JessterNC

I am a little over 4 weeks post-op and as far as my surgery is concerned, things have been great. I have lost over 30 pounds, didn't really have any problems after surgery, am walking over 1.5 miles a day and was able to start the school year by attending all of the work days ( even though I was exhausted when I got home). The fact I was able to go back to school was HUGE since I missed most of the 2nd semester due to problems with my abdomen. Monday was our last work day and I really felt like things were off to a great start, I was ready for the students to arrive on Tuesday and get things off on the right foot. I ate dinner Monday night and had a snack of sugar free pudding and settled down to try and get some rest, then it started. I started to vomit, and I didn't stop for 2 hours, every 10-15 minutes. I thought maybe I had eaten too fast, maybe my sleeve didn't like the chocolate pudding that night, but at least it stopped and I was able to fall asleep around 1130. Not the way I wanted to night before the 1st day of school to be, but I felt I was going to be okay. Then around 130 AM it started again. I started vomiting again, but this time I was also in extreme pain. I felt like someone had my abdomen in a giant vice and was squeezing like crazy. I knew what it was, but I didn't want to believe it. I had been down this road before. My wife took me to the local ER, there was no way I could make it the 3 hours to the hospital where my sleeve was performed and they started pumping pain meds and stuff to stop the nausea and vomiting into me. The CAT scan confirmed it, I had another intestinal blockage. The ER doctor called my sleeve surgeon and he said to transfer me to Chapel Hill. So the first day of school, the day I had looked forward to all summer, found me not in my classroom meeting my students, I was in the back of an ambulance, being rushed to Chapel Hill facing the possibility of my 5th abdominal operation in 18 months. My wife is also a teacher and I told her to stay home, let me get there and find out what is going on and she could come down as soon as things were settled at home. Finally, as I was being put in the ambulance they were able to stop my vomiting, I had been sick like that for over 12 hours. We made the 3 hour trip in a little over 2 hours. As soon as I got in my room I was met by a team of doctors. They decided to see if the obstruction would clear on its own so I didn't have to go through another operation. So every 2 hours I was given shots of pain meds, every 3 hours shots to control my vomiting and nothing by mouth. On Wednesday, I had some former students who are now students at the university come by and see me. I slowly started to feel better and late Wednesday evening the blockage cleared. They let me try liquids Thursday morning, and soft foods for lunch. Everything went okay and they agreed to discharge me Thursday evening. I was put on a very restrictive diet, basically if it wont go through a large straw, I cant have it. I wont be using a straw, but I am on soft foods for the next few months. My wife and I got home around 930 Thursday evening. I asked the doctors if I could go to work on Friday and at first they told me no. But I kept asking, that is where I needed to be and they finally agreed to let me go. I made it through the day. I was so exhausted when we got home, I sat on the couch and fell asleep around 730. I woke up around 11 hurting pretty badly so I took my pain meds and was finally able to go back to sleep. Here I sit on Saturday morning, very sore, very tired, but happy to be home, happy to be still feeling like my life is going to be normal. We are still on track to have my hernias fixed in December, but this almost derailed all of it. Even though things are going well, I got my reality check and have to constantly remind myself this is a process and I still have a long way to go. I cant tell you how scared I was, how I felt that once again, something was going to happen to mess everything up. But thankfully that wasn't the case. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I guess what I hope I remember, is to stay positive, no matter what life throws at me, this is a journey and like all journeys there may be some detours or stops along the way, but I will get there in the end. Have a great day

I have looked all over my NUT info and I cant find anything about coffee. It says that I can have tea, unsweetened, or sweetened with artificial sweeteners. I would think if I can have tea, I could have decaf coffee. I would prefer hi-test, but I am trying to not get back on caffeine now that I have gotten off of it for my surgery I would like to have some decaf coffee in the morning, I only drink coffee black. When did everyone else get to have decaf? Thanks

I am dealing with the same situation. My wife is also over-weight and I have seen her struggle with it ever since we got married. I love her so much, and I feel awful that I was able to go down this path and she cant. I say she cant because she is too afraid of having the surgery period, she doesn't want anyone cutting on her. That may be my fault because of all I have been through, she has told me she is terrified about that. So I try to support, I try to encourage, I try to show her how much I love her, no matter what. But I don't want my encouraging to come across as anything other than supportive. We have talked quite a bit about this but I still worry I will say the wrong thing. Yesterday she decided to start following the eating habits that I am on. She is watching her calories, sugar, fats and Protein from my fitness pal. She is making really healthy choices with her food, she is eating similar things to me (she has the Soup but no Protein powder and eats a salad). She is also walking with me every other day. I just want to be there for her the way she has been for me through everything. For our anniversary I got her a drawing of 2 old people sitting in rocking chairs on a porch, told her that is what I want for us in 30 years, her to be by my side watching the sun go down, that is my dream.

I thought that is what we were told, but I couldn't find it, even in my notes. Thanks

I am on soft foods and I could have salmon. My wife made me some yesterday and it was delicious. But I realized very quickly that no matter how much I chewed it filled me up quite a bit faster than things like Soup or yogurt. I have been eating 4-5 ozs of food per meal, but with the salmon I could only have about 3 ozs. I think the density made me fill up quicker so if you can have it, my advice would be very careful and take your time with it.

I have to wonder about the OP. I was physically active until around 2000, at that time I broke my foot and even walking became a huge challenge. I tried to watch what I ate, but to suddenly come to a screeching halt in what I could do and being put in a wheelchair for the next 6 months sent my metabolism into reverse. But I wasn't able to shut down what was eating, in my mind, I still needed to eat the same amount. By the time my mind and stomach caught up with what my body could do, I weighed over 260 pounds. Ironically, my weight only went up about 20 pounds over the next 15 years, but as my ability to exercise decreased even more as the problems with my knee, hip and foot got worse I was unable to lose weight and not be hungry all of the time. I decided to do this operation because my abdomen is shot, I have three massive hernias and I have to lose at least 50 pounds to get my abdomen finally and permently fixed. I had my sleeve on July 23rd and have lost 28 pounds. I don't feel hungry and my energy is coming up. By just loosing this small amount I am able to walk about 1/2 a mile a day. This is HUGE for me. So if the OP is being honest, and his program works for him, more power to him, but don't tell me that his system will work for me when he doesn't know my situation. We have access to a wide variety of tools to reach our goals, how we use them is really up to each of us. Which we choose to use is up to each of us based on our own specific needs and situations. I think it is unfair to tell anyone that since their system worked for them then it must work for everyone else and conversely just because a tool doenst work for someone doesn't know it wont work for me. I am here to support people using the tools that will work for them. I am here to offer guidance to others based off of my experiences, will they match 100%, no, but I know what my experience has been and what works and doesn't. I think when the intent of a post is to demean, belittle or ridicule the efforts of others then the whole post needs to be questioned. True support requires people to cheer our successes, share the burdens of failures and encourage each other as we struggle, all without judging. No one wants to write everything about themselves and that is ok, we go from what is shared with us, and as my Dad used to say, if you are in a hole, stop digging. Some people, just need to read what they state and stop digging and just read, help where they can, praise when needed and remember that ignorance is bliss, that is why some people are happy. I don't know about y'all, but I am proud of what I have accomplished, I am proud of the changes I have made in my life, I am proud of the look I see in my wife's eyes. And I don't care what tools I had to use to get here, I HAVE DONE THIS!

I am 17 days Post-Op and have lost 28 pounds. I feel good about how things are going. I have had some learning experiences along the way, what it means to be "full", what happens when I push those limits, and how to monitor, not just how much I eat, but also what I eat. But on Wednesday I go back to my high school. Due to other health issues I haven't been there since the end of April. I haven't seen any of my co-workers since then either so I am not sure what their reaction may be. I am nervous as to what they may say and do. I have worked there for 9 years so this is going to be a new experience for me. I am working hard trying to discover how to live as the "new me". I feel like at times I don't know this person I am now. I am wearing clothes I haven't worn in quite a few years. I am also struggling with how I will maintain my eating schedule. I will eat breakfast around 6-630. School starts at 830 and my classes are 90 minutes long. I wont have lunch until 130 and school ends at 330. I have been eating about every 2 1/2 hours and I know I cant continue to do that so I am really having a hard time figuring out how to do this. I talked to my dr and he said to do what I need to but just to make sure I keep my Protein up. I am also kind of worried with my energy level. I still get tired in the afternoon and I definitely wont be able to take a break in the middle of the afternoon. So I am really hoping that I can push through the day without running completely out of steam. I am excited about getting back to work, but I am also nervous about how it will all go. The students come in next Tuesday. I have 4 days to get things ready in my classroom. I know I will be able to, it is just kind of scary to go back into the world after being at home for this long. Good luck to everyone as we all continue down our journey of re-discovery and learning to live our new lives.

Thank you both for your suggestions. I was on 2 different BP meds before surgery and I started on just one afterwards. That lasted abut 3 days before we realized it was dropping it to low. This morning it was 107/73 without any meds. I am very pleased about that. My wife is a teacher in the same school and we have been discussing some of the suggestions you have made about the Protein shakes. We are going o make one for me to have each day and different ways to make sure I keep my Water intake up. At this point, I am still not really getting hungry yet so I called my dr to ask him about it. He told me that I should probably still try to eat on a schedule until I start feeling hungry again. I think we are thinking of having some unsweetened applesauce or something like that around 815 then at 10 start the Protein shake and sip it during the first part of that class. Have my lunch and after school have another low sugar snack. Just found out that 2 of the first 3 days will be tied up with meetings so everyone will be very busy. I hate the meetings, but I am glad that it will keep everyone busy so I wont get asked 100s of questions. Thanks again for the suggestions

I am so glad I am not the only one feeling this way! No real problems for me, I keep waiting for something bad to happen. I seem to be able to hit my Water and Protein with no problems and I can tell pretty easily that I am full now. I have wondered more than once that maybe they didn't really do anything to me except punch holes in me and pump me full of gas. This morning I weighed 264, down over 20 pounds from my highest weight in the last 2 months and I had my surgery 2 weeks ago Thursday. I am ready for the dreaded stall and am sure that somewhere along the way I will encounter problems, but after the major problems I have had after operations in the last 18 months, this has been a great experience.

The hiccups are awful! I started getting them almost as soon as I woke up. I tried holding my breath, everything and they wouldn't stop. They finally stopped after I was able to at least eat a few ice chips. After I was able to sip Water they went away. I hope you can get rid of them soon. The Fluid week goes quickly, after you are through it, but when starting it, 7 days seems like forever. Good luck!!

Good luck!

Went to the dr today and got my stitches taken out. The 6 hour round trip was very tiring, thank goodness we don't start school until Aug 12th so I can recover tomorrow. My surgeon is very pleased with how I am doing. He told me I can start to move to solid food on Friday. I am very pleased with things. I feel good and cant help to think that I will get feeling even better. Thanks for all of the support as we all move through this!

Hello, I just got home from my evaluation appointment today and am now waiting to hear back about my pre-op. It was the first time in a long time that I didn't feel like a freak after leaving the doctors office. I am scared and nervous, but I know this is something I must do. My journey down this road started in 1995. That is when I got my first hernia. It was small and appeared 6 months after I had my gall bladder removed. I didn't even know what it was but it hurt very badly and when I went to the ER they rushed me in to operate on it. I thought that was the end of it, little did I know it was only the beginning. 6 months later I had to have another emergency surgery to repair a hernia, 18 months later, another and 2 years after that I had my 4th hernia repair surgery when they removed my belly button!. I was able to make it almost 3 years before my 5th operation. Then 2 months after that I fell and broke my foot which put me in a wheel chair for 6 months and at that point, my minor dealings with my weight became a major problem as I went from 185 pounds to 270. So I knew at that point I was going to have some major problems, my doctor said my belly looked like Swiss cheese and that any mesh they put in was just going to tear another hole. I just started to live with it and accept that I would have hernias. In the meantime I moved to NC and met another doctor who said he could fix me. So 2 operations later (7 hernia in total) I had 3 large hernias, weighed 290 pounds and had given upon getting them fixed or every being able to lose this extra weight. I accepted that I was beyond fixing and would just learn to live with this. In December 2013 I had another major issue to deal with as I was admitted for emergency surgery to deal with a blocked intestine. I was in a week, home a week and readmitted for complications. I actually traveled out of the country in February and thought once again this was behind me. But on June 21 2014, I was once again rushed to the hospital and admitted for emergency surgery for a small bowel obstruction. I got home the day before my 50th birthday, was home a week, and readmitted with a severe infection and major complications. After a 2 and a half week stay I was allowed to go home. My 3rd time dealing with this, in February 2014, was enough, my 3rd bowel obstruction surgery in 14 months. The doctor who had done these last 3 operations told me that my abdomen was "complicated" and beyond the ability of my local hospital to deal with so he referred me to UNC to be checked by a hernia specialist there. My wife and I had talked about me getting some type of operation to help with my weight, but after 11 operations on my belly in 20 years I figured no one would even consider the idea. But the doctor who saw me told me that I needed to lose at least 50 pounds before he could attempt to fix my hernias and suggested I get the sleeve surgery. Then I started researching, and praying and talking to my wife and my daughter and my parents, wanting to make the decision that would end this cycle and give me my life back. I am tired, I am tired of the endless cycle of hospital stays, I am tired of feeling this way, I am tired of seeing the stress I am putting my family under, I am tired of being scared, I am tired of looking this way. I want my life to be good again, I know that there is a chance that even if I lose the weight the hernia doctor will tell me there is nothing he can do. But I will have a better chance of getting my weight under control and at least be able to wear binders that fit to hold my hernias in. So now I wait, they told me it will take about 1-2 weeks for my insurance to approve everything and they will get me back in to meet the surgeon and complete my pre-op and I should have the operation about a week after that. For the first time in about 10 years I feel like I am in control again, I feel like this is going to work, I feel positive that this will give me control of my life again. I am ready, but I am scared. I guess some people would think that I have had enough operations that they should be 2nd nature to me and I guess that is part of the reason I am scared, I have had a total of 15 operations in the last 22 years. I know how hard they are and I know how bad it can get. But even knowing that, I know this is something I have to do. So I start on this journey with my family, it is not only a change for me, but for them as well. I am blessed to have a very supportive family who is going to be with me every step of the way. But I appreciate your support as well, the best advice is from people who have been down the path I am embarking on and I thank you in advance for any advice and feedback I get. Sorry for such a long post, but this is the first time I have talked about all of this in quite a while. Thanks

I smoked for 22 years, at least 2 packs a day, most of the time 3-4. Right before I got remarried I asked my soon-to-be wife what she wanted as a gift and she asked me to stop. So June 20th, 2003 was when I "officially" quit. But many times I felt I had it under control, so I would have just 1/4 of a smoke, then 1/2, next thing you know it was the whole thing. I know the physical craving for nicotine can disappear in 7 days, but that did nothing for the mental craving. I needed something to keep my hands and mind busy...so I started to make latch hook rugs. Yea, a 40 yr old guy watching football, making latch hook rugs, it was funny to watch, but hey, it worked. All of my family got latch hook rugs for Christmas that year! I asked my Dad who quit smoking 20 years before I did if the desire ever goes away, and he said no, it will come back at the weirdest times, and it does. So I keep a rug in the closet and when the desire for a smoke comes along, I work on the rug. Keep your mind and hands busy, I would suggest trying something you have never done before, because if you are anything like me you would smoke while doing almost everything, so I needed something that I didn't have memories of doing while smoking. Good luck, it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I have been trying to find a Protein shake that didn't taste like a Protein Shake and I think my wife has hit the nail on the head! She knows I like Peanut Butter and chocolate is good with so much! So she created this for me. I just had a serving and it is soo good. 5 oz container of Danon Light n Fit Toasted Coconut Greek Yogurt 5 oz of low fat milk 3 tablespoons of Jiff Peanut powder 1 Scoop chocolate Protein Powder 4 ice cubes 4 oz serving has 22 grams of protein It may not be to everyone's liking, but it hits the spot for me. Good luck to everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

If they are able to do it with a laser you probably wont need any. They will close them with glue. If they use stiches or staples you may need some small dressings, like 2x2. I actually have both types of incisions, but even the one that has stiches I don't change the dressing, it is covered with waterproof tape so I can take a shower. I go Monday to have the stiches removed. Good luck!

I probably should have put this on the Post-Op side, since I am 10 days post op. So at this point I am struggling to get even 800 calories in. This is the nutritional info I got from my fitness pal after I entered the recipe: Calories: 163 Carbs: 12 Fat: 3 Protein: 24 Sodium: 116 Sugar: 4

I am only 10 days post op and luckily have not had any head hunger yet, I figure it is coming, but I will deal with it when it does. With that being said, I have had to deal with it during the past couple of years. I have been hospitalized 8 times since Dec 2013 with problems dealing with my digestive system and every one required major changes in my diet, from nothing for a couple of weeks, to 1 oz of ice an hour. So even though I have not dealt with it yet, I have in the past. I decided to tackle it the same way I tackled the mental battle I had when I quit smoking 12 years ago. I knew the physical dependency on nicotine would end in about 7 days, but that didn't take away the desire for a smoke. I started making latch hook rugs. I knew if I didn't have something to divert my attention then I would either just drive myself into a frenzy wanting my food or cigarette. I tried reading and other diversions like that. But none seemed to hold my attention well enough. I am a gamer as well, and they do work sometimes, but I could still eat while I was gaming. By making the latch hook rugs, it keeps both of my hands busy and keeps my mind occupied as well as I have to count the stitches and things. The other nice thing is I can work on it for as little or as long as I need to. I know that isn't for everyone, but what I found that works for me is something like that, something that occupies me completely, but not something that I have to work hours and hours at a stretch on. I guess my caution to everyone dealing with this is to consider all of the ramifications of it. I remember a few times that I would think maybe I can have just one puff off of a cigarette, it wont hurt, but then the next thing I knew, it was just a 1/4 of a smoke, then a 1/2, then a whole one. Luckily I would realize what I was doing before it went further, but I still had to start the battle with the physical addiction all over again. With the food, I didn't have a choice, I couldn't eat stuff, no matter what, so I could not give in, but knowing about the latch hook and how it helped with my smoking I was quickly able to use it for the head hunger as well. Good luck to everyone and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

First day completed with pureed food and taking my Vitamins. Vitamins were not bad and I felt full after every meal. I had 3 meals and 3 Snacks throughout the day and as of now had 54 oz of Water. I wont go to bed for a couple of hours so will hit 64+ oz with out any problems. Because of my intestinal issues I had a modified diet before the surgery and was actually able to eat some of the things I ate before so I think it makes things easier for me. I am eating things I was used to eating so to me, the food is "normal" the amounts are not the same by any stretch of the imagination, but the selection is very similar, except for the "baby food" peaches I ate things today that I ate before the operation. In a way, I feel kind of bad sharing how easy so far things have been for me. I know that others have had some problems that luckily I haven't had to deal with. My heart does go out to them so much tho. I know all about the overwhelming nausea, the extreme pain, the weakness, the dehydration, having so many tubes and lines running in to you that you feel like some freak of nature. Please know that things will get better, to not give up hope, half of this battle is mental and I am a firm believer that having a positive attitude is HUGE in any recovery. No matter how bad today is, tomorrow can be better and then it is the first day of the rest of your new and improved life. If it isn't tomorrow that gets better, then it can be the next day, or the next, that eventually things do start to get better and know that we are all here with you and keep all of you, even if we don't know your name, or your story, in our thoughts and prayers.

While in the hospital I actually gained 3 pounds. So including that I lost 14 total, but 11 from pre-surgery weight.

So far so good today, couldn't eat all of my lunch, the pureed chicken salad filled me up. I had to laugh at this though, I entered everything I had eaten and planned to eat in my fitness pal and it gave me this big warning that I was not eating enough to survive! Okay, only 635 calories at this point but this is my 1st day of pureed food. I have to admit I was really pleased to feel "full" while eating lunch. I didn't get to finish my lunch, didn't eat the pureed carrots. The feeling was subtle, but I did feel the slight tightness in my upper abdomen and that told me to stop and it felt good to experience that. I did eat very slowly though, took me about 20 minutes to eat 4 oz of pureed chicken salad. So far so good! Hope everyone is doing well on their journey as well!

I start the pureed stage on Friday and my wife and I have been planning my menu for the next few days. My sample says I can have 1/4 cup of pureed veggies. We were talking about how best to do that before we went to the grocery store. While we were there we saw the Gerber Stage 2 pureed veggies. When we checked the labels all they have in them is the veggie and Water. We went ahead and got some of the carrots and green Beans to see how they are. I plan on adding some stuff like Mrs Dash to them to give them some more flavor. If they are not any good then we go to another plan. Has anybody used them? I didn't want the true "baby food" stuff because I know the taste is different, but I figured with these just being the veggies and water they might help with meal prep. Guess I will find out tomorrow though huh

So I went to the grocery store with my wife yesterday and saw one of my former students. I had him last year but because of my health issues I had not actually seen him since April. I was expecting a, "How are you doing, you look rough" type of conversation. But no, he says, "Wow, you look great! I saw on FB you had surgery last week but never expected you to look so good. You have lost some weight too, it looks good. I don't know what you are doing but you look fantastic." That was so refreshing to hear. I realized that my chubby cheeks are not quite as round now. I am one of those odd people that when I start to lose weight it all comes off of my face first. My cat isn't too happy with me either. She used to climb on my stomach and sit on it like a throne. The bulge from the top hernia isn't as big now so she cant sit there. That is from the new binders I have, but it is still nice to be able to look down and not see this huge bulge on the top of my abdomen. I start the puree stage today for the next 3 weeks so I will let everyone know how that goes. Small steps can grow into huge successes. Have a great day everyone

I, unfortunately, have way too much experience with abdominal surgeries, this was my 4th in the last 18 months and 12th in the last 20 years, so I will give you the advice my surgeon would give me. Walk, walk, walk, and then, walk some more. I know it is painful, but that is the best thing you can do. It moves the gas around and helps wake the bowels up. I took some mirulax to help jump start the BMs and take some every other day keep things moving. But walking is the best thing you can do. After I got home I would walk 10 laps around the house every hour. Good luck and I hope you get feeling better soon.

Thanks for all of the feedback! I didn't even think about the fruit ones since I have applesauce, but I never thought about it getting boring, that is a good suggestion. I am going to have some at lunch today so I will let you know what I think. I do know the sweet potatoes are not going to happen, ever since I was very little the smell of them would make me sick, don't know why. I know people say our tastes can change, not going to risk that one tho, lol.