bodycando

Major congrats, that is so exciting! You won't have any issues as long as you get frequent check-ups with your OBGYN and they know about your surgery. Your surgeon's office can advise if they've never had a patient who has a VSG. The recommendation is generally to wait about a year to 1.5 years after surgery to get pregnant, so you are well outside of that limit. I hope everything goes well!

Sorry to hear you're experiencing that! I had awful low blood pressure for about 6 weeks after my surgery. I would also get vertigo spells when standing up, and was generally just very low energy. My doctor advised me to religiously take my vitamins (which I wasn't doing because they upset my stomach) and drink more water. If I had a spell I should just drink chicken broth for some extra salt, and that worked wonders. Definitely talk to your doctor about this--they'll know what to do.

I had this problem too! It started 2-3 weeks out and has gotten much better now (I'm 2.5 months out). The nurse at my surgeon's clinic told me to drink broth once every day or two, and weirdly that has helped a lot. There's drinkable broth powder that you can buy here at the grocery store (I live in Amsterdam) and it actually tastes good and warming and gives me a bit of extra salt. If I were more on my game I would be making bone broth for myself. When I don't feel like drinking the broth or if I'm a bit hungry I drink V8 and sometimes spice it up to make a virgin bloody mary. My doctor also advised me to be vigilant about taking my vitamins (I wasn't because the iron in my multi made me throw up and I've since switched to chewable multis without iron) and also to make sure I'm getting all of my water in, which I wasn't. She said I have to make sure I have enough water in me in the first place, and then have the right salts and minerals to make sure my body keeps it in. So I went from where you are--on the verge of passing out every time I stood up--to now rarely having problems and just being a bit more cautious with standing. Good luck, I'm sure that you'll find something that works for you. Also, regarding regretting the surgery: the only way is forward. I know you're trying to come to terms with this huge change, but maybe consider whether regret is a helpful emotion right now. Things will get better--hang in there!

I remember that “stuck” feeling! I would suggest eating slower, taking smaller bites, chewing 30 times and adding liquid to your food before you eat it rather than trying to “wash it down” after. (Are you waiting at least 30 min after eating to take a drink?) I was so excited to have puréed chicken after my liquids phase that I tried it on one of my first days and it did not go down well! It felt stuck and slimed in my throat until I spontaneously threw up. All purées are unfortunately not equal at this stage—the more dense (like meat and eggs) the more likely you will be to have issues with sticking/sliming in your throat.

Maybe try subbing in some protein shakes or yogurt for your water? Or sugar free pudding?

I would highly recommend taking some time off to get your house in order before your surgery. You're going to want a peaceful home environment for your recovery. Others on here seem to be not so affected by the surgery and apparently could do housework after surgery, but everyone is different. I couldn't do much for weeks. My doctor strictly prohibited push/pull movements like vacuuming and I couldn't lift anything more than 6 lbs for 3 weeks. Have you considered hiring a cleaner? Sometimes it ends up being cheaper and more efficient to hire a cleaner than to take time off work... I have really relied on mine since my surgery and she likes having the extra work.

I was gone for about 5 weeks and am building up my hours at work, and a colleague I don't work with closely legit asked me--in front of other people--what kind of surgery I had. She was talking about how I lost a lot of weight--at least five kilos! (I had lost 15 at the time)--and I just said "Oh gee I didn't notice." When she pressed me for more information I just demurred and said that it was a whole story and I didn't want to get into it. I felt the need to tell people at work that I had a physical illness/operation because my organization is really struggling with colleagues who have "burnouts." (This is a stress/overwork-related medical condition in the Netherlands for which you get a lot of time off.) Thus I also didn't want people to think I took off work for mental reasons and treat me differently. It's a tough balance but now that I'm back at work full time the comments have stopped. I also always wore open-sized clothing so I haven't changed my wardrobe that much, which I think helps. I'm only two months out though so maybe I'll get more nosy comments as time goes on.

@EmilyJuneI'm just starting out on my journey and my height and high weight are similar to yours. Your stats are incredibly inspiring and I hope to have made as much progress as you have in 2.5 years! Don't be so hard on yourself, the weight loss you have achieved is incredible. Also re: protein bars, my nutritionist frowns on them but approves then as "emergency food," i.e. something to keep in your bag when you have to unexpectedly work late or don't have access to more healthy options. I tend to also keep healthier options in my bag but they have certainly bailed me out of many desperate hanger situations...

I LOVE making my own protein shakes, and did so for years before my surgery. I live in Europe and they have something called quark here, which is a very young cheese that is very low fat and high protein. It's kind of like a very thick greek yogurt. I mix that with a bit of flavorless whey, fat-free yogurt, skim milk, tiny bit of chia seeds and flaxseed, and a little frozen fruit. It's quite lean and delicious with a ton of protein. Unfortunately my nutritionist was not jazzed about me having liquids every morning after the 6-week mark even though I GAINED muscle in the period after my surgery! She asked me to eat fat-free yogurt or quark with granola every other morning. I've been doing that as it's a bit faster before work if I'm in a rush, but I am not going to stop with my shakes anytime soon.

Boldilocks first of all congrats with your surgery and glad that your husband has seen the light. I also have had a really easy time with fluids but my difficulties started with solid food. Everyone reacts so differently at the various stages. Good luck and hope your husband keep up the positive attitude!

I eat shirataki noodles sometimes and my fiancée has a monthly subscription. He eats them with everything, but I only find them nice if they’re rinsed and sautéed in an Asian recipe. I find them too much like rice noodles to use as spaghetti, so I stick to Chinese or Vietnamese recipes.

I went on a work trip the week before (needed a distraction!), and came back two days before my surgery. When I got home I cleaned, packed, and took care of all “life administration” for the coming month so I could rest. I’m very much a type-A “planner” when I get stressed/anxious and a friend who went through the surgery 2 months before me assured me that my planning instinct wasn’t necessary, it’s really okay to take everything as it comes, especially if you have help. Best of luck to you!

That is bizarre, was she not supportive of the surgery in general? Can you wait a couple of days and push her on it? Perhaps have your surgeon call her? I actually had the flu leading up to my surgery and was terrified I was going to have a fever. I had a slightly elevated temperature and a runny nose the day of and it was totally fine. Hope your PCP will reconsider.

Congrats!

It was about ten months for me, as my insurance required me to go through four months of sessions with a dietitian. There was also a lot of testing and education programs I had to go through. Good luck!

Hi all, I’m almost a month post-op VSG and am doing quite well getting to learn my new stomach. I was wondering how much you’re sleeping post-surgery? A friend slept 8 hours a night with a four hour nap the first 6 weeks, and I’m sleeping 10-11 hours per night with no naps. I’m heading back to work next week and am wondering when others have been able to go back to a more normal 8-hour sleep schedule.

Hi Elizabeth--I've actually been having terrible insomnia as well! The last few nights I have been going to bed by 11 and then can't sleep until 2am, then I wake up at 11am completely exhausted. So luckily I'm getting a ton of sleep, just at the wrong time and in the wrong way. I had problems with insomnia when I was younger but not for the last ten years. I find it really stressful! I thought exhausting myself more would help, so I'm taking longer and longer walks, but nothing seems to work.

Hi Elizabeth, congrats on your surgery! Everything about your story sounds normal to me, from the stomach gurgles to needing more time off. Don’t feel guilty about the latter—we all heal at our own pace and work can wait! You are in the thick of getting to know your new stomach and it will become second nature to you soon. It will become less sore and inflamed and you will lesen what upsets it and how to calm it. Just be patient and hang in there!

Hi RinRin, I also experienced this in my second week! Was crying over the most ridiculous little things. I've read on here that it's because fat stores estrogen and it's released as you rapidly lose weight. I'm 3.5 weeks out and am starting to normalize--hang in there!

I'm also having this mystery pain exactly in the same place--right rib area, but deep in the abdomen. If I lay on my left side it shoots pain. If I walk it shoots pain. If I'm just sitting or laying down it's okay. If I breathe deeply it's super painful. I was sleeved 3.5 weeks ago, December 18th. This morning my GP referred me to the ER and they ran blood tests (but no scans) and everything came back normal. The ER doctor basically just said to wait for it to go away, or if it gets much worse and I run a fever, come back. Felt pretty unsatisfying and a little scary to not know at all what it is!

Does anyone here eat only egg whites? I’ve always preferred egg whites and have had some success slowly eating one fried. An omelette with normal eggs made me vom unfortunately. I’m three weeks out. I was surprised reading that so many people have problems with them, I thought they’d be more easily digestible.

I had a gastric sleeve and just passed the 3-week mark. I could physically go back to work this week (couldn’t have after 2 weeks) but will probably take a total of 5 weeks off. I had a lot of pain at first but have had a fast recovery. I am still incredibly tired and need to concentrate on organizing my meals, pills and walks every day. I think this comes to other people more easily but it takes a lot of effort for me. I also have a lot of responsibility at my job and have to be “on” all the time. I made the decision to be very ready to get back to work before I make that step. I also am an American living in Europe and Europeans have very different ideas about sick leave here. My HR colleague has been very supportive and suggested that I should take twice my original estimated time off (6 weeks rather than 3 weeks). Feeling lucky to have done the surgery in this context.