Search the Community

Surgery Day is finally here! I hope recovery speeds by as quickly as this past two weeks has. Though yesterday Clear Liquids Day just crawled.

Mine is completely better, but it took a solid week before I was good. @redhead_che what staples do you have? Was your surgery laparoscopic?

I weigh myself every 3 months at my follow-up with my surgeon. But, that is due to my therapist and nutritionist highly recommending it for me. I have a long history of becoming way too obsessed with the scale, which would lead me to restrict, then binge/restrict, then binge/purge, then finally binge-eating all together. It's just been my downhill spiral for forever. Now I have finally been learning to pay attention to my health and how I feel with energy, health, and just overall mental health. It's been a relief to not weight myself so much. However, that is not a rule for all. For me it was highly recommended by my team. But, for others they need to weigh more often.

I have worried about this myself. Its like I dont have alot of restriction, I even said that to my Dr because things seem to be moving along good. I have not tried eggs yet but I may try that tomorrow. Tonight I had mash potatoes about a tablespoon and a tablespoon of carrots. I mashed the carrots to baby food consistency and the mash was runnier than what we usually have. I was unable to eat the mash potatoes, I maybe had 6 small bites. My stomach was gurgling and grumbling so I stopped eating altogether. It felt like I took a fist to the gut every time I tried to eat the potatoes. I dont feel hunger I dont believe but my stomach does do alot of growling and grumbling which is weird. It will do that while Im eating. Are you experiencing that maybe and thinking its hunger pains? Hard to say but I have seem some posts from ppl saying they were hungry after surgery. Maybe they will reply to your post hopefully. I havent lost any weight in 3 days after my last weigh in so thats making me nervous about what I have been eating or the amount. Surely its not a stall already after a 14 lbs loss in 9 days??

I kept thinking this surgery would be as debilitating as my 2 x c sections and having had a sleeve 3 days ago my experience has been a lot easier than the c- sections in terms of coping at home. I found it very difficult the night of and the night after the op and was in terrible discomfort. Third night in a massive relief and hoping the recovery stays like this. I found coming home a lot better than anticipated in terms of controlling my own meds. I was petrified beforehand and insisted on 2 nights in the hospital ( here in the Uk for sleeve surgery 1 night is standard) . Only 3 x nights post surgery but already a lot better and far less discomfort.

I have been eating tuna pouches and cottage cheese. I probably get what you do 3 or 4 oz at a time then I stop regardless. I do not have to take as long as you do with eating. I chew everything to next to nothing but Im usually done in about 30 mins Id say. Im not eating alot of the things you are though so that may be the difference, My food doesnt have much texture except for the cottage cheese. I am in awe of what your already eating lol 😂

I weighed myself 9 days after surgery because my Drs appt was on that day by video conference and I knew my Dr would ask. I lost 14 lbs so I was pleased with that. I told myself Id only weigh once per week but I weighed myself today which was 3 days since I last weighed and I had not lost anything so it bummed me out. So Im going to try to stick to the once per week weigh in or longer if I can do it.

More times than I’d like to admit lol I’m 3 months out my surgeon recommends every 2 weeks, then at a year monthly weigh ins.

I had an RNY a week ago. At this point I am scared to weigh myself for fear of retaining fluid. Not sure when to weigh myself. Every month, week or day? In previous attempts with weight loss programs I found the weekly weigh in daunting due to the fact that I was a slow lose most people weigh themselves. How often do you weigh in?

I had my gastric sleeve on 4/14, definitely constipated and was taking the Dulc tablets and aloe capsules, now I've added colace, and have done some Metamucil - a little bit - haven't found anyone saying no during my first month out - I haven't done THE DEED in idk feels like weeks, it's probably a week. I was losing consistently down 34, now I'm up 3 lbs, I've enema'd, I'm eating, drinking plenty of protein drinks (the problem) and now working on as much water as I can - I need to put a count on it, just read 96 oz - how does anyone get that much in - without a straw. i really worked on supplements and enough protein - God I'm hoping water gets me 'Eliminating Again' - it's painful, I feel the rumbling and then gas. We're all in this, I don't want to hear details but this is a serious topic - I'm worried. Had issues in the past with high protein diets. HAS ANYONE HAD TO GO EXTREME with Getting a Doctor or something - I'm thinking colonic therapy - I'm taking everything. And Miralax takes water in your system to help push it out - that's why you're cramping - it causes the muscles to flex and push.

Yeah, some dieticians are pretty crappy. Your’s just doesn’t seem to get this is something totally new to you & you want to get the best out of this opportunity. They are supposed yo be supporting you through this. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a greater framework & more specific guidelines to feel comfortable & confident about what you’re doing. A blanket try whatever you want is not good advice. Eating whatever you wanted got you where you were before surgery. The only thing I agree with is that there is a bit of trial & error about what foods your tummy will tolerate in these first weeks when it can be more sensitive & fussy. I was given portion size no calories, and a list of suggested foods to eat & avoid from the surgeon & the dietician. As a help I was advised 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from puree three times a day. I could have a snack if I was able (I ate yoghurt to boost my protein most afternoons). Low fat, very low carbs, no starchy vegetables, protein, protein, protein. I didn’t care how long I took to eat. I wasn’t hungry & wasn’t interested in eating but I knew I had to. But this was my plan. Remember you won’t get the same feelings of fullness, etc. (& they likely will be different to what you used to experience) until you’re fully healed & eating solid food. Hence the importance of portion control. Congrats on yiur weight loss so far.

Liquids go through you more quickly so you tend not to experience your restriction. If you do feel the restriction or any pain you’ve either eaten too much, too quickly or eaten something that is too dry or too coarse. The goal is not to feel the restriction. At three weeks out you are still healing, hence the staged return to eating to not stress your tummy. A lot of nerve endings were cut & damaged & until they are healed you won’t get the same messages like for full. There is a big difference between eating until you’re full & eating until you’ve had enough that is what your body needs. Do you need that next bite or just want it. In time you’ll likely find your signals for full are different. Some sneeze or their nose runs - you just have to work out what they are for you. Hunger pangs & abdominal growling, rumbling, in most times are just your digestive system doing what it should - digesting food. Any abdominal pain you may feel is likely an excess of stomach acid which will settle in time (your body is still producing enough acid for the amount of food you used to eat plus a reaction to the surgery) . Were you prescribed a PPI to reduce the acid production? 13lbs in three weeks is a good rate of loss - averaging 4lbs a week. Can’t complain about that. As you started at a relatively lower weight (like me) you won’t lose huge amounts like on say My 600lb Life. They weigh 3 times what you do & so lose at about 3times the rate. I’d lost about the same amount as you at three weeks & my surgeon was very happy with my progress. Keep measuring, keep sipping. It gets better & easier.

24 hour liquid diet... Nah the worst part is some of us are on that for 2 weeks or even more lol. But yea like Ms. sss suggested. Take before pictures and measurements. I measured myself before i started the liquid diet around my chest, stomach, thigh, calf, waist. and i remeasure each month

I weight about once a week. Haven’t lost more than 10 pounds in 3 mon. I’m at 10 months. I had gastric bypass. I feel like it was falling off now it’s not. I am close to normal bmi but why am I gaining. I know I’m able to eat more than I was but I’m nervous

Wow what a week! I had RYN on 4/14”2. I have never stop having left side pain since surgery. I was taking 4,000 mg of Tylenol a day to survive. I was getting my protein and water in most days. I had went back to liquids on Wednesday 5/4/22, as puree just didn’t set well. I was running a fever at times. Reached out to my surgeon on Friday 5/6 nurse called me back and said as soon as she hears from him I’ll call you back and never got any call back. Sunday 5/8 morning while driving home I had this extreme pain and almost wrecked my car. I decided enough, I can’t take it anymore and went to the ER. I had accumulated fluid on my abdomen and a UTI. They did two CT scans I wasn’t leaking from my bowel. Took several bags of fluid. IV antibiotics and lots of pain meds. Waiting for radiology To place a drain I felt like death. I hurt so bad. Monday 5/9 My surgeon came and said is everything would be ok. I’m not leaking at any surgical site. We will get the fluid off and you will be just fine. I asked him about the 103 fever he did seem concerned but we have double antibiotics and your blood cultures are negative. Monday Tuesday and Wednesday and Got calcium and potassium blouses. I got iron twice to not need a blood transfusion. The edema redness and pain was now from by belly button to almost my spine from my hip up to to mid rib cage. They placed a drain on Tuesday,To date it’s at 500 ml drained out mostly pus. A lot of prayer and medical interventions got me where I wanted to be.. home!!! Back to liquid diet ,a drain and antibiotics. I think I’m headed in the right direction. I at least feel human again and very minimal pain today. That’s the long story Short story is the drain site was infected which is a risk of surgery especially on the bowel. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY PEEPS!!! As a NP I over and under analyze everything to the point my doctor told me “Stacey I am the doctor and you’re the patient can you at least try to be a patient?” I just laughed because I honestly needed to hear that!

Can you update your information so we can see your stats? When did you have your surgery? What surgery did you have? Maybe you're in a stall??? How often do you weigh yourself?

I feel like my appetite is getting bigger and my weight loss is slowing down. I gained 3 pounds I’m scared. After a 100 pound weight loss I’m nervous had this happened to anyone. Can anyone guide me?

May 5th sleeve. I have never had an issue with nausea (even when pregnant). I am still trying to get the hang of all this liquid step up progress. Struggling to drink/sip/ eat enough to not feel like I am hungry every 3 hours. Am I being greedy or not doing enough liquids? I put my unflavored protein powder in every cold drink in my fridge ( I learned the hard way it clumps up in heat). Open to suggestions on what to do. Taking a single bite out of a grilled chicken breast is looking really good right now 🤦🏾‍♀️ Twins. 😎My Sleveve was May 5th. I hope you are recovering well.

So my plan WAS to get in with my normal medical system (Baylor Scott and White) and had a referral and an appointment with the psych appointment with a provider for the ADHD consult. I had called for pricing so I could budget several weeks before the appointment, they called me back and refused to leave a voicemail. I forgot about it until a few days before my appointment so I call again. They tell me they will get back to me but it's only a few days before my appointment(why not just tell me how much the stupid appointment will be with my insurance?), they don't get back to me but call several times to reschedule my appointment the day of because the provider won't be in the office. I get it. I call a couple of days later to reschedule, the lady who can schedule this type of appointment will call me because she isn't available (why all receptionists can't schedule this type of appointment is beyond me--I ama vet receptionist and human medicine boggles my mind). They finally call me back almost a week later-I work and can't answer my phone, they ask me to call back. I'm frustrated and over it. At this point several weeks past the initial appointment time has lapsed and that appointment had been about 2 months out. The great internet gods have been listening to my conversations because I get an ad for Cerebral. They have a sale, $30 the first month, $85/mo thereafter. Includes 1 session per month and the meeting (telehealth) with a provider to go over concerns and see if medication is an option. So I said, screw it and joined Cerebral to try it out. The telehealth visit with the prescriber wasn't terrible, not great either--don't go into it looking for the same thing you would get with an in person visit/testing etc. All of that said (sorry for being long winded) here is my take on Cerebral. I have not had my monthly meeting with the "Care Counselor" for the once a month check in but I can see why they are being looked into by the DEA-the provider basically went over a list of questions and asked about my symptoms. If you are specifically looking for stimulants you could easily guide the conversation to those. I specifically asked for non-stims as I was incredibly worried about addiction, especially after surgery. I do know as of May 9th they would not submit any new stim prescriptions. It wasn't terrible, as someone that after many online quizzes, joining adhd facebook groups, research through all the interwebz and finding myself relieved that I was not a lazy piece of crap and that I was not alone...there were many times I was crying or almost crying in relief finding out things I did were part of adhd symptoms(job hopping was a huge one). I will check in with my provider in a month to do a status check and see how things are going. I plan on only using Cerebral for a few months and if things are going really well I am planning on reaching out to my PCP to see if she is comfortable taking over my care and prescription since I very much love my PCP. If she isn't, then I still plan on getting in with an in person psych--just probably not BS&W. Lemme know if you have any questions! So far the Strattera has not given me a lot bad of side effects, no nausea I can speak of but I do get very sleepy later in the day and I do find my appetite has waned a bit as well. Focus seems better but I am unsure of that being a placebo effect vs actual effect-there is some talk on the forums/groups that some people get some early on benefits that fade until it starts to build up in the system 4-8 weeks later. Sorry if that got super long, let me know if you have anymore questions!

Good Afternoon everyone, And a special hello to all my May surgery buddies. I am new here and had my Gastric Sleeve surgery on May 11th. I am doing great currently, and feeling very optimistic! My first 3 days were the hardest, I was sore and to be honest a bit stressed. But the hospital staff and my surgeons staff answered all my questions, and put my worries to rest. One really convenient thing my surgeons team did was to send my meds for after surgery to the pharmacy a full 2 days before my surgery.

I experienced this as well. Instead of trying to force it, eat the few bites you can, wait 20-30 minutes and start drinking tiny sips of protein to help push it down a little. Eventually you will be able to handle more. I am now 32 days post op and in the 3-4 days I've noticed a better capacity to tolerate foods and am now eating minestrone soup, 3 oz at a time, 2-3 times a day between my water and 2 protein shakes. When I emailed the bariatric team, they told me it may have been due to swelling on the inside the finally went down and that many patients by a month out can handle 4oz (and some 4-6oz) at a time, but everyone is different and has different tolerances.

I have a stabbing, spasm type of pain behind my belly button. I felt a shooting type pain from my left incision to this area over the past week. But today the pain is strictly underneath my belly button and it’s excruciating. Does anybody know what what causes this?

Sorry, just saw this. I wound up getting COVID last week so I was totally dehydrated. Before that I only had a craving once when my kids were eating chips. I hate to admit it but liked the salt off of a couple. I feel that my stomach makes noises but don't feel hungry. What about you?

I'm 3 weeks out and I feel like I could eat a lot more then most at my stage. I never really feel full. I do get restrictions/pain when eating soft foods. But I can drink liquids with no problem at all. I've been wondering if my stomach is a little larger then some right after surgery. I don't feel like my hungry hormone weren't removed. All I can do is measure out my food. And when my stomach starts growling and I get the hunger pains. I just drink more water. Ive only lost 13th in almost 3 weeks. I also walk about 45 minutes to an hour. 3 miles and burn over 300 calories 5 days a week. I really was hoping to have a bigger weight loss by now.

I think what helped was forcing my self to drink a sip every 3 minutes instead of Gulping as normal. So I rarely got hungry.