jmarie26

The dietician at my office warned of a stall within the first few weeks post-op. She also said even though you are not losing pounds at that time, you should still be losing inches. So focus on the non-scale stuff

I had to take several meds once I was in the hospital. I do not remember what they were- it was 5am and I was not paying attention. I had to drink a bunch of liquid Tylenol. I have always hated grape flavored anything and of course it was grape. Plus I've never been good with liquid meds. I was gagging through it. 🤢 The nurse apologized for torturing me, lol.

My doctor's office mentioned a card pre-op, but I'm not sure I'd use it so I have not inquired post-op. My 7-year old niece begged to go out to dinner last week to celebrate a birthday. We went to Cracker Barrel. Since I am only a few weeks post-op, there were only a couple of things I could order. I knew before hand I was just going to order egg whites. Everyone orders- with their 8 billion sides and stuff, then the waitress gets to me and I ask for egg whites. She thought I was crazy and asked "just that?!" I didn't even eat half. The only thing on the table I really wanted was my niece's grilled cheese. It looked very, very yummy.

(Not sure why the formatting is giving me such a hard time...)

Are you limited to the McLaren network? If not, I recommend Dr. Stalin- he is part of the Ascension network. He used to split his time between Genesys and St. Mary's (Saginaw), but since COVID, he has consolidated down to just one office- in Saginaw. When I went to a group informational appointment (pre-COVID), I met people who were getting a revision with him- from both Hurley and McLaren. From what I gathered, the program his office has set up is the best in the area.

I am two weeks post op. I started the puree diet phase today. My surgeon did not have me on pure liquids for the last couple of weeks though- I could eat jello, pudding, apple sauce, thin soups w/out chunks, yogurt, instant mashed potatoes, etc.... I have been putting my food in a 4 oz paper cup- usually about half full, sometimes a bit more. Never to the top. So about 2-3 ounces every time I eat. I usually eat 3-4 times per day. As I introduce new foods, I am concerned about how I feel while/after eating. I am not sure if what I am feeling is normal for this point, if I am overeating, or if the food is not agreeing with me. I have never thrown up and only once felt like I was going to. I don't experience pain, but discomfort sometimes. Like an acid reflux feeling or I feel like I need to burp. It feels like the food just sits there for a bit. The feeling typically does not last long- a couple of minutes. Never more than 10-15. Since I am not in pain or vomiting, I just kind of assumed this is just something I have to deal with for a while. But since I can now add more foods to my diet, I thought maybe I should ask. I don't go to the doctor for another week. I can tolerate the feeling, but just am more nervous about doing damage of some kind.

I only needed an EGD, EKG, and chest x-ray pre-op. I did have a sleep study done a few years ago, though. When I started this process (end of 2019), my surgeon was splitting his time between two hospitals (same hospital network). I knew then that I could do all of my appointments locally, but I would have to have my actual surgery at the other hospital. Their program was more established, so my insurance required it. Same doctor/program, same hospital network, same/comparable equipment, but I still would have had to have surgery at the other hospital. So I guess it would not be that strange for different doctors within the same hospital network to have completely different programs. Thanks to COVID, my surgeon consolidated his offices and is back to only one- the one far away. Thankfully he had so many patients in my local area that he came a few more times to do EGDs. But it sucks that I have to drive so far for all of my appointments.

I had surgery on March 8th. Thankfully mine was a breeze. I haven't even taken Tylenol since being discharged from the hospital. I had a tonsillectomy in college and I was in absolute agony, so I was nervous. Thankfully this was a much easier experience. Now if only I could drink a protein shake without gagging, life would be great..... (I did not have issues with them pre-op. Post-op, I cannot do it. Switched brands, no better.)

I am thankful I went through the program I did. I could eat a variety of things until I was 2 days pre-op. I had a list of foods that I could eat and the number of servings allowed per day. Chicken, fish, egg whites, fruit, veggies, etc... I was actually never hungry. I just ate something off the list every 2 hours or so. Since your surgeon does not want you eating solids, I would not make a habit of it. But since I could eat chicken up until the last two days, I am certain eating it once will not cause you any issues with your surgery. I haven't had any complications whatsoever. I haven't taken anything for pain (not even Tylenol) since being discharged from the hospital. Four days post-op, it didn't even hurt to stand up anymore. The only time I feel anything is when I overdue it. And it isn't pain and doesn't last long.

Wow. People are rude. I have said since the beginning that I have no desire to be skinny. None. I want to be healthy. I'd much rather weigh 200 and be happy and healthy than obsess about weighing under 150. Thin is not my goal. Healthy and happy is all I want.