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Maintenance : 5'2" / 1yr PO Sleeve / ??? lbs ---------------------------------------- Last weigh in was on Dec 18th (4 days ago) and I clocked in at 115 lbs even. As I was in the hospital for a couple days from my PS, and I'm wearing all these compression garments AND have drains hanging off of me I figure I won't bother with weighing as it'll show an inflated number anyway. Here is a catch-up of my food logs for the last little while...haven't eaten much... ---------------------------------------- Wednesday, Dec. 18 7:00pm - 1 cup black tea + 1 unsweetened apple juice box Totals: 90 cals - 0g Protein - 22g NET carbs - 0g fat ---------------------------------------- Thursday, Dec. 19 9:00am - 1 cup black coffee 2:00pm - 1 cup black tea + 1/2 unsweetened apple juice box 6:00pm - 1 cup black tea + 1/2 chicken breast + 1/2 fl oz tomato sauce Totals: 133 cals - 17g Protein - 13g NET carbs - 1g fat ---------------------------------------- Friday, Dec. 20 9:00am - 1 cup black coffee + 1/2 plain omelette + 1 Danone low fat-low sugar peach yogurt 1:00pm - 1 cup black tea + 1/2 cup chicken noodle soup SANS noodles 8:30pm - salad greens w/ vinaigrette + 1 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1/4 tsp grated parm + 1 oz roast beef Totals: 338 cals - 26g Protein - 23g NET carbs - 14g fat ---------------------------------------- Yesterday Saturday, Dec. 21 9:00am - Black Tea + 1 cup Dashi broth 3:00pm - salad greens w/ vinaigrette + 1 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1/4 tsp grated parm + 2 oz roast beef + 2 mini KINDER Hazelnut filled chocolates 8:30pm - salad greens w/ vinaigrette + 1 fl oz pumpkin seeds + 1/4 tsp grated parm + 1 oz roast beef + 1 slice prosciutto + 1 POPEYE'S fried chicken drumstick Totals: 623 cals - 52g Protein - 16g NET carbs - 38g fat ----------------------------------------

I got a tummy tuck with muscle repair and liposuction on December 11th. The surgical staff at the VA were awesome. Some of the staff remembered me from my gallbladder surgery (probably helps that there are not that many woman). I let them decide what was best for my belly button. They ended up doing a hybrid of part of my cord and added a little to it (they removed my outie when I had my gallbladder surgery). My stomach is definitely flat and everything looks good. Can’t really tell about the thighs yet because I still have some swelling, but I can fit in my jeans, so not to bad. Lessons learned- my surgery was same day and I slept an hour past my pain meds after returning home. Significantly pain that first night! Got easier each day. I did have to call the second or third day to get a lesser pain reliever because the morphine based one was knocking me out. They gave me tramadol at my request and it worked great. I didn’t need all of them, but was glad to have a little more given the climate of opioid prescribing now days. I got on the treadmill, but the rubbing of the compression garment hurt, so I am trying to move but not do to much at once. Also, don’t sneeze or cough! Well, the last one can’t be helped, but it does still hurt when that happens. Glad I bought compression garments for my legs. The surgeon ordered mine through the VA. The prosthetic department (same department that provides my knee braces which I am able to use less and less after weight loss) called me and said I could come pick them up. Waited 2 hrs to be fitted and then told they didn’t have my size. They ordered them and they arrived at my house yesterday. They told me I would be receiving 2 pair, but there are 8 pairs of mid thigh compression socks/hose in the box. I will return them to the VA after the holidays. My husband wanted me to complain about the wait and whatnot, but my thinking is what other health plan actually provides you with free compression garments. Also, they take patients in order of arrival time and a lot of the people waiting are missing limbs (the younger ones break my heart a little, but seeing them walk in on titanium is pretty cool). Best part of the follow up was that the Doctor seemed genuinely interested in whether or not I was happy with the results. I go back on the 30th for another follow up. I hope they are able to help more weight loss patients because the studies that have been done show that the patients that pursue plastic surgery keep more weight off at the 10 year mark. I did learn that the VA would have covered my weight loss surgery as well, but the Doctor in the women’s clinic lied to me and said the VA did not cover weight loss surgery. I switched to my husbands doctor due to communication issues with the women’s clinic and inability to get a simple bladder infection treated. My first visit to that clinic was a bit traumatic as well. Patient came out crying loudly and her friend was threatening to call the media, not sure what her issue was, but I believe she was in pain and not getting the help/drugs she needed. I like the Doctor and team I am assigned to now, but just learned he retired. My husband has seen the Nurse Practitioner he was replaced with and said it went well. So, like any health plan there is good and bad, but I believe most people there genuinely want to help patients. Thanks for all the advice! I will post some before and after pics after my next follow up.

Well, I lose weight every time I eat less calories than my body needs. I'm almost 19 years out of lap band and about 3.5 years out of MGB. There is no time limit when it comes to losing weight.

I'm having RNY bypass 12/31/19. In Cookeville TN. I hope your surgery goes well and uneventful. [emoji40] Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Band 2009, band to bypass revision Jan 2019

The average person who fails after WLS does so because of sugar. Watch any heavy person with previous surgery and you will always see one of two things in their hands. soda and/or candy. It's the only way to screw up, because your new smaller stomach can't process enough actual food, to blow people back up. If you have a sugar craving already, you should talk to a nutritionist about how to get over that hump. It's a terrible addiction and releases the exact same opioids in your brain as heroin and cocaine. I have tied the sugar free hard candies from Branch's, and they are pretty good. 10 calories each. A couple per day seems to get me over any cravings. Keep at it.

****** I had meant to write the entry below as a blog entry at first, but I ended up posting it to the thread "A Tale of Two Arm Lifts (rs & ms.sss)" yesterday instead. Anyway, I am now including it here as originally planned ****** Get comfortable, this is a long one... So here is the additional backstory info to my PS journey: So I ended up getting a last-minute Tummy Tuck two days ago (Dec 18), along with my arm and breast lift. Back in June 2019, when I initially scheduled my procedures, I was going to get an arm lift, a breast lift (to address side boob skin), and a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck was actually partially covered by provincial insurance. Basically the panniculectomy part was covered and I we only need to pay out of pocket for muscle tightening or any required Lipo. But sometime around August or September, I decided to forego the tummy tuck because I thought that I could live with the state my stomach was in, and I didn't want to have more surgery if I didn't really need to. So I called my surgeons office and let them know. Fast forward four months later and I'm at the registration desk at the hospital on surgery day. I'm signing all the papers, and one of them is a confirmation surgery procedure form and lo and behold the tummy tuck is still on there. Apparently, the fact that the tummy tuck was removed was not properly communicated to the hospital. (As an aside, this is a perfect example of why confirmation of surgeries is necessary at registration!!) I had a discussion with my surgeon: he said the OR is already booked and set up for all three procedures including the tummy tuck. So if I wanted to, we could go ahead as originally planned back in June, or not. Whatever I decided was fine with him. If I didn't want the tummy tuck, there would be some paperwork to do beforehand, but it was doable since the OR was booked for all 3 procedures, and there was time to do the paperwork/system corrections and still complete the arm and breast lifts in that time. So now I had a discussion with Mr.: It wouldn't really cost much more, and they were all set up for it already anyway, so why not? It's funny because the decision making process felt like when you're in a grocery store line and decide to buy that pack of gum at the checkout. It's been almost 48 hours since the completion of my surgeries...here's what's happened so far: Day 0: Got to hospital at 7am and all the above happened. I got on the operating table at 9:30am, and don't know what time I woke up at recovery. The surgery was supposed to be 4 hours. All I remember was that it was 4pm when I got rolled into my room. That first night after the surgeries was relatively pain-free as I was drugged up and in bed the entire time. I slept a lot but not for very long periods of time. They put these leg type massagers on my legs that work kind of like a blood pressure cuff. Each one inflates a chamber with air starting from ankle to thigh, to squeeze my leg nicely and then deflates. Then the other one on the other leg does the same thing. Its to promote circulation and prevent blood clots. I've had them on the entire time (except when going to bathroom or taking a short walk) and I LOVE THEM. I want to buy one of these contraptions for home! The nurse said that I am the first patient she's met that likes these things. Which I find hard to believe because these things are awesome. Didn't eat anything all day, other than Water, a cup of tea and 1/2 an unsweetened apple juice box. Day 1: Now the next day I felt the pain for the first time when my drugs wore off and I had to get out of bed to go to the washroom (they took my catheter out). Oh. My. God. When I twisted my body and put my foot on the ground, I felt like I was being stabbed in my hip with a large knife. It was so painful that when I walked I couldn't put my heel down. I had to do I sort of walk–tiptoe shuffle to the toilet. So first lesson: do not twist your body. Because of the tummy tuck, I have to walk hunched over and this quickly puts a strain on your back. So second lesson: walk with the help of your IV pole/cane/walker/buddy. I have 2 drains in my tummy, which are mildly annoying. I forgot about them once when I got out of bed and pulled on one a bit which caused some bleeding. Boo. I was surprised that I could move my arms relatively freely and pain free. I could even put weight on my arms to lift myself out of bed, type on my laptop, feed myself, and go to the washroom by myself. I may not have been very efficient, but I could do it. Also, I could brush my teeth but not my hair. Nor could i adjust my head pillows. Basically anything where I have to raise my arms above shoulder height is a no-go. My boobs didn't/don't hurt at all. As if nothing was even done there. I got to see all the work done when the nurse changed my dressings. My arms are tiny. My boobs are nice and perky with matching nipples (my previous breast reduction had one of the nipples wrinkle/fold over at the outer edge and my guy fixed it). My tummy is wrinkle free and my new belly button looks better than the old one. My inner thighs from the front has been smoothed out! This was an unexpected bonus My va-jay-jay, however, is quite "perky". When I look down sitting in bed it stares right up at me. My nurse said she noticed it was swollen. She said it is a combination of being yanked up and the use of the stomach binder. Didn't show it to surgeon this first day, but will remember to bring i up when I see him before I leave. Today I had a cup of coffee, 1/2 a chicken breast and some beef Jerky. Day 2: Now today I feel exponentially better. I got an a good seven hours of continuous sleep. When I woke up I could feel that my pain meds had worn off but I was able to get out of bed and walk to the washroom just fine. I can tell I'm walking much faster now and am much less hunched over. I could probably skip the pain meds from now on but I think based on @sillykitty's comments, i'll take them for another day or so. Mr. has already filled my prescriptions, so I may as well take them. I'll play it by ear. I find that the only real pain I get is from twisting my torso. I can easily do a sit up or leg lift motion pain free, but if I twist in any way, I get a sharp pain. Everything else is bearable. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say my pain level is about 1.5. Compare this to the pain of WLS recovery, which I would have given an 8 at its worst. They took the IV out this morning because my swollen hands were basically embedding that entry thing into my flesh and it was starting to hurt. They tried to put a new one in twice but couldn't find a vein because I'm too swollen. They asked if I was OK with them trying a third time, and I was all, No Thanks. IV insertion hurts, man! So they are off finding an alternate antibiotic to administer without an IV. I'm supposed to be discharged sometime today but honestly I'd rather stay because I love these leg massager things. Plus I like the adjustable hospital bed! Anyway just hanging around now waiting for my surgeon and next instructions. P.S. I ate 1/2 an omelette & a peach yogurt cup so far today.

Hi everyone, hope you are having a speedy recovery. I got sleeved on 12/10. I had started a pre liquid diet 2 weeks prior surgery 12/26. Soo no I didn’t have thanksgiving meal. I did cheated a few time in my pre op diet but very little and lost 10 pounds. After the sleeve I have to continue the liquid diet for another 3 weeks. I have not cheated at all since post op and eating very little. I have some energy now to run errands, play more with my daughter and do some chores around the house. I struggle with drinking all day since I get full quickly. I’m just soooo annoyed about the liquids already. Got to the point that I no longer enjoy the diet Snapple or G zero which I used to. The shakes are getting boring. The broths are okay but my protein won’t dissolve in it 😭. What are you guys eating in the liquid post op? I need some new ideas. Thanks p.s I still have about a week and half before puree food. Highest weight 259. Surgery date weight 240. Current weight 229. Everything else is fine. No pain in my incisions, minimal gas pain and swelling is down.

So I had my surgery Monday, 12/16. My incisions dont hurt but to the right of my navel, my skin burns like crazy to the touch when I try to walk, stand up or sit down. When I am sitting still it doesnt hurt. I'm not sure if it is the staples irritating my nerves under the skin or just my nerves being irritated from the surgery itself due to the tools the doctors used. Nevertheless, I tried to explain this to my doctor and he keeps telling me it's the incision under the skin that they pulled my stomach through, but it isn't sore, it BURNS! I think a staple is touching a nerve. I had the lapband in 2007, had it removed in August 2019, and had the gastric sleeve Dec 2019. Has anyone had this issue? Also, if it is the staples, would I have to go back under the knife for them to correct this, since I believe the staples don't dissolve? Ugh!! Please help. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey all! I frequented this board regularly for many different scenarios prior to my surgery that I had on Tuesday, December 17th at 7:30 am. For my pre-op diet, I was very active as a basketball official and also playing in open gym so on those days I would add in extra protein filled calories. I still lost 18 pounds on the two week pre-op while giving up pop and all the foods I normally liked to eat. I was also sick with a nasty cold and I was worried that I might get postponed. I had an endoscopy upper GI four days before my sleeve procedure and the surgeon cleared me for surgery that day. When I checked in on the morning of surgery, I was given two shots of meds to help prevent nausea. One of these meds made my very hot, agitated, and uncomfortable! I even asked if I could back out because I was so uncomfortable. Luckily the anesthesiologist came in and gave me something to help me relax. I went into surgery and laid on my side. There were a lot of people there with one woman trying to make conversation, but before I knew it, I was out. When I woke up I had a very sharp pain in my chest and was sweating profusely. They put wet clothes over my head to cool me down and also ran two EKG tests on me. They eventually decided that it was just gas or a sore esophagus from the procedure. When I went to my room, I remember feeling the pain in my chest. There was no incision pain then and to this day, I still haven't had any incision pain. On the day of surgery I was given ice chips and some broth to drink. I got very little of both down and slept the rest of that day and night. I was given a regular Powerade by mistake and downed about an 8th of it before the night shift nurse realized that was a big no no. (It was so good though and went down smooth!) The surgeon was going to release me on Wednesday, but I still had that gnawing pain in my chest so I stayed an extra day just to be sure since I'd be traveling 3 and a half hours one way! Each morning, I'd get my blood taken and give shots and pills. I was able to do a lap around the floor finally as my first attempt resulted in a coughing and gagging fit. Getting the IVs out before being released was a great feeling! I've been at home since Thursday and I got 50+ oz. of liquids in that day and 64 oz. in on Friday. I had a shaved ice and it went down so easy! Protein shakes are becoming repulsive now, I gag just thinking about them but I got one and a half of them down. I thought gum wouldn't be a big deal, but whoa my new pouch did not appreciate the attempt!! I've been reading things on here to get more protein in. I even saw someone post about sugar free Lifesavers as a treat, awesome! Thanks for all of your help. I'm down 10 pounds since surgery when I checked on Friday morning.

I started my period two days after surgery. It's been over a week and I'm only spotting right now. My periods are normally 7-10 days long (including spotting at the beginning and the end) so if it goes on after Christmas then I know it's out of whack.

I had my 10 day follow up appointment today. Down 16 pounds! The nurse practitioner removed my surgical coverings, said everything looked great. Main concern I had for her was that I had a vertigo episode on my staircase this morning. She said that since I was getting in 64 or more ounces of fluid a day that it was probably from a lack of calories. I'm supposed to get up to 500 a day by next week, but have only been able to get in 300 or so in the past couple days. I haven't been very hungry and have had to work my way up to two protein shakes plus other things like sugar free popsicles a day. I got 425 calories in today, plus reached my minimum protein goal for the first time today. I know I'll get there.

Hi folks - I know about fat loss triggering higher estrogen levels, but I am now 20 days post-op and I have been on my period for 19 of those days, starting day 2 of post-op. Has this happened to anyone else? Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi folks - I know about fat loss triggering higher estrogen levels, but I am now 20 days post-op and I have been on my period for 19 of those days, starting day 2 of post-op. Has this happened to anyone else? Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi- Like others said, totally normal! I know I "gained" 10 pounds after my surgery. I actually have very similar starting weight and height stats as you @Quinnmedicinewoman52 . I am now six months out and I am down 100+ pounds. Just hang in there, work your Doctor's plan, and keep the faith. Good things are coming your way. Looking forward to hearing about all your many victories to come! (Congrats on being on the other side of surgery, too!)

I'm on a revision path. Due to complications, I had my band (2005) removed 10 days ago. Met with surgeon in first of September to discuss revision to VSG or RNY with Medicare and Supplement. While the surgeon's staff gave me a list of requirements for Medicare, they encouraged me to research the Medicare requirements on my own. I verified the listed requirements were accurate. I called my Supplement plan, and they said they would follow whatever Medicare required. The surgeon also stated that Medicare has no pre-approval process, which seems crazy. He commented, if the hospital agreed to move forward with the revision based on satisfactory completion of the Medicare requirements it would be approved. I still would like to have a confirmation from Medicare for piece of mind, don't like surprise medical bills $$. I have lost 13 lbs. (5%), so far, in the 3 months I have been in the medically supervised weight control program. I have not heard of being denied for losing too much weight, my BMI 40.3. Good luck, it's a bit of a maze to work through.

Can I say what I CAN eat now? Eggs! I had that lap band for 10 years and couldn't eat eggs. Now they are my go-to protein and I love them!! I haven't found anything I can't stomach yet, but I'm not off total restrictions yet.

my surgery date is 01/13/2020, I'm so excited.

Get comfortable, this is a long one... So here is the additional backstory info to my PS journey: So I ended up getting a last-minute tummy tuck two days ago (Dec 18), along with my arm and breast lift. Back in June 2019, when I initially scheduled my procedures, I was going to get an arm lift, a breast lift (to address side boob skin), and a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck was actually partially covered by provincial insurance. Basically the panniculectomy part was covered and I we only need to pay out of pocket for muscle tightening or any required lipo. But sometime around August or September, I decided to forego the tummy tuck because I thought that I could live with the state my stomach was in, and I didn't want to have more surgery if I didn't really need to. So I called my surgeons office and let them know. Fast forward four months later and I'm at the registration desk at the hospital on surgery day. I'm signing all the papers, and one of them is a confirmation surgery procedure form and lo and behold the tummy tuck is still on there. Apparently, the fact that the tummy tuck was removed was not properly communicated to the hospital. (As an aside, this is a perfect example of why confirmation of surgeries is necessary at registration!!) I had a discussion with my surgeon: he said the OR is already booked and set up for all three procedures including the tummy tuck. So if I wanted to, we could go ahead as originally planned back in June, or not. Whatever I decided was fine with him. If I didn't want the tummy tuck, there would be some paperwork to do beforehand, but it was doable since the OR was booked for all 3 procedures, and there was time to do the paperwork/system corrections and still complete the arm and breast lifts in that time. So now I had a discussion with Mr.: It wouldn't really cost much more, and they were all set up for it already anyway, so why not? It's funny because the decision making process felt like when you're in a grocery store line and decide to buy that pack of gum at the checkout. It's been almost 48 hours since the completion of my surgeries...here's what's happened so far: Day 0: Got to hospital at 7am and all the above happened. I got on the operating table at 9:30am, and don't know what time I woke up at recovery. The surgery was supposed to be 4 hours. All I remember was that it was 4pm when I got rolled into my room. That first night after the surgeries was relatively pain-free as I was drugged up and in bed the entire time. I slept a lot but not for very long periods of time. They put these leg type massagers on my legs that work kind of like a blood pressure cuff. Each one inflates a chamber with air starting from ankle to thigh, to squeeze my leg nicely and then deflates. Then the other one on the other leg does the same thing. Its to promote circulation and prevent blood clots. I've had them on the entire time (except when going to bathroom or taking a short walk) and I LOVE THEM. I want to buy one of these contraptions for home! The nurse said that I am the first patient she's met that likes these things. Which I find hard to believe because these things are awesome. Didn't eat anything all day, other than water, a cup of tea and 1/2 an unsweetened apple juice box. Day 1: Now the next day I felt the pain for the first time when my drugs wore off and I had to get out of bed to go to the washroom (they took my catheter out). Oh. My. God. When I twisted my body and put my foot on the ground, I felt like I was being stabbed in my hip with a large knife. It was so painful that when I walked I couldn't put my heel down. I had to do I sort of walk–tiptoe shuffle to the toilet. So first lesson: do not twist your body. Because of the tummy tuck, I have to walk hunched over and this quickly puts a strain on your back. So second lesson: walk with the help of your IV pole/cane/walker/buddy. I have 2 drains in my tummy, which are mildly annoying. I forgot about them once when I got out of bed and pulled on one a bit which caused some bleeding. Boo. I was surprised that I could move my arms relatively freely and pain free. I could even put weight on my arms to lift myself out of bed, type on my laptop, feed myself, and go to the washroom by myself. I may not have been very efficient, but I could do it. Also, I could brush my teeth but not my hair. Nor could i adjust my head pillows. Basically anything where I have to raise my arms above shoulder height is a no-go. My boobs didn't/don't hurt at all. As if nothing was even done there. I got to see all the work done when the nurse changed my dressings. My arms are tiny. My boobs are nice and perky with matching nipples (my previous breast reduction had one of the nipples wrinkle/fold over at the outer edge and my guy fixed it). My tummy is wrinkle free and my new belly button looks better than the old one. My inner thighs from the front has been smoothed out! This was an unexpected bonus My va-jay-jay, however, is quite "perky". When I look down sitting in bed it stares right up at me. My nurse said she noticed it was swollen. She said it is a combination of being yanked up and the use of the stomach binder. Didn't show it to surgeon this first day, but will remember to bring i up when I see him before I leave. Today I had a cup of coffee, 1/2 a chicken breast and some beef jerky. Day 2: Now today I feel exponentially better. I got an a good seven hours of continuous sleep. When I woke up I could feel that my pain meds had worn off but I was able to get out of bed and walk to the washroom just fine. I can tell I'm walking much faster now and am much less hunched over. I could probably skip the pain meds from now on but I think based on @sillykitty's comments, i'll take them for another day or so. Mr. has already filled my prescriptions, so I may as well take them. I'll play it by ear. I find that the only real pain I get is from twisting my torso. I can easily do a sit up or leg lift motion pain free, but if I twist in any way, I get a sharp pain. Everything else is bearable. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say my pain level is about 1.5. Compare this to the pain of WLS recovery, which I would have given an 8 at its worst. They took the IV out this morning because my swollen hands were basically embedding that entry thing into my flesh and it was starting to hurt. They tried to put a new one in twice but couldn't find a vein because I'm too swollen. They asked if I was OK with them trying a third time, and I was all, No Thanks. IV insertion hurts, man! So they are off finding an alternate antibiotic to administer without an IV. I'm supposed to be discharged sometime today but honestly I'd rather stay because I love these leg massager things. Plus I like the adjustable hospital bed! Anyway just hanging around now waiting for my surgeon and next instructions. P.S. I ate 1/2 an omelette & a peach yogurt cup so far today.

17. Ok, so the surgeon/team were pleased with me. I'm not done yet though so I might do better. It was determined that I had lost 55% of the excess. But they loved my attitude which is so supported by my participation here even if it has gotten rather erratic. Went to yoga class that night. No morning tea outside due to snow and sleet....brrrr! 18. I think I stretched all my muscles the previous night - went to the gym though and got my cardio in. 19. Again, got my cardio in at the gym. A little bit of yoga. Didn't watch my favourite movie but I do have some movies waiting to be watched. 20. I'll be going to the gym after work (half day) and I scheduled myself for a restorative yoga class tonight. While I was at it, I scheduled a few classes for myself over the next week while I'm on vacation. That would be one thing I enjoy splurging on. New clothes too. Sadly, I have to buy two new tires so that is my big splurge for the month and I will get them tomorrow morning.

I haven't read all of the posts in response to your post, so you may have already gotten the response you're looking for. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 17 years old. I am 47. I just has VGS 8/28/19. I could never lose weight before. I am 52 lbs or so down in less than 4 months. I eat very few carbs and what carbs I do eat are "typically" natural ones. I eat as clean as possible "most" of the time. I don't eat out a lot. I take my post-surgery vitamins and make sure I get enough good fat and moderate protein each day. I chose the VGS because of the hormonal impact. It has been a great tool for me. I am compliant. I don't try to push th envelope. When I first feel full, I stop eating. It is tempting to eat that last couple of bites because of being from the "clean your plate" generation, but I'm learning it will be waste one way or another. Better in the trash can than on my body or making me miserable being too full. It has helped me to start preparing smaller portions. My post-surgery vision hasn't fully adjusted yet. I put more than I need on my plate, even though I am only taking one scoop of something instead of two or more. The one scoop is still too much, especially if it is a multiple component meal. One scoop of each is just too much. I respect my new stomach. I just have to get to know her better and understand what she needs to be most comfortable. I have noticed a reduction in my PCOS symptoms with just the decrease I have so far. I've NEVER had a consistent cycle, for example. I have now had four months of a consistent cycle. I can actually use an app now to track my cycle! How awesome is that? The darkness around my neck is going away. My skin is getting thinner around my neck. My hair isn't growing as fast on my face. Acne is going away. There ARE major positive changes taking place as a result of my VGS. I can't speak for any other surgery, but this one is working for me, and I experienced many of the symptoms, if not all, and they were extreme. Please feel free to connect with me here or send a message if you'd like to discuss it further. Margie

Hello, post-op friends, who are further along their journey and from whom I hope to glean wisdom from..... here’s my story thus far. On Monday, December 16, I had RNY bypass surgery along with a hiatal hernia repair and removal of a small suspicious abdominal mass. 3 years ago, I had a large abdominal mass that turned out to be a borderline malignancy. My oncologist had been watching this new spot for a little over a year and when I told her that I was going for bariatric surgery, she said that she would come in at the same time and remove it. I woke up from surgery in relatively little pain, the deed being done and the procedures routine. My problems came the day after surgery, when I attempted to take in any liquids. Any liquid going down, would cause my new little pouch and digestive system to go into painful spasms. My surgeon decided to keep me hospitalized for an additional day to see if they could convince by body to tolerate liquids and keep me hydrated with IV fluids. Baclofan was administered to help with the spasms. Additionally, my blood sugar weirdly went up and I was administered 2 doses of insulin. Never before had blood sugar issues and no family history of diabetes. The first day after surgery, I finally tolerated 1 oz of broth, 1 oz of diluted juice, and 1 oz of Water. The second day after surgery, Wednesday, I was feeling much better, could sip without pain, and was cleared for discharge. That night, in my own bed, I slept an unheard of for me 10 hours. Sips of liquids went down with ease, though I could immediately tell if I sipped too much due to an uncomfortable pressure. It seems that herbal mint tea is agreeing well. I also had sugar free Jello, broth, and some clear Protein Drink. I have had 4 previous abdominal surgeries, 1 open, 3 laparoscopic and this is, by far, the least painful. I have not needed any of the prescribed narcotic pain relievers sent home with me. Had to go back to the hospital yesterday for a blood test. There is history of DVT blood clots, so I have to be on injectable blood thinners for 3 weeks. The blood test was to check the therapeutic level of the medicine. So, I don't have to return to work until January 6, so I’m going to enjoy my staycation and holidays.

Well, surgery twins and December friends..... here’s my story thus far. On Monday, December 16, I had RNY bypass surgery along with a hiatal hernia repair and removal of a small suspicious abdominal mass. 3 years ago, I had a large abdominal mass that turned out to be a borderline malignancy. My oncologist had been watching this new spot for a little over a year and when I told her that I was going for bariatric surgery, she said that she would come in at the same time and remove it. I woke up from surgery in relatively little pain, the deed being done and the procedures routine. My problems came the day after surgery, when I attempted to take in any liquids. Any liquid going down, would cause my new little pouch and digestive system to go into painful spasms. My surgeon decided to keep me hospitalized for an additional day to see if they could convince by body to tolerate liquids and keep me hydrated with IV fluids. Baclofan was administered to help with the spasms. Additionally, my blood sugar weirdly went up and I was administered 2 doses of insulin. Never before had blood sugar issues and no family history of diabetes. The first day after surgery, I finally tolerated 1 oz of broth, 1 oz of diluted juice, and 1 oz of water. The second day after surgery, Wednesday, I was feeling much better, could sip without pain, and was cleared for discharge. That night, in my own bed, I slept an unheard of for me 10 hours. Sips of liquids went down with ease, though I could immediately tell if I sipped too much due to an uncomfortable pressure. It seems that herbal mint tea is agreeing well. I also had sugar free jello, broth, and some clear protein drink. I have had 4 previous abdominal surgeries, 1 open, 3 laparoscopic and this is, by far, the least painful. I have not needed any of the prescribed narcotic pain relievers sent home with me. Had to go back to the hospital yesterday for a blood test. There is history of DVT blood clots, so I have to be on injectable blood thinners for 3 weeks. The blood test was to check the therapeutic level of the medicine. So, I don't have to return to work until January 6, so I’m going to enjoy my staycation and holidays.

Hello Everyone, Had my post-op visit (first one) yesterday 9 days post-op. Surgery for RNY was December 10th. I was told I lost on my 14 day liver shrinking diet 10 lbs more pounds but my weight was at 254 today, I was so upset! That is like two pounds more than my last weigh in at the doctor's office! The doctor told me not to be alarmed that I was still swollen from the surgery and my legs were swollen as well and he was not concerned about it! It still bothered me, My scales showed a total of 248 but either way, I got home and programmed my scales to theirs and I have another follow-up appointment for January 8th. My rings are loose as well as my clothing feels looser so I truly believe I am and I say, I am on the losing side but got a bit discouraged when I am doing exactly what they have instructed on the full liquid diet! Merry Christmas to me because on Christmas day, I advance to the Pureed stage of my diet! WoooooHoooo! Anyone else have this happen to them post-surgery and if so what was your response as well to the news?