ShoppGirl

I am just now learning that a mug warmer would be really handy. All this soup and post surgery you have to eat so slow it gets cold pretty quick someone in another thread just replied that it works all the way through soft food stage. You just used a saucer in the warmer plate.

Omg. My husband just reminded me that I have a small thermos I use for hot cocoa once a year when we go to look at all the Christmas lights because I’m not a super big fan but it’s a family tradition. I never travel with soup so it didn’t occur to me that it’s for soup too. 😆

Ooh that’s a good idea. I think the coffee warmer I was looking at is a similar concept to a thermal cup with the warmer because it comes with a metal cup with a lid. Aren’t the thermal cups metal too.

Of course. I am actually looking forward to the ricotta bake. Not sure if you guys are familiar with it but it’s ricotta, marinara and low fat mozzarella cheese. Sorta like a lasagna without the noodles. There are lots or recipes some go in oven with an egg which would add protein but I just microwaved it last time and supplemented with shakes.

@Averdra I don’t know much about Istanbul but is it a place that you would want to go to just visit? Perhaps if you get postponed you can make a trip out of it. Or can you change the place you go with the tickets. Sometimes things are not refundable but you can changes dates and itineraries. Also, check to see if it’s too late to purchase the travel insurance. I actually just learned that with cruises that you can still purchase it up till like two weeks out. Doesn’t have to be with the initial purchase. Certainly worth asking about.

My husband is thin as a rail and can only put on a few pounds back In the day by eating fry daddy for dinner and a dozen doughnuts every day. Even then he didn’t gain that much. The best way I could explain it to him how hard it is to not eat when I am hungry was to explain the opposite. I came home with five Big Macs and after he just ate I told him to eat them. I said as much as your body is telling you NOT to eat them Big Macs and it would be almost impossible for you to eat I believe that it’s just as hard for me to ignore my body when it’s screaming out for food. He isn’t superior or less lazy or a harder worker or anything else that skinny people like to think. He is just blessed with good genes. He did nothing to earn or deserve them anymore than we did anything to earn or deserve our bad ones. In retrospect maybe five was a bit of overkill but I really wanted to make a statement. But just like some of us are blessed to be naturally pretty or cute and others are less fortunate in the looks department or some of us have a higher risk for certain. Illnesses, some people are lucky enough to be thin. We may have a tiny percentage or control by dressing a certain way or make up for looks or good preventative medical care for illnesses but ultimately it just is what it is. Now there are others that work at it everyday who are a different story but my husband and it sounds like your neighbor are just blessed. i think i finally got through to him about that.

I had the sleeve 3.5 years ago and just had a revision to SADI a week ago today so I can answer for the sleeve and the “bypass type” procedure. With one thing to note. I also had my gallbladder taken out this time but it sounds like you would be the one to ask how much of my pain is due to that. 1. I have dentures will the rapid weight loss effect how they sit in my mouth? Does not apply to me 2. What are some of the best Protein Shakes out there in order to ensure I get the Protein I need? Premier Protein is a popular one If you like iced coffee the caffe latte is excellent but it does have caffeine and a lot of surgeons will have you off caffeine at least for a short time if you love your iced “proffee” though try mixing their caramel with decaf instant coffee and having that over ice it’s yummy too beyond that I prefer core power protein shakes by fairlife. Many people love the chocolate and say even their kids drink them as chocolate milk. I prefer the vanilla and their strawberry banana. I also like protein water for the liquid diet when you sorta get your full of shakes The Protein 2.0 in strawberry watermelon is pretty good . All of these are sold at Walmart. The premier protein is cheaper in the bigger packs but is sold in 4 packs and the core power is sold up front in singles and surprisingly it’s cheaper that way . The protein water I think only comes in 12 packs though . I would check a couple convenience stores for it first if you just want one to try. 3. How long were you down after surgery? How long until you started driving again? The biggest thing that will determine this will be whether you are on pain meds. After my sleeve I refiused pain meds even in the hospital but what I learned after my revision is that the most painful part for many is the trapped gas . After my sleeve I had no gas at all and I went home the next day on Tylenol. I could’ve driven right away if I had to. But I just got lucky because plenty of people with sleeve do have gas and incision pain. Post revision, I had a lot of gas pain and ended up staying 5 days starting off on morphine and oxy every two hours because the pain was horrible. Finally on day 4 I passed gas and realized that was the majority of my pain. Each subsequent toot brought more and more relief and I had about 7 big ones that one morning which I joke and say were life changing. I was able to cut back to just the one pain med less often and in a smaller dose immediately. Spent one more night and went home with normal post op pain script which I took one pill before I realized that the pain was mostly when I got up and down and the pain meds didn’t do much for that anyways and I wanted to be able to drive so I said I was gonna just take it at night but I forgot and then realized it was just silly to take it if I made it without. I did drive without issue on post op day 6 but honestly I did feel pretty fatigued and just wanted to get home. Some people are at a whole other extreme though and they do have a great deal of pain even after they are home and it lasts a lot longer. Long story short I can tell you my experiences but unfortunately no one can really predict this because it is honesty all over the map. 4. Did you have a person helping you with after care and if so, how long? Just my husband both times who is quite possibly the worst nurse ever. Didn’t need much of anything the first time except for things that require lifting, bending and straining this time I did need him to go and get things for me a little more. They want you up at least every two hours walking to prevent blood clots though so as long as something is within reach you can get it yourself. 5. I am disabled due to a nerve disorder; Is there anyone here who has a disability that has gotten the sleeve and how was your recovery? This does not apply to me BUT I know that a lot of diseases and disorders resolve some of completely with weight loss so this is certainly something to ask a surgeon about.

So glad to hear it’s getting a bit easier for you and that you found something that you actually enjoy for during that stage.

Welcome back. Do not worry about jumping in. This is open to anyone. I’m sorry to hear about your COVID and hope it doesn’t derail your surgery BUT being a week post op I can tell you that coughing does hurt quite a bit so if they make you wait that could be why and you may not realize that they are doing you a favor. I hope it all works out one way or another.

I’m so happy for your roots. I swear I never realized gas pain was that bad until it was amplified to so many that were held in there. I was actually waiting at the doctors office and I needed to pass one and I would have absolutely NEVER have done this before but I lifted myself up a bit to pass it while knowing they may walk in at any second. That’s how bad it hurts to hold it in. I swear to you I am the one who has gone number two in a public restroom like 4 times in my whole life. I actually used to make an excuse to go to my mom’s house like every other night I was dating my husband and practically living with him so I didn’t have to do that at his house. I get so embarrassed about that stuff. Yet during all this. I have told everyone I know when I finally farted. That’s how much relief it brought me. For those of you still pending, trust me. I don’t care who is in the room. If you can belch or fart. Do it!! Especially at the hospital They get it.

lol. I am SO not superwoman. I have bipolar disorder and I have been on medication for years but I still struggle a great deal with the depression part. My weight gain after the sleeve surgery just amplified things for me and I had let my house go for so long. I guess the anticipation and hope of the future loss sparked a little motivation and then the nervous energy kicked in which mimicked the super woman you guys got a glimpse of. I also have ADHD so as much as getting organized seems impossible for me, being that was makes my life so much easier. I used to have it halfway together though before the weight issues and i really hope to get back to that point at least. I think that’s why I’m so afraid of breaking my momentum. It was just starting to feel a little like home again and it was so peaceful walking through the doors to a house with some order to it. I so badly don’t want to let it get back to the way it was I think this weekend I’m just going to ask my husband to do a few things that I can’t do. I think he will get it if I tell him how I feel.

I wonder if after hearing all of these perspectives if starting with a therapist that specializes in disordered eating may help. You mentioned that you haxe some behaviors that are ingrained from childhood that make things challenging for you and they may be able to help with that. Honestly it will most likely make your even more successful in the long run when you do decide whether surgery is right for you. And if you still don’t want to do it booefully you can lose something with the therapists help. Anything you lose will only make you that much healthier and if survey is the end goal you will just have that much less to lose. My only other suggestion would be that once your even beginning to lean more towards doing surgery that you make your appt and get the ball rolling because it’s a pretty lengthy process and once you do make your mind up if your like many of us the wait seems really long. Actually making that first appointment may hurt either. Make a list of your exact fears and get exact statistics to help you decide. Many of the risks are less than getting in a car and driving. But do yourself a favor and ask what your risks are if obesity related complications too if you do nothing. For most of us doing nothing comes with far greater risk.

That’s brilliant to reward your reaching your fluid goal with purées. I am so looking forward to them, omg!! I already have my Walmart cart ready to go. PS, I came to my senses about the vacuuming. Momentary insanity I think. 😂

Wow. I’m so sorry. I know that has to be a let down. But better they know ahead of it instead of figuring it out after. Trust me. You do NOT want to have a cough immediately post surgery and I’m guessing fighting anything while trying to recover would be a bad thing anyways. I coughed like two times and even shallow coughs hurt so bad I am contemplating skipping my yarn group tomorrow even though they have been my cheering squad through all of this but it’s a pretty small room we meet in and you never know if someone is coming down with something. I do not want to be coughing or sneezing anytime soon.

Thanks

What do you mean. Did you reach your goal and start to regain or is it something else? I see you are about 40 pounds from your goal now so it certainly seems doable to turn it around if it’s regain. My first piece of advice as someone who regained all their weight and just had revision surgery a week ago is to reach out to your team. My second step would be to reach out for support here or otherwise and you have already done that. I did neither because I was too embarrassed and you can see where that led me. When I finally did reach out to them I wished I had done it sooner because they treated me with nothing but compassion and just wanted to help. For me the only real option was revision but you should have plenty others. My guess is their first plan of attack will be to go back to the basics. Reading labels, Logging your food and counting macros. Protein first, smaller portions and reaching your fluid goals. Seems like from your profile you are pretty active anyways but trying to Incorporate more activity if that has slipped a little. Just go back to it like you are just out of surgery. Well past the staged return to eating I guess but fairly early out anyways. Some people even start with the “pouch reset” Of a liquid diet for a week or two although most say that there is no real evidence that does much to reset anything. Make an appointment with your team now and start logging what you are doing for a week or so giving them a starting point and let them advise you of what you need to work on. There are other options now if diet alone is not enough but if you enjoy healthy eating anyways its likely portion size has increased a little more than you realize and that’s something you should be able to change. Once you do figure it out try to make changes one at a time if necessary to make them more manageable. Set lots of small goals to keep yourself motivated But most importantly keep reaching out to your support networks such as posting here as well as keeping in touch with your team. Your sleeve is still there. It will be a little harder than it was the first time but people have certainly done it. You have already taken the first steps Of recognizing the issue and reaching out here just keep taking steps and before you know it you will be losing again. Keep us Posted on any ups and downs so we can cheer you on. You can do it!!

Tomorrow will be day 7 post op and I seem to be fine with waking around the house. It’s just getting up and down that cause me pain. That and reaching I just learned while playing cards. I have a pretty light vacuum (a cordless Dyson) and I’m wondering if I would be crazy to attempt it. Ironic because I would probably tell anyone else to let it go but it’s really bugging me. Maybe I should just ask my hubby to do it. Although I’m fairly sure after all these years that he is allergic. We don’t have traditional gender roles by any means but vacuuming has always seemed to be mine. Anyways, has anyone else done it or asked their Dr if it’s okay at a week out. My instructions just say no bending or lifting 15 pounds. It’s technically neither of those I don’t think.

Thank you both. I think I already knew the answer or I wouldn’t have even asked the question. I just have this newfound energy for getting the house in order that the survey and all the hope that comes with It has given me and I am afraid to break the habit so soon. I guess I just need to remember that overdoing it now will ultimately set me back a lot further than just waiting a little longer to begin with.

I was a little snippy on the pre op diet too and mine was 16 days long. Surprisingly I learned that I got more accomplished being the squeaky or snippy wheel. Sad but true.

If it was the “easy way out” then people like me wouldn’t need revision surgeries. It’s just a tool and if you don’t do your part it doesn’t work so it’s certainly no magic wand. Don’t wait until your body is in worse shape. Your still young and with a little help you can change you life significantly. Aside from the fact that they are wrong scientifically and statistically, so what if it was the “easy way out.” Do these people bear their clothes against rocks or use brooms instead of vacuum cleaners? Do they believe that power tools are the easy way out and refuse to use them? The fact is housework still sucks and carpentry is hard regardless of whether you have the best tools or not. if you think of weight loss As a task like laundry, surgery would be the washing machine. If you only had one or two loads to do you could probably get it done by beating it on rocks and avoid the need for a special machine but when you are obese and have a lot more loads to do you need a washing machine to make it possible to get it all done. The surgery is just a tool. Just as you don’t wake up from surgery never having to do laundry again, you won’t be able to lye around and eat bon bons and just lose weight. If you don’t do your part for laundry your washing machine will just be a dusty machine in the corner and your laundry will pile up. And like me if you don't do your part with the surgery, you won’t lose what you should and the pounds will start to pack back on. Be kind to yourself. You have a very complex disease that requires medical intervention. An intervention that you deserve just as much as someone with heart disease needs medication or surgery. Don’t let the ignorance of others stop you from doing what is right for yourself and your life. You deserve all the help you can get to accomplish whatever goal you set out to do and anyone that says that they wouldn’t do the same thing is not really putting themselves in your shoes.

Just one step at a time and yea. You’ve got this!!

I posted this as another thread but has anyone tried to vacuum at a week post op? I have a light vacuum and it’s cordless so no bending. Just lifting it off the charger in the wall and then the expected pushing and pulling. I can probably just tell my hubby it’s really bugging me and I shouldn’t and get him to do it but I hate to ask him to do everything. I am kinda itching to get back to some sense of normal to be honest.

Wow. Doing great. So happy for you.

I haven’t tried this yet but I just got another idea for a gadget that will come in very handy if it works like I think it will. A coffee mug warmer. For the broth and the cream soups for full liquid for sure. And maybe even the purée and soft stage since everything is supposed to be real moist. But At least for this soup stage because it just cools off so fast. The more I think about it this may not be as helpful for everyone with tiny tummies since you can only eat like 3 bites early out anyways. I am a little different since they didn’t operate on my stomach. Supposed to keep my portions small but I physically can eat more.

Ooh. One last thing post surgery is that if you have a really accommodating and willing helper like I do it can be easy to just sit still for hours since getting up hurts but pay attention to the clock or ask them to since you are supposed to get up. My dr said every two hours at least and walk around. To prevent blood clots.