Search the Community

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry that happened to you! I can't even imagine how shocking that must have been to do through, and miserable to experience! I hope they will cover the cost of your replacement bridge! What an awful time to be without it, when you'll have to be chewing SO thoroughly here soon! I've had that on my mind a lot lately -- I never got my top denture to fit right and pretty much had given up on it; and never even tried to get a lower. In order to nail this diet I'm going to have to either settle on eating mainly mush for a LONG time or get on the ball and go back to the dentist. Mt dental anxiety is real so not looking forward to that Glad you finally made it home, though! I'm a week post surgery as of today, and I'm still sitting here with an ice pack. I feel fortunate that my recovery wasn't quite as painful as that of some of you folks out there, but I can definitely feel the pull of the staples and tenderness if I stand too long. Walking hurts less than standing for too long doing something - Maybe it's the slight side to side movement instead of the forward movement? Either way, hope you're starting to feel better and continue to do so swiftly!

I completely understand your chaos and hope your surgery went well today! As to the constipation question - *absolutely* dealt with that during the liquid diet stage. I'm pretty sure it's the cutting out of almost all sugar and whatever they put in the protein shakes that does it. They had me taking 100mg of Colace twice a day during my liquid diet. I wanted to encourage you to ask for ice packs while in the hospital to help you manage your pain! I'm a week post op at home now and seem to have an ice pack against my abdomen probably 20 minutes out of every hour, still. It isn't that I'm hurting horribly, my pain is managed unless I stand for too long (NEVER would have thought merely standing long enough to cook breakfast would be so exhausting) but that ice pack and laying back at an angle is everything relief can be, at least for me personally. I'm very surprised I had to actively ASK for ice packs in the hospital; I wouldn't have thought to do so if I hadn't had a friend go through the same surgery and clue me in. Just remember the main thing about these surgeries is that there's a short road from your mouth to your belly afterward, and it has what I call a 'valve' toward the top of your stomach. You literally have to treat your belly like you would a baby and 'burp' yourself - walking helps, sitting upright and taking small sips, then rocking back and forth helps - but do NOT try to add more fluid until the tightness in your chest is relieved by a burp. It's like pumping gas into a car or like I said - burping a baby. There's a short tube from mouth to stomach and it only holds a few ounces. Until you burp and that tightness around your chest fades with the fluid being allowed to flow into your belly it literally is at maximum and efforts to drink more WILL make it come back up. I even waited to sip fluids if I knew I had to take medicine soon, to make sure I left room for the fluid it would take to get the pills down. Hopefully this helps you or someone else in recovery! I learned my lesson the first night after my surgery, one week ago - and the reflux / sicking up when I tried to go too fast did NOT feel good. I also 100% recommend getting up and slowly walking around as SOON as you can. THAT is what will make the pain start diminishing, because it rocks your body and works the gas they pumped in you for surgery back out. Best wishes! I hope it's going great for you! (ETA - Also, best wishes to your husband! I hope you two have someone on hand to help you out during your recoveries, and I will tell you from experience that it probably will feel like you're dropping more on the floor than ever before, simply because leaning down to pick it up would be painful! It requires discipline, especially if you tend toward being OCD like me, but trust me when I say trying to bend over to pick up a dropped 'whatever' is usually NOT worth it. Hugging an ice pack to your abdomen while you walk also helps tremendously at first.)

Hello there! I'm chiming in late but wanted to congratulate you on your victories so far and wish you well on your upcoming surgery! I just had a SADI surgery on August 5th - It is basically a sleeve + sleeve revision done initially, all in one go. I mainly wanted to give my opinion on your question regarding hobbies post-surgery -- I can only speak for myself, but being exactly one week out from surgery I can tell you that managing my fluids and getting to know my 'newly revised' body has been pretty consuming in and of itself! I'm so very, very tired of protein shakes but I will say the Premier have seemed to work best for me and offer the most variety so far, affordably. I don't know if your liquid diet has started yet, but if you have a great love for tomato, corn, peas, pineapple, celery, shrimp, artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower, rhubarb, Grapefruit, pasta, peanut butter, coconut, or steak this would be the time to enjoy them! According to my Bariatric guide, at least, those are considered cautionary foods for quite a while post-surgery. I also wanted to mention what has actually been the biggest help for me personally, as someone who also tends to over-prepare, triple-think, and struggles with both Anxiety and ADHD - there is an app called Finch that has proven to be an absolute life saver. I was feeling a lot of overwhelm leading up to the journey - and I took the long road, as you have, actually going ten months from start to surgery. I wasn't sure how I would actually follow through properly on the dietary restrictions, get myself more active, keep track of the vitamins, focus on the hydration -- and I also had to quit smoking and drinking alcohol. I have no advertising gain by mentioning this app by the way - lol - it has just helped me SO ridiculously much that I try to tell as many folks as I can about it. I was surprised when I mentioned it to my therapist that she already knew about it and said a lot of her patients use it. Finch is a silly game / task oriented app that has a free version which has worked out just fine for me so far. It kind of 'gamifies' making healthy choices, letting you customize your goals like drinking water, taking vitamins, getting out of the house, trying new activities, etc. There are different 'journeys' and 'goals' you can set for yourself - some of the ones I'm doing now are called 'New Year, New You' another one is 'Gratitude' and there is also 'So fresh, so clean'. The 'Nourish my Body' journey has really helped me evaluate the relationship I have had in the past with food and cultivate a better relationship with it moving forward. I know not everyone needs the same kind of encouragements that I do, but for me working through these pre-created goals, being given suggestions on how to interact more with my community, to think about what foods I do and do not enjoy, and prompt me to get more active have made a huge difference. Once you are recovered and looking for physically engaging activities I'd suggest exploring new hobbies like biking, geocashing, and nature photography. Even volunteering as a dog walker at your local humane society might be enjoyable. Best wishes!

Thanks for all your replies I was feeling as my weightloss wasn’t significant, I’m anxious to have a solid meal my surgeon had me on a 4week post op liquid diet and now I can move onto 2 weeks of puree then 2 week of soft food, his diet style seems strict and I’m just loosing motivation over here.. really trying though. Having an extremely difficult time meeting protein and liquid goals, it’s so much for one day when my stomach can only handle 2oz at a time!!

I don't think they do either, my partner is supportive and told me his attraction for me has not left. I asked if he preferred me heavier and he didn't say a peep. I followed up with, well I am not changing, because this is the new me and our kids deserve a mom who is healthy, not a mom who is 300lbs with a climbing weight and cannot keep up with them. He agreed, he just said its different. He met me heavier so me NOW is super new. We had to have a very very long talk, and its continuous but we have been working through it. I think the first 3-4months were the hardest, I lost weight really quick and it was a really big shock to everyone but especially him who touches me and all the things. Intimacy lacked for a bit, So I would agree that keeping that transparency is so important, also being selfish is important too right now.

I grieve the convenience of high fat/sugar/calorie foods. The ability to go anywhere with friends or family for a meal and not have to worry about 'will I be able to find something I can eat?' and cruising the menu online first. I grieve being able to go to my comfort foods for emotional comfort rather than having to actually work through it. Even though I'm happier, overall / in the long run, when I first sink into a bad mood that first little while is rough. I don't really grieve the particular foods themselves (yet?) -- but I think that's a mental block on my part at the moment; so many foods have been giving me problems that the idea of many food types make me feel ill, and the idea of anything greasy or fatty makes me downright nauseated. (Seriously, I had a conversation with my mother last week about pepperoni and her stomach issues when she eats pizza, and just picturing pepperoni had me breathing through my nose trying not to gag lol) (I do grieve that on excruciatingly hot days at work, when the guys make a run for iced-capps , there's no soothing ice slushy to make my afternoon more bearable.)

Got my date August 23,I’ll be having the sleeve. Currently 258.8. I do plan on doing all liquids the week of, I’m only recommended to do liquids the day before. I’m nervous but excited 🤞🏼

Weight loss calmed down this week - 1.5lbs. No complaints though after the losses of the week before 🙂 Feeling tired today. Visited family yesterday, 6 hours all together sat in a van and my knees are so unhappy with me. It was our first time to our son’s new home which is a longer drive than his previous place. Will try and be better prepared next time. At least we spent time with the grandkids, which is always wonderful. A NSV yesterday…I bought some (non-stretchy) 3/4 cropped jeans a couple of years ago for £5, telling my daughter-in-law that I would fit in to them eventually. I broke them out yesterday, took the tags off and they fit perfectly!! 🥳🥳 The only downside was that it was far too hot for denim but the point was made 🙃 However DIL recognised them yesterday and was really pleased for me. Hubby has been a bit weird lately. Don’t get me wrong, still as massively supportive as ever but the ‘you will probably leave me when you lose weight’ comments have popped out more than a couple of times. Why do blokes always use this?? I did remind him that I didn’t leave him when I lost weight previously so why would I now? Do they think we’re only with them because we’re too fat to bother looking elsewhere? Jeez, I haven’t got the energy for anyone new, never mind all the stuff you generally do at the beginning of a relationship like shaving my legs or wearing matching underwear 🙄 Anyway, physio for knees tomorrow and Bariatric support group at the hospital on Wednesday. Have remembered to dig out my food diary to complete this week, ready for the dietitians appointment next week. Have a slimmer week everyone, we deserve it 🥰 Onwards and downwards!

Hi. I’m also 4 weeks pos-op and I have lost 19 lbs. I had the sleeve as well.

@AndreaJD your advice about the weight loss discussion with others is great! I’m definitely using that one and thank you!! Good luck on your surgery tomorrow, like you said, eyes on the prize! @Justarwaxx mine is on the 14th too!! Are you doing the Gastric Bypass as well? I’ve been told I’ll only be in the hospital 1 night… we shall see. Omg, my husband ate pizza for dinner… he was at least nice enough to eat it in another room, but still… i could almost kill for a piece. But again, eyes on the prize. I keep having to remind myself. 2 more days of this and then my life is changing. All our lives are changing for the better, which makes it worth it. You guys stay strong and good luck this week, I know a lot of us are on the roster this week. Be strong and positive vibes everyone!! I look forward to hearing from everyone after their surgery, keep us updated!!

I’m only 2.5 weeks out. So, I’m not super helpful… but is there anything in particular that you’re struggling with?

Hi, @Justarwaxx! I'll be only 2 days ahead of you, so we'll be going through this together. I'm nervous and excited, too. Looking forward to being all recovered and starting my new, active lifestyle. Looking forward to not constantly thinking about what I can wear to try to disguise my weight and what people are thinking. I will miss food as a coping and comfort mechanism, but my husband and I are slowly learning how to cook healthy, unprocessed meals. I'm looking at it as an adventure of discovery - what new foods, spices, and ways to prepare them can I discover? I know the next couple weeks will be rough, and the next 3 months will be a marathon slog. I'm ready to tough it out - eyes on the prize!

New here, just got my surgery date last week - September 30th! as of right now but they did say it could be sooner if they get an opening

Hi people! I just got done with my surgery like 4 days ago. I got a gastric sleeve done. I’m pretty excited to finally have some food after 2 weeks of this liquid diet. I’ll be able to have some yogurt in 2 days.

Reading through some of the posts (it's a lot and I'm new, I'll get them all eventually), it seems a lot of you knew for a couple of months or more that you were having your surgery in August. I'm a little jealous of that ability to plan ahead lol! I went for my follow-up appointment during the first week of August, and then they were like, "You're doing great! How about August 16th?" I'm nervously excited about it. Part of me wishes I had more time to truly get everything prepared, since I work 3 jobs. But I'm also ready to fully be on the path to a healthier me. I've been listening to audiobooks and podcasts to try to mentally prepare me for this, and to also be prepared for if there are complications. SW: 350 CW: 322

Hey guys! So far everything is going good. I had a RNY on the 10th of April and lost 80 pounds so far! I am also starting to see a huge difference in myself. More energy, feeling more happy and confident. I have also started to see difference in my skin... it feels less tight but I hoping it is just taking time to adjust as I know it takes longer for the skin to shrink. There are some weeks where I might lose 0.5 kg and others where I can lose 3kg bit the main thing is that it is a downward trend. Overall, I am happy I got the surgery.

Hi, Mspretty86. I love that you reached out. I forget about this forum. My surgery was April 16, and I have lost 71 pounds. I lose in chunks and then remain plateaued for weeks. Very strange, yet the scale shows a trending down line. My body feels weird. My skin is losing firmness as the fat cells diminish. I feel like I may have something else going on though. I do have more energy and less pain, which is huge for me. I'm curious how others are doing?

There would be no need to do nicotine testing if you don't smoke, vape, or use a patch or gum. I can't speak to all surgeons, but mine requires testing to see if you have sleep apnea before surgery. If you're already diagnosed with it, you just have to continue using the cpap machine before the surgery and for the first 6 weeks after.

So by this time next week you will be post-op My surgery was 4th July last year and even though I am not American I consider it my Independence Day as it was the first day of a new and improved, as in happier and healthier, me but it has taken me many months of recovery and work to get where I am so far, surgery is certainly not the easy option some people think (as in those who don't need it). The coming weeks and months will be a learning curve so don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself, don't compare your losses to others as everyone is different and just most importantly be kind to yourself. That I think is what I have come away with most from the last year, I take time for myself when needed, I say no to things I don't want to do rather than try to make everyone else happy as I used to in the past, I listen to my body more when it says it needs a walk/fresh air or rest, I speak up for myself more and I am really trying not to let the little things stress me out as I am very much a person who always felt the need to be in control (even if it was control of overeating etc.). If you haven't done so already I recommend taking your measurements and some pictures today or tomorrow so you have something to look back on in the coming months and years to see how well you do.

I am sure your appointment will go well and you will be all set for 15th. I was the same, with no pre-op diet to follow so I just made sure to enjoy my last few pre-op meals, meeting friends and having drinks in the few weeks lead up and weaning myself off coffee. Of course you will lose weight and you just have to take the time to work on the new you (inside and out) so that you will have the strength and mindset not to get back to where you are now and what lead you to need the surgery. We all hope not to have regain but even a few kg/lbs back on is ok too but try not to focus on a negative like that as positive mindset going forward is the best way to be. Your body will be readjusting and has to find its own level. Over the course of your journey there will be weight losses, gains and stalls and we are all here for you to vent, ask questions etc. 🍀

Welcome @draikaina8503! I'm on in 3 days!? How is this sneaking up on me? Breathe, breathe... @Hiddenroses - Congratulations on your surgery! What you're dealing with in telling others sounds perfectly normal to me. This is not the easy path. The process is rough, but no matter what and no matter who reacts, we're going to come out of this stronger. I'm still going to be me, with or without the weight. Unfortunately, I've always been treated differently because of my weight - Heavy friends with a "one of us" mentality, slimmer people that want to look better next to me, others that just discount me. I'll be alienating them all. It shouldn't matter, but I was raised to please others. Another bad habit I am fixing. If random people question me, I guess I'll just refer them to the weight loss clinic that I went to that started me on this path - they do everything from diet and exercise to bariatric referrals. Other than that, it's no one's business what I do with my body. But I still have to figure out the social food thing. @Mandalynne, I am so ready to be done. So many nerves, so sick of worrying. So tired of the LSD and hunger. Whatever happens is going to happen, let's just get it done already, haha. @ShoppGirl and @Greekmom4, I'm so sorry that the surgery was rough and that you are in so much pain. I hope things lessen up soon and you can start thriving. The fact that we can even do this is amazing to me. Our lives and our health will have a fresh start! When I hit my weight goal, I'm going to travel, and not worry about fitting on the plane. What are your plans for your new life?

Good morning everyone! I have to say, all the extreme pain and unforeseen issues with surgery makes me nervous hahaha. I know it’s not the “norm”, but it makes you think. Singingbarista and Hiddenroses (i can’t figure out how to tag people hahaha), I totally know what you mean about not telling people. I have only told my sister and my mother and that’s because they’ve both had procedures similar to this. I agree, in my head there’s a fear of judgment that I’m taking the “easy way out”… even if I know that’s not true… this has got to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. This is a tool to aid us in loosing the excess weight that keeps us down for a number of reasons. I’m an Accountant, and fortunately I get to work remotely now so I’m not in the public eye, but when I fly down to see my family next year they’ll definitely see a big difference and I’ll have to be prepared for questions. I don’t like to lie so I’ll just have to prepare myself to tell the truth. If they judge me, that’s on them. I was given a choice on my procedures but was heavily advised to go with RNY because of the success rate with weight loss. My doctor told me that a lot of people he’s performed the Gastric Sleeve on have come back to get the RNY because of the weight gain back. My surgery is coming up on Wednesday and I’m honestly ready to get it over with. My food cravings and hunger pains are terrible. Maybe I’m not drinking enough water? I hear a lot of people say by this time it wasn’t so bad for them… ummm am I doing something wrong? Hahaha. How is everyone doing on the last days of the liquid diet? I have 4 days and counting… @Singingbarista, you have 3 days right? By the way, side note… i asked the doctor not to give me anything that’s a narcotic for pain meds (family history of severe pill addiction), does anyone think I can recover on Tramadol or Tylenol alone? Is there anyone who’s gone through that? Good luck to all, and for those of you who just went through the surgery, I really hope your pain goes away soon.

there aren't any calories in Coke Zero, so it shouldn't make you gain weight, but carbonated beverages can irritate some people's stomachs (which is why surgeons don't allow them the first few weeks or months post op - and some surgeons "ban" them for life). I drank Diet Coke occasionally before surgery, but then didn't have any for at least three years post-op. I tried one once while I was at an airport and after a sip or two, I dumped it out. It tasted like chemicals (which basically, it is...). After all that time away from it, it tasted awful. So that was that - haven't had one since. I do drink flavored carbonated water a few times a week now. I still can't drink things that are highly carbonated because after nine years out, carbonation can still irritate my stomach. I can handle mildly carbonated drinks, though. But then again, if faced with a beverage that's too carbonated for me, I just let it sit there for a while until it flattens out enough for my stomach to tolerate it.

I don’t drink sodas diet or not either except for soda water & tonic on the rare occasions I have a gin (can’t recall the last time I had one). I do drink sparkling water every day (San Pellegrino is my go to). I started drinking that around month 3 or 4 I think. I’d let it go pretty flat & sipped on it for hours interspersed with plain water back then. If I’m socialising I’ll sometimes have soda or sparkling water with a slice of lime if I don’t feel like an alcoholic drink. I stopped a lot of carbonated drinks some years before my WLS as a way of managing my reflux, of course the calories (😁) & I was questioning the use & impacts of artificial sweeteners. So I lost my desire/craving for it way before my surgery. But you know you best & whether it will lead you down a slippery slope.

Hi, I just got my date a week ago and will be getting RNY on August 16th. Super excited and super nervous! I'll be following along on this thread. :) i'm new to the site, so I gotta get used to actually talking on forums. 😅