Search the Community

Okay... TMI warning I know this has come up, but I'm two weeks out, and so far I've only had 2 BMs - both were very difficult and uncomfortable. It's now been several days, and... nothing. I've been taking Colace, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I'm still on liquids... is this normal or should I be concerned? Should I try throwing a couple prunes in the blender with my protein shake? I never had this problem pre-surgery, so I'm not sure what else to do. I'm staying active, walking, getting my water in, etc., but nothing seems to help.

I'm pretty sure everyone talks about it- at least I see it in here a lot - and never had the issue... Little bit TMI

Well I made it through day one. It actually wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. I had four protein drinks, drank lots of water, and had a sugar free Jell-O cup. Not to share TMI but I just started my period so we'll see how this next week goes. How's everyone else? I know there were several of us starting this liquid diet on the same day or around the same time frame. How are you guys holding up?

Question. Yesterday I was constipated TMI, that's fixed but today I have been having the worst pain in my pouch feels like someone is trying to turn it inside out or something. Tried to eat one thing today and was ok but also nauseous and burping a lot. What's the deal? Tomorrow is my first day back at work and it's a 12hr shift and I'm the only pharmacist there. This is the worst I've felt since surgery...any thoughts??? Help?

Good morning everyone. I had a rough night. I couldn't really get a comfortable sleep position. I too haven't done right by the protein shakes. The smell is like that of Similac so it turns me off. Yesterday when I went out with my son, I drove and yes while I know that wasn't the best idea I didn't really have a choice. I rubbed one of the incisions open a bit with my seat belt and that hurt like the dickens. No bandages at hand so I had to MacGuyver something so I wound up with (TMI) ...a pantyliner covering it and me holding my side like I'd been shot (truth be told I really felt like it). I've heard there are sugar free, low calorie pumps like what is used to flavor coffee which is what I am going to look for. The protein is a necessary evil so short of holding my nose while I drink it. My mission is to find something quick. Happy New Year!

For TMI purposes if your urine looks like this. Tell your doctor. mine was almost brown.

Well, I got my fill on Wednesday. Was actually up about 3 pounds since last weigh in and he put in .5 cc, so now I have 3.3 cc in my band. Today is only 2 days in, but it feels really good and I hope it holds. I have a confession to make. I was a smoker before the surgery and quit a little before, and for a little bit after (about 6 weeks). I quit again a while back and it's a double demon trying not to snack, and being constipated from not smoking (sorry if that's TMI, but that's what happens to me). I was honest with my surgeon and told him, and we both agreed that relatively I'm doing extremely well and making great headway in becoming more healthy. How is everyone else doing? NJ? Meredith? Chrissy? Nicole? Nicki? Check in, ladies! I miss you!

I applaud your TMI about personal hygiene. I am so happy that I am not alone. I think it is a personal decision to tell our not, but I agree that if people are beginning to look up to you and how quickly or easily you are losing weight is different. Knowing how much I have struggled through the years I can imagine how defeating it would be to watch someone losing so much weight with just "diet and exercise" when I'm trying to same thing with little result. I would feel like even more of a failure. Not knowing they have a secret tool helping them that I could never match on my own would be giving me a false expectation. Not that anyone is trying to hurt others by keeping it a secret, but think of how many people you could help instead. Would you have appreciated someone sharing their story with you during your struggles? Your story may not help them but it may help one of their family members. It also helps to remove the stigma about obesity. Now they may think they were right all along in thinking we are just lazy and some good old diet and execute would solve all of our weight issues. You may be able to help them understand that it's ok to get help.

@ Hi Jake, We are all here to help each other. The thing I had to learn is that everyone is different. The speed of recovery from surgery and what we can eat and when. And right after surgery is very different from where I am today at 8 weeks post-op and I'm guessing it will change again and again. The band seemed different. I was eating most things pretty soon as long as I chewed like crazy. Like the band surgery, I had no real hunger for weeks. Someone told me, the sleeve (and all WLS) allows us to hit the pause button while we figure out how to make serious life style changes. Eventually that honeymoon is over, just like the band. I say this for me, cuz this is my last chance to get it together. With the sleeve I was on mushies longer than most cuz I kept vomiting. When I could eat mushies I did measure out a small amount but it turned out to be too much. Realized too late. Also if I went too fast I'd vomit and believe me it didn't feel like I was eating fast. So to answer your question, no I didn't seem to have any clues that I had eaten too much or fast. ((but some sleevers do) I kept having a band mentality, thinking I would know immediately. So I had to learn, to eat a very small amount slowly, just a few tiny spoonfuls and then wait. It was a while before i could eat 4 oz and even now I can't eat 4 oz of chicken at one sitting. I have to be careful about introducing new foods. There are some in my January group that are eating salads and all foods. The only vegetable I can eat is steamed broccoli and steamed squash. Still no raw fruit. I also can't eat Protein and vegetables at one sitting. I have to eat the protein, then wait 30-40 minutes and eat cooked vegetables. I expect at some point that will change when the swelling from surgery is gone. Also I have been told that it can take 2, even 3 months for the sleeve to heal completely. The band healing is much faster. Today I feel real hunger. With the band I could get satiated when hungry with a small amount but it always hurt so bad. The sleeve at 8 weeks does not hurt at all. If I feel real hunger I eat 2 oz of chicken (I weighed it initially but now I know what 2oz is) and slowly eat it. Within 10 minutes I am no longer hungry for hours. At first I could only eat 1/2 cooked egg taking 30 minutes to eat the egg and then I wouldn't be hungry for hours. Now I can eat one egg. My Doc and NUT told me that eventually I will be able to eat more and then to plan on 3 meals with Snacks. But for now, they told me to eat when I have real hunger. Keep track of protein etc. And get the fluids in. Doc said I probably had more swelling than some (the vomiting didn't help) which is why my tiny little tummy couldn't hold more than a few tablespoons. Having said all this, the sleeve is much easier than the band and it doesn't hurt. What they don't tell you with the band is that after surgery, when all is healed, the band has far more complications than bypass, sleeve and RYN. Because a foreign object is in your body can erode, slip, break, etc. The sleeve once it is healed has very few complication risks. Now no one told me that when I got the band. I am SO glad my band is gone. No more tightness and pain in my stomach, no more port moving around tugging at me. Do you feel that freedom from the band too? Probably TMI, but there you have it. Best to you!

Hey bronx new yorkers I have joined the sleeved club. I was sleeved on 4/11/12 and everything went great according to doctors. I wanted to get out the bed about 3pm and want to drink water but had to wait that was Thursday in the am. Now Thursday afternoon I made a bad turn and felted really sick and could not drink anything I could not even lay down. So I got worried and the doctors did too. I was kept longer and sent for a CT and 2 nebs. I was off the pain killer early because I was so ichy. Turns out that I had a running nose and as it feel to the back of my throat it may it hard for me to cough and it also caused a painful coughing attack. I was just taking tylenol the first night and had a hard time. As for today I am drinking 4 - 6 oz of clear and i crushed the vicodin because of the painful coughing. My husband brought me some sugar free cough drops that is also helpful for the cough. Finally I don't regret it I am doing good. TMI sorry I past gas like crazy and finally went poop. lol calling doctor's office for my after surgery appts.

So this morning I woke up at around 1:30am in such agony that I was having difficulty breathing or speaking. One of my incisions was red, swollen, hot to the touch, and extremely painful. I also had a significant amount of pain deeper underneath the incision. I called the hospital to speak with the on call doctor, who just happened to be my surgeon. My surgeon assured me that it was highly unlikely to be infected, but that I could go to the ER if I needed help managing my pain. I really hate the ER, so I wasn't going to go just for pain management. But I was unconvinced that there was no infection. So I took pictures and sent them to my mother and my mother in law, both of whom are RNs. Both immediately confirmed my suspicions that I did indeed have an infection. My husband helped me to the car because I couldn't walk on my own. We waited in that waiting room for over 3 hours, during which time all of my pain meds wore off. About halfway through that 3 hours I was sobbing in pain, while I watched patient after patient get taken back before me, even ones who were obviously not that sick and/or got there long after I did. I finally had enough and hobbled over to the desk to ask how long the wait was. The nurse was initially extremely rude and essentially told me to suck it up and wait. In response I demanded to know why stomach virus patients were being given precedence over a God d@mned surgical infection. I then reminded her that I had been waiting for over 3 hours, far longer than any other person in that waiting room, because she literally keeps taking back anyone and everyone except me. That took her aback a bit, and magically I had a room, a bed, and an IV within the next 5 minutes. I wound up having to do a CT scan, which involved drinking way more contrast that my sleeve could comfortably tolerate, so that they could rule out a leak or abscess to explain why I was in such intense excruciating pain. This next part is humiliating and may be tmi, fair warning. They asked me for a urine sample. By this point I was pretty dehydrated having been separated from a source of fluids for so long (this was right before the IV). I didn't think I'd have much to give them, but I said I would try. I got to the bathroom, locked the door, and sat down .... and immediately passed the most gas I have ever done in my life. It was shocking, and it lasted a good 20 seconds, I do NOT exaggerate. I could actually feel my intestines deflating and the difference in how my stomach looked after was very noticeable. Now, as you may have guessed already, that was the true source of most of my pain. I was too embarrassed to admit that to the doctor though. And one of my incisions really was infected, so that did also contribute to the pain. I include this in my story here because as embarrassing as it is, any newly sleeved person reading this, if they are having overwhelming deep pain that comes in waves, they now know that they can try passing gas and it may help. Learn from my embarrassment. I am now back at home with my antibiotics, my fluids, and a 1/3 cup of blended cream of mushroom soup. My pain is back under control, and I'm a happy camper. Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

Is sex different now since surgery because I don't get as wet as I did before at all like it takes me longer to get into it now ?? TMI

TMI!! Lol ...

-Pedicure....CHECK -Manicure...CHECK -Haircut and color....CHECK -Bikini wax....CHECK (sorry...TMI??) -bags packed....CHECK I check in for surgery at 9:45 am....will be leaving to drive to South San Francisco around 7:00 am Monday morning....Nervous and excited at the same time.

A little TMI but I just want to see if anyone else is having this problem too... Every time I drink my protein, whether it's 30g like I am supposed to or a few sips I feel so sick for about an hour. My stomach is rumbling like crazy and I get bad gas pains and until I finally have diarrhea I am just miserable! In addition the stuff tastes terrible and I have a hard time not throwing it up when I drink it. My main concern is that the entire time the protein drink is in my body I feel terrible. I have eaten a few scrambled eggs (usually can only have half of one for a meal) and I feel just fine so I know it's the protein drinks.... They are the same ones I had for liquid diet before surgery and I was fine then. Thanks for any input!

Okay ladies, I'm just over 5 weeks post op gastric sleeve, including my pre op diet I've lost 20kgs or 44lbs. However I've noticed that every time I get my period my weight loss stalls for the whole 6 days. I'm not super worried about it but just wanted to see if this happens to anyone else?? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Tmi: Oh my goDdddddd forget what I said about having worst pain ever last night. Prep yourself for your first before during and aftereffects of your first solid bowel movement. I got mine one wk after surgery n I'm not going to eat anything until this stomach is healed!!!! U don't know weather the pressure u gotta make is going to Make u throw up, like i got dizzy n nauseous, or hurt your belly more or what!!! Owwwwwwww. Don't rush to get off liquids people cuz I can inly imagine what lies ahead. No joke. It comes with the territory though. Btw Gas can b so bad at times it makes u moan sweat cry squirm n pray. Walk walk walk daily. Just being honest.

Sparkykrause, I did experience that pain in the beginning, right below my belly button. I think it is the nerves that are cut as part of surgery that need to re-heal. I remember searching it on here and others had experienced it too. Only lasted a few days for me, so hopefully for you too. Janiestine, I'm sorry you are in so much pain, but I love your stay positive attitude! I'm so looking forward to your recipes!!! Claire, I'm glad you are stepping back a bit and focusing on the fluids. Sounds like that is what your body is preferring. When do you go for a post-op so you can talk to a NUT? Erin, don't be discouraged! 12lbs is fantastic. One thing you have to consider is that you are a lower BMI and you lose slower than those with a higher one. Yesterday was a weird one for me. I puked a little Water after drinking too much. I wasn't trying to, but a medicine got stuck and I needed more water to get down. It's like the excess water had no where to go so up it came. I then had some diarrhea too. sorry tmi. I'm getting more energy back in the day, but I still sleep a lot at night! kdidn and believieinnikki, hope you both are doing ok!

Hi to you all, Hope jeni and Ken that your surgeries go as well as mine has so far. I am glad Jen that Pam has her date now too, as you say she will be a professional by then via you. Zom , Sally and Nikki i am glad that you are doing well too.i am sure that we will have difficult days in the coming weeks months and years but i have to say that my surgery has been so much better than expected. I had no staples, catherter or drain and i was glad to get rid of my appendages. Drip down last night so free at last, just mild discmfort around the holes but i even managed to sleep a little on my side on night 2 which i was not expecting. I had a quite acute lower abdominal spasm earlier in the night which felt like i needed to have diarrhoea, but nothing happened but am parping which a good sign. Dull abdo ache so i think i am starting to feel constipated. TMI i know but we need to share these things. When i get home later today i will start to take Benefiber which was advised by my variatric nurse. You just add it to any Fluid and it is colourless and apparently tasteless and it keeps you regular and sorts out constipation. I got it on Amazon before i came in, something you might want to consider. Erin i can see what you mean about new job and new start. They are only expecting you to eat what you do now, not what you did before. It sounds like you are really enjoying it too which is great. At the time it felt so brave to go back to work so soon but it clearly worked for you. I am sure that you ate missing eating with your family but hopefully the variety you can eat will increase soon and you will feel more able to. Kim you sound like you ate doing great too. Nnegrete, i do hope you feel more positive soon, strange about the avocado fetish, i suppose we will all have them. I think that is why i was struggling before the op, it felt like a permanent bereavement of things i couldn't do again. I was so sad when we were in Key West for a few days at the beginning of the year because every day felt like that. I am hoping that was my way of preparing myself and that those feelings will not be as strong afterwards. Stay strong, you HAVE made the right decision and things will feel better, in time you might even manage those avocados, and you are losing weight! We are all there with you, just hang on in there. Take care and be careful out there, we are flooding big time over here, worst floods for decades and you are in the middle of terrible snow storms. Claire

Ya know, at even 215, I couldnt reach back there... TMI..i would jump in the shower and wash as best as I could. Now I am super excited that I can wipe my own ass. Its great.

@WLSResources/ClothingExch. Nope, TMI way too early. I also don't want to reAd about the knee replacement or. triple bypass -both life changing surgeries that require work to attain lasting success like WLS.

I had the Loop DS (which is a little different) January 23 2020 (right before the Covid crap storm). From what I remember... I didn't poop a whole lot the first two or three weeks since I was on liquids and then puree and barely ate anything so from my own experience maybe your plane ride will be fairly normal. I did have overactive bowels once I hit stage 3, but hell, when I hit stage 4 I actually got constipation issues (and then learned it was because I was taking too much iron. Went from taking 3 multi's with iron to 2 and then finally down to 1 multi with iron. My family actually tends to hyper absorb iron and I forgot about that so... I actually don't need as much of it and still test in the normal range. Smack dab in the middle of normal at that). They probably won't warn you, but there is the rare chance it'll happen to you too so... 1. I vomited old blood after my surgery. It hurt like hell, but only happened 4 times so... not too bad, I guess. And, 2. Any surgery with malabsorption has a 3% chance of you developing either a wheat allergy or Celiac Disease (I got the wheat allergy). Also, when you do get put onto general diet try to avoid fatty foods because they will likely cause stomach issues (at least they did to me earlier on. And still kinda do that to me now). And if you wait too long to eat your stomach may decide to empty everything in your bowels (I can't be the only one who had this surgery that this happens to. Also, I'm not joking). It's incredibly annoying, but if I have constipation issues I know how to solve it lol. Problem is though that you will be in and out of the bathroom for a few HOURS because your stomach will not settle and my surgeon warned not to take imodium because it can cause bowel blockage and with this surgery you REALLY don't want that. So you'd be stuck at home. Best thing to avoid this is have something like a granola bar next to your bed so you can eat if your stomach wakes you up (mine does. but I'm stupid and ignore it sometimes because I'm tired and I pay for it later... bright side, if you can call it that lol, is that after the day spent in the bathroom you'll drop 2-4 pounds and no, I'm not joking. You really go that much. Or I do, at least. TMI, sorry). Also, regarding needing to be around a bathroom... not necessarily, but make sure you know where it IS. If you need to go then you will get a rumbling in your tummy and you will know when you need to rush to the bathroom. So make sure you do know where it is just in case. Also, the thing they say about never trusting a fart? Don't gamble because you might lose lol (I'd say 80% of the time it's an okay gamble, but the other 20% could be embarrassing if you were in public). Again, sorry for the TMI, but I figure it's info that you'd probably need to know. I'm happy with the surgery I chose, btw and have no regrets (other than wishing I hadn't had to take a med for my Trigeminal Neuralgia that made me gain 18 pounds back and even if I lost half of that since I switched meds I still can't lose the other 9 pounds for the life of me. But really that's not the surgery's fault, it's just my stupid ass TN that decided it was going to crap on my happy parade and send me into absolute agony and force me to take meds that make me gain weight... and yes, I'm still upset about it since the flare is still going on 7 months later and even if it's mostly under control now it's a progressive disorder and I REALLY don't want to have brain surgery AGAIN! Sorry. Rant over). Anyway, I wish you the best and hope everything goes well for you!

Thanks, Trcyprkr. I do know that it may be easier to get pregnant after weight loss. I'm more concerned with the permanent damage to my self esteem to ever want to date again. I haven't dated in years and I'm at the point where I don't want to be touched - or looked at, for that matter. I also confess that I fear never being in a significant relationship because I dislike my physical self so much. Probably TMI, but that's more along the lines of what I mean... I'm glad I'm not the only basket case out here! I've always said I don't want kids, when really i don't want A BABY. I like my sleep! I don't like the idea of trusting a babysitter with a child that can't talk to me and tell me if they're being taken care of properly. A kid, I'd love a kid. As I get older and have a closer bond with my mom, I kinda wish I had the same thing, a kid that would grow up to be an adult, having a hand at raising someone to be a productive member of society... I'd love THAT. But finding a man to marry? Getting married? Giving up my singledom? Giving up my living alonedom? Having a baby wake me up several times a night? No thanks! lol! That said, the idea of not having a child (and factor in that I'm an only child myself), I get nervous thinking about what my life will be like after my parents are gone... it makes me incredibly sad to think about being alone. I appreciate everyone letting me express myself here. It's therapeutic and so many of you are supportive and kind. Thank you so much!

Hello eveybody! I can relate to all of your stories havent been skinny in my life have no energy no libido( sorry if its tmi!) dont tk pictures anymore cant play with my boys10,5 and 3 its tough the embarrasing situation of me at a store and one of the employees without me asking tells me to go to the plus size section cause thats were my "size" was and i couldnt fit on a ride either today its my 29th bday an i refuse to keep missing life beacuse of my weight no more!!!! Good luck to evryone on your journeys! Karla

Hey there Apples.. I would have to say yes it does make a difference. I lost a significant amount in the mons area and WOW is all I can say. I thought I would need a mons lift as well but it actually shrunk! I am probably at my peak as well since I can't seem to get enough. I have always had a high sex drive but I think I might end up killing my hubby by dehydration lol.. sorry if that was TMI. I have read that with a mons lift the (little man in the boat) is more easily accessible and doesn't have a lot of mass covering it.. i really hope you know what I am saying rofl. So when the mass is pulled up the little man in the boat is more sensitive to just regular sex no touching just from the pressure. Bahh.. this is hard to write without getting into to much detail. So I would say it would help lol. Long- I am only 4 and a half pounds from my goal weight but that goal keeps changing. I was shooting for 165 but I am thinking I might try and go for closer to 150. I just want to be at the smallest possible weight before plastic surgery so I get the best result. I don't want to do it to soon and get plastic surgery lose more weight and have extra skin again.. not that it would be much but hey if I am getting it done why not go for as perfect as possible. As to when I am getting it, I am shooting for this winter so that I can wear a bikini next year.. oh god did I really just say that? Yes I want to wear a bikini next year and I will! My goal is to be in the best shape of my life in my 40's! I will turn 40 in February. I hope everyone has a great day!