Surgery on Wednesday. I need some advices! :)

[Valeria]

Hi everyone!

First of all, no words can explain how happy am I for finding this website, I was feeling kind of lost until I start reading many of your experiences, so THANK YOU for being here and helping others like me who are about to start this journey.

I'm doing a Gastric Sleeve on Wednesday, I'm around 200 pounds, 5'4 feet, 25 years. Even though I'm overweight, the doctor says my journey to my ideal weight will be quite short, he didn't even ask me to do any diet before the surgery, but I'm doing the surgery because I have tried thousands of diets and no luck on losing weight, plus, being overweight has affected my hormones and the secondary effects on hormones imbalances can be very difficult to overcome.

So, I would like to get your advice on how can I make this journey better after surgery; I have read a lot about how difficult are the first days, the discomfort, gases, and nausea. Is there any way to make the process less "traumatic" based on your experience?

Also, I know that you need to set your mindset for this change, even though I feel I'm mentally prepared, maybe I need to be living the moment to truly prove myself, have you read any book that has helped you with the process?

And my last question -sorry is this is too long- just out of curiosity, how fast did you start losing weight? How was your experience of weight loss the first days after surgery?

Thanks again! God bless you all.

 

[dianeseattle]

Welcome and congratulations! If you search through the posts going back to 2011 you will find a lot of information about recovery. To answer your questions I never read any book that helped me. In fact I was a little surprised by how recovery happened for me. There were a few curveballs but in the main I believe that my recovery was pretty easy. And I remember the joy I felt when I discovered that I wasn't hungry. And I also found myself grossed out by certain foods which I would have been eaten before.

I lost weight really fast, as if it were just melting off me. I lost 35 lbs the first month and 25 lb the second. Then it slowed way down and when I hit the 6-month point I plateaued for a few months. I have to credit activity with helping to accelerate my weight loss and improve my muscle tone. I started hiking after I reach 75 lbs down. You can go see my pictures which will show you the before and after.

Many of our members will advise you to walk in order to expel gas from your body. If you are able to do that, it really does help. As to the other various forms of pain and nausea, there really isn't anything anyone can do to help you with that. Just make sure you avoid ibuprofen and that matter any medications that your surgeon is cautioning you about taking.

I would definitely include a dose of Metamucil everyday, or buy psyllium seed in capsules because that's what Metamucil is made of. But you can't pour a big glass of water and then glug it down before the Metamucil starts to gel. I use a rocks glass or a Juice Glass and put a few oz of water in it and a teaspoon of Metamucil, and swallow as quickly as I can without hurting my stomach. Then I repeat that same process about a half-hour later.

Most of your digestion does not take place in your stomach. It takes place in your intestines so right off the bat things are going to be dissolving in your small intestine beneath the duodenum. Then it will make its way through your intestines, which really takes a pretty long time, but it is still benefiting you. And the more water you drink after the better the Metamucil will work.

And most importantly, please use our group for support because we will support you and share in your joy. But if you have a lot of pain or difficulty or questions about what is happening to your body, call your surgeon and or call your Family Doctor. Don't hesitate. This type of surgery is Major and you should expect major developments as you heal. But in the end I hope you feel the way most of us feel, which is that this is the best thing we ever did.

Check out our Forum titled "Recipes" and you'll get a lot of really good ideas for things you can eat. But don't try to replicate Foods you normally eat by just substituting sugar-free and stuff like that. Try to eat pure food that you cook yourself, like broiled chicken or beef, steamed vegetables, fat-free puddings and cereals that you make with milk. Also, eggs, cottage cheese, hummus tofu and yogurt are good sources of protein and because they are soft when eaten or cooked, they are very good Alternatives during your pureed diet . And drink your water all the time. missdarmitage included a lot of links to online recipes, and there are a lot of sites that have recipes, as well as books. Personally, I don't use recipes very often. I just cook my food in healthy ways and then practice portion control.

There are 12000 people who are here or who have passed through this support group on the road to recovery. I think that says a lot for the success of the surgery. Do what you need to do and please be active in this forum. Share everything with us and feel free to advise people, based on your own experience. But always remember, your experience is unique. You will be fine.

 

[Valeria]

Welcome and congratulations! If you search through the posts going back to 2011 you will find a lot of information about recovery. To answer your questions I never read any book that helped me. In fact I was a little surprised by how recovery happened for me. There were a few curveballs but in the main I believe that my recovery was pretty easy. And I remember the joy I felt when I discovered that I wasn't hungry. And I also found myself grossed out by certain foods which I would have been eaten before.

I lost weight really fast, as if it were just melting off me. I lost 35 lbs the first month and 25 lb the second. Then it slowed way down and when I hit the 6-month point I plateaued for a few months. I have to credit activity with helping to accelerate my weight loss and improve my muscle tone. I started hiking after I reach 75 lbs down. You can go see my pictures which will show you the before and after.

Many of our members will advise you to walk in order to expel gas from your body. If you are able to do that, it really does help. As to the other various forms of pain and nausea, there really isn't anything anyone can do to help you with that. Just make sure you avoid ibuprofen and that matter any medications that your surgeon is cautioning you about taking.

I would definitely include a dose of Metamucil everyday, or buy psyllium seed in capsules because that's what Metamucil is made of. But you can't pour a big glass of water and then glug it down before the Metamucil starts to gel. I use a rocks glass or a Juice Glass and put a few oz of water in it and a teaspoon of Metamucil, and swallow as quickly as I can without hurting my stomach. Then I repeat that same process about a half-hour later.

Most of your digestion does not take place in your stomach. It takes place in your intestines so right off the bat things are going to be dissolving in your small intestine beneath the duodenum. Then it will make its way through your intestines, which really takes a pretty long time, but it is still benefiting you. And the more water you drink after the better the Metamucil will work.

And most importantly, please use our group for support because we will support you and share in your joy. But if you have a lot of pain or difficulty or questions about what is happening to your body, call your surgeon and or call your Family Doctor. Don't hesitate. This type of surgery is Major and you should expect major developments as you heal. But in the end I hope you feel the way most of us feel, which is that this is the best thing we ever did.

Check out our Forum titled "Recipes" and you'll get a lot of really good ideas for things you can eat. But don't try to replicate Foods you normally eat by just substituting sugar-free and stuff like that. Try to eat pure food that you cook yourself, like broiled chicken or beef, steamed vegetables, fat-free puddings and cereals that you make with milk. Also, eggs, cottage cheese, hummus tofu and yogurt are good sources of protein and because they are soft when eaten or cooked, they are very good Alternatives during your pureed diet . And drink your water all the time. missdarmitage included a lot of links to online recipes, and there are a lot of sites that have recipes, as well as books. Personally, I don't use recipes very often. I just cook my food in healthy ways and then practice portion control.

There are 12000 people who are here or who have passed through this support group on the road to recovery. I think that says a lot for the success of the surgery. Do what you need to do and please be active in this forum. Share everything with us and feel free to advise people, based on your own experience. But always remember, your experience is unique. You will be fine.

Wow!! Thanks a lot, Diane, can't thank you enough for all the info! Surgery is tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited!! I'll keep you posted on my process.