LouLouM

I like this one: Biochem Whey Protein Natural

I had gastric sleeve surgery and a hiatal hernia repaired on November 30th and cannot believe the pain that I am in. Everything hurts: my legs, my arms, and of course my stomach. Is this normal? Of course I also have gas pains. Just wondering if so much pain is normal.

My surgery is tomorrow morning and I don't have much more to say other than I am both extremely nervous (is this the right thing to do? How will it effect me, as it seems to effect everyone differently?) and excited! That is all. 😊

Daisy and Sunshine, I also had my gastric sleeve surgery on the 30th plus a hiatal hernia fixed. I am surprised with how much pain I am in. No interest in food yet, just trying to get rid of this gas, somehow get comfortable, and drink water.

Thanks, Spinoza. I'm still in the hospital, where one of my nurses is from Ireland!!! Dublin, nonetheless. More later: it's not easy typing in this position and all of these cords n' such. Just wanted to thank you for checking in on me.

I'm on day 4.5 of the liquid pre-op diet (I am fortunate that I only had to do a week) and I am so hungry and low on energy (to make matters worse, I received my COVID booster the night of my first day of this diet). I am eating cottage cheese, drinking warm broth with Unjury Chicken Soup flavored protein powder, having protein drinks made with Fairlife milk, and I am nervous. Will I feel this rundown on so little calories post surgery? Currently I couldn't survive like this long term. How and why will it improve after surgery? How will my body feel OK on so few calories? Surgery is on Tuesday the 30th and I have to teach my 6th graders the day before! My thinking right now is if I am going to feel like this forever, I DON'T want to do this. My stomach hurts from hunger, I'm low on energy, I'm sad. Any words of encouragement would be appreciated.

Thanks, everyone! I will definitely update you.

Hmmmm, "liquor" diet. That sounds fun! 😆 Thanks for the encouragement. I am getting so nervous and worried. P.S. I like how I got replies from Catwoman and BirdLady. ❤

Thanks, Catwoman. I think that is one of my fears: forever feeling hungry and never being able to eat enough to not feel hungry. Why does this happen to some patients? They are the minority, correct? How do you feel now? Can you satisfy your hunger?

Hi Nichellereed85. Just checking in to see how you're doing???

Hi Spinoza! My dearest friend is from Ireland, County Limerick, and decided to move her family to Ireland while they're working remotely through COVID. They're currently living in Wicklow and I miss them so. I hope that you are feeling and recovering well.

Hi Sharrie! I'm a day after you, sleeve also! We got this!

Thanks. I kind of predict that I won't like it either. Probably too sweet or too artificial tasting. I am loving the savory Chicken Soup flavor of Unjury and now I'm curious about their other flavors!

And I'm sorry to "hijack" your post, but reading the replies has me curious about protein water. I wonder if any of them are any good? Please chime in, everyone! I'm curious to know if anyone has one in particular that they can recommend.

I also recommend the Unjury protein powder. I am in the liquid pre-op phase and the Unjury Chicken Soup flavor has been a lifesaver for me. I mix it with some warm low sodium vegetable broth and it is so savory and delicious (and salty. The stuff is salty). I know that I will be adding this to soups someday for added protein.

I'm so excited and just have to share the news that insurance has approved surgery! I have been going through all of the motions since January and am so excited! A little about me: I'm 46, mother of two kids (10 & 7), and I teach 6th grade. I had medullary thryoid cancer and my thyroid was removed in 2008. Even though my thyroid hormone levels are within range, weight has been a problem ever since the removal of my thyroid. Have I mentioned that I am SO EXCITED?!?

Hello. I am in the pre-op stage and an upper endoscopy was required before gastric sleeve surgery. When I had the upper endoscopy done, I also had a routine colonoscopy. They found a hiatal hernia and removed 3 polyps. This was more than a month ago and I am still experiencing periods of stomach cramping and diarrhea. I also have a lot of stomach pain, but am also stressed because I'm back to school, have a difficult class and our school has had several COVID cases (where my own children also attend). Is this stress? Could it be related to the endoscopy/colonoscopy? I had never had such, for lack of a better term, explosive and sudden diarrhea. It's not daily, but comes on suddenly, even in the middle of the night when sleeping. Thoughts? Oh, the doctor who performed both procedures suggested testing a stool sample for infection. It's been a bit challenging to do so because as I said, I've just returned to school. Will get on it though as I am not feeling well.

Hello. I had both an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy done earlier today. The upper endoscopy is for the surgeon who will do the sleeve procedure. They found a hiatal hernia and I am wondering if this will effect whether or not I can have the weight loss surgery. On another note, they found three polyps during the colonoscopy which makes me a little nervous. That seems like a lot and I'm only 46. Thank you.

I haven't had weight loss surgery yet, but one of the requirements before surgery was to have an upper endoscopy. I had that last week and during it they found a hiatal hernia.

Best of luck to you and yes, please keep me posted!

Hello everyone. I am in the pre-op stage and am already experiencing hair loss. I'm 46, without a thyroid, but all thyroid hormones are within range. My question is, what kind of hair restoration services are out there??? Can anyone speak from experience? I know that I am going to lose more hair post-surgery and I am terrified. Thank you.

I think you are onto something with low iron. My ferritin is 57 (this level is despite that I take iron on a regular basis) and although the range starts at 12, I do have a lot of symptoms of low iron (hair loss, breathlessness, fatigue, dizziness, etc.) I also don't eat red meat. Thanks for sharing all of these resources. I'll look at them more closely, especially Lysine, as I don't know much about it.

Oh yes, I agree. What a relief! If I understand it correctly, polyps that are left there potentially can turn cancerous. For anyone reading this, they recently lowered the age for when colonoscopies should start. It's now 45. This is because colon cancer is on the rise, especially in younger people. I guess I'm a little spooked because I had three (they were removed and sent in for testing). That seems like a lot. I also had a rare form of thyroid cancer years ago so maybe I have a little PTSD from that. Less importantly, I'm also bummed because yes, I realize that I will need colonoscopies more frequently than someone who doesn't have polyps. Not what I wanted to hear after that kind of miserable prep process. Glad to know that it's a possibility that they can remove/repair the hernia during the sleeve surgery and not something that would no longer make me a candidate. Thanks for replying, Arabesque and Future Sky Diver. I appreciate it.

Thanks. Do you have any experience with this? Do you know if it (PRP) is a long-term solution or will the procedure need to be done again in the future? It's so strange, and so sad, how much hair I have lost and I am very nervous about losing more after the surgery. The texture has also changed. It's a little frizzy and coarse. Thank you again for replying.

Me again. Thanks to your feedback, I think that I will wait until November to have the surgery. I'll take off Thanksgiving week, the week after, and then have 2 weeks until winter break. Parent-teacher conferences will be finished and I will have plenty of time to recover and adjust. Trying to look for the positive, I am thinking that I should take these next 4 months to focus on preparing my body for surgery. I have been working with the dietitian, and making some changes, but cannot lose too much weight as I will no longer qualify. So far I have lost 6 pounds. Is there anything else that you wise people suggest that I work on to prepare myself for the surgery and big life change?