I'm new to this Support Group and i'm glad I found ya'll. My surgery is set for December 23rd!! Hopefully everything goes well and I'll be going home on Christmas Eve!! What a great Christmas gift! I'm excited and nervous. I wonder all the time how I'll feel about food afterwards. I saw a videoblog that said what I was thinking....she said she mourned food. My goal with this surgery is to get healthy!! I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Osteoarthritis and just got diagnosed with asthma about 3 months ago. Hoping to be able to get off most of my medications!! There is no support groups close to where I live for me to attend, so Ya'll will probably hear from me a lot!! I love to ask questions and hear about everyones experiences!! Can't wait to hear back from ya'll!!
December 23rd surgery!
- Thread starter SandyS
- Start date
Cheyenne
Active Member
Hi Sandy! WELCOME to the Forum!!!
CONGRATULATIONS on your surgery date! Awesome, Merry Christmas to you!!!
You don't have to mourn the food, just the AMOUNT of food eaten. You new tiny tummy will hold approx 2 oz. It doesnt take much food to fill you up and you will feel like you ate a huge Thanksgiving dinner. FULL!
At first you will be on liquids but then food will be allowed a little at a time until you will be on a normal healthy diet. After about 7 wks post surgery, I was allowed any kind of food or desert but not to stretch my tiny 2 oz. tummy. That is a very small amount but you will feel quite full and satisfied. The weight will melt off your body. You need not feel deprived. When others have Birthday cake, you can have it too, but just a bite, because that's all that will fit in your stomach. You must get your protein and veggies first and foremost. Without enough protein your weight loss will slow or stop. Your body will think you are starving and try to hold on to your weight. Sweets don't taste the same since my surgery, they are too sweet and give me a sick feeling in my tummy. It's far better for me to eat an extra bite of chicken than to save room for a bite of pie or cake which now tastes weird to me.
The main things to remember is chew, chew, chew your food. Eat very slowly.
Don't stretch out your tummy especially in the beginning. Eventually your tummy will expand to hold 4 oz (1/2 a cup) but that should take about a year to attain. Remember that as you lose weight you will feel better, look better and your health will improve. I found it easy to not over eat because by eating slowly your brain has time to tell you when you are full. Listen to your body.
My health was really bad before my surgery. Now I'm off both of my high blood pressure meds, I have a heart condition which has improved so much that tests show its now within normal range. I had sleep apnea and slept hooked up to a machine. My sleep apnea is now gone. I had a Pulmonary Embolism a few years ago and my lung function was extremely bad. Now it's normal. I have 99-100% oxygen saturation. Life is so much better when you feel great!
Follow your surgeon's instructions, take your vitamins and minerals everyday!
Keep us posted on your surgery! I also relied on this forum for support and info because I live too far away from the support group here. It has worked out well for me.
Good luck to you!
Cheyenne
dancinbr
Member
Hi,
Here are my successes. You can look forward to a similar set of successes:
Accomplishments as a result of my Bariatric Gastric Bypass (11/4/2013)
• Diabetes resolved – off all meds, avg reading 110
• BP normal again – I am still taking bystolic 5mg. Resting pulse is around 60 and BP near or below 120/80. Without the bystolic my resting pulse is still in the 60s. However, my BP goes up to the high 130s/high 80s.
• Sleep Apnea resolved – I am not snoring nor do I believe I am stopping breathing. I will confirm this later this year.
• Legs no longer swollen
• Waist size has shrunk – Wearing size 44 pants
• Feet are smaller – I was able to put a pair of dress shoes on that I haven’t been able to wear.
• I stay under 1200 calories a day. Most days around 1000 calories.
• I have a lot more energy and I can dance, dance and dance!
• I can walk up neighborhood hills aggressively without having to stop; no longer breathless.
• My incontinence due to my prostatectomy has been resolved.
• I am able to sleep in my bed again. I had been sleeping In an upright chair to be comfortable.
• Dramatically reduced backaches; almost completely gone.
• I can bend over and tie my shoes now and I can see my toes.
• I can do dance steps again that I couldn’t do. The belly is gone!
• Now wearing size 42 slacks.
• Starting to sleep on my side again! This has happened in years!
• Intimacy much improved !!!
• Fit in to a small diner booth !
• I can run up and down stairs several times without becoming breathless
• I squeeze out between two cars that were tightly parked together. A year ago I couldn’t get out of the car; I would be trapped.
• I squeezed into a size 38 pair of pants. (6/1/2014)
• Sleeping on side is comfortable now. (6/1/2014)
• Sleeping flat on my back is doing fine too. No longer need to be propped up. (6/1/2014)
• I have reached my goal of under 200. I weigh 197 (9/9/2014)
• Size 38 Pants fitting comfortably now (9/9/2014)
Merry Christmas.
I am surprised that your surgeon's group doesn't host support groups !!
Our nutritionists host support groups once per week.
In any event you have this forum. We will respond to any and all questions.
The worst question you can ask is the one you didn't ask.
Ralph
Here are my successes. You can look forward to a similar set of successes:
Accomplishments as a result of my Bariatric Gastric Bypass (11/4/2013)
• Diabetes resolved – off all meds, avg reading 110
• BP normal again – I am still taking bystolic 5mg. Resting pulse is around 60 and BP near or below 120/80. Without the bystolic my resting pulse is still in the 60s. However, my BP goes up to the high 130s/high 80s.
• Sleep Apnea resolved – I am not snoring nor do I believe I am stopping breathing. I will confirm this later this year.
• Legs no longer swollen
• Waist size has shrunk – Wearing size 44 pants
• Feet are smaller – I was able to put a pair of dress shoes on that I haven’t been able to wear.
• I stay under 1200 calories a day. Most days around 1000 calories.
• I have a lot more energy and I can dance, dance and dance!
• I can walk up neighborhood hills aggressively without having to stop; no longer breathless.
• My incontinence due to my prostatectomy has been resolved.
• I am able to sleep in my bed again. I had been sleeping In an upright chair to be comfortable.
• Dramatically reduced backaches; almost completely gone.
• I can bend over and tie my shoes now and I can see my toes.
• I can do dance steps again that I couldn’t do. The belly is gone!
• Now wearing size 42 slacks.
• Starting to sleep on my side again! This has happened in years!
• Intimacy much improved !!!
• Fit in to a small diner booth !
• I can run up and down stairs several times without becoming breathless
• I squeeze out between two cars that were tightly parked together. A year ago I couldn’t get out of the car; I would be trapped.
• I squeezed into a size 38 pair of pants. (6/1/2014)
• Sleeping on side is comfortable now. (6/1/2014)
• Sleeping flat on my back is doing fine too. No longer need to be propped up. (6/1/2014)
• I have reached my goal of under 200. I weigh 197 (9/9/2014)
• Size 38 Pants fitting comfortably now (9/9/2014)
Merry Christmas.
I am surprised that your surgeon's group doesn't host support groups !!
Our nutritionists host support groups once per week.
In any event you have this forum. We will respond to any and all questions.
The worst question you can ask is the one you didn't ask.
Ralph
Thank you Cheyenne and Ralph for all the information. It is all so helpful!! My surgeon does have support groups, but they are almost an hour away and I just can't do that often after getting off work. I tried to find some that were local but there aren't any in my area! The nurse just told me of an online group through the hospital, but now that I found ya'll, I'll be on here!! It's great to have all the support and advice from all of you that have gone through this. I'm sitting at work today, just anxious for the day to go by. I'm so ready for tomorrow!! Thinking about msmdw today too since she is having her surgery today!!
Cheyenne
Active Member
dancinbr
Member
Great to hear you are home with no problems.
Taste does change for most of us.
I think I lost some tasting sensitivity for a lot of foods. This is not uncommon. It also serves as another tool/benefit to reduce food cravings.
Anyway, now is the time to follow the program exactly as your surgeon's team has instructed you.
Heal. The first month is healing time and toughest part of your first few months.
You will do fine.
Ralph
Cheyenne
Active Member
Glad all is well!!!
As Ralph said, Rest and heal and follow your surgeon's program and you will do fine.
Have a great Holiday!
Cheyenne
dancinbr
Member
That is interesting.
I had been a back sleeper for some time. I finally got back to being able to sleep on my side.
I still snore on my back, but not on my side.
Well, as soon as you heal a bit you will be able to get back to side sleeping.
Cheyenne
Active Member
I was a side and stomach sleeper all my life until I got a umbelical hernia about 10 yrs ago. I had to sleep on my back or my hernia hurt. It was very hard to change to my back but I finally got used to it. This year I had my hernia fixed while I was getting another surgery. I had tried to go back to sleeping on my side but I am too accustomed to sleeping on my back now and I just can't do it. Oh well...
Cheyenne
Tracy Lindenmuth
Member
I had my surgery the day before you and the last two days of have slept on my side
Tracy Lindenmuth
Member
So how are you doing at this point, I am doing much better than the first week, I go back to Dr tomorrow so hoping I can add some eggs to my diet