Emily Jane

I’m two weeks post op. Any time I do anything )like shower, pick stuff off the ground, excessive walking, etc) I get abdominal cramping and nausea. The cramping is like doing a million crunches with zero muscle mass. I realize that I’m healing and stuff like that takes time but I can barely make it through my shower without getting shaky and nauseous. Haven’t shaved my legs in over two weeks. I feel gross. What are some things we can do to help lessen that discomfort and how long did it last for you?

I should start on a positive that I’ve lost 20 pounds since my pre op appointment last Friday. Silver lining and all that. With that though.....I’m so exhausted/weak/irritable. Just being awake takes all my energy, let alone working. I’m allowed 5 shakes a day, one cup broth and plain water. This morning I had raging diarrhea (sorry). I honestly thought people that took the pre op phase off work we’re crazy but I totally get it now. My boss lets me sneak into treatment rooms to take 10 minute naps here and there to get through the day. I can’t wait till next Tuesday and i can rest. I mean, I’ll probably be in pain but at least I can rest. 😂😂😂 That’s all! Just needed to vent.

@fluffychix I’m not sure. Haha. At least I’d be drugged the first few days. Today is “dip day” at work. So every Thursday everyone brings food to share. My co worked also walked past me eating a breakfast burrito. Today will be my greatest challenge. Lol 😭😬🤐

So much to touch on here and it may ramble but it all has a point so stick with me. 😂🤞. The first day I met my new doc 6 months ago, the last thing he said was, “I can tell who will be successful after surgery by the amount they lose before surgery”. Talk about pressure! Lol. Anyway, fast forward 6 months and the surgery scheduler calls to say I’ve been approved for surgery. I was nervous initially because I ended my 6 months 3 pounds heavier than I began so I was stoked that I was approved so quickly. SS said if I was able to take the next day off work (9/27), I could have surgery on 10/8! Oh boy! First person I call is my husband, who immediately starts in on me about how I need to wait until AT LEAST November because we can’t afford surgery now! Never congratulated me or anything. I actually hung up on him. Then I tell my bosses/receptionist. Bosses and nearby co workers all start in on what an inconvenience it will be with me out. God forbid they call their own patients or check their patients auth. No congrats there. Receptionist is like I don’t care what you do, I just want to go to Vegas for Halloween. 😒. I finally call my mother in law, who is loaning us money for this surgery and she immediately screams, “YAHOO!!!! CONGRATS!!! IM SO PROUD OF YOU!!”. Tells me to absolutely do the 8th. Don’t wait! Go for it! I get to my desk and after 30 seconds of pause just cry because only one person of the 6 I just told was happy for me. I let my old insecurities set in and figure, if more people are against sx so soon then maybe I should wait. So I scheduled it for 10/22. Fast forward to today. I’ve been incredibly agitated the last two weeks. Everyone at work is worried about how my sx will inconvenience them. I went from two weeks off work to one week and two weeks half days to maybe I can work from the hospital since I’m not doing anything. I’ve been binging on food left in the pantry (pasta, brownie mix, coffee) because I tell myself my hubs will be more relaxed if I eat shit and save money these last two weeks. In the back of my mind though I have the doc...”I know who will be successful after surgery based on how much weight they lose before surgery”. I KNOW I’ve gained weight the past two weeks. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was 10 pounds. 🤷‍♀️. So the self loathing begins. “The doc thinks I’m a shit patient for gaining weight and he’s wasting his time working on me because he knows I won’t be successful”. “I’m worthless”. “Why can’t you just make people happy and lose weight?!”. Tonight I told hubs I was going to bed early because I was “agitated” and when I laid down I stared at the ceiling sobbing my eyes out. I couldn’t cry harder if I tried. Then it hit me: why am I letting these people control my life?! So I text my husband to come to the bedroom to talk (I’m a millennial. It’s what we do). I proceed to tell him how angry I am. I’m angry that he was so concerned about money that he never congratulated me for a year of hard work. I’m angry that I let my co workers dictate my pre and post op care. I’m angry that I let my husband choose my surgery date. Most importantly, I’m angry at myself. Angry for letting them take away my initial happiness. Angry for being concerned about my co workers feelings over my own. Angry that something my doc probably meant as encouraging was twisted by my mind to negate everything I’ve done in the last year because I gained weight. As if the weight gain negated all the physical therapy, the personal training, psychology work, food logging, nutrition appointments, weekly classes for united healthcare, monthly support groups and $8000 in money to better my health for this surgery and life change. Angry that I let my emotions get the best of me and ate shit instead of grabbing my mother in laws credit card like she offered and getting the proper food I need pre op. He listened and apologized. We chatted a bit over his fears/concerns, my concerns (I’m not afraid of surgery) and my need to work on my people pleasing. It was cathartic. It was also humbling that I thought I had this mental aspect under control when clearly I did not if I let all of these people live rent free in my mind. Friday I’m going to for my pre op appointment and I’m going to be open, honest and an advocate for myself. I’ll probably stumble at some point in the future but I’m taking a screenshot of this post to remind myself that it’s ok to advocate for yourself and then pick myself back up.

Tricare’s website doesn’t list revisions as a covered service but it doesn’t....NOT say that. It just has “unlisted procedure” as a non covered. If you pick a DS procedure instead of another rny it may pay. Definitely call Tricare and see what they can do for you. 🤞🤞

The catheter only bothers me from a uti standpoint. I’d be under when they do it and they’d take it out shortly after. I have a baby bladder (had to pee 3 times in an hour before my endoscopy because of the IV fluids) so I wouldn’t be surprised by one. I just cringe at potentially getting a uti from it. 😬 I think my 7day liquid pre op fast will feel like an eternity. My boss is shocked I refuse to go to the work Halloween party on the 19th. Haha. Sir, I will be 5 days into a liquid diet. I don’t need the temptation of a party. 🙄🙄. I’ll just sit this one out thank you very much. 😂

I figured I’d take a gander and post in the DS since it’s not as active as the others. I’ve been working since October of last year to get to this point. My surgery is 10/22. I was approved 9/29 and they offered 10/8 if I could take some time off work to do pre-surgery testing. Well.....my receptionist at work is not ready for me to take a 2 week leave with 3 days prep. They offered the 15th....hubs said, might as well wait till the 22nd so we are after payday and can more easily afford the loss of my pay (he’s contract so no pto). Fine.... Now that I’m just in the final waiting period TIME IS GOING SO SLOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!! I have to repeat the “stars are aligned for this date” mantra every time something annoys me at work, I realize I could be post op today, or I read my binder one more frickin time. 😒 That’s all! I just wanted to whine and complain, I guess. 😂😂. To make this a productive post let’s say, “what things do I need to make sure I question at my pre-op appointment Friday?”. 🙃 Also, I should mention I’m have the loop duodenal switch, not the traditional, with Dr. Long in Lone Tree, Colorado.

I’m pre op (sx is 10/22). I started this journey in October of last year. I decided I wouldn’t tell anyone because I have really judge-y family and co workers. It went horribly. Living my journey in secret drove me insane because I needed to make lifestyle changes and they are all part of my life. In January I met my new doc (long story) and told my husband that I can’t take being secretive about everything. As I was leaving the hospital, I took a picture of the Bariatric center and wrote on my social media something to the effect of “this is what I’m doing and nobody is going to stop me. Be on my side or shut the hell up and get outta my life!”. It was the best thing ever (for me) to take back control of me, my life, my choices, etc. I felt empowered and my relationships have mostly changed for the better. That’s just my experience. Others don’t get the same response. You have to evaluate your life and find what works best for you. I’m excited for you! This will be a life changing journey! ❤️

I’m 345 and I’m getting the duodenal switch in 10/22. Hoping to get to 170

I’m having the Loop Duodenal Switch on 10/22. Starting my pre op diet 10/15. 5 protein shakes a day. 😒. I’m taste testing some Nectar samples now so I’m not burned out on premade shakes before I even get my surgery.

Im scheduled for October 22nd. My boss keeps teasing me for taking away his day cause its his birthday. Im going to get a selfie with my doc before they wheel me back and tell him Happy Birthday! 😂🤣 Im getting the Loop Duodenal Switch with Dr. Long in Lone Tree, CO