Update - one week out

Hi everyone! Sorry to be so long posting, but we have dial-up at home, and I just get too frustrated waiting! The first day or two after surgery, I felt pretty miserable and did in fact wonder, "what have I done?" I'm so glad I had read on this board that I would have those feelings. My husband also said, "What....you're going to judge the rest of your life based on how you feel two days after having surgery? Come on!" He was right, of course! I'm one week out today and things are going well.  Just taking a few Ibuprofen once or twice a day for pain (which is mostly lingering muscle soreness and gas) The gas pain is/was actually worse than anything from my incisions. If I am upright for more than three hours or so, it still gets bad enough in my shoulder that I need to get horizontal for a while until it eases. It is getting better and less frequent as the days go by, though, thank goodness! The bloating is just about gone now, too. For a while there, I felt (and looked!) pregnant again. I am up and around most of the day, although as I said above, after a few hours, I need to take a break and lie down. With two young boys, it's impossible to stay down for long. I've enlisted lots of my friends and they've helped greatly with taking my four-year old while I rest. Eating is interesting....I'm on liquids only now and will be for one more week. After that, I move to pureed foods for two more weeks. I stocked up on a bunch of stuff pre-op and posted the list on my fridge so I'd know what my options are. It is still hard for me to get in the protein recommended. The protein drinks I make from the powder just seem too sweet for me to tolerate (imagine that!) and I end up having to dilute them. While I am then able to drink it, it does cut down on the protein intake. I got some unflavored powder that I am trying to add to everything I can. Any advice on this would be helpful! I'm already learning things about how to eat with the band even though I'm only on liquids....I can drink too fast, or take big gulps like before.....thick liquids definitely take longer to go down.....warm liquids make me feel full sooner......I can feel full and hungry at the same time (very weird).....I can drink much less at a time than before the band. Even though it does not restrict liquids, I am finding that I feel full on much less. I'm guessing that this is due to my stomach shrinking as well as the band placement. I'm also learning about myself and my eating patterns.....I am seeing just how often I ate unconsciously before surgery. So many times since surgery, I've caught myself thinking about reaching for a food just because it was there...walking past the open bag of chips and having the urge to grab a handful, wanting to eat the last few bites on my kids' plates, grabbing a cookie off the plate at church, stealing a few of my kids'  french fries, "tasting" while I'm cooking, etc. I probably ate enough calories for the whole day just from these little bites!  I'm scheduled to go back for my post-op appointment on the 19th, but I'm feeling good enough that I might call to ask about going back to work on Monday or Tuesday. Any thoughts? Thank you all for your support and kind words, it's good to know you all are here! Michelle :)

Sounds to me like you are definitely a loser now!!! Keep up the good work. Your wows are on the way!

Sounds like you are doing great!  You might try Gas-X for the excess. I use the thin strips, and they helped move the post surgery gas out for me. I'm going back to work after 12 days, with the Dr. permission. If your work can be done without a lot of physical discomfort, and  your Dr. says it's ok, I say go.

Hey Michelle,  Good to hear that you are improving.  I went back to work after 3 weeks.  As long as you feel up to it and your doctor clears you, go for it!  The more movement, the better!