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When to stop the stool softeners
ShoppGirl replied to ShoppGirl's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Well after two daily stools that were very loose I cut back to one and then the next day was loose too so I thought I would go to every other day but that was a bad call apparently. Now it had been two days and nothing. I just went and a couple little pebbles came out so it’s definitely constipation. Gross as this is I used a glove and got more out but there is still more in there. I just took milk of magnesia but I’m a little worried about how painful this is going to be since I am only 11 days post op and my incisions still hurt quite a bit. -
August Surgery buddies
ShoppGirl replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
So I went to my post op appt at my family practice dr. I asked about my gallbladder and she agreed that it’s really not that life altering. It’s just going to be a balance with my SADI making me malabsorb fat. I need to consume enough for my body to still function without taking in too much because I don’t have a gall bladder. Next up was my lack of bowel movement. I finally had one day 7 then again the morning of day 8 and 9. All in the morning and all pretty regular except very loose. Then days 10 and 11 so far nothing. Today I feel like I need to go but can’t. She said to increase the stool softeners back to two a day and take milk of magnesia tonight if I still haven’t gone. The nurse showed me how to do my B-12 shot and guess what guys I did it!! She said the needle the pharmacy gave me was bigger than I needed and gave me a smaller one to use and to take with me so I could get more. She showed me how to get it into the needle but had me do the shot itself. I think I want someone to watch me just one more time to make sure I got it but i think I got it. It did it hurt at all. Didn’t even feel it honestly. And once my hands stopped shaking it was really easy to do. I took the needle back to my pharmacy and showed them and they do Jace them and they sell them so I went ahead and got 12 so if it continues to be a monthly thing I’m good for a year. i will add that I am home now and using the mug warmer for my scrambled eggs I am eating them out of a mug because I do not have a flare with a bottom smaller than the 4” for it to sit flush but it’s working. The eggs are not piping hot but they are staying warm. @draikaina8503 i would probably add fat free milk instead of water thinking it would taste a little better. I assume at that stage You just need it to run off the spoon like liquid. Similar to your protein shake. -
HI! Thank you so much!!! I started with walking around 2-3 postop, 20-30min and just built up to working out from home with light 5lbs weights. I follow Sydney Cummings or Juice and Toya work out videos. I would alternate 1 day upper body, 1 day lower body, ect...Then I would walk for 1 hour one day a week. Then I joined the gym when I was comfortable with the weights and that's when I really saw results. That was around 8-9 week post op. I cut down to 20min cardio and 30min strength training still alternating and still having 1hour walking days. Now that I am at my weight that I want to be at and not wanting to bulk up anymore just shred and tighten up my loose skin that I can possibly tighten up, I do 4 weight days 2 upper body, 2 lower body body with 30 min of cardio (usually treadmill at 12-13.5 incline and 3.3-3.7 speed) then 2 days I focus only on Cardio HIIT workouts. Now I do all my own workouts just from researching online and building my own workouts. I think they work? LOL I feel good afterwards, and my body composition is changing so I am rolling with it LOL I focus on high protein like over 100g, carbs I kept around 60g and fat around 20g. I have been fortunate where the weight came off pretty quickly, right now I am eating around 1400 cal 150g of protein 80-90g carbs and 25-30g fat. I am not actively trying to lose anymore, I want to more so maintain but I am still losing, so I am waiting till that figures itself out. LOL
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I legit ate too much yesterday… because my body would be full one minute and legit hungry an hr later. I threw up and had loose stool this morning😔😔😔. I have to be careful
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Never thought this would be a frustration of mine.....
SleeveToBypass2023 replied to SleeveToBypass2023's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I'm definitely not someone who sews. My mom use to, but she lives in Florida (I'm in Colorado) and her arthritis has gotten bad and she hasn't sewn in years. I honestly wouldn't complain about something like this anywhere but here because absolutely NOBODY else can relate. I keep hearing "but you were so heavy before, I would think you'd be ecstatic now!!" and I alternate between wanting to look around on the floor to see if I can find their brains that must have fallen out of their head and wanting to smack the ever loving daylights out of them. The AUDACITY to say that...to my face!!! I'm hoping I can either find someone who wants to trade scrubs or someone wants to buy mine. I'm so thankful and grateful that I'm healthy and have lost so much weight. I honestly am. I just want my body to settle on a set point and stay there lol I absolutely DO NOT want to go lower than a Large right now, because I was already told I'll likely go down a size after my skin surgeries. If any of TPTB (The Powers That Be) are up there listening...PLEASE let me be good to go now lol I'm extra happy and grateful and thankful, and as my 3 year old granddaughter would say "I all dooooooone now" lol Please and thank you!!!! 🤣😁 -
August Surgery buddies
ShoppGirl replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
@Hiddenroses i am taking the chewable calcium from barimellts for now but will be switching back to my bariatric advantage chews because they taste like candy and I’m addicted. , I am doing the bariatric advantage chewable multi with ADEK and low iron for now and I have the SADI specific all in one vitamin from pro care health for later which has the ADEK, a higher iron content, and some other things that we need but I need to be able to consume a little more first. I used to take their regular multi post sleeve with 45mg of iron after a full protein shake but this one has 60mg iron, plus when i’m sipping slowly as I’m supposed to to let my intestines heal it takes almost an hour to get the whole shake down which I feel like at that point half of it is out of my stomach and I don’t want to vomit. (The iron is what makes you vomit without food). At my one month appt I will ask to see if it’s safe for me to drink A little quicker. I Know after my sleeve as my stomach healed I naturally started drinking a little faster by then so I’m guessing I can. i love that you’re creating new recipes and figuring out what works. Just FYI, I was told no strawberries Yet. I guess the seeds can get stuck in the incisions. Actually I was told nothing with skins or seeds. Although it sounds delicious and could be a go to if you don’t feel like cooking or are in a hurry later down the road. Oh yea everyone, for future reference this has some pretty good ideas for adding into cottage cheese. https://www.popsugar.com/food/cottage-cheese-stir-ins-27035442 You know I actually have never even tried cottage cheese which is why I was searching for ideas. I am picking some up tomorrow after my dr appt but I need to come up with ideas that I can add during purée to mix in with it if anyone has any ideas. -
About obesity comorbidities,after any bariatric surgery.
summerseeker replied to Rob Nissam's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I had Hidradenitis suppurativa in my 40's . I was going through the change and had 3 family deaths, My body and mind couldn't cope. My skin and mind exploded, it was a terrible time for me. I had help for the conditions and eventually the conditions abated to tolerable levels. Every now and then I would have break outs but they became less and less. Now I have had no real symptoms for the 3 years since surgery. Is it a body or age thing ? I can see only the worst scars now with some black on the skin, it scratches off easily. I hope you can put it behind you too -
About obesity comorbidities,after any bariatric surgery.
BabySpoons replied to Rob Nissam's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I am no longer taking Allopurinol for gout and knee pain is completely gone. I had to have a few adjustments from my chiropractor as I lost the weight. All the excess weight I was carrying really had my body out of alignment. I never had HS but I did have Pilaris Keratosis which is gone as well. I was told on this forum that others had this skin condition resolve after WLS. Good luck Rob!! -
After an unfortunate experience with banana yogurt (I put some skim milk in it and put it in the bullet blender), I have had some nice successes with my full liquid stage, which lasts 2 weeks. The berry Oikos Pro yogurt thinned with skim milk is great, Jello pudding is really good, Progresso Tomato soups are amazing, and Progresso chicken noodle soup blended smooth is probably the best thing I've had since surgery. I put protein powder in everything - still working to get the amount of protein powder right. Took a Tylenol, and that's the only pain med today. My guts feel kind of "loose", if you know what I mean - like they're jostling around in there, but it's not bad. Those who have yet to have your surgery, hope it goes as well for you, too!
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I believe it was day 4 that my dr started me on twice a day stool softener then on day 6 I had my first movement so I went to once a day. Currently it’s day 8 and I am still having a loose movement each morning. I’ve been sticking with the one a day worried about the pain straining if it firms up too much but I guess I gotta stop taking it eventually? Any advice as to when it’s time to stop?? Does it hurt to take it for a couple of weeks? Or mess up your system to where you actually need it or anything.
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August Surgery buddies
Hiddenroses replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hello again everyone! I'll have to do a better post responding to some of you when I'm feeling better, but I wanted to touch base at least because I was afraid I'd get too far behind! Yesterday morning I did the two hour drive both ways to go get my staples out (Fella went with me, woot!) Getting the staples out pinched a little but was an immediate relief. At first. I had the SADI, as previously stated, and it was a laparoscopic surgery. I came home and had an amazing nap, but as the day progressed I started feeling these painful pinches beneath the stable that was removed on my far left side. Nothing dramatic, but I guess I moved wrong in the night and had fallen behind on tending my pain and it shot right through me. My fella and I talked about it this morning, though, and we realized that because that particular incision was at an angle and stapled really tightly with four staples that when the staple came out the skin beneath that had started to heal in the previous position was pulling with my movements. He had the brilliant idea to reinforce the seam with a couple of Steri-strips and those have helped tremendously in addition to using my ice packs. I also find if I pinch the skin together underneath JUST that area that it relieves a lot of that stinging/pulling sensation for getting up and down, or rolling from side to side in bed. I followed up with my nurse this morning and she said the same thing and that I was doing things right; it's just an adjustment sometimes as your skin relaxes post staples (for those who had them). I'm thinking of those of you whose surgeries are scheduled for today and super glad to have heard check ins from those who just had theirs! Also I did notice a couple of folks back on page one of this thread who we haven't heard much from here - @BigDane @LadyJGrey @Lisa Gilkison - Sending you all good vibes as well and wondering how it's going? @draikaina8503 - Surgery day!! I saw your comments tagging me (You nailed it!! ) and wanted to at least answer the server question - Of course I was also on Wyrmrest Accord! That was where I went after Twisting Nether dried up. I figure most WoW RPers probably came across one another there at some point or another Wishing all of you the best, will add more when I'm in a better comfort level to do so!! -
Hi, everyone. I had a sleeve to mini bypass conversion in 2024. It’s been fine except I often have loose stools and need to run to the toilet. Recently I noticed a weird bulge in my abdomen a couple inches to the left of my belly button. I’m not able to see my doctor, as I’ve just started a job and am doing a three month shift in a remote location. There is no pain and sometimes the bulge is not there. It sort of comes and goes. Has anyone been through something similar? Thank you.
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Blimey @ShoppGirlyou have had a lot to deal with this week! Gallbladder- I had mine out last year but I wasn’t told anything to avoid foods, drinks or anything but was warned that gall stones can come back in the bile duct. After a bit of a rocky start (lots and lots of fluid leakage as my gallbladder was horribly inflamed which resulted in a much longer surgery blah blah blah) I’ve been fine ever since. Fingers crossed all will go well with that aspect of the week for you. Please take your pain meds and give yourself whatever respite you can. You’ve had 2 major operations this week and you are really going to be feeling it 😮 Would a heat pad give you any additional relief? Injecting yourself - I inject one lot of meds weekly and another fortnightly and, believe it or not, I think it’s easier to self-inject than have someone else do it for you. I just grab a fat roll at the top of my thighs, hold the pen against my skin and press the button. I’ve to count to 10 before releasing. A quick wipe down with a sterile wipe and I’m good to go. Yes, it very occasionally hurts, like if I haven’t grabbed enough for the injection, plus you have to rotate your injection site as you can end up pretty sore with it if not (never had that problem, thankfully 🤞) You can also inject in your stomach if that’s a better choice for you. I was told that I have to have B12 injections every 3 months - I’m going to look like a dart board!!
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Today is my 1 year anniversary since surgery! It has been a wild ride! I am so glad I decided to get the surgery done. I used to get winded just walking up the stairs from my basement. Now I walk between 2-3 miles per night. Next on the agenda, possible skin removal next year and both knee replacements (holding out as long as I can). I have had continuous weight loss, however, I have stalled somewhat but still had small losses during those stalls. Keep on track and use this tool to its full advantages! I have been of Blood Pressure meds since surgery. I may not need my cpap any longer, but I haven't done another sleep study. STATS: I have lost a total of 227.2 pounds: 17.25 inches around my chest 32.5 inches around my belly button 27.25 inches around my waist 6.25 inches around my neck 4.5 inches on bicep 10 inches around my upper thigh 4.25 inches on my calf HW: 469.8 PreOp: 450.6 (19.2 pounds lost) SW: 430.8 (39 pounds lost) CW: 242.6 (227.2 pounds lost)
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I was one of those "model patient" presenters at my clinic for the three years before COVID! I loved doing that! I had a partner - a VSG patient (I was RNY). I'd had a stricture at four weeks out - she never had any complications. I'm hoping we didn't sound too "vanilla" - but neither one of us had any issues (other than my stricture - which is a mild issue and very easily fixed). We were both super happy with our surgeries and both lost a ton of weight (she lost 100 lbs, I lost over 200). Although I think people found us entertaining (we were quite a pair!) and most groups asked us lots of questions. We always told the groups about the three-week stall (since it happens to almost everyone, and very few clinics mention it to their patients, so people freak out when it happens to them). Also told them about how we ate a month out, a few months out, a year out (our clinic's plan wasn't low-carb, like many of them are - it was balanced - although even given that, the typical eating YOUR presenter does sounds carb-heavy even to me). We mentioned how we typically eat when we're at a restaurant. Talked about the extra skin (my partner even lifted her shirt to show them her extra skin). Also talked about our experience with hair loss (since extra skin and hair loss are huge concerns among pre-ops). Also talked about constipation (we both have chronic constipation) and how we deal with it. And how we dress to "hide" all the extra skin (although I've since had mine removed). We always mentioned how most people lose their interest in food and hunger for several months after surgery, and how they should milk that for everything it's worth since it's way easier to lose weight when you don't give a flip about food. Basically stuff they likely would not have picked up during the classes they had with dietitian and the health psychologist. when I went through the classes in 2015, the presenter was kind of underwhelming, like yours. I'm sure he would have answered some of the questions we addressed when we were presenters, but he didn't, and the "students" wouldn't necessarily know enough at that point to even know what to ask. Shelli and I decide early on to talk about the issues they SHOULD ask about, but wouldn't know to. P.S. now I'm sitting her wishing I was still doing that - it was great fun! But COVID hit, so everything went online, and they didn't have the "model patient" class. Since everything is in person again, they may have some people doing it, but the two of us are pretty far out now (nine years), so they may have gotten people who had their surgeries just a year or two ago.
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August Surgery buddies
Hiddenroses replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hello everyone! I see that the mid-month surgeries will be starting, some as of today! I'm am a week and a day post-op and have to say - I'm SO tired of being on a liquid diet and am absolutely counting down to this next Monday when I get to start purees. I'm telling myself I'm excited about purees, anyway - but I think I'm more looking forward to being able to have intake that isn't 'room temperature'. I've struggled to enjoy my pudding (sugar free, made with protein shake) because while cold it starts out nice and thick but as it begins to warm it gets slimy and watery I had things I wanted to respond to from the many posts I've just caught up on and by golly I'm going to try to tag multiples in this post and see if it works! *Please* forgive me if this is long; I'm a writer (unpublished but working on it - fantasy for anyone curious - so overwriting tends to be my worst tendency!) To start with, since I think this will affect pretty much everyone - I had an amazing revelation a couple of days ago that made PERFECT sense. Colace / Docusate is a stool softener, NOT a laxative! A friend of mine is a research junkie about medications (I am about almost everything BUT that) and shared a video to me of a Pharmacist talking about the absurd cost for Docusate / Colace considering what it IS. Miralax and Senna are laxatives, all Colace / Docusate does it provide lubrication to your stools so they will be easier to pass. I'm pretty irritated about this, honestly, because whileI can see the purpose of Colace/Docusate if you're severely constipated it won't actually get things 'Moving'! Literally >. I can attest to this being true because during my liquid diet the only times I had stools were when I took Senna - (obv check with your doctor/pharmacist, but seriously this helped me SO much because post-op I was again at 5 days without a stool, took some Senna, and bam.) To @AndreaJD and @Singingbarista , our Multi-care Clinic twinsies - How's it going?! This is your week!! I'm so excited for you both and hope your surgeries go great. You've both been wonderfully helpful and insightful in all the support you've offered and I'm eager to hear from you on the other side of the adventure! @AndreaJD - I just love your attitude SO much. Yes; we are certainly in a marathon for the next few months and NOT a sprint! I'm also rethinking my approach to food and looking forward to exploring new recipes. I find myself reading and re-reading my dietary instructions. I get a bit overly excited for my family's meals, savoring the smells and almost a bit resentful when they are NOT excited about the variety of foods that are available to them to eat. My fella says he wishes I'd stop vicariously trying to 'eat' through him - and I told him that's just tough, lol. I'm going to keep right on suggesting all of the available items like a waitress at a diner selling the food until I can eat a better variety myself! To @Justarwaxx and @Mandalynne- Today is your day!! I have you both in my thoughts and hope everything goes well for you! @Justarwaxx - Welcome to the forum, I'm so glad you joined us! @Mandalynne - Oh I'm SO glad to hear that my mentioning the Finch app helped someone! I'm rather ND myself (in case you couldn't tell from my rambling responses lol) and for me, Finch has been almost as life-changing as this surgery. Everything always felt overwhelming and scattered, with me constantly struggling to 'get on track' with endless efforts of organizational methods, then I would slide right back 'off track' for however long. My friend code on there is YJAMJAC79Y if you want to add my to your 'Tree Friends' lol - no offense taken if you don't! I can't believe they said only ONE day in the hospital for your surgery?! Surely they will keep you longer than THAT - it's pretty invasive! Please give us an update once you're situated and feel up to doing so! Also, I'm SO with you on enjoying the smells of food cooking! I keep looking at some blueberries and strawberries that are sitting in the fridge and literally pushing my Mom and fella to enjoy a popsicle for me, lol. I can't WAIT until I'm off this room temperature everything!! Update: I'm so sorry your surgery date was postponed! Hey there @draikaina8503 - Greetings, fellow nerd-friend! Your response about playing D+D & WoW resonated with me! I, too, am a gamer and nerd! ❤️ I have tried so many times to revisit WoW but it just is NOT the same now that I don't have all of my old friends and guildies from the 2007-2015 era around I have played WoW since 2004 on and off, and now have somewhat given up and just play Sims4. I love being able to create story and be immersed in my gaming, and always felt guilty to move into the territory of roleplaying storyline with folks when I never knew how long I'd 'stick around' on a given revisit to the game. But here you are, only *two days* away from your surgery! I hope that everything goes smoothly for you and that they aren't stingy with the pain relief. Ice packs have been SO helpful for me, as I previously stated, and making yourself get up and walk as soon as possible will help alleviate the gas pain. I had them get me a fresh ice pack each time before I went walking and would hold it pressed to my surgical area while pushing the stupid IV pole with my other hand. Remember, too, it's the act of walking and NOT the speed! You'll almost certainly feel the burps start to rise up and the relief that comes with that is as Shoppgirl said - it feels like a rainbow after a storm once the tooting and burps begin. Also; I appreciate you sharing that you're going through this as an individual with Au/ADHD; I'm on a wait list right now for testing and your mention reminded me that I need to follow up on that! As a result of my opening the different pages of this thread in different tabs I feel SO much more able to handle making a response all in one go like this! For anyone having trouble tagging you have to do the @ symbol, then start typing the name of the person you want to tag with a capitol letter. It will bring up a list at that point and the more letters you type the shorter that list of names will get - you can then tap on the right name (or click, if you're using a mouse - hope this helps!) I actually just noticed by combing through that @Pepper_No_Salt is also an 8/16 surgery ! You and @draikaina8503 are indeed surgery twins, just like you said! I bet you're starting to *really* feel it now! Or did they not get you scheduled back for the same day? I am SO glad that you got that issue corrected - I was mad on your behalf when I saw that it was cancelled! Hello and welcome, @Farhad , and congratulations on your surgery! Which one did you have, if I missed it, and how are you doing? I hope your pain is being managed well and that are having a good recovery. It sure is wild how quickly we fatigue now, isn't it? I learned around days 5-7 post-op that standing and doing anything that requires movement side to side causes me a lot more tenderness than when I slowly walk forward for the same amount of time, and couldn't for the life of me understand why. I guess it just makes a difference on how the incisions are pulled or tugged. I've got staples that I sure HOPE they take out Thursday because I'm SO tired of them pulling and feeling weird as a rough surface on my skin. To @Onemealplan - Thanks for your post and all of your great reminders that this journey will be very individualized experiences. We can see similarities but I've also definitely noticed how varied some of the doctor's orders for pre and post-op are. I was feeling jealous of @ShoppGirl for her ice chips, but then again she ALSO had a much longer pre-op diet than I did and we both were going in for a SADI surgery. My doctor ordered me to start with the vitamins as soon as I got home from the hospital, and I was here worrying about how I didn't re-start my calcium until yesterday because even though I ordered Bariatric calcium because it was STILL three big pills, so I reordered a chewable and it just got here yesterday. I will say the chewy Fusion style Calcium ones are tasty and felt like a brief reintroduction to flavor town, lol. I also appreciate what you said about the difference between physical and mental hunger - that's 100% true for me. The 'idea' of food sounding nice to me I've been treating as a craving for flavor, and I've taken to trying to sate that with different flavors of water beverages and a rare sugar free candy like a jolly rancher. I don't know if I'm supposed to allow myself those or not, but so far thankfully haven't had any negative consequences for having the occasional one. The visit to flavor town is certainly a welcome break from this shake monotony. Welcome and congratulations to you @Greekmom4! I'm taking the Prilosec as well and am right along with you, today I am 8 days post-op. Have you been experiencing nausea still? I'm not sure if it's due to my type of surgery but I've not had much nausea in a while, thankfully. Granted, I am trying super hard to alternate sipping water/sugar free Gatorade/Propel every 15 minutes and a bit of a 30g Protein shake every 15 minutes most of the time when I'm not napping - which seems I can never really do, because whenever I go to get flat or semi-flat I feel the settling in my chest of burps that will only come up if I sit upright fully and/or walk. I have been fortunate (I guess??) to be able to meet my protein goals for the past several days; the 30g Protein drinks are SUPER filling and feel a little heavy, especially felt very heavy at first. Finally - to @ShoppGirl - I was rereading and realized that of COURSE your journey was different than mine, not only because we have pre-surgery differences but also because they took out your Gallbladder as well! I'm so glad you're starting to get some relief due to the burping and such. I agree, the post-surgery bowel movement made a world of difference. See also above where I discussed learning the difference between the Colace and Senna/Miralax! You're a go-getter, that's for sure! I personally wouldn't recommend vacuuming today even though I know you're SO eager to get back to being productive. You may have already done it lol - I wouldn't be surprised! Thanks for the reminder to get up and move; I took longer writing this big response post than I should have and even though I have my ice pack in my lap I know I'm way overdue to get up and move around a bit. I enjoy you your sterile strips, I've got a total of 12 staples and they tug and pull obnoxiously, plus I can feel where my body is trying to push them out and HATE it. Thursday can't come soon enough!! Wishing you the best and so thankful for your continued interactions and support -
August Surgery buddies
Hiddenroses replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hey! I'm SO glad your pain is better managed now than it was a few days ago! I totally hear you about the passing gas (and btw I need to go back to tagging multiple people in a reply, feel like I spammed this board >. ) I'm nervous about taking too much stool softener because I know with the SADI loose stools can be a thing but at the same time with all these danged protein shakes I'm just not sure the colace 2x day is doing enough. I hope bowel movements level out for me soon; I've gone from one extreme to the other once already and don't want to do it again lol -- We made it to the other side, though! I'm so happy for you and hope your recovery continues to go smoothly. I'm interested in the binder thing people keep talking about - I wonder if they didn't do that with me because I had the SADI/SIPS instead. (For those not familiar with the SADI/SIPS, it's basically just starting with the sleeve and the surgery they most commonly do to revise it by shortening the intestinal tract beneath in place of the Gastric Bypass right off the start - I chose it because I wanted to eventually be able to take NSAIDS and there's a thread here that discusses the SADI/SIPS more. My surgery was still laparoscopic and recovery has been about the same from what I see, just fewer points of connection internally to heal) I'm also excited for all the rest of you folks with upcoming surgeries! I don't want to spam anymore but did want to say to @Singingbarista and @AndreaJD that the insights you've offered were super helpful, especially in terms of 'telling others' about the surgery. That's GREAT advice - to say you've been working with a dietician and weight loss clinic. You're so right; it shouldn't matter what others think but women especially have long been taught to seek approval. It's just another thing to relearn and the amount of support on this forum has been absolutely fantastic. I finally got a delivery of Premier shakes this evening in flavors OTHER than chocolate, French vanilla, and Mocha and oh my goodness it's SO nice to taste something strawberry-ish! I didn't want to keep responding to each post independently but to those who had very little notice about the surgery date - that's for sure a mixed blessing! Less time to prepare, but less time to be nervous about it, I guess? Sometimes it's easier to just plunge in (as long as you feel educated and ready!) To all of you going through the liquid diets, especially if you feel hungry during it - I'd suggest you might really want to consider trying some of the 30g protein shakes. I was very worried that I would be hungry but those are surprisingly filling, especially if you drink a lot of sugar free flavored water / Gatorade / Powerade of some kind. And don't forget you can enjoy sugar free popsicles, flavored warm broths, fat free cottage cheese, sugar free pudding, sugar free jell-o, and sugar free yogurt (usually - I mean, obviously follow the guidelines you were given by your surgical team!) The pudding can be made with protein shakes to help with your protein intake instead of milk, and if you match the flavors it's actually quite tasty and filling. -
July 2024 surgery buddies
Ash206 replied to Zazu_89's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
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!! -
April 2024 Surgery Buddies
Mspretty86 replied to Lorna Nicole's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
Yes I think it's good to keep this chat active as it's takes community to remain steadfast! I am there with you about the same amount of weight loss overall had surgery 4/11/24. I think my daily 4am 5 miles crazy lady runs in the mornings has kept me toned loosing. Congrats on your weight loss! -
April 2024 Surgery Buddies
Lorna Nicole replied to Lorna Nicole's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
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. -
April 2024 Surgery Buddies
wendy4energyrenewal replied to Lorna Nicole's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
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? -
Yesterday I bought my first “regular” sized clothes in many, many years! (Maybe since high school which would have been 35+ years ago…) I’ve been wearing smaller plus-sized clothes (yes, a range of sizes) that I’ve had in storage from previous weight loss but they are all beginning to get loose too. I’m hoping to make it through summer in them but it was thrilling to find some well-fitting fall items for work. I was shopping with some plus-sized friends who have been very supportive but I didn’t want to make a big deal of it in front of them. Fun to celebrate it here though!
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August Surgery buddies
Mandalynne replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
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. -
Yea. That’s what I brought for my sleeve and it did work but I worried about the seatbelt being loose if we were in an accident. I was excited to find this because it shouldn’t slip off in an accident.
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August Surgery buddies
Hiddenroses replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm checking in! Surgery itself went smoothly in Monday morning although the gas left kind of a tight band sort of feeling around my chest that felt far too much like an anxiety attack. I remember them trying to talk to me and I just kept saying -tight chest, anxiety, don't like. They gave me some anxiety medicine that soothed me but did make me take a little longer to shake off the sedation. I elected to send my Mom and friend home after I was settled into my room because my Mom doesn't drive and she is so anxious herself that I tend to worry more about her than myself when hard times happen. I did some standing Monday afternoon before they prompted me because I knew standing and walking would be the only way to feel better and work the gas out. It took several tries for me to figure out how much of the flavored propel water I could drink without gagging it back up. It only took once though for me to realize retching )being sick to my stomach hurt like heck and was VERY unpleasant. I started rocking side to side, standing, walking, and stretching as much as I safely could to bring on burps because those delivered a bit of relief. Sleeping overnight was interrupted as expected by staff checking on me, getting vitals, etc. Tuesday morning I felt a little better and resumed the walking. I found that I needed to be sitting up completely with good posture if not standing for my little sips to go down better. I started sitting in the recliner more than. The bed for this reason - plus it taking less effort to get up that way. Staff was great though, bringing me heated blankets, helping me adjust the room temperature , etc. They moved me to to protein shakes Tuesday as well but as I was warned even the little sips still felt heavy and kind of unpleasant. Also, they don't taste very good when warm. I did more walking Tuesday and the staff even offered to help me shower but I went with the huge wipes instead because I was pretty tuckered out. I have 4 or 5 incisions with a total of I believe 12 staples. They took the bandaids off yesterday evening because they were starting to pull and be uncomfortable so that was my first look at them. There is one main incision in the center that tucks against a fold of skin that is definitely the most uncomfortable. I had to keep testing my comfort level for fluids and walking, I requested a different type of protein and found that room temperature beef broth didn't taste any better than the shakes. Ugh. They gave me some unflavored protein powder today to mix with my Propel and I got down about 2.5 oz but still not loving it. I was offered the chance to go home today but lucky me - my body DID decide to double up with my period starting this morning. I elected to take an extra day of IV fluids before heading home tomorrow seeing as I live 2 hours away from the hospital. All in all I keep being told I am doing great but I'm tuckered out. I have been frequent in asking for my pain medication, anxiety medication, and nausea medicine. This evening I've also had some heartburn. Oh - and you do need to ask for things generally, they will loosely ask if you need anything but can't just randomly offer pain meds. You can also ask for ice packs. Oh - the only things I had to ask for more than once was for my IV to be redone. My hand kept going cold with the meds and fluids making it ache more so I finally pushed a bit gently to get them to change it out. Bidding you all the best, hope this helps someone! 🙏🏻