Mistie

Bwahaha when I weighed after I got home, I had gained 19 pounds in fluid! It was insane!

Straws, chewing gum, and sodas - all result in extra air in the tummy. It can be uncomfortable and some say can stretch the tummy.

When incisions are healed up. This will prevent bacteria from penetrating and causing infection. So generally a couple of weeks of so.

I've never had the trapped gas in other procedures. Generally, it comes out quickly after the procedures one end or the other, no problem. This one was a shocking difference for me. It ended up trapped in the tissues in my side, and I admit, it was excruciating. My bariatric nurse shared that the gasx strips, suppositories, etc are not helpful, because it's not in the digestive system, it's trapped in tissue. So I had several days of pretty intense pain. The recommendation was walking, warm showers, and massaging the tissue as tolerated.

Hi @@Heather_Feather - I also have microscopic colitis and I'm wondering how you've done since having your vsg surgery. I've had it for years and after many years of being on Entocort I was able to get off of that and my last biopsy was clear. I've been in remission for over a year but now has flared up again. I'm scheduled for surgery two weeks from now and getting anxious about the MC and surgery.

@Ihnan - I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 8, which is a form of colitis. I have been in remission for ages, but have the ongoing symptoms of nausea, stomach pain, and upset stomach. I was terrified of how the sleeve might impact these issues, as it's all in the same system. However, most of the colitis issues are in the intestines, rather than the stomach. I was sleeved 10/26. I have had no problems from the colitis - and in fact, a benefit is I did NOT deal with the Constipation many do after surgery, which was a relief!

I can give the answer my nutritionist gave. These foods are empty carbs. They will fill you temporarily, and then you will be starving again, with the additional disadvantage of a ton of carbs. In addition, with the tiny tummy, soft breads do not work so well - they tend to gum up the works, so to speak. Then sit heavy in the tummy or even get stuck - I read recently where a surgeon had to go in and remove a 'bread ball.'

Thanks Daisee and Tyty! And yes, as long as it comes out, I'm SO not picky!

Walking and raising your hands/arms as if you are lifting dumb bell. I know it's the last thing you want to do but the activity is what will help work that gas out.

Thank you! I knew walking, but I had not heard about moving the arms. Im willing to try almost anything to hurry this up!

@@2goldengirl - they did - I was just hoping members here had some extra tips they found helpful for moving the process along!

Hello, all!

I had my surgery on Monday, 10/26. So, I am just a few days post-op. I'm having no pain from the surgery site etc. the pain I am experiencing is from the gas trapped in my side! The bariatric nurse said there are two types - the type in our gut and the type in our muscles - this seems to be the muscular type. Does anyone have any hints or tips on things you found helped? I'm about to die with this pain! I'm doubled over and cannot even walk upright it's so painful! Any help is appreciated!!

Hello, all!

I had my surgery on Monday, 10/26. So, I am just a few days post-op. I'm having no pain from the surgery site etc. the pain I am experiencing is from the gas trapped in my side! The bariatric nurse said there are two types - the type in our gut and the type in our muscles - this seems to be the muscular type. Does anyone have any hints or tips on things you found helped? I'm about to die with this pain! I'm doubled over and cannot even walk upright it's so painful! Any help is appreciated!!

Mine recommend limiting. Bananas in particular have a lot of sugar/carbs. If you enter most fruits into an app like LoseIt or MyFitnessPal, you'll find they have a lot of sugar/carbs, and limited other characteristics.

For myself, I have found that if I eat too many fruits, preop, I would GAIN weight, so I learned early on to limit fruit.

I'm Monday, as well! I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am. Since I live 4 hours away, I'm leaving tomorrow for a hotel nearby.

They said it would be 48 hours. It was submitted Friday morning. It took only a few hours!

My nut said to stop eating before you feel full; when you feel satiety (ie. No longer hungry). As well, they recommend 30 minutes to eat. Any faster, and you're eating too fast. Any slower (ie. 45 minutes), and you're eating too slow and run the risk of over eating (because your food is digesting as you are eating so you can eat more).

As for eating slower - chew bites completely, use smaller utensils, and put utensils down between bites. There are also apps you can download for free to help you pace your eating.

Hope this helps!

I'm scheduled for October 26, as well!

I haven't had surgery yet, but a few years ago I was in the hospital. I came home 16 pounds heavier from iv fluids! Lol. Only took a couple of days to drop it however.

My NUT also shared that smoking was either the first or second leading cause of strictures following surgery! Definitely reason to stay away from it!

I can't speak from the 'sleeved' perspective, as I'm still working to get there (10/26!). I will speak from a counselor's perspective.

Visualize this. There's a nice, calm pond. On top of the pond, there is floating some leaves, some flecks of dust, maybe a pine needle, a feather or two from passing birds or ducks. Someone then takes a pebble and tosses it right into the middle. While the pebble only hits the one area, it ripples. As it ripples, it touches and disturbs the leaves, the dust, the pine needles, and the feathers which were all previously floating calmly on the pond. The pebble, while not directly impacting these items, has now disrupted the entire area.

Imagine the pond is your life, and the pebble is your weight loss surgery. ANYTIME we, as people, make any significant change in our lives, it impacts those around us. The closer to us someone is, the more of an impact.

When it comes to relationships, some survive, some sink. Why? It disrupts the 'status quo.' Even when people come in for marriage counseling, a good many of those relationships end in divorce, because one person makes a change the other cannot accept.

For your husband, it could be jealousy of you getting healthy. It could be fear that you will look so hot you'll leave him, so he's going to leave you first (emotionally). He could be simply be a jerk. He could not understand how to express affection and not be an affectionate person - and you've not really noticed or demanded this from him in the past because until now, you haven't felt WORTH it. It could make him feel better about himself feeling he has someone in his life he is 'better than,' and he doesn't want to let that go. It could be ANY number of things.

One thing is for certain. Unless there is open communication, things will not improve. And by open communication, I mean sitting down and having a conversation (not yelling), and telling him how you feel (not accusing/blaming), and what you need. Throwing in positive comments along the way could work wonders, as well.

Sadly, the stats on marriages surviving a partner making a major life change are daunting (even when I was completing my PhD, they forewarned us about how many marriages failed during this process). Does this mean your, or anyone elses' marriage is doomed? No way! It just means it's going to take a bit of work, and both partners have to be willing. But you might also have to make some hard decisions about what is right for YOU and take care of YOU and put yourself FIRST, something those of us with weight issues often have a hard time doing. You ARE worth it...

Best of luck to you!

(and apologies for such a long post!)

I'm at Baptist Nutrition and Bariatric Center in Jackson with Dr. Cummins - I think Dr. Cummins does some work at River Oaks, as well - who is your surgeon?

@@numeby2017 - I'm right there with you. I'm a professor - and since I teach in a graduate program, our classes are 3 hours long. There's no question - I sit during my classes rather than walk around. I wonder what it would be like to walk around during my classes? I'm also a professional speaker. I've always used the excuse that I'm too 'ADD' and fidget and make people nervous if I don't stay 'stationed' at the podium (which is actually true...I've read it on feedback, lol) - but I would love the opportunity to try it!

The airline seats don't bother ME, but I generally upgrade because I worry about making others uncomfortable and because I'm so self-conscious. And the shoes - I see so many people talk about that. I guess I've been overweight so long (I started gaining when I was 8 - was diagnosed with Crohn's and put on upwards of 30 pills a day - mostly steroids) - that I've adjusted - I sit on a bed or couch and put my foot up there, too - so no bending! LOL.

So many things to look forward to for all of us!

Stand up doing weekly presentations at work without secretly hoping the 30 minutes goes by fast because my legs, back and feet are in pain from standing ..... Walking without my back pain and sciatica acting up ..... Walking more than a block without getting out of breath ..... Not fearing booths at restaurants or trying to be the 1st one to arrive to make sure we get a table ..... Flying without upgrading to 1st class since seats are 3 inches wider and asking for a belt extender (1st class is cheaper than 2 seats which most airlines will make us "passengers of size" purchase) ..... Being able to bend over to put on shoes or socks without tummy being in my way ..... Being able to walk up my stairs to carry groceries up without wanting to pass out from exhaustion ..... Wearing nicer clothes that fit instead of whatever we are stuck with in our size ..... Wearing cute jeans, I miss jeans ..... And boots, especially this time of year ..... Mostly, just being comfortable in my own skin, feeling healthy and having a better quality of life ..... There are plenty of other emotional reasons such as making ex's eat their heart out or making all the rude people on past who have made comments about my weight, but at the end of the day, my main goal is to be healthy, the rest are perks. And I can't wait !!!!!

When I first started this journey, I started making a list. I wanted to keep this list to keep me motivated. Initially, the list was in some sort of order, higher motivators on top. They are no longer in any sort of order. I WANT IT ALL!

• Being able to walk and stand for longer periods of time without needing to rest/sit
• Fitting in a bathtub comfortably
• Going into a regular bathroom stall and being comfortable
• Being comfortable with bathroom hygiene (the bigger you are, the harder it is sometimes)
• Go into any store and finding clothes
• Fit in a restaurant booth
• Not pulling on bra straps all the time
• Having appropriate clothes for special events
• Feeling comfortable with what I’m wearing
• High School Reunion! (no need to explain!)
• Fitting behind the steering wheel
• Run a marathon (ok, maybe a 5K at first, ha)
• Swim with Dolphins (without worrying if the life jacket will fit)
• Ex’s!!!! (again, no need to explain)
• Wrapping the towel around me – and it fitting
• Doing shore excursions (I like to cruise, but I seldom get off the ship and explore the ports)
• Airplane seats – fitting in them without obsessively checking/changing my seat if someone is beside me – fearing that I will make someone uncomfortable
• Movie theater seats – fitting in them!
• No more chaffing
• Having energy
• Crossing legs
• Sitting in a seat without wondering if it will fall
• Riding a horse in the Water on the beach (don't want to torture the animal)
• Calf boots

That's great, @mboyd74. Where are you having yours done at? I'm tentatively scheduled for 10/26 in Jackson.

I have a history of Crohns - dxed when I was 8. I had one doctor say he wouldn't touch me. I went to another, and she was baffled by that. She said she's done surgeries on patients with Crohns before. She specifically mentioned Rny, but I'm doing sleeve later this month.

I understand the fear. That has been my biggest terror (not fear, absolute terror). But I have spoken to multiple doctors, everyone who had to do a clearance lol and no one has the slightest concern. My PCP actually anticipates it will alleviate a lot of the current symptoms I have as I lose weight. Again though, mine has not been active for a long time, more like serious gastritis at this stage.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info, @mayasmomma. I take it for medical necessity, not birth control. I had lost 74 pounds a couple of years ago - and almost as soon as I got the shot - my weight shot right back up and brought friends! I had no idea what was going on or why I was gaining weight until afterwards, and someone told me that Depo was problematic! Ugh. I was so upset! I cannot take traditional birth control pills any longer because I've had pulmonary emboli and DVT, and they've tried me on a range of other pills, none have been successful in controlling my menstrual problems. The Depo shot was like a Godsend. Until I found out about the weight gain, of course! It's a certain type of hormone I have to have in certain doses. I will talk to my gyno about it, however - maybe there's something else I can take! As much as I hate it, I'm terrified to come off of the Depo!

As far as birth control...I did depo and gained weight. My dr suggested the Nexplanon implant. It goes in your arm, it's like a little plastic stick and it lasts for 3 years. It was a little more painful but but worth it and it doesn't cause weight gain.