mysparky

Would definitely love to get together- most particularly prior to this upcoming holiday season! I'm in West Hartford as well. Who's in??

Bella - I was also very nervous. What would my recovery be like, would I have a lot of pain, would there be any complications, how would I feel post-op, etc, etc, etc. Truth is, I didn't feel great following my surgery. I was exhausted, definitely had pain from the surgery & the drain and once home, found it a tough to lie down and/or get up! However, I could measure the progress I was making in my recovery each day. Exactly 7 days post-op, I was able to walk a mile, I had completely figured out how to get out of bed without help (!), and I no longer needed pain meds. Congrats on your weight loss pre-surgery. That will help you. The one thing I'd strongly, strongly recommend is that you exercise (i.e. walking) pre-surgery if you aren't doing so already. Despite being 100 lbs overweight, I had adopted exercise into my lifestyle and I'm convinced that's part of the reason why I was able to recover quickly (back at work in 10 days) and why I felt the need to get out there walking as soon as I could. Exercise has been critical to my maintenance and although I am 2 years older than when I had the surgery, I'd have to say that Healthwise, I'm probably 10 years younger!

Hi CarolC! Thanks for the welcome! BTW, I love your signature. I was laughing to myself as I read through your list. Could relate to so much (although I still struggle with finding that pair of boots!!) I liked Dr Nadzam very much. He was so patient with answering my questions, did a great job with my surgery and I just felt so comfortable with him. I haven't been back to the office in about 14 months because at my last visit I was told that I'm a "success" and don't need to return unless I feel that I need to! Dr Nadzam's goal for me was to lose 70% (coincidentally 70 lbs) of my excess weight and I did that in 10 months. When I met with him in August 2011, I told him that my personal goal was to reduce by another 20 lbs. He said that was possible, but I would find it more difficult as my body would probably want to "settle' around that 70 lb loss mark. He was right - it's been a lot harder. What has been the biggest "ah ha" moment for me, however, is that I've been able to maintain my weight since August 2011. How many diets have I been on in the past 30+ years where I gained back my loss in a matter of months?! I did have a rough patch where bad behaviors (eating LOTS of junk and eating too much late at night) crept back in and I gained 6 lbs over the course of about 2 months. I had really bumped up my normal exercise routine and thought that I was "covered", but I was not! I was also careless with allowing myself too many treats. I got back on track, focused on lean Protein, Protein shakes, balanced meals and I was able to drop that excess in about 2.5 weeks. An impossibility pre-surgery. As far as this last 20 lbs goes (and I think that's what I want, but not sure...could be 15, could be 25), I'm taking it very slowly. Began re-focusing my efforts over the weekend and am going to work this 5lbs at a time. Without a doubt, it is now tougher to lose compared to the months immediately following surgery, but it is also easier than pre-surgery. Absolutely ZERO regrets about having this surgery. I've been overweight since I was a kid and for the first time in my life I feel like I have control. Maintenance requires thought, but it is not overwhelming. I still go out for dinner, drink socially, and eat sweets, but my belly reminds me when I'm done. I couldn't be happier! Tell me about your progress so far!!

Also took it very slow at the beginning. Would run for 1 min then walk for 3 mins and continue doing this for 1 mile. Did this 3x/week and gradually increased the running time and decreased walking time: 2nd week ran 90 secs, walked for 2.5 mins, 3rd week ran for 2 mins and walked for 2 mins, etc. Just kept increasing the running time and decreasing walking time, but I really listened to my body because I did not want to injure myself. Took about 10 weeks until I was able to run a mile and once I reached that target, I began the slow increase to 2 miles (1mile running, 1/4 mile walk, 1/4 mile run, 1/4 walk) until I got to 2 miles. As the weight comes off,it gets a lot easier. Put together a good play list, force yourself into a pattern, but watch for injuries and make sure you allow yourself to rest. I never ran 2 days in a row and even now that I can run a 5k without too much trouble, I try to alternate running/biking/rowing to ward off injuries.

Hi everyone from CT! I haven't been on the forum in several months but decided to check in and read a few postings. I'm almost at my 2 year anniversary (10/26) and I remain thrilled with the decision to have this surgery. When I originally made this decision, I had trouble finding people in CT who had it. Now, I see in this thread that there are a few who had the same surgeon (Nadzam) as me. Hope you are all doing well!

Also had my first experience with this as well a few weeks ago. Had been biking 35 miles a few times a week on a flat bike path and my high-protein/low carb Breakfast was just fine for me. About 5 weeks ago, it was time to "up" the effort and I went on a new route that had a few large hills at the beginning of the ride. I was completely depleted within 90 minutes. I was very shaky and my legs had nothing left. Fortunately I had a Cliff gel shot that someone had given me to try stowed away in my bag, and I ate it - all 100 calories/25 g carbs. A friend I was with had some extra fig newtons and I ate them about 30 mins later. My rides have increased in length and duration and I simply cannot manage them with low carbs. I eat 1/2 PB&J sandwich before my ride, eat the other 1/2 about 45 mins into my ride and then continue with a banana, gel shots, etc every 30-45 mins depending upon the ride and how I'm feeling. Definitely a good message to get to those of us that are new to endurance sports. We're so programmed to think that carbs are only evil, but with these types of activities they are absolutely essential.

I'm just starting out mushies and picked up a few "Cottage Doubles" which is cottage cheese w/ a fruit topping (I don't eat the big chunks). Since practically everything I read is all about "no sugar" I'm wondering if I should be avoiding these. Calories: 130 Saturated Fat: 1.5g Total Carb: 17g Sugars: 15g Protein: 11g The above stats are for the strawberry flavor. I ate 1/2 of it for lunch and finished up the other half for dinner. Can anyone provide feedback on that carb/sugar count? My NUT didn't give me any guidelines other than "if you eat anything w/ carbs, make sure it has a good amount of Protein in it." In addition, pretty much all my food suggestions are sugar-free (I'm not diabetic) so I'm not sure if I should be avoiding these. Thanks in advance!

Susanne - My NUT gave me Protein and Fluid goals, but nothing specific in terms of calories. She acknowledged that the calories are quite low and if I was able tolerate it and felt like I needed it, I could drink more of my Protein shake. Many people have trouble getting the protein down in those first few days, but I definitely didn't. Originally I was told to drink 6-8oz protein shake (which would equate to 260-280cals) and I upped that to 10-12oz. That moved my calorie count up to the 400-520 range and protein-wise, I was drinking close to 50gr of protein. Some days I drank less, other days I drank more. I'll tell you, that made a big difference in my energy level. This was key for me because I went back to work 9 days post-op and needed to get through the day. Sounds to me like you could use a bump up!

Just had my first post-op visit and I’m down 10 lbs since surgery, 26 lbs overall. I’m so happy with the way I feel and although this hasn’t been a cake-walk, these 26 lbs have come off easier than the hundreds of other times that I’ve lost weight. My recovery is coming along very well. It's amazing how each day is better than the previous. I can’t get over the fact that at this time last week, I took my dog on a walk and I had to make it a short one. It was a little rough and I was beat after my 15 min walk with her. Last night, I went on a 45 min walk and felt terrific. I don’t really have any “pain” just an awareness of my left side/staple area that really only hurts a little when I sneeze. I’m back at work and just trying to make sure I get between 8-8 ½ hours of sleep each night so that I do not hamper my continued recovery. I got 2 great pieces of news today at my 2 week post-op today: 1) I can move to “mushies” state (yeah!) and 2)I’ve been cleared to return to the gym. I thought I was going to have to wait 4 weeks on this, but Dr said I can resume aerobic activities right away (I do spinning). He said I can also do light weights, but nothing for abs or core for 4 more weeks. Still feeling a little like I need to “pinch” myself because I can’t believe, after thinking about WLS for several years, that I finally did it. However, I was a self-pay and I put it all on a credit card (good points!) and the bill just came so that part of the surgery seems a little too real! And BTW, don’t have a scale at home and still haven’t decided if I’m going to get one. I’m feeling like I’m on cloud nine right now and I’m afraid that if I get a scale, I’ll be on it every morning and my mood for the day will be set by that thing. There is a scale at the gym and I may just continue to use that since it’s not an every day event. We’ll see…. Thanks for listening

My nutritionist has given me a goal of 50grams/day, but that is based upon my height. She said the range is 50-90 and those higher levels would be for men over 6'

I have no advice to add on this as I don't have my goal weight set either, but think that the ideas that have been provided are so helpful. I've just been thinking about an estimated "end goal", but definitely appreciate the idea of setting short terms goals as well - I'm going to get working on that!

I'm still on full liquids as well and have been making homemade soups this week because I am sooooo sick of the artificial sweetners in everything else. I also like the fact that I can just have the soup for dinner, but my family can have the same thing along w/ the addition of a salad and a loaf of multi-grain bread. My first soup was a potato/corn chowder and I completely strained the soup before I ate it. I boil up lots of potatoes, carrots and onions in chicken broth, puree at least 1/2 of the soup to make it thick, then add in some milk and the corn. This time, I also added a little shredded cheese and melted that into the soup. It definitely helped keep me fuller, longer. Last night I made a butternut squash & apple cider soup (from epicurious.com website) and it was really delicious. I had to modify it slightly to reduce the fat content, but the calorie content is relatively low and it's loaded with Vitamin A. No need to strain the soup and it made plenty. I actually just had more of that for a snack and it was good! I haven't added unflavored Protein to either of these soups because I haven't bought any yet, but I am going to do that. I first wanted to make sure I could tolerate the various soups before I went out and bought the unflavored protein.

Chilo - Congrats! Determination, working the "tool", and a positive attitude - it's working for you!!!

Great post and happy to hear that your recovery continues to go so well! I also think you're taking the right attitude w/ the scale. It sometimes just doesn't know when to behave!!

So I'm 10 days post-op and feeling good. Getting in the liquids, walking, and I'm back at work. My abdomen, however, is still looking pretty ugly! Besides the expected bruising, the left part of my abdomen is just shaped weird. It's like I have a "hump". I think this is still swelling, but it's odd. Nothing I'm worried about and I will discuss this w/ Dr at my post-op appointment next week, but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

I took 6 days off, worked from home for the next 2 days, and I'm back in the office today. Feeling a bit tired, but it's Friday and I only have a few more hours to go. It would have been harder to return to the office today if it was a Monday and I had to do this for 5 days in a row. I'll be ready for that next week (2 weeks post-op), but not today. I've had a pretty easy recovery and I've really tried to take care of myself - have been diligent about getting in fluids, walking a reasonable amount, and getting rest. I went to bed early last night and packed up my lunch last night as well. I made sure to give myself extra time to get ready this morning and I'm wearing a pair of pants that are a little loose around my belly (actually, it's a pair of jeans that fit perfectly 2 weeks ago, but are now loose!) I think this is such an individual thing, though, and it depends so much on your recovery. A week ago, I could have NEVER imagined that I'd be back in the office. Was still very sore, was taking pain meds every 4 hours, and wasn't driving. Fortunately, I have truly felt markedly better each day so I was ready to go today. I'll be in bed by 9:00 tonight, though! Aren't I just a fun Friday night date?!

Well I did it....after over 3 years of considering, researching, and debating whether or not to have WLS, I finally decided to have VSG and my surgery was on Tuesday, October 26th! I walked into the hospital Tuesday morning hopeful and a little anxious, but I was ready. Was wheeled into the OR at 11:50 and next thing I knew, it was around 4pm. I was in a good deal of pain after the surgery and when my surgeon came in to visit me post surgery, I told him that I thought he was just going to remove a part of my stomach, not break all of my ribs along with it! Of course it was a joke, but man, that's exactly what it felt like! They originally started w/ Dilaudid in my IV, but just couldn't get my pain to a tolerable level. Eventually switched me to 4 ml of morphine every 4 hours and while pain was manageable for the first 2 hours, I was really struggling for next 2 hours. Did manage to get out of bed that first evening, but it was really tough. Lots of pain in my ribs, muscles, and a serious burning sensation covering the entire left side of my abdomen. I was so happy to get back into bed, but found that process of actually getting up into the bed tough and painful. A team of surgeons came in to see me the following morning (about 18 hrs post surgery) and I was one hurtin' unit. In addition to the pain in my abdomen, I felt like someone was sitting on my chest and it really hurt to get a good breath. Was all a part of the gas-moving process and it was painful. They agreed to give me 2 ml of morphine for breakthrough pain and it gave me some relief. Later in the morning I had to go down for my upper GI. They gave me about 1 oz of some extremely nasty stuff to drink and then watched for leaks. Said everything looked great! Unfortunately, as they were bringing me back up to my room on the stretcher, I suddenly felt sick and I threw up. Wow! A whole new level of pain. Although, I have to say, that was a very good lesson on why I was going to be very, very careful when I was finally allowed to drink Water. That first full day following surgery was just plain hard. I was relieved to be drinking water, but I just felt tired and in pain for most of the day. I did manage to get out of bed 4 times and do a few loops around the nurses station but it simply really hard and had me close to tears each time. The staff was willing to give the breakthrough morphine for relief, but the morphine was actually giving me a headache so it was a hard balance to find. The next day, my new daytime nurse encouraged me to get up and take a shower. She covered up my abdomen with some very large waterproof bandages, got all of my supplies, and stayed right outside the door while I showered. Although I hadn't wanted to do it, I felt really good afterwards. When I came out, my first stage 2 food was waiting for me and I sat down in my chair and had some chicken broth and tea. I followed with a nice afternoon nap and when I woke up, I was actually feeling human again! I was in relatively little pain while laying in bed, but continued to feel serious burning and pulling in my abdomen when I was walking. Despite this, I was amazed at how much I had improved since the day before. The rest of my hospital stay was pretty uneventful. The nursing staff at St Raphael's (New Haven, CT) was excellent and because they are a teaching hospital, they had many nursing students around to help. They were great when it came to the basics like getting up to walk, getting water & tea, and just getting comfortable in the bed. I was visited by my surgeon each day, but was also visited by a team of resident surgeons every morning and again every evening. I felt very cared for! Surgery was on Tuesday at 12:00 and I was discharged on Friday morning. The ride home was a little rough, but fortunately I had read the advice on these boards to bring a pillow for the car ride home! I spent yesterday working on the liquids, getting rest and taking my time getting around the house, climbing stairs, etc. Since my drain was removed, the burning sensation that I had is not as intense and I'm now taking Tylenol w/ Codeine about every 6 hours. My pain is less than it was yesterday and I feel like I have a little more energy. I'm confident that I'll see these positive changes each day. The human body is an amazing machine!!! I'm just so thrilled to have the surgery behind me and to be part of this loser's club! Although I don't post much, at all, I feel so fortunate to have found this forum as it's provided me with so much information. I hope that as I continue to go through this process, I can also be a resource to the many who are starting on this path!

I think this is standard for this surgery. My instructions were to drink a bottle of magnesium citrate (OTC at any pharmacy) between 4-5pm the day before surgery. They also told me to drink only liquids after I had the magnesium citrate (i.e. no solid food for dinner). This is one effective laxative!

So true, so true! I remember a similar feeling when I was finally moved to stage 2 and got to sip chicken broth (I'm not on mushies yet). Congrats on being at this new stage and having a positive experience!!

So glad to have found this post. Earlier today I felt my usual "signs" of getting my period (my right leg cramps - same area, always the day of getting my period) and I thought that was unusual, but just noticed that I got my period. Say what? I'm 14 days early and feeling ripped off!!!

I'm so sorry that all of you are going through this! Can't imagine the anxiety prior to every meal, and then the pain of vomiting afterwards. I hope that you find a lot of other options through this board. I had surgery on 10/26 and I'm still on full-liquids. One of my options is egg-drop Soup and yesterday I made it twice because I needed a break from artificial sweetners (the taste just gets stuck on my tongue and I can't stand it!) I was nervous because I thought "but, scrambled eggs aren't until I'm on mushies - Stage IV", but the way the egg is cooked in this soup makes it like silky strands that just dissolve, rather than pieces of egg. I had it twice yesterday, took it really slow, and had no issues. I appreciated the ease of making it, the convenience of having everything on hand (chicken broth and eggs) and the fact that an egg has 6grams of Protein (while I'm also getting in the Fluid of the soup). While it's not an amazing amount, like the Protein shakes, it is something. I also want to mention that when I just can't take my protein shake, I have a carnation instant breakfast(no sugar added). I was given this on my last day in the hospital when I was moved to stage 3 liquids. In terms of protein, it's only 13grams, but it's much thinner than my protein shake and it just seems "milder". Again, not the best source of protein, but perhaps an option (and at $3.99 for a box, it's not much of an investment either). I wish you all the best of luck!!!

I'm just 6 days out and I'm so thankful that I physically cannot eat candy right now. I also have an intense sweet tooth and the pounds of candy that my kids bring home normally means additional pounds on me. Hoping that next year, when I can actually eat it, moderation will be on my side!

Thank you for the good wishes. Yeah, the pain definitely caught me off guard. There were points when it was definitely comparable to being in labor, but I'm happy to report that I'm really doing better. Still getting the pulling sensation when getting into/out of certain positions (i.e. lying in bed), but took only regular tylenol earlier this morning and don't think I'll need to take it again today. Had a great shower this morning and actually dried my hair! Also went for a 10 min walk and it felt good to be moving and breathing in the crisp fall air. I'm not getting quite enough fluids in again today, just goes down very slowly, but continuing to work on it. I made some egg drop Soup just a little while ago and I'm working on drinking it. It's delicious and a really nice break from artificial sweetners! Just happy to be here and hopeful that the positive progress continues. Tomorrow, I may not need any pain relievers at all! (It's the simple things that are making me happy this week!)

I was totally into watching the show as it was on Monday night and my surgery was scheduled for Tuesday. I have to say, I was definitely disappointed with the show. While I am pleased that VSG is getting more attention, I felt like they absolutely made the surgery appear like a walk in the park. They didn't talk about the pre-op diets, the post-op diet, and the fact that this is a tool to help us lose weight. The surgeon said "most of my patients report that they don't even feel like they're hungry after the surgery" and while that may be true, I think it's misleading. There is still plenty of opportunity to make poor choices, to not stick to the program, listen to our head hunger, etc. To me, this program did nothing to highlight the work that goes into this. It made this surgery seem like a quick fix and IMO, there are already too many people out there that think the obese are simply lazy and always looking for a "quick fix". Finally, I wasn't crazy about the surgeon that they highlighted w/ his same-day surgery. He made it look like a friggin' factory. I didn't find this surgery to be simple or pain-free and I'm glad that I was in the hospital for a few days post-op. This was nothing like the same-day lasik surgery that I had a few years ago. So, while I'm happy that VSG is getting some airtime, I really thought Nightline oversimplified and dumbed-down the process and surgery.

So happy to have found this post! I didn't order samples before surgery and since they started me on Carnation Instant Breakfast (no sugar added) at the hospital, that's what I continued with yesterday when I got home from the hospital. Just went over to the "Vitamin Shoppe" and picked up Syntha-6 in chocolate Peanut Butter. Really wanted the caramel latte, but they didn't have it. Used hand blender to combine 1 scoop (22g protein) of the chocolate-peanut butter w/ 5 oz of milk and I'm in love. It's thick and creamy, tastes great and there is no nasty after-taste. I was worried because lots of people have recommended Lite Muscle Milk and I did try that (single serving pre-mixed) a few days prior to my surgery and it was absolutely horrid! I thought "if this is what they're all going to taste like, I'm going to be in trouble!!!" So pleased that is not the situation! Thank you for the recommendation!