silverthreads

Good luck! You say you're freaking out a bit -- so did I and I expect just about everyone else in the last day or two before surgery. Just stay the path and you'll do great. I'm 3.5 weeks out and amazed at how great I feel. Haven't regretted it for a minute. I was sore for the first few days but off all pain meds in about 3 days and feeling surprisingly good by the end of the week. You're awesome and you've made a great decision. Best wishes to you.

My doc said 1-2 nights. Surgery was early on a Thursday, spent one night and by late Friday afternoon I had passed my leak test, had a liquid lunch and the surgeon said I could go home that night if I wanted or stay a second night if I preferred. I went home and it was fine but since I was sleeping most of the time a second night in the hospital would have been OK too.

I'm about 3.5 weeks out -- and I find I can eat about 1.5 oz comfortably at a sitting. 2 oz. is too much. My surgeon says this will change over the next few months and I will be able to eat more. So for now I'm also having one Premier Protein shake per day to keep my total protein up and add a few calories. I'm feeling great, so apparently it's enough!

I'm just over 3 weeks out, so still pretty new at this. My surgeon allows me to eat a very limited range of foods the first month, all soft foods (but I didn't have to do the liquid diet so many require -- every surgeon's plan is different). So with that said, here's my response: 1. So far I haven't found anything I can't eat (and I've strayed just a bit from plan to experiment) but definitely in smaller portions. I can see that in time when things are more normalized I will likely be able to eat just about anything in moderation. 2. For me I'm finding I'm pretty comfortable with about 1.5 oz. of food (usually grilled fish, scrambled eggs, refried Beans, etc.). 2 oz. seems to be too much but I know in time that will change. Now I know that sounds like a crazy small portion, but I'm fine with it and don't crave more. (Mind you I was used to huge portions before, lots of variety and was always hungry for more.) An example: I really am beginning to want more variety, so my Breakfast of late has been about 2/3 of a soft scrambled egg with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and mild salsa on top plus one heaping teaspoon of refried beans. I can eat the whole egg if I skip the beans but I find that even in tiny bits I really enjoy the variety of flavors. 3. I haven't regretted this surgery for a moment. I'm astounded by how much weight I've lost so far (about 27 pounds) and how much better I feel. Ditched the blood pressure meds too. I had the typical "what the hell am I doing?" doubts a day or two before surgery, but they abated quickly. Note: I live in San Francisco and am a certified foodie. I love all sorts of ethnic foods in addition to my midwest meat and potato upbringing. I was worried how I'd fare without all that and I'm just fine! Perhaps the very best thing about this surgery has been that I don't crave food anymore. I have small meals but I try to get good quality and flavor (my latest discovery is a local Japanese take-out place that has great grilled fish--which fits with my surgeon's plan). One more week until I can have a wider menu! Good luck on your journey.

I'm in California so things were processed here. Took about two weeks, and I got a call from BCBS informing me of the approval. The nurse who called me had apparently been sleeved herself and was brimming with advice... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm 17 days out and the lack of hunger or cravings is amazing. I eat when and what I should, but just can't hear the siren call of the donut shop anymore! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Good Luck kmorri you'll do great! FWIW I didn't have any nausea at all. I hope your journey starts just as smoothly as mine did. Soon you'll be feeling better...

What a wonderful post! Good for you 2goldengirl. This was one of my primary goals from the surgery as well. I'm only 17 days out and so far I feel just the same. I just keep hoping it will last long term... You give me hope!

@@scampbell33 I'm 17 days out and also started feeling very tired about day 12. Checked my BP and it was suddenly about 30 points lower. My doc took me off my meds two days later when it dropped further, and now I'm beginning to get some energy back. So it would be a good idea to check your BP and talk to your doctor.

@@lady10000000000 Glad you're feeling a little better today. I felt noticeably better each day and I'm sure you will too. Walking helped the most--and lots of naps! Feel better.

@@Seastars -- thanks for that excellent article. The chart posted there should be made widely available on this site (but I don't know how to do that!) as it's very helpful. Let me make one small correction lest anyone be confused -- you (and others) talked about "Medicare" covering bariatric surgery and being run jointly with the states. That's "Medicaid" (often confused). Just to be clear: Medicaid is a program for lower income people. It is jointly funded by the Federal and State government -- and is run by each state under agreements with the Feds. The name also varies from state to state -- so some states have come up with a clever name (California's program is called "Medi-Cal" -- which unfortunately is often quoted as "medical" which confuses things) while some others just call it "Medicaid" "Nevada Medicaid" etc. Covered services under Medicaid do vary from state to state -- states must cover the basic list given by the Feds but can add programs, etc. at state cost. Medicare is a purely Federal program (for people 65 and older, disabled persons and those with qualifying diseases like kidney failure or ALS) and the benefit package is supposed to be the same everywhere -- it isn't regulated by the states at all. In actual fact there can be some small differences in coverage regionally because of something called Local Coverage Determinations which can vary a bit, but that's too esoteric to get into here. You can possibly have both Medicaid and Medicare -- if you are low-income and over 65 or disabled. Medicare does cover bariatric surgery -- but the key is it has to be determined "medically necessary" -- so there are likely requirements similar to those in the commercial insurance world (determined by the regional Medicare Administrative Contractor or MAC if you have Original Medicare or by your Medicare Advantage plan if you have a managed care plan). The bottom line for all the rest is that health insurance is regulated by the states, so requirements vary -- both for the exchange ("Obamacare") plans and commercial insurance. Medicare is the only coverage that is not governed by the state where you live.

Good luck. I was sleeved 4/28 and feel great. This has been a much smoother process than I expected. The first few days had their moments--mostly getting in and out of bed. Totally worth it! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm on my 10th day post-op VSG and I'm feeling pretty darned good. I'm getting my fluids and Protein in, I'm walking up to 2 miles/day (several shorter walks). I was off all pain meds several days ago, and I've lost almost 20 pounds. What's not to like? I have one of those Withings scales that records my heart rate along with my weight, and it's been up 15-20 bpm every single day -- typically in the high 80's/low 90's. I'm not freaked about it -- just guessing it's my body working on healing. I've got my first follow-up on Wednesday and will ask my doc, but I thought I'd ask the gang here. Is this typical? Did anyone else notice this? Thanks.

Hi dcoral: You're probably hitting two problems (1) the norco isn't as effective as the IV Meds you were on and (2) laying in bed for so long is making everything ache. (And of course the gas adds to that) I hear you--my surgery was on 4/28 and that second part was killing me! Walking helped. Getting out of bed was no fun but made me feel better. I felt noticeably better each day and was cutting those norco in half by day three (and adding one Tylenol). By day 7 I was off all pain meds. The worst is over--you'll be better soon! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

@@u4ia58 -- best of luck tomorrow, you'll do great. Mine was just last week and I'm amazed how quickly I've bounced back. I hope your experience is just as good!

I took noise canceling earbuds and a phone full of music. Best thing I packed--it allowed me to sleep despite all the hospital noise and people going in and out of the room. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm Day 5 post-op VSG and my surgeon's guidelines allow me to have soft foods at this point. I've been doing just great with no discomfort, and have had small quantities of tuna salad and a scrambled egg with zero problems. So I'm not sure what it feels like when I go too far. I asked my surgeon and he just chuckled and said "you'll know". OK, so I just had an ounce or so of hummus with two low-fat crackers, and I started feeling weird -- like I'm overheated and my heart was racing. (My heart rate has been up generally today, for whatever reason.) So I'm wondering -- is that it? It seems to be passing after about 15 minutes and I'm not freaked or anything but I thought I'd get some outside perspective. Thanks!

I dont want to scare you and with all my respect to your doctor but I think it is way too early to start the food you are eating now, you heart rate increases which is one of a red flag sign (that what I have been told) so why don't you go with liquids and soups for at least three weeks until you stomach heals a little bit better! Stomachs are the same everywhere, i think it is not up to the surgeon to decide it is ready unless he did endoscopic study on you and cleared you out for that kind of food!!! Just be careful please!! @@mia150 I thank you kindly for your concern. I've worked with thousands of doctors over the years, and if there is anything I've learned it's that medicine (and especially surgery) is an art as much as it is a science. That's why they keep doing more research to see what works well, etc. I chose my surgeon carefully -- he's world class and one of the pioneers of the duodenal switch surgery (he also does liver transplants -- no slouch he!). He's had thousands of patients and I'm following his standard protocol which seems to be working just fine for me. Today is 1 week from surgery and I'm off all pain meds, have pretty good energy, I'm getting in my Protein and fluids, and I've lost 12 pounds. I should also mention that I'm only allowed a limited variety of soft foods (e.g. scrambled egg, soft fish, refried beans) and I'm being careful with each new food as I introduce it. You may have noticed in my just previous post that I've identified the culprit for my symptoms -- the Vitamin I was taking. That just takes a small adjustment... All the best, and good luck on your journey.

Thanks everyone who posted -- I appreciate your support. I actually think I've found the cause and it was a surprise: my Centrum Silver chewable vitamins! I've had similar episodes once each day and I realized this morning that it could be the Vitamins so I took one without any food -- and sure enough I'm back to the same symptoms. When I was in my 20's I found out that I had an extreme reaction of flushing and racing pulse when I took one of the B vitamins that a doctor friend had given me to try. I'm thinking that by chewing these up I'm getting too much of something at once, so I'm going to go back to the regular "swallow" style I've been using without problems for years. I'm otherwise doing truly great, and glad I started down this path.

I was on clear liquids the day before surgery only--no requirement before that. Surgery went very smoothly!

Good for you in making a wise and sometimes tough decision. I look forward to hearing about your journey. You're right that this board could use some low BMI perspective. My BMI was 36.2 so higher than yours but on the lower side too. Sleeved last week and doing darned well so far! Good luck!

Thanks @@Samara1974 and @@Andrea72 Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Thanks @@Christinamo7 . I've learned from many of your posts BTW--thanks for sharing your knowledge! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

When I was a 35 y/o Army officer a brand new recruit was assigned the task of taking everyone's height and weight with the unit's scale. The trooper was an innocent looking 18 y/o woman who said my height was an inch shorter than I expected. I said she must have made a mistake. She earnestly looked into my eyes and said "you know Sir, you shrink as you get older" (clearly I was ancient in her eyes). Certainly my ego shrunk instantly! I ordered her to check again and was vindicated. 22 years later, I have lost that inch. The little bi**h proved right after all! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I took some noise canceling earbuds and a phone loaded with music. Made all the hospital noise disappear and I could actually sleep! The nurses actually had to grab my toe to wake me up when needed... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App