One week away! Getting down to business!

[sarah92200 41]

Ok so I'm super excited but yet so nervous for the unknown ! It's not the actually surgery part, it's the unknown of my new stomach! And some friends and family are starting to voice their concerns, " oh it sounds so painful" " just try to loose it all the regular way" we'll it's a week before and I have been dieting since I was 11 and I am 29 and just getting heavier!!! Can anyone give me any tips for the hospital and when I get home from the hospital? Comfort suggestions ect. Thx all!

Sarah

[Rogofulm 2,440]

Here's some good, some bad, and some ugly, but once they're in the rear-view mirror, you will see that it's SO worth it!

• It hurts like hell when you wake up from anesthesia. Sorry, but it does. But it starts getting better almost immediately, and by the next morning you'll feel decent. You should be able to get off the pain pills in about three days.
• It takes a week and a half to 2 weeks to start feeling pretty normal. Or as normal as it gets when you can barely eat anything. If you can, take two weeks off from work (or other activities.)
• For the first several days, getting your fluids in is even more important than hitting your Protein goals. Dehydration leads to Constipation. It can be BAD, so drink as much as possible, and if necessary, take Miralax or something like that.
• As soon as you can, without sacrificing your Fluid intake, work to hit your Protein target every day.
• Take your Vitamins and Calcium pills. Also, I've found that Vitamin B-12 helps keep my energy level up.
• Keep taking the Protonix, or other stomach pills your doctor prescribes. I went off it for a couple of weeks and it didn't feel good.
• When you start eating real food, you're gonna throw up sometimes. That's the bad news. The good news is that since the food has never made it to your stomach, it hasn't mixed with acid so it's not that gross. I get hiccups a lot. Sometimes they clear the blockage, and sometimes I have to excuse myself for a minute.
• Protein shakes are your friend. Even after getting pretty sick of them during the 4 weeks surrounding surgery, I still have one for Breakfast every morning. I like the Premier Protein brand, chocolate flavor, that you can get at costco and elsewhere. I like the taste and has 30 grams of protein for only 160 calories. That's a nice kick-start to the day's protein.
• Follow the rules about not drinking anything for 30 minutes before or after meals. When I get sick, it's usually because I drank too close to eating, and there wasn't room for my meal. When you start feeling the food backing up -- stop eating.
• Try to get exercising right away. Just walking at first, but gradually introduce strength training.
• You will feel better almost every day than the day before!
• You will hit a stall (plateau) at week 3 which may last a few of weeks. Just expect it and don't freak out -- it's a normal and predictable part of your body's adjustment to it's new reality.
• Until you get the hang of eating, use an app like MyFitnessPal to log your food and exercise. It will help you keep track of your protein and tell you a lot about how your'e doing. It tracks calories too, but you won't be able to get in more than about 600-800 for quite a while. So it nags you about not getting enough calories. Just ignore that. For now, there's nothing you can do about it.
• sugar-free Popsicles are very soothing, as is chicken broth.
• Feel good about having the surgery. Tell the people who are asking, "Why can't you just lose weight through diet and exercise?" that you have made your decision and that you need their support, not their questioning. Ask them not to bring that up ever again. That's what I told my Mom, and it's been fine ever since.
• Don't be ashamed to share what you're doing. I've told my friends and workmates, and everyone has been totally supportive. Some people choose to keep it a secret, but I'd rather serve as an example for others who might be looking for a way to successfully lose weight.
• As soon as you start losing weight, you'll be amazed by how good you feel. Embrace it and enjoy it!!!

Good luck on your journey to good health! I promise, it'll be worth it!!!

Edited August 29, 2014 by Rogofulm

[sarah92200 41]

Thank you sooo much! You really covered all the basis for me! I'm glad I had my Gaulbladder out, it was laptascopic also and so I kno what to expect with the surgery part! And your right , I wanna be proof that this surgery works! I wanna be another success storey! I can't thank you enough for taking time to write that! I will post back after surgery! Enjoy your day!

Sarah

[jrahrer71 13]

That was great information. I just got my surgery date for 9/15/14 and I started to panic just a bit on "can I really do this?"

You make the questions I have in my head real.

One thing that I am super nervous about is that my brothers wedding is 4 weeks after my surgery. Wondering at that point how were you feeling? I have to travel for it so any tips on food that is packable?

Jen

[samehmmm 1]

Thanks for the really informative and supportive infos. I had my op at 5.Aug. 2014 , every thing till now is still within expected and no worry from serious complications. My main problem that sone i start eating some simi sold ( this week) i find that i can not eat more than 2 small spoons and start having this annoying epigastric pain. It is not sever pain , just mild or moderate one but i can not eat any more . I wait for about hour and try to continue eating but it is the same. So i returned to Fluid intake again. And i have really worry about the futur. Yes i am loosing weight but i am not having a normal life.

Can anyone , tell me if this is also within normal or not. Does it will be better with time. I hate being in pain. And what is the normal accepted amount of food i will be able to eat , less then 50 gram is not sufficient to maintain normal life and i do not want to be for the rest of my life on fluids and shakes :-(

[Rogofulm 2,440]

That was great information. I just got my surgery date for 9/15/14 and I started to panic just a bit on "can I really do this?"

You make the questions I have in my head real.

One thing that I am super nervous about is that my brothers wedding is 4 weeks after my surgery. Wondering at that point how were you feeling? I have to travel for it so any tips on food that is packable?

Jen

Hi Jen --

Yes, you really can do this! We all got cold feet during the last week or two. Right up to the point where they put you under you'll be thinking, "I can still back out!" That's totally normal.

After 4 weeks you should be pretty well healed from the surgery itself. There may be some remaining tightness from the swelling, but easy foods like tuna salad should be going down pretty well by then. I used Hellman's Low Fat mayo on almost everything for the first couple of weeks of solid food. If you're driving to the wedding, take along your shakes. If you're flying, maybe you can get someone out there to buy some, or find out where they sell them and buy them on the way in from the airport. Also buy tuna/mayo and Greek yogurt if you like them. Use the shakes, tuna and yogurt to get you through the wedding. In fact, pack a shake or two in your purse for the reception just in case. By the way, my favorite Protein shake is Premier Protein, chocolate flavor. Pre-planning is the key to travel success! I just got back from a 9-day vacation where we ate out 2-3 times per day. I made good choices and lost 5 pounds.

And even though it's a special occasion --

• Don't drink alcohol. Not only is it really bad on this program, but it leads to other bad choices.
• Do drink your 64+ ounces of Water or Crystal Light - that will also fill you up. If you feel hungry between meals, you are probably just thirsty.
• Do focus on getting your Protein in. It helps you feel satisfied.
• Take all your Vitamins and supplements.
• And don't cheat! (That means no sugar/carbs.) They will start you down a bad path right off the bat.

The good news is you shouldn't really be hungry. Plan your strategy in advance and keep to your plan. Eat your three meals and two Snacks each day and drink all your liquid and you should be okay.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your surgery and the wedding!!!

[docbree 199]

Thanks for the really informative and supportive infos. I had my op at 5.Aug. 2014 , every thing till now is still within expected and no worry from serious complications. My main problem that sone i start eating some simi sold ( this week) i find that i can not eat more than 2 small spoons and start having this annoying epigastric pain. It is not sever pain , just mild or moderate one but i can not eat any more . I wait for about hour and try to continue eating but it is the same. So i returned to Fluid intake again. And i have really worry about the futur. Yes i am loosing weight but i am not having a normal life. Can anyone , tell me if this is also within normal or not. Does it will be better with time. I hate being in pain. And what is the normal accepted amount of food i will be able to eat , less then 50 gram is not sufficient to maintain normal life and i do not want to be for the rest of my life on fluids and shakes :-(

I'm no expert, and I haven't had surgery yet - but it sounds to me like you may have a stricture. I would talk to my doctor about having an upper GI or an EGD

Edited August 29, 2014 by docbree

[Rogofulm 2,440]

I'm no expert, and I haven't had surgery yet - but it sounds to me like you may have a stricture. I would talk to my doctor about having an upper GI or an EGD

I agree. At least from my experience, at three weeks I was able to handle more food than you describe, and without constant pain. Please call your surgeon's office. They'll want to know about this, and can tell you what is "normal" and what is not. Good luck!

[Rogofulm 2,440]

Here's some good, some bad, and some ugly, but once they're in the rear-view mirror, you will see that it's SO worth it!

• It hurts like hell when you wake up from anesthesia. Sorry, but it does. But it starts getting better almost immediately, and by the next morning you'll feel decent. You should be able to get off the pain pills in about three days.
• It takes a week and a half to 2 weeks to start feeling pretty normal. Or as normal as it gets when you can barely eat anything. If you can, take two weeks off from work (or other activities.)
• For the first several days, getting your fluids in is even more important than hitting your Protein goals. Dehydration leads to Constipation. It can be BAD, so drink as much as possible, and if necessary, take Miralax or something like that.
• As soon as you can, without sacrificing your Fluid intake, work to hit your Protein target every day.
• Take your Vitamins and Calcium pills. Also, I've found that Vitamin B-12 helps keep my energy level up.
• Keep taking the Protonix, or other stomach pills your doctor prescribes. I went off it for a couple of weeks and it didn't feel good.
• When you start eating real food, you're gonna throw up sometimes. That's the bad news. The good news is that since the food has never made it to your stomach, it hasn't mixed with acid so it's not that gross. I get hiccups a lot. Sometimes they clear the blockage, and sometimes I have to excuse myself for a minute.
• Protein shakes are your friend. Even after getting pretty sick of them during the 4 weeks surrounding surgery, I still have one for Breakfast every morning. I like the Premier Protein brand, chocolate flavor, that you can get at costco and elsewhere. I like the taste and has 30 grams of protein for only 160 calories. That's a nice kick-start to the day's protein.
• coffee has not presented any problems for me. I went back to drinking a cup in the mornings after a couple of weeks and felt fine.
• Follow the rules about not drinking anything for 30 minutes before or after meals. When I get sick, it's usually because I drank too close to eating, and there wasn't room for my meal. When you start feeling the food backing up -- stop eating.
• Try to get exercising right away. Just walking at first, but gradually introduce strength training.
• You will feel better almost every day than the day before!
• You will hit a stall (plateau) at week 3 which may last a few of weeks. Just expect it and don't freak out -- it's a normal and predictable part of your body's adjustment to it's new reality.
• Until you get the hang of eating, use an app like MyFitnessPal to log your food and exercise. It will help you keep track of your protein and tell you a lot about how your'e doing. It tracks calories too, but you won't be able to get in more than about 600-800 for quite a while. So it nags you about not getting enough calories. Just ignore that. For now, there's nothing you can do about it.
• sugar-free Popsicles are very soothing, as is chicken broth.
• Feel good about having the surgery. Tell the people who are asking, "Why can't you just lose weight through diet and exercise?" that you have made your decision and that you need their support, not their questioning. Ask them not to bring that up ever again. That's what I told my Mom, and it's been fine ever since.
• Don't be ashamed to share what you're doing. I've told my friends and workmates, and everyone has been totally supportive. Some people choose to keep it a secret, but I'd rather serve as an example for others who might be looking for a way to successfully lose weight.
• As soon as you start losing weight, you'll be amazed by how good you feel. Embrace it and enjoy it!!!

Good luck on your journey to good health! I promise, it'll be worth it!!!

I'm going to edit out the portion about coffee not being a problem. While it's seems to be okay for me, it's not recommended for the first several months. Here's a link with some info about caffeine after WLS.

http://www.laparoscopic.md/questions/coffee-safe-drink-after-bariatric-surgery

[Inittowin 0]

Love the positivity and wealth of information. Thanks so much! I'm still preparing.Was cleared by my cardiologist.