Steve C.

Well, I ran into my first food intolerance with my sleeve Gastrectomy...fml. My stomach can't stand Bacon. I can live without bacon, and my Surgical team did warn me I might not be able to eat bacon, but this is so far the first and only intolerance I have.

Is anyone else feeling cold during the first 2 weeks of recovery? My wife loves to keep our house around 65*, and I'm wearing pants, socks, shoes, and a sweatshirt at home, and I'm still freezing. It's odd for me, as I was always the one who was hot. I would normally just wear a t-shirt and shorts and still be hot before. I'm about to go for a quick walk to try to warm up.

Thank you for the perspective. I understand what you're saying. I would still add that talking to your surgical team should help alleviate any concerns like this for anyone else, and I'm sorry your team wasn't receptive to help. I work in healthcare administration at a smaller hospital and have friends and family who are nurses, respiratory therapists, and social workers. Your concerns exist, but medication interactions caused by your meds and what the hospital gives you can be fatal. I would encourage anyone and everyone else to talk to your surgical team. Steve

My diet was high protein (at least 80g), low carb (60-100g), and low fat with no more than 1000 calories/day the 2 weeks before surgery. The day before was the same, except nothing but water after midnight the night before. I think it has a lot to do with your surgeon and surgery. My surgery was successful and my meals before my surgery were anything but boring. Good luck with your surgery!

Don't let her post scare you. Also, don't listen to a lot of what was said. Taking in your own medicine, without discussing with your care team, is dangerous! Everyone experiences pain differently, and it will also vary based on what surgery you're going in for. I never thought I had a high pain tolerance, but my surgery had mild to moderate pain. The majority of my pain was related to the gas they used during the procedure, and it was mainly in my shoulders. If you're in pain in the hospital, ask for relief. My post op pain has been solely related to my 6 incision sites, (especially the port they pulled out my stomach), and nothing else. Good luck with your surgery! Steve

Good luck!

Hello Hewnew, Taking in water the day of my surgery was the most difficult for me. I couldn't swallow more than a sip every couple minutes, and it was causing gas to build up in my stomach when I did. With VSG surgeries, I read that mixing the water with something helps get it down. I mixed my 24oz bottle of water with about 2 ozs of apple juice and the water went down a lot easier. I would recommend bringing in something you can mix with the water, like crystal light or another 0 calorie mix-in. What also helped me was the motivation to get out of the PACU (there were no beds available in the inpatient unit), and see my wife and daughter at home. The sooner you meet all of your goals at the hospital, the sooner they'll release you.

Hello all, checking in here from Vermont. I'm 4 days post op (August 10th at Dartmouth Hitchcock) on a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Happy to report only mild to moderate pain, and not having any problems drinking all of my fluids. If anyone has any questions regarding the first few days/nights, let me know! Steve