had some guacamole a couple of times (it was just mashed avocado, onion and lime juice but luckily the raw onion didn't bother me). The thing is it is different for everyone. Some can tolerate certain things that others can't so it is tough to say what you will or won't be able to eat. Rest assured though you will find your new normal eventually (or so I am told) and will be able to enjoy small amounts of food that you want to eat.

Well then you have this made! It is nothing at all compared to those things!

I even found Quest Bars at my local grocery store. I would agree this is an exception. I am 2 months out and haven't had jerky or nuts yet, but going on my first trip next week so I am going to try those this weekend as well. I was going to say Cheesestick also or the Babybel cheese (wrapped in wax kind so I don't think it would have to be refrigerated and shouldn't melt). Also maybe take some Crystal Light (or other brand) in the single to go packs (that you just dump in water). Might be a good change and could help flavor a vanilla shake. Premier Protein doesn't have to be refrigerated. STAY HYDRATED above all else! Bottle of Water in your hand wherever you go. Have fun!

While in the hospital on strong pain meds - very very minor. Maybe a 2. When I first woke up in recovery, probably a 5 or 6 but they quickly got it controlled. Day 3 was not good for me but I was also passing a kidney stone at the same time AND Day 3 seems to be tough following any surgery (not just WLS). After Day 5, more just an annoying pain. Have you had other surgeries? I have had 4 shoulder surgeries, 4 lithotripsies (with stents for kidney stones) and hysterectomy. Bilateral ureter stents were by far the WORST! The rotator cuff surgery not great but manageable. WLS easiest of them all actually. Now I had bypass. I understand sleeve is a little more uncomfortable, but if you are afraid of the pain, don't be. It is absolutely manageable. Getting the fluids and Protein in is WAY harder than the pain. Oh, and I used heating pad a lot and even an ice pack some. Hope that helps!

I don't know a lot about this and certainly not a medical professional; however, I will say that it isn't a super high count. I mean not great but not awful. Is the AST high also? It can be a myriad of things - do you take cholesterol or diabetes meds or other like maybe too much pain relievers? Also, it can signal gallbladder issues sometimes. Or most likely it could be fatty liver which most of us with high BMI's have. Try not to worry too much. If it was off the charts, they would call you. I think there was someone else on here who had to postpone their surgery a little until the count came down, but I believe their counts were higher. Hang in there. Be patient (though I am TERRIBLE at that myself .)​ I hope they call you soon and if not, call them tomorrow morning to put your mind at ease.

@@nuzzlebear40 - I like your plan and wish I had been given guidelines like that. I have just been stumbling along trying to figure out how much I can eat and it is different nearly every meal. When it comes to meat, the best I can do is 1/2 oz. All I have been able to tolerate is deli turkey, maybe a couple of bites of chicken (from Soup or something very very moist) and a few bites of tilapia. Of course that is all with bites of other things but in general I average about 1/4 cup. I am 9 weeks post RNY tomorrow.

Use a 1 oz medicine cup and set a timer and sip from it every 3 or 4 minutes. You should (hopefully) be able to get in 1 ounce every 15 minutes. (You won't have to do this all day long but as much as you can.) It is the only way I could get my fluids in. You won't hit 64 oz this early. Just do as best as you can. Dehydration is a big reason for people ending up back in the hospital so keep it up. Remember your broths and popsicles (and sometimes shakes) count as Fluid too.

I had bypass and my surgeon was out of town at first follow up so I saw her partner and she said I had to wait until day 15 to have pureed. Seems every doctor is different and it could be due to your individual circumstances. I think I would err on the side of caution and stick with liquids for another week if you can stand it. it won't hurt as long as you are getting in your Protein. I know that last week is tough. You might look at your booklet again and see if there are any more suggestions of what you can have this last week. Cream Soups? Yogurt? I had popsicles - a lot of them. The cold didn't bother me (luckily). I also (and don't judge me here) had pickle juice. It was great! I wanted the salt and it really helped plus it is used for hydration by some athletes, so I figured hydration couldn't be bad. Not much of it and not all day but it was a good salty taste for a break from the sweetness. Good luck! Hang in there. You are almost there!

Mine was over the phone too but the NUT just had to send the documentation to the surgeon to get fined with the paperwork. I just had to tell him what my weight was that day.

Taken - delete.

@@This New Kim - thanks for that website info! I hadn't heard of it. Very cool!

@@Woodland4807 - how was your first day back at work? Hope all went ok!!

@@Dawn306 - it is a powdered Peanut Butter. http://www.bellplantation.com/4-pack-pb2-powdered-peanut-butter-6-5-oz-jars.html You can get it at Target (other places too I'm sure - including Amazon). ​ ​

I don't know that you can have banana yet but when you can, I had someone suggest this and just tried it and Oh My Gosh was it good! - Vanilla Protein powder (or Premier Protein vanilla shake), Orange Crush Water Enhancer (like Crystal Light - in the same area in the store) and a small bit of banana (I used about 1 oz but I am not a huge fan of bananas). Highly recommend it! I don't know that I could drink it everyday, but it was a wonderful treat. Also, have you used PB2? I mix a small amount of PB2 (like 1/2 Tbsp) with a chocolate shake and it is really good too. I haven't experimented much with mixes, but I am starting too because at almost 9 weeks out, I am still struggling to get in enough protein from food. There are a lot of good recipes out there. Check out this link if you haven't seen this website yet. She has some wonderful recipes! http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/06/my-favorite-protein-shake-recipes.html Hope that helps!​ And as others said, most people don't get in all their protein in the first few weeks. It takes a while to work up to it. Just keep trying and stay hydrated above all!

​So, I have a lot of Quest bars in the pantry which are calling my name for a quick Breakfast (well not really quick but maybe easy) but I am SCARED! NUT said 6 weeks post-op would be ok and I am 8 weeks out now but haven't tried yet and given my lack of success with meat, I am sort of chicken about trying something as firm as a Protein bar ... Anyone else have success / failure at this point with the bars? Should I wait longer? I know I have read some posts about how something in them can cause dumping in some folks.

Glad you were able to reschedule. So sorry you have to wait an extra 5 days. I know that's frustrating but I definitely think you will be happier with an earlier time.

​I am 8 1/2 weeks out (RNY) and have really struggled with this. I just can't seem to keep chicken and tuna down and have had some trouble with deli meat. BUT I love smoked turkey deli meat (I know high salt...). Anyway, this week I got some at the deli and had them cut it shaved / falling apart and then I am only serving myself 1/4 to 1/2 ounce of it, but I have been successful in keeping it down so far! YAY! Maybe once I get braver with this one I will feel like trying tuna again.... I did have Tilapia once and it was great the first day but not so much reheated. I think I didn't get it moist enough the 2nd day. I will brave that choice again soon too. Good luck! PS - I really have wanted to try ground chicken but haven't done that yet. Anyone else have any success with that?

​I would say you are probably fine for now, but I just wanted to encourage you that it does get easier. I was mostly stressed about breakfast because I don't get up early enough to wait an hour after Synthroid then make sure no drinking of fluids and then a breakfast and then 30 minutes and then a shake, blah, blah blah. I have been back at work about 5 weeks and just now find this is getting easier for me. SO my advice does what is easiest the first week that won't stress you out but just know that packing a very small lunch or finding small breakfast becomes easier soon. ​ Good luck! You might be tired tomorrow night so get lots of rest!

This did not happen to me at all. In fact, I weighed more than when I went into surgery for a t least a week before I started losing. Mine has been mostly pretty steady though. Had one stall lasting about 5 days but that's it. Otherwise 2 to 3 pounds a week (I think I may have had 8 pounds one week and then hit the stall). I am 8 1/2 weeks out and down 27 pounds since surgery (12 more pounds the week before in pre-op liquid diet). I will say that seeing some of these massive losses and then complaining it's not enough really frustrates me and I can't help but compare myself to others. However, the further out I get, the less I worry about it. I know I am working the program and the weight will come off if I stick to the program. After all, when is the last time I lost 27 pounds in 2 months? Umm pretty much never. My best advice to you is to not get hung up on what everyone's weight loss in pounds is. (Saying this to myself as much as to you.).

@@Bufflehead - Wow that sounds tough!! Bless you!

Tylenol is not a NSAID, so it is safe post-WLS. Just take it in tablet or liquid form - not capsules.

I am having the same issue occasionally. Seems to be related to exercising without enough calories or fluids first. Are you getting your Water / fluids in?