321 Lift Off

Hello Melissa4444, I am now 11 weeks postop gastric bypass. My surgeon just cleared me to have caffeine last week. I would recommend starting back on caffeine slowly though. On the first day last week that I tried regular coffee around lunchtime, I really felt the effects and had difficulty falling asleep that night. Now, I just limit my caffeine intake to the morning hours. Of course, everyone is different. Maybe your team will have a different position on caffeine and when/if you restart, it will be a different experience for you.

I am so sorry! I am praying for you and your family.

I was under a major anesthesia cloud for a little over a week postop, including the blurry vision. It was difficult to keep my eyes open, even when I was not sleepy. After eight or nine days, the fog lifted, and my vision returned to baseline.

Hi Vivis, I am six weeks postop. I had a stall in weeks 2 and 3, but I started to lose again in week 4. It was tough. However, despite the stall, my total weight loss, as well as average weekly weight loss to date, is on track with statistics I have seen. So, please do not worry. The posts above are awesome and wish I had them a few weeks ago! I am writing to add that it was comforting to me during my stall to read as many prior posts as I could about the "three-week stall." Type "stall" into the search engine above and there are about 17,000 reassuring posts! Every post made such a difference to me.

Oh wow! Your hair looks great!!! Congratulations!

Hi redhead_che, I am a recent band to bypass conversion. I think I may know a little about how you are feeling. With the band, I felt more comfortable having long hair when anticipating hair loss/thinning. This time, I decided to cut 17 inches of my hair about a week or so before my 4/5/22 surgery, which I plan to donate to a cancer non-profit. I am still early in my present journey and so I have not had to endure any hair loss/thinning yet, but I can attest that personally it has made showering and washing my hair a lot easier during my recovery. Also, importantly, my hair is definitely still growing despite a very low-calorie intake for the past four weeks, and I can gather my hair back in a band again. For me, a ponytail is very helpful for covering hair loss/thinning. I have no regrets at all. For what it is worth, I think you should do whatever makes you happy and comfortable.

Hello Skins657, I had the lap band placed in 2010 (self-pay) and although I specifically chose the band, from almost the beginning I recognized that it was a big mistake. I was constantly hungry, and I found the band to function erratically. Sometimes I had almost 100% restriction, but most often I had 0% restriction. Insurance did not cover adjustments and they ended up being very costly and did not help. I lost some weight but gained it all back during my decade with the lap band. It was only recently (during the pandemic) that I learned that I could have the band removed and undergo a different bariatric procedure. Unfortunately, my only option was a gastric bypass (covered by insurance) since the band had caused so much damage to my esophagus. I picked a surgeon who had a lot of experience with conversions from band to bypass. I had my bypass on 4/5/22 and so far, so good! For what it is worth, I wish that I had never chosen the band.

Hi everyone, I am writing with my postop update. Maybe it will help someone waiting for surgery or in the immediate postop phases. On 4/5/22 I had a lap band to gastric bypass conversion. My procedure was complicated by the fact that I had a hiatal hernia and then the surgeon discovered an umbilical hernia (previously undiagnosed and not seen during preadmission studies) which he also needed to repair. The complexity of the surgery led to a two-night admission. I was on a constant IV drip and had to use the bathroom approximately every hour - the entire time! It really hurt to prop myself up to get out of bed and I would work on developing those muscles preop if I could turn back time. I hardly ate any food (broth and sugar free Jello) in the hospital, and I am still struggling now because I am just not hungry. I walked three times during the two days in the hospital - not ideal but it was the best I could do at the time. My pulse ox dipped to the low 80s several times (my normal is 99-100), so I was using supplemental oxygen to help. My abdomen was incredibly bloated and bruised. It is now going down slightly which I credit to walking and Colace. I cannot stress how helpful I think Colace has been for me. I have to wear a binder around my abdomen, and I do not yet know for how long. It is helpful when I cough and do my breathing exercises. I am now super deconditioned, which really surprised me. I know some members of this forum have been able to bounce back fairly quickly, but everyone should consider the possibility that they might need more time. I still get winded every time I move (i.e., bed to chair, chair to standing, etc.). I need naps and I have never been a napper. I am definitely going to have to take at least an extra week off from work. I try to walk a little a few times a day now and it is very tiring, so I use a cane just for reassurance. All in all, I am so happy with my decision to have surgery! I am extremely grateful to read everyone's stories and see questions and answers on this board and I hope April 2022 Surgery Buddies (and whoever else wants to participate) can move to the postop board next month so we can continue to share our progress. I wish everyone who is still waiting for their April 2022 surgery the best! I will be happy to answer any questions that anyone has. I hope we all keep in touch! Thanks!

Thank you very much! Let's keep in touch!

Hello everyone, This is my first post. My gastric bypass surgery is 4/5/22. It is great to have such a supportive community on this site. I have really appreciated reading everyone's posts. So, thanks to everyone for their words of wisdom!