John M

Hello guys, This is my first post here. I stumbled upon this page on Google and was reading some of the topics and this community seemed very supportive. I thought I'd give it a try. So I'm one week out of post op gastric bypass. I was in the hospital for about 3 days and I've been home since. I have to say the first couple days I was in horrible pain, way worse than I anticipated. While in the hospital I drank very small amounts and barely ate anything. They gave us little 30ml cups to pour liquids into. We had the option of water, apple/cranberry juice diluted 50/50 with water, skim milk and ice chips. They also gave us a jello every day at lunch and a no sugar vanilla pudding at dinner. Accompanied by some sort of cream based soup with no chunks in it. I was a little surprised because I was expecting clear liquids only. Anyways long story short.. After coming home I've felt much much better. I think I stopped pain meds day 4 and I'm able to move around, bend, etc without any discomfort really. I'm obviously taking it easy but I am finding the now 3 weeks (2 weeks pre-op) liquid diet to be hell on Earth. I'm doing my best and while yesterday and today I tried a little bit of pureed foods and yogurt and it seemed to sit fine. I am trying to follow the guidelines. I personally have no felt any nausea or had any diarrhea since the first day or two. So I'm just sitting here trying to argue with myself about whether to try and suffer another week of primarily liquid diet or to try and step into pureed a little early. I don't want to cause any issues or stretch my stomach accidently. Even with puree I've been careful to have things like Liptons cup-a-soup. I pureed a clam chowder and ate maybe 1/3 of the can and found it sat very heavy the rest of the day on my stomach. I felt bloated and whenever o drank liquids it just refreshed the bloated feeling. Not trying that again. They also expect me to drink 2 protein shakes daily. The best I can do to makr a protein shake that isn't chalky is 300ml of water in the blender. But even then I struggle sipping at it for an hour or more to drink more than half. I actually feel very gassy afterwards and sometimes it too feel very heavy on my stomach. Maybe I am drinking too fast or is this normal at this stage? Obviously I want nothing more than to be back on solid foods. But I know that is at least 3 weeks away and then it will be a very gradual introduction. Sorry for this post being soo long I am just really struggling and not sure what to do. I feel like if I see one more cup of clear chicken broth I'm going to croak. I just miss and want flavour and taste back in my life. Something to get me through to where I can enjoy real food again.

I just checked and yes, it is whey protein. It also calls to make it with milk so I've been using about 50-70% skim milk and a little water. I didn't think about a lactose issue. I'll have to try mixing it with water only and see how that goes. If it's still giving me trouble then I'll give a different type of protein powder a shot. Well today ends week one of the post-op liquid diet. Now that I'm reading and hearing other people saying they came off onto puree after a week I'm a little less worried. Everything online says 2 weeks post-op but to me that just seems excessively cautious. Maybe for slow healers or people having a lot of struggles with adapting to the surgery. For me I feel fine in every way minus the desire for something more. I was just worried if I started trying puree foods if it was going to stretch my stomach or screw me over somehow. I didn't want to ruin the surgery early on or cause some kind of damage to myself. I wish I had regular check-ups with the surgical team to give me advice and updates on what I could try or do but I don't. In Canada since Healthcare is free and I didn't have to come out of pocket for this or use insurance you don't get the same access to treatment. My first follow-up is a month after surgery and they'll likely just ask for my progress and if I have any concerns or major issues. My first follow-up with the dietician is also about a month away. They never gave me any information about support groups I could go to or how to meet others in my local area who are having surgery to kind of have a buddy system like they do in other addiction groups. So it's kind of free sailing here and having to figure it out on my own.

Thanks! Everyone is different so it's really hard to say. A friend of mine was well over 600lbs about 10 years ago when he had the surgery. He dropped down to about 375lbs. That was nearly half his body weight. He has gone up a bit since then because he hasn't followed the lifestyle changes the way he should have. But even still he is only maybe 450 now. Still probably 150-20bs less than what he was. I think maybe how much you lose not only depends on how dedicated you are but also how big you were. At 370 and 6' I don't think 255 is at all unrealistic. At 470 and 6'4 I'm hoping for 285 which would be much more than 30% but I think that would be my goal weight. I'd still be the size of a wwf wrestler. I've seen other guys my height who weighed between 215-235lbs and some of them look really good and really fit. I personally couldn't see myself at that size, I'm so used to seeing a bear in the mirror. But I would be a little disappointed if I only lost 120lbs after everything I just went through. Would it be better than nothing? Sure, but still much bigger than I hope to be.

Definitely ask questions. Do research on your own too. You're right this is a life altering major surgery. You're early on in your process so maybe they just haven't got to it yet. I'm not sure how it works with an insurance company but I would have to imagine you're going to go through some kind of program. It's not going to be your insurance approved you, now you meet with a surgeon and then the surgery is next month. Mostly all programs make you go on a pre-op diet and provide multiple consultations to tell you what you need to know. It likely will feel very automated, especially if everything is over the phone or zoom. But again don't be afraid to ask those questions or raise those concerns.

I'm 470lbs or at least I was prior to pre-op diet. I haven't weighed since but I'm told I'm shrinking by those who see me. I think realistically they say to expect 30% body weight loss but up to 50%. I'm personally hoping to hit 285lbs.. I'm 6'4. But if I calculated 30% I would end up around 320. They asked us a similar question early on but I felt like it was more to guage our concept of what we expect to lose. Because some people go into this with unrealistic expectations. They like to make sure your feet are planted firmly in reality to what the surgery will be able to do for you. The rest will have to come from patience and hard work.

You're going to sleep a lot so I wouldn't worry about bringing too much stuff. Your phone, charger, maybe an iPad or a book. Whichever is your preference in case you do have brief moments where you're bored. I was awake here and there for an hour or two at a time. But mostly during that time I was sore or stiff from the bed or waiting for my next pain dosage. So I I watch some movies on my phone and sometimes they helped me fall back asleep. But I didn't really do much else. As for what to wear I just went in with baggy jogging pants and a comfortable t-shirt. I did bring a pair of underwear, socks and another t-shirt but I didn't end up using any of it. They'll have you change into a gown before you go for surgery, put your clothes in a bag or your backpack. They had labels with my information on it they stuck to all my bags to make sure they made it up to my room. Likewise if you have a family member waiting they could always just bring your stuff up to your room after you get out of surgery. Up to you really. I stayed in my gown the entire time I was there. But being a guy I didn't really give a **** what I looked like during my brief laps around the hospital wing. They will make you walk a couple times a day after the first day. I would think a bra is debatable depending how wide the band is. My highest incision is about an inch below my breast but more to the center of my chest. I could see a bra band crossing over that and being painful or uncomfortable. My advice would be not to wear one if you can tolerate it for a couple days. After all its a hospital, you're there because you're trying to get better not win the appropriate dress code competition. I didn't really see anyone there who wasn't in hospital gowns the entire time I was there, unless they were being discharged.

I would say have him come the day of surgery and wait around, see you up to your room and maybe stay for an hour. You're going to be tired and out of it. You won't be in the mood for company. I slept more or less the majority of the first 48 hours I was in the hospital. You'll be on pain meds and sore and just all around uncomfortable. You're likely going to want to sleep just to avoid it all and make the time go by faster. So I didnt have any visitors until my girlfriend came to get me on my 3rd day when they sent me home. By then I was still very tired and still a little sore. I slept most of the car ride home and I was pretty inactive that day. It won't be until probably the 4th day or later when you have more energy and get back to being yourself. As for fears I didn't really have any rational fears before surgery. I figured if **** goes wrong it goes wrong, nothing I can really do about it. Just hope for the best. I did fear I'd never eat a delicious cheeseburger or a piece of pizza again.. and if I did it wouldn't be the same. But that was probably just the weeks of pre-op liquid diet I was suffering through and my taste buds crying out for salvation. The irrational fears I have are things like.. how the f**k am I going to get all my vitamins if we have a zombie apocalypse?? Could I survive without them? Will I ever be able to eat a real meal again and enjoy it? Those are the things that go through my head now and before I had surgery. I know a day will come when I can eat regular food again and have some of the things I used to love. It just feels soo far away and right now I'm still in the phase 2 diet stage. So everything sucks and I just keep daydreaming about life 6 months from now.

That's exactly why they do it. They even told us that ahead of time. They demanded a strict diet months before surgery with the threat of regular weigh ins. Likewise we have to quit smoking 6 months before surgery and they said they could tell in bloodwork if we didn't. Both of those could compromise our surgery date. Of course because of the pandemic and everything being over teleconference and zoom they didn't follow through with any of it. I smoked until about a month before surgery and I fell off the diet a bunch of times. They never did a weigh in or bloodwork update since the initial one that was done when I first signed up. But I wouldn't gamble with it in case your surgical team is more diligent and strict. The pre-op diet 4 weeks or so before surgery of optifast or liquids is to shrink your liver. They say if they go in and your liver is too large it can be dangerous to proceed and they may close you up and not do the surgery. They also said alternatively they can choose not to go in through micro incisions and have to do an old school incision that is much larger to move the liver if it's too big. Either one sounded serious so I did stick to the shake diet prior to surgery.

So I initially went in to start my bariatrics process at the hospital in February of 2020. They estimated the time was 6-8 months start to finish (surgery). This was right before the pandemic hit. Now being in Canada by March everything was starting to shut down. Panic was in motion and my initial consultation in Februarg followed by a group orientation in late February was all I had got to do in person. The next appointment I had wasn't until July! Like you it was on zoom. That I believe was a consult with the social worker. Basically someone who talked to me and asked me a bunch of mental health questions. Mostly to see if I was of sound mind, not super depressed or suicidal and if I was mentally prepared to go forward with surgery. She had one follow up over the phone a month later then signed off on her end. Next was the dietician who did what dieticians do, ran me through a PowerPoint presentation about the 3 food groups. I was given a little homework to do over the next 6 weeks. I had to fill dietary sheets saying how much I drank that day, what I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus snacks. Times and a note about what type of food that was (ie protein, carb, vegetable). Just basically making sure I understood food groups. Once submitted she reviewed them and another couple weeks later we went over it on the phone. She made some corrections, went over food groups AGAIN.. and gave some suggestions on what I could have to balance a meal. She discussed briefly the phase 1 pre-op diet, phase 2 liquid diet and phase 3 pureed diet. Gave suggestions and ideas about what to eat, to avoid etc. Nothing you can't find online with a little research. Finally she signed off. Then the 2nd wave hit in November and everything shut down again. Fast forward I finally did my second doctor consult in January of 2021 and he reviewed the dieticians notes and social workers and then signed off. Throughout this entire now year that had gone by I was only ever initially weighed in and measured the first month. Blood work done that first month. A year had past and no updates to either were requested. More time goes by and I did a surgeon zoom meeting and he just asked me basic questions. I think the most in depth thing he asked for was to visibly see my stomach and move my head around so he could see my neck function. Then I had a brief phone call with pre-op questions. Finally a surgery date in May was issued. Again a third wave hit and that was cancelled. Finally I had my surgery July 23rd 2021.. nearly a year and a half after starting the process. That's socialist free health care for you though.. so I guess I can't complain. Anyways that's the process I went through and I too was concerned at no point they asked for updated blood work or weigh ins. There was no real monitoring of diet aside from just telling the dietician I understood and showing her a brief demonstration. Throughout that year and a half I fell off the advised diet a bunch of times. I was very dedicated at first, then the delays discouraged me. The additional delays and run around and feeling like this is simply never going to happen really made me fall off. By the time my May surgery date came around I was eating like I ate before, I kind of just didn't care any more. I was also drinking a lot of calories. At some point I fell off the diet drinks and went back to regular and with no bloodwork monitoring or being held accountable, I drank myself into diabetes type 2. Which was found a 3 weeks before surgery when I was checked for the first time ever at a clinic for my blood sugar, which was a 26.8 on the meter. My own fault entirely, but had they done more in person check ups and diagnostics they might've noticed I wasn't losing weight, my sugar levels were getting high. Maybe steps could have been made to help me be accountable and stay on track. After all I'm an addict to food and flavor, leaving me for a year and a half with no support to do it all on my own just didn't work out for me. So I do hope your process goes faster and smoother than mine. But you are not wrong in being concerned by the lack of in-person check ups. Do yourself a favor and speak up and don't just stay silent like I did.

Are either of you diabetic? Because diabetes or undiagnosed diabetes rather can cause dehydration. Blood sugar levels could be the result of having such a dry mouth aka lack of saliva. I went through a bout about 3 months before surgery where out of nowhere I was really dehydrated. In the sense my mouth was really dry and no matter how much I drank it didn't feel like I could keep saliva in my mouth. I got an infection and ended up at the clinic and the doctor just randomly decided to test my blood sugar levels. I was at 26.8 on the meter. So newly diagnosed diabetic type 2 after some blood tests. My mouth seemed to have been less dry and I wasn't drinking 10 cups a water a day and peeing 8 times a day the month before surgery. But since being post-op the past week my mouth is back to being dry again. Much like you I find it's worse at night and had the same idea. Maybe I'm sleeping with my mouth open. My blood sugar levels are still high for a normal human ranging from 8-10.5. So I have no idea if it's the diabetes or the surgery or a little of both. I do know the dry mouth makes my teeth feel sticky sometimes when I press my tongue against them. The top of my mouth feels strange too when it happens and I feel like my taste is off. It could be all psychological but it's very frustrating knowing something should taste good normally but as I'm drinking it its off or just kinda blah.

So I've tried some rigorous diets in the past. My weight has fluctuated around 450-470 for years. Twice I've got down to 320-330lbs. Both times I basically did a self induced gastric bypass diet (not a healthy one). But basically liquids, very very little solids and a lack of nutrients. The first time I lost 120lbs in the first 6 months. I didn't step on a scale once while doing it, I just noticed my pants getting bigger. In fact I had no idea how much weight I had lost, the day I decided to check I expected to be 30-40lbs down. When I seen over a hundred pounds gone I was baffled, I thought the scale was broken. That made the next couple months very easy to continue and motivate myself to keep going. Now, again not promoting my diet of choice, it was very unhealthy. I used to joke about it being my cigarette and water diet because I would eat soo little. So of course when I bottomed out at 320lbs and I was in the gym 5 days a week and trying to eat a 1200 calorie dietician approved diet. I was super frustrated each week when I weighed and wasn't losing any weight. Two months went by and i hit 315lbs in the morning but by evening I was back up to 320-323lbs. A cycle of endless repeat and no reward. It was probably caused by the muscle mass I lost along with the weight from not eating barely any nutrients or protein throughout the first few months. Despite exercising and trying to regain muscle even at 1200 calories a day I was eating more than my body was burning off. Eventually I got frustrated and fell off and bounced back up to 360lbs. I was proud I kept a lot of the weight off for a good two years but I eventually went back up to 450lbs. I won't go into the second time because it was a repeat of a lot of the mistakes I made the first time. The same end result and the same discouragement that brought me back up to 470lbs. That is why I decided to go for bariatrics. Because I could lose the weight myself but I couldn't do it healthily, steadily and keep it off. Obviously the older I get the harder it gets to put your body through hell to try and be skinny. I can't speak from post-op surgery because I'm only 1 wrek post-op. But the reasoning for my rant was to say. Both times I found the best strategy was to not weigh myself regularly. It's hard not to want to see the results, but I found discouragement was the worst remedy for trying to keep going. Starving yourself for a week or two and seeing 1lb or less just makes you feel like this isn't worth it. This is pointless or hopeless. Something isn't right. What am I doing wrong? I found the best result was when I just set my mind to what I needed to do and didn't worry about what the scale said. While I fully intend and encourage you and myself to do things healthy and not try to cheat to success. I do not plan to step on a scale unless my doctors office really needs me to, and I might even then ask not to know the results. At least for the first few months. This battle is hard enough without the constant self doubt and feelings of failure. I wish you all the best!

Had my surgery on July 23rd. I have to say I was not prepared for what I woke up to. I had a back surgery a couple years ago and while the pain prior to surgery was insane, after surgery I don't remember any pain at all. Just weakness in my legs and core, difficulty sitting up etc. When I woke up from gastric bypass in recovery I was in soo much pain they literally gave me a shot of ketamine and it felt like I went under anesthesia all over again lol. After that I was in the hospital for 3 days and I'd say the first 48 hours were horrible. I was on hydromorph for pain, Tylenol 6 and gravol. I slept through most of it, which is how I preferred to deal with it. I started passing gas little by little the first and second day. I found asking for a hot blanket to put across my stomach helped a lot with the abdomen pains. I didn't have much interest at all in food or water. I mixed little 30ml cups of apple juice or cranberry juice with 50% water here and there. Ate ice chips when I was thirsty. I think I had maybe one or two mouthfuls of soup the entire time I was there and I had one thing of sugar free jello going the entire stay. That's how little I ate or wanted to eat. By the last day, coming home, I was only a little sore, it seemed to have gone down a lot. By the time I was home for a day I stopped taking pain meds all together, no more gravol either. After reading through some of these I have to say I feel fortunate my body is dealing with the changes so well. I haven't found I'm in any discomfort, no nausea, bowel movements are less frequent than before but still normal. Sitting up, laying down and bending are definitely done at a slower pace but I haven't needed a hand since day 3. Even my 5 small incisions seem to be healing very well and aren't bothering me at all. The diet on the other hand and fighting myself from doing something stupid that will cause problems, that's another story. This has definitely been an experience and I'm taking things slow. Trying to research and find answers before approaching new foods. My girlfriend says I've lost a lot of weight since pre-op diet. I haven't weighed in or measured myself so it could just be inches shredding off. But it's nice to know it's already noticeable. I hope I'll have the success they say of losing 50% or more of body fat. Before surgery I was 470lbs and the lowest I've ever reached through diet and exercise is 320. So I'm really really hoping to see 265-285. That would make this whole hell of a process worth it in my eyes.