bhrobins

4 week Post-Op Update Continuing to heal well and the muscle pain is largely gone now. I am back in the office working full time days. Biggest challenge has been getting the compression garments to work with my work clothing (pants like to slide down the slick compression bands). 2 more weeks of compression bands, then I get to transition to regular compression shirts or shorts. Would be interested to hear from the guys what products worked well for them. Below are some pics showing the healing progress. I see the doctor again at 3 months PO, so we should be able to see the final results by then.

3 week post-op update: 1. I used narcotic pain meds for the first 4 days post op, then alternated Tylenol and Ibuprofen until 3 weeks post-op. I likely didn't need the meds after week 2, but that was my doctor's recommendation. 2. My drains were quite active for 2 1/2 weeks, and didn't come out until 3 weeks post-op. The surgeon originally told me 7-10 days, so I wasn't mentally prepared for 3 weeks. I understand that the drains take fluid off faster than your body could absorb it and see the value. But they were painful more often than not (pulling against the stitch that held them in place) and I was happy when they were removed. Well, not happy during the removal (that hurt like crazy, but subsided within an hour or so). 3. I can walk very nearly upright and am working to stretch to fully upright, shoulders back. No real pain, just tightness at this point. 4. My incisions are healing nicely and the surgical glue has come off. I moved to Mepitac silicone tape over everything but my navel. 5. The swelling is starting to be noticeably reduced from early days. Still a ways to go, but heading in the right direction. 6. I had surgery on Thu 9/30, then started working from home on Mon 10/4, with a couple of hours of rest time each day. By week 2, I worked from home a full schedule and did the same for week 3 because I still had the drains. Going to try to work in the office all next week, but expect to be zapped since I have been so idle I'm sure my endurance is down. Other than two follow up surgeon visits, I haven't left the house in 3 weeks. All in all, doing pretty well. The pain is mostly transient with weird random nerve firing and such. Some muscle pain, but not too bad unless I cough or sneeze or twist funny. Will update again with pics in a week or so.

Sunday - 3 days post op - 1st shower day. Never had a shower felt so nice. Had to rig up a lanyard for the drains, but otherwise all went well. Unfortunately, realized I had the wrong gauze/cotton padding and my wife had to make a quick run to the store before I could get trussed back up. Here are some mortifying before and after shots. Lots of swelling still, especially on the "love handle" area. It feels tight. Overall I think I will be pleased, but it is difficult to imagine what the final results will look like at this stage. The extra horizontal lines above the incision are some scrapes from the edges of the compression bands.

Update on my progress. 1. Took out the catheter yesterday morning. The nurse said it would just about "fall out". The nurse lied. Things are still tender there. I understand why they sent me home with the catheter, but definitely my least favorite part of this whole process. 2. I'm now officially 48 hrs post-op. I used narcotic pain meds until this morning. Now I am alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen at the surgeon's instruction. Yes I know that we sleevers shouldn't use many nsaids, but his opinion was to do about 800mg/day for a few days to manage pain and help with the swelling. I doubt I have any significant issues over that short time frame. 3. Getting a bit tired of sleeping in a recliner, but it is easier on my body to do so. Make sure you have a chair you really like, because you are going to be spending some quality time there. 4. I haven't yet removed the compression wraps they sent me home in. Tomorrow I'm allowed to shower for the first time and it will be nice to see what everything looks like under the compression. All in all, I feel like I'm doing well. Some discomfort when transitioning from place to place, but overall OK. Of course I may still be enjoying that Exparel and worse days are ahead. I've read from others on the forum that days 2,3,4 were the worst. So far, day 2 is OK. More to come tomorrow after I get out of the compression wraps for the first time.

Surgery day is coming to a close and I feel pretty good. I ate some today and drank my normal 80+ oz of water. but like others have mentioned, my stomach capacity seems reduced. This is probably from the muscle tightening. It feels more like how it was at 5-6 months after VSG. Just a few sleeping hours before the catheter comes out. I am not looking forward to the removal process, but will be glad to have that off of me. I haven't taken off the compression binders yet, but will likely do so this weekend sometime. I can then get some before and after shots to share. The doctor recommended I sleep in a lounge chair for 5-6 days. After trying to lie flat one time today, I agree. Too much discomfort lying flat. More updates to come.

The surgeon's office said that between what I drink and the 4 bags of fluid they used during surgery, I would be better served by leaving the catheter in place until tomorrow morning. This makes it a bit easier that I don't have to be up and down every hour going to the bathroom. I will remove it myself about 8am tomorrow. Sounds like a rip-roaring good time.

Extended Abdominoplasty complete! Surgery was at 7:30 today, and all went well. I was home by about 3pm. Surgeon said he took off 9 lbs of excess skin. Amazing! Still feeling a bit groggy this evening. Mostly just sitting and sleeping other than short walks around the house. I came home with a catheter and 2 drains. I am to take out the catheter on my own tomorrow morning. Should be fun. I'm still trussed up with a couple of compression wraps Not much pain now, but have only been home a few hours. More updates to come.

49yr Male, 5/18/20 VSG HW 382, SW 309, CW 217 First visit to the surgeon was 6/27/19 and first nutritionist visit was 7/3/19. Had a long pre-op program then was delayed by COVID-19, so wasn't sleeved until 5/18/20. Lost 73 pre-op, 92 since - for a total of 165 lbs down! I hit 218 in mid Dec 2020 and have been maintaining in the 213-222 range over the past 9 months. The next step for me is getting rid of the excess skin on my stomach. I carried most of my weight in my abdomen and it shows. I feel like this is the last thing I need to complete my transformation. While I could live with it, I am tired of "tucking" my excess skin into my pants. I can mostly hide it, but it is evident to me. Still 100% better than weighing almost 400 lbs. I am scheduled for an extended abdominoplasty in my local area on Thu 9/30/21. I am ready, but nervous (thus the 3am post on BP). I plan to post regularly over the coming weeks to document this for me and others on this forum. Thanks to all who have shared their PS stories before, especially the men, whose stories are rare. Wish me luck! 

I fortunately just missed the 400 club, but am 6' 3" with a HW of 382 on 7/3/19, but thought I would "weigh in" on this topic. SW 309 5/18/20 for VSG CW 216 15 months after surgery. I hit my goal weight of 220 about 7 months post op and have maintained in a ~10lb range (213-222). Taking in about 2000 calories daily and doing well. When I start creeping up, I lower to 1800 or so until I get back down. Working so far, still tracking every day, hydrating, exercising, focus on my macros. I've scheduled a tummy tuck in late September to deal with the loose skin. Excited, but nervous about that.

-166 for me with VSG, now 15 months post op. It can be done if you stick with the program.

49yo man here 6' 3", 382 HW, 309 SW, Sleeve 5/18/20, 216 CW I stayed around 650 cals for the first 3 months post op then up to 900 thru 6 months. Hit goal at 7 months and bumped up to 1200 cals. By 9 months out was at 2000 cals for my maintenance level. I always focused on protein and hydration. My nutritionist wanted me to increase calories sooner, but I felt with my restriction I just couldn't get there. It worked best for me to measure and log everything that I ingested. Even 1+ year out, I still do this daily. Helps keep me honest and gives me good data to look back on. YMMV, though, so find what works for you. You will still be successful at a 900 calorie as you are well under your daily calorie need (BMR). As long as you are in a deficit, you will lose weight, even with an occasional stall. Most important thing is to stick with the program and not get into bad habits. During this time you almost can't fail to lose as long as you moderate your intake and keep moving - even just walking or other light exercise. Stick with it, you can do it!

49yr Male, 5/18/20 VSG HW 382, SW 309, CW 215 First visit to the surgeon was 6/27/19 and first nutritionist visit was 7/3/2019. Had a long pre-op program then was delayed by COVID-19, so wasn't sleeved until 5/18/20. Lost 73 pre-op, 94 since - for a total of 167 lbs down! I hit 218 in mid Dec 2020 and have been maintaining in the 213-218 range over the past 6 months. I have worked my way up to about 2000 calories/day (200 carb, 78 fat, 125 protein) which seem to be my maintenance diet based on my BMR and activity level. When I get towards 218, I cut it back for a week or two and settle back down to nearer 215. Bonus for me is I have never vomited even once since having the surgery. That makes me a unicorn based on what I read here on BP! I had an InBody scan at my 1 year post op visit and had gained some muscle and lost fat from my 6 month visit, so that was encouraging. It shows me at ~25% body fat right now, which I can work on. I tend to walk about 20-30 minutes about 5x/week plus 2-3 20 minute strength training sessions per week. Nothing too extreme on the exercise front. It's all about calorie intake for me. You can't outrun your fork! We started working back in the office this week and as I emerge from the "COVID cocoon", I'm dealing with lots of comments. So far they are positive, so that is helpful. We have started going out to eat some, which has taken some adjustments to my meticulous meal planning tendencies (380+ day MFP streak). As long as I can check out the menu in advance and decide what to order, I have done well. The next challenge is work travel, conferences and family events where junk food is constantly available. I have worked hard over the past nearly 2 years to build good habits and now they will be tested. Here is a before and after shot for your viewing pleasure. Next step is likely plastics later this year. Going to do a consult this summer and come up with a plan. That's all for now. If I can do this, you can too. Stick to the plan, build good habits, proteins first, plenty of water, move around - you know the drill.

Happened to me last year too. Scheduled for 3/18/20 and was pushed to 5/18/20, and this was after 9 months of prep work! I agree with the post above. Don't go crazy on eating. Anything you lose between now and surgery day will pay dividends in the long run (I lost 24 more lbs in my 2 month delay). Keep the faith and your day will come soon enough.

6' 3" HW 382, SW 309 (5/18/20 sleeve), CW 213 So I'm a couple inches taller and weighed a bit more on my surgery date than you, but can share my numbers. 2 week post op liquid diet ~450 cals Thru 3 months puree/soft foods ~600 Thru 6 months ~900 Now about 10 months out and at goal and maintaining for the last month at ~2000 cals/day I always hit 60g+ protein from the beginning and get in about double that now. Hydration always at 64+ oz. It took 3 months to bump up to 2000 cals after hitting goal. Had to focus on calorie dense items like nuts, cheese, nut butters, etc. That number probably looks crazy now, but you will get there eventually. Take it easy and don't freak out about exact calorie counts. Hard to screw up the loss in the first few months with the surgery. However, this is the time to learn new habits that can last you a lifetime. The vets here (not me yet) will tell you that the first year is the easy part. Keeping it off years 2-3 and beyond are where your good habits learned now will pay dividends.

Thanks ms.sss and catwoman7 for your responses. Sounds like nuts/seeds, nut butters and full fat dairy will be my best bets. Freaks me out to eat more fats, but moving out of WLM to maintenance seems as much mental as physical. Again, really appreciate each of you sharing your perspectives as you blaze the trail for the rest of us.