thejiffer

I didn't have a catheter, but the drain coming out was bizarre. There was a pinch when she cut the stitch holding it in, and then while she was pulling (and pulling...and pulling...) it felt like the end of the drain was attached to one of my organs and that it was trying to come out through that itty bitty hole too! It wasn't as painful as it sounds, just a really, really weird feeling. The only real pain came because removing the drain seemed to dislodge a gas bubble from the surgery - went straight to my shoulder but I couldn't do anything about it right away because she still had to put a dressing on the drain wound before I could move around.

I had the same concern on liquids. Asked at my two-week follow-up last week if I could expect more restriction on purees, then even more on mushies, then solid foods...she confirmed. And now that I've been on purees for a few days, I can confirm too!

I had surgery on 12/19 and will go back to work this Wednesday, 1/11, so about 3.5 weeks off. When I was doing my pre-op appointments, the nurse practitioner said she prefers to keep everyone out at least 3 weeks unless it's absolutely necessary for them to go back sooner - she said her reasoning for that is that it allows people time to get into their eating/drinking routine, which in her experience leads to fewer people heading to the ER for IV fluids after going back to work and forgetting to drink enough. So for that reason I was happy to have the 3.5 weeks off. Energy and pain wise, I probably could have gone back 1 week after I left the hospital. I didn't need any pain meds once I left the hospital, and I was fortunate that the swelling in my stomach pretty quickly went down to a level where I could hit my fluid goals and either hit or come pretty close to my protein goals every day so my energy has stayed ok. Everybody's different, though!

I'm not quite 3 weeks out from surgery so I'm no expert, but before surgery I definitely worried that I would regret letting go of some of my favorite foods. What helped me the most is realizing that 1) I could eventually try a small portion of pretty much any food from time to time, and 2) thinking about what letting go of unhealthy foods would let me hold on to. For me right now, that's my nephews (age 2.5 and 9 months) and my little cousins (4 year old twins). They're all so active - even the baby is crawling like lightning now! - and I so want to be able to keep up and play with them. I don't want them to grow up remembering Auntie Ferfer sitting off to the side watching them play. And I really want to be able to have kids of my own someday, which at this point is almost physically impossible. Losing weight is the #1 thing I can do to help myself achieve that dream, and that is worth more to me than garlic bread or fried cheese wedges (my drugs of choice pre-surgery.) Last thing I'll say...I've been very surprised at how few cravings I've had post-surgery. I was sleeved December 19th and came home December 21st, just in time for family Christmas celebrations. It's the weirdest thing - I sat with my family at a HUGE Breakfast Christmas morning, sipping my Protein shake, not feeling sorry for myself at all. I was able to objectively think "that looks good" and "the bacon smells delicious", but I didn't want to EAT any of it. Something I never would have predicted before surgery, because I was so ruled by my cravings.

Went to Target tonight and stocked up for my post-op diet!

Awesome! I KNEW my surgeon was just being a buzzkill when he said liquids only for two weeks!

Naah, I'm more of a chips and guac girl myself. It's cool to eat those one week out, right?

I'm currently 305 (was 328 before 6 month "medically supervised diet" for insurance) and will be sleeved on 12/19.

Oh definitely - I was very much joking because of the absurdity of the old thread where someone DID eat Swedish Fish a few days post op. I'm sure I'll do some boneheaded stuff during this process, but eating these (or a pork chop, or a 10oz steak...) won't be one of them.

I had a Fitbit Flex (the original one, not the newest version.) I liked it fine, but switched to an Apple watch which I love. I'm also a big nerd and use it as more than a standard watch and fitness tracker, though. I'd say if you're not likely to use any apps on the watch, Fitbit is a much better deal.

I'm also in RVA! Getting sleeved next month, finally - I started the process in January. I waffled for about a year before deciding this is something I really wanted to do. I had the same fears about never being able to eat my favorite foods again. After doing my research, I realized that since I'm doing the sleeve vs. the bypass, there are probably few foods that I will truly never, ever be physically able to eat again (since there's low/no chance of dumping with the sleeve, depending on who you ask.) That said, there are certainly a LOT of foods that I should eat very rarely or not at all, especially while I'm in the losing stage (vs. maintenance.) I decided I'm ok with that. Next Thanksgiving, if I want a bite of stuffing? I'll most likely be able to have it. I just can't have it often, or in large quantities anymore. For me, I look at it like...choosing not to eat carbs/fried foods/ice cream isn't a death sentence - but staying this weight is. I also had a 6-month supervised diet requirement as well as a bunch of other appointments, and when I started the process, I wasn't 100% sure that I wanted to go through with the surgery. I started the 6 months with my PCP while I was still deciding, and about month 4 I started scheduling the other appointments (psych eval, nutrition, etc.) With my insurance, the PCP visits were the cheapest of the appointments, so I wouldn't have been out a ton of money if I'd decided after 3 months that I didn't want to do this. You mentioned that you might regret not trying again on your own - could you look at the 6 months of doctor visits as that chance to try again? To see how much you can lose on your own while you're still jumping through the hoops for surgery? Then if you're happy with your progress you can always pass on the surgery, but if you're not happy you'll be that many steps closer to insurance approval and a surgery date.

Even within the same insurer, different plans can have different coverages. I'd say the best first step is to call the number on your card and ask your insurer directly if your plan covers bariatric surgery, and if so, what the requirements are.

The nurse practitioner at my surgeon's office said they'd clear me to go back after a minimum of 2 weeks, but that she really hesitates to clear people before 3 weeks because it's so easy to get dehydrated at the beginning when you're still getting into the routine of drinking as much as you need to. Right now the plan is to take 3 weeks off and then go back to the office. I'm super fortunate to have a job that offers short term disability, so I can afford to take a little longer if I'm still feeling weak/having trouble drinking and eating at that point.

I'll be 33 when I have the surgery next month. HW 328, CW 305. I haven't started my pre-op diet yet.

Dec 19th

Maybe your PCP would be able to prescribe something to help you kick the habit, like Chantix? I'm not a smoker myself but have a good friend who's in the process of quitting and says the Chantix is doing wonders for her.

I put mine on the tops of my shoulders, so that my bra strap rests on top of them and helps hold them in place. Seems to work well for me - I had the same problem with them falling off in a matter of hours when I tried putting them on my hips or lower back.

You probably already know this is bad advice, but please - don't do this. At two weeks out, chicken is a terrible idea, unless your surgeon has advanced your diet to that stage (doubt it.)

Are you asking about vitamins?

I'm just outside Richmond

I was approved September 20th. The surgeon's office scheduled my surgery for November 3rd, but I called and asked if I could move it back and they were totally fine with it. November is a really busy time for me at work, and it just worked better with my schedule and my mom's schedule (she'll be looking after me for at least the first few days home from the hospital) to have it done mid-December instead. I would think your surgeon would be ok with pushing it back as long as you need - just keep in mind there may be a time limit attached to your insurance approval, assuming you're going through insurance. I believe my approval was good for 3 months, and if I'd wanted to push the surgery back any further than that I would have needed to get approval again.

How's your B-12? If you're not already supplementing, maybe check with your doc to see if it would be a good idea.

I'll second @@jenn1 's mention of a music playlist and good headphones...has changed my gym-going life. I get super bored doing cardio without them, and they help distract me when I get self-conscious and think that someone surely must be staring at me (even though they're totally not). I splurged on a pair of Bluetooth earbuds after nearly strangling myself with a pair of regular wired ones while using the rowing machine one day (ok, people probably WERE staring then) - one of my best investments. They get constant use in and out of the gym, and I can tuck my phone away and not have to worry about it until I'm done working out. My other favorite gym-related investment? Waterproof iPod Shuffle. Rocking out while swimming laps? Yaaaaaaaas. Makes 60 laps a LOT less tedious.

The 6 months was an insurance requirement. Not sure if the surgeon's practice had any sort of requirement like that - as far as I know, their only requirement was a seminar at the very beginning of the process. I went to that so long ago I forgot to mention it, ha. An arterial blood gas runs tests on blood pulled from an artery vs a vein. I think the point is to see how well your lungs are functioning by measuring the oxygen vs. carbon dioxide in your blood? I've never had any abnormal bloodwork either, so I guess it's just a standard test my surgeon (or the anesthesiologist) requires.