kranky813

LMAO Love this thread! I too am noticing that I don't have a lot of cushion to sit on anymore and I can't sit for too long or it hurts. My hubby looked at me last night and said I have a flat butt now.... um..... yeah, just what I wanted to hear.

@ isn't it such a great feeling! Now that the stall is over I am hopeful I will keep losing!!

Is it on the biggest incision? I had a lump under my largest incision and asked my doc about it. He said it's where they pulled my stomach out and it is going to be swollen and "lumpy" for a few weeks while it heals. If it's under a different one it could be just swollen tissue from where they put the scopes through. I wouldn't worry too much unless it bothers you. Also, and ulcer is inside of your stomach. You would know if you had one, it would hurt when ever you ate or drank something.

I am almost 8 weeks post op and have had 3 stalls so far. The longest one was just the past 2 weeks. They happen. Like the previous poster said - only weigh at MOST once a week. It will drive you crazy if you weigh yourself more than that. The stall will pass and when it does you will laugh at yourself for panicking and sigh a big sigh of relief. Trust me. I sighed today

In the beginning it is so difficult! I remember thinking I wasn't going to make it. Try some different temps of fluids. Some can handle warm/hot better and some can only handle ice cold or anywhere in between. One of the things that really helped me at first was Popsicles. It's not like taking a big drink but it's getting liquids in, try those. If you are still having issues - meaning you can't drink at all - you need to call your surgeon. Did they give you the little measuring cups to drink from? Set an alarm on your phone or download an app (I used AquaAlert) and have it go off every 7 minutes. Drink 1/2oz every 7 minutes until you get your liquids in. It's a pain in the butt and every time I would hear that alarm I would get a little irritated LOL but it worked.

At 6 weeks out my doc gave me the go ahead to eat what I wanted with the understanding that Steak, chicken and Bread might be an issue. (Hard to digest, etc...) I took things very carefully but found out I can eat whatever I want. I have had pork chops, shrimp, steak, chicken, rice, roast beef, turkey, eggs, cheese, really almost anything with no issue/complications. Obviously when he said eat what I wanted he meant "healthy" - just to clairify. I did have a french fry the other day because it looked so good. It didn't taste good at all. I mainly stick to the Protein because that is what I crave and it fills me up. pizza was good except I ate one tiny slice and only a tiny bit of crust. I scraped off the toppings. It's all trial an error for people. Just make sure to take it slow, measure EVERYTHING, and chew chew chew. You will find out what works and what doesn't.

Oh yeah, I took 5 weeks off because I was so weak and tired. Once you hit a month you will feel better, once you hit 6 weeks you will feel great! I am almost 8 weeks out and love life Give your body time to heal. It takes time. I wish I was one of the lucky ones who felt so good right after but I couldn't imagine going back to work after only a week.

The one thing that a lot of people don't know or think about is that you were getting 64oz and above prior to surgery because your food was filled with Water. Every time you ate a cracker or a piece of cake you were getting in your water. That is why you didn't have to pay close attention to it prior to surgery. Now that you are so limited to how much you can eat your water intake is very low. That is why you need to make sure you are getting in AT LEAST 64oz of water/fluid every day. Take it from someone who ended up in the hospital for dehydration... you do not want to get dehydrated. It is horrible!

The only things I could suggest would be to first talk to your doctor about your concerns. He/she may be able to offer some better advice. I had an IUD put into place about 6 years ago and haven't had a period since post op then it lasted about 2 weeks. It was very light and I didn't need to use anything Tampon/Pad for it. You could check into and IUD. Another suggestion would be to get a uterine ablation which is where they go in and burn off the uterine wall. This is also a form of sterilization so if you want to have children this would not be a good option. The last option if none of the above work would be to look into Depends Undergarments. My mother in law wears them and I did too after I had my daughter. They are made now to not be noticeable under pants and worked very well. And finally - I know it sucks now but think of it as a good sign. Your body is starting to respond to the Pre-op diet and get back to normal. It's not normal to not have a period without using some sort of birth control. This is a very good sign.

Well, hardest for me right now is drinking and exercising. I find it very hard to get in my 64oz of Fluid every single day. It has been a constant struggle for me. Easiest - Honestly right now it's eating the smaller portions. I thought I would have a difficult time with only eating 1/4 cup of food at each meal. It's actually pretty easy.

Do you think it's possible that why "Eat Whatever You Want" he meant that you can eat solid foods such as meat, dairy, cheese, veggies, fruits, etc... Instead of fried foods and crap foods? The reason that I ask this is because my surgeon said I can eat what ever I want but I know he meant I could go to a regular solid food diet but still a healthy diet. I have been seeing this surgeon for over a year and we know each other very well. He would not do the surgery without knowing I was going to be careful about what I eat when I was given the go ahead. Use this tool to help you, don't use it as a get out of jail free card because, trust me, you will gain it back.

UGH. Frustrated today. I have been at a 200lb stall for almost 2 weeks now. I just want to see that scale hit 199. LOL. I haven't seen 199 since I was a kid and it's so close but still feels so far away. Ok, vent over.

@@ThickFit504 Glad to hear you are on the losers bench! Just think, you are half way there to feeling much much better. Just a few more days to go, you can do it!! Walking really does help you heal quicker so don't be scared to take a walk

I made a mix with mine. 8oz of Isopure, 8oz of Powerade Zero - same color, and 8oz of Water. I drank 2 of those a day every day in the first few weeks. I couldn't deal with the chalky feeling it left in my mouth.

Ok, quick stats - 7 weeks post op. Eating Solid Foods. Getting in Protein and Water (well a little light on water lately but working on it) So here's the question. I have noticed my hair start to shed more than usual. I have very long, thick hair. I knew it was going to fall out and am prepared for it, however I have a hair appointment the end of October where I go in and get my usual color and highlights. Is the bleach they use going to make my hair fall out more? Is it going to really damage it? If so what about just coloring it? I can go dark for the winter months but just need to be prepared. Also - prior to surgery I have a thing going on with my stylist where we are growing my hair down to my butt. It's something I have always wanted to do and she says I have the perfect hair for it. If it gets too bad how do I explain to her what happened without telling her about surgery?

So you have a lot of really great advice here so I can only add a little bit of my story. I HAD what I thought was a great support group of friends. I have 3 friends and my husband who know about surgery. Honestly once it happened that all turned to crap. Don't get me wrong, my husband is as supportive as he can be. But as a woman (and I hope I'm not the only one) I wanted my girlfriends to talk to. My one friend was so negative about everything I put in my mouth - I can't eat sugar free pudding or cream Soups because they aren't healthy - Um... I am following my surgeons advice, what does she expect??? My 2nd friend is super jealous, she has been trying to lose weight for years. She doesn't qualify for surgery but hates the fact that I didn't either but paid out of pocket. The 3rd one just sort of avoids me because she really wants surgery too but with owning her own business she can't take the time off for recovery. I seriously lost my 3 best friends within a month after surgery. Again, my husband is as supportive as he can be. To be honest he's a little selfish, he always has been and tends to put his needs before anyone else's. He hunts, fishes, does taxidermy, etc.... he was gone a lot in the first few weeks after my surgery. I think he just didn't know how to deal with me being in pain, or frustrated or what ever I was feeling because I am the strong one in the household. I will say that if I ever really did NEED something he was there for me but I really needed to NEED it. LOL Anyway, my point is that I did it without a great support group of people in person. I have my friends here on this site and they have given me all the support and guidance I have needed. I also have a great Surgeon and Nurse that are available when ever I need them to be. Seriously, I paged my nurse at 9:30pm 9 days post op and she talked me down from the ledge. (if you haven't heard the emotional rollercoaster you go on once you start losing fat can be a little overwhelming) She seriously talked to me for about an hour and got me through it. This was my nurse.... LOL. Think about why you are doing this surgery and what it is you want to gain and honestly... screw his family. They can butt out!

Not to be the scary one here but watch this VERY VERY carefully! My mom had a wound like this after stomach surgery and when she would call/talk to her surgeon he just said to pack it and rest. It got so bad and infected that they had to do another surgery (different doctor) and it took almost an entire year to heal. She has a horrible scar on her stomach and lots of scar tissue underneath. Take this very seriously and if you feel like your doctor isn't giving you proper care or not being aggressive enough get a 2nd opinion or go to a specialist. Best of luck!

HOT Mama! You look incredible! Can't wait to get to where you are now

I haven't dealt with what you are going through but I would ask your doctor to prescribe you a med called Levsin. It's a pill that melts in your mouth and stops the spasms. I only had to take it 3 times a day for 5 days. It was a lifesaver for me. I know some people who have had to take it for a few weeks. Ask him about it and see what he says. As far as time off of work I took 5 and a half weeks. I probably could have gone back a little earlier but I was so tired and weak all I wanted to do was sleep for hours. Sometimes it's still hard to get through the whole day without a nap. I try to get to bed about 9-10ish and get up around 6 so I am getting a good 8 to 9 hours a night. Everyone is different, I might just like to sleep. It will get easier as the weeks go on. One month is typically the turning point where you start to feel good. I am 7 weeks out and feel pretty good. Good Luck!

The only thing I can really tell you is that I started feeling restriction once I started solid food. I still chew it up really well but once I get to about 4tbsp I know I need to stop. I didn't feel restriction on any of the liquids or pureeds. I will also tell you that I can guzzle liquids like no tomorrow. I found out by accident. I took about 5oz at once because I was really thirsty and once I swallowed the "oh crap" moment hit me. It passed right through. Although I will NEVER do that again just for fear of damaging my sleeve (7 weeks post op). So many people have given so much good advice so instead of repeating it I will just say be very careful.

Try Flintstones chewable. I take one in the morning and one at night. I do have to take a B12 and Calcium chewable as well but they all go down just fine.

You seem more advanced then I was but here are some soft/pureed suggestions: Ricotta cheese mixed with some mozzarella cheese and then Tomato Basil Pesto sauce Refried Beans with some cheese and taco sauce pureed homemade chicken noodle soup Tuna with chipotle Mayo Pureed chicken with BWW Garlic Parm sauce Honestly I pureed everything. Hotdish/Casserole, Chili... etc. Anything I had for dinner with my family was pureed and then I took out my 2 tbsp and put the rest of the puree in the fridge for another meal.

It's called Aqualert: Water Reminder H20 You can set the reminder as often as you want. I learned to hate that reminder but it got my water in