SpindleCity

I would absolutely toss those lenses if I were you. I don’t think they are salvageable unless maybe if they are hard lenses. They can keep exacerbating it. It happened to me once about a decade ago when I was on a long boat trip and I was miserable for about 24 outside of a dim room. I hope it clears quickly!

If you had an anti nausea patch to help with anesthesia or other nausea causes, and if you handled it with bare hands while removing it (they usually last 2-3 days) and then touched your eyes before all trace of it was gone, it could cause those symptoms. It causes dilation and lack of focus and takes a day or so to fade. If that doesn't match your situation, I agree you should reach out to an eye doctor as soon as you can.

I had thought I understood that my surgeon would be setting my weight loss goal at our first post surgical appointment. I would swear the dietician I have been working with said that, that the surgeon would take into account my pre and post op weight loss, my historic weight highs and fluctuations, etc., and that we would come up with a goal together after surgery. But apparently I misunderstood. Talking to my surgeon Wednesday before discharge from the hospital, she said she doesn't do goals and believes firmly in letting my body find its balance. I have about 100 lbs to lose to get to the high end of a healthy BMI for my height, so I asked if once I reached a healthy BMI we would shift the diet to more of a maintenance mode rather than weight loss. She said that was totally unnecessary, that my body would shift into maintenance on its own at what it felt was the right time, with no conscious effort from me, that if I genuinely followed the diet plan, all would be ok without over-planning it. I guess I have 2 questions: * Has anyone else had a surgeon with this outlook? If so, how did it work for you? * Do you have any suggestions for motivation without a concrete numeric goal? I think she would be similarly opposed to clothing size or inches. I had been looking toward entering normal BMI at 150 as a time to evaluate how far I have come, if I want to lose a bit more, or start re-introducing in small quantities items forbidden on my post-op diet while working toward goal (grains of any kind (rice/flour/etc), alcohol, treats, non-lean meats). If I am just supposed to stay on this super-strict post-op diet forever, that feels really mentally hard, and not what I had been hearing in the support group with other patients of the same surgeon. The surgery went well and I am mobile and drinking ok, still have some very sharp pain from the two biggest incisions when I use my abdominals, but have pain meds to manage and it is better day after day. Since I am sleeping less today, I am starting to worry about this and the long term. I will definitely discuss with the surgeon at my August 31 followup, but I need some reassurance, I think, before then too.

After meeting with the dietician today, she explained the practice feels strongly that it is success to get their patients stably below a BMI of 30, which eliminates a significant amount of the comorbidities. Beyond that, they don't want patients to get derailed by specific weight loss goals that will be achievable at different paces for different people. That said, she referred back to the 60-70% of excess body weight average for sleeve/bypass WLS as a general guideline of what to expect following the program. So, my weight goal would vary between 149 if I was targeting a "healthy" BMI of 25 for my height; or 169 if I was targeting an "overweight, not obese" 30 BMI; or 180 if it was about losing 65% of excess body weight; or ... So, yeah, I guess I get their point. They want me to focus on the process right now, and reforming my habits/thinking.

Hello ... I wanted to report back. I am personally doing a lot better than last Thursday/Friday. Since it has been going on so long for you, @Sclark8756, I am not presuming it is better for you, but I really hope it might have eased a little. On my end, Friday was the first day I got in significant walking after surgery (about 7500 steps, according to my fitbit). I also did hot compresses on and off for a couple of hours before bed. On Saturday, I felt stunningly better, to nerve shooting pain gone. Then, after rolling onto my side for a nap, it returned, but not as strongly. Sunday was also relatively good, with it only sparking when I tried to bend or twist. But, yesterday, Monday, was my first day back at work and it was much worse by the end of the day. I think, for me, it is just going to be part of my healing, whether caused by nerves impacted by the stitches or just how things are healing where they did the most manipulation. I put off the appointment with the bariatric nurse, because I was genuinely feeling much better Monday morning, but I did see the dietician today (cleared for Stage 4 foods!), and will see the surgeon toward the end of the week. Good luck finding relief of your own, and keep us posted if there are developments.

Similar pain, at different levels of extreme, is being discussed in another thread right now, at: It may be useful or have insights for you. I learned a bit there and am just about to update my experience.

In the waiting room at the doctor's office waiting to see the dietician for my first post-op appt with her today, for the first time the tv was not on "news/crisis tv" but rather on the Food Network. I was like, seriously, Mario Batali, with Italian Bread Salad/Panzanella?

@Sclark8756, I am sorry you are going through this, but thank you for posting it. Your description and some of the comments in response have been a comfort to me over the last few days. I had my VSG surgery 8/15, so only 10 days out, but genuinely think I might be experiencing the same thing, and hoping it resolves for both of us soon. For me, I had a great post-op time in the hospital, walking laps around the unit a couple of different times the day of surgery, shifting from water to Crystal Light easily, and to shakes the next morning. I was sleepy/groggy, but surprisingly ok. Once I was off the IV pain meds, I was more sore all around, with lots of wincing, but was committed to giving it time and rest. As the days have passed, the gas is gone, my drinking protein and the authorized puree/soft foods has become routine, and my incisions have healed a lot. Basically everything has gotten much better except the incision to the left of my belly button, the one they said was the most manipulated as it was where they removed the cut away section of stomach from. The pain from that hurts when I move in almost any way and sometimes just when touched the wrong way by fabric, just as much and just as intensely as the first day. It isn't a dull ache like the others, but a sharp shooting pain that ranges from 6 out of 10 to "dizzying, I might faint." Wearing a binder helps while I am wearing it, but after it is off, it is much worse for a while, almost electric intense doing anything other than sitting reclined or lying down still. The narcotic pain medicine takes an edge off, but given my family history, I am uncomfortable taking it other than for sleep this far out until I see the nurse/doctor again. I hadn't thought of the potential of nerve pain/temporary nerve damage at the incision site until I read this thread. I was struggling with dealing with it exactly because it felt so much more intense than any muscle/cut healing pain I have had before. (My general pain tolerance is very high, getting me smoothly through two natural childbirths and freaking my dentist out altogether.) Reading your experience, and the tidbits related by @Sullie06,@cwhit, and @Jeaniered too, it helps me understand what it might be better, and therefore cope with it more. I also decided I can't wait until my scheduled post op appointment with the surgeon on Thursday to get more reassurance. I called and scheduled an interim appointment with one of the bariatric nurses on Monday. She will examine the healing of the incisions in person and be able to pull in the surgeon if there is any chance I need anything more beyond patience. Thank you again for your post. You are not alone and you helped me directly already. I hope we hear good news from you soon.

That would have been funny too. Unless I am missing memory, they did mine while I was under. Probably much more efficient that way. [emoji23]

I am amused at how my mind works. I am not a super modest person, especially not in a medical setting. If it is your job to look or poke by all means do! And consenting to surgery is much more intimate still, involving a huge leap of faith in your care providers, but I had every reason to and did trust my surgery team. So, what is the detail that I keep getting squicked by? As part of surgery, they shaved my belly! Mind you, this is totally reasonable and appropriate. I don't remember anyone telling me this would happen, but it is not the level of procedure I expect briefing on. Yet somehow my brain keeps going back to being weirded out that some "stranger" shaved my stomach, paying no heed to the fact that those same people had their hands inside me, which somehow isn't an issue. Laughing at myself each day when it comes up in my head, mostly when the little stubble itches.

Thanks, everyone. My newbie nerves are real, and it is kind of you to take a moment and share your experience and perspective. My goal for having the surgery is focused on health, mobility/activity, and avoiding developing the cholesterol/blood sugar problems I was starting to inch toward which are so common in my family. The idea of a numeric goal, I think, was wanting a point where someone professional would say, "hey, you've done well, you're in a good place, you should feel free to switch to maintenance now and feel ok relaxing a little bit so long as you stay on the path." But, some of you have said and you are right that that is still about seeking outside validation. :deep breath:

Yes, that's what I was looking for. We are the same height and have similar starting weights. I tentatively am looking to 150 because it is the start of "normal" BMI, but I also know that BMI has its own flaws and limitations, and some things may be more or less realistic given my body and its history. The nurse who called to check on me post-op yesterday said that the dietician would be more willing to discuss that with me when I see her. But it sounds like the surgeon doesn't really approve. :/

I had my surgery in Massachusetts on Tuesday, 8/15, so am 4 days post op. I am doing great with my protocol's Stage III diet (shakes, yogurt, applesauce, broth, jello), but surprised to still be needing the strong pain medications. I have always had a very high pain tolerance compared to most folks, so I wasn't expecting to still be having surges of 7/8/9 on the pain scale at this point if I skip a dose. In neutral positions (lying flat, sitting reclined, standing) I am basically pain free, but any shifting or anything that uses my stomach muscles is excruciating at the two largest incision sites if I haven't taken the meds. Well, I guess that's why they were prescribed, right? And today is better than yesterday, etc. Looking forward to hanging out with all of you on this journey. Our local support group meets once a month, and every three months I will have a work conflict, so I am grateful to find this place and other voices to connect with.

** Time of operation has its effect: My surgery was Tuesday 11 am and I was able to be released Wednesday afternoon. My surgeon did three operations Tuesday, one before and one after me. I genuinely think having mine happen in the morning was an advantage. The woman done after me ended up being my hospital room roommate. Her situation was a little more complex on the surface (she was heavier and had some co-morbidities (CPAP machine at least)), but I also think there were ways the time of day slowed down her progression through the post surgical diet stages. I got all the way through stage 1 (water) and stage 2 (flavored water/broth) the first day and was able to start up shakes when I woke up. When I left, it looked like she would be staying through a second night. For me, I was anxious to get home so I could get proper rest without being poked for vitals every 2 hours, etc. ** I was not expecting to still be in sharp pain today, 3 days post op, but I can't really remember what it was like when I had my tubes out and my husband says it was similar. I have six laparoscopic incisions, 3 of which are barely noticeable, and two of which are significant with deep muscle stitches and wide bruising. I have no pain at all when lying down on my back, semi reclined sitting, or standing, other than the occasional gas bubble. Transitions, however, whether between positions or bending to reach something, make things jump from a dull 1 or 2 on the pain scale to a sharp 8 or 9, all about using the abdominal muscles with those deep incisions. So, I am still taking pain medication for today. I have a deep family history of substance problems (not my own, but still), so am anxious about taking it, even if it is as prescribed. -- I got 4 different protein drinks to try during my two week pre-op diet and definitely have my personal favorite at this point: 4 -- Bariatric Advantage powder (given as a sample from my surgeon's office) -- Can't get it to mix all the way no matter what, which leaves for a "crumbly" and lumpy shake. Taste is ok, no aftertaste to speak of. 3 -- Pur Protein premade, vanilla & chocolate --texture is a little "off," maybe a bit oily or not fully homogenized? And it has the worst aftertaste of the bunch, definitely chalky. Avail at super markets & GNC & web. 2 -- Premier premade in the square containers, chocolate -- This one is good, room temp or cold. Taste a little too much like liquid pudding for my personal preference, but I could use it for a couple of weeks as needed. Avail at super markets & GNC & web. 1 -- Orgain chocolate & vanilla 26g -- far and away my favorite. I don't see this brand mentioned much, but it meets or beats the nutritional profile of the others, without artificial flavoring or preservatives. Basically tastes like good chocolate milk or a melted not too sweet vanilla shake. Unlike the others, I could see having this as part of our kitchen staples forever without resentment. https://www.amazon.com/Orgain-Organic-Protein-Creamy-Chocolate/dp/B01MZE5Y50 Note they also have the square containers ones with lower protein amount, if you want 16g or 20g on your plan instead of this one with 26g. Sending lots of warm wishes for all of you starting this journey this month with me.