Follow my Gastric Sleeve journey from Day 1 post op!

[dreamscometrue 262]

Good evening, all! I thought I would take the advice of @@LuminousLife and journal my story for therapeutic reasons. I have chosen to only tell my husband, mom, and 2 best friends (from different states) and I figured since I've been getting support for months here from all of you, I could maybe assist others!

I will first give a little bit of my background. I am 27 years old, married with no children (yet)! I am not on any medications, blood pressure and cholesterol, etc are all great... I just need to lose weight! (About 125 lbs to be exact.) I officially started this journey back in August, however had been researching my options for about a year before that.

I was sleeved this morning at 9am and my surgeon said everything went perfectly! Honestly, I had been expecting the worst... Gas pains, stomach soreness, not being able to pee, etc... I have had NONE of that. Knock on wood, other than a dry mouth, I feel so blessed to have today go as well as it did. I got to my room at about 11am (I believe) and I felt sick to my stomach for about an hour and kept falling asleep. At about 2pm, I noticed I already felt way better. I've been taking advantage of sleeping when I want (I literally did not sleep all last night bc I got sick from this stupid tofu Soup I ate for lunch. Gross.) I've been using my spirometer when I can and been taking laps around the Bariatric unit every two hours, each time feeling better and better! Any questions/comments are greatly welcomed!

Edited March 23, 2014 by dreamscometrue

[happylace 3]

I'm gal you are having such a easy go. I was sleeved Friday morning gas was so bad didn't sleep at all Friday night. Discharged Sat afternoon, fighting to keep nausea at bay. I normally bounce back fast after surgeries for this one though seems not so much. I hope you do well after discharge and have no issues.

[dreamscometrue 262]

I'm gal you are having such a easy go. I was sleeved Friday morning gas was so bad didn't sleep at all Friday night. Discharged Sat afternoon, fighting to keep nausea at bay. I normally bounce back fast after surgeries for this one though seems not so much. I hope you do well after discharge and have no issues.

Oh no!! Yeah, I'm nervous that I won't be so lucky with the nausea and pain once I head home. This is my first surgery ever so I honestly have no clue what to expect! I pray that your nausea subsides soon so that you can relax a bit!!!

[dreamscometrue 262]

Well... On day 2 post op and I was released home tonight. I'm not going to lie...today was a little bit more painful than yesterday. I was able to walk 2 miles around the bariatric floor mostly today. I feel so exhausted! I haven't slept for more than 2 hrs at a time in days due to everyone coming in and checking vitals, spirometer checks, etc... I was able to be on full liquids for all three meals today in the hospital, but I wasn't even hungry. That part is still surreal to me! Looking forward to sleep tonight! Fingers crossed! I hope everyone else who was sleeved this week is doing well!

[LuminousLife 145]

Congtats! Welcome to the sleeved side! I knew you'd do great! I hope that nausea subsides for you.

[dreamscometrue 262]

Congtats! Welcome to the sleeved side! I knew you'd do great! I hope that nausea subsides for you.

Today is day 3 post op and I have been in a lot of pain today and through the night. The pain medicine in the hospital made me feel like I was Superman... I got a reality check when we left last night! I still am not hungry at all and have been forcing myself to eat 2 oz of Jello for my meals. In theory, I should be starting up my Protein Shakes on day 5 and I can't even imagine being able to get all that Protein down! I have noticed that as the day has gone on, Water has become a bit easier to take down. The best way I can describe the feeling of water going down is pretty much equivalent to having pop rocks in my throat. Ha! Not sure if anyone else feels like that??? Oh and ps- getting Vitamins to go down has been less than appealing. ugh!

Edited December 19, 2013 by dreamscometrue

[Ballermom 803]

Congrats to all who had surgery this week.

Keep trying with the fluids. Don't hesitate to call your physician or Nut.

Welcome to the Losers side!

[Erin.Nicole 27]

I am so glad I met you Jennifer and you showed me this awesome social network!! I can't wait to start my journal!!

[dreamscometrue 262]

Okay, I need some advice!! It's day 4 now post op and I still have not gone #2. Anyone have this issue too? I have been getting my 64oz of Water in (and boy is it time consuming!), and peeing just fine... however I'm assuming since I've been living on Jello, broth, pudding, and crystal light, that may be the issue with #2? I don't feel constipated, but need to know at what point is this concerning?

[cbwalker79 187]

My husband is post-op 9 days from gastric sleeve and nurse told my husband to get milk of magnesium to deal with Constipation and not going #2! Good luck

[dreamscometrue 262]

Well, just like every other sleeved patient has said... Every day gets WAY better! Today is day 5 post op and I cannot get over how great I feel. I spent the ENTIRE day Christmas shopping with my mom, walked a TON, had multiple bottles of Water, and didn't feel tired at all. If somebody would have told me 2 days ago that I would spend 8 hours at a mall shopping in just a few days, I would have told them they were CRAZY! I also had my first restaurant experience today, which I was very nervous about! I ordered a bowl of Soup and asked for a to-go container and poured the majority of that to take home and I ate my bites while my mom had a large salad, cookie, and a large diet coke. It didn't even bother me! I noticed that the food court at the mall smelled DELICIOUS. One thing I am noticing is that at lunch, I limited myself to roughly 2 oz. but I didn't feel super full. Anyone else noticed it? If so, any strategy that may help? I read on here that people feel stuffed after only a few bites and I didn't get that feeling today. It could have been because we walked a ton. Anyway, just wanted to be consistent and journal today! Any comments/suggestions/questions are welcomed!!

[1292cori 5]

I'm guessing that you are using your pain medications ? If so that sometimes causes Constipation . Maybe stop using it ? I didn't use any medication . I'm 4 days post op and don't have any problems . Good luck

Edited January 3, 2014 by 1292cori

[Noor1969 150]

Thank you so much for your updates! Please keep posting!

[dreamscometrue 262]

Today is Day 6 Post Op, and it has been my first day without any pain meds! I only used half of one of my hydrocodon pills yesterday, but honestly could have gotten by just fine. As many others have stated, the only pain at this point is on that one larger incision where they had to suture to my muscle (lower right part of the abdomen). Not that I'm worried about the exact amount of weight coming off right now, but for those who are curious, I weighed this morning and am down 14.6 pounds. Of that, 6-7lbs since surgery. I feel like that's pretty good though since I was up 5 lbs. from all the fluids at the hospital on day 2. Anyway, I have been getting all of my Water in for the past two days and I just made myself my first Protein shake since surgery (I used to drink them all the time). Yesterday, I noticed that I was still kinda hungry after lunch and at bedtime, but today I've been really full. I think yesterday, I just walked for so many hours that I had burned significantly more than what I had taken it, therefore it made me HUNGRY! Also, i'm sure once I become more "regular" (ahem..), things will continue to progress nicely. As a person who is very organized in their career, home, calendar,social life, etc… I find this time fun challenge making an exact schedule of when I should take each Vitamin at what time and with/without food, etc… Each day, I've tweaked details and am really getting this down! I bought a month's worth of the Celebrate Multi-Vitamin capsule with Iron and I seriously cannot stand them. I tried pouring my 1st one this morning into applesauce hoping to tolerate it better and had to throw it out because of the taste. I have come to realize that I MUST take my multi-vitamin halfway between each meal so that I can keep it down. Okay, for all you people out there that loved Water before surgery and are sad thinking about baby sips… today I noticed that I can drink water just like I used to. I don't get any pain or gas from it! Maybe I'm odd, but I am taking substantial drinks and getting through multiple bottles of water. That was a big concern to me pre-op, because I used to seriously drink over 200 ounces of water a day (seriously. I've measured.) and going to a life of "sipping" didn't sound too fun. Just a random thought- I've become obsessed with my little abdomen brace they sent me home with… It's kind of like my security blanket (and a surgical edition of spanx!) Well, I can't think of anything else too exciting today, just much more low key than yesterday. Oh, and I've decided I'm going to work tomorrow! I technically don't have to be back at work until the 2nd, (my company closes the last week of the year YAY!) but I feel good, so I may as well save a PTO day and roll it over into 2014! I'll be back tomorrow Not sure if anyone really reads this or not, but if you do, I hope you are all doing well in your recovery and enjoying the Loser's bench! For those who haven't had surgery yet, your date is just around the corner and I hope this gives you a good look into what your immediate days will be like after surgery!

[Lioness813 52]

Thank you Dreamscome true...congratulations your story is truly inspiring!! I love that you can drink...I'm a big Water drinker too...so you give me hope lol! Continued success on your journey!!