heidikat72

I took valsartan hctz for my high bp. Pre-op - I had to stop 2 days before surgery. Post op - I didn't start back until 2 weeks after because of the hctz(the diuretic) since they didn't want me to dehydrate while i was struggling to meet fluid intake. Once I started again - I had to cut the dosage in half about a week later due to lots and lots of dizzy spells daily. Then a month after that, I am off the valsartan hctz altogether because i was still having some dizzy spells and my bp was down to 90/54. Check with your surgeon again about when to stop the bp meds pre-op and don't be afraid to ask for the rationale. If you do have to stop that much in advance, keep checking your bp regularly. and post op - definitely keep a close watch on it - i was amazed at how quickly I needed to come off it.

oh and while i live alone, i did have a few friends calling/texting daily to check on me. and the friend who lives closest to me was on standby in case I had a problem and needed help. I made sure I wouldn't need to do laundry or a trip to the store for anything for at least two weeks.

I live alone so I just had a ride home from the hospital and no help at home. Pain was manageable, I took half the prescribed amount of narcotic for a couple days and then switched to plain over the counter tylenol twice a day for a couple more days. Getting in and out of bed can be a little uncomfortable - i was fortunate enough to purchase an adjustable bed base just prior to surgery which made it much easier. I've see where a lot of people sleep in a recliner the first few nights home. I didn't meet my Fluid goals the first few days but when woke on the 4th day home, I had turned a corner and could easily get in the fluids. That first week, it will basically be your job to keep sipping even when you don't feel like it so that you don't dehydrate. The first couple of days I would have one brief bout of mild nausea every morning - last at most 10 minutes - and never had to take anything. The only other thing is that i was very tired and weak - i think i took an afternoon nap every day for two weeks. Just keep sipping and walking and sipping and walking some more.

a suggestion for shoes since I also can't wear heels is Clark's. a bit pricey but they wear like iron and they have some very comfortable flat or nearly flat (slight perhaps 1/2" wedge) dress shoes (I also have several pair of lace up ones I wear with pants). if you go online you can find them in extended sizes and wide widths.

hmm I'll have to look for them here - I've definitely seen Arnott's products in the stores here but can't say I've seen the cruskits. Looks a bit like a wasa cracker.

women's clothing sizes are all over the map. and even more confusing when you are wearing 1x, 2x, 3x, - some stores a size 24 is their 2x but in others a size 24 is a 3x or even 4x. I basically have 2 or 3 online sites that I know what size I am and by exclusively from them. So actually the idea of going shopping when the clothes I currently have are falling is very daunting because I know I will have to try on a lot of things in a lot of stores to figure out sizing.

I'm transitioning off soft foods into regular now so for the last few weeks I was having: Breakfast - greek yogurt or low fat cottage cheese or scrambled/hard boiled egg lunch - pouch of tuna or salmon or 2oz low sodium/low fat lunch meat and a low fat string cheese dinner - tilapia baked in a foil pouch (keeps it moist and soft, change up the flavor by adding different herbs/spices), ricotta bake, canned chicken, shrimp and if room an ounce or so of soft cooked non-starchy veg - carrots, green Beans etc I still did one Protein shake a day to make sure i got enough protein.

I lost nothing the first two weeks. Your body is reeling from the major trauma of surgery. Stay off the scale and just focus on healing and getting your fluids/protein goals.

I hear ya. The only person who has noticed my weight loss so far is one friend who I've known for 17 years and has seen my weight go up and down and up up up over those years. And she only commented when I said something the other day about how i feel so much better and can tell my clothes fit different but was wondering just how much more I'd have to lose before I could visually SEE a difference. And she commented that my face was noticeably thinner. I've lost 111lbs since last december (33 since surgery June 17th) and I don't SEE a difference at all (granted I started at 442lbs so 331lbs is still extremely obese). I even tried taking a photo and comparing and nope, still don't SEE a difference. Eventually it will come - I hope! As for the driver's license, my current one expires at the end of September and I'm holding out until right before then to go get my picture for my renewal (I already have the renewal card to take to the DMV, just want to give myself a couple more weeks before the picture!). In the meantime - I just cling to other more noticeable things like being able to fit into pants that were too tight, being able to walk so much easier with much less pain, coming off one of my blood pressure meds already etc. And I keep reminding myself that I didn't really do this for "looks", I did it to feel healthier and I do feel better.

ok yeah if you've had PE's before, then it's a good idea. and they will likely still have you do the lovenox injections even with the IVC filter. and get up walking as soon as you can after surgery. I was annoying the nurses in the recovery area after my surgery because i was demanding to walk as soon as I woke up! haha they were glad when an actual room opened up for me to go to.

swallowing the stuff - especially after taking the fizzy powder first was a struggle! but i did think it was cool that I got to watch everything on screen and see it flow down into and out of my stomach. thank goodness I have didn't have to do it post-op - there is no way i could have gotten it all down. for my leak test, the surgeon did a dye test before closing me up while the tube was still down my throat - fed dye into and "stressed" my sleeve with some pressure and made sure they didn't see any dye escape from the staple line. so hopefully they'll do that leak test and you won't have to do the barium swallow again. definitely drink LOTS AND LOTS of Water - i felt gross pretty much the rest of the day afterward. I think this was the one that turned my poop a chalky white as well but that could have been the nuclear contrast from the cardiac stress test. good news is - another hurdle down!

If your medical team said liquids only for pre-op, stick with it. It is tough yes but try to treat the pre-op and immediately post-op phases as a prescription and follow them as such.

My surgeon's practice has installation of IVC filter prior to surgery as part of their protocol for high BMI (over 60) patients. In theory, if you develop a blood clot in your leg and it starts to move, the filter will catch it before it reaches your lung leading to a potentially deadly pulmonary emobolism. It is a relatively simple procedure (outpatient and usually in the vascular doc's office) to install and then it gets removed 4-6 weeks after surgery. There are risks associated with them though that you should ask about - the filters themselves can migrate, penetrate the vessel wall, induce formation of a clot around the filter etc - which can then make removal of the filter impossible. I questioned the need for it and did my own research (totally my personal decision, I question everything and work in pharma so was able to look up some research on them). I ended up meeting with the vascular surgeon as well as a hematologist. The hematologist and I went through my full medical history and family history to determine an overall risk level for blood clots. Ultimately we decided that for me, the IVC filter really wasn't necessary as I didn't have any other clotting risk factors other than just getting the surgery and my surgeon was fine with that. So instead, I took lovenox (a blood thinner) injections twice a day for 14 days after I got home from surgery (i was given heparin injections in the hospital). The lovenox injections are just subcutaous (pinch a little skin on your love handle area and inject a really small needle - didn't really hurt, just a slight stinging sensation for a few minutes). I would recommend to ask the vascular doc a lot of questions - how many does he do, rate of complications (and what type of complications), retrieval success, ask for data demonstrating benefit outweighs risk (whenever I asked about this I was told the data is inconclusive at this point). Then I would suggest meeting with a hematologist to go through your personal history to determine your risk of developing a clot. Many people get the filters installed no problem so I'm not trying to scare you. I just think everyone should ask questions of their medical team and do their own research to get the data they need to make an informed decision that is right for them rather than just accepting a general practice protocol.

I don't have PsA but wanted to say for the oral birth control I had to stop a couple weeks before surgery as well and was cleared to go back on it 6 weeks after surgery - at that point the threat of blood clots was reduced enough. Your surgeon/nurse should be able to tell you how long you'll be off each med.

You are going to encounter haters along the way on this journey. Especially the ones who "know someone who had WLS and didn't do well". Recognize that their words are a reflection of them and their own issues and really have nothing to do with you. As for this specific person, like you said - he's an ex and there is probably some insecurity there in not wanting you to move forward into a great life without him.

and yes the unjury chicken soup flavor is my friend - a welcome savory change when tired of sweet shakes.

I've done kind of the opposite of bufflehead - I eat the solids first, wait a bit, reheat the broth and drink it. But same concept - I still have soup, I just separate it out a bit.

You are doing grrrreat! It is always good to see people's progress. Such an inspiration!

Congrats on getting through that big hurdle! It definitely gets better every day. By day 4 I could easily meet Fluid and Protein goals and now 7.5 weeks out life is pretty normal other than occasional tiredness but even that gets less and less each day. keep us updated!

That is awesome! You have obviously worked hard - enjoy the victory!

I get it, we all want to see the scale keep moving and posting big losses. Guess what? 33lbs in less than 6 weeks IS a big loss! You are doing great! I had a follow up with my surgeon this morning - 7.5 weeks out and guess what? 33lbs down. He and the nutritionist were very happy with my progress as was my primary doc yesterday. As you should be with your progress! Stalls happen, and then they break - ISG's "embrace the stall" post is a great read for everyone at this stage. Rather than getting upset with a stall, use it as a chance to take a look at what you are doing to make sure you haven't strayed. Keep working the process and the process will work for you.

In addition to calling your nutritionist, try to find bariatric support groups - the nutritionist may be able to recommend one. Also maybe a therapist who has some experience working with bariatric patients? That might help more with the psychological aspect of the food addiction and how to find other coping mechanisms when the cravings hit