sunmeadow

I was sleeved 9 days ago so I'm still checking these forums (fora?) and just hit a blast of prayers and letting god handle everything and needed to get back to some sense of normalcy and rationality. Somehow I made it this far without prayers or god doing a damned thing (except letting me get this fat to begin with! I totally blame that on him.)

I'm scheduled for VSG on 7/17 and I've read everything I can get my hands on and feel generally prepared, but I wonder what they don't tell you or what no one ever talks about. What, if anything, do you wish you had known before going in to surgery? What was the biggest surprise for you?

My surgeon didn't give me a goal either. He said we should wait to see how things go and kept repeating not to drink my calories and to make sure I'm exercising. His nurse said "keep your goals close", which I took to mean short-term, easily attainable goals. I told her I don't really care about goals as long as the numbers continue to go down. I think that right after surgery, the only goal is to get your protein and fluids in and get moving. It's not the time to be worrying about the long-term big picture. I'm at 5 weeks and I'm still struggling with getting back to semi-normal eating. After being restricted for so long between the pre- and post-op liquids and the early post-op stages, it's hard to remember what I was doing when I was eating normal, healthy food (I lost almost 40 lbs. in the 4 months before I started the pre-op liquid diet just from following the nutritionist's guidelines and tracking).

It could have been a combination of things. Someone in my support group said that if she drinks and then bends over, the liquid pours right back out. I tend to get those pains when I've eaten too much or too fast. Maybe bending over so soon after eating pushed it back up into the uncomfortable zone and it took a few burps to get things settled again.

They automatically gave me zofran. Toward the end of my stay they would ask if I wanted it (I always said yes). I only had nausea when I tried to drink, either ice chips or ice water. The one time they left it and I drank it room temperature, I didn't get any nausea so experiment with temps if it's bothering you. I tend to be a sleepy, ready to doze anywhere kind of person, but I slept a lot. I barely remember the day of surgery, just vaguely a visit from the surgeon and possibly from the nurses very late. I did wake up enough to post a few things online, but brief and not that coherent. The second day I dozed most of the day except when I'd get up to pee and walk about every two hours with periodic check ins online. Day 3 I tried to doze a little, but knowing I was going home, I was on alert for updates and I actually even turned on the TV for a few minutes. I did take a nap when I got home. During my time off, I did nap periodically and realized I was definitely feeling more normal when I stopped needing to.

That does seem odd since my doctor won't even talk about weight goals yet, though I'm a few weeks behind you (July 17). His nurse cautioned me to "keep my goals close", basically to keep them short-term and easily achievable and don't worry about the big picture, long-term right now. The surgeon was much more focused on what I'm doing. Not only is that what is going to determine your long-term success, it is, in fact, the ONLY thing you have any control over. He reminded me yet again to exercise/walk and be sure to measure everything I eat, not just eyeball it and that was really about it. He didn't comment on the weight loss amount at all. As long as you're doing everything you can to follow the program and do what you're supposed to do, I wouldn't worry about the exact number even if you're worried about what your doctor will say. I think a lot of times, they don't realize how much impact what they say and how they say it can have on their patients and how much damage it can inflict on their patients' psyches. Stay focused on doing the right things and the weight loss should follow. p.s. I'm not a doctor and have no idea where you started, but 40 lbs in 2 months seems like a lot! I know we hear magical stories of massive losses at the beginning, but from some of the posts from doctors I've seen don't estimate that high. I've seen anywhere from 15-30 the first month and 8-12 in subsequent months. That puts 40 at the high end. https://www.realself.com/question/bay-saint-louis-ms-realistically-after-gastric-sleeve-pounds-dropped-weeks-post

My surgeon kept saying he doesn't want me lying around watching TV...ok, message received. I know I need to be walking, but I can't do that all day long (and I just got home yesterday so I'm a little hesitant to venture too far yet). What are you doing to keep yourselves occupied? I bought a bunch of books, but reading is basically the same as lying around watching TV. At some point, I'll probably sort through clothes for donation, but I'm not feeling robust enough for any major chores (and I did most of the big stuff before surgery anyway). What is there between lying around and walking constantly?

My surgery was on the 17th also (but I'm wicked old compared to most of you. Lol.) I haven't told many people either: the cousin who inspired me to have VSG and the aunt who asked me if I'd ever consider going what my cousin did (We're very close and I was in pre-op mode and my mouth/brain wouldn't let me lie to her). The week before, I told a close friend because she's my medical emergency contact. That was it. I've since told the 2nd of my 3 close friends (again, I just couldn't make myself lie when she asked what was new...oh, nothing, just lying here with 5 holes in my belly and missing most of my stomach...you know, same old, same old). I will tell the third friend before I see her in August. I haven't yet decided whether I will tell my dad. We're close too, but live far away from each other so sometimes we take "but I didn't want to worry you" too far...to the point that he now brings medical reports when he visits so he doesn't get the third degree from my aunt and I. Lol. I'm close to a few people at work, but they definitely don't need to know. Oh, and I've never been so excited at the thought of eating an egg or cottage cheese!!!! Counting down to Tuesday!

I had nausea when I had ice chips or tried to drink, which improved a lot after they left the water over night. For me, water went down much easier at room temperature. I'm now 11 days post-op and it sounds weird, but I barely remember it now. I recall feeling sick and terrified that I would vomit, but it's all kind of fuzzy in retrospect.

I should have clarified that inversion is for laparoscopic surgery (and he implied any abdominal laparoscopic surgery is done that way) I too had issues with pills. One that they cut that they shouldn't have (next nurse caught it when I asked to have it cut again). The worst one, though, was one that usually requires a lot of water to keep it from burning on the way down. I still wasn't doing great with water (hadn't yet discovered that room temperature was way better than iced) so I ended up with the double whammy of the pills feeling stuck and the water nauseating me. It took about 1/2 hour with a kidney pan held to my chin for everything to finally resolve. I skipped that pill until I got home where I had a liquid version that I'd purposely had prescribed because of the surgery. It's a standard formulation for a common medication so I'm not sure why they don't use it in the hospital. The liquid version has its own issues because you have to dissolve it in 1/4 C of water, posing a different problem for a recently sleeved person. I felt like it took forever to get it all in.

Thank you for your response. As the original poster, I can confirm that what you said above is true. I read everything I could get my hands on, including these forums, and prepared as best I could, knowing that all the reading and preparing in the world would only take me so far. My questions were intended to elicit accounts of people's real experiences that aren't written about in the books and forums. The questions were intentionally open ended to allow for the broadest range of responses, knowing that everyone's perceptions and experiences are different and can be very subjective. I was sleeved on the 17th and already, I can tell how my answer to these questions would have changed over the last 11 days as I'm sure it will continue to change over time. That's why I haven't answered my own question yet. I expect I will continue to have "surprises" along the way that I never anticipated, but hearing about other people's has helped me be more relaxed about knowing what could happen and how others have dealt with the unexpected. I intended no judgment in terms of good or bad surprises. For example, I was very surprised that I never had any gas pains at all, which I consider to be a good thing! A few other curiosities for me: The nurses don't necessarily know what you need or what's on your plan, especially if you're at a smaller facility where they may not interact with a lot of bariatric patients. As I was really waking up the day of surgery, I was offered water or ginger ale. Despite my grogginess, I was able to tell her we're not supposed to have carbonation. They also kept giving me ice water in a cup with a straw not aware that we can't use straws. (They also kept replacing my tepid water with more ice until I realized it was the iciness that was nauseating me. The room temperature water actually went down much better.) A surprise from my first week occurred when I was sipping some broth I had heated up. I had put it in a travel mug and it was staying way too hot despite my efforts to cool it off. After an hour or so, I assumed it had cooled down enough and tried to take a sip. It was still quite warm and I swallowed more then I had planned. I immediately felt warmth in my throats and then near my belly button! It was as if the liquid hadn't even touched anything on the way down. It was a very bizarre sensation. Oh, and one more from the realm of my mind: despite having 5 incisions on my abdomen, it didn't really feel like they had actually DONE anything inside. It was almost as if the incisions were placebo decoys to make me think they'd done surgery, but just as a ruse to get me to eat like I should. I know that may sound odd, but I kept looking at the area where my stomach should be and it looked like it always has (the incisions aren't really made directly over the stomach). Don't worry, though, I've now tried putting stuff in there so I am very aware that they really did something inside there. You just can't tell by looking or how it feels just on its own. Sorry...just one more: Did you know they do the surgery with you hanging upside down (or at least inverted)? The anesthesiologist explained that to me when I asked whether I'd have a breathing tube. Because you're in that position and to get everything in your abdomen out of the way, they have to relax ALL of your muscles, including your lungs, which is why you need to have them breathe for you, hence the breathing tube. Ok, I'm done for now. Thank you to everyone who responded to this thread. It's been fascinating to me to see the breadth of people's experiences and what stood out for each of you.

I can't speak to the emotional piece as I seem to be ok so far. I'm bracing for week 3 since I've read that that's when it hits for most people. Since it also correlates with when I have to go back to work, I'm sure I will struggle then, even if it's just with the depression and anxiety about going back. As for overeating (over drinking), I though this suggestion ridiculous, but before my surgery, I bought some smaller dishes and bowls and it really does help. I got 1/2C ramekins and 1C little bowls at Marshalls/TJMaxx and even got a few cocktail forks/demitasse spoons. It really does seem to help. Even if I do end up wanting more, I have to consciously get up and go get it. Otherwise, my old tendency to blindly eat a ton of food without even noticing would easily come back (even the small bowl was too much at first when I stopped paying attention and just started sucking down soup one day). The small fork and spoon are kind of goofy. Heck, I'd love to eat something that REQUIRES a fork, but again, it helps with the consciousness as much as anything.

I'd call before the weekend anyway, especially if it's not better. I'm obviously not a doctor, but you saying the pain was in your back makes me think of gall bladder, which we all know is one of the potential problems with rapid weight loss. The fact that it started shortly after starting purée though may indicate a different problem. It could even be GERD manifesting in a slightly different way. This soon out, there's probably no good way to know for sure without taking to your doctor.

I stayed pretty busy cleaning/preparing until close to the end, which helped to distract me. The night before, of course, I added all of that reflection to the anxiety about hearing the alarm, being on time, having everything ready, etc. I had lost 40lbs since starting the program (only 4 on the pre-op liquids) so I restarted the "maybe I can do this on my own" debate. I finally realized that I already made my decision awhile ago. I only started investigating this option in February and was still on the fence when I started the program. I decided to try the nutritionist and attended the support group meeting and, at some point my thinking shifted and I decided I wanted to do it and actively started pursuing a surgery date/insurance approval, etc. I acknowledged the concerns and anxiety and reminded myself that I had done all the research and weighed the pros and cons multiple times...and the outcome was always the same: go for it! And that decision was made during daylight using my rational brain. I told my anxious, chattering brain that I was going through with it no matter what and finally went to sleep. I will say that I was glad to have the first appointment so I didn't really have time to get anxious. I took one of my sleep helpers (clonazepam) at home at their recommendation and as soon as they put the IV in, gave me something "to help the transition to general anesthesia". I honestly don't remember much after the IV went in. I'm now on day 9 post-op and feel like everything has always been this way. It's weird, actually, because other than a few cuts on my belly, I can't really tell that I'm different. Even in the hospital, I had this weird, irrational thought that they hadn't really done anything except make some cuts on my abdomen so I'd think they had done surgery...like the whole thing was one big placebo experience. I can obviously tell by eating and drinking though. The whole experience is not a walk in the park. It's surgery. You will feel crappy, but everyone's experience is different as is everyone's definition of and tolerance for crappy. I knew what the possibilities were and felt I was as prepared as I could be so I handled it the best I could and things seemed to improve by leaps and bounds every day. I had no gas pains at all, but did struggle with a bit of nausea (that improved tremendously with room temperature water vs. ice water). The rest is mostly inconvenience...peeing every 2 hours because of the IV, etc.

I'm having the same experience. Was 242.5 when they weighed me the morning of surgery (wearing a skort and t-shirt). Last week, it seemed like the pounds flew off. Then, over the weekend, I got stuck at 230.4 exactly. Every morning, I'd get excited to see a 22x number and every morning it's 230.4 ☹️. Yesterday, I even moved and recalibrated my scale because I couldn't believe it. I'm being lazy today (was out and about from 8am to 9pm yesterday) and haven't showered yet so I haven't weighed myself. At this point, I'm like "eh, it is what it is" so I'm not going to be neurotic about it...much.

I just got back from my follow up with the PCP (who actually used to work exclusively with weight loss patients). She said due to the low carbs of the early post-op, I could be producing ketones. It's not the intent of the post-op diet, but it's not a bad thing. As long as I don't have any symptoms like aches, don't worry about it. Plus, as if tomorrow, I can add in some puréed foods so I imagine my carbs and calories will go up and it will go away.

I tried to do a forum search, thinking this was probably a routine topic, but didn't find much. I was sleeved one week ago today. I drank a different protein drink last night and, though it was good at the time, I seem to have the worst breath ever now and can't tell if it's from that or something else (I've brushed since). I've seen mention of ketosis, but that was never mentioned by any of the practitioners in my program. I also thought you had to be off all sugars and carbs and there are a few in my protein drinks, etc. Not a ton, but I assumed enough that ketosis wouldn't kick in. I'm going to my PCP follow up this afternoon, so I will ask then, but thought I'd ask if anyone else was experiencing this since a lot of us are on similar timelines. Anyone? Any other oddities people are experiencing (besides the full conversation of gurgles that transpires every time I swallow something? P.s. I'm not quite at my fluid target yet, but I'm definitely not dehydrated.

The Saturday before my surgery (which was a week ago today), I donated 3 large trash bags of my big out-of-season clothes and consolidated my smaller clothes into a single bin. I found it very liberating, especially the ones that I realized I actually hated, but bought only because they fit at the time. p.s. An organizational consultant that I saw speak at a conference let us all in on a secret: "They will never stop selling black pants."

Mmm...applesauce. Lol. I'm still on full liquids, looking forward to applesauce on Tuesday, along with pudding and baby food. You couldn't have paid me to eat applesauce before this program, but now I can't wait! I'm glad you found something. I really struggled with finding a decent multi (never really did), but once my nutritionist told me I only have to do chewable for a few months, I figured I'd stick it out with the centrum since I already had it. Even though it was on her listing as an option, she was shocked at how few nutrients it has (may be new formula) so she wants me taking two. Maybe I'll switch to liquid when I run out.

I got out of bed without feeling like I was splitting open so it seems like a good day! Lol. I've been getting my protein in, still with lots of rumbles and gurgles, but no pain. I haven't been getting in all of my fluids so that's my focus for today. Thanks for reminding me that I bought a bunch powdered jello before my surgery. I have a few of the pre-made cups in the fridge left from pre-op, but I could use a change. I'll have to check out adding the protein powder to the mix. Glad to hear you're doing better.

I was sleeved Monday and had pre-existing GERD, PCOS, compulsive eating issues, and difficulty losing weight (and a starting BMI of 55, so not a borderline case). At this point, VSG has been so successful that my surgeon pretty much does only VSG now as it has pretty much the same benefits and fewer of the potential complications of other procedures. I don't have any stats to share as I wasn't interested in RNY or any of the other procedures. I only even considered bariatric surgery after seeing the success of my cousin with VSG (and my endocrinologist mentioned it). So far, I'm very happy with my decision.

My plan says to start right away. I'm taking centrum chewable, which is disgusting and liquid calcium (plus magnesium and D from Solgar), which isn't bad. I take the centrum before drinking something because it tastes terrible. I'm just sure to chew it up completely.

Day 2 is definitely the worst. I was terrified of drinking anything because everything nauseated me and I really didn't want to throw up. Day 3 will feel much better than 2. By the end of the day, I started to feel ok taking sips without dreading the about to throw up feeling. I also went home around noon and took several naps. I'm on day 4 and feeling soooo much better. It's a world of difference. At this point, I'm still not drinking enough, but I got my protein in. The toughest part now is the incisions...well, just the big one really. It's quite tender. Ok, let's be real...it sometimes feels like it's ripping open when I try to move or get up. I'm being a baby about it and taking the pain meds when it's bad. Why be stoic about it when that's what they gave them for? I'd take that pain without any meds over day 2's nausea though so hang in there. It will get better.

FYI, though I got an Rx for simethicone, during my research, I found the strips at Walgreens, but not at cvs.

Your timeline matches mine pretty well. No BM yet though. Lol. I also managed to avoid actual heaves. As soon as I had an inkling that nausea was coming, I stopped and waited (and suffered) with the kidney pan under my chin until I stopped oversalivating and felt better, usually 1/2 hour or so (in my mind anyway). I SO didn't want to throw up/heave. I was surprised since so many people made it seem like it was nothing except a little nausea and a few gas pains. It's a bit more than that.