Surgery Update

Thank you so much!! Sweetest words!! I'll have to check up on those products maybe I can handle them better than the protein shakes!! I've been having such a tough time with them! 

Thanks Again! 

Luisa

My largest incision gave me so much pain the first couple of weeks.  When I walked and when I sat down it felt like I was being stabbed, sometimes to the point of screaming.  When I talked to the doctor about it, he said it was the incision they used to pull the stomach out, and it is stretched and larger than the others.  It was miserable, so I took my pain meds every 4 hours without fail, and didn't worry about the constipation, because it was secondary to the pain. Now, I can't believe I was in that much pain, and it seems like such a distant memory, even though I am only 7 weeks out from surgery.

You'll be fine, and before you know it, you won't even think about the pain anymore.

Just remember, sip, sip, sip.

Nessie,

You hit the nail on the head with this reply! That is EXACTLY how I feel. Walking, talking, moving or even trying to sit or switch sides when laying down! The incision that hurts the most is the one that they pulled the rest of my stomach out of. It's almost like we went through the same exact thing!! I love this site; when I talk to you guys it's like all my worries melt away because you all lift me up so much!  Thank you for your reply it makes me feel so much better!! 

& all I do is walk, walk, walk & sip, sip, sip! Lol it's the story of my life!! 

My Best,

Luisa

Make sure your center knows you have been struggling with nausea. Most will prescribe something for it. 

No they didn't they just told me to stop drinking the protein shakes in the mean time of healing. So I stick to clear liquids that don't make me feel sick! Thanks for the concern! :) 

Keep up the good work with the sipping and the walking. Dehydration is your biggest threat at this stage in your recovery. If you're still finding it difficult to drink enough liquids over the next week, call your surgeon and ask for an anti-nausea med like Zofran. It made all the difference for me.

Those accounts from lucky sleevers who seem to glide right through recovery can be misleading, as you're finding out. I think they constitute a very small minority among sleevers. Most of us have some degree of pain, nausea, weakness, and just flat-out wondering why we did this to themselves.

You just had major surgery. Your stomach is very angry with you, and your whole body is saying, "Whaaaaa the heck just happened?" It will take weeks until you feel yourself again, and I say that with full knowledge that right now, for you, even an hour seems like a long time. 

Be patient and kind to yourself. Don't expect too much too soon. Just keep working on doing what you're doing, and eventually (an eternity, I know!), you'll start feeling better day by day. And as the weight comes off in the next months or year, you'll feel better than you ever did before! It will happen.

Keep working on the liquids.

psychoticparrot

I absolutely love your advice. I look forward to it when you reply to my post. & I will do everything you suggested. I won't be so hard on myself but I definitely want to keep pushing myself to moving & eating the things told by my surgeon! I see him Oct. 6th for the follow up! He challenged me to try losing 25 pounds in these two weeks before seeing him again. I weighed myself & I'm post-op one week today I've lost 10 pounds so far. I think I can do it! Frankensleeve has been bad to me with the pain & uncomfortability lately but I'm handling it better than when I got out of surgery. Everyday does get better so I'm thankful that's true! Again thank you for you help & support! I treasure it! 

Best,

Luisa

Luisa-

I too just had my sleeve done on 9/21/15.  I was feeling very down the other day and decided to turn to the internet for help.  I wish I had found this site before surgery.  It is awesome!  Anyway I saw your post and for some reason it has stuck with me.  I just really felt the need to reach out and be in touch with you.  I hope you are doing better and able to get more down.  Best of luck to you and hopefully we can be cheerleaders to each other on this journey!

Warmest Regards-

Aleyna

Hey Aleyna,

So happy you replied to my post!! Of course we can be sleeve sistas!! I already have a few from registering with this support site!! I love all the advise & help you get on this website! I found it about 2-3 weeks before surgery & it helped so much to pick the brains of those that have already gone through the surgery or people that are just like you & I & really didn't know much! Because at the end no matter where you are in the journey we can all learn from each other! We made it on the Losers Bench at the same time!! How's the weight loss after surgery? I'm losing like a pound a day so 7-10 pounds a week. I'm not really sure if that's a good thing. I'm not sure if I should be losing faster. But for me as long as I'm losing its all worth the pain & suffering. Lol well if you ever need advise or just to keep us all posted on your journey; make sure you do because we are all here for you! We're in this together! GOOD LUCK!!

My best,

Luisa Your Sleeve Sista

Luisa-

Hey, so glad to get a response back from you.  My weight lose since surgery seems to be about the same as you.  As of this morning I am down 10 pounds so that's about a pound a day.  Like you said I'm not sure if that's what should be happening but it's a lose and I'll take it!  Are you able to get more down?  Any protein?  I haven't had any issues with nausea since leaving the hospital so the liquids and protein haven't been a huge problem for me.  One thing I do wonder is if there is a calorie count to keep in mind right now?  I have been averaging about 650 a day since I am mixing my protein with skim milk.  How often and how far are you walking on a daily basis?  I am up to about 1.5 miles twice a day.  Once again not sure if that seems right or not.  Just when you think you have read all the instructions and are prepared there are still unknowns.  Maybe I will have to do my first post.  EEK!  for some reason that stresses me out a little.  Thanks for being my sleeve sista!  Good luck to you too and keep me posted!

Your Sleeve Sista,

Aleyna