gonefromhere

I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for the first 6 weeks. I asked about stretches (like yoga, and PT for my back injury) and was told not to do anything that causes you to tighten your core/ab area. If there's too much pressure in your midsection, part of your intestine may pop out through the unhealed incision. I had a coworker that did a full back stretch (leaned over backwards with his hands up in the air) a few weeks after gallbladder surgery and that caused a hernia! My gym buddy thinks I may be able to do isolated arm/leg exercises, but so far I've just been walking on the treadmill. We go at lunch during work. Before I went back to work I walked some laps around my couch, but that was it really.

I had a cold 4 days post op, so I called my surgeon. He said I could take anything with the following guidelines: 1. no pills (liquid only) 2. do not take anything with acetaminophen while taking the acetaminophen/codeine they prescribed me for pain. Take one or the other. He suggested dayquil/nyquil (and stop the prescription painkiller)

I was sleeved on 12/21 (Wednesday). Went home Thursday evening, have been making my protein/fluid goals but also sleeping about 18 hours a day (I have hypersomnia and haven't started any stimulants yet). I'm worried that I might be catching a cold? My throat is more sore today than any day since surgery, and when I lay down I spend about 10 minutes coughing (even if I take my liquid pain med - tylenol + codeine - right before laying down). I'm a little stuffy, but I have been stuffy since the hospital because the air there is really dry and they turned the humidifier on my cpap all the way down. Is this a normal side effect? Am I catching a cold? Is there anything I should (or shouldn't) do if this turns into a full fledged cold? My primary care doc is available tomorrow, but I'm not sure my surgeon's schedule.

Actually, the literature all discusses a very low calorie diet (I'm haven't found any that looks specifically at macronutrients) to reduce liver size. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1381/0960892042386977 http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/2/304.short http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-010-0337-2 My personal suspicion is that many surgeons simplify this to a liquid diet to make sure the person has all of the supplies they need for their post op diets, and to simplify the instructions (how many people who are in this situation are used to eating plain chicken and veg with no sauces/condiments/etc?). My program imposes a liquid diet but instructs us that if we have trouble to contact the NUT. During a group class, one person said she was having trouble and the NUT gave her more detailed instructions allowing a small piece of chicken each day, so the liquid diet is not an absolute requirement. Additionally, my therapist refers to the pre-op diet as "breaking up with food". I'm processing the change in my food relationship now (pre-op) so when I start eating real food again post op I'll have a clean(er) slate.

I have not seen one. To be honest, it sounds a bit like chiropractors to me. Maybe you can find a good individual, but the field is awash in psuedo-science. Why did she suggest a functional medical specialist instead of an endocrinologist? They are usually in charge of hormones and your adrenals, and are covered by insurance.

The goal of the pre-op diet is to reduce the size of the liver so that surgery is easier. It reduces the likelihood of an accidental injury to your liver or stomach during the procedure

if your liquid is too hot some Proteins won't dissolve properly and will turn into clumps that float on the top of the liquid (it reminds me of eggs, to be honest). unjury says to keep liquid temps below 140F, but I haven't found temperature recommendations on anything else

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I had a therapy appointment last night and I honestly felt a lot better afterwards. We talked about how this is really me breaking up with food and it's okay to acknowledge that it's painful and grieve. @@ahappycamper I hope things get better for you soon!

I'm scheduled for surgery on 12/19 and started my pre-op diet on 12/09. I was cranky over the weekend but just a bit tired Sunday afternoon and early Monday so I thought I was over the worst of it. Then last night and today I've been having these crazy crying jags, at work even! Is this normal? How do you get through it?

Oh, this was covered pretty in depth in one of my pre-surgery classes (go to the ER!), but I live 45-90 minutes away from the hospital (traffic) and had to ask if I should go to my nearest ER or the one attached to the surgeons hospital (bariatric nurse said the closest ER but YMMV!) The sex question is a great idea!

There are a lot of questions and things that people need to talk to their surgeon about because the answers are individual to each situation and surgeon. I started a list but I know there have been more things that I've thought about before I started the list! Please help me remember, my appointment is tomorrow and surgery is 12/19! Current medications/supplements When can I start working out (lifting weights, riding bicycle, yoga, etc) Thanks!

If you're picky on flavors (I am) you can bring a favorite herbal tea bags or crystal light. I sleep with a cpap and mouth guard (for teeth grinding) so I'll be bringing those. Otherwise, just clean underwear, phone and charger. I'll make sure to download some non-fiction audio books onto my phone to listen to as I doze.

I think you'd need to call them and ask. Every practice does things a little different, so there's no way we can know.

@@seeingme Thanks for the response! I have completely gone off caffeine in the past (when I had daily migraines I tried just about everything) and didn't notice a change in wakefulness. My sleep doctor said if I didn't like modafinil/Provigil then he could prescribe something stronger (ADHD medications) but because of my family/social history I don't want anything addictive. Are there other medications that aren't addictive?

I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea 3 years ago, and use my cpap faithfully (I had daily migraines that have disappeared with cpap). I was told that I would go through an adjustment period and then start to have more energy and no longer be so sleepy during the day. That never happened, so this spring I did some more sleep studies and the doctor says my sleep apnea is under control. He diagnosed me with idiopathic hypersomnia (medical for "you sleep a lot and I don't know why"). I manage the hypersomnia with modafinil (a stimulant) and caffeine. I'm hoping that losing weight with the sleeve will give me more energy so I don't need to sleep as much, but right now I'm trying to figure out how to get through the pre-op diet and immediate post op period when caffeine isn't allowed. My current routine is 0530a 100mg modafinil 0700-1000 40 oz of coffee 1200 100mg modafinil 200p 40 mg caffeine (penguin mint) 400p 40 mg caffeine (penguin mint) I'm meeting with the surgeon on 12/6 and will ask if modafinil is allowed post surgery, but do any of you have hypersomnia? How have you stayed awake without caffeine?

I'm not sure what research @@Hammer_Down has been reading, I would be interested to see some of those studies! @@Anna Nim One place to start researching studies is http://nwcr.ws/Research/published%20research.htm unfortunately much of it is behind a paywall. Specifically, after 6 years of non-surgical weight loss the body is still not adapted to a lower set point https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27136388 I have never heard anyone say there's a genetic shift

Someone in my final nutrition class asked about it, and the nutritionist's advice was that if you use the zero calorie Gatorade it's okay, but the other versions of Gatorade have too many calories to be worth it. She didn't say anything about the taste.

@@ella37 Yeah I assumed I would be pretty tired right after surgery (I'm taking a week off work and teleworking the second week). I'm mostly concerned about the pre-op period (weaning vs cold turkey and still being able to work) and weeks 3-4 post surgery (before caffeine is allowed again) @@theantichick I meet with the surgeon on 12/6 and will be sure to ask about this specifically in context of my hypersomnia. I have a huge list of questions to ask! Thanks!

Apparently I'm dealing with my anxiety about surgery (12/19) by stocking up on Protein powders to be prepared. I'm nervous that the two I like right now I won't like after (and one is a pea protein so I'm only supposed to drink 1/day). Is (or did) anyone else feel like they might be overpreparing like this??

I'm Dec 19. Thanks for organizing this group!

Oh, yeah, I guess I wasn't clear. I'm stocking up on pretty much all of the variety/sampler packs I can find, plus I got a tub each of unjury and GENEPRO unflavored. I did get a full tub of a key lime pie though because it's my absolute favorite flavor for everything, but I'll probably mostly finish it pre-op.

I'm in Accokeek, MD, where are you?

I bought a variety pack, thinking that the low volume/high Protein may help during my first week or two post op. I tried the orange earlier this week and IT TASTES TERRIBLE. I've tried a lot of Proteins over the last 2 years and this is easily the worst ever. I'm not concerned that it's over 30g because I will only be drinking it if I can't get down more than a few sips at a time, so it'll be spread out. Also my NUT said that I can use non-optimal proteins (like pea proteins or collegean) as long as I only have one a day, and have some whey protein during that same day to make sure I get the micronutrients.

Any suggestions? I start my pre-op diet on 12/9 and am considering just going cold turkey and being miserable that weekend so I can be functional for the next two weeks.

I asked my NUT about them during one of our pre-op meetings and she said there hasn't been enough research to verify that the right amount of nutrients get into your body. She doesn't recommend them, but if you can't take pills/chewables I guess they are worth a try.