Search the Community

I go tomorrow, so I'm right there with you QueenieB! I bringing my phone, headset and charger. Chapstick, gas-ex strips, a pillow for the ride home and little maternity belly bander And a book for the 2 hour wait before surgery. The hospitals have everything else in terms of toiletries. Tell the prep nurse/tech and they will supply you with pads. Or whatever they want you in. Girl, your whole body is about the be cut open, I don't think there is a such thing as TMI...LOL Good luck!!

I have surgery on Friday and my emotions are crazy. I'm scared, sad, excited etc. can anybody tell me what I should bring other than the regular stuff that I may not think to bring?? Of course I started my monthly cycle too. Does anybody think that could pose a problem. Sorry if that's TMI. Just can't believe this is really going to happen. I'm so nervous.

On the day of my surgery, January 14th, 2013, I was morbidly obese with a BMI over 50. I was suffering from horrific knee pain and was seriously looking at spending my life in a wheelchair. I couldn’t walk more than a block without having to sit and rest. I couldn’t do the simplest of things like put on socks, or pick up my legs to shave them in the shower. I knew I was probably done traveling. I had just been on a cruise where I couldn’t get off the ship because of the pain I was in. I was wearing 4X tops and 26/28 slacks. I knew I was going to have to buy clothes online soon because I was growing out of these sizes and even places like Avenue didn’t carry sizes much bigger. The larger I got, the more invisible I felt. I worried about being able to move in spaces that were no longer big enough for me. I made sure to get to the conference room at work before anyone else so I didn’t have to bring unwarranted attention to myself by forcing my colleagues to squeeze in just so I could pass them if I couldn’t get a seat near the door. I worried about restaurants with tight seating…airplanes with narrow seats and the looks from whoever was stuck sitting next to me. Oh God…just thinking about this even now makes me so very sad and hurt because the list of painful and embarrasing situations is a long one. That, however, was before my surgery. Today is my two year bandiversary and during those two years, I have lost around 150 lbs. That’s an amazing amount of excess weight to carry around on a very small frame. No wonder I was so uncomfortable. Today, I feel light as a feather. I can move normally again. As many of you know, I needed my hips replaced even before dealing with my knees. Turns out that my knees are fairly stable now as there is no excess weight to put unnecessary pressure on the joints. I can do all those things healthy people take for granted. I can walk anywhere and everywhere, I can cross my legs like a woman should be able to do, I can go up and down stairs…..hell, I can open my legs again and feel that marvelous weight of a man on top of me (sorry if that’s TMI but we're all adults here and sex is an important part of life that I thought was also in my past) Most of all…I fit in the world again and because I fit, the world has opened back up to me. After 20+ years, I'm wearing petites again. I'm in small sized tops and size 6 slacks. My legs aren't tree trunks anymore and I'm wearing dresses. And just an FYI for you ladies…If you want to attract a man, wear a dress. Works like a charm.. I love to clothes shop again. In these small sizes, the clothes are cute and pretty and I don't buy anything anymore just because it fits. I wear makeup again. My hair is styled attractively. I match the jewelry/bag/shoes to the outfits. Like I said above, I am very much aware now that people notice me. What an amazing transformation that is. To know that people see you again is such a powerful feeling….especially when you've felt invisible for so long. I’m traveling again. In fact, I’m planning a trip to China or now possibly a Nordic cruise to Finland and Norway sometime later this year. I hope to go on one big trip every year. There are so many places I didn't think I'd ever get to and now I need to make up for lost time and go wherever my heart desires. My grandson is due in April. I’ll be able to play with this one. My granddaughter missed out on a lot because I couldn’t keep up with her. She and I did a lot of arts and crafts, and reading books together or watching TV. I’m sure she didn’t feel like she missed anything but I know she did and this time around, Grandma is planning on climbing the monkey bars with this little guy when he gets old enough. One last thing I wanted to put out there. I must thank Alex for creating this site. It has been my salvation. The people here were and are, instrumental in my success. I have said things in my posts that no one outside of this place can truly understand and for that I am so very grateful. I am also blessed to call many of the folks on this site good friends of mine and I can’t wait to meet some of you face to face so I can give you a big hug. Here’s how I feel today..and most days in fact….I’m a person with two birthdays now. One in August of 1958 when I was born, and one in January of 2013 when I was re-born. For anyone reading this post, congrats if you have also found success in your weight loss journey and to those struggling, or who are pre-op and full of doubts and worries, know that a new life is possible for each and every one of you. I'm not special so if I could do this, so can you...no matter what your co-morbidities, starting BMI, or any other challenges you are facing. Here's a couple of before/after pics so you can see what 150 lbs. gone looks like. The ticker is just data but a picture is worth a thousand words as they say.

Has anyone had to have gallbladder surgery after already having surgery for your sleeve? My surgeons said it was too risky doing them at the same time, so on 1/19/15 I go in the hospital for gallbladder surgery and if so how did you feel after? (Tmi) did you have diarrhea, nausea, ect.. After you recovered? Thank you in advance!!

Hi Julie if I'm honest the only questions I ask were could I die... And was my tummy going to be flat and not sit on my legs wobble and be sweaty. I didn't look into possible bad outcomes. I was imo young, super fit at the time. I did have very stretched skin. Only about 1 in 10,000 gets my problems. I've had c sections and this was nothing like that. So much worse. By my surgery date I was so thin my overhang was pretty small. I had 3•5kg of skin/fat removed. A relatively small amount. I'd ask about drains I had mine in for over 3 wks. I'd ask about width of scars mine are pretty thick. I had a reaction to the thread they sewed me up with. My body kept rejecting it and new areas opened up. I'd ask worse case scenario outcome. I'd also advise stool softener. Tmi but it was an issue. If your having just a horizontal incision I believe it's even rarer for the wound to dehiss and become necrotic. Wear a good binder or support underwear. I didn't. Be prepared to feel totally zapped. It floored me for 3 months. But I've read a lot of positive outcomes. Look on real self. It's a great site. Lastly good luck.

Eating Greek yogurt is one of the topics I share with others about this lifestyle. I started to eat Greek yogurt on the advice of a health coach about two weeks before my pre-op diet. I detested it. I mixed in chocolate Protein powder, but the sourness was strong and it was like gagging with every spoon. After a month, I stopped gagging, but really hated it. I found I had tried so many brands hoping to find the one.....and I did.....Lucerne. It is the cheapest plain Greek yogurt. I had tried organic ones and ones with bigger brands or better packaging. I think Lucerne is a local, Texas brand. I must say while I don't like plain Greek yogurt, it has become a staple. I attribute some reductions in flatulence volume and toxicity to the yogurt (sorry if this is TMI). It remains on my doctor prescribed diet even after the Protein Powder and so many other things have gone away. I go through a 2# tub each week for $3.45. I don't shop at chains other than Randall's because other chains don't sell this brand. To me, it was part of the lifestyle change I needed to make, and I made it successful.

It's very interesting how many aspects of life the sleeve changes. I was sleeved almost 7 weeks ago and for the last 2 weeks all I want to do is make love to my man! I'm insatiable!!! And I haven't been like this for a long time and I DON'T want this to end! Lol Sorry if that is TMI, but it's just nice to want to be intimate more than once a week.

Well this coming week will be my 6th week out of work, today my energy level is at an all time low, my stomach hurts, (tmi) diarrhea, migraine, and lost 11lbs in 2 days... I spoke to my surgeon and he's sending me to the ER for tests, hope all goes well thank you all for your support!

Ok, that makes sense. Thank you SuzeMuze. My diet has me on low sugar, good carbs, good fats and protein, protein, protein. I'm just hoping to be able to "gently" find out what's gonna make me sick. But, it's trial and error, sorta. Us gotta have common sense. Thanks for sharing with me. Never TMI around here!✌

@ I'm very fortunate to be able to say that I've never had the experience of dumping, but the fear of getting sick outweighs my desire to have the sugar again, and to be perfectly honest, my cravings for sweet stuff are nowhere near what they used to be. From what I understand, it's the sugar that causes the dumping, not the actual item- dumping can happen from lots of kinds of sugar, not necessarily just candy/cake/whatnot. I've listened to folks who've told me they dump on Pasta, bread, and fruit juices! If you look around the forum here, you'll see all kinds of stories of people's experiences with dumping, & that fear is of anything that has sugar- not one food item specifically. What I have experienced (and I don't know if there's an official name for it) is a stabbing pain right at the base of my breastbone. The best information I could find is that it's caused by food blocking the itty bitty stoma (opening to your new itty bitty stomach pouch). For me, it happens when food is too dry (like meat) or doughy (like breads). It's absolutely horrible, and what's worse is that trying to wash it down with a drink of Water doesn't help at all. Top it off with an inability to throw everything up (Sorry if this is TMI) and it's an overall miserable time for me. But, similar to dumping, I remember every single food that made me feel that way (since I can't seem to group them by nutritional content), and I won't touch it again for a loooong time.

We were quiet yesterday. It's nice seeing how everyone is. Thanks! TMI warning: As we all have screen names so even if we sit side by side at work I will admit this... I stink. Not an unclean stink but the "Amusement Park" and the underarms too - kind of sour/metallic. I've been reading that happens but ugh. Granted it's not somewhere that there's more than one guest and he's equally as in awe with this process and patiently listens. I started packing wet wipes for a midday refresh.

Hey guys! I hope everyone is doing well and haven't had any major issues. How have the progression through the different food stages been? For me, I haven't had too many problems aside from acid/burning stomach but I've been prescribed more acid reducing meds, and I'm much better!! One thing I find crazy is I have so so so much gas... like all the time. Not necessarily painful but I'm constantly tooting lol (sorry if this is TMI) I was just wondering if any of you have been experiencing the same thing? It's the weirdest thing ever.... to me anyway. If anyone has insight as to why I'm experiencing this much gas that would be awesome. I was sleeved November 26th and so far it's been good! I hope you all are doing well! Sheena :-)

Aww thanks ladies! Yeah I still have a gallbladder, I'm just so scared to go back to er I'm really tired of being there. My lil one has been with me on and off, my mom took him for 6 days because I couldn't get up from bed and when I did get up it was literally crawling to get him stuff. The last 4 days he's been here and so has his dad ugh yuck. I think I'm losing too fast too but I know its because of me not eating. I did go get blood work with my pcp around xmas and everything was good except my anemia and everything that has to do with hematology. I feel better today but I just don't feel any hunger or desire to do anything with my life. I also think I'm dealing with depression due to everything that has happened, its like I just sleep all day and I have moments that I'm crying reflecting on my life mistakes. This is tmi but I've been so down that I haven't even showered in like 10 days, the pain won't allow me to stand in the shower and call me nasty but I haven't even tried to wash myself, all I do is crawl to the kitchen fill up a water bottle, cry and then sleep. I'm a mess, I can't wait to feel better.

My meal plan Tuesday B- hard boiled egg L- leafy romaine with grilled chicken, tomato, cucumber, shredded cabbage, 1 Tbs honey mustard dressing (about 1/2 cup of the salad) S- juiced Apple, orange, spinach, celery D- broiled chx breast (2oz) Mediterranean veggies (1/4 cup) didn't finish all of either items. 11 weeks post gastric bypass My belly is BIG time bloated tonight! Not feeling gassy or sick. Just look like I'm really pregnant!??? Too many veggies? Time of month? TMI alert....I've had 3 bowel movements in the last 24 hours!! Whoohoo!

@@Beni So sorry to hear you had so much trouble while on vacation. I've had this happen to me three times. My surgery was 10/22/14. About six weeks ago I tired salmon (previously I loved Salmon). For the rest of the evening, I spit up and could not keep anything down. That was the milder of the episodes I've had. About three weeks ago, I ate some turkey that must have been too dry. I spent the rest of the day spitting up Water that I had tried to sip on three hours after eating the turkey. I also had dry heaves. I know TMI. Just miserable. I could not take my meds etc. The next morning, I felt better. Two days ago, I made a really nice beef roast. I chewed and chewed and then spent the rest of the day really miserable and spitting up/heaving/vomiting every 1/2 an hour for the rest of the day. I guess my pouch is not ready for such food. It is disappointing. I hope you feel better.

@@MyssJones Hummm, are you drinking enough fluids? What kind of yogurt are you eating? Some yogurt is really high in sugar! Of course if it's close to time for your monthly you can easily gain that in water weight . Do you need to drink some "smooth move" tea to get things going? (I now tmi) but constipation can add the pounds too. Do you track your food?

I'm battling a lovely cold which has turned into a sinus infection, so I'm on antibiotics. I never really noticed any digestive "complaints" from taking antibiotics pre-op, but it's a whole new ball game now... Ugh! It almost reminds me of the pre-op bowel prep (sorry, TMI!). Anything I can do/take to help reduce the effects?

Hi everyone. TMI nausea warning at 10 weeks post Bypass. Anyone suffer from nausea after eating? This just started for me and I throw up slime, not actual food. It's not foam but a clear or with a tinge of color, thick stuff. The nausea sometimes lasts for for hours as well as the vomiting. Very early on I did get a little nausea because I thought I could eat 1/2 cup but could only actually eat 1/4 cup. An extra bite was too much. This is different. This is full blown nausea, I am going to throw up in the middle of the room if I don't run to the bathroom. In fact, I lost it in the car. Not sure what to do because it happens with all sorts of foods I could eat before. Anyone knows what this is? What to do? Experienced it? Help!

Hello to anyone bothering to read this, My "story" may be unusual. I am already one year and twenty days out from surgery/post-op. I have never really looked into blogs, etc. until now. My weight on surgery day (12/24/2014) was 217 lbs and my current weight is 156.8 lbs (I am a little bloated from PMS, sorry if that's TMI lol)! Things generally are going fine and well. My doctor has been thrilled, saying I have lost the highest threshhold of "excess weight" typical for the sleeve procedure. I am now in the "normal" BMI range, although on the higher end to be fair. So, I guess I am writing to see, if I am nuts. My MD/nutritionist/other surgery support team have in a very tactiful way, that I probably should not anticipate losing any more weight. But, in a perfect world, I would like to be a little further down in the margin for my height (5'6.5"), so closer to 140 lbs. Is this unrealistic? Does anyone who is further along in their weight loss/surgery process have any insight? Has anyone lost *that* much of their overall body weight? Notwithstanding some little extra tastes along the way of the holidays and a slight execise slowdown for that time frame, I am just trying to consistently stay active at the gym at least three days per week and eat lots of protein/take those Vitamins. If anyone has any tips/thoughts/etc. for these last 16 (ish) pounds in my push, I am very open! Have a nice day!

It's the little things that count! I can now: -cross my legs. Don't do it often because it doesn't feel natural yet. :-) -put on socks without being a contortionist to bring my feet up high enough to get then on, -bend over and tie my shoes! -walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator Might be a little TMI on this one, but I can wipe front to back now and haven't been able to do that in years. Finally feeling better after problems with dehydration and will start walking again. Life is getting better every day!

Happy Birthday. So cute you both share the same b-day. I feel much better but while on vacation that first day was not the best and I actually threw up in the car. Thank goodness I had a bag because it came so sudden there was no time to stop. Today I have been fine but all my food was mushy. Yogurt is my friend. The odd thing is I throw up just slime. No food at all (maybe a tiny bit). Sorry for the TMI. Does anyone have this? It's like the food won't come up.

For some reason people tend to use way too many abbreviations. This causes exclusion and confusion. So here is a list of abbreviations that are commonly used in this forum. Abbreviations ACL = Anterior cruciate ligament AMRAP = As Many Rounds As Possible (crossfit) bc = because BCBS = Blue Cross/Blue Shield BED = Binge Eating Disorder bf = best friend BM = bowel movement BMI = Body Mass Index bp = blood pressure BPD = Borderline Personality Disorder or Biliopancreatic Diversion (Scopinaro procedure) btw = by the way CBT = cognitive-behavioral therapy CC = common channel c diff = clostridium difficile cos or cuz = because CPAP = continuous positive airway pressure CRNP = certified registered nurse practitioners cw = current weight CXR = Chest X-Ray Dr. = doctor DS = Dumping Syndrome or Duodenal Switch EGD = Esophagogastroduodenoscopy EKG = Electrocardiography ff = fat free GERD = gastroesophageal reflux disease GI = gastrointestinal GNC = General Nutrition Corporation store GP = general practitioner or family doctor HBP = high blood pressure hr = heart rate hw = highest weight ICU = Intensive Care Unit Idk = I don’t know IMHO = in my humble (honest) opinion IMO = in my opinion IUI = Intrauterine insemination LAP Band = Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band lol = laughing out loud LSG = Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy med = medicine msg = message NASH = Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis nf = non fat NG = Nasogastric NP = nurse practitioner NSAIDS = Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSV = non-scale victory (“scale” means “weight scale”) NUT = nutritionist Onederland = a magical place or destination for those trying to lose weight. It might correspond to attaining a weight in the hundreds or losing a hundred pounds. op = operation OSA = Obstructive sleep Apnea Oz = Australia PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCP = Primary Care Physician PM = private message (email) PMS = premenstrual syndrome postop or post–op = post-operation or post-surgery PPI = Proton Pump Inhibitors ppl = people preop or pre-op = pre-operation or pre-surgery PTSD = Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PVC = Premature ventricular contractions RA = Rheumatoid arthritis RN = registered nurse RNY = Roux-en-Y s/f or sf = sugar free smh = shaking my head, scratching my head sw = weight at surgery tmi = too much information TPN = total parenteral nutrition u = You VSG = Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Vit = Vitamin wks = weeks WLS = Weight Loss Surgery WOD = Workout of the Day w/o = without wt = weight or :-) = ☺ = smiley face or :-( = ☹ = sad face

I'm on day 3 post op. Gas is more controlled. I still am having issues swallowing, but I found if I walk and drink it's better to swallow. I took a shower this morning and it felt great; except the stinging from my belly button ????. Actually, the only real pain I have is in my belly button and from my drain. I know this is tmi, but it really made me happy! I had a bm today! Haven't had one since the 1st day of the liquid diet. I am used to having at least one a day...those 4 days really scared me! On a not disgusting note, I also realize I have to remember I can't eat/drink like I used to. My appetite is coming back and I used to be a big drinker. I just poured myself a huge tumbler of apple juice and as soon as I did, I remembered... I can't drink all of this! I guess I will have many moments like that in the beginning ????

Thanks everyone. I can't tell you how I appreciate the support. It's been an incredibly tough time - actually MUCH harder bc I can't eat to comfort myself. Which was the point of my surgery but I thought I wouldn't need it so soon. I'm doing much better now that I'm on soft foods. While I'm struggling with horrible potty issues (sorry tmi) and the anxiety and depression - at least physically I'm beginning to feel more normal. Not a lot of energy but I think I'm seeing improvement each day. I have an appt with my cardiologist on Monday and I think I will go to a specialist and ask about an ablation. The heart attack was incredibly scary to me. But if I had know it would have happened I probably wouldn't have had surgery. So in a sense I'm glad I didn't know it could happen before surgery. I do have a great therapist who has helped me through all of this and see her each week. God knows I need it! Thanks again so much. I don't get a ton of support from my family so it means the world to have it online.

I am 2 days post op and had blood in my stool. Called surgeon and he said if it continues it call him back. I am seeing if anyone else has gone through this.