Hi everyone!

I am new to this board, but have been lurking a few times in the last couple days.... I am a little lost when I go to the main board just because there are SO many people there, and here it seems that there is more of a "smaller" community/personal feel, which of course I think is a good thing Anyways, my surgery ended up being fairly eventful unfortunately and I ended up in the hospital for 9 nights/10 days...long story. Of course I went into things thinking that everything was going to go absolutely perfect... BUT on the flip side everything is A-OK now! I see my surgeon today, at my two week follow up last week I was down 20 pounds, YEAH! I am just curious how everyone is doing and how things went for them immediately post-op. I am currently getting in at least 70 oz of fluids and on average 60+ mg of protein daily. I have not thrown up at all, but I did find that the protein drink I was taking was really making me nauseated (Amplify - whey protein) and am now doing 2 of the stallone puddings daily instead to get 40 of my protein, and then eating the rest. I have been on a soft diet and can get 4oz in at a meal, but more often do 2-3, just because that is when I feel full. I can progress to a general diet as of tonight after seeing my MD. I am happy to see that, at least in general anyways, so many other recent surgery people are doing so well! It is really encouraging, and I am grateful that there is a message board to come to where so many of us are so close in dates. So tell me a little about yourselves and how you are all doing! I hope you are all having a great day!

Wow you're really racking in the protein. Way to go. I'm doing well. I've cheated a few times, but nothing major. I felt guilty about it too. I'm only getting in about 48 oz of liquid daily, but I'm pushing myself for more. I'm taking my vitamins and my protein is okay I suppose. I wish you luck. Welcome to our family!!! Keke

Hi Sarah! Welcome! We had surgery the same day! I'm having the most awful cramps today thanks to my ever faithful period, but I promise I will be back later to write more to you. Just wanted to take a quick second to say HI to you! In the meantime, I have a web site with a lot of stuff about me though: http://sitekreator.com/ShrinkingViolet/ It's good to meet you, I know you will like it here! Glad you found your way over! Hugs, Vi (who's off to nap now )

Thanks for the responses! I have been super nervous about losing a lot of hair...in fact that was my biggest fear with post-surgery intially. I know its vain (its the one thing I am vain about), but my hair is to my waist and I get married in September so I am doing everything I can to hopefully minimize loosing it as much as I can, so in other words that is why I am really pushing my protein... When I was doing the shakes I was doing 60mg a day, but I also was still only on full liquids >>> pureed. God the shakes made me sick! Its still hard to try and get a lot in by eating, just because its not like we can eat a whole lot! KeKe~ I haven't cheated at all...but what I wouldn't do for some pizza and popcorn! Those are the two things that can just make me drool right now... Enjoy your nap Vi!

WELCOME TO THE BOARD, MS SARAH!!!!!!!!!!!! I FEEL "GUILTY" SAYING THIS BECAUSE YOU HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS (SORRY TO HEAR THAT), BUT MY WLS WAS A "WALK IN THE PARK". JUST MINOR HICCUPS ... NOTHING MAJOR AT ALL. I WAS AMAZED AT HOW GREAT I FELT RIGHT OUT OF SURGERY. I WAS SITTIN' IN A CHAIR AFTER 3 HOURS & WALKING AFTER 5 HOURS. I'M DOING GOOD AT HOME AS WELL. MY ENERGY LEVEL IS GOOD BUT AFTER DOING A TASK, I HAVE A LITTLE SIT-DOWN TO REST. THEN, I SEEM TO COME BACK OK ENOUGH TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. I HAVE A TOTAL ENERGY-DRAIN ABOUT EVERY 3-5 DAYS IN WHICH I JUST WANT TO SIT OR SLEEP ALL DAY ... THEN, I'M OK AGAIN. I HAD ALL MY PRE-SURGERY MEDS RE-EVALUTED BY MY PCM ... &, I'M OFF 8 OF THE ORIGINAL 12 PILLS A DAY IN ONLY 2 WEEKS, SO I AM ECSTATIC. I'M ... 52 Y/O ... 5' 2.5" SW = 279.80 CW = 254.40 LOSS = - 25.40 14 DAYS OUT GOAL = 125-118 GETTING IN ABOUT ... 50 OZ FLUIDS 50 GR PROTEINS 400 CALORIES ... A DAY WHAT ARE YOUR "STATS"? ARE YOU DOING BETTER NOW? WE SURE HOPE SO! GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK

I am 30 y/o, 5'8 1/2. I have lost 24 pounds since sugery (31 if you count my water gain in the hospital, lol) and am now at 290. Now addressing the "am I doing better now" question : I had an open RNY so my incision is from the tip of my chest bone to my belly button, the surgeon I went to will only do the surgery this way because he firmly believes that this is the best technique with the fewest problems, and also because he hand sews the intestine to the new pouch, which I guess also decreases problems dramatically. Anyways... I was doing GREAT. In fact upon arriving to my room (I am a nurse and was actually on the floor I work on) got up off the cart from recovery room and walked myself to the bathroom and then to bed and was walking the halls 2 hours later. Now on day 2 I all of a sudden started running a fever... low at first 100.7-101.2... My breath sounds were clear, but I was a little short of breath and my heart rate was a little fast (just over a 100) and my Blood pressure was running high at around 140-150/90 (usually I am 120/70). Side note now: I have an allergy called Malignant Hyperthermia which is an allergy to certain types of anesthesia. It was realized when I had my appendix out when I was 5 and never had a problem with any surgery since. Well the symptoms I was having were pretty much a delayed mild reaction to the anesthesia from the Malignant Hyperthermia so they thought. Well things kept getting worse... by day 3 my pulse was in the 150s I was getting so short of breath I couldn't talk with activity, my BP was still high and my temp was going up to 104. They had me on a cooling mattress, getting tylenol every 4 hours had a cardiologist and internist from ICU seeing me, yadda, yadda... they ran ENDLESS tests and lab work, and pretty much everything was coming back normal... there was a slight 'left shift' with some of my blood work which could indicate some sort of infection, but this was the day after surgery when this was drawn so it was too early really for an infection from sugery... Well after 4 days of all this with the abnormal symptoms they did another CT scan and found a big collection of fluid under my liver. The following day they placed a drain (which I was awake for and I can't believe they do that to people while they are awake!) and within 24 hours pretty much everything had returned to normal symptom wise. But they didn't know where the fluid was coming from so I couldn't eat/drink, etc in case it was a leak so I was placed on IV nutrition. After several days the collection was disappearing and they were able to determine that there was not a leak, thank god. So after "my extended stay" I finally got to come home after a week and a half. I just got the drain out this week and honestly am feeling absolutely fine. I still have to be on antibiotics according to my surgeon, internal radiologist, and infectious disease doc though for now, lol (I have to list them all just because it is ridiculous how many people I have had to see or were seeing me, )Yeah, I get tired and my stamina isn't what it was before surgery yet, but that is to be expected. So at this point I feel I am right where I should be and am happy that it looks like the worst is behind me!

FIRST OFF, MS SARAH ... A GREAT BIG CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 24# LOSS & ON LEAVING THE "300s" IN THE DUST FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR SURGEON IS DEFINITELY RIGHT ABOUT SEWING THE INTESTINE TO THE NEW POUCH BEING BETTER WITH AN OPEN. THAT WAS 1 THING MY SURGEON WARNED US ABOUT ... THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO FULLY CHECK THAT AREA FOR LEAKS WITH A LAP. LAPs HAVE TO HAVE A SWALLOW TEST THE NEXT DAY TO CHECK FOR LEAKS BEFORE WE CAN TAKE ANYTHING BY MOUTH, BUT FOR SOME REASON HE SAID IT WOULDN'T SHOW THE INTESTINE CONNECTION. THAT WAS A "WAIT & SEE" SITUATION. DON'T THEY AUTOMATICALLY PUT DRAINS IN OPENs? THEY DO WITH LAPs. IT'S SO INTERESTING THE DIFFERENCES & YET WE ALL GET THE SAME RESULTS IF WE FOLLOW THE RULES! WE'RE REALLY GLAD THAT YOU ARE A-OK NOW ... ROUGH START JUST MEANS A FANTASTIC FINISH! GOD BLESS YOU DAWN & NICK

OH, BTW ... I'D DEFINITELY COUNT THAT HOSPITAL WATER WEIGHT GAIN ... I GAINED 11 #s IN LESS THAN 2 DAYS BECAUSE OF A "SLEEPY BLADDER" & IT TOOK 7 DAYS TO LOSE IT ... YOU BETCHA I ADD THOSE 11 #s!