futurefeatherweight

Hang in there. In a few weeks, the dreaded liquid diet will be a distant memory. If you haven't tried the Tylenol for the headaches, you should definitely try it if your surgeon allows. Most surgeons say no aspirin or NSAIDs- ibuprofen, naproxen prior to surgery but are ok with plain Tylenol. I had to take a big dose of Tylenol ( 1gram- 2 extra strength tablets) every morning during my pre-op diet. When I tried going without it, I had an all day long headache. I would definitely take the hubby up on the meal prep thing. No need to torture yourself. You will probably find it much easier to prep meals for others post-op. For me, the pre-op diet period was the hardest. The hunger was terrible. Post-op, I had no problem fixing food for others because I didn't have the hunger sensation.

You should call your surgeon or at least talk to your dietitian. Every day that you don't eat, you will be getting weaker. Since you can tolerate Water, try to drink some Protein enhanced water if you can. If you are having stomach pain and are worried, be sure to talk to your surgeon.

I haven't had any cortisone injections post-op (nor do I ever plan on getting them again) but I had to respond because it was cortisone injections that caused my first significant weight gain as an adult. I was a relatively thin person until I was given steroid injections to treat pain caused by a car accident. I gained 30 lbs very quickly. Steroids cause weight gain. They also have a myriad of other unpleasant side effects. I avoid them unless there are absolutely no other treatment options.

I had surgery on 8/15. For me, I would describe my post op pain at it's most intense about a 4 out of 10 or moderate pain. During my hospital stay, I asked my nurse about what her experience with post sleeve patients & pain was. She told me that about half of her patients wound up having significant nausea and pain afterwards and the other half didn't have much pain at all & were up and ready to go. I don't know that it is all related to pain tolerance. I think that it is equally related to how your body reacts to the surgery. If you are at all prone to nausea, I would recommend asking for a scopolamine patch to better your odds of not having nausea related complications. As to whether you will feel normal by Monday, well you may not have a lot of pain, but you will definitely still feel like you just had a major surgery. You will still have some incision site pain and will probably tire easily after walking and doing daily activities. It is important to rest and get in all of your fluids and Protein so your body can heal properly.

Yes, I am doing daily enoxaparin injections for 14 days post-op. I am actually so glad that my surgeon prescribed this as one of my biggest fears going in was having a pulmonary embolism post-op. My surgeon prescribes the injections to all of his patients as long as they don't have any contraindication to taking it. It is a relatively easy shot. Your nurse will show you how to do it before you leave the hospital. My surgeon's office actually offers to set up home health for those who aren't comfortable giving themselves shots. I took insulin for years so it was nothing new to me.

I had my surgery on August 15th, The last couple of days before my surgery, I was really having some doubts. Got really nervous. My main goal was to get better control over my diabetes and the pre-op diet did that for me. So I had just about talked myself into just skipping surgery and low carbing it forever. Then I thought about all of the effort I had put into getting approved and ready for surgery. I thought about how my doctors and my insurance company thought that this is something that would benefit my health and potentially prolong my life. I realized that I may not get another opportunity like this- so I went through with it, I can tell you without a doubt, that having the surgery was definitely the best decision for me. I am not even quite 2 weeks post op and I am already thrilled with my results. I weigh 25 lbs less than I did 1 month ago (lost 10 lb pre-op & rest after surgery), I don't take any diabetes medication any more (I used to take 5 shots of insulin per day & oral medication). I found recovery to be much easier than I expected. My pain was never more than a 4 out of 10.I feel like I have a new lease on life. I am so happy that I didn't talk myself out of the surgery.

I would pay for the overnight stay because it is difficult to predict how you are going to feel after surgery. Some people have a lot of nausea and pain. I had an easy recovery but according to my nurse, about half of her patients have a really rough time the first few days. It would stink to be discharged before you were ready to go and it is nice to have a nurse come in and help you get up and down the first time and answer questions about what to expect post op.

A number of my coworkers have taken out 401K loans and they took around 7-10 days before they got the money. I would think that the turnaround time would vary by 401K administrator.

I am 7 days post op and have had a remarkably quick recovery physically. However, I think that I made a mistake this past weekend (days 5 & 6 post-op) when I decided to go out of town with my family to visit my husband's family with an overnight stay. I thought that it would be good for me to get up and stretch my legs while shopping but found myself getting off track with my Water intake and getting dehydrated. I also kind of lost it in a food court when I was surrounded by people eating delicious smelling food while I had absolutely nothing but my water. I had brought a bowl & strainer and planned to get pho broth from a particular restaurant but because of traveling with others, actually wound up somewhere that had nothing that I could eat. I was having one of those mornings where I would have rather have nothing than drink any more Protein shake so I hadn't eaten anything since the night before. The other adults actually wandered off so I couldn't just get up and shop and leave the kids there by themselves. So I just set there fuming. When I did manage to get out of the food court, I did get to drink some of the awful Protein Shake that I keep in the car in case I need it. I seem to have aversion to almost every food that I am allowed but they are fleeting aversions. I have bought about 8 different kinds of acceptable Soups and have different Protein shakes. I found that I might absolutely detest something one morning so I pack something else only to find that later my taste has changed and I now detest what I have packed, I tried to take at least two different things, savory and sweet, when traveling but I still find that I just can't keep up with my changing taste. My parents have asked me to go on a 3 day trip with them this next weekend. I love the idea of getting to go somewhere with my parents but I told them about how difficult this last weekend was (several experiences being stuck watching others eat with nowhere to go), They said that they would make sure to drop me off somewhere else when they go out to eat. I am just not sure if I should even be traveling at this point. Maybe I should just stay home where I can go into my kitchen and select whatever food my stomach currently finds acceptable. I don't know how I am going to deal with this when I have to return to work in a couple of weeks. I am going to have to pack food with me and I don't know if I will be able to stomach what I've packed.

Thanks for the advice. I know that this will just be something that I will just have to adjust to and eventually it will resolve when I am able to eat off the menu. I guess that I should be thankful that I am doing so well and not having real problems with eating or drinking post-op- just psychological ones. I might consider staying home for awhile longer because for whatever reason, I am ok at home, even preparing meals for others as long as I have access to whatever food my stomach feels it is in the mood for.

Try broth. You've got this! Sent from my KFFOWI using the BariatricPal App Unfortunately, broth isn't an option. 3 shakes, 2 bars, 1 black coffee or tea and unlimited water for 2 weeks. What I would do for a cup of broth right now I couldn't handle the shakes for every pre-op meal either. I found them especially sweet and repulsive. My surgeon was fine with broth since it is part of a more restrictive (clear liquid) diet. I just added unflavored Protein powder to get my protein in. If you truly hate the shakes, you might ask if you can start the clear liquid diet early with added unflavored protein. Just be sure to mention that you are willing to add protein to the broth so they wont say they are concerned about you not getting enough protein. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Another option might be looking at surgeons who have payment plans or use Care Credit (a credit line specifically for surgeries and medical expenses). I used Care Credit for some dental work. They are owned by one of the larger banks but I forget which one. I found them very easy to work with and they even gave me a 1 year interest free period. I noticed that my surgeon uses Care Credit.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the teas that I drank were all decaffeinated. Best of luck to you.

I had to do 14 days of Clear liquids. What helped me was getting a variety of different flavored products. After a few days of the Protein shakes, I was about to lose it so I switched to drinking mostly protein fortified broths (added unflavored protein). My favorites are: swanson reduced sodium chicken broth, miso easy (instant miso broth- pretty good stuff) and I got broth from a pho restaurant as well (I strained this). I was allowed sugar free Jello and popsicles too. I drank a variety of flavors of Powerade zero, different hot teas, and crystal light. I would recommend switching back and forth between sweet and savory things on the list . I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but for me, the pre-op fast was a lot harder than the first few days of post op, I am currently 5 days post op and am easily satisfied by the thin creamy Soups & Protein Shakes and water that I am allowed. No more all consuming hunger like there was during the pre-op diet.

I am 5 days post-op. The first day I felt it if I took too big of a sip of Water, but now, I can take much larger drinks without feeling any discomfort. Room temp water is the way to go. The first day, I would take 1 ounce of water over about 3-4 sips every 15 minutes. Now, I can swallow the entire ounce in one drink but I try not to as I think that it seems to make me burp more.

Congratulations! You look amazing.

I got sleeved today. North Texas area. So far so good.

As a pharmacist, I would recommend opening the capsule and mixing with about a teaspoon of diluted, unsweet applesauce (may skip diluting if you are at phase where you can do undiluted applesauce or if your doc allows this)

I am also having my surgery on August 15th. I am on Clear liquids. I'm allowed to add unflavored Protein to my broth up till the day before surgery. This seems to help with the weakness and hunger, I have been varying my broths a little and drinking Powerade zero and decaffeinated tea and Water. I am nervous; especially after hearing from so many people that during the first week post-op it is common to question yourself and feel like you may have not made the right choice in choosing surgery . Everyone I have talked to has been ultimately happy with their decision & have had positive results but they all have said that the first week is pretty rough both mentally and physically. I have to admit that I'm a little scared about how I am going to feel next week.

I have just started my weight loss journey- consulted with surgeon but I am a little hesitant because I take literally 200+ units per day of insulin and am wondering how my body will react to getting the sleeve. I am sure that I will have to cut back on my insulin since my diet will drastically change. I also have high blood pressure. My biggest fear with the surgery is that my body will not stabilize quickly enough for me to return to work so that I can support my family. I have 8-12 weeks of sick leave but I am in one of those positions where they don't really want me to take more than 2 weeks off. My job is very demanding mentally and requires me to be on point at all times and oftentimes work alone or supervising others. I am so afraid that I will be having hypoglycemic episodes, low blood pressure, nausea/vomiting while I am supposed to be working. Anyone have any experience with this?

Ask your surgeon or his coordinator about your insurance company's requirements. I have BCBS (not the federal gov kind) and their requirements were BMI of 40 for patients without the listed comorbidities and 35 with co-morbidities (I fall into this category). If you are close to minimum BMI requirement, it is also important to know how the surgeon runs his program i.e. when he charts your weight for insurance purposes. I barely have a BMI of 35 and was concerned about meeting insurance criteria. The first surgeon told me that his program required that my BMI be 35 at a final weigh in just prior to the surgery (this following 2 week liquid diet). I actually paid about $300 for consultation with him and his staff dietitian and they weren't very upfront about what happens if I lost too much weight before the surgery. I had to voice my concerns before they told me that if I didn't meet the required BMI the day of surgery, I would be denied surgery, I told this surgeon that I didn't think that I would be able to maintain eligibility with his plan. I wound up choosing my current surgeon upon the recommendation of an RN friend who had a gastric sleeve placed at the minimum BCBS BMI of 40 (no comorbidities). This surgeon only requires that my BMI be 35 (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease)up until the day I receive approval from insurance company (before liquid diet)

As far as your factor V Leiden mutation, have you ever had a blood clot? Have you ever had to take warfarin? You should do a little research on each surgery on your own and then go back to the surgeon who you feel most confident in, and present to him your findings and then have him explain to you why he feels the option that he has presented to you is best for you, I would also ask about what he plans to use for VTE prophylaxis and for what duration (of course, if you have had a blood clot or take warfarin, this will effect this decision). Sorry, I keep editing- for some reason my font isn't showing up as what I selected