Little Kansas Kitty

I agree with @ValJean. What a thorough response, @CyclicalLoser. So many great tips! @kingcake, are you able to stay any longer in the hospital? I stayed for 3 nights by choice mostly because of fear of coming home too early and not having help, plus I adored the nurse team and loved all the pampering in the hospital. I did not have any help when I got home and pretty much did exactly what @MarinaGirl did to prep. I got bills paid for a couple months, deep cleaned my house, filled up my car up with gas and washed it, purchased all my post-op liquids for about 2 weeks, set up my bed so I could easily slide in when I returned, organized my vitamins, borrowed a toilet riser (a shower chair would have been nice at the beginning). I felt overly prepared and that's what helped me come home as I got to focus on just me. It was fun. I binged on Netflix and watched weight loss surgery YouTube channels and aside from daily walks in my neighborhood, I moved from bed to couch for the first 10 days. Lots of napping took place. This is your time for you and you don't need anyone. Just be prepared and get a couple bottles of liquid Tylenol. This way, when you ease off RX pain meds, you can begin taking Tylenol and start driving again. Congrats on your surgery! You're going to do great!

Ya'll are doing amazing at 40+ pounds lost. WAHOOOO! I felt really good this past weekend and the puree stage is really helping me feel satisfied. I'm 4 weeks post-op today and down 30 lbs. That does include a 12 lb. loss on my pre-op diet. I'm super happy! I'm wearing a long dress today to work and just bent down with ease to pick up some leaves that fell off a floral arrangement. I didn't even think twice about bending down. When I was down there, I smiled to myself. NSV!

Breathe. Pray. Think about all the positive things in your life. Be happy. You earned this and deserve this new chapter. Look out world, here comes @MamaOnlyHasTwoHands v2! Sending you warm vibes.

Oh, that is interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard of the term metabolic surgery, but it makes total sense especially for those that suffered with diabetes before. Thanks for always providing great medical research and support!

@Missouri-Lee's Summit - I'm in love with this explanation of hunger and satiety/hormones you posted: I have needed this solution all my life and am so happy for WLS! My ghrelin must of been insanely high and my leptin super low prior to surgery. Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that are known to have a prominent role in the relationship between hunger and satiety. Ghrelin also plays a role in determining how much of what we eat is burned for fuel versus stored as fat. Weight loss alone results in an increase in ghrelin, which explains why we tend to feel hungry as soon as we restrict calories and begin to shed pounds. Surgically induced weight loss, however, in which a portion of the stomach is removed or bypassed, reduces the production of ghrelin while restricting the volume of food consumed. This unique combination explains, at least in part, why bariatric patients are able to eat less but not feel hungrier as a result. Leptin also plays an important role in telling your body when you are full and how calories are stored. It is believed that weight loss improves the body’s sensitivity to the messages leptin delivers to the gut and brain. This in turn may result in greater food satisfaction with smaller quantities and less flavor intensity.

2 Words: Pregnancy Pillow

Congrats on nursing school. I think you'll be totally fine and ready for school IF you take it easy from here forward. Let your body rest, rest as much as possible and ask for help. I paid my kids extra allowance to help out with additional chores. The last thing you want to do is pull or strain a muscle as that could set you back an additional 3 weeks or so. Happy healing!

This sucks. I'm sorry, girl. It's the biggest annoyance of all of this recovery. I had the burning sensation once and it freaked me out but it did pass. I feel like days that I'm more active at home and work, the next day the left side pain comes back even stronger. It too is not directly on the incision but under or around it. Sometimes it's hard to pin point. I read somewhere that it can take 4-5 weeks before you're back to yourself. I'm just trying to take it easy most days and taking my Tylenol religiously every 6 hours.

You're just a little farther out than me. I was constipated for 12 days after surgery and my first BM was painful but celebratory! I've been taking one stool softener every day since a couple days before surgery. This week my diet changed to puree's and so I'm adding small amounts of applesauce and/or bananas or some baby food veggies to each meal and it's made a world of a difference. FIBER in these foods is making me go at least every day or two. Weight is dropping again now too.

OMG - I love sofrito or sazón! It's such a popular spice in spanish recipes. That seems to be so odd to me. I'm glad you're doing better. Do you think the chicken could have been prepared in extra fat/butter?

My doctor said 10 lbs after surgery. Then, at my 2 week follow up they said I could increase to 25 lbs. and just continue to add more as I feel better. I'm 3 1/2 weeks post-op and don't feel ready for any weight lifting due to my left side incision pains and a pulled lower left back muscle. I think taking it easy for some time after surgery is best for healing. I'm hoping by 6 weeks I'll be back to all normal activities but I agree with @Matt Z and think it could be closer to 2 months. Our bodies just went through major surgery.

@macadamia - so true about the office temptations! We have Donut Thursday every week at our office. That was a really kind and encouraging note above. I do love this community too! Yep, regarding the surgery getting cancelled. When she told she cheated and had a cheeseburger, her Dr. put her I think on another month of liquids and rescheduled surgery. It scared the bejeezus out of me.

made me giggle too!

You are going to be amazed at how well you're going to do after surgery. Your pouch will be so small and you'll be forced to eat right. My kids have lots of treats and dinners I can't have but that's ok. I just make my own. I've been doing that for years. The only thing that kept me from cheating on my pre-op diet was someone's post on here that said they cheated and their surgery was cancelled. You can do it, girl. Fill yourself up with water. It helps tremendously! My kids will grow up and move on one day and then it will be just me. You've got to do what is best for you.

@trixie82 - yay for kicking that stall! I have a feeling this will not be our one and only but next time we'll be more prepared.

I just had the most satisfying meal since my surgery! Refried Beans. YUMMY! No seasoning added just straight out of the can warmed up in the microwave. Quick ?: My post-op diet paperwork said I could have a 1/2 cup of Refried Beans. I'm 3 weeks post-op. Isn't a 1/2 a cup 4 ounces? And, isn't our pouch only 2 ounces!!? Maybe it's considered a "slider" food? I finished about 3/4 of the 1/2 a cup and feel really satisfied and full. Adding this to my favorite meal list so far. I almost felt like I was having a taco. Haha!

Haha! Yay for food in whatever forms they come. I had cottage cheese for the first time this morning and they were delicious too! The baby food peaches not so much. Too sweet!

Thank you for that. I think I do need to slow down more. It was pretty easy to eat since it was so soft. I did feel better when I got home and had a protein shake. The fullness lasted probably a little under 2 hours. I plan on having it for dinner tomorrow though. It was delicious.

Ok, 45 minutes later and I'm feeling "too full". Like I just had an enormous meal. I think I better have less next time. This full feeling is a wee bit uncomfortable. It still was tasty though!

@ALFxRNY - The one under my breast is practically gone and healing the best too! Here's to happy healing for all of us! Have you started any scar treatment yet? I was thinking I better hurry and pick up some mederma.

Yuck on the 2 week stall and the bug. Guess we'll begin to get used to them as our bodies try to redistribute and catch up. We have similar stats! I want to lose 100. 25 down and 75 to go. I feel like this is a good first milestone.

@ALFxRNY - You're lucky you got that belly button incision. I've heard those are super unnoticeable and disappear. I have the huge left side incision that is pretty bothersome but is getting better day by day. By next summer's heat, we'll all be complaining how cold we are.

@Matt Z - 67 lbs. is amazing and truly, it's the overall and how you feel that matters. AWESOME JOB!

Yep, I kept reading the same thing. Sorry you had to go through the struggle with the band but glad you're on an awesome track with RNY. Still can't get over your huge weight loss in under 4 months. Very inspiring.