Good morning, I only have a few days left until surgery.  YIPPPEEE!!!  I was just curious as to what to expect after surgery.  How soon are you up walking around?  How were you feeling afterwards...once you got hom?  How long were you off from work?  I'm so excited it's all I can think about.  Didn't sleep at all last night and still have a couple of days left!  Any responses would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Tonya

Just a quick background on me... I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 17. I have never had a period on my own and went through 7 years of infertility treatments before we adopted our beautiful son Jack in 2005. Also, I never weighed more than 140lbs in high school. In August of 2006, I had Gastric Bypass and have since lost 125lbs. At the end of June I went back to my Reporductive Endorcrinologist to have my labs re-done to see if there were any changes.  My testosterone level dropped from 142 to 50. Normal is between 30 and 80. I still had high Estrogen and hi LH levels which is still typical of PCOS. (polycystic ovarian disorder) At that time I went back on Glucophage. (PCOS seems to be caused by high insulin levels and Glucophage is a diabetic medication that helps your body process your insulin better.) On August 17th of this year, 2 days after my 1 year anniversary of my surgery, my period miraculously appeared on its own. This has never happened in my life. I went to my RE on Monday of this week, they drew a progesterone level, a level over 10 indicates that you ovulated, mine was 14!!!!! This means that my body ovulated on it's own TWO months in a row! I'm going through puberty at the ripe old age of 42. However, this means I could possibly get pregnant on my own.  I just wanted to share this, so others out there with infertility issues due to PCOS or just being obese will know that having the surgery and helped me more than I ever thought possible.

I definitely think that's why so many physicians and nutritionists recommend measuring EVERYTHING at first.  I definitely did.  It was only much later that I realized how skewed my view of what a 'portion' size was.  When I had WLS the second time around, I had convinced myself that "I really don't eat that much".  geez.  Maybe I didn't eat often, but I ate way more than a portion worth. glad to hear you're doing well, though. :) mary

I did not get a full feeling at first...I did kind of measure, what looked like 1 ounce after I was advanced to soft foods, and otherwise I just did not want much to eat for a while.  I did use a small plate and a small fork for about the first year, still do sometimes to help not overeating.  Every doctor is different, mine did not even add protein drinks until after about 4 weeks or maybe 6.  BU****er is very important.  I was able to drink all the water just by carrying a bottle with me everywhere I went and sipping just almost constantly for the first few months.  It got a little harder as I added more foods, there just did not seem to be enough time in the day to get in the food and drink - hard but not impossible - ha..... So glad you are home and doing well ! DeAnna

it took me about 30-45 minutes to drink 8 oz protein shake. Just sip and if you are going to fast you will know. It will feel like a sharp pain in your chest. Just slow down, Make sure you drink your protein! Just sip your water. It is so important. It changes from week to week  as you heal. Hang in there we are all here to help you get through this. Just remeber everyone is different. Talk to you soon. Amy