August Surgery buddies

[Mandalynne 11]

@Singingbarista just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing? Only 2 more days till our surgery date! I’m nervous and excited, you?

I’m not sure about anyone else, but this is the 1st day of my 2 week liquid diet (day 12) that I haven’t craved solid food. But I still don’t trust myself to go to the grocery store, I’m having my groceries delivered lol.

It’s weird but I didn’t have a Pre-Op appointment… did anyone else not have to do one? I thought it was strange but it’s been a long time since I’ve had to go under the anesthesia, so maybe it’s not a must for all doctors anymore??

[ShoppGirl 4,350]

Okay so I am 6 days post op and this morning after two days of twice a day stool softeners I finally went!! Never thought I’d be so excited about that. For my sleeve I didn’t take any pain meds so I didn’t have that issue. I was secretly worried this time since they actually rearranged my bowels that something wasn’t back together properly but apparently I’m good. Now I just hope I don’t do that too often because it hurts to wipe with the abdomen pain. 😩

Edited August 13 by ShoppGirl

[Singingbarista 21]

@Mandalynne - I'm due in the hospital in 30 minutes! So excited to get my designer plumbing!

[Pepper_No_Salt 44]

My surgery got cancelled.

We have no idea why. I got the notification on my portal app for my health plan so I immediatly contacted my surgeon's office because they have been going forward like I still have one. I was able to check the actual surgery schedule and sure enough I'm not on it.

I'm beyond angry right now. I put in to have a whole week off of work next week that while I can definetly not take off, half of my team is going out of town for a conference so I would have to reschedule for the end of this month. That also sucks because I've pushed things out to the end of the month because I knew I would be in recovery. Now I have to somehow move them back and push other things. I want to scream.

[draikaina8503 70]

On 8/12/2024 at 10:45 AM, Pepper_No_Salt said:

We are surgery twins! I'm getting VSG on the 16th.

Yay surgery twins! I'm doing the RNYB with hernia repair. Here's to the new us!

I have a lot of reading to catch up on and I'm still trying to get everything prepped for my next two days of Clear Liquids only. I'm so excited and nervous at the same time. (yes, I keep saying that, I know. One of my beautiful autiDHD traits is constantly repeating myself.)

I'll post again once I have actually read through everything lol.

[draikaina8503 70]

1 hour ago, Pepper_No_Salt said:

My surgery got cancelled.

We have no idea why. I got the notification on my portal app for my health plan so I immediatly contacted my surgeon's office because they have been going forward like I still have one. I was able to check the actual surgery schedule and sure enough I'm not on it.

I'm beyond angry right now. I put in to have a whole week off of work next week that while I can definetly not take off, half of my team is going out of town for a conference so I would have to reschedule for the end of this month. That also sucks because I've pushed things out to the end of the month because I knew I would be in recovery. Now I have to somehow move them back and push other things. I want to scream.

OH NO. I'm so sorry

So your surgeon's office didn't cancel it, but the actual surgery center did?

[ShoppGirl 4,350]

2 hours ago, Pepper_No_Salt said:

My surgery got cancelled.

We have no idea why. I got the notification on my portal app for my health plan so I immediatly contacted my surgeon's office because they have been going forward like I still have one. I was able to check the actual surgery schedule and sure enough I'm not on it.

I'm beyond angry right now. I put in to have a whole week off of work next week that while I can definetly not take off, half of my team is going out of town for a conference so I would have to reschedule for the end of this month. That also sucks because I've pushed things out to the end of the month because I knew I would be in recovery. Now I have to somehow move them back and push other things. I want to scream.

Oh that’s horrible. I’m so sorry. If it was a conference I don’t get how they didn’t know all along. I would be asking some questions.

[draikaina8503 70]

On 7/23/2024 at 8:13 AM, ShoppGirl said:

Does anyone else have any cool hobbies they plan to use when they need a distraction in this process?

I've been teaching myself to draw, but otherwise my hobbies are nerddom: D&D, playing video games like World of Warcraft. I love storytelling, so I'm drawn to anything that allows me to play out a story for my characters.

I wish I had more creativity in other aspects of life.

[draikaina8503 70]

On 7/31/2024 at 3:32 PM, Onemealplan said:

Didn’t really phase me too much but right now during the liquid phase. I am feeling hungry in the afternoon.

I'm glad you mentioned this. I was starting to wonder if I was crazy with the fact that I have felt hungrier in the last five days than I have in the past four months. At least I know I'm not alone.

[draikaina8503 70]

On 7/31/2024 at 7:25 PM, Greekmom4 said:

One thing I have not see anyone mention is how long they are taking off work. My surgery is on a Tuesday (8/6) and I am off the rest of that week. I plan to work from home the following week and hopefully be back in the office just after my 2 week follow-up appointment. I have a desk job so it is not physically demanding.

I work 3 jobs. Based on the physical needs of one of them and the fact that I don't get regular breaks (it's retail, could you tell?), my doctor is putting me off for 2 months on that one. My other two jobs are both sedentary and both WFH, but he is still insisting I take a full 2 weeks off. I'm trying to work out an arrangement with my boss where I am off for a week and then can flex schedule the next week, clocking out whenever I need time to rest or whathaveyou.

[Pepper_No_Salt 44]

1 hour ago, draikaina8503 said:

OH NO. I'm so sorry

So your surgeon's office didn't cancel it, but the actual surgery center did?

Update: We got it figured out. The hospital had cancelled it because they lost my order to schedule the surgery, I'm not completely surprised. I work on our EHR system and if anything Epic is gonna Epic. They resent the orders and almost immediatly I got my call from the pre-op nurse.😌

[Onemealplan 91]

Hi everyone! Hope those of you that have had your surgery or are having a great recovery and those are you that are waiting to have yours ready for your new journey!

I will say it’s been a roller coaster of emotions after surgery . My best advice is do not compare yourself to others! We are all totally different on this journey and everyone will be different and that is from the amount of weight you lose all the way up to the foods that you can tolerate and what you can eat afterwards. My surgery Sisters and I have had different experiences. They were able to have their ice chips right after getting the clearance well as I was struggling to even have half a teaspoon of broth.< br />
I am now 11 days postop and I am still on basically a clear liquid diet . It’s not fun. It sucks. I’ve gone through being able to have Protein and then my stomach doesn’t tolerate it. I’ve gone through yogurt and then my stomach can’t tolerate it. It’s changing its mind day by day lol. So I’ve been having to try various different things to see what works. For me currently my stomach likes either hot or cold .

In this journey you’re pretty much learning from a whole different perspective who the new you is. It’s not been easy. It’s a huge challenge! I’ve also learned the difference between feeling hungry and being mentally hungry. I no longer feel hungry, but I crave food that I was once able to eat. Mainly a huge feeling of nostalgia. I understand that eventually I’ll be able to eat those foods and much smaller portions which is why I had the surgery to begin with, but that feeling is still there. And it is very important to understand the difference between that hunger and that mental hunger , especially in the journey that lies ahead.

Some more vices, make sure you take your medication as the doctor prescribes. When I drink anything, I feel a pain in my chest and a pain in my left shoulder. My doctor says that this is normal. However, the big things to watch out for our fever, nausea, vomiting. Your body is going through a lot. I keep having to tell myself that.

Don’t expect to pass a bowel movement for a while either . I’m currently taking Miralax to help me through it. I don’t expect to have one, especially just being on a liquid diet. My weight hasn’t changed for the past four days. Don’t be shocked at the fact that you’re not dropping like crazy.

Like I said, it’s been a heavy journey, very emotional journey, but as always need to just keep my eye on the prize is what I tell myself . This is a journey, not race.

Wishing you all a safe recovery and hoping those of you that are getting ready for this journey enjoy !

[Onemealplan 91]

On 08/11/2024 at 02:34, AndreaJD said:

So tomorrow is my last day before surgery on Monday at 7:15 in the morning. I am not feeling particularly anxious, but I am. I'm picking at my cuticles and I have a burst blood vessel in one eye, which my sister (a doctor) says can be caused by stress. How about that, stress makes your eyeballs bleed! Also, when I went to the hairdresser the other day, I tried to lock the door of my car and it beeped because my keys were still in the ignition (thank God it does that or I'd have locked myself out several times). So I went to pull the key out and realized the engine was still running! That's a total stress move, and something I've never done.

So did anyone else find that the liver shrink diet was horribly constipating? Good grief! Glad that's over (clear liquids now till surgery).

My husband and I cleaned the hell out of our house today. He's having prostate surgery on the 21st, so neither of us are going to be up for cleaning for a while. I also organized my meds. I'm glad I did, because I realized that I didn't get the Protonix I am supposed to take. They apparently didn't call it in. Not a big deal, but because it's Saturday, I'm going to have to ask my surgeon to order it at the hospital and have my husband pick it up.

Just now, I ordered a big supply of Clear Liquids for when I get home. I keep asking myself, "Are you SURE? This is permanent, you will never be able to blah blah blah again." But then I think it through and the math always comes up yes.

I also had trouble with Constipation on the liquid diet and I’m having the same thing post surgery. I did make a switch over to alkaline Water. They say it’s just better tolerated after surgery. Also I’m taking Miralax to help.

[Onemealplan 91]

On 08/11/2024 at 13:01, draikaina8503 said:

Reading through some of the posts (it's a lot and I'm new, I'll get them all eventually), it seems a lot of you knew for a couple of months or more that you were having your surgery in August. I'm a little jealous of that ability to plan ahead lol! I went for my follow-up appointment during the first week of August, and then they were like, "You're doing great! How about August 16th?"

I'm nervously excited about it. Part of me wishes I had more time to truly get everything prepared, since I work 3 jobs. But I'm also ready to fully be on the path to a healthier me. I've been listening to audiobooks and podcasts to try to mentally prepare me for this, and to also be prepared for if there are complications.

SW: 350

CW: 322

Any good podcasts that you’ve enjoyed that have helped you so far?

[Onemealplan 91]

On 08/11/2024 at 13:01, ShoppGirl said:

Hey guys, sorry I haven’t been too active. Had a rough few days. Not sure if the majority of my pain was the fact that they ended up taking my gallbladder too or just because I couldn’t pass gas for 4 days!! I did a couple little ones yesterday and a few belches which did help some but this morning I had several good ones that were life changing. 🤣. I am home now and loving being in my own bed. Though it is a bit harder to get in and out of. It’s adjustable but I got used to pushing off of the bed rails being in hosptial for. 5’days. Anyways. Just wanted to check in. Still no regrets. Looking forward to continued loss.

Hey, I hope you’re doing well. How’s your recovery going? Have your wounds healed yet? Mine are completely healed. So stuck on the liquid diet phase man it’s miserable.. of course they’re good and the bad days lol