Berry78

For the first about 6 weeks postop, you'll really only be walking. Lifting weights, stairclimbers, and the like will come later. By 6 weeks postop, your incisions should be pretty well healed. BUT, I don't know what a waist trainer is, or why you'd want to use it, but it's not really a great idea. Anything that makes you sweat more than necessary will just cause you problems with dehydration (which is a huge concern for months postop). Working out moderately (and later when the weightloss slows down, you can go hardcore).. these things will do the body sculpting you want.. not gadgets and gizmos. Good luck!

I am also losing 2-3lbs a week, but although "slow", it's relatively steady, and I'm so happy with how much better my body feels. Sure, I'm not changing sizes every week, but that's ok.. less expensive that way! Lol. Before surgery, I would be talking along, and the least bit of strong emotion would make me tear up. I mean, I'd be talking about how beautiful that rainbow I saw was.. or something equally stupid to cry over. And it was happening ALL. THE. TIME. Several times EVERY DAY. This problem has gotten so much better! I think it's only happened once in the last month!! Makes me wonder what was causing it.. hormonal imbalance, blood sugar issues.. I dunno, but am grateful the surgery seems to have fixed it. My skin has gotten much better! I started my period today, and I barely had any warning.. a couple clogged pores maybe. I used to know for several days in advance because my skin would go nuts (like 20 zits) and I would get ANGRY. Aunt flo kinda sneaks up on me now! Lol. Yesterday my hubby took a selfie with us together (first one ever I think! Lol!).. I saw my face on that camera screen, and couldn't believe my eyes.. for so long, I've had a puffy, embarrassing visage, and now I look like a young, vibrant woman!! I even puffed out my cheeks in one, because the sensation was so strange! (My hubby mentioned that I was "aging backwards"!)

It is really important to keep a journal of what you are actually consuming. That way you can take it to your doc and say.. hey, look! I'm only eating 200 calories a day! Maybe you already are, but if you only have the info you just gave, it's not enough. Measure (weigh) everything, and write down what, how much, what time, how you felt... everything. You should be pretty comfortable consuming at least 800 calories a day of food. It sounds like you might not be getting that much. This is something you should bring up with your surgeon, because strictures can happen, and it will make you unable to eat or drink enough. The idea of water hurting for a day and a half.. this sounds all wrong to me. If I take too big a swallow, it'll hurt for a few seconds, or maybe a minute. Not a day!

Awesome! Sounds like you are on the right track with everything! Maryland is a nice state.. it has ocean, bay, rivers, and man-made lakes (no natural lakes!).. mountains, plains,.. D.C right next door, and Baltimore (historic port city). All that stuff in one fairly tiny package. I never was fond of blue crab (from which crab cakes spring).. but with my tastebud changes, maybe I'll like it more

Outside has a lot of good points. A well-fitting bra is super important. I also agree it sounds a bit odd for your bra to continue bothering your incision. If your doctor says it's ok, it's probably due to scar tissue, and hopefully over the next 6 months it will become supple enough as to no longer be a problem. Keeping your shoulder straps tight will help lift the weight off the underwire (and you may need extra padding on the shoulder straps to keep them from digging in). Personally I love the Balconette style. I've seen them at Lane Bryant and JCPenny. I am currently wearing a 38-40 DD. http://www.jcpenney.com/p/ambrielle-underwire-balconette-bra-92496/pp5003590613?pTmplType=regular&catId=SearchResults&searchTerm=ambrielle+balconette

Welcome! Do you have a surgery date, or know which procedure you're looking at? Where abouts in Texas are you? I have family in Austin, and friends in Houston. My hubby spent a summer in San Antonio, and loved it. (I'm in Maryland, so no worries about me tracking you down.. lol!)

There seems to be two types of people. Those that can weigh every day, and don't obsess (they get used to the normal day-to-day fluctuations), and those that never seem to get used to it, and tend to "obsess".. all their hopes and dreams are wrapped up in that number. So, what to do? The obsess-er still needs to weigh occasionally in order to keep tabs... but not so often that it stays on their mind all the time. Once a month is probably a good frequency, and if the scale calls to you, then get rid of it out of your house, and find another place to get weighed (doctor's office, gym, etc.). Put it on your calendar that you will weigh yourself on the first of each month, but not more often than that. Congrats on getting to goal! And good luck!

One thing that no one has mentioned.. digestion partially takes place in the stomach. Food is supposed to sit in the stomach for a couple hours, being churned up well with stomach acid and digestive juices. The acid helps break down the protein and other nutrients so that the intestines can absorb those nutrients. When we have a sleeve or pouch, the food doesn't get to sit in there as long, and probably doesn't get mixed with the acid as well. (I mean, how could it? The stomach isn't a soft, floppy, muscular holding-sack anymore.. it's a narrow, stiff tube or small pouch with a hole in it!). So even when we eat protein, we just aren't going to digest it as well as a typical person. So.. we need to eat more of it, spread out in a bunch of smaller meals, to give our bodies the best opportunity to actually absorb the nutrients. My surgeon recommends 70g protein, and as a fairly sedentary female, I feel this is a good amount. If I begin working out, my needs will go up.

It isn't normal for the incisions to ooze after the first 2 days. After 6 weeks, they should be pretty much all healed up. This is definitely in need of attention. I would worry less about the pain after vomiting, but do let your surgeon know what you're feeling, all the same. Good luck getting it sorted out!

I could see doing arms, since sleeveless shirts and dresses are da bomb. My boobs are fine, since they're stuffed in a bra all the time anyway. My tummy only matters if I start developing sores. My thighs might become a major problem area. I'm still only halfway to goal, so hard to say for sure. So I'll vote arms and legs...

In my opinion the sleeve should be the default surgery for everyone unless they are dealing with: 1. Type 2 diabetes (especially if they are on insulin, or have trouble controlling their blood glucose levels) 2. GERD 3. Food addiction (we all like to eat, but the true food addict would benefit from possible dumping and the malabsorption component) 4. Particularly high BMI.. in which case a DS might be a better option than RNY 5. Physiological factors (for example: lap bands can damage the stomach, making RNY a better option) 6. The patient doesn't want to risk "another surgery". RNY is "one-and-done" (usually). Sleeves sometimes need revision.

Definitely keep healthy options at your desk. I recommend not running from the doughnuts at first, but take a moment or two to work through it. Here is something I posted in another, similar thread today:

The "head hunger" is the worst for the first few weeks postop. Once you're eating real food again, it does get better. You do have to work through the head game (don't just avoid it.. actually take the time to think yourself through it).. and take your diet week by week, and pretty soon you'll be on the other side, and able to taste that pizza or ice cream again. (And might be surprised to find that it isn't as good as it used to be!). How I worked through the cravings.. I would see a food that I wanted, and I would just sit there and stare at it. While I was staring, my mind would work through the memory of what that food tasted like, it's texture, etc. Then I would imagine my current size, and the size I wanted to be, and all the health complications that come from consuming those types of foods, etc. I would stay with it until I felt relieved of the pressure to eat it, and then I would go on about my day. When a family member would see me staring at that pie, so intently, they would think I was really miserable.. but I was allowing myself to go through the process. And you know what? I only had to do that a dozen or so times, and I didn't have those cravings so much anymore. I'm SURE that if I just simply ran and hid, and avoided the pie, that I'd still be here, trying to avoid looking at pie 4 months later. I can look at pie just fine (most of the time). If I'm ACTUALLY hungry, then I have to fight with the pie concept (a little), and go get something real to eat.

That fever concerns me. Please talk to your surgeon about getting more evaluations to make sure everything is ok. Once you know that things are fine, and you're just having a bit of a rough start, then you can relax and just ride it out until you heal and feel better. The emotions DO run high postop, and so that part of your recovery is perfectly normal. {Hugs} Good luck!

Pain and nausea are very individual. I didn't have either after leaving the hospital. You will need to take an antibiotic if prescribed (that is doctor specific, some get them, some don't), and an acid reducer (or two). Capsules are MUCH easier than pills, and anything that can be crushed or chewed is even better.

Bingo! Well said!

My family lives with my in-laws. When I was on my preop diet, MIL brought home about 4 cakes, 2 dozen cupcakes, a couple gallons of ice cream, 4 pies... etc. There was no birthday, or party, or anything like that. She just couldn't seem to help herself. "Trial by Fire" is what I felt like. But I knew going off the diet wasn't optional, so I powered through. It took her a few months to wrap HER brain around not doing that anymore, and things have gotten so much better. She goes out for ice cream instead of bringing it back. Now we just have treats on actual special occasions. Shew.. what a relief!

Sweets beget more sweets. At first, most of us are blessed with an intolerance to anything very sweet. Over time, that goes away, and sweets will taste good again. It's a good idea to really think about whether you'll WANT to get used to sweets again. And whether to start "giving in" to sugar cravings. I don't have a problem with the carbs in the peanuts, per se.. the problem is with continuing to eat sugar in any form (except that which is naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables). Eat an apple, it's sweet. Eat a honey roasted peanut, then eat the apple.. and the apple isn't really sweet anymore. Fruit at least comes with vitamins and fiber.. sugar is just...cocaine. And just as addictive.

I completely disagree with this. It will be years before a patient can meet their requirements in 3 meals. Have you heard of Johns Hopkins hospital? It's in Baltimore, MD.. hugely respected place. They have a bariatric unit, and here is their recommendation for 5 weeks: Sample Soft Diet Meal Plan (Weeks 5, 6, 7 and 8) 7:00 am 8 oz fluid such as decaffeinated coffee 8:00 am 2 oz protein food such as an omelet (1 scrambled egg with 1 slice light cheese and 1-2 tbsp cooked vegetables) 9:00 am 8 oz fluid such as water with an orange wedge 10:00 am 8-12 ounces protein supplement 1:00 pm 1-2 oz protein food such as tuna with low fat mayonnaise 2 saltine crackers 2-4 oz canned/ diced pears in 100% Juice 2:00 pm 8 oz fluid such as water with lemon 3:30 pm 8-12 oz protein supplement 5:00 pm 8 oz fluid such as decaffeinated sugar-free iced tea 6:00 pm 1 ½ -2 oz protein food such as chopped chicken breast (moist, tender) 2 tbsp cooked green beans 1-2 tbsp mashed potatoes with 1 tbsp fat-free gravy 7:30 pm 8 oz fluid such as a sugar-free flavored water 8:00 pm 1/2 cup melon I count 3 meals, 1 snack, and 2 protein shakes. So in my eyes, it's eating 6 times a day. If anyone wants more info on Hopkins' plan: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_bayview/medical_services/specialty_care/bariatrics/nutrition_after_surgery.html Click on the "Nutrition Guidelines for Weightloss Surgery".. the first link on the page.

Eek! I'm running away now. Good luck! (attempts to exit stage, but trips on a cord and falls flat on her face, pulling down the mic and half the drum set with her)

GERD IS an illness.

Oh man... (Ok, Berry, shake it off.. you'll be ok. Just a harmless comment...*twitch* *twitch*) deep breath.. OOOmmmmmm ok.. story time! So, when I was about 5 or 7, my brothers told me to be careful swallowing watermelon seeds because they might grow in my belly. I literally didn't eat watermelon for 10 years. And, when I DID start eating it again, I spent like 30 minutes picking the seeds out of one piece. After all that? Now watermelon hurts my sleeve! LOL!

You keep using the term "lies", like I'm saying she should tell them she's the queen of Egypt or something. (I dunno, maybe she is the Queen of Egypt.. but we'll assume she's not). I think we have all had an epiphany of one sort or another that made us get wls. We all got scared of what might happen if we didn't do something to fix the weight/health issue. So all I'm saying, is take those facts and feelings, embellish a bit if necessary, alter the actual timing, throw in the doctor prescribed diet, and voila! Suddenly it makes sense that she comes back from surgery, and is now eating these tiny quantities, and as time goes on she's dropping the weight, and it all makes sense.

My rules of thumb: Weight between 300-400: size changes every 50lbs 200-300: every 25lbs 150-200: every 15lbs below 150: every 5-10lbs This is a rough estimate, but shows the concept. It also explains how skinny people complain about gaining 5 or 10lbs, when heavy people can gain 50lbs and barely notice.

Man, they have you on some good stuff! Once some of the pain meds wear off, you may be a tad more uncomfortable, but it sounds like you are doing stellar!! Congrats on getting to the other side (in a good way!).