ButterfliesandBeaches

I had to travel for work 4 weeks post-op. I stayed at an extended stay hotel so I would have a kitchen and I bought my soft foods. The company dinner was to a Mexican restaurant. I e-mailed my dietician about options. I asked about the shrimp taco. She said no shrimp until month 4. Since there wasn't anything else on the menu, which I previewed beforehand, I gracefully bowed out of dinner. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one. A few nights later some colleagues went out to eat. I went with them and at the salmon. My dietician is adamantly again alcoholic beverages in the first year because we don't have the enzymes for proper digestion of alcohol yet. It will take a while to get back to that place. So I'd say, skip the wine. Plus it's just empty calories. Happy V-Day!

I only planned to take 1 week and that's what I requested. But I was still having so much pain, my surgeon wrote a note excusing me for a second week. The third week I changed my schedule to get off work at 3:00 pm instead of 5:00 pm. By week 4, I was back to full days. My boss and close co-workers know the procedure. Others in the office just know I had "abdominal surgery." Everyone has been great.

Yes, check with your surgeon. Liquid or Chewables only. After trying Bariatric Advantage and Celebrate Chewables, I settled on NutraMetrix isotonic vitamins. It's a powder that you mix with 2 oz. of water. They also have a calcium supplement. They taste like an orange drink. Again, check with your surgeon.

I had the same problem. It felt like a knife was stabbing me from the inside out every time I would walk or stand. I was on Percocet. That did nothing. I saw my surgeon and she said it was muscle spasm pain from having to cut through 2 layers of muscle in the abdomen. She gave me a script for Diladid. That helped slightly, but I was still in pain. The lifesaver was actually a back support belt my husband gave me. I used it to lift and support my belly. What a difference!! I could walk and stand with no pain. After wearing it for about 10 days, I found I could go without it and not have the pain. I'm only 30 days post-op and I still take things slow, but at least I'm no longer doubled over in pain. Oh, and I'm also finding that minor walking now seems to help build my abdominal muscles and now I can sit up with only minor discomfort.

I had my sleeve surgery 1/11/18. Waking up, I didn't feel any pain at all. The hospital blankets were warm and it was like waking from a nice nap. I felt great and was up walking around within hours. The only pain I felt was getting in and out of the hospital bed (using abdominal muscles) but it was manageable. Coming home still wasn't painful. However, once I got home, the pain started. The narcotic pain meds did nothing to help. Eventually I realized that I only felt pain when standing and walking. At my 1-week post-op, my doctor said it was muscle pain from cutting through 2 layers of muscle. So, I minimized my time on my feet to give my muscles a chance to heal. Whenever I do walk around, I wear a maternity support belt to support my tummy--what a life saver!! Now, my pain is minimal even when walking. I take Tylenol as needed, which isn't often. My advice is to take it easy and try not to overdo it. I was so inspired by people's stories of quick recovery that I tried to do too much too soon and that caused a lot of pain. Go slow, take it easy, and you'll be fine!

Hi, I sleeved the same day as you two. How is it going? I have a lot of pain--had gallbladder removed too.