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wish i would have been more prepared.

readyforanewstart! said:
I still can't do anything. I'm almost 10 days out. I return to work thursday if the surgeon allows. I have a desk job so that isn't my worry. I just want to feel normal again. I want to be able to take care of my family and house. I can hardly do anything at all. I'm starting to get dehydrated again. Not sure if I'm a bit depressed or what. The weight is flying off, but this seems like a crappy trade off. I would rather stay fat to be able to take care of my family. I regret this surgery completely!
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It's going to take more than 10 days for your body to heal from this surgery. Add to that extreme weight loss and restricted calorie intake. All of this will cause fatigue and general weakness. I had my first follow up with my surgeon a few weeks ago and complained about my fatique. He said it was completely normal and would pass in 2 or 3 months. I feel better now but still have some fatigue. I saw my PC yesterday and she ordered bloodwork just to make sure there isn't something going on beyond the side effects of the surgery. I remember very well how tired I felt the first 3 weeks after surgery, I could barely take care of my basic needs. It's going to take a while so try to rest as much as you can so that your body can heal. It's all normal so don't blame yourself. Without proper rest it will take even longer so take time out for yourself for a change :)
 
Well, its been 1 week and 1 day since WLS. I feel so much better. No more pain and today is the 1st day back to work (darn it!! I can get used to not working). It does get a lot easier. I started making my protein shakes with water instead of skim milk which made things go down a lot easier. The milk made it to thick for me. I started eating cottage cheese, which gave me a little bit of variety. My stomach didn't reject it and my surgeon said that it was ok as long as I was able to hold it down. Then I experimented with sugar free jello (yum) and sugar free pudding (pudding is still a little thick). Doing much better here.
 
Blackjack-I'm happy to hear you bounced back so quickly. Even so, I'm surprised that your surgeon has released you to return to work so soon. Just make sure you don't lift anything more than what your restriction is even if you feel you can handle it. There is a lot of healing that still needs to happen even though you aren't feeling pain. My pain has been gone for a while but I'm still on lifting restriction. I think my restriction will be for a total of 12 weeks post surgery. The first 4weeks it was at 10 pounds and now it's 20 pounds. The only issue I notice is that I am still having some fatigue but it's not nearly as bad as it was earlier.

Make sure you come back to the forum to let us know how you are doing :)
 
Hi Pat99. Thanks for the concern, but my job does not require any lifting at all. I flip cards for a living. I'm a poker dealer. Besides I only had enough vacation time for 1 week. I had to come back to work whether I was ready or not. But I'm ready.
 
hi everyone sounds like the let down post surgery is happening. each day i try to prepare for my surgery later this month i am making plans for after surgery. something else to look forward to like a mini vacation, shopping for smaller cloths, and enjoying my new found freedom. after i had my lapband others would tell me how great i looked but i was not letting anyone know about my pain with n/v, dumping, and doubting i had made the right decision. in my case i had no support or follow up! please remember to use all your resources as much as you need and know things will get better. please dont loose focus of your goal day by day.
 
One of the things I worry about, is getting the needed support. My surgeon has a support group at his office, but they only meet once a month and their office is an hour drive for me. I do plan on trying to go though. I do have support of my family and my weight loss support group. I also have all of you wonderful new friends here in the forum. I am so glad I found you all.
 
How are you doing now? I hope better and I hope you called your surgeon immediately. The level of pain you describe does not seem normal. By day 3 after surgery I was up and around with slight discomfort and didn't need pain medication.
 
NanaG67 said:
One of the things I worry about, is getting the needed support. My surgeon has a support group at his office, but they only meet once a month and their office is an hour drive for me. I do plan on trying to go though. I do have support of my family and my weight loss support group. I also have all of you wonderful new friends here in the forum. I am so glad I found you all.
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I know an hour drive is a lot especially with gas prices like they are but try and make it as much as possable, you may find someone in your area you can commute with trading off every other month. You can always come here inbetween suport groups, I have found this is a great place between meetings. :cool: Tom
 
Hi everyone! I just want to say a little on how I am doing. I went into the hospital again fro dehydration and very low blood pressure 2 weeks ago. Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since surgery and I have to tell you I almost feel 100%. I didnt think it was going to happen with how bad I was feeling. I walked a mile yesterday and the day before I rode my bike with the kids. A week ago this time I could not even walk 2 driveways away from my house!!! I still struggle a little with bending over, and that's ok. I went yesterday all day without my stomach brace, and that felt great, although a little sore, but I will take it. Thank you for all the kind words and support!!! and I am down 35 lbs in less than 3 weeks. I weigh tomorrow. I figured I would weigh every Wednesday that way I am not obsessing over it. But still I think that is amazing weight loss!!
 
I have to say everyone goes through the process of second guessing. I broke down and cried yesterday afraid that I had ruined my life by going through VGS surgery on May 29, 2012. My husband is very supportive and understanding, he reassured me that I had not made a mistake and that I just needed to give my body time to heal. Today I am feeling much better. I had my one week post-op check up this afternoon and everything is fine. It is so hard for me to just relax. I am a mom of three (13, 4, 2), work full time, and take night classes. I have a very busy schedule and have a very difficult time taking time for myself. Guess I will have to start!
 
BLFIELD-Yes, please take time out for yourself for the next few months. It is so critical that you get enough sleep and naps when you feel tired. It will promote better healing and pain relief. You are going to feel extremely tired, especially the first 2 months. Don't fight it!!! Your body has just undergone trauma with the surgery and anesthesia and now you will be losing stored energy as you lose weight. Add to that you will be eating far fewer calories and need to rest to help compensate.
 
It is normal to go through that, I was feeling the same way when I was only a few days post op, I think it happens to most of us. Remeber to take time for yourself and try to get 30 minutes of exersice a day and sleep when you are tired, I know it will be difficult with three kids, but it will make all the differnce in how you feel. Hang in there. :cool: Tom
 
I am also a mom of three ages 1,4,6 and work a full time job with the federal government. I am 7 weeks post op, down 44.6 lbs and have not felt this good in so long. I got the ok to start doing light exercise last week since I have been able to tolerate long walks and bike rides. I am still eating soft foods but that's ok. I have a decent variety of things that I keep on hand to avoid any temptation. I still cannot eat very much at a time and I am not drinking nearly enough. The doctors concerns at this point is that I need to get around 1000 calories a day or I will stop losing weight. My body will think it's starving. Right now I am between 600-800 and getting about 40-50 oz of fluid. He is also afraid of me getting dehydrated again. I am working hard to get as much in as I can. Now that I have lost the weight I have a HUGE fear of it coming back. I know that this is normal, I just dont want it to get out of hand. I am forever grateful for having the opportunity to have this surgery! It was a rough start, but so worth it at this point!!!!
 
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