blizair09

I took them for the first two days post-op. By Day 3, I started rebounding, and I didn't really need them anymore. (I still had some pain, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't manage without taking the medicine.)

I am Day 24 post-op, and I still have days where I am weaker than others, and days where my walking wears me out much worse than others. Overall, I still get tired really easy. This is why I am not going back to work until November 14. By then, my plan will have had me on the beginnings of meat for a week, and I am hopeful that my energy levels will be better. (And since that is the week before Thanksgiving, I'll work that week and then be off the entire week after...)

What would you say has caused you to gain weight?

My NP said alcohol was fine starting at one month post-op. I cut it out after the first month of my six-month pre-op diet because I didn't want to give any of my precious calories to it. My plan is to keep it cut out until December (3 months post-op) when I take my partner on a 3.5 week tour of southeast Asia as a graduation celebration. And, even then, any consumption will be majorly conservative. Once we return home, I might have the occasional drink in a social setting, but that's about it. I accepted when I started this journey that drinking will NEVER be like it was before. And I'm okay with that. Good luck!

Have you tried the unflavored Protein powder? Try mixing it with broth and see if that works better for you. Good luck!

I was the same way. My surgery day and the first two days after were pure hell. But on the third day post-op, I began to turnaround, and it has been better and better every day since. Other than getting tired really easy, I am sitting pretty at Day 24 post-op!

You're right. The mental challenge is really tougher than the physical challenge. That's where your own grit and perseverance plays an important role in this journey. Hang in there!

What a transformation! All of that hard work is paying off. Congratulations!!

I use Isopure Unflavored and mix with strained cream of chicken Soup. It has that smell about it when you mix, and it makes the soup become cloudy, but you can't taste it. When I was still in Clear liquids, I used it in broth and found the same effect.

I go to the spa every day (I bought a membership). Tanning, red-light therapy, hydro therapy, facial, and massage every day but Sunday (they are closed on Sundays). It is about a mile from my house, so that gets my walking in every day as well. I love it! And the red-light therapy is no joke about improving skin blemishes (stretch marks, etc.).

Does your work give you the opportunity to give any dietary restrictions you have beforehand in situations like this? Mine has always done that and whoever is coordinating the event always work with those that have dietary needs in one way or the other.

I lost 100 pounds in my six-month pre-op diet, and fell to just right at a 40 BMI on the day of surgery, and every thing went through just fine.

@@kyboo1972 Go you! Congratulations on your pre-op weight loss. It will serve you SO WELL going forward. (And when you hit that inevitable "3 week stall" -- and it will happen; I'm in the middle of it right now -- it is so comforting when you've lost 120 pounds and not just 20 pounds!)

Good luck! The next few days will suck, but you'll start to rebound quickly.

Try to find something to indulge in that you can do. For me, going to the spa every day during my recovery has done the trick. I walk to and from (about a mile from my house each way), so I get my exercise in, too. I am one tan mofo these days (a stark contrast from my usual pasty-white self), and the massage, red-light therapy and hydration therapy has made my skin softer and has actually helped fade my stretch marks. Also, decaf iced tea has worked wonders for me. I am as surprised as anyone that I have been caffeine-free for 25 days now, but, it hasn't been as bad as I think. (Although, out of everything, I miss diet coke the most!) Hang in there!!

Congratulations!!

The six-month pre-op diet was the best thing that could have happened to me. I was super prepared for the surgery and to be able to meet the physical and mental demands post-op. Good luck!

I got to add well-cooked green Beans, string cheese, and cottage cheese this week. All have been such a welcome addition. I get to add scrambled eggs in on Sunday and salmon in the following Sunday. The eggs and salmon will normalize my eating just a little bit more, so I am super excited about that! Keep enjoying the journey. It looks like we are getting to some better days. (And I had 21 days of liquids myself. I never was more proud to see a spoonful of green beans as I was last Sunday!!)

I got to add my first "chewable" food this week -- well-cooked green Beans, cottage cheese, and string cheese. I have had no issues at all. I have had to be even more purposeful about getting my fluids in with the 30 minutes before and after eating each of the "solid" foods. But I have still managed to get my 64 oz in; it just takes all day (even with me being able to drink more than I could last week or the week before). Good luck!

Good luck tomorrow!

You have to do what you have to do. She'll get on board eventually. Hearing this makes me even more thankful for my family. My Mom, Dad, and brother have had the sleeve, the bypass, an the band respectively over the past many years. They had a come-to-Jesus with me last Thanksgiving about using surgery as a tool to get my weight under control. I'll always love them just because they are them, but I love them even more for that. Good luck!

Wow. Just wow. I can't have chicken of any kind until Week 7. On Day 5 I was still on Clear liquids (not even packaged Protein shakes or full liquids yet).

Agreed!

I am so excited because I get to try a scrambled egg this Sunday. I hope I don't have a bad reaction to it. I have always loved eggs, and if they will work for me, it is going to be the first step back to some sense of a new normalcy for me. I'll have to remember to take it super slow.