Come out come out wherever you are

Hey, I feel the need to do a roll call and call out all those lurkers who sit on the sidelines.  Today, just click on reply and tell us who is lurking and why you are lurking.  Be honest. If you are lurking because the tone of the board is not what you need, speak up.  If you are lurking because you are living your life and only come here to check up on old friends tell us.

Like Glenda the good witch sang to the little people: come out come out wherever you are.

 

Ok, I'm a lurker. I like reading Debbiejean's Mindfulness posts, and seeing how everyone is doing, but am too busy usually to post. For an update, I'm 5 1/2 weeks out of my hernia/panni surgery and 4 1/2 weeks out of the thigh and lower back/butt lift. Two surgeries back to back really threw me for a loop and it's been a long recovery. Luckily, I'm on 8 weeks of disability (2 1/2 weeks left). Still have one drain in but hope to have it out tomorrow. Developed an infection in one thigh so I'm on two different antibiotics, and since I'm mostly sitting around at home recovering, I'm afraid I'm eating too much of the wrong things and gaining. But soon I'll be back to my regular eating schedule and exercising so it should come off. Doc thinks I'm doing well. Just have to relax and not try to do too much, which is getting harder as I feel better and better.

Hi everyone! Happy Halloween.

Jan

by the way, being home all day recovering and having PMS (just started back up again two days ago) right before Halloween is not a good combination. When my period hits, I can eat unlimited chocolate and not dump. Not good, but yummy.

Hi Jan and welcome.

Was the surgery or the recovery painful?  After my husband's transplant, I'm starting plastics.  I am dreading the drains.  

Welcome and I hope you are able to find a place here and there where you might want to participate.   

 My first surgery involved a pretty bad imbilical hernia and a panni removal.  My RNY surgeon did the hernia, my PS surgeon did a T-cut so he could get to it better.  I woke up in a lot of pain and could barely move.  Spent an extra night in the hospital.  By the time I went home, I was feeling better and by 5 days after could walk over a mile and was feeling great.  I went home with two drains in the groin.  I was really nervous about the drains but they were a lot easier to deal with than I thought.

Second surgery took 6 hours (lots of stitching to do).  This was the thigh and lower back lift.  Since this was self pay, I went home right after the recovery room on lots of pain meds.  The first two days were really hard.  Hubby had to literally almost carry me to the bathroom and hold me over the toilet.  Spent the rest of the time lying on the couch with two pillows behind my head and three under my legs.  By day three, I could get up and down by myself and get to the bathroom.  Had a seat riser hubby bought at CVS that helped a lot, but spent the first week squatting over the toilet so I wouldn't have to sit.  It helped that I had built up my thigh muscles and arm muscles (holding onto the sink).  I had two drains from that one, one out of each knee.  It took over two weeks from that surgery before I started to even feel normal.  Two major surgeries that close together really takes a lot out of your body.  I took pain pills every 3-4 hours whether I needed them or not for the first week, so the pain was managed really well and I wasn't in much.  The drains were a pain, but easy to deal with.  I spent the first two weeks in my bathrobe because it was easier than getting dressed and much easier when I had to go to the bathroom since I couldn't move much.  Had a binder around my waist and ace bandages around my thighs (still do).  Hubby would help me sponge bath and washed my hair at the kitchen sink.

I know I'm being blunt, but it's better to know what you are getting in to.  I did the surgeries back to back so I would have the same recovery time off work.  Otherwise, I never would have done the second one.  Still very swollen so don't know how it will all turn out, but everyone says I look great.

Thanks.
Jan

Wow!

Hopefully you will get everything healed soon.  Did you take before and after pictures/   

 I took before.  I'm waiting for the drain to come out and swelling to go down before I take afters.

Occasional lurker - but need to come out! I've stalled big time. Surgery 2 years ago, and lost 3/4 of what the surgeon wanted me to lose. It seems to be trying to slide up in the in wrong direction. My tool still works, but grazing is an issue.

Hi Mary.  

Lurking seems to be the direction that most of us have gone.  I think we can turn this board around and change it back into the board that it wa sa few years back.  So, come in and read and comment and hopefully, you can get back on track.  Grazing is the worst thing we WLS people can do: but you know this.   

You are right; this board has shifted.  There are a few of us who are making an attempt to transition the board back to a place for support, a place for resources, and a place for motivation.  I hope you chose to participate and help us turn things around.