Sammi_Katt

I was miserable after surgery. I hated it and started regretting everything that had happened. I didn't feel good and I wasn't doing good. However. Once I started getting better, it wasn't so bad. The first few weeks are definitely the worst. Pre-op sucked because I just wanted to eat food, and the liquid and puree stages sucked because I just wanted to chew and EAT and feel normal again. And I do. And you will. Are you eating/drinking separately (30 minutes apart)? Are you going slow? (small SMALL sips and bites) It's a lot of trial and error, learning what works. You are learning to function again. It is hard, but you will get through it. And soon, you'll be able to eat that stuff. You'll be able to get your chicken and your salad. You did this for a reason, and you have to keep reminding yourself why. You'll get through the pain and discomfort, and you'll learn how to work your new stomach. I'm very sorry you feel the way you do right now, but try to hang in there. You can do this, and you will get through it.

I had to stop doing protein shakes as soon as I was off liquid. They made me extremely sick, and that was after a lot of trial and error (whey, pea protein, bone protein, etc.). I still can't do shakes, but I've started incorporating protein bars in my diet (on days when I'm out and about and don't have time to make food to eat, normally). One bars are good.

I'm only 7 months out, but I've stalled a few times. My dietitian actually gave me a plan for what to do if I stall out for two weeks or longer, and that's change things up. Intermittent fasting, changing up your exercise routine, adjusting your calories throughout the week (doing 500, then 1000, then 1200, and then back to 1000, 500 and repeat). Stalls are there because your body got used to what it was doing (most of the time, there are other medical reasons for stalls as well, like constipation and gas and such). If you are only doing the elliptical, maybe try lifting weights or doing a rowing machine? Change it up. Your protein goals sound fabulous, but maybe add a few carbs in there here and there. It's a lot of trial and error trying to figure out what works, which you obviously know. I think your weight is great, and you have done amazingly. Just hang in there, okay? ❤️

I had no problem with my regular medicine. I only take a PPI now (pantoprazole to stop my GERD), and it's been working just fine since day 1 of recovery. I did have a little trouble at the beginning with my pain meds, but seeing as I was only on tylenol right after, I was able to find sugar free liquid tylenol, and took that. If you talk with your surgeon, they might recommend how to take your meds for a little while. I've heard of people having to split or crush their pills while they are fresh out of surgery before.

I got my health back. My heart rate is good (I have a resting heart rate of 65 now!), which means my heart health is so much better. I have a crazy amount of energy all of a sudden, and actually can enjoy doing more physical things because it doesn't HURT anymore. My arthritis in my knees is getting better (not completely gone away, but I can definitely do way more before it starts getting all achy). I don't like the smell of greasy food anymore (which used to be my go to comfort food), and I'm craving (mostly) healthier things, or I've learned how to make versions of junk food that taste good but are on the healthy side. The bad things are more that, I am never hungry or I am ALWAYS hungry. It depends on when I wake up. I have to set alarms to know when to eat so I don't over or under eat. The dizziness because I'm still eating below 1000 calories most days is annoying. I stand up and get faint or go to another dimension for a moment while my head settles. There are foods that my stomach ABSOLUTELY SAYS NO TO and will let me know when I eat them, but the only way to find out is to try them (so it ends up feeling very stomach crampy, gassy, and occasionally throwing it back up). There are days when I have no energy at all and can barely get out of bed occasionally. I had depression going into this, and it's gotten very bad (I've been going to a therapist, and it's been helping, but I had a really sharp decline in my mental health for a long time after my surgery). I'm only just now starting to feel better about my body (loose skin and all), but now my armpit skin has gotten so loose that it gets caught when I move my arms too fast sometimes and it hurts lol. When I had my surgery, my gallbladder failed after a month, so I was miserable. I was vomiting, I wasn't keeping anything down, and I didn't eat more than a single saltine cracker a day for almost 2 months. I didn't lose an ounce of weight during that, but my muscles went phbbbt on me because I was so weak. However, I would do it all over again. This has given me my life back. I finally feel good and am getting healthy. Yea, I'm on a bunch of vitamins, but I'm off all my blood pressure meds and my cholesterol meds. It's been a difficult road, but it was certainly the way to go for me.

Generally, the shoulder pain is gas pain. It sucks, but you have to try to keep moving around and walking to get rid of it. If you have someone with you, you can have them lightly pound on your back (think burping a baby) and it can help relieve some of that, too.

On a constant basis. It's hard, mentally, to go from being a binge eater (I was, not sure about you) to basically having to be on a schedule. But that's what I did. I am on a schedule. I have alarms set on my phone to make sure I eat (some days, I could go all day without) or that I don't overeat (to make sure if I feel like I might binge, I have restraint). It's relearning habits. It's HARD. But it's doable. My surgery made it so I didn't have a choice about relearning those habits. There are days I wanna graze all day, but I physically cannot. I do miss the social aspect of food. I miss using it for comfort and when I'm bored. But I have picked up a lot of other hobbies that I never would have tried before, either (I started doing diamond paintings, and got back into doing doodles and writing). Just hang in there, and keep strong. You will learn when your body actually wants food versus when your head does.

You *just* had surgery. You are gonna have some pain. The left side is where they pull your stomach out (assuming you had a sleeve). Even with laparoscopic surgery, they still cut through the muscle. It's sore and painful for a while, and if you're doing too much too soon, you can strain it a little, as well. The farther out you go, the better you'll feel, but I occasionally (even seven months out) still have muscle pain from the spots where I had my incisions. Now, if it's hot to the touch, if you're running a fever, or any signs of infection, let your surgeon know. If you're still worried about it, let your surgeon know. They're there to keep you safe and to tell you when to go get checked.

I was instructed to stop mine for two days prior to my blood tests, but it might depend on your surgeon. If you're unsure, ask them or whoever is doing the labs for you.

I'm just about 6 months post op and am doing fantastic- I'm losing weight steadily (almost 90lbs!!), eating well, and feeling better than I have in ages. However, I live in a very small town, leaving me with very limited options. My partners like to go out to eat with friends normally once a week, but with there only being fast food joints in this town (i.e. unhealthy fried stuff), I have been having to sit at the table while they eat with only a glass of water or just completely forgo going along. It's been really isolating and making me feel super left out. They have started to eat at home more so we can all eat together, but I never realized how social food was until my options became so limited. Besides making them eat at home (I feel bad because then my girlfriend ends up having to cook all the time instead of going out to eat), I just feel like there is no way for me to participate. Does anyone else feel like their social time has been affected with surgery?

I got *really* lucky. Both of my therapist's parents had gastric bypass, so she really understands everything I go through and am going through. The best thing she ever told me is that with all the things I've been through to get here (I had a lot of complications after my sleeve), I'm alive and healthy and doing well for myself. I can still have a bad day, but it'll never be as bad as it had been now that I'm getting healthy for myself. She also mentioned that on bad body image days, I should try my best to focus on the fact that this is a *healthy* change for me, even if I feel like I'm still big. NSVs are a huge thing for us, and she tries to make me find one a week to tell her, especially if I was having a bad week. I can always find something, though, so I know something's working, and it's been really helping with my body image because, hey, I *am* making changes, even if my brain doesn't want to accept it sometimes.

I had that problem for a while because, one, they had a tube down my throat which agitated my throat and tongue, and two, I was dehydrated for a little while.

I did the same thing trying to find different flavors I could handle... I ended up giving most of the powders and premades to a friend doing keto. I made my way through pre-op, then used Boost for diabetics while I was post-op until I didn't need to drink protein drinks anymore, and ditched them entirely in lieu of actual food.

Those blood thinner shots can cause some bad bruising if you do them too fast. Call your doctor and ask if you're able to inject them anywhere else.

That's wonderful! 4lbs a week is amazing; I'm kinda jealous, but mostly proud of you. That's awesome progress.

Some doctors have liver shrink diets of two weeks. Some one week, and some one day. It depends on your surgeon. Now that you've admitted that you've made a mistake, own it and fix it. You have to be able to be on track; the surgery is simply a tool, not a fix-all. It's up to you to put in the work to lose the weight once that honeymoon phase is over. I realize how hard it is to give up some things, but your health is worth it. Do your best to stick to your diet the remaining time, and be honest; call your surgeon and let them know. They'll probably tell you the same thing. Just do your diet. This is legitimately the hardest part of the surgery. It's hard to change years of bad behaviors and mindsets, but you've gotta put in your best to make the attempt. Once you build the habit (and have had your surgery), it gets easier to be healthy. You will crave healthier foods, if any food at all, and your body will reject (mostly) bad foods. You have to hang in there and keep your head strong. You've got this.

I'm sorry to hear that... how quickly did you move from liquid to soft foods? Sometimes, some people need a little more time with liquid before moving forward. Another thing that really helped was taking really small bites. I used baby silverware for a while, taking REALLY small bites, and setting a timer for 3 minutes in between each bite (after chewing REALLY thoroughly). It was tedious and boring, but it kept me from hurting a lot. Is it only when you eat or is it all the time? Did your doctor give you a PPE (like pantoprazole or something to help with acid)? If it's causing a lot of distress to the point where you can't eat, contact your surgeon or nutritionist, as well. They should have some advice to help you, or can give you an idea of what's going on to cause that. I hope you feel better soon.

Even though it's "lactose-free," whey is still derived from milk. I ended up using pea protein and bone broth protein powders, and the nausea just about went away. If you think it's the sweeteners, you can also opt for any of the unflavored, but they're not as pleasant to drink on a regular basis without adding other things to them (which, depending on your pre-op guidelines, is usually a no no.) I'd also like to add that whenever I eat anything super protein heavy (like protein bars or shakes), I *have* to drink at least a full glass of water after or I'll get super bad cramps. Have you tried that?

They checked in on me throughout the first month, and I had the ability to contact my surgeon when and if I had an emergency or just a question. I live locally, so I am not certain about what they do out of state, but they would personally call me once a week for a while. If you have questions or problems, you can call them, too. They get back to you pretty quickly, and I do exchange emails with the nutritionist still occasionally. They set it up so you can stay in touch easily.

I had my surgery with them. They are *fantastic*. I had a support person. They stayed at the hotel with me, and sat in the waiting room while I was having my surgery. They drove me back to the hotel, though Blossom provides chauffeurs if you need one. With the hotel, the room is covered, but meals are not included. They *do* have a breakfast/dinner thing in the cafeteria downstairs, but it's first come first serve with the other guests. There are a few restaurants within walking distance. I brought my own food and kept it in the mini fridge (I was on a special diet as well), and my partner walked to get food a few times a day. It was nice, honestly. Blossom is really supportive and helpful, the people that drive are really safe and cautious and kind, the hotel staff was amazing (they use two different hotels for their patients, but they're very close to one another). I paid cash price for it (15,500), and I even had Dr. Sakata perform my gallbladder surgery when that failed on me a month later.

I was supposed to be on a higher fat diet, but about a month out of surgery, my gallbladder failed and tried to kill me. I can have fat, just not super high fat stuff. I eat a lot of healthy fats, just not to as high of a degree as my nutritionist had wanted me at.

I had one right after my surgery, then I haven't had another since. I definitely have the hormone fluctuations and moodiness when it's around the time I would, though. I'm basically waiting for it to surprise me at this point.

Big no nos were carbonation, caffeine, and sugar for me. They preferred me to eat things that are natural-made rather than manufactured as a rule of thumb, but as long as it's within my macros (low-ish carbs, low fat because my gallbladder failed a month out of surgery, and high protein), I'm free to test and see. Some things I discovered on my own were certain veggies no longer agree with me. I can't eat anything raw, but cooked is fine. It's so weird, and fairly painful to learn lol.

I stayed the same weight from week 2 until week 5, then started losing like crazy. Even now, when I stall (every once in a while, but I usually lose 0.5-2.5lbs a week now), it's only like a week or two. It's disheartening sometimes, but you just gotta hang in there. You're still being healthier, and that's what matters most. Besides, those weeks that I didn't lose pounds on the scale, I lost an inch off my waist and hips.

This is my first time posting anything here. I'm only halfway through my weight loss, but this is the first time I've actually felt confident and pretty wearing something (THAT SHOWS MY BELLY!!!!).