TracyBar

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.Today was my first full day back and it was perfect. I am finally rested enough to come back full day strong. Tomorrow is a 12 hour day though, so I may have a different story tomorrow night lol Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App @@ChaCha77 - 12 hours! what do you do? that's a long day….how are you doing with fluids/food etc.?I work for a non profit, but tomorrow we have to work a normal day, then we have a fundraising event in the evening, so yeah, long day. Today, I had about 45 g of Protein and about 60 ounces of Water. Not quite where it needs to be, but it was my first day on purees and I think it will take a little practice Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App My nerves around this surgery are the afterward. I can't wrap my mind around the difficulties drinking fluids, and eating. Is it supposed to be so hard? I get so lightheaded and ill if I don't get protein even now. So I'm worried about being able to work and be able to think straight if I'm barely able to drink or eat....

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.Today was my first full day back and it was perfect. I am finally rested enough to come back full day strong. Tomorrow is a 12 hour day though, so I may have a different story tomorrow night lol Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App @@ChaCha77 - 12 hours! what do you do? that's a long day….how are you doing with fluids/food etc.?

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.

That's my worry - I'd be paying cash and I think I need the dietitian and counselling. Some is provided but both places I'm considering are a long way from my home.Do it. ..I paid cash and seeing the dietician and therapist was great. I see the dietician with my surgeon at each eating change. I had surgery July 26th. Sent from my SM-N900V using the BariatricPal App Thank you - How are you doing? You had the surgery such a short time go - how would you gauge your recovery? I'm still scared about jumping into this - but I've done a lot of research and soul searching. I see my doctor next week - a bit nervous about what her reaction will be!

Wonderful! How much weight are you down?

Is it the gas they use to expand the belly for laparscopic surgery? I'm pretty sure I got that when I had my appendix out but I don't remember any gas pain - maybe the morphine helped with that! Weird about your legs - did you ask them why? I can see the incision areas hurting though. I know you help to sit down and stand up - didn't they tell you this?

Great news! How are you feeling - any pain? Did you have any right after the procedure? Details! lol

@ Chicken Lady - the surgeon I have considered also doesn't require a liver-shrinking diet pre-op either. Just typical pre-surgery protocol.

I would say as well that you drink more clear fluids than you originally planned on doing. And be honest with the surgeon and team - it may be fine but better safe than sorry.... Good luck to you on your surgery!!

Sorry - I'm new here and didn't realize...

Those hormones are amazing! I'll have to let my husband know - he's onside with me for the surgery, so he should be just fine with the benefits too!

Hi Gina. I have IBS as well. I was hospitalized as a toddler for a week - diagnosis: nervous stomach. Which of course became Spastic Colon, then IBS. Now, at 54 I got so fed up with how I was feeling that i decided I wasn't going to feel like it another day. I started doing research. I discovered while doing research that sorbitol and other sugar alcohols are in so many things (xylitol, mannitol, etc.). Even in my toothpaste. And more importantly, I was taking Cipralex Meltz which contain sorbitol - I can honestly say I felt poisoned. So - lactose intolerant, IBS and a pretty bad intolerance for sugar alcohols (something I figured out 5-6 years ago but didn't know I was ingesting every single day). When I went to my doctor and explained all these thing she said - "I know what's wrong with you!" - She told me about the Low FODMAP diet - a Doctor in Australia (with celiac) discovered the correlation between certain foods and intolerances, and sugar alcohols and their effect on people with gastro-intestinal problems. The biggest factor for me has been removing sorbitol completely. I'm super vigilant about this. My brain-fog just disappeared, my gut/bowel was so much better after that. I'm fairly good at not eating the many fruits and vegetables, fructose, fructans, etc that are all part of this. I just could not understand why when I ate I avoided dairy but my almost instant diarrhea happened all the same. It was awful. I'm not completely out of the woods, but I feel control for the first time in my life! I downloaded the app, bought the book and haven't looked back. My IBS is one of my major concerns when it comes to getting the gastric sleeve operation. I'm very concerned about foods going through my system too quickly and making my life miserable due to the food bypassing the absorption in the small intestine and through to the large too quickly resulting in chronic diarrhea. I see my doctor August 11 and it'll be a question I'll be asking for sure. She may not know the answers but she may be able to send me to see somebody that does. I really think that you should try this diet, especially as you have IBS. Perhaps you already know about the Low FODMAP diet? If so, sorry I've wasted your time with this very long message! lol The Protein shakes you're drinking - check the ingredients. Become familiar with all the sugar alcohols so you can recognize them when you read ingredient lists. Most people with IBS also have lactose intolerance. Do you have it? Protein shakes are an issue for me - it's also a concern if I get the sleeve surgery as the Protein Shakes are a necessity from what I know. I can't have things like sugar-free popsicles (probably have sorbitol), shakes if they have dairy or sugar alcohols/sorbitol, etc. Dieting usually means low-fat, low-sugar foods. I won't be able to ever have those items, so will need to always have whole foods only - no processed. I will need to have a Protein shake chosen beforehand that doesn't bother me. If it bothers me before surgery it'll be a nightmare after. Please look at this diet - there are so many doctors that don't know about it. Find a dietician who knows about it and get some help from him/her. Check your toothpaste, your foods/drinks, gum, mints, sugar-free pop (btw I can't have aspartame either). Good luck - would be so nice if this is a big help for you :-)

Thanks - this does not bring me joy! LOL

So sorry Gina - sounds like you've been through the wringer. Were you in good health prior to the surgery (apart from being overweight?). Did you have any pre-existing conditions that could have worsened with the stress your body went through with surgery?

thankfully reading about the hormone dump prepared me and allowed me to prepare my husband because boy have we had a lot of fun with that also! How long does the hormone dump last generally speaking?

600-800 calories a day? Can one actually live on that? I certainly need to learn more about life after the surgery. I thought 1200 cals per day was the norm...

Hi Neeser - when did you have the surgery? And why are you unable to eat bread? I'm just learning about everything right now. Thanks! Hi Neeser - when did you have the surgery? And why are you unable to eat bread? I'm just learning about everything right now. Thanks!

That's my worry - I'd be paying cash and I think I need the dietitian and counselling. Some is provided but both places I'm considering are a long way from my home.

How did your brother mess up? Did he lose any weight at all? Can you actually gain weight with such a small stomach?

thanks! I see you're not long past surgery so it's good to get a prospective from somebody who just had it. I've read other posts from those further along in their journey and they are eating fairly normally but small portions. Fine by me. I've done enough damage - time to eat properly. From what i've read 6 months seems to be a turning point. Also - I believe you can have no alcohol for 6 months - fattening anyway!

Thanks! I'm 54 and in menopause for about a year and a bit now. My doc said that it may not be to traumatic for me as fat holds a lot of estrogen. I certainly did experience some mood swings (my family can attest to that!) and some hot flashes at times, but nothing like what I know other women have had. But of course, it doesn't just end does it? I mean you can experience all these symptoms of menopause always - perhaps it depends on the woman. I do worry a bit about the hormone dump since I didn't suffer too much with menopause. It also keeps me looking younger! So I will miss that for sure :-( But the ultimate reason is health and my weight (ESPECIALLY since menopause) has been creeping steadily upward. Thanks for you input!

Today a good opportunity came up for me to discuss getting WLS with my husband. I was nervous - I just really didn't know what his response would be. My guess was that he'd be against it - the surgery and spending the money. However, he surprised me! He is totally onside with it! He said that if it'll make me happy then I should do it. I think at first he thought I'd be able to get it done at no cost (I'm in Canada), which I could if I wanted to wait years - so I said, no, we'd have to pay. Again, he was fine with it. It's good to get that hurdle out of the way. Our young daughter was away all day with friends so he and I spent a wonderful day on the deck in the sunshine and chatted for hours. I told him the surgery will be difficult at times. There's no going back, etc. But that I was on the way to weight-related diseases with about 100% positivity. He said, that alone would be enough reason to have it done. Of course, my mind was slipping into a bad direction - is he embarrassed of me and would do anything to have me look better?! I said as much to him, and he said 'of course not!' It's not fair of me to think that way - I'm embarrassed of myself looking this way! Anyway - it's nice to have his support :-)

Hi - hope I crave good foods too! Question: you had internal bleeding shortly after surgery? What happened? I didn't follow my instructions after coming home. I was feeling really good and didn't seek help getting on and off sofa and recliner. Had internal bleeding and second surgery to investigate/stop bleeding. When he went back in discovered bleeding had already stopped. Not a good experience and my blood pressure was dangerously low during my ambulance trip through a blizzard . I regretted having the surgery for about 1 month afterward, but when the weight started falling off and I started to feel really energetic, my feelings changed. Now, if faced with the decision again I'd choose to have the surgery even if I knew about the bleeding and second surgery ahead of time. So the lesson here is - heed your Doctor :-) I've read a lot about having regrets in the few weeks after surgery. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I gather this is a combination of factors - for women, hormone dump (excuse my ignorance but do men experience anything like that?), the post-op liquid diet, and since no weight loss is apparent right after surgery, the feeling that you did the wrong thing. I must say that I'm glad I've been spending the time to learn as much as possible - although I'm certain there's a lot more to learn. At first the idea of WLS horrified me - I honestly thought it was reserved for really morbidly obese people like we see on t.v. shows. But as I started to learn more, and read how much it has positively changed so many lives, I started to see it as a possible saviour for me. And about adherence to doctor's orders post-op, I was planning on being home alone for a couple of weeks afterward, so it sounds like I may need somebody there to help for a few days...

Hi - hope I crave good foods too! Question: you had internal bleeding shortly after surgery? What happened?

So well said. I'm in the research stage and reading all I can - from as many viewpoints as possible. I go back and forth in my resolve to have the surgery. And although there are foods I would miss, I am thinking about my health more than anything. I've had a lot of years of eating poorly. I think I've done enough of that. With each pound I gained, my usual super out-going self became quieter, sadder and a bit on the reclusive side. I have most definitely put my family aside and I haven't participated in life with them as much as I want to. My youngest is 11 years old today, and I feel that I have just been so tired, so stressed, so unhappy, that I can't seem to give her the time and effort that I really want to. She is losing out on me and I on her and she is one of the biggest reasons, if not the biggest, that I want this surgery. I don't want to miss another minute of enjoying her - she's growing up so fast. I'm choosing happiness - and with each day that I read some posts on here, my resolve to do what it takes to get and stay healthy is stronger - thanks - I think your post made a big impact on me and the wavering I've experienced.