Joanne

I had my surgery lap and took 5 weeks off work and I'm glad I took that long so I could fully recover and get my energy back ... plus it gave me time to get accustomed to my new way of eating without having the fear of getting sick at work by eating the wrong thing. I would have taken the full recommended 6 weeks off, but I was needed back at the office to cover over the holidays for others who needed to take vacation. 

My mom and sister both had open RNY many years ago before lap became the standard. Their recoveries were much much different than mine. They were both down and out for several weeks and were very slow to be moving around and getting back to normal. I personally had a very easy recovery, didn't need pain medication after the first day being home and even drove myself to my 1 week follow up appointment.  Even a 5 in*****ision (which is less than what my mom and sis had) is still pretty invasive. My lap surgery scars have completely disappeared and look more like acne scars -- and I often have trouble even finding them on my tummy. 

I guess my question to your surgeon would be is WHY doesn't he do lap surgery? Is he not trained in doing it (which would be odd that a surgeon doesn't know how to do lap surgery since it's so much the standard these days, but many doctors resist learning new techniques) -- or does he think open is better for some reason (the ASMBS recommends lap whenever possible because of lower complication rates) -- or has he chosen open surgery for you based on your medical history (multiple abdominal surgeries in the past or high BMI).

Find out WHY he insists on open. And if you really want your surgery done lap, maybe you need to look for a new surgeon. But definitely have that conversation with your doctor. 

Looking good Jean! Look how much older your boys look, especially the one in the blue shirt.

Sandi

Mary,

As painful as it is, you need to keep this picture around to look at whenever you are feeling down.

Sandi

Cher,  I'm late in commenting but you do look great!  My surgiversary was the day before yours.  I'm going to post an update soon.    Sandi

I personally never gave up caffeine, but I used to only drin****d tea.  Ironically I didn't start drinking coffee until 1.5 years ago and I only drink full caffeinated coffee.   We have a Keurig at work and my friend and sister give me all their fav's to try.  The Chai latte is awesome, it has a bit of sugar but not enough to make me dump.  I also like the foo foo ones, the Dunkin Donuts,  Van Houtte Macadamia Nut and Timothy's Cinnamon pastry.  YUMMY :)

Edie