5 days pre-op and I have a LOT of questions!

Hey everyone! I'm having my sleeve surgery on March 27, 2013!! As I'm getting closer to my surgery date, I have lots of questions for all of you who have already had your surgeries!

1. I'm really concerned about constipation and I'm wondering if this happened to you and how you handled it?

2. When do you start feeling more normal again (meaning when does your energy come back and your tummy start to feel a little better?)

3. How much weight is should I expect to lose in the first few months? My BMI is 56. My weight is 359 and I'm 22 years old. From what I'm seeing, most people lost anywhere from 30-70 pounds in the first 3 months!

I'm excited!!!!!

Thanks, guys!!!!

Welcome! I didn't have any constipation. I started feeling like myself again after about four weeks. I went back to work after two weeks, but my energy level wax really low.

Please, please, please don't start anticipating your future loss. I was just certain I'd lose 40lb the first month. I'm 6 weeks out now and down 28. I'm sure if I hadn't been counting on 40 I'd be thrilled. So, don't set yourself up for this kind of disappointment. Good luck!

Zra,

28 lbs in one month is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugs,

Sharon

Hi Mrs,

I had my sleeve done last April and I weighed 356 . To date I have lost 120 lbs and have about 65 more to go.

It's funny constipation was never on my radar since I never had the problem prior to having surgery. Unfortunately, for me it was an issue. I strongly urge you to have stool softeners available if the problem should occur. My constipation resulted in an anal fissure which took 10 months to heal. Drink a ton of water at least 2 liters per day to keep everything moving.

I returned to work 7 days after surgery and was a bit tired and had a small issue with pain on the inside where the stomach was removed.  That pain lasted about another week after that. My prob is I sleep on my tummy. I think that exacerbated my problem. 

I felt amazing by day 14.

I lost about 50 lbs in the first 2 months and then another 12 the third month. I lost the bulk of my weight so far in the first 6 months after the surgery. I have slowed down to a turtle pace due to upping my carbs and working out so hard. I continue to lose inches steadily.

Home-made beef stock and Premier ready-made shakes saved me the first weeks after returning to work. The nourishment and ease of having that around not only helped me lose weight easily but allowed me to rest when I was not working. I had made a ton of beef stock before the surgery and had it stored in individual containers to grab from my freezer.

I am so happy for you. By May, you are going to feel like a baby bird ready to soar.

Hugs,

Sharon

Hi there!

I am so excited for you! You are going to love your sleeve and be so excited that you made this choice. The week before my surgery was so exciting and went by SO fast. I was so worried about all the stuff I wanted to pack and have at the hospital but I dont think I used any of it! LOL I was pretty much asleep or jus****ching TV most the time.

1. I really didn't have problems with this.  A few times, I felt like I might have been constipated but I just took a fiber supplement and everything was fine. Once you are able to eat veggies and things like that again, that helps a lot.

2. I felt great about 3 or 4 days after the surgery. I was out shopping and at the mall and walking at the beach. However, when my second week anniversary hit, I lost so much energy.  I went back to work but was super tired for another two weeks. About four weeks out was when I started to feel normal again. One thing I will stress is TAKE YOUR PPI TWICE A DAY! I was only taking it once and I think thats why I had nausea and a sour stomach for a couple of weeks. As soon as i started taking it correctly again, my stomach felt MUCH better.

3. Please don't have a number in your head, like the previous poster said.  I lost a lot of weight the first two weeks and then the next two or three weeks, it was SUPER slow.  Everyone is different and I know most of us even out after a few months and start losing weight consistently.  I am about 10 weeks out and now I am starting to lose more consistently now that I am eating more calories (about 800) and getting in more protein and exercising at least 4 to 5 times a week.  One thing I did that may be helpful to you is that I only weighed once or twice a week.  You can get obsessed with that stupid scale and its hard sometimes to not to let your mood be determined by that number.  I would even put it under the bed until my weigh in day.

Have a great surgery! Let us know how it goes!

1. Miralax on a daily basis. But I have always had this issue, so it isn't something that was caused solely by surgery for me.

2. Two-three weeks, but it took a few months for me to get my energy completely back.

3. Have absolutely no expectations about your loss. You will be pumped full of fluids and gas for your surgery, which will artificially inflate your weight and make you puffy and bloated. Comparison is the enemy of success. Do not use someone else's yardstick to measure yourself.

Congratulations! This is a wild ride sometimes, but it is so worth it.

take care and keep us posted

1. Miralax everyday. I am much happier in that area than I ever was pre surgery. 

2. I had rny, but I felt markedly better after two weeks (plus, that is when they removed my jp drain. At six weeks, I felt like a new woman. Literally. 

 3. Those numbers are a pain. I really REALLY try to focus on my health and how much better I feel but sometimes those numbers get the best of me. My bmi was 5thirty significant amount the first few months and then an average of ten pounds until 9 months...now the weight is going slower but I'm finally incorporating more movement, and I feel better than ever:)

WELCOME and GOOD LUCK!!!

I had VSG in 2011, revised to DS in January.

Constipation immediately after either surgery was not a problem.  Especially with the VSG.  Because with the liquid/soft/pureed diet that you're on post-op, the problem for me was the opposite.  Liquid in = liquid out.  Plus it was hard to get all the protein in right away.  Constipation didn't really happen until I was getting all protein and had become a little dehydrated.  When that would happen I'd simply have some dairy (since I had become somewhat lactose intolerant) and that would flush me out, as it were, and make sure that I replenished fluids with some Gatorade.  After the DS I was put on a stool softener, but you're only supposed to take it max up to 14 days.  And that wasn't really because I was constipated but because they didn't want me to strain too much while healing.  

I never had an energy problem with the VSG.  My tummy took a while to feel normal.  I didn't have pain, but swallowing liquid was weird for about 3 weeks, but nothing that would have kept me from work.  But there's a big adjustment learning what you can and can't tolerate.  The DS kicked my ass, though, energy wise.  I was down for a week.

I know it 's hard not to compare yourself to others in terms of how quickly you're losing or not, but just remember it's not a race, and it took you years to get to this weight so it's not going to come off overnight, either.  Just do the best you can do.

 

I never thought I would be a daily Miralax person, but it has made life more "predictable."

My surgery was rough, but I went back to work at 2 weeks. It was 2 more weeks before I was right. I have since blown right past my previous "normal" and experience new levels of energy every week.

I advise against numerical expectations. Falling short of a particular number could discourage you. Follow your program's plan, record your food, exercise, and begin living life more abundantly.

Congrats!

1. I had issues even before my VSG. Right now, I do Miralax every morning and a dose of FiberSure in my Live Active cottage cheese. That helps. If I eat a lot of dark greens I have to lay off the FiberSure or add in a Colace now and then. I've had fissure surgery a few years ago and it's no fun. My doctor is okay with what I'm doing, just look for softeners NOT laxatives. Careful with fiber, it does bulk you up, but sometimes too much. I am NOT the standard though. I've had issues for years. You'll adjust and figure out what you need to do.

2. I took me 3-4 weeks to feel normal (whatever that is). I think I didn't hit my stride until a few months ago though. I dunno, there's no going back to "normal" - it's a new normal that you create yourself.

3. What they said. I do post my weekly and monthly numbers at the very bottom of my profile. I'm not the fastest loser out there, but I'm a loser. It's all data and information, don't let yourself get caught up in letting the scale dictate your emotions.