FutureSkyDiver

What does he say? Is he ready to lose weight? Does he think he needs to lose weight? Because if he isn’t ready yet, there is absolutely no point in having this surgery, if you can find a surgeon to do it. This is A LOT of work and if you don’t want to do that work, you’ll find ways around the sleeve or pouch.

Try keeping your lips closed until you tip the liquid toward your mouth and it creates a seal. This is what my nurse said to do to keep air out. I imagine it looks like you are making a kissing face, then put the cup to your lips and tilt until the liquid covers the seam between your lips. Then open your mouth just a bit for a tiny sip. The liquid should cover the whole opening.

I seem to be the opposite. I watched cooking shows during my recovery period. For some reason, it helped me. That, and the fact that 95% of the food advertised in commercials does not tempt me at all.

You’re still full of fluids from surgery.

I was getting dizzy when I stood up and I finally worked it down to not getting enough calories. I upped my calories about 100-200 a day and the dizziness has been significantly reduced. Still happens every once in a while, but I find that it happens when I haven’t eaten in a while.

I don't think anyone should recommend caloric intakes or macros for someone, unless they are a dietitian/nutritionist, there are simply too many variables to consider...age, weight, body composition, activity level, etc. What might work for one person may not work for another person, even if they are similar sizes/stages/time since surgery. You'd be better off scheduling an appointment with your dietitian/nutritionist to get recommendations tailored to you. You will have a far better chance of success with those than something some rando on the internet gave you, which after all, is what most of us are to one another.

I can't speak for everyone, but given the bariatric community is composed of mainly obese to morbidly obese individuals, even if undiagnosed, I would bet the vast majority of people have some sort of fatty liver, liver disease, NASH, etc. My surgeon said virtually as much at one of our appointments. I also asked her about whether she would abort the surgery if my liver was too fatty (she would), but she said that she had no worries about me, because I'd been losing weight prior to surgery (which it looks like you are), I did the pre-op liquid diet for 10 days (sounds like you are going to do at least some length of liquid diet), and she said generally people who have livers too fatty to actually do surgery have BMIs in the 60s. You don't have your stats listed, but assuming that is you in your profile picture, it doesn't seem that you are in that category.

I look forward to being able to get on a plane without the need to take Xanax to control my anxiety over how uncomfortable I am going to be for the duration of the flight (I do a lot of international flying, so we are talking 8+ hours sometimes). And no bruised hips from the arm rests!

I would have honestly preferred to have no non-patients allowed. It would have been easier. My mom came with me, and I'm afraid it was a terrible experience for her. I vomited for 6 hours after surgery (due to anesthesia...I TRIED to tell them it would happen if they used gas, but they didn't listen) and when I wasn't puking, I was sleeping. The nurses tried to ask her a bunch of questions I could have easily answered before surgery, but they never asked (like questions about cultural practices, religion, etc.). My wife came after work (she absolutely could not have the time off due to starting a new job just before my surgery) and I barely knew she was there. I saw her when she came in, then slept the entire time she was there, and she had to wake me up to say goodbye at the end of visiting hours. The day after surgery was better, I was less nauseous and could sit in the chair and talk to my mom for most of the day, but I could have easily entertained myself that day if she hadn't been allowed in. As for what to take...not much. I took my toiletry kit (I did shower in the morning at the hospital, so I was happy to have my own shampoo, soap, etc.), chapstick, phone and charger, and an extra pair of undies to wear under the same clothes I arrived in the day previously. Good luck with your surgery!

Great Job! Looking good!

Some people have a sneeze as their "full signal". Pay attention to when you are sneezing and see if it correlates to when you eat. It might be your signal too. Better than mine, which is a belch.

For me, the choice came down to some non-physical things (i.e., the idea of my guts being rearranged with the RNY, or the stomach being removed for the sleeve). I considered my lifestyle. I travel quite a bit for work and am not always in control of the food put in front of me for a meal. I travel to remote parts of the third world, where culturally refusing something to eat or drink is seen as very rude and can impact my ability to do my job, so I've eaten some...things. Let's just leave it at that. I opted for the sleeve because with the larger stomach pouch post-op, I was less worried about dehydration and there is a lower chance of having dumping syndrome if I eat something too sugary or too fatty when I'm out. Good luck with your choice, it is a difficult one! PS...DS is a dudoneal switch and GERD is Gastro-esophegeal reflux disease (acid reflux)

If you have some 30ml cups (the hospital sent me home with some), try pouring your liquids into that and taking 5-6 sips to drink that much fluid (TINY sips). If you don't have the 30ml cups from the hospital, you could use one from a liquid medicine or a shot glass.

Follow the plan given to you by your surgeon or nutritionist/dietitian. If you didn’t get one, find a bariatric nutritionist/dietitian and get a plan. Post-op nutrition is tricky because you need to get in protein, vitamins, and minerals essential to life, but you can’t eat very much. The foods must be nutrient dense and are often very different from what you were eating pre-op. For me, 500cal a day was not enough post-op, I kept getting dizzy when I ate that little.

I know you said you are taking small drinks and bites, but this sounds like what happens to me when I take too large of a swallow or bite. Are you sure you are taking small enough drinks/bites? Pinky fingernail sized bites? Chewed at least 20 times? It does get better though as swelling goes down a bit, there is a little more room.

I slept easily 15 hours a day for the first three weeks after surgery--12 hours at night, plus multiple naps during the day. Everything made me tired. Not kidding--walking to the bathroom, getting a protein shake out of the fridge, walking to the end of my driveway, trying to read a book while sitting in the recliner...everything. You're healing. Your body needs the sleep. Listen to it.

This is fairly in line with what I experienced. Some days are going to be better than others. Liquids definitely pass through the stomach/pouch faster than do solid foods (which you wouldn't yet be eating if you were on my plan, yours may be different). I'd read you cannot stretch your pouch, it is just the perception of stretching as you compare the early days intake capacity (when you are very swollen) with later intake (when you aren't swollen) and think it stretched. Swelling can last quite a long time, months at least. You won't feel fullness for a while, especially on liquids, your nerves are still healing.

I would be VERY cautious using this technique. It is considered disordered eating and may well be the jumping off point for a more serious eating disorder (note, I am NOT saying your wife has an eating disorder, just that this behavior is considered disordered eating and it can LEAD to an eating disorder). My suggestion is just to buck up...seriously, just gut it out. The liquid diet is hard, but it is finite. You know it is going to end. If you try to cheat around the restrictions on this diet, it is a pretty slippery slope to cheating around the restriction your pouch/sleeve is going to create (and there are lots of ways to cheat that).

Three days out there is absolutely no way I would have been able to sit in a typical university chair/desk for 8 hours and gain anything meaningful from the classes I was attending. Set aside the pain that you may or may not be in at that point--everyone is different and while I was still experiencing a good deal of pain at three days post op, not everyone does. Honestly, my biggest issue was that I could not sit upright completely without a dull aching pain in/around the large incision where she removed my stomach. I had to be slightly reclined at all times to keep that pain away. Three days post op your ONLY concern should be getting in enough liquids to not dehydrate. For me, this required me to set a timer and take a TINY sip of water every five minutes from a 30ml cup I refilled every 15 minutes. Can you concentrate on the material being presented if you are constantly checking a clock to see if you should be drinking? Can you not be a distraction to your fellow students while doing this? There may also be a lot of things you aren't considering involved in attending classes. How far is the walk from the parking lot? Can you walk that distance post-op? I am a triathlete who regularly ran 10+ miles at a time pre-op. Three days post-op I could walk to the end of my 200ft driveway and back before I felt like I needed a rest. Are there stairs to get to your classroom, or inside the classroom itself? Can you navigate stairs three days-post op? Maybe...I struggled. How heavy are the materials you need to bring to class plus the bag you carry them in? If you have to bring books and a laptop to class, you may be WAY over your 5-10lb lifting weight. You mentioned in-hospital practicals too, which I assume means lifting or moving patients and equipment. I was given a 5-10lb weight lifting limit for 6 weeks. I'm a university professor and I know that many of the books I use for my research and teaching weigh more than that. I have had to ask my wife to bring them to me and put them in my lap. How many breaks do you get throughout the day? I was exhausted for the first two weeks, requiring at least two, and sometimes three 45min-hour naps a day, on top of sleeping 12 hours a day. This is pretty normal, given that your body has just been through a huge trauma and is healing itself. If you aren't getting proper rest, your healing will be slowed and honestly, how much good are you getting out of the classes you are attending if you are exhausted and/or falling asleep during class? If you are at the stage of treating patients (again, I assume based on in-hospital practicals), you can make critical mistakes if you are that tired. Critical mistakes can kill people. I will also add, as a university professor who has seen so many students get sick/have surgery/miss a lot of class for one reason or another, those students RARELY do as well as the other students in the class, no matter how hard they try or how many accommodations are made in terms of assignment or exam extensions, make up exams, etc. There is a considerable body of educational literature that suggests there is simply something about doing things at the same time as the rest of your class that makes students perform better. I see it time and time again--those who take make up exams do not perform as well as they otherwise would have done. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and the difficult decision you have to make. Personally, I would not do it mid-semester, even as a faculty member.

This doesn’t sound typical to me. How many times have you called your surgeon? I’d probably be sitting in his office by this point if he hadn’t called me back. All else failing, so to the ER.

I’ll also add that until yesterday (3weeks out) it hurt to sit in a chair that wasn’t reclined. My large incision was sore and it was distracting. Nothing that would prevent you from working if you were determined, but it was painful and irritating.

I am at three weeks post-op. This morning I worked my extremely sedentary desk job from home for three hours. I’m tired and planning a nap this afternoon. Saturday I took a walk (1.3 miles) and ended up puking in my driveway because it was too much too soon (note: I’m a triathlete who commonly runs 10+ miles at a time in season). Every person is different and every day is different. If you have flexibility in your job, ask for it. If you don’t, I’d ask for the max off, just so they know “worst case scenario”. good luck with your surgery!

I knew when I realized that my weight was standing in the way of me doing things I wanted to do in a meaningful way. Also...I checked my insurance and found they had started covering bariatric surgery.

I’m only 20 days out, but I have been using salt and chili powder on my eggs with no negative consequences. Other things get seasoned well too. I’d rather stay on liquids than eat bland food.

Relax…everything you are experiencing is completely normal. your weight will fluctuate throughout the day, depending on fluid intake, exercise, food intake, etc. pain in the shoulders is pretty common shortly after wls due to the gasses pumped in. Three weeks post-op seems a little late, so pay attention to when it is happening. Shoulder pain was one of the first and most persistent signs when my gallbladder went kaput.