Helpful advice for after surgery needed

kamakazeekim

I'm scheduled to have my gastric bypass on May 24th. I have pcos and currently weight 258. What can I expect after surgery? What foods or liquids should i eat and/or avoid for the first few months after the surgery? How long does it take to recover and become active again? Are there any supplements you would recommend?

Thanks!

13turtles

Most of this should be answered by your surgery team, as each of them have different requirements. That being said, I went back to work after three weeks. I felt pretty good after about a week, but I needed a lot more sleep than normal. Also, since I was on the liquid phase for the first few weeks post-op, I had to adjust. I had 5 eating phases that ranged from clear liquids, to liquids, to soft foods, to soft foods and a few extras, to full on diet. It gradually was implemented over the course of three months.

When I was eating/drinking, everything tasted to sweet at first, and most things still are to this day, but since I avoid sugar, it's all good. When you can eat solid foods, fish and shrimp were great, and for me chicken is harder. It's really about what you can handle.

As for exercise, I was up and walking the day of surgery, and each day spent more and more time on my feet. I was not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds for several weeks post-op, but once again, that was my doctors orders. After 3 months, I was cleared to do any exercise I wanted.

As for the last question, you will be on chewable vitamins for at least 3 months. My preferred brand is Celebrate Vitamins, and I order from Amazon. I like the grape chewable multi-vitamins, but the orange works too. I get orange for the calcium, vitamin D, and b-12. There are my recommended supplements, based on blood work, so you might have different requirements. You will need some type of supplementation for the rest of your life i-once you have surgery.

Good luck on your journey, and be sure to join some of the other WLS boards as there is a ton of advice out there!