Auroragirl4489

I do use Lactose free milk - and soy, I suspect its the whey Protein in the shakes. So I use the Lactaid pills as well.

Why not just do lactose free milk? Lactaid makes lactose free and fairlife is lactose free

This isn't even an issue. Just do your best to not do it again. You've got this.

I have two weeks to go until surgery - I was doing great on the pre-op diet but today, completely without a second thought I ate a piece of apple bake bread a co-worker brought in. I'm feeling like a failure, and feel frustrated from not feeling well from the Protein Shakes (struggling getting my Lactaid dose correct!) Anyway - I needed to confess to someone, back on the horse, right?

I began my weight loss journey 1 year ago. It started because my amazing sister was preparing for gastric bypass surgery and she inspired me to be healthier as well. She lost over 100 pounds from pre-op to post op. Her surgery was around February of this year.
I started with Premier Protein shakes once a day during my lunch period at work instead of eating. My sister was my biggest inspiration to remain strong.
I am a mother and a wife and I have a full time job 40+ hour per week job.
For the first 6 months I did one shake a day. For the last 6 months I've done 2 premier Protein Shakes per day and dinner at night and eating regularly on weekends. My pre op diet has been just shakes and one small meal at night of Protein and vegetables every day of the week.
I have been doing assisted weight loss for the last 6 months do get the approval through my insurance. Now I am approved and my gastric sleeve scheduled for September 12th. This has been an incredible experience.
I always hoped that I'd get to share it with my sister who inspired me to begin this in the first place.
She died on May 5th from a heart condition she didn't know she had called cardiomyopathy.
They thought her heart had been large before the surgery because she was fat and it was making her heart work harder because of her weight and the surgery would fix the problem.
Her weight wasn't the problem, though, and it was too late for them to go back and figure that out because she died at night in her sleep with no warning months later. She was 33. She had worked so hard for her weight loss and was doing amazing and was finally happy. She went on a 10 mile hike the week before.
I have so much support at work and at home but it just breaks my heart that she won't see my success as well that was begun because of her.
I have overcome so much in these last few months and I have so much strength and determination to succeed and I know I will for myself and for my family.
I am proud of myself for coming so far despite the challenges.
My surgery is this Wednesday and I have 3 days scheduled off of work to take a rest plus the weekend and I will be going back the following Monday permitted I feel up to it.
That being said, has anyone had to deal with a loss like this during this transition and what helped you?
Also, for those that have returned to work pretty soon after surgery, what were the things that you would recommend to make life easier?
My job is sedentary and I am mainly at a desk all day but I will have the ability to walk freely as needed for the necessary circulation 15 minutes every 2-3 hours.
I have prepared for the post op by pre-purchasing a TON of broth and no sugar/low calorie gatorade and drink mixes. I bought a soft no underwire bra and I bought a box of Decaf tea bags and I have a large pack of waters and some sugar free jellos and popsicles.
I'm mentally prepared and have been following a strict diet for a very long time so I don't believe it will be too hard for me because of my will power.
I plan on taking as many hot baths as I can this weekend before I won't be able to for a long time!
If anyone has any advice or tips for the beginning post op phase to remember anything will be appreciated. I thought I was going to have her to guide me through this.

I think we have to give it time. This is not going to be a quick fix. Look at what you posted 14lbs in a week that’s amazing!

Hey everyone, I have been on the 2 week liquid diet. Full liquids last week and Clear Liquids this week. I have followed the instructions to the letter.i have lost 57 pounds since January. My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow 8/27/18. I just ate 2 teaspoon fulls of ground meat mixed with BBQ Sauce and cheese. Have I messed up for the surgery?

Congratulations! I had surgery on 8/28 was a struggle the first few days now I’m managing, walking more just started purées tonight. Wasn’t able to each much but moving in the right direction! 

HW- 336
SW- 319 (8/28)
CW- 301 (9/5)

***Sharing a recent surgery experience*** I had my gastric bypass surgery about 1 week ago and so wanted to share some of my experiences with you. I know before I went in, I was nervous, excited, anxious and would have loved to hear about someone one else’s experience – so I am sharing mine. For what it’s worth. <3 I tried to break it down into sections so you can scan and read what you want. SURGERY/RECOVERY ROOM My surgery was scheduled for 8:15am on August 28, 2018 at the University of Iowa Hospital; we arrived at 6am to get checked in. They did all the expected procedures, weighed me, asked medical questions, did a pregnancy test, change into hospital gown, and prepped the IV. At 8:15am, wheeled back to the surgical area. Where it felt like I was the car in a Nascar pit stop.  People checking with me, setting up IV fluids, other monitors, prepping for surgery. The last thing I recall is the oxygen mask and asking me to take deep breaths. The surgery started at 9:08am and lasted until about 12pm and I was in the recovery room until about 2pm. They checked on my pain levels and nausea. I was fortunate to not have nausea, but there was significant pain. From there I was wheeled into my room and was able to see my family. Remember, you just had surgery and you are going to be VERY tired. You will be pale and do NOT worry about any of that! <3 I was still linked to the IV for fluids and pain medicine; I could push the button every 8 minutes for a dose, which did help limit the pain. They also gave me anti-nausea medicine through the IV. DRAIN I had a gastric bypass so had a drain. I understand this isn’t the case for all surgeries. I had a plastic tube in my stomach that was connected to a small bulb. Every 4 hours, a nurse would empty it and they also sent a sample of the fluids to the lab to ensure what was coming out was ok. In my case, the drain did not hurt. It was just rather weird having a plastic tube sticking out of your tummy. At one point, my drain started to leak Fluid so they just had to remove the bandages and replace and cover with more tape. (Just another reason to stick with the hospital gowns – got the stuff on their clothes not mine!  ) I will speak to the removal of the drain – since that is a question I had. When I was about to be discharged the next afternoon, they had to pull it out. There were two stitches adhering the drain to my stomach so they snipped those (no pain) and started to pull the drain out. It was minimal pain but mostly it felt really …weird… They are pulling a plastic tube out of your insides so you can imagine. Not terrible – just not something I would like to feel again. CATHETER I had a catheter after my surgery; I don’t know if this is standard for all surgeries. Every 4 hours, the nurse would empty and measure the amount of fluid. The main annoyance was trying to walk around with a long-ass tube between your legs. When they took it out, it just felt like a little pressure and it was done. It was no biggie. NURSES I want to take a moment and recognize the work of nurses. They work their asses off to take care of us and it is not a simple job. I was pretty lucky with my nurses; they were very kind and fun. I did have one that liked to complain a lot, but she was still nice to me. Please, do NOT act like a jerk to the nurses! I know you may be in pain and scared – but they are there to help you and support you. It IS ok to ask for help though. Use the call button and ask for assistance as you need. There were a couple of times I had to use mine and that is what is there for. On a side note, I do know there are a few nurses who really should leave the field. If you do come across such nurse, it is completely appropriate to advocate for yourself and get a reassignment. When my grandmother was in the hospital many years ago, I had to do this because of her negligence and the way she spoke to my grandma. ***Long story short: Be nice, ask for help, and advocate for yourself. PAIN I am known for sugar coating anything (just ask my kids, lol) Yes, you will have pain. You will also have medicine to assist you with this. Be honest with your caretakers about your pain level. If the medicine is not helping you – it is ok to discuss other options! It is your body! I developed an allergy to the pain medicine and became itchy ALL over! Since the allergy wasn’t dangerous, they reconciled this by simply giving me Benadryl. The second day, they started to wean me off the IV pain pump and gave me the same pain pills I would have at home. *PRO TIP: Take the pain pills (and any other ones) as prescribed, even if it means waking up from slumber to take them! For example, I was to take mine every 4 hours. I set multiple alarms on my cell phone to alert me to take them – even overnight. That way the pain meds remain in your system and you don’t wake up in immense pain! It is well worth it, I promise! NAUSEA I was relatively lucky with this and didn’t suffer with it too badly. I know some folks really have difficulties with this. I did have anti-nausea meds in my IV for a while and they sent me home with anti-nausea pills for home. The only time I did have a terrible moment of nausea was the evening of the surgery.,,but we had some interesting weather. We actually had a Tornado warning so all patients had to come outside their rooms. I had to go from laying down to sitting up ramrod straight in a chair. I thought for sure I was going to get sick – but I was able to hold it in. I couldn’t bear to get sick in front of all the other patients and upset them or cause more work for the nurses. After the warning was over, I got to go back in my room and lay down and l felt so much better. WALKING When I was in the hospital (and after I got home) I got up to walk about every 2 hours and it *significantly* helped with any gas pain. It was also just good to get out of the room and see other people. Yes, I am talking about overnight. In fact, my most fun walks were at 12am, 2am, and 4am because the overnight nurses were really sweet and funny. I know you will be tired and sleep is very hard to get at the hospital, but it will make you feel better to walk for a few minutes. <3 HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT This is just my experience, but the hospital was not exactly a relaxing place. No surprise to most people.  There is constant noise: beeping from other rooms, people talking, some people have tv’s, etc. I recommend earplugs or headphones to help with the noise. You also will have folks coming into your room at all hours interrupting you sleep - to do different things (checking IV’s, vitals, catheter, pump, housekeeping) COMING HOME I was very happy to be able to come home. I was able to come home the afternoon after my surgery. They will get the meds you need and go over your discharge notes and instructions. (Do as they say!) I HIGHLY recommend bringing a pillow or having the person driving you home bring a pillow. It helps you hold your stomach from all the bouncing from the car ride. My ride home was a little rough. The roads in Iowa are not especially great so it did hurt. Just be prepared for that with a pillow and pain meds and you will be ok. <3 DIET Be sure to follow whatever diet your doctor/nutritionist. I know that different programs/hospitals have different protocols – so follow what you are given. Do NOT cheat immediately after your surgery! It is not worth it to possibly harm yourself. <3 WHAT TAKE TO HOSPITAL This is a question I see often and researched much as well. I will just list the items I found useful: • Comfy Robe (used for walks and as a blanket; it was much softer than the hospital blanket) • Slippers • Ponytail holders • Face wash wipes • hair Brush • Toothbrush • Toothpaste • Phone and charger • Headphones • Comfy clothes to go home in (I wore a cotton dress. I didn’t want pants to touch my incisions) • Extra undergarments • Deodorant • Biotine (My mouth was SO dry! And it was heavenly when I could have ice chips!) • I did not wear the PJ’s I brought. I wore the hospital gown and was thankful I did due to a couple of drain leaks! **************************************************************** Well, that was my experience. Hope you found it helpful. If you have any questions – let me know and I am happy to answer! Best of luck to you! Stefanie <3

I love this- now go create a tinder account asap and keep flirting lol.

Yes, it is. But are you expecting a better answer from us than from those with the expertise to know you and your condition best? Were you not in the hospital, the most appropriate answer for a question such as this, one which is giver quite frequently for situations such as this, is to either call your doctor and check, or to go to the ER and get it checked out.
Blood coming out of any place after surgery is a concern, It may be a "we gotta get on top of this - now!" type of thing, or it may be a "let's keep an eye on this and see if it clears up on its own" situation, but that is something that needs professional medical judgement.

I’m all done! Yesterday was tough. Today was much better. Glad to have this over with!!

Oh hun ur going to have more doubts after surgery but when you start seeing the results you will be happy. I’m only a week post op and whined and had buyers remorse probably the first 4 days because I wanted to eat but wasn’t hungry. Emotions all over the place. But today at my post op appointment Im down 18lbs in a week. (Drastic i know but I’m super restricted) but listen getting on that scale and seeing 301 made it worth it. Just push through and remember why you started. Come on here everyday and complain don’t give up!

HW- 336
SW- 319 (8/28)
CW- 301 (9/5)

UPDATE on Frustr8:
I just heard from Tomkitten that Frustr8 is out of surgery. Doctor said there were no problems. She's very tired but sitting up and sipping liquids. I'm sure she'll be back on the boards in no time! She's been dreaming of this day and it finally happened. Praise be!

Well, they cancelled my surgery on Monday... Anyone else? Could really use some positivity right now... ugh...

Just hit 2 weeks today and threw up for the first time. No pain, just nausea. I'm thinking I should do liquid again, any thoughts?
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Congrats!

Congrats! Glad to hear you're doing well!

Sounds like you are making good progress! Keep up the good work!

Mine was the 23rd. I'm still struggling to get in all the Protein but doing well otherwise.

Hi, Pals. Just wanted to check in now that I am 7 days post op. I had my gastric bypass on August 29. Went home on August 30. I have been on liquid diet since coming home. About to start pureed phase tomorrow.

Everything has been going well. The pain has been manageable. I still have some bouts of pain, but much less than before.

I have not been exercising yet, but plan to start that soon.

I hope all other August surgery patients are doing well!

My predetermination paperwork was faxed to my insurance company last Friday evening, Aug 31st. Please send some good vibes my way that i receive good news soon. I'm trying very hard to be patient. I wish there was a way to check the status of the predetermination online. Has anyone ever received an approval on the predetermination but then denied at preauthorization time?
Thanks,
Cindy

Tomorrow morning I will have my bypass surgery. That will begin my physical journey. 7 months ago it began mentally when I decided to live life instead of just existing in life. People keep asking me if I'm scared. How can I be afraid of living life again? The next few days will be difficult and I am sure I will have setbacks ahead but thinking about just watching life go by and not participating in it is much worse. Time to say goodbye to diabetes and a handful of pills each day and hello to a better life.

Congratulations and speedy recovery. I don’t know you but you have been cheering everyone on since I been on here and now it’s our turn to cheer u on! 

Congratulations and speedy recovery. I don’t know you but you have been cheering everyone on since I been on here and now it’s our turn to cheer u on!