MargoCL

I am two weeks post op and spoke to my Dr the other day. She told me protein was vital in the early stages to help prevent hair loss. Additionally I had started taking Biotin in January when I started Keto (prior to WLS) - it took about 6 months for the Biotin to kick in and give me much thicker / healthier hair than I had starting the year. Biotin works, but in my opinion, it takes months to get results and if we're not taking in enough protein early on, we will suffer hair loss.

I have kept mine very secret. My boyfriend, mother, best friend and boss (who are all my direct support people) are the only ones who know the truth. Anyone else I just told I had a minor (ok definitely not minor) laparoscopic surgery and spent the week recovering. (I returned to work after 1 week). It's no one's business but your own. We chose not to tell my bf's parents because they are older and very judgmental. And more importantly, this was a personal decision that did not happen overnight and I didn't want lectures from anyone.

I too had pain at the incision point where my stomach was removed. This will get better with each day. Just be patient. I know walking is difficult, just suck it up and try to move - it will help so much with the gas pains. I had gas pains for the first solid week and still get them (almost 2 weeks post-op). I used to find belching disgusting, now I find my own personal relief in it when I let one out. My first BM was 3-days post op, it was difficult and rabbit like, but once you start getting more water in you that too shall pass. If you're still taking pain meds, make sure you are taking a stool softener with it to help with BMs. Dehydration, and pain meds are a recipe for constipation. No sense in putting yourself in more pain than you are already are feeling.

I was referred to a place called Novant Health Spine Specialists and one of their Dr's is the one who had me go through PT, MT before the pain block was an option. I'm pretty sure they called it an epidural (yep, just like what they give birthing women). He told me that most people the pain block only lasts 6 months to a year. At this point I was a year and 6 months into the pain so I was willling to try anything (other than surgery). After the procedure, I recall the Dr making a comment to his colleague saying that was textbook perfect. I guess my veins, or whatever lined up perfectly for the injection to take. I was literally back to "normal" in two days following that.

Unrelated to WLS, but I have had a bulging disc at S4/S5 - It also inverted my pelvis and dropped the left side 6mm. I was walking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. The pain was horrendous. I went through months of Chiropractic therapy, followed by physical therapy and manual therapy. The end result was going to a spine specialist and getting a pain block which finally removed the pain and have had no symptoms in 9 years.

As Becca101 noted, what you're experiencing is normal. But I have to ask, are you walking enough? It's possible the pain you feel is gas built up and unless you walk it out, it will just fester and be worse. Each day the pain should become less and less. As for pain meds, I was given liquid hydrocodone. I didn't take any pain meds, 1. I refused to, because I wanted to get life back to normal as quickly as possible. 2. when I felt pain, I got up and moved and soon would release gas and felt better. My priolosec is the only thing that has to be opened because it's capsule form and I put a small amount of applesauce on a spoon, spread the pill contents and cover with applesauce and try to swallow quickly. It's only failed me once and I vomited everywhere.

Have you tried any of the recipes on Pinterest? I saw a few yummies, but since I'm not at that stage I haven't tried. I have made keto friendly treats in the past which all came out good.

I buy premier protein chocolate pre made, and it seems the least sweet. I've not tried pre-making. But I travel with protein powder and have been known to bring a shaker bottle with Almond Milk. I also keep a 1/2 gal of Almond Milk at work with a personal blender in my office.

Protein shakes. I made myself drink a 2nd today

Congratulations! Way to Go!

Charlotte, NC Here

Don't feel defeated. Take this as a lesson learned and move on towards a positive place. I'm not big on carbs anyway, but find recipes for dishes you like that are low in carbs. Instead of Fettuccine Alfredo made with Pasta, use Zoodles (zucchini noodles). Find a way to transform your old habits to create healthy new ones. You got this... Chin up, work on getting your 90g of Proteins and plenty of water and you'll be dropping that 20 in no time.

I would Pinterest it. There area lot of great recipes available and pictures to help.

I just spoke with my surgeon about an hour ago and they asked me if I was getting my proteins, they said the goal with 60, 64 oz water, 60 minutes exercise.... She said if I can get up to 90 grams of protein and the 60 water weight will flush away and I should be able to prevent hair loss too.....

Listen to your body, and drink when you can. Remember our bodies are an amazing organ, it knows what we need before we do. Wishing you a speedy recovery. And don't worry about the weight loss right now, worry about getting yourself healthy.

@ellie123, Surgery was 8/20. I guess technically I have 6 more days of liquids. I just emailed my Dr's office and told them I'm craving something with a little more substance, hoping they give me the OK for eggs or something. The bone broth has been my best friend this last week and half, but it's getting old. I didn't like many of the creamy soups I tried prior to surgery so hesitant to try again and unfortunately there are no restaurants near me that specialize in just soups. I was traveling on my 2nd week of liquids on pre-op and found a great deli in Phoenix that had 5 different daily soups. I was able to mix them with my protein powders and found substance and yuminess all in one

Thank you! That really explained it better than anyone could've done. I start pureed next week so it will be very helpful.

My palate and sense of smell has definitely changed post surgery. I could smell the peas and taste just the peas from a vegetable chicken soup. Yesterday that same soup it was only the celery (oh and it was strained both times). My sense of smell is also suddenly out of this world. Cheese is my weakness, I love cheese... But I don't think I'm craving it more than before. But what I wouldn't give for a slice of cheese right now haha

I recently found Pinterest to be a huge help as well. I've typed in Bariatric Diet, Gastric Sleeve and other items but there are a ton of great recipes. If you are staying low carb, try some of the Keto recipes too. There are some delicious recipes out there.

Good luck! You got this!

Cream of wheat? oh what I wouldn't give to have some cream of wheat! LOL.... I have cheated and snuck a tsp of peanut butter each night. It's given me the "need" I'm looking for.

@AJP you can close out under 1000 cals, but it won't "calculate" projected weight loss: Here is what premium offers. I use the macronutrients by gram the most. I set daily goals even individual meal goals, so I focus on max carb intake between breakfast and lunch (as that's when your body is the most active and burns most cals) and focus on increased protein at dinner. Ad-Free Focus on meeting your goals without distraction Exercise Calorie Settings Track exercises without increasing your daily goals Exclusive Content Articles and tips available only to our Premium subscribers Different Goals by Day Set custom calorie and macronutrient goals for any day of the week Food Analysis Learn which foods rank highest in the nutrients you care about Nutrient Dashboard Choose a view that best helps you achieve your personal goals Priority Customer Support Premium support requests are given top priority, 7 days a week Quick Add Macronutrients Track grams of fat, protein and carbs in just seconds Macronutrients by Gram Set macronutrient goals by either gram or percentage View All Weekly Digests Get unlimited access to your reports from all previous weeks Export Your Information Download CSV files of your progress, meal and exercise history Macronutrients By Meal View macronutrients by gram or percentage in your diary Calorie Goals By Meal Set custom calorie goals for each meal

I've been using Manatee Coffee for years, it's lower in acid and tastes amazing. And part of the proceeds go to saving the manatees. I was an avid coffee drinker and gave it up 2 weeks prior to surgery and had a Dunkin Decaf 1 week post op. It tasted good and I missed that coffee flavor. But I'm not sure I'm willing to risk the acid production in my new belly to return to an old habit just yet. I've survived now 3 1/2 weeks caffeine free and am doing OK. I still crave coffee, but I'm willing to wait until my body has healed from the inside out. I think with this new lifestyle it's about creating new healthy habits and if I have to, I'll include decaf hot teas. Although the decaf coffee wasn't too bad.

I use MFP daily, I've been using it off / on for years. This past year I upgraded to get the added benefits. I try to log everything, I forget sometimes, but especially now after surgery, I find it important to log everything to know if I'm meeting my protein goals especially. Sometimes it seems cumbersome, but the one thing I learned this past year on that start of this new lifestyle is my body definitely reacts differently to some foods. And if not for MFP, I probably wouldn't have caught it. I think you just have to find the app that works best for you. I also chose MFP because it's compatible with my fitness tracker so logging exercise it pretty much automatic.

That's great you're on stage two - I'm jealous. I too had surgery on 8/20 and my f/u up isn't until next Tuesday... I feel like I'm ready for stage 2, I know I'm definitely craving Stage 2. Over the liquids now. LOL Remember the liquids and proteins are a goal. A goal you work towards each day. I can meet my protein, but struggle with liquids