Arabesque

There’s pain & there’s pain. Our tolerance to it is different & we heal & recover differently. Around day 4 +/- you shouldn’t need the extra strong pain meds & over the counter ones will suffice (remember not NSAIDS). Often the gas pain is what lingers or the pain from your abdominal muscles being stretched & strained from the surgery) . Some people swear by binders others don’t use or need them. I was one who didn’t use or need one but I was also able to sleep on my side & tummy pretty much from day one. I do think that if you do struggle with mobility & movement (especially getting up & down) or carried a lot of your weight in your tummy region (we all carry out weight in different places:) you may find one helpful.

Not that uncommon actually. My first bm after surgery was all liquid. Literally just ran out of me when I was walking (thankfully to go to the bathroom).. Whoosh! ! There was no warning & no clenching was going to stop it. A friend continued to have break through liquid bms (even when passing wind so be careful). Her surgeon actually suggested before her surgery that she purchase disposable knickers - very good buy.

Therapy can be an important component of your success after surgery. I’m a huge believer in needing to be comfortable with & have trust in your therapist (doctor, surgeon, etc.). If you don’t you won’t benefit from your time with them. Will changing therapists negate the sessions you’ve already done & will you have to start from the beginning with someone new? But then if you had no real progress & are going just to tick the boxes with your current therapist maybe starting again would be better. Just some things to consider.

@Maribelle76 is right. We all heal & recover differently. I returned to work part-time after 4 weeks & I struggled because of brain fog & low blood pressure (had a tendency before but after surgery it was low all the time). One friend was fine after a week but another needed three. If you can zoom your classes I’d take advantage of it to begin then try in person to see how you go. Hope all goes well with your surgery & recovery.

Very common to be experiencing a lack of energy & general lethargy from a combination of the surgery, healing & reduced caloric intake. We all heal & recover differently - just who we are - but if your body is saying rest you need to listen to it. I say enjoy those nana naps while you can. Congrats on your surgery.

Stalls happen to almost everyone at some point as you’re losing. Some have multiple stalls, some only 1 or 2. They can last 1-3 weeks. The first is usually around the 3+/- week mark but it sounds like you missed that one but it’s got you now. I liked to think of them as your body needing a breath to come to terms with all the changes & stress it’s been experiencing - change of diet, reduced calories, etc. You don’t need to change a thing you’re doing - why stress your body more by making more changes. I stuck to my plan & my stalls always broke - the first after a week, the second (just before goal) after 2.5 weeks. You’re getting close to your healthy weight range too and things slow down a lot by then. If it persists have a chat with your dietician & surgeon.

Not heard of it on this forum either. My thought was sleeping meds too. Zolpidem (Ambien & Stilnox) is quite notorious for it - my mum experienced it on Stilnox. Have you spoken to your doctor? What do they suggest?

Hope yours doesn’t get to the mouth wide open, gasping for moisture, mouth’s a desert stage but I am fortunate I only experience it randomly - not for a few weeks now. Great, I probably just jinxed myself & I’ll have mummy mouth tonight - sigh!

While taking a breather on a bush walk, my friend, also a sleever, asked me this question. I actually was glad it wasn’t just me but neither of us had any idea why we sometime woke during the night with a painfully dry mouth. Not thirsty just awfully dry mouth. The discomfort actually wakes us. We both thought it was because we were sleeping with our mouths like just hanging open but not breathing through our mouths. We both hold mouthfuls of water trying to rehydrate our mouths. Are we alone in this? Any ideas why? Is it because we don’t have fat necks anymore which maybe kept our mouths propped close?

Thanks @GottaLearnToSlowDown. The low BP & hypoglycaemia were not new to me just went from random episodes to way more frequent events. My dearest friend has Graves so I understand it’s challenges. Excited for you to be able to get back to your previous fitness soon. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Unfortunately the heady weight loss rate of the first few weeks after surgery doesn’t last & your rate will slow over time. I lost about 5kg in the 2.5 weeks pre surgery diet. I lost about 9kg in the first month post surgery, another 9 the next two months (so18kg+/- in those first three months post surgery). Took another three months to lose the 9kg to my goal. (Just noticed the repeating 9kg losses over those time frames - freaky!) I lost another 11.5kg over the next year (months 6 to 18).

You can only do as much as you can do because we heal & recover differently. In my third week, I went to my local shopping centre, walked about 800m & suddenly my blood pressure & blood sugar dropped. Had to sit down pretty darn quickly. But that was me. Others don’t have those issues. My advice would be to start slowly & build up your steps to see what you can do. You won’t be able to do what you were doing before surgery but you’ll be able to get back to that point pretty quickly. Don’t walk far from your home (up & down your street is good to begin) so in case you have a sudden drop in energy you’re close to home. Oh & take an electrolyte drink with you. I learnt that after my experience. Try some resistance bands to help build muscle in a more gentle way. Ensure you’re meeting your daily protein goal to offset your body going to your muscles for energy. But 4kg of muscle loss in three or so weeks does seem a lot. How much weight did you lose in that same period? Does the maths add up considering the weight you lost in that time frame would include water weight & fat as well & they would be the larger proportion of the loss.

There’s pain & there’s pain. Towards the end of the first week most if not all the surgical pain requiring strong pain meds tends to have passed. But you may still experience discomfort, twinges, & short, sharp stabs of pain. Yes, the pain across your chest could be from drinking too quickly & putting strain on your healing tummy (remember all those stitches & staples holding your tummy together). Burping is likely also putting stress on your tummy pressuring the tender muscles & forcing your oesophageal sphincter to open. Watch swallowing too much air as you sip & sip slowly. It could also be oesophageal spasms. As @Jodikins67 suggested warm drinks like herbal or green tea & heating pads can helps. It can also be the surgical gas which can take a week or more to escape your body. It can also be muscle strain from where your muscles were expanded & stretched during surgery. The itchy wound sites can be from healing (of the wound itself but also nerve endings) but if you notice redness, a discharge, swelling, a smell call you doctor or go to the hospital as it could be an infection. Many say they struggle to sleep on their side or tummy for a short while after surgery. Don’t know if it’s starting weight related or just one of those things. Good luck & congrats on your surgery.

Sounds like you did too much. You are still healing & getting over pretty major surgery & you will be for a few more weeks. Most of us are told to only do gentle walks to begin not almost 5 miles (av 10 000 steps) a day. I mean that’s great but not yet. Give your doctor a call in case you have done something to set your healing back. It may be nothing but muscle strain but better to know then not.

Haven’t made these in a few months but my nieces came over for a late morning tea so mini frittatas seemed a good option. These are tuna & sweet potato. They ate two each & took the recipe so a win I think. Hi @FutureSkyDiver. As you progress you’ll be able to eat more (close or equal to a recommended serving size in maintenance) which is why some of the pxts posted seem to be of larger serves than you’d expect. The perspective can be off in the pxts too sometimes because there’s nothing to show comparative size or if they’re close-ups. A lot of us still serve our food on side plates & in smaller bowls so the servings look larger than they actually are. Also if the food is cut into small bite sized portions it can seem to take up more space on the plate. As @GreenTealael said there are times you just don’t feel like eating all the meal you’ve plated - just not hungry or you get full more quickly. Grazing on the leftovers later or saving it for another meal is not uncommon.

I’m not talking frequency. I mean has the signal you need to pee changed & has how you pee changed. I need some insight ladies. Since my surgery, I’ve noticed the signal to pee has jumped that gentle nudge stage to the I better go pee & sometime straight to the I need to per NOW stage. I’ve also noticed that my bladder doesn’t fully empty & that there’s sometimes more after a couple of seconds & I think I’m finished - & I’m not talking drips. Is this a post surgery thing, like would they have inserted a catheter during surgery & it’s messed things up? Is it, god forbid, an age thing. Or is it just me? I’ve never had children so that’s not the reason.

Liquids won’t stretch your tummy but you don’t want to stress & put strain on it if you’re still healing. Sip, wait a bit, sip, wait a bit. As you progress you will be able to drink more than a sip. How much more is an individual thing - two swallows at a time is my limit. Any more & I feel discomfort & tightness (or my tummy grizzles & whines). But others eventually can guzzle a cup or more at a time. I like sipping throughout the day. I never get to that I’m so thirsty stage anymore so aren’t ever dehydrated.

Real hunger does feel different to me then head hunger. Actually, I didn’t know what was wrong the first time I felt hungry about 8 months after surgery. I still have days or times I don’t feel hungry - just wish it occurred more often. 😉 It’s hard to explain the difference except I feel restless with real hunger. With real hunger I don’t always know what I want to eat but with head hunger I usually know what I want to satisfy the desire. But it could be different for you. Full usually is a general heaviness in my chest for me. If I eat too quickly, eat food that is too dry or ignore my full feeling (say if distracted) my restriction will kick in. It will take time for you to discover your body’s cues. Being mindful about your eating will help. Don’t just mindlessly shovel food in. Think about your next bite. Do you need it or just want it? Take time between bites & never be afraid to put that next bite back on your plate. And never be concerned about not eating everything on your plate. Congrats on your surgery.

Had a similar experience at my beauty therapist. Did up the snap clips on the wrap around robe & it literally fell down. Had to get one with velcro so I could wrap it far enough around it would stay up. Aaah, skinny b*tch problems. Who’d have thunk it. 😁

It’s okay to have some concerns. It’s a surgery you’ve never experienced before. You have nothing to compare it or life post surgery with. The reality is the complications are pretty low especially compared with other surgeries or just from being obese. Many are minor & are related to how you individually react & heal & they pass in time or are easily remedied. Yep, the hair loss can be a bit scary but it’s a short term side effect: 3-4 months usually. While your natural hair loss cycle is temporarily accelerated your natural new growth cycle remain unchanged. So while you’re losing more you’re still growing new hair - it just takes a couple of months for the new growth to get to a length you can notice it (likely as fluffy bits). I mean you don’t usually notice your new hair growing in but it is all the time. No one noticed my hair loss other than my hairdresser & my mum but she was looking for it. I’d so much rather temporarily lose some hair then still be obese - small price to pay really. Much like ending up with loose skin - loose skin wins over obesity every time. All the best & I hope you get your official approval soon.

Go to your local hospital & get it checked. You shouldn’t be bleeding or feeling pain like that five days after surgery. You could have an infection. I believe some surgeons add an internal support stitch like scaffolding that could be pulling but 🤷🏻‍♀️. Good luck.

I wasn’t a great sleeper averaging about 5 hours a night but would have odd nights where I would get only an hour or two or none at all. After surgery I started to sleep a lot better & average 7-8hrs a night. It’s wonderful. Not sleeping well though lately not sure why but that dang bird that starts twittering hours before dawn (sparrow fart) is pissing me off as is the guy across the road who leaves for work at dawn & needs to get his car fixed - it’s not supposed to grind & screech like that mate!! I still pee a lot a night. Never a diabetic or pre diabetic just drank a lot of water. Used to drink most in the afternoon & night because I’d get too busy at work. Now I drink all day & night so peeing a lot is to be expected. Just a thought but have you had your melatonin levels checked? Low levels can cause sleep issues.

It’s not uncommon for your tummy to be sensitive & fussy about some foods you consume in the first couple of months. If you eat too quickly or eat too much it may also react. The sensitivity does pass & what upsets you may be different to what upsets another. If something upsets you, leave it for a week or so then try again. We are usually told to avoid pasta, rice & breads especially in the weight loss stage. They swell in your tummy & fill you more quickly so you are unable to eat anything else & can’t get your protein in. They can also sit heavily in your tummy causing discomfort. Also it’s important that we consume nutrient dense foods not foods like bread, pasta, rice & other processed carbs which have empty calories & are poor sources of essential vitamins & minerals we need. If you want a pasta type meal, try fresh zucchini noodles with meat based sauces. Later you may like to try high protein vegetable pastas which some are able to include in their maintenance diets. Personally, I still don’t eat pasta, breads or rice in my third year - they still sit heavily in my tummy & fill me quickly. Are you reaching your protein goal every day? If all you could eat was two tablespoons of pasta in a little tomato sauce you would have ingested little or no protein at all. Every meal should be focussed on protein & be the largest component of whatever you’re eating. So if you are eating 2oz of food, almost all of that 2oz should be a protein rich food. Remember, eat your protein first then whatever vegetables you can manage.

You’ve lost almost 100lbs in 6 months @Chantrella. This is really great. Congratulations! (I’m 5’3” & lost about 70lbs in 6 months. My surgeon, dietician, GP & I were ecstatic.) If you were expecting more, I think your expectations were too high. (Weight loss programs, weight loss miracle cure advertisements, social media, etc. give us false & unrealistic expectations. I saw an ad yesterday that said you could lose something like 30lbs in a week taking some tablet - what a load of $*#@$&#&.) We don’t continue to lose at the same rate as those first heady & exciting weeks of the pre & post surgical diets. Our weight loss slows as we progress. Even those on My 600lb Life see a reduction in the amount they lose as they progress. Sure they lose 50+lbs a month to begin, but they slow down to 25lbs a month, then 15lbs, etc. And they only started out losing at that high rate because they were 600+lbs. As we are able to eat more the calories we’re consuming increase & we get closer to the point where the calories we consume equal the calories our body needs to burn to function & when weight loss dies not occur (maintenance). I’d say everyone experiences at least one stall in some form. I had two but some have more than that. It just depends on how your body manages the weight loss changes. Celebrate you pound your lose. You’re doing great.

Hi @MerelyMichelle. You may have a stricture. They occur because scar tissue forms & narrows your tummy. Symptoms include difficulties swallowing, nausea, vomiting, inability to eat certain foods, discomfort/pain. A simple endoscopy will discover if that is the cause of your problems & can be easily repaired endoscopically (balloon dilation). Ask (demand) your surgeon explore this as a possible diagnosis. You shouldn’t be experiencing what you are.