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This is going to vary so much from person to person because everyone’s recovery is different. I am not working right now but if I did i probably could have gone back the same week. I was one of the lucky ones that had very little pain post op but for whatever reason some people have a great deal of pain and it lasts for days or even weeks. I would plan on longer but discuss with HR the option to go back sooner if you feel up to it. Half days may be a good option when you do go back cause the one thing everyone seems to say is how tired they are after surgery. I took lots of naps.

I had surgery on Monday and returned to work on Thursday. I do have a desk job and did work from home on Thursday and Friday of that first week. Truth be told, although I did get some things accomplished, I didn't feel great and wished I had just taken the full week off. Week two was fine for me, once I got off the liquid diet.

I am going to ask my dr about straws at my next appt. I am six months out and haven’t tried it yet but I really miss my tervis cups with the lid and straws. I have my appt coming up in a couple weeks. Will keep you posted on their take on using them a while post surgery.

Hi! I just signed up with Bariatric Pal, so I'm unsure how this works! I am not tech savvy! My surgery will probably be scheduled for October or November. I have fulfilled my six month insurance requirements and have gotten approved! That is, if I don't back out of having it! I've worked so hard getting here, but now I'm unsure and dealing with some other personal issues that may affect my decision! I go back and forth with it every day! I'm 65 years old and have been obese for about 20 years now, so I still remember what it is like to be thin and miss myself! But now, it is more for health reasons that I must do this surgery or lose weight on my own! I was 259 when I first signed up for program. Now I am 229 after 6 months on diet.I did great the first three months, but it gets harder because I do not like vegetables and I do not like to cook, so I am not eating as well as I should. This high protein, low carb diet is supposed to be for life, so I'm worried about sticking to it! I'm more scared about complications after surgery than I am the surgery, although I don't like the idea of that either! Im questionsing why I'm getting this done, since I did lose some without it. Will it really make it easier because I won't be hungry? Or, will I just get sick if I eat wrong or too much!! Good luck to all y'all!

I took three weeks off but could have gone back after two. I had a desk job.

I find I swallow more air not using a straw, and that using a straw is much more comfortable. I started using one a few weeks after surgery. If it had caused discomfort, I would have stopped.

I'm 4 months out too and also started noticing this in the last few weeks. Each hair brushing session I'm finding I'm emptying the brush bristles like 3-4 times!! Not to mention all the hair on the bathroom floor. From what I've read about it they just say to make sure you're up on your vitamins/minerals/protein and that it will eventually stop and grow back again. Something about how your body, after surgery, starts utilizing the vitamins/minerals/etc for more important things (to the body anyway) like the heart, lungs, etc. That it sorta puts your hair in a dormant stage which is why it falls out but that it eventually evens itself out and will start growing again. Since I already know I'm getting getting what I need vitamin/mineral and protein-wise, I'm just gonna stick it out and see how it goes.

I’m nervous. I am one week post op. I have been passing gas but one I almost farted but at the last minute realized it was diarrhea and almost pooped myself. I had a distal gastric bypass which is similar to the duodenal switch with malabsorption. Will this get better? I’m really afraid of becoming incontinent

I was back to work in 7 days. I have a desk job and no physical requirements other than sitting on my ass. I did make sure I got up atleast hourly and took a 10 minute walk around the office and warehouse to keep things moving. I did wear compression stockings for a couple weeks after I started back to work.

I haven't had surgery yet but when talking with my surgeon they originally suggested 2 weeks and 7 days off of work minimum. I explained that I work from work and am not on phones or required to be at my computer at all times leaving me freedom to get up walk around, drink, etc... They seemed to be ok with that but still emphasized how important it is to take time off work to get accustomed to the new you and rest.

I have my surgery on 10/8 and they only requested a liquid diet 2 days before the actual surgery. How many days or weeks is it usually?

So happy to see everyone doing so well! I had my sleeve on June 16. I am down approximately 33 lbs. My weight loss has slowed to a crawl but I am 5'1" and alot older than most people so for me, this is good. I have been experiencing excruciating hunger pains for some time. The first 6 - 8 weeks was the worst. Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like I'm going through some sort of "withdrawal" symptoms. Definitely not fun!

It is my two-week mark; I have lost another lb (15lbs) total and can eat soft foods. However, bowel movements and gas increase if you eat the wrong things, and I have now experienced cramps when I need to go. To clarify, I had the modified DS, SADI with 250 CM.

I recommend the app called Migraine Buddy - it helps to track all sorts of things like what medication you took and frequency of migraines/headaches, also has a lot of information on it as well. You say you use Excedrin 3-4 times a week : this could lead to medication overuse headaches. 😔Unfortunately a lot of people who suffer from headaches/migraines end up with this at one time or another.. I did too and it sucked ☹️  You get headaches and can’t function so you take meds, and they happen often so you end up having even more headaches from taking too much medicine! I forced myself to go cold turkey (except triptan if I had a migraine), but there are other ways to go about combating this with your doctor’s help. Of course not saying you definitely have it, but there’s a possibility, and a risk of getting it if you don’t ☹️ I’d rather let you know so you don’t walk around just suffering through it like so many of us do because ‘everyone has headaches’ (very unhelpful comment I’ve heard too often, and that friends with the same predicament also heard too often). Other than that one of the most important things you can do to avoid all this pain is live by a schedule.. Go to bed at the same time every day, wake up at the same time every day (no more than 30 mins variation). Eat at roughly the same times and never ever drink loads of caffeine one day and none the next.. Your body likes predictability. Turn on Night shift on your phone in the evening and see if you can find glasses with a blue light filter to protect your eyes. Stay hydrated! Regarding non-medicinal pain relief, there are so many different methods and they don’t always work for everyone, and sometimes something that worked before doesn’t seem to work anymore. Some of the most helpful ones I’ve tried are the following: 1. CBD oil (kinda medicinal but I doubt a doctor is going to prescribe it) 2. Sitting in a bathtub and spraying hot Water over my head and shoulders with the shower head 3. Lying on a ‘ramp’ of pillows, elevating my head, shoulders and back in bed 4. A spa mask with beads in that covers 3/4 of my face, I keep it in the fridge 5. Running cold(ish) water over my feet for a good long while 6. A hot cherry pit ‘pillow’ that looks like a sort of collar that drapes over my shoulders and goes all the way up to the beginning of my hairline in my neck (bought it on Amazon) If you get that app, you can see what tools others have used to deal with the pain as well! It’s used by hundreds of thousands of people. It helped me not feel so crazy after I had a migraine after my second vaccine this year because almost 200k users had listed it too. I hope this information helps - definitely do try to see a specialist too! 🌸

Height: 5’ 4.75” Pre-surgery: 256 Surgery day: 241 6-mo weight: 162 I hit a one-month stall in month 5. I increased calories and saw weight start to drop again. I hope that helps!

start stocking up on protein powders like Premeir Protein. You will go through a lot of that between pre op diet and after surgery. I would also stock up on bone broth for sipping that first couple weeks after surgery. It goes down nice and has protein in it. A nice break from plain water.

Hey guys I'm back to check in. To those of you still on the preOp diet and those of you worrying about what the future may hold: I had my surgery 9/10, am almost 2 weeks out and while there are some things I am dealing with that I will share, all of this has been so worth it. I had the gas pains after surgery and while they seriously made me question what the heck I had gotten my self into, I forced myself to walk and stretch as much as I could and they dissipated pretty quickly (1-2 days). My reaction to the anesthesia was pretty rough, I was tachycardic and had to be put on oxygen for a bit after coming to. It took me at least a full 12 hours to be totally awake and get rid of the weakness in my legs. And lastly, today marks 27 full days where my intake has been liquid (including preOp diet) so I feel a little spacey and weak sometimes. BUT, I get better every day, can walk further every day, my clothes get looser every day, and only have 8 more days til I can have my first taste of soft foods - gonna go for an egg with a bit of avocado I think... Now for the hard numbers - I weighed myself this morning to get accurate numbers. I weighed 245 at the beginning of LRD and weighed in at 218 today - down 27 pounds. I already see a huge difference in my face and want to cry that I waited even this long to make this decision for myself. I am an overthinker and worrier by nature, so if you are doubting or are worried and want to talk, I am willing to talk it through with you. This is one of those times when you gotta take the leap of faith and trust that you have the drive to follow the plan and make this happen. The anticipation is killer but being in it and doing it, you're able to focus on the steps to take to be successful and it feels incredible to be doing something so productive for yourself.

Lots of different programs…with the conflict ling info you are getting, I’d probably listen to my surgeon regarding VOLUME/PROGRESSION of food, while looking to the dietitian for NUTRITION advice. But thats just me. With that said, my program was: - Clear fluids: 1 day - Full fluids: 2 weeks - Pureed: 1 week (which i skipped and just continued with Full fluids cuz pureed stuff made me gag at the thought.) - Minced: 1 week - Soft food: 1 week - Then cleared for everything.

I was told using straws *may* contribute to excess air being swallowed into ur belly, which can cause discomfort in some. With that said, i used a straw for the first time post op at around 3 weeks. No issues for ME. I don’t really use straws much but when I do/did, I had no adverse effects. Your mileage may vary. If u can do without, just pass on the straws…better for the environment and avoid any possible issues. Up to you, though. You’ll likely find out pretty quickly is you are one of the ones who get affected. Good Luck! ♥️

For some reason I want a list of the liquid diet allowed foods for my 2 week pre surgery diet. I think I want to test different flavors, etc, and know what's allowed and what isn't. To prepare myself. My "coach" says Ill get it at my nutrition meeting, which isn't for a month. Anybody?

Hi all! Did anyone have their gallbladder removed prior to their weight loss surgery? Prior to considering weight loss surgery, I was doing Jenny Craig for a bit in 2020, but dropped it after about 6 months for a number of reasons. Prior to that, I never had any issues with my digestive tract. Over the last year, about once a month, I was getting what I found out were gallstone attacks. It got really bad the week of Labor Day and I went in for emergency surgery by the end of the week (Sept 10). Also over the last year, I was researching options for weight loss surgery. My insurance does not cover any weight loss anything, but I found out that the options out there were actually affordable for me self-pay. Once my gallbladder came out (baby's first surgery), I knew it was time. I'm already having to change the way I eat- why not go all in? My surgeons from both sides agreed they could be done fairly close together. I had virtually no real pain in recovery for the gallbladder removal and both surgeons have told me VSG will be a similar pain level, up a notch, for post-op recovery. Since my last surgery was pretty much forced upon me, I didn't have time to consider options or worry for weeks about surgery... I'm finding myself now post-consult with a surgery date in-hand (October 13th) and feeling pretty confident about getting the procedure itself. I know gallbladder removal is pretty common post-op, but did anyone have it done pre-op? How did the pain compare to your WLS? How long were you between surgeries? What are some things that got easier or more difficult pairing the two removals? I look forward to hearing about your experiences!

there seems to be no consensus among surgeons re: coffee. Some don't want you to have it ever again in your life (or at least the caffeinated kind), other patients are drinking it in the hospital the day after surgery. Some say to wait a month - or three months - or six months - before having it, and still others say it's OK in small amounts (like one cup a day). So...there you go. I could drink decaf pretty quickly after surgery - maybe three weeks or so after? - but i had to wait six months for the real stuff. Anyway, I know this isn't helpful - but just know that surgeons are all across the board on this.

I'm only 5 weeks out from surgery, and I am already wishing I had done this sooner. Obviously will have to reassess this in the future as time progresses. I think many of us on this board are very experienced at losing weight - sometimes massive amounts. The issue is we are also pros at gaining it back, usually with extra lbs tacked on top of what we originally lost. The long term success rates for people losing large amounts of weight and keeping it off without surgery are low - I can't recall the percentage but I think less than 5%. Biologically, there are a lot of factors that make it extremely difficult (but not impossible) to be have long term success the "normal" way of losing. Surgery isn't guaranteed to keep it off, but it is a tool that helps make it more likely - both in terms of the way it changes your eating but also the changes it can cause biologically that we have no control over. This isn't to say you should get the surgery, but more to suggest perhaps discussing these issues with the bariatric PA and doing you own research to arm you with all the data around what might get you were you want to be permanently. It's a very personal decision and you have to be ready to do it or else it won't be successful.

Hi, sorta same thing for me. Sorta. I was immediately taken off cholesterol meds by my 1 week follow up. At my 1 month & 3 month follow ups, the levels remained acceptable. But at my 6 month, it shot up again and my doc understood it was due to weight loss so didn't re-prescribe me anything. By my 9th month it was lower, by my 1st year it was normal again.

That first week is tough! In fact, the first few weeks are a big adjustment. Having feelings like, "What did I do?"😱, came up a few times over those first few weeks. Recovery from the surgery was smooth for me, but drinking & eating weren't fun or easy. It gets easier & better as you move through the stages of the diet plan & can tolerate more foods & beverages. Seeing success on the scale or with NSVs will also help it all seem worth it. Right now, I am almost 2 months post op and slightly over 40 pounds down. My clothes are getting baggy. I am able to eat a variety of foods, but know when to stop. I feel like I am in control of my eating for the first time in my life. It is so much easier for me to make better choices & try to practice mindful eating. At this point, this seems to be effective for me & I would do it again. I hope it continues to be a helpful tool in successfully losing weight & maintaining it. I hope the surgery is successful in helping you achieve your weightloss goals & that you will be pleased with your decision. 😁