What to expect the day of surgery & the days after

[apebrown 1]

Im 2 1/2 weeks pre-op, my surgery date is November 7th. Im having it done at UCLA and I was wondering what to expect before and after surgery. I want to be prepared as much as possible..... Any advise would be great too....

[Thomas CPA 496]

Before surgery is pre op diet. Some diet for weeks. For me it was stop eating 24 hours before and no Water morning of - even if brushing teeth they said don't swallow. I even delayed my medication until after recovery.

Post surgery - you will be on a liquid diet - Water, Jello, broth for two weeks. Then mushie diet - yogurt, cottage cheese, blended food, apple sauce.

Pain was minor, no medications needed for me though others had taken some. After surgery while in hospital I took the pain meds through the IV portal. But once released I was fine. Had to sleep in recliner for a week because stretching out with the staples pulled the skin and hurt. Main incision where they removed the stomach was a little annoyingly painful and felt like a large knot for several weeks.

I went in on Thursday and was planned to be released Saturday but was not drinking water so they took me off IV for a day and felt better. Left on Sunday and was driving on Monday.

Once you get past the first four weeks of post op diets and back to real foods you are skating downhill.

[{~Shannon~} 0]

Hi!

I am new to this site, so sorry in advance if anything sounds weird!

I had my vsg on 4/26/11 and for me my preop was 2 weeks of liquid only dies w 3 Protein Shakes a day. If u r having surgery in 2 weeks and a diet is necessary, ur dr should have told u by now. If u do have a long diet like I did, I won't lie.....it sucked! Temptation is so hard and eating like we did for so long is a hard habit to break.

Post op I was in pain, but it wasn't the incisions that caused it. I had the surg laproscopically and so there was a drain in my upper torso. That was where the pain came from. My surgeon says some patients have this pain cause the drain is pushing on their diaphram and everytime I took a breath, it was awful! I was soooooo thirsty, but not once was I hungry.

After I got to start drinking again and they removed that stupid drain, it was smooth sailing!

I went home after 2 days and when I got home I didn't have one bit of pain. I coulda ran a marathon 3 days after surgery, I felt that awesome.

Followed the liquid diet for another 2 weeks then I graduated to soft foods.

6 months out and I am eating normally. I am down 90lbs and 25 away from goal!!

If u have any other questions or anything, message me and I will b happy to help!

Take care and good luck!

[apebrown 1]

Thats some great info !! Im on a 1200 calorie diet til surgery to lose my remaining 10 lbs before the 7th. Do they take the drain out before you leave the hospital? Also im having an issue with finding a good tasting Protein Shake, any advise or suggestions?

[Thomas CPA 496]

The drain came out before leaving. As for Protein drink, I use EAS from Target though you can get it elsewhere. Tried the cheap stuff from costco and threw it out.

I find the vanilla is good with fat free milk instead of Water, plus adds more Protein. Also I put in 1/2 banana or some strawberries for flavor. After surgery for about 4 to 6 weeks you should stay away from strawberries as they have small seeds which are a no-no for awhile. But you could add some sort of flavoring to the shake.

The whole idea of the preop diet is to remove fatty liver to make surgery easier.

[{~Shannon~} 0]

The 2 I have had is body fortress from Walmart. It is super cheap and lasts about 2 weeks. I had the chocolate, vanilla and chocolate Peanut Butter. The only one that I could drink daily is the regular chocolate. The vanilla is gross plain, adding fruit and stuff makes it tolerable. The chocolate peanut butter is nasty. They say it tastes like a reeces.....ummmm no it don't! Lol

Also Unjury is good. I think it is only sold online though. The only 2 I tried is chocolate and unflavored. The chocolate is asesome. Most shakes have a gritty texture and Unjury don't. It is smooth like chocolate milk. The unflavored is gross. It has flavor and I was burping it up for hours. I even mixed it with a flavored drink and it didn't mask the flavor.

Also, any shakes that say use milk or water.....just as the post above says USE MILK! Milk adds extra protien and also makes them creamier and less lumpy and chalky.

Another brand is Click. If u like iced coffee or latte u should try them. There is mocha and vanilla. They have a website and if u "like" em on Facebook, they will send u a free sample (atleast they did for me). Also ask ur nutritionist @ ur surgeons office for samples, if they don't have any, contact the company via the websites and they will most likely offer to send samples to ur dr office 4 u.

[Lisa :) 231]

I have been using Jay Robb whey Protein powders for years (even before I decided on WLS). Several flavors available: vanilla, choc, strawberry, pina colada, tropical dreamsicle and unflavored. I've not tried the pina colada or the unflavored but the others are all very good. What I like about them is the consistency and taste. They mix very well without a blender with either milk or Water. They are 0 carb, 0 fat and 25 grams of protein. They are gluten free and made with stevia. It's not cheap stuff though....I pay 35 bucks for a 24 oz bag which is 23 servings but worth every penny to me.

[rosiegirl 6]

Hi - good luck w/your surgery - I'm sure you will do great.

I was sleeved on Sept 24, and to be honest, the first 1 1/2 was much harder for me than I had anticipated. I was in more pain/discomfort than anyone had forewarned me about, but that's just me. Sounds like a lot of people have it easier than I did, but just don't be scared or discouraged if you're in pain for a good week to 2 weeks. Then, magically, it all starts to get better .. i'm feeling soooo much better now and it's only been just shy of 5 weeks, so that just give you a glimpse of what it feels like through a newbies eyes who did have some uncomfortable days.

I have lost almost 30 lbs now, and I'm really happy. I have about 100 more to go, but I am patient and realize it took me like 15 years to get to this point so if it takes me 1-2 years to take it off, I will be way ahead of the game.

I'm still on mushies, but did manage to have some sliced turkey breast today (very thinly sliced .. about 3 pieces) and managed to keep it down. i tried mushy tuna fish a few days ago, but that didn't stay down .. so i waited till today to try something more "solid" .. one of the best mushies I have had was a can of lentil Soup (which I totally love lentil vegetable soup) and pureed it in a baby bullet and heated up ... it has been my savior these past few weeks on mushy stage ... you might find comfort in more warmer mushies/liquids than cold after the surgery, so keep that in mind. Decaffinated flavored tea (hot) was also very very soothing to me after the surgery my first two weeks.

I use Jay Rob unflavored Protein powder and mix it in (a huge scoop) with 20 oz of flavored (cappuccino) soy milk (it's very low fat) .. I buy the soy milk in the grocery store in the healthy food isle -- it comes in a box and is not in the refrigerated isle but rather, is boxed like some boxed juices or Tomato sauce might be (like Palme - sp?) ... but once you get home you can put in the refrigerator and then it will be cold when you make your Protein shake and it really tastes quite good - almost like a milkshake (this has been the only way I can get my Liquid Protein in w/protein powder since I am not a fan of Protein Powder and this has no smell (the unflavored Jay Robb) and the Cappuccino soy milk makes it taste like a milkshake).

Anyway, I hope this is helpful. Oh - you can buy Jay Robb's unflavored Protein Powder directly online via Jay Robb's website -- it's not the cheapest thing around, but it's good and has been a saving grace for me and worth every penny. I know have it on autoship so I am sure to have every month when I need ...

Good luck and hang tight -- I'm sure you will do great! (if I could, then anyone can!)

RG

Im 2 1/2 weeks pre-op, my surgery date is November 7th. Im having it done at UCLA and I was wondering what to expect before and after surgery. I want to be prepared as much as possible..... Any advise would be great too....

[mullet head 18]

Best advice is too be PATIENT...everyone will recover in different ways.

I felt pretty good going into surgery and the first night or two, I was really wondering what the heck I had done to myself and was having regrets...

Like other have said, you will feel some discomfort...mine was in the form of the gas they pump you up with in order to work in your belly.

For the first 2 days I could not drink hardly at all, every sip (micro-sip) made what felt like a big bubble in my chest like you had to burp but couldnt...

Trust me, it gets MUCH better every day!!!

I was a totally new person by the 4-5th day and could have returned to work but wanted to be fully "recovered" from surgery so was able to be off for about 10 days total.

BTW, my doc did not put in a drain or have me do the swallow, xray leak test...

Good luck on your journey!!

MH

surgery date: Oct 12, 2011