FamilyGuyNJ

I found that by day 9 or 10, I could drink an 11 oz Premier Protein Skake in 10 minutes. I drank a 32 oz Powerade Zero in just under an hour. Now at two weeks out I can eat about 1 1/2 cups of Soup for lunch no problem. I'm not really getting that bloated feeling I had in first week each time I drank anything. Is this what you are experiencing?

I was sleeved on 2/13. Stayed one night in the hospital. Gas pains were not bad. Pain from the incisions required narcotics for the first 10 hours. Since I wasn't sleeping well in the hospital, I would get up and walk around throughout the night. Went for about 6 walks during my hospital stay. I was surprised that more people were not walking around since 9 of us had the surgery that day. By the next morning, I'd say the pain was a 3/10. Liquid Tylenol was all I needed for pain once I got home. But I did take a Percocet at nighttime just to relax. I tolerated fluids well the day after surgery. With every sip there was a moment of pain as it went into my sleeve. This sensation has improved every day and is almost non-existant at day 10. I took Gas X strips in the days following surgery but didn't really notice a difference. By day 4 post op, I felt pretty darn good. I spent most of day 5, 6, and 7 going out, running errands, driving and living a pretty normal life. On day 8, I went back to work and it was not a problem at all as I work in an office. Also, I drink one cup of Smooth Move Tea to prevent constipation. I lost 15 lbs in 10 days post op and I'm down a total of 70lbs since the process started on October 13, 2016.

That's Naveen Ballem.

I recommend Dr Nave email Ballem in Glendale Ridge NJ.

I was clear liquids for day 1&2 post op. On day 3 I started protein shakes.

Get Smooth Move tea. It tastes like licorice and is very effective. I go within 24 hours of drinking one cup.

I was on clear liquids for only days 1 & 2. Days 3-14 I could have protein shakes (no added fruit), Greek Yogurt, Applesauce, Light Cream Soups, Ricotta Cheese, Sugar Free Pudding & Fat Free Cottage Cheese. I stick mostly to the shakes, but have tried cottage cheese on day 6 and then Ricotta Cheese on Day 7. I'm tolerating it well and am not pushing it.

I had my first gout attack over 20 years ago and have mostly kept it under control by taking allopurinol daily. I can't remember the last time I had an attack. Well, I'm on day 3 of the Pre-op diet and I'm sitting here wide awake at 3am from a gout attack. Over the past 3 months, I've lost 40 lbs so I'm thinking all of this weight loss is what brought on the attack. I normally take a strong NSAID to help during attacks, but NSAIDS are going to become off limits in a few days and I don't think I can ever take them again. I'll need to walk as much possible once I have surgery, but that will not be an easy task if experiencing a gout attack. Anyone else have to deal with gout during their pre-op and early post-op phase? Any advice?

Although you have trouble drinking, are you actually thirsty? Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I'm not embarrassed for having this surgery at all. I'd be more embarrassed if I chose to remain a fat bastard for another 10 years. So far, I've told my wife, parents, boss and work friend. All had been positive about it. I don't necessarily look for anyone's support though. I've been pretty self-reliant my entire life. I get great support from this site whenever I have questions and that's all I really need. I am waiting, however, for the day someone asks how I lost all this weight and I'm going to say "I had a procedure done, I had my refrigerator stapled". I've been saving that joke for long time!

Is it ok to drink seltzer during the pre-op diet? I know carbonation is bad in my post sleeve life, but how about during the pre-op diet? Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

How much do you walk in the weeks following surgery? Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

Lost 35 lbs in the past 3 months. liquid diet starts in a week. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I had similar cramping problems. I think I was dehydrated. I increased my Water intake and the cramping stopped. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I often ask my wife to clip my tonails! Lol. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I was plenty worried about doing this outpatient, but I'm self pay so it was kind of necessary to keep costs down. My surgeon said they administer a long lasting pain killer of some sort internally that lasts about 3 days to keep you comfortable during the days you would normally experience the most pain. So far so good! I'm glad to see someone else experienced an easy recovery! I was starting to think they just made a few incisions and then skipped the rest of the surgery! What pain killer lasts for 3 days? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Im the same way. I have to be extremely sick to vomit and its always very violent. I get the same broken blood vessels in my face. I hope I continue to be "puke-averse" as well. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I started my research by looking up which hospitals and doctors accept Aetna. I found an Aetna Bariatric Center of Excellence within a few miles of my house. I googled each bariatric doctor in my list, looked at their websites, watched some of their youtube videos and researched their credentials. I found a doctor who I liked, my appointment went well, the staff was very nice and they've been very organized. The doctor assured me he's done "thousands" of these SVG surgeries. He's also been rated as one of "NJ's Top Doctors" for the past 8 years in a row. Everything sounds good at this point. But still, I do wish I could find an independent source that could confirm the total number of successful surgeries this doctor has performed as well as any not so successful surgeries. Can anyone provide some direction as to how I could find those statistics? Any reviews online are quite arbitrary and there are not too many of them. Thanks!

My psych visit was more of a screening process to ensure I was mentally stable. It took no more than 10 minutes. He offered no counseling and didnt discuss coping mechanisms. Took his payment and wished me goid luck. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I'm insured w/ Aetna POS. I'm 48. The doctor did not require it.

I read a story where the patient was told to stop taking his medicine for High Blood Pressure as soon as the SVG procedure was performed. Is this the norm? Who makes that call? Is it the surgeon or your primary care physician? If you continued to take medication for HBP, how long until you stopped? Was the dosage decreased over time? Maybe you made the decision on your own because you monitored your blood pressure and saw it was dropping?

Lots of good info. Thanks so much to you all. I meet with my primary care physician tomorrow to get my pre-surgery testing done, so I'll have this conversation with him as well.

That's pretty incredible. Did you have a quick recovery? How long were you out from work? Do you have a physically demanding job? Seems that you burned an awful lot of calories in 30 days.

I like the Reebok sweat wicking clothes at DestinationXL.com. Get on their mailing list. They have sales often. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

Tried it the other day. Smooth Move cwrtainly lived up to its name. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App