darnlochnessmonster

You're very lucky! I've gotten my nausea and vomiting under control but gas is still an issue. I also stopped taking my pain meds for the last two days because I'm so constipated. TMI here, but until this afternoon, I hadn't "gone to the bathroom" in a full week.

I haven't been given the official go-ahead for pureed yet, but I can have: strained soups, protein shakes, Danon Oikos Yogurt, sugar-free pudding, sugar-free popsicles. I really, really hated the flavor of the Danon Oikos - they had that "fake sugar" taste - and now it's just normal. Same with the no sugar added carnation. It gives me a lot of hope for a "Fresh start" with food after I heal. I've been using Fooducate to find lower sugar, lower carb, higher protein versions of my favorite foods/drinks/condiments, and looking for "healthified" recipes for my favorite comfort foods (mac and cheese made with greek yogurt, who'd have thunk it?) That being said, I cannot possibly describe the craving I have for a spinach salad with feta and Newman's Own Homestyle Italian Dressing (....never ever thought I'd be saying that!)

I'm also still very, very sore. I've always preferred to sleep on my right side, and I haven't been able to do that yet. Getting myself up and down creates a pulling sensation - not necessarily painful, but certainly unpleasant. I've found that if I hold my tummy up a little when I need to move, the extra (gentle) support makes it a little better. I keep thinking of Winnie the Pooh Bear with his stuffing falling out though As for headaches, that hasn't been a problem for me but I do have some tingling in my right thigh. There's no indication of blood clots (no redness, warmth, tenderness) but I plan to bring it up for extra examination at my follow-up appointment.

Finding drinks you enjoy is hard. I hated the sugar free carnation instant breakfast shakes before surgery, but luckily I find them enjoyable now. I still don't love crystal light, but I'm thinking about getting some Torani Sugar-Free syrups to help mix up the flavors a bit.

Thank you, Mbird. If I could recommend anything else that's been particularly helpful, its my laptop tray and blender bottle. The tray keeps my laptop off my tummy and blender bottle keeps my shakes smooth even if they start to settle due to how long it takes to drink.

One of the ways I'm working on getting everything down is timing out my sips. If I take my first sip at 9AM, I take the next at 9:02, then 9:04, 9:06 and so on until I'm half done. At the point where I'm half done I take a break for 5 to 10 minutes, then start over. With taking pills, I double the time between sips/pills and double the break time. It helps me get over the mental hump of fearing my pouch stretching out.

I have read that waist trainers (any compression garment) can be helpful with chaffing though. Even if it isn't helping you to force your skin into shape, if it's keeping it in place it can help prevent/reduce the irritation of rubbing all day.

I have the same surgery date - I'm nervous too. This part of the process happened really fast for me. I went in for my nutrition appointment on a Monday, got the go ahead, got insurance approval by that Thursday, had my surgical consultation the following Thursday and was put on the schedule for Wednesday 4/26, pre-surgery screening yesterday and now here I am. After a little over a year doing the seminars and nutrition appointments, it felt like it was never going to happen and now it's all happening really fast. Wishing you the best of luck and a quick, healthy recovery.

My procedure is going to be at Highland Hospital in Rochester, NY and I wondered if any of you had your surgery there recently. I've never stayed more than a few hours at a hospital before, and I'm not sure what to expect. If you have answers to any of my questions below, I would be so grateful. 1. What should I bring? I typically don't like to carry around a lot of stuff, and I actually don't even own a purse. 2. How long was your stay for your sleeve? 1 night? 2? 3. Does the TV have a DVD player or cable? Or should I plan to bring a laptop or tablet? 4. Were you alone in your room or with another patient? 5. Any special tips relating to the hospital? Thank you all!

I'm going in to meet with Dr. O'Malley late this week to schedule my surgery appointment, but I want to be able to sit down ahead of time and look at my schedule so I can offer some firm dates/times that would work for me. From your experience with the Highland Hospital Bariatric Surgery center, which days of the week were available to schedule your procedure, and what times? Any info is appreciated. Thank you!

I've been doing a lot of research on ways to help mitigate the loose skin issue because I've been worried about it too. So far, I've been able to come up with (1) Dry brushing skin on a regular basis to increase blood flow and circulation (helps encourage cell turnover) (2) massage, again to increase blood flow (3) castor oil as a moisturizer, (4) compression/support garments just to help reduce possibly painful friction or pinching (5) sunscreen to protect and then, good ol' genetics and hydration.