Cervidae

I'm almost 9 months out and I can pretty much drink like normal. We'll never be able to gulp cups of Water at once, obviously, but it will get easier. Both of you are super early out from surgery. Be patient! I can drink a 24 ounce (3 cup) bottle of water in about 30 minutes. I may be able to push it faster than that but I'd rather not. It gets easier! Hang in there!

@@Autumn Riley Arnold some surgeons require their post-op patients to drink a bowel preparation solution before surgery. I didn't need to, thankfully, as I've heard they are pretty nasty! Thick and gross tasting. Erghh. @@JanaJ how is everything going? How are you feeling?

I am definitely following this topic.

Best of luck to you! You'll do great. Keep us posted! Walk asap but also listen to your body and take good care of it.

Oh no! That sounds awful. I didn't have an infection but I did have a pretty horrible allergic reaction to the tape they used around the incision site, so my skin was welted, red, and super painful right around the drain. It was not fun at all! I can't tell you what a relief it was to finally get the drain out. How much longer are you going to have the drain in? Hope you feel better soon! Take good care of yourself.

http://imgur.com/NOpEeIs High weight (left) - 442 pounds Surgery weight - 387 pounds Current weight (right) - around 240 I've been laid up with a huge bandage and cast on my left leg since my surgery last week so I have no idea what I weigh at this moment but I was 243 last I checked. Thanks for sharing your progress, I love seeing it! I can't wait to see everyone else's!

This reminds me a lot of the "how soon after surgery can I start smoking cigarettes again" question. The answer is never. The answer is never for a variety of reasons. You know the reasons, everyone else knows the reasons, and yet you will always get a few people here on the forums looking to be told it's okay to do. It is simply NOT okay, just like eating cake isn't okay after surgery and taking NSAIDS isn't okay after surgery. However, it's your body. No one has any right to tell you what to do with it. Even the surgeon's orders end where your own decisions begin. Can you drink diet soda without getting sick? Maybe... some people can, as you've read above. Should you be drinking soda, smoking, drinking booze frequently, taking NSAIDS, eating donuts for Breakfast? Of course not. you already know the answer to your own question, and you may be hard-pressed to find many people here who are going to pacify you and tell you it's okay. The fact is, a couple of people here saying "Yeah I do it and I'm fine" does not even being to measure up to and be an argument against the multitude of biological and scientific reasons it is not safe or healthy. In the end, you've got to make your own decisions. If you decide to eat or drink something that can (and probably will) be harmful in the long run, then you're also going to have to deal with the consequences. Whatever you decide, I truly wish you nothing but health and happiness. I know how hard it is to go through this huge change and not even have the little comfort food/drinks we used to love. Good luck!

Being young and starting with a low bmi does indeed help when it comes to the amount of loose skin, but the main deciding factor is genetics. I've lost about 200 pounds and I have less loose skin than some people I've seen that have lost like 80-90 pounds. Really you aren't going to know for sure until all is said and done. Usually people lose a little faster with the bypass than the sleeve, so losing faster can be a factor. Again, though, it's really mostly genetics. And no two people are alike.

Is June 2013 when you had surgery? Why are you nervous? Or was 2013 supposed to be 2016?

I know this is a male only forum, but I am in a uniquely relevant position to offer advice on this subject, as I had major knee surgery on friday morning and wls last August. The knee surgery I just had was an acl reconstruction using my own patellar ligament, a lateral meniscus trim and a medial meniscus repair. It's a pretty major surgery! I can say without a doubt my gastric surgery was FAR less painful than this. It was very easily controllable and every single day my pain lessened dramatically, and my mobility increased dramatically. With this knee surgery... well I'm 5 days out and still in a pretty miserable state and level of pain. I was not prepared for this level of pain, and they classify this as "managed". My RNY was a piece of cake compared to this, and the VSG is even less painful/invasive than my bypass. Hope this helps.

Chew on ice and sugar free popsicles! I did not have a liquid only yet but I've seen many people do this and recommend it. Good luck to you, both with surgery and trying to conceive. I'll be in that boat as well in the next few years...

@@Myka99 most people take months to feel normal, even 6 or 8 months. It was about 7.5 months for me. Your body heals externally within about 3-4 months but it takes an entire year to heal fully internally. So be kind and patient with your body. it has been through a huge, traumatic thing! Work on your health and the weight loss will follow.

Make sure you have wipies, chapstick, and a pair of slippers (if you like wearing slippers. I hate it but most people find them comforting). You're not going to be able to drink anything right out of surgery to quench your horrible cotton mouth so chapstick helps, and the nurses may be able to give you a little sponge and a cup of cold Water just to wet your mouth. Most people are not allowed to shower while they are in the hospital, so the wipies will feel amazing. Other than that, it's nice to have your phone/mp3 player, if you enjoy those things. Generally you're going to be really out of it and sleepy. I brought a book and a tablet and a ton of stuff with me and never used it because I was druggy and sleeping most of the time. Then I was home and it felt amazing. Hope this helps!

I did it sometimes preop, basically whenever I thought about it or could, so like one meal a day. I think it was probably easier to slowly ease myself into it than to add yet another huge lifestyle change on top of everything else after surgery. I just didn't do it religiously preop; only enough to teach myself how and to get used to it.

following!

yummy! I like spicy everything and I've been obsessed with eggs lately. thanks for sharing.

The information the profile is referring to is a short blurb, I believe, not the all the starting/current weights and the rest. Also, your ticker and side panel information is showing kgs to us. So perhaps it's just an issue with the page refreshing. Hope this helps.

Glad to hear your health is improving! It only gets better from here. Thanks for sharing.

I take a chewable probiotic called FloraVantage Chewable. It's from the Bariatric Advantage brand. It has really improved my digestion/bathroom trips. Also, Smooth Move tea. Works wonders and very gentle on the tummy!

thanks for sharing! I hope to feel this confident someday. And yoga is a dearly beloved activity for me... I've always dreamed of joining a group or class!

Update! http://imgur.com/NOpEeIs In less than two weeks, I will be nine months out from surgery. There are about 160 pounds and 10-11 pant sizes between the pictures! 2 more pounds and I will have lost 200 pounds from my highest. Surreal! Keep up the amazing, inspiring work everyone! <3

Oh, also - about the hair falling out: you can't stop it. People always think there is a way but they always find out in the end that it happens no matter what you do. You can, however, take biotin to help it regrow quickly. I get mine from Costco but you can also get it from CVS and basically any other drugstore. The one I take is dissolvable and tastes like grapes.