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We all mange pain differently & our bodies react differently to the surgery so you can’t really say you will have this much pain. I didn’t have much at all. I was on opioids for three days in hospital & no pain at all except from my back but that’s another story. On the fourth day I only took one of the opioids I was sent home with in the morning & took an over the counter pain med on day 5 but didn’t take anything else. Some say they struggle to get up & down & find it uncomfortable to sleep in a bed for a while. That wasn’t an issue for me & I even could sleep on my side. How much your muscles were pushed & pulled during the surgery will influence this & how much your tummy might pull on your wounds. Some say they find binders helpful. I also didn’t have any gas pain which some struggle with but things like heating pads, walking, gas X, etc. can help with that. (It usually lasts about week.)

I had practically no pain, the only discomfort for a few days was the gas pain from the surgery (when they insufflate your belly so they have room to work), mostly in my shoulders and back which is common. My incisions didn't really hurt. I took the prescribed percoset for a few days and then stopped before I even finished the bottle because I didn't need it. I think I took it a few times a day for maybe 2 days, 3 at the most, then at night to help go to sleep for another day or two and then I stopped. I was up and walking within a few hours after surgery with no pain, just a bit groggy.

My insurance also changed from BCBS to Cigna during the process. It made things SO much easier. No supervised diet, no therapy. Had my surgery less than 3 months after my first bariatric visit which I was SO thankful for. I can't imagine being here 6 weeks out and still have months of waiting to go. I did have a letter from my PCP documenting his support and reminding the reviewer of my arthritis in weight bearing joints (which is already so much better). Other than that easy peasy.

I just have to say that I'm jealous of anyone who got any kind of pain medication. My surgeon told me OTC Tylenol would suffice for my pain....it did not. I was in a lot of pain for my first week and couldn't get any relief.

Wow. Surgical regimes are so different. I had to inject blood thinners for a month even if I was running miles by then (I wasn't!) because of the serious risk of clots after bariatric surgery. I was prescribed a PPI for 4 weeks. I took it although I knew I was done with reflux within a few weeks of my sleeve, because my weight loss reduced my reflux symptoms so soon.

Sounds good! The protein count seems a little high though. It calculates to only 35g in my app. I just don’t want you being low on protein. I am going to try this recipe next week though!!

I asked my surgeon what they recommended based on my medical history - and why. I really thought she was going to say bypass because of my high BMI and reflux, but she suggested sleeve. I mentioned I was taking Pepcid for reflux - but she pointed out that was only since January and mostly from my hiatal hernia… so fixing that should resolve my reflux. (Only a week out too soon to tell). When I asked about my high BMI she told me that she had some high BMI patients do very well with sleeve - but that she normally recommends a duodenal switch for high bmi and being a 10 hour surgery (with my hernia repair) she likes to do those in two stages… which this allows us that option. Honestly I’m hoping to loose enough that I don’t need to convert. I’m not working towards a specific number - I wanted my liver to improve (it already is showing improvement) and to get healthier. When I hit the number / goal where I feel good then I’ll settle in there. Hopefully I can do that with just the sleeve.

I weigh *almost* every day, in the morning, after I pee, in panties and nothing else. (Why? I don't know-I just do, lol) Sometimes, when I hit a stall, I will stick out my tongue at the scale, but...😄

I recently discovered these forums and I am super excited to explore and learn and hopefully help others, too. I have been overweight my entire life. Even when I was in elementary school. My dad gave me nicknames to try to get me to stop wanting to eat. Fat in the can, the Crisco Kid. He was funny and I love him dearly, but he had no idea of the forces behind my eating problems. And an old-school way of tough-love (never physical, but jokes, which can be bad too). Anyway, In '92 I enlisted in the Army Infantry. Yes, I lost enough weight to get in, and Boot Camp took care of the rest. Then slowly gained weight back while I was in, despite all of the running and pushups and "pleasant nature hikes." Weight became a problem and I was called out all the time. But I always passed my physical fitness tests, and always did my job and stayed out of trouble, so I was mostly left alone. Fast forward to today. Heaviest weight after the Army was 315 pounds (I am 6'2"), and now I am 275 pounds. Constantly up and down up and down. Discovered Engine 2 and stayed on it for 6 months, was down to my 250s, then simply could not stay on that diet, and pushed back up to my current 275. Finally went to Ohio State University's (OSU's) Bariatric program and in-processed trying to use BCBS. BCBS requires the last 5 years of weight history. I am apparently supposed to be under a medically supervised diet for 6 months. See a Dietician (end of this month) and a Psychiatrist (end of this month), and find my own Therapist and start having sessions. So no surgery until next year some time. HOWEVER, I changing jobs in a few weeks, and will now have Cigna Health Insurance. My OSU coordinator looked up Cigna and said they did *not* have a 6 month supervised diet, so if things go well I should be able to have surgery before the end of the year. SUPER excited! Going with bypass, not sleeve, because I became diabetic this past year (only taking Metformin to control), and have routine bad heartburn. It is a better fit. Anyway, that is me, and hopefully a new me is around the corner. I cannot wait for a fresh start in life, albeit a difficult start. Thanks for listening

Thanks, VickySue! My surgery date is 27th September so less than 5 weeks. Have you got your surgery date yet?

Prior to surgery, I was anywhere between 215lbs to 326lbs. Since 2011, until June of 2022, I was averaging 4-5 gym trips a week. I would say I was pretty active with going and actively working out (cardio + strength training/resistance training). I would tend to think that with a poorer physical fitness level, recovery would likely be harder, than if you were more physically in tune with yourself. However, you just have to push past that all and realize you are capable of so much more than you think you are.

I gave up coffee for about 2 weeks. I have had a small Starbucks Iced Coffee once post-op. I also drink iced coffee in the morning before work everyday, and I seem to be doing ok with it.

I have issues (digestive) when it comes to artificial sweeteners. I don’t particularly love the taste of most either. I knew going in I would have issues with the artificial sweetener in the pre-op liquid and post liquid stage when options are limited. Most times my sweet tooth is satisfied by fruits - but sometimes I want something more and try to use moderation. I have found built bars (especially the puffs), which do contain erythritol and were recommended by my nutritionist, more than satisfied my sweet tooth (and offer a nice protein boost) when I was eating solids. (That was pre-op… right now I’m a week out from being sleeved). Those were an occasional thing to tide me over on the go and keep me from getting to hungry and over eating. The Fairlife shakes, in moderation didn’t bother me, but when they were my primary source of nutrition - I struggled. I also have a milk allergy so I need to watch how much dairy I consume. I’m ok with a little - but too much and I get stomach cramps and digestive distress. When I called my nutritionist Monday because of the artificial sweetener causing some digestive irritation - she suggested moderation. One of the yogurts she suggested I try had cane sugar & fruit pectin. It was lower in sugar than regular, and had a bump of protein. I had two days to get through until purees, where I could add in real food and transition away from the shakes… so it was getting through. I try to make healthy choices, fresh fruit or no sugar added in general. Occasionally I have some things with artificial sweetener, but keep it limited because past experience has proven it will irritate and inflame my digestive system. I am working towards a balanced approach. My PCP (whose been my Dr for about 44 yrs now) has always told me he’d much rather I have less sugar in moderation than artificial sweetener as a rule. So I am trying to stay within my program guidelines and follow a balanced approach. It takes some creativity, but so far I am making it work. I have more to loose than you do, but I’m pleased with the progress I have made so far. Since I started my weight-loss journey I have lost about 75 pounds so far (50 leading up to my pre-op, 10 in the pre-op liquid phase & 15 since being sleeved last week). I might have had even better progress had I gone strictly sugar free … but I’m striving for maintainable, steady progress - something I can do forever not just a short term “diet”. Moderation seems to be working for me, but I will keep reassessing and working with my team and make adjustments as I go.

Yes, I take the GI cocktail but it's GROSS. And it burns when it first goes down (for like 5-8 seconds) and then it feels a little weird because the esophagus is numb and feels odd. But I'm on liquid and mushy foods and after I take the cocktail, I can eat. I take it 3 times a day, about 15 minutes before I eat.

Finally feeling better now that I can have purées. Made a chicken salad that reminds me of a deviled egg consistency - that is yummy and Protein packed. I wasn’t sure I could do a puréed meat - but connecting it to the deviled egg filling helps. 3 oz chicken 2 hard boiled eggs (about 100 grams) 1 tablespoon Mayonnaise 1 tablespoon non fat Greek yogurt 1/4 teaspoon mustard Whole container about 1 cup: 284 calories, 43 grams protein, 2 grams carbs, 1 gram sugar, 11 grams fat Used the mayo we had on hand - will probably exchange out for a lower fat one going forward, but it was a welcomed change from the liquid of the past 2 weeks. Going to slowly introduce new purées over the next week so I don’t upset my stomach. I’m on the purée stage for two weeks before I go to soft foods. Other than the ricotta bake… (hoping to make that sometime this weekend), anyone have any staples you have had good experience with or favorites to share?

It's been a year and a month --I've lost 27 pounds. I know I'm not getting enough protein. I started swimming with my sister and lost 3 pounds pretty quickly. But, school is back in session now. I won't be able to swim.

Three months after recovering from Covid I had hair loss and I took Folexin to bring it back so I know it works. I am 3 months post op right now and dreading the whole hair loss thing AGAIN! But I have my supply of Folexin ready.

Ah coffee, it really is a tough one. My team was pretty straightforward with this one. At my initial consult they strongly suggested weaning myself off of caffeine right away to only decaf. But they preferred that I actually not have anything with caffeine pre-surgery since I wouldn't be able to have caffeine until 6 months post-op. I did find an alternative, Pero, which was okay enough for a short time. I'm 3 1/2 months post-op now and am allowed decaf a few days a week, but sometimes it still bothers my stomach.

Gas pains were terrible for me during the first two days. I had to use a heating pad for random pains for the next week for what I assumed were leftover gas pockets. I had my favorite shows ready to distract me and take my mind off of the pain. Sleeping was uncomfortable that first week. Day 6 or 7 it got much better for me. I'm post op 16 days now and there are still some things that suck: getting out of chairs, rolling over in my sleep, drinking too fast, and I get physically tired towards the end of the day. Take it a day at a time. I hope you start feeling a lot better very soon!

I bought a thermos cup. I was so fed up of my coffee going cold before I had more than a few sips of it. Now its summer I just drink cold coffee. I needed a step to get in my bed the early days after surgery. We had a bed wedge already and I still use it. If I could have afforded it, I would have bought a recliner chair for the first few weeks after surgery. I would have slept in it. I had terrible nausea and GERD Another thing to consider - I had my surgery in very cold weather, end of November. I very quickly found as I lost weight that I was freezing cold all the time. 100lbs + later, I am ready for this winter. I have lots of fluffy blankets for the sofa and fluffy slippers. My husband spent the winter in his underwear, he couldn't stand the house so warm.

I am a hospital pharmacist so I manage this issue regularly for patients. Personally, my doctor had me get a pill crusher to use for the first few weeks after surgery. Some of the medications are really nasty tasting when you powder them though (especially metformin- since you mentioned that you are diabetic, I figured you might be on this one.) You can add your crushed medications to a little applesauce or pudding to try to make them a little more palatable. If you have drugs in capsules, many capsules can be opened and added to applesauce or pudding. My only caution would be that if you take extended release forms of drugs (anything that has SA- slow acting, LA- long acting, or XR- extended release in the name) check with your doctor or pharmacist before crushing or splitting the medication because it can cause you to receive the entire dose of medication all at once instead of slowly releasing it throughout the day which with some medications can be a very dangerous thing. If the taste of your crushed medications is too awful to tolerate, try using a pill splitter and just split them to as small as you need.

For those that don't know what my diagnosis' are, here ya go: 1) esophageal dysmotility - a condition where the muscles in your esophagus fail to contract and the esophagus does not properly deliver food and liquids into your stomach. 2) esophageal spasms - painful contractions within the muscular tube connecting your mouth and stomach (esophagus). Sometimes the spasms are frequent and can prevent food and liquids from traveling through the esophagus 3) esophagitis - inflammation that may damage tissues of the esophagus, the muscular tube that delivers food from your mouth to your stomach. 4) gastritis - inflammation, irritation, or erosion of the lining of the stomach. It can occur suddenly (acute) or gradually (chronic). 5) reflux - occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus

I had a gastric sleeve operation two weeks ago. Have now started on puree food and am doing ok, food wise and not in any pain. However, I am frequently nauseous and I have a very difficult time swallowing tablets. I have to take meds for high blood pressure and blood sugar. One of my motivations for having the surgery was to hopefully get off some of the meds in due time. I still have to take them for now, though, but it's proving to be quite difficult. I take them one pill at a time and drink a bit of water with each. Even if I wait between each pill and try not to drink too much water, I often feel nauseous after and sometimes gag and have dry heaves. Tonight, I ended up vomiting when I still had one pill left. I vomited up the second to last pill and kept vomiting after that, just water and possibly some or all of the dissolved meds. Has anyone had the same problem and what did you do?

I second the immersion blender. I love mine and how easy it is to blend things. Smoothies, homemade protein shakes, soups especially for the soft and puree stage. My current favorites: 1. Air fryer. Crispy yumminess without a lot of oil. I love air frying all kinds of veggies. 2. Denzin mini electric hot pot 1.5L sauté pan because it is tiny and easy to clean, make eggs, steak, soup, everything in it. 3. Hotlogic mini portable oven. Keeps food warm up to 12 hr. It also cooks many things, like salmon perfectly.

You're really lucky. I felt like **** right after surgery. I had a hard time breathing deeply enough, so I had to have oxygen. I felt nauseous, and threw up a few times. Also, I had the dry heaves, and got painful cramps every time I drank a little sip of water. So, that first day in hospital I kept thinking: What have I done to myself? But now I'm two weeks out and I feel fine. Almost no vomiting, no more cramps, and almost no pain. I stopped taking painkillers a couple of days after surgery, since I didn't need them. I do feel nauseous often, which is a drag, and it's very hard for me to swallow my meds. And I'm very tired and get winded just from walking. Other than that, I feel like I've healed really well, all things considered.