ellie123

ROTFL I literally burst out in a meeting!! OMG, I can't control myself! All about that BASE!!!!!???? How in the world did she tie that in? I have always wondered what that song lyrics meant. Now I just have to know!

@@JamieLogical you are absolutely right! I have noticed that irritability manifests itself worse at hunger times. Maybe that's my body's new way of saying feed me? Very insightful! Maybe I need to eat more regularly. I love the way your Ticker breaks out your weight loss by month! Very encouraging to see that like me some months are better than others and it's all normal and all good and all eventually adds up to a good chunk of weight lost! Bravo!

WOW @@lauraellen80, you have lost a ton of weight, so obviously you know what you are doing here! Thank you for the advise and reassurance! I saw a therapist before surgery, but felt like he could not relate and I quickly realized that for me...BPals is awesome therapy. You veterans at this know what you are doing and are going through it, so there is no one else that can quite understand and reassure like you do. So thank you! Just knowing it happens and it's normal helps a lot! Good luck!

Thanks for the response and congratulations on your REMARKABLE loss! WOW, that's amazing what you have achieved. That's how I feel sometimes, a total "B" and I can see myself from the side and I can't seem to stop myself from snapping. But being aware of it and knowing I am not alone helps take the edge off.

Awesome response,thank you so much @@FrankiesGirl! Had to wait to get to a computer to answer. Congratulations on your weight loss! Makes perfect sense and I've heard of this Fat/hormone connection before but I'm having such a hard time finding more information about it online. I'm hanging in there! I called my docs office about it, and they said drink more Water to flush out the hormones and toxins that are burning away with the fat...hmmm...I do seriously struggle with water intake. It hurts to chug, and I get so busy at work...

Thank you so much @@FrankiesGirl! And congratulations on your astounding weight loss! What you said makes a lot of sense. I've heard of fat storing hormones and that would explain my mood swings. And don't even get me started on how intense the mood thing gets once a month! OMG!!! It's like the hormones all get drunk on steroids and do whatever the heck they please with me. Well, knowing this and understanding it, is half the battle, because then I can be more objective with how I'm feeling and try to reassure myself that on a clearer head, sans hormones, things are much better than they seem at the time. All in all not such a big price to pay for a new lease on life and the hope of a healthier future

I woke from my Sleeve anesthesia 5days ago with blood in my nose and thick blood running down my throat. I was nauseated and in pain...but eventually by evening that wore of some. But, swallowing (aside from the usual first swallows post Sleeve), was beyond excruciating! I then I looked back there in the mirror to see my throat it looked like something from a horror scene. And it hurts like crazy too! So aggravated, I've never seen my throat look like that. Beyond even a Strep Throat swallow. My surgeon even took a picture of it to show to the Anesthesiologist, who I know has over 30 years experience so what's the deal? Needless to say, the liquid Hydrocodone has been nightmarish to take, just burns like crazy. And whats more, I have a constant feeling like something is stuck in there when I swallow. Like a piece of throat is flailing in there (sorry, I know TMI), but I really wanted to know if anyone experienced this, and how it was resolved. It is interfering with my Fluid intake, which is already a challenge. My surgeon said it will probably resolve, but gave me some ENT numbers just in case. Was wondering if anyone experienced same and how you dealt with it. Your responses will be so appreciated at this unsettling time :/

To all reading this post, quick update, throat is 100% healed. Was the pain worth it...absolutely! My progress is nothing short of phenomenal and I am daily grateful to God for blessing me with this surgery Sending everyone love and happiness!

Not Happening After all … So I was scheduled to have my Lapband Removal/Gastric Sleeve/ Gallbladder removal surgery on Sept 29th, but yesterday during the pre-op visit, it came to light that my surgeon, Dr. Fox, will be leaving for a month long vacation 2 days after my surgery! Given that he’s doing so much, he thought it unfair to leave and not be here should by chance I have any kind of complication. My logical side concurs, but I was so close to getting this done!!! I guess it was not meant to be….just yet. So now I’ve been pushed back to November 2nd. I guess I was more prepared for this than I gave myself credit for, because I feel disappointed, empty, and a little purposeless…much like a deflated balloon. Another 6 weeks to wait!!! *Sigh*. It was like hurry up and then brick wall. I’d made all these arrangements and had visions of a much smaller me on Thanksgiving… I'm staying on my pre-op diet...don't know what else to do. Perhaps I'll loose a lot more weight before the date and give myself a head-start Brooding but trying to stay positive! Ellie

Weight loss is such a personal journey...a hairball of the bliss of eating favorite foods, complex emotions, compulsions, defeating behaviors, shame, embarrassment, resentment, and the list goes on and on. No one wants to admit that they can't control what goes into their mouth. I'm coming up on my surgery Nov 2nd...and frankly, if I could, I would tell no one at all! Some of it is the former, but also, from having my lapband surgery, it added sooo much pressure, having people watch everything I ate, asking me how much weight I've lost each time I saw them, saying insensitive comments and remarks, etc...and then it was what they did not say, as I put the weight back on slowly but surely...I could almost hear what they were thinking while watching me eat. My mother falls into the category of people I don't want to tell. I love her dearly, but she's a stoic, non understanding person, who, when I had the lapband, called up each and every one of her thousands of friends to "in confidence" express her fears over my decision, and to ask their opinion. I was mortified at how many people knew, way before I was willing to share... When I loose weight, folks will surely ask how, and I'm not sure how to circumvent lying. I don't want to be dishonest, but then again, I don't feel like I need to share my personal and medical choices with certain folks... I will need all my mental energy to focus on learning to use this tool to loose weight, rather than appease peoples curiosity and deal with their remarks and opinions. So in short, just wondering, if you decided to tell or not to tell. And if not, how you coup with the inevitable questions that will come.

Hello My Dear Bariatric Beauties (and handsome Dudes) in the Making! If you are reading this, you are probably trying to mentally and emotionally prepare for what is to come. I know, because I was in your shoes a few weeks backJ I found the mental preparation way harder to do than the physical pre-op diet. I’m a week out of surgery, and in great spirits considering all, I’ve been through and the considerable trauma to my throat (which is making drinking over excruciating at this time). If I was not mentally and emotionally as well prepared as I was…I think at this point, I would have fallen into depression as is quite common at this stage. But…I am well girdled to deal with this and I thought I’d share the 10 most important things YOU can do, to prepare yourself for what is to come J These are not in any particular order, and I think they are all important, but I don’t want to spend too much time tweaking them because I want them to be as fresh from my experience as possible. Also as a disclaimer, this is my list and what helped me and is not to be substituted for any medical advice…there…I think I’m covered, so let’s step to it! So here we go, in no particular order. 1. Ask your Surgeon LOTS of questions right up until the wheel you away into the OR. When you think of them, write them down and make sure you cover them. Understanding what is going to happen and his/her expectations of you and how you can partner with them for success is key! 2. Determine who you will tell about it and what your emotional support is going to be, and not a person more! Telling someone that will not be supportive will emotionally drain you as you try to educate/justify/explain etc. If your mind is made up, you don’t need to subject yourself to that. 3. Watch lot YouTube videos to get a broad idea of what you can expect. There are tons of them out there. The Before and After videos are particularly helpful in building moral, and giving you a sense that you too can do this. 4. Join and participate in Bariatric Pals (a given J) 5. Make a dry ran. Visit your surgical facility before surgery day (see the pre-op and recovery rooms). I did that and it really helped with the anxiety as on the actual surgical day, it was a familiar place, I had even spoken to recovery nurses prior to my actual surgery. Saw the pre-op areas, and the recovery rooms. 6. Invest in a FITBIT or other tracking device and start walking! I think this was single handedly one of the biggest things I could do to prepare myself. I worked up to 12 K steps prior to surgery. By day 4 post surgery I was walking 6 K steps a day and the past two days I’ve hit 10 k steps a day (albeit slow steps…I’m like a crooked question mark, slowly haunting the streets of my neighborhood J). But walking as soon as I was lucid enough was key to help with gas, AND to get the Serotonin levels going! 7. Visualize yourself on the other side. This for some reason was harder to do for me, but seeing myself make it through surgery somehow strengthened me. 8. Write a journal of all the reasons you are doing this. Read them often leading up to the surgery, especially on those times when you get cold feet. I chose to divide mine into the following categories. a. Physical b. Emotional c. Mental d. Social e. Health 9. Minimize distractions and noise that could emotionally destabilize you. See less of negative people that leave you drained and cravey. It’s hard enough dealing with pre-op diet as it is! I personally stopped watching the news (too depressing), and decided to mentally give myself as much focus as I could! 10. Pray about it with all your heart, cry it out if you must, and then trust, let go and Let God see you through! The night before surgery after my prayers, a very odd calm came over me…and I knew He was with me and that I would be okay J Hope this is helpful in getting you ready for your big day! Blessings and Green Lights! Ellie123

Has anyone heard from @@ZombieQueen??? @@ZombieQueen everyone has rallied around you... We want to know how you are doing. Folks have taken the time to pour their hearts out to you and I hope that our efforts have reached and helped you.

In 3 days on Nov 5th, I will have my band taken out, my gallbladder removed and a Sleeve done. So nervous especially about anaesthesia which I do not do well. I have a 3 and 5 year old. I pray to God I'm doing the right thing. Any words of advise, encouragement or compassion, would be very much appreciated at this time! My stomach is all in knots about what is about to happen... So from what to take to the hospital, to things that would help me at home...anything that helped you that you are willing to share I would be eternally for. I'm in the home stretch to get this done, and trying to be strong. Blessings and love...

Hello My Dear Bariatric Beauties (and handsome Dudes) in the Making! If you are reading this, you are probably trying to mentally and emotionally prepare for what is to come. I know, because I was in your shoes a few weeks backJ I found the mental preparation way harder to do than the physical pre-op diet. I’m a week out of surgery, and in great spirits considering all, I’ve been through and the considerable trauma to my throat (which is making drinking over excruciating at this time). If I was not mentally and emotionally as well prepared as I was…I think at this point, I would have fallen into depression as is quite common at this stage. But…I am well girdled to deal with this and I thought I’d share the 10 most important things YOU can do, to prepare yourself for what is to come J These are not in any particular order, and I think they are all important, but I don’t want to spend too much time tweaking them because I want them to be as fresh from my experience as possible. Also as a disclaimer, this is my list and what helped me and is not to be substituted for any medical advice…there…I think I’m covered, so let’s step to it! So here we go, in no particular order. 1. Ask your Surgeon LOTS of questions right up until the wheel you away into the OR. When you think of them, write them down and make sure you cover them. Understanding what is going to happen and his/her expectations of you and how you can partner with them for success is key! 2. Determine who you will tell about it and what your emotional support is going to be, and not a person more! Telling someone that will not be supportive will emotionally drain you as you try to educate/justify/explain etc. If your mind is made up, you don’t need to subject yourself to that. 3. Watch lot YouTube videos to get a broad idea of what you can expect. There are tons of them out there. The Before and After videos are particularly helpful in building moral, and giving you a sense that you too can do this. 4. Join and participate in Bariatric Pals (a given J) 5. Make a dry ran. Visit your surgical facility before surgery day (see the pre-op and recovery rooms). I did that and it really helped with the anxiety as on the actual surgical day, it was a familiar place, I had even spoken to recovery nurses prior to my actual surgery. Saw the pre-op areas, and the recovery rooms. 6. Invest in a FITBIT or other tracking device and start walking! I think this was single handedly one of the biggest things I could do to prepare myself. I worked up to 12 K steps prior to surgery. By day 4 post surgery I was walking 6 K steps a day and the past two days I’ve hit 10 k steps a day (albeit slow steps…I’m like a crooked question mark, slowly haunting the streets of my neighborhood J). But walking as soon as I was lucid enough was key to help with gas, AND to get the Serotonin levels going! 7. Visualize yourself on the other side. This for some reason was harder to do for me, but seeing myself make it through surgery somehow strengthened me. 8. Write a journal of all the reasons you are doing this. Read them often leading up to the surgery, especially on those times when you get cold feet. I chose to divide mine into the following categories. a. Physical b. Emotional c. Mental d. Social e. Health 9. Minimize distractions and noise that could emotionally destabilize you. See less of negative people that leave you drained and cravey. It’s hard enough dealing with pre-op diet as it is! I personally stopped watching the news (too depressing), and decided to mentally give myself as much focus as I could! 10. Pray about it with all your heart, cry it out if you must, and then trust, let go and Let God see you through! The night before surgery after my prayers, a very odd calm came over me…and I knew He was with me and that I would be okay J Hope this is helpful in getting you ready for your big day! Blessings and Green Lights! Ellie123

MZb, thank you for the stall warning. I think one of the greatest things about this site is the fact that we collectively help each other set realistic expectations. Without that everyone feels isolated in their experience and has unnecessary stress wondering if they fall into normal. Thank you!

Thank you for the concern, but indeed this is per doctors orders. Aleve, Advil and Ibprofen are all fair game post surgically and were in discharge instructions. Odd that post op instructions vary so much from doc to doc ...:/

To My dear Bariatric Pals! I wanted to thank you all for your support during my jitters in the weeks leading up to the OR. Indeed, it was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done! As I close in on a week post opp tomorrow, I have refrained from posting too much about the experience because I think I needed a little bit of time, first of all to recover enough to be lucid enough to write coherently, but also because I needed to regain some of my emotional footing, as I let the enormity, irriversability and life changing capacity that this surgery has afforded me sink in. I will post several things on how I prepared emotionally for the surgery and also the things I found helpful on surgery day to help those who are close to the date and need support to make it through, at a latter date. But in this post I wanted to update you all on how I’m doing in a synopsis. First off…my surgery started at approximately 10:30am and lasted almost 3 hours, because along with the Sleeve, Band removal and Gallbladder removal, they found a hiatal hernia to repare (in short, I got the Blue plate special). Anasthesia was my biggest concern. Coming out of it took a long time…I was in pain and naucious but communicating with my caretakers gave them a chance to stabilize me such that by evening I was somewhat coherent. At first, I was really tight…even taking down an ice-chip was hard. And ofcourse there was the bloated gas to contend with. Knowing this I was armed with my on Gas Ex strips, forget the baby Simithicone they were giving me, but most importantly, as SOON as I could semi wobble, I started walking the hallways…my 2 hour cycles ran like this…sleep, take pain meds, sip liquid, pee, and walk those hallways as much as I could, and very soon, the gas problem was mitigated. Leaving the worse problem my banged up throat (from intubation) which was so raw and bad he surgeon took a pic of it to show the anesthesiologist! It felt like a layer of skin has literally been sloughed off, and so red and raw. And when I swallow…some skin seems loose like I’m swallowing my throat…yeah…bad). After a nasty Barium swallow on day two I was clearned for liquids and the watered down Apple juice from an ounce cup felt like heaven! I was release at the end of day 3. Back home I continued to walk. My fitbit registereing 6k steps all week and today I did 10k steps. Now these are veeeery slow put persistent and steady steps throughout the day, and after pain meds, and the only reason I can do this is because in the months leading up, I got a fitbit and worked my way up to about 12k steps, so I highly recommend you start walking now. I finally was cleared from Clear Liquids to cream Soups today…wooo hooo. First few days I was not as hungry, but now, be it head hunger or what…mama wants some sustainance! And broth ain’t cutting it! The cream of mushroom was devine! I’m weaning off of Hydrocodine and moving to liquid gel Aleve. Upon my return home, gained Water weight coming back home from the IV as expected. My stomach feels distended and droopy as expected. And I have 6 incisions to nurse. The more I drank, the more I started to shed the IV Fluid weight. So keeping hydrated remains key. And now I’m lower than pre-op weight. I also found a book online. Emotional First Aid Kit Bariatric Surgery Patients to help hone some couping strategies for when I’m back in a world of doenuts. And that’s where I am folks! Just learning how to live in this Brave new world I’ve been born into. Much like a toddler, taking baby steps, learning what I can and can’t do. It’s still just a week, so I’m looking forward to more healing and the rewards which we all so freverantly seek. I hope my account is helpful to you. Sending you peace and love, Ellie123

Hydrocodone helps the most...but it hurts like the dickens going down I have to dilute it in apple juice and Water and ice, so it's a lot more liquid, and then takes me like 40mins for it to go down! I went to see my PCP today (because ENT's take forever to get to!). She looked down my throat and said "Honey, i don't know how to fix this!". I was running a low grade fever, so she did a swab and will send it out for culture to see if it's getting infected. In the meantime insurance is trying to assist in getting me to an ENT asap. My surgeons office has only suggested I see an ENT if I feel I need to. I guess when you sign away that you understand all those risks of surgery, this is probably one of them. I read that once they put you to sleep, they have seconds before you stop breathing on your own and then establishing an airway is critical. In that regard, I'm happy to be alive I will keep you all posted!

In 3 days on Nov 5th, I will have my band taken out, my gallbladder removed and a Sleeve done. So nervous especially about anaesthesia which I do not do well. I have a 3 and 5 year old. I pray to God I'm doing the right thing. Any words of advise, encouragement or compassion, would be very much appreciated at this time! My stomach is all in knots about what is about to happen... So from what to take to the hospital, to things that would help me at home...anything that helped you that you are willing to share I would be eternally for. I'm in the home stretch to get this done, and trying to be strong. Blessings and love...

Girl, what you are feeling is so normal! It's a brave new world. You are probably off your meds and the anaesthesia and pain and doing a number on your mind. There is life...a much better life awaiting you. the pain WILL be more bearable in a few days... On day 1 I could barely have an ice-chip and here I am a week latter doing cream Soups with no problem. Also watch out for that gas! Walk walk walk, to get your Seratonin levels up and to get that gas out. I'm going to include below a post I just posted in another chain...that might help make you see how my first week went and hopefully give you an idea of how much progress you can make in a short while if you set your mind to it! To My dear Bariatric Pals! I wanted to thank you all for your support during my jitters in the weeks leading up to the OR. Indeed, it was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done! As I close in on a week post opp tomorrow, I have refrained from posting too much about the experience because I think I needed a little bit of time, first of all to recover enough to be lucid enough to write coherently, but also because I needed to regain some of my emotional footing, as I let the enormity, irriversability and life changing capacity that this surgery has afforded me sink in. I will post several things on how I prepared emotionally for the surgery and also the things I found helpful on surgery day to help those who are close to the date and need support to make it through, at a latter date. But in this post I wanted to update you all on how I’m doing in a synopsis. First off…my surgery started at approximately 10:30am and lasted almost 3 hours, because along with the Sleeve, Band removal and Gallbladder removal, they found a hiatal hernia to repare (in short, I got the Blue plate special). Anasthesia was my biggest concern. Coming out of it took a long time…I was in pain and naucious but communicating with my caretakers gave them a chance to stabilize me such that by evening I was somewhat coherent. At first, I was really tight…even taking down an ice-chip was hard. And ofcourse there was the bloated gas to contend with. Knowing this I was armed with my on Gas Ex strips, forget the baby Simithicone they were giving me, but most importantly, as SOON as I could semi wobble, I started walking the hallways…my 2 hour cycles ran like this…sleep, take pain meds, sip liquid, pee, and walk those hallways as much as I could, and very soon, the gas problem was mitigated. Leaving the worse problem my banged up throat (from intubation) which was so raw and bad he surgeon took a pic of it to show the anesthesiologist! It felt like a layer of skin has literally been sloughed off, and so red and raw. And when I swallow…some skin seems loose like I’m swallowing my throat…yeah…bad). After a nasty Barium swallow on day two I was clearned for liquids and the watered down Apple juice from an ounce cup felt like heaven! I was release at the end of day 3. Back home I continued to walk. My fitbit registereing 6k steps all week and today I did 10k steps. Now these are veeeery slow put persistent and steady steps throughout the day, and after pain meds, and the only reason I can do this is because in the months leading up, I got a fitbit and worked my way up to about 12k steps, so I highly recommend you start walking now. I finally was cleared from Clear Liquids to cream soups today…wooo hooo. First few days I was not as hungry, but now, be it head hunger or what…mama wants some sustainance! And broth ain’t cutting it! The cream of mushroom was devine! I’m weaning off of Hydrocodine and moving to liquid gel Aleve. Upon my return home, gained Water weight coming back home from the IV as expected. My stomach feels distended and droopy as expected. And I have 6 incisions to nurse. The more I drank, the more I started to shed the IV Fluid weight. So keeping hydrated remains key. And now I’m lower than pre-op weight. I also found a book online. Emotional First Aid Kit Bariatric Surgery Patients to help hone some couping strategies for when I’m back in a world of doenuts. And that’s where I am folks! Just learning how to live in this Brave new world I’ve been born into. Much like a toddler, taking baby steps, learning what I can and can’t do. It’s still just a week, so I’m looking forward to more healing and the rewards which we all so freverantly seek. I hope my account is helpful to you. Sending you peace and love, Ellie123

Thank you @@lorri716 I know time will probably sort it out, it's nerve wracking to wait it out but that's about the only choice I have I guess. At least when I take the pain meds it makes swallowing much easier. I'm going to hang in there!

To My dear Bariatric Pals! I wanted to thank you all for your support during my jitters in the weeks leading up to the OR. Indeed, it was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done! As I close in on a week post opp tomorrow, I have refrained from posting too much about the experience because I think I needed a little bit of time, first of all to recover enough to be lucid enough to write coherently, but also because I needed to regain some of my emotional footing, as I let the enormity, irriversability and life changing capacity that this surgery has afforded me sink in. I will post several things on how I prepared emotionally for the surgery and also the things I found helpful on surgery day to help those who are close to the date and need support to make it through, at a latter date. But in this post I wanted to update you all on how I’m doing in a synopsis. First off…my surgery started at approximately 10:30am and lasted almost 3 hours, because along with the Sleeve, Band removal and Gallbladder removal, they found a hiatal hernia to repare (in short, I got the Blue plate special). Anasthesia was my biggest concern. Coming out of it took a long time…I was in pain and naucious but communicating with my caretakers gave them a chance to stabilize me such that by evening I was somewhat coherent. At first, I was really tight…even taking down an ice-chip was hard. And ofcourse there was the bloated gas to contend with. Knowing this I was armed with my on Gas Ex strips, forget the baby Simithicone they were giving me, but most importantly, as SOON as I could semi wobble, I started walking the hallways…my 2 hour cycles ran like this…Sleep, take pain meds, sip liquid, pee, and walk those hallways as much as I could, and very soon, the gas problem was mitigated. Leaving the worse problem my banged up throat (from intubation) which was so raw and bad he surgeon took a pic of it to show the anesthesiologist! It felt like a layer of skin has literally been sloughed off, and so red and raw. And when I swallow…some skin seems loose like I’m swallowing my throat…yeah…bad). After a nasty Barium swallow on day two I was clearned for liquids and the watered down Apple juice from an ounce cup felt like heaven! I was release at the end of day 3. Back home I continued to walk. My fitbit registereing 6k steps all week and today I did 10k steps. Now these are veeeery slow put persistent and steady steps throughout the day, and after pain meds, and the only reason I can do this is because in the months leading up, I got a fitbit and worked my way up to about 12k steps, so I highly recommend you start walking now. I finally was cleared from Clear Liquids to cream Soups today…wooo hooo. First few days I was not as hungry, but now, be it head hunger or what…mama wants some sustainance! And broth ain’t cutting it! The cream of mushroom was devine! I’m weaning off of Hydrocodine and moving to liquid gel Aleve. Upon my return home, gained Water weight coming back home from the IV as expected. My stomach feels distended and droopy as expected. And I have 6 incisions to nurse. The more I drank, the more I started to shed the IV Fluid weight. So keeping hydrated remains key. And now I’m lower than pre-op weight. I also found a book online. Emotional First Aid Kit Bariatric Surgery Patients to help hone some couping strategies for when I’m back in a world of doenuts. And that’s where I am folks! Just learning how to live in this Brave new world I’ve been born into. Much like a toddler, taking baby steps, learning what I can and can’t do. It’s still just a week, so I’m looking forward to more healing and the rewards which we all so freverantly seek. I hope my account is helpful to you. Sending you peace and love, Ellie123

So I was scheduled to have my Lapband Removal/Gastric Sleeve/ Gallbladder removal surgery on Sept 29th, but yesterday during the pre-op visit, it came to light that my surgeon, Dr. Fox, will be leaving for a month long vacation 2 days after my surgery! Given that he’s doing so much, he thought it unfair to leave and not be here should by chance I have any kind of complication. My logical side concurs, but I was so close to getting this done!!! I guess it was not meant to be…. So now I’ve been pushed back to November 2nd. I guess I was more prepared for this than I gave myself credit for, because I feel disappointed, empty, and a little purposeless…much like a deflated balloon. Another 6 weeks to wait!!! *Sigh*. It was like hurry up and then brick wall. I’d made all these arrangements and had visions of a much smaller me on Thanksgiving… Brooding, Ellie

In 3 days on Nov 5th, I will have my band taken out, my gallbladder removed and a Sleeve done. So nervous especially about anaesthesia which I do not do well. I have a 3 and 5 year old. I pray to God I'm doing the right thing. Any words of advise, encouragement or compassion, would be very much appreciated at this time! My stomach is all in knots about what is about to happen... So from what to take to the hospital, to things that would help me at home...anything that helped you that you are willing to share I would be eternally for. I'm in the home stretch to get this done, and trying to be strong. Blessings and love...

To My dear Bariatric Pals! I wanted to thank you all for your support during my jitters in the weeks leading up to the OR. Indeed, it was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done! As I close in on a week post opp tomorrow, I have refrained from posting too much about the experience because I think I needed a little bit of time, first of all to recover enough to be lucid enough to write coherently, but also because I needed to regain some of my emotional footing, as I let the enormity, irriversability and life changing capacity that this surgery has afforded me sink in. I will post several things on how I prepared emotionally for the surgery and also the things I found helpful on surgery day to help those who are close to the date and need support to make it through, at a latter date. But in this post I wanted to update you all on how I’m doing in a synopsis. First off…my surgery started at approximately 10:30am and lasted almost 3 hours, because along with the Sleeve, Band removal and Gallbladder removal, they found a hiatal hernia to repare (in short, I got the Blue plate special). Anasthesia was my biggest concern. Coming out of it took a long time…I was in pain and naucious but communicating with my caretakers gave them a chance to stabilize me such that by evening I was somewhat coherent. At first, I was really tight…even taking down an ice-chip was hard. And ofcourse there was the bloated gas to contend with. Knowing this I was armed with my on Gas Ex strips, forget the baby Simithicone they were giving me, but most importantly, as SOON as I could semi wobble, I started walking the hallways…my 2 hour cycles ran like this…sleep, take pain meds, sip liquid, pee, and walk those hallways as much as I could, and very soon, the gas problem was mitigated. Leaving the worse problem my banged up throat (from intubation) which was so raw and bad he surgeon took a pic of it to show the anesthesiologist! It felt like a layer of skin has literally been sloughed off, and so red and raw. And when I swallow…some skin seems loose like I’m swallowing my throat…yeah…bad). After a nasty Barium swallow on day two I was clearned for liquids and the watered down Apple juice from an ounce cup felt like heaven! I was release at the end of day 3. Back home I continued to walk. My fitbit registereing 6k steps all week and today I did 10k steps. Now these are veeeery slow put persistent and steady steps throughout the day, and after pain meds, and the only reason I can do this is because in the months leading up, I got a fitbit and worked my way up to about 12k steps, so I highly recommend you start walking now. I finally was cleared from Clear Liquids to cream Soups today…wooo hooo. First few days I was not as hungry, but now, be it head hunger or what…mama wants some sustainance! And broth ain’t cutting it! The cream of mushroom was devine! I’m weaning off of Hydrocodine and moving to liquid gel Aleve. Upon my return home, gained Water weight coming back home from the IV as expected. My stomach feels distended and droopy as expected. And I have 6 incisions to nurse. The more I drank, the more I started to shed the IV Fluid weight. So keeping hydrated remains key. And now I’m lower than pre-op weight. I also found a book online. Emotional First Aid Kit Bariatric Surgery Patients to help hone some couping strategies for when I’m back in a world of doenuts. And that’s where I am folks! Just learning how to live in this Brave new world I’ve been born into. Much like a toddler, taking baby steps, learning what I can and can’t do. It’s still just a week, so I’m looking forward to more healing and the rewards which we all so freverantly seek. I hope my account is helpful to you. Sending you peace and love, Ellie123