Ashlegal

Congrats! I am three weeks post op tomorrow and feel great. I had an easy recovery and even went back to work less than the scheduled two weeks. It is going to be a strange and wonderful journey! Cheers!

@@Tssiemer1 I didn't have a period for three years. The day after surgery (9/10/15) I started and haven't stopped. That's right, I have been on my period for almost three weeks. I have been told by several friends including a few medical professionals that what I am experiencing is normal but it isn't normal to me. I want it to stop! Now! Hear me uterus?! Go hide away like you did before!

Be gentle to yourself and those that don't understand. Don't get discourage when there are hoops to jump through. Ask questions, lots and lots of questions. It is normal to be scared, to have doubts, to worry or be emotional. Be committed to your success and most importantly know that this decision while isn't an easy one is the best.

I am two weeks post op and still have issues with my emotions being all over the place. This morning as I arrived home from taking my daughter to school, I saw this women walk by with a Starbucks cup and a McDonald's bag. She was thin, attractive and well dressed. For whatever reason that angered me. It made me feel so stupid for not having self control in the first place. "Why couldn't I have lost weight on my own?!" "Why did I have to go so extreme to be healthy?!" "Why did I do this to myself?!" I cried and snotted and looked like a total mess as I walked to my front door. Then it dawned on me as I caught my reflection in the hallway mirror that I have lost a total of 30 pounds (14 before surgery and 16 after), everyday my clothes are getting bigger and I am feeling stronger, healthier and more confident. I may never have my favorite Starbucks drink or my crappy McD's Breakfast sandwich but I'll have a ton of replacements for the foods I ones I once clung to like a toddler with a pacifier. I have been all over the place with my emotions. Some days I feel just fine, like *almost* nothing has changed and other days I feel sad, disconnected and overwhelmed. I believe what we are experiencing is normal and the best way I have found to get over it, is to distract myself. I go for a walk, I call a friend, I look up recipes to use for later down the road, I cruise Pinterest looking for outfit ideas when I get down to a certain size. Obviously when I am at work it isn't as bad or when I am in school I don't have any issues. But late at night or on days off, yeah I feel how you feel.

While I don't disagree with the organics in general being better. There are all natural ice creams that are not full of a bunch of crap ingredients. Before surgery I was a very picky ice cream eater. It had to be only certain brands and certain flavors. The key is to find on the label the actual words "ice cream" or "all natural ingredients" if it says "frozen dairy dessert" it contains more filler and less natural ingredients.

I am two weeks post op and still have issues with my emotions being all over the place. This morning as I arrived home from taking my daughter to school, I saw this women walk by with a Starbucks cup and a McDonald's bag. She was thin, attractive and well dressed. For whatever reason that angered me. It made me feel so stupid for not having self control in the first place. "Why couldn't I have lost weight on my own?!" "Why did I have to go so extreme to be healthy?!" "Why did I do this to myself?!" I cried and snotted and looked like a total mess as I walked to my front door. Then it dawned on me as I caught my reflection in the hallway mirror that I have lost a total of 30 pounds (14 before surgery and 16 after), everyday my clothes are getting bigger and I am feeling stronger, healthier and more confident. I may never have my favorite Starbucks drink or my crappy McD's Breakfast sandwich but I'll have a ton of replacements for the foods I ones I once clung to like a toddler with a pacifier.

I found all my Vitamins fairly cheap on Amazon. My surgeon and Primary Care doctor gave me a list of brands they recommended but told me to buy what I could afford. Wal-Mart has decent priced vitamins and since we have to be on them for the rest of our lives, costco is a great source. You may pay a little more up front going to Costco but the overall cost will be much cheaper as most bottles are 3+ month supply. I take 500mg's of calcium citrate not carbonate, 3x's daily. And this is a little trickier to find considering how much we are told to take daily. A lot of Calcium supplements are not citrate and while they are both ABSORBED effectively, carbonate is harder to digest. A multi-Vitamin that contains minerals including Iron. Menstruating women are encouraged to take an additional 50 mg's of iron daily. Chewable is preferred. The multi-vitamin and the calcium must be taken two hours apart. I am not totally sure of the reasoning but I am sure it has something to do with absorption. Don't quote me on this and double check with your doctor. Either 50,000 iu of Vitamin D taken weekly or 5,000 daily. I take one daily. 1,000mg's of B12 three times a week. My doctor suggested they be sublingual. I have some that don't take too long to dissolve and hardly have a taste. For the first month out of surgery, I must take a 1,000 mg's of Omega-3 w/ DHA and EPA. And it must be liquid. I found a great one on Amazon that will last me over three months and cost me $20. One teaspoon a day gives me more than the required amount.

When did you go back to work after having surgery? I am having laparoscopic bypass surgery and was told different things by different people. One nurse at the clinic told me I would be out for two weeks, another said a few days and my surgeon hasn't really said much about it at all. I work in an office, the most I life is whatever drink I happen to have in my hand and am not required to do anything "physical." I planned to go back the following Monday with surgery being on a Wednesday. Does that seem like it is too soon?

I know rice is a hard "food" for post op bariatric patients but I am curious about PERSONAL experiences dealing with Quinoa or Couscous? If you eat it, how long after surgery did you try?

I had doubts as I waited in pre-op, naked under a hospital gown, IV in left arm and waiting to see my surgeon before taking me away. It is very normal to doubt a decision with such a tremendous impact on your life. After all it is the unknown. What if there are complications during surgery? How bad is the pain going to be afterward? How can I possibly give up eating so much food? What if there are long term problems? What if the surgery fails and I don't lose enough weight? Yep, all those "what if's" rolling around in your head distracting you from the bigger picture. You have to stop and think, "what happens if I stay this size or worse continue to gain weight?" Diabetes could take a limb or my eyesight. I could have a stroke or a heart attack. I could be home bound because my weight keeps me from living a fulfilling life. Those are not "what if's" those are "these will happen if I don't get surgery to help get this weight off." Then you think about all the things you have wanted to do if you had a thin body. All the daydreams of going shopping, going on trips, trying new things, feeling beautiful in your own skin and whatever else you have always wanted/needed/desired if you were thin. Remember those are also not "what if's" they are endless possibilities.

Arizona Me too!

Don't think of it as giving up your favorite food look at is a gaining a new life. New experiences, better health, exciting conquests and you'll look amazing! Your favorite foods are just comforts they are not necessities. They can easily be replaced with healthier options that don't taste any worse. You like cheeseburgers? You can have a turkey burger without all the bread, wrap it in lettuce, put on your favorite low-fat condiments and yum, yum. You want tacos? Take ground turkey, cook it up like you would ground beef and have a taco salad without the tortilla. And there really are a plethora of foods you can have in moderation that you don't have to give up after surgery. The first month will fly by, then the second and by the third you will have adjusted to a new way of life. And all those burdens of being overweight will melt away. You won't need food to comfort you, you'll have a whole new set of adventures to keep you busy!

I explained to those with negative comments that WLS was MY tool to lose weight and get healthy. Just like many of them have used Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig etc, to lose weight; I am using a tool to help me lose weight. In the end it is YOUR life, YOUR decision, YOUR health and if you are letting others help make those kinds of decisions, how happy will you ever be?

In two days I will be given the green light to start introducing "soft" Proteins into my diet. While I am over the moon about not having to suck down broth and can actually put some substance passed my lips, I am freaked about taking on too much too soon. I have read SEVERAL articles, journals, personal stories and all seem to differ slightly in how "soft proteins" are defined. On my resource sheet my doctor describes soft Protein as flaky white fish, moist chicken, ground turkey, thin slice lunch meats but other information suggests those items must be pureed. As in blended to paste. Not only does that make my stomach turn but I don't think I could eat meat in paste form. I'm also confused by why yogurt needs to be "plain" when many, many brands with many, many flavors have no "chunks" in them. Like the Oikos Triple Zero banana Cream. No chunks, no sugar, no fat and packs 12 grams of protein and if you add Protein powder could have a punch of 20 grams of protein. Why would that be an issue? Has anyone had "thinned out" mashed potatoes, grits, cream of wheat and suffered horrible consequences? Has anyone in the first month post-op used Almond Milk (unsweetened) to make Protein shakes? Were the results painful? I think I am losing my mind in over thinking. I'm just so damn scared to eat something, get sick and feel wretched. Please tell me this is all normal thinking. I'd hate to be losing my mind with my weight.

@ Oh you poor girl! Yeah that left side pain is no freaking joke. I am sorry to hear yours hasn't subsided. I was post-op one week yesterday and have very little pain. I was so excited the morning I woke up and could roll out of bed without waking the entire house up in "owwwww!!!!" howl. What is on your diet? It is nice to be in communication with someone that had surgery close to mine. Everything will get better in time. @@Anxious2beme I was denied the first time for the same reason. It felt like they (the insurance company) was deliberately making me jump through hoops I couldn't fit through. I hate it but I will tell you, it all did work out in the end. Hang in there, don't give up and don't let it get you down. Your new life is worth the fight!

@@toasty I hate that there is a discrepancy among doctors when detailing post-op diet. Just like with pre-op dieting. Trying to filter through the information can be confusing, difficult and frustrating. I have known several people who didn't have a pureed food phase. They were given the okay to have deli meats (lean), flaky fish and even shredded chicken breast at two weeks post-op. In fact a couple of the girls I follow on Youtube talk about their diets the first 2-4 weeks and they talked about having grilled chicken and sliced deli meat with soft cheese spread. Ugh, I am so confused! On my sheet is specifically details that at days 8&9 I can have thinned cottage cheese, strained cream Soups, yogurt. Then starting on day ten I begin my Bariatric SOFT Protein diet. Then that is all my diet can consist of for almost three weeks before starting the Bariatric Regular Diet. Which would add fruits, vegetables to the already soft protein diet. Does any of this even make sense? Or am I just hungry?

My surgeon refuses to do Lapband. He feels very strongly that it is not a safe method of WLS, While there are success stories, there are LOTS of stories that would indicate Lapband is both ineffective and comes with MANY complications. As far as the Sleeve surgery, there just isn't enough data (compared to that of Bypass) that suggests it is a better, safer alternative. Personally, I have known one too many people with either Sleeve or Lapband that end up needing revisions into Bypass. That information to me speaks volumes as to why choosing Bypass would be the best decision.

I went and found a couple of places that offer store credit or cash for my gently used clothes. They had a great selection on the type of work clothes I needed AND every day wear. They pay a higher premium for plus sized clothes because there are fewer people looking to donate bigger sizes. I also plan to make a couple of trips to Goodwill (or stores similar) for the first year. I can donate what I don't wear and buy as I need without spending a lot of money. Plus, a lot of my work pants can be taken in as I need; I have a close family friend who also happens to be a seamstress.

@@toasty I am sooo glad to hear that you are doing well! I went in the day before you and had you on my mind a few times the day after. I can't believe they made you swallow anything bigger than a pea! I was under VERY strict orders to make sure whatever I was taking could fit through a straw. It's been kind of a pain because even my pain pill needs to be "cut up." It really does get better everyday. I don't have a lot of pain other than where my left incision was made. I just know that is par for the course and I should just deal. Keep us posted! We will be sharing a similar journey!

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry to hear that everything didn't go as planned. Ugh! Must be frustrating! Hang in there! I did have surgery and all went well. I won't lie and say I didn't curse myself half way through my second night in the hospital thinking "why the hell did you do this to yourself?! You could be home, in your own bed, waking up to pancakes in a few hours!" But, I made it through and feel better everyday. If you ever need an ear to bend, don't be shy!

I was released on Friday afternoon and I have made several trips up and down my stairs, slept with my head slightly propped and only ever feel horrible pain when trying to get out of a chair, off a couch or the side of the bed that is too tall. I had a c-section in 2003 and would never compare the two. The c-section by far was harder to recover from and kept me from resuming normal activities. And I'm a wuss. I do not tolerate pain well, my first night in the hospital I cursed myself for even going through with surgery and yet today I feel almost better than I did before surgery.

Good afternoon all! First I want to commend the bravery of all you for going through with surgery, openly discussing your journey and being supportive of others. I have been around, lurking mostly, for a few months. I was denied in January and thought for sure, that was the end of that. Low and behold, I was wrong and am scheduled for surgery on Wednesday the 9th of September. Yay! While I feel ultimately thankful for a new chapter in life, I can't help but feel nervous, anxious and am having inner dialogue that suggest I should back-out. Is that normal? Is it a sign that I should wait? I just don't know. I love my Surgeon. He is awesome, super awesome and I know I am in good hands. I don't fear the pain, the potential discomfort or any complications; I fear a piece of me will die. food has always been a central theme in my life. I am the "chef" of the family, everyone turns to me for food advice, recipes or the occasional "I NEED YOUR HELP, I don't know how to make Cookies from scratch!" I also have some of my fondest memories with friends, family, neighbors and colleagues around a table heaping with fabulous food. It is a part of my identity and I'm scared that once I let that go, I'll have nothing. I know that is an unreasonable sentiment as I much more than a fried chicken recipe, a raved about potluck casserole or a delicious holiday treat but I have never been known for anything else. My weight and my food are all most people will ever comment on and I guess that is why having surgery is important. I should be defined by more or have no definition at all. Any suggestions? Thoughts or general advice?

The only place I ever found that brand was at Vitaminshoppe and they were not only more expensive than Amazon but they didn't have as big as a variety. Plus, having everything mailed was much more convenient.

These have been my favorite: Plus they come in single serve pouches! Oh and this little gadget was a life saver: There are good shaker (blender) bottles and not so great. Amazon has some for less than $10 and are well worth the money.

I have been following your story and it has given me so much hope! Thank you! I don't know if you are on Pinterest but I just found this blog http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ and on her Pinterest board(s) is a TON of great recipes, tricks, ideas and information. Plus her blog is pretty interesting to read. My cousin who had bypass done early last year said that these: https://www.bellplantation.com/ were great ways to add flavor, while keeping an eye on calories and protein. I ordered some from Amazon (they were pretty cheap) and am excited to try them. Glad you are doing well and hope your pain subsides soon.