First NSV - "arm gap"!
I have no hopes or plans for ever having the "thigh gap" (google at your own risk), but today I noticed something - arm gap! Just under two weeks out from surgery and there is definitely space between my arms and my torso that was not there pre-Opti.
I'm down 26 lbs since April 15th, and I am noticing it most in my face and above the waist, which makes sense - I'm very pear shaped.
For those who are near their date and getting worried, I must say that I have had a perfectly fine experience thus far. The first 24 hours was hardest: I couldn't stay awake to sip my water, I was fairly sore in the abdomen and there were no "surgery twins" at TWH to say hello to when doing my walks. But then I had a mass of visitors, I went onto tablet painkiller and even went home hours earlier than expected!
Now, I've had a VSG so I know I'm probably experiencing different mechanics than an RNY patient. But my biggest hurdle has been multi-vitamins, and once I gave up on a cut up pill and found a chewable, life was so much easier!
My incisions are small and healing well. I have one big bruise at the largest incision, and it kind of looks like a mini-lipo job was done there, but that's not unlike the scar I have from a previous surgery in 2005. At least it's not on the same side of my torso! Now they are going to balance out (I hope).
I got really nervous my last few days before surgery, so I know what people are going through. Maybe no everyone has a great post-op, but many of us do. Just breathe and take it from me: this is WORTH IT!
Referral 08/13, Orientation TWH 09/18/13, SW 09/26/13, NP 09/26/13, Surgeon Appt 12/13/13, MRI 01/06/14, Nut Class 01/14/14, Nut 01/20/14, Scopes 02/21/14, Psych 02/25/14, Dr. Urbach 03/28/14, PATTS 04/15/14, SURGERY 05/06/14!!! 
on 5/18/14 10:24 am
Yay! So happy for you! You are my surgery twin except I was at TEGH and a day after you. It's pretty awesome noticing the little things eh? I have also noticed that I can cross my legs now and I have more energy everyday. Much needed because I have 3 kids I need to keep up with :) congrats on a successful surgery and recovery :)
Oh yes, that's true! Wish we could have been at the same place! I only saw one gal at TWH on my first night who had had bariatrics, otherwise I was on my ownsies. I did enjoy my big single room, ha!
I am a ways out from crossing my legs (I carry most of my excess weight in my hips and thighs) but I am pretty happy with progress thus far! I do have a bit more energy most days, but I probably need to get moving more to really notice. I need to stop being a couch potato!
Looking forward to sharing progress stories with you!
Referral 08/13, Orientation TWH 09/18/13, SW 09/26/13, NP 09/26/13, Surgeon Appt 12/13/13, MRI 01/06/14, Nut Class 01/14/14, Nut 01/20/14, Scopes 02/21/14, Psych 02/25/14, Dr. Urbach 03/28/14, PATTS 04/15/14, SURGERY 05/06/14!!!
on 5/19/14 12:00 am
Yes, It would have been nice to see someone else walking the halls with me :) I was pretty lonely too. Plus my surgical team told me to walk, walk, walk and my nurses told me I was walking too much, go figure, lol. But I'm lucky that my recovery has gone well and other than the incisions, I don't even feel like I had surgery! Can't wait to share more NSV's down the road. Keep up the good work.
Hurray!! Glad to hear you are doing so well :) The first few months are nothing but wonderful NSV's, small things that you never even saw coming, and I'm quite sure you'll appreciate every single one of them :) I had a big incision bruise for a long time, but that incision seems to be the one that is fading in colour the fastest - and at least now you're balanced out, lol ;)
So good to hear you're having a good post-op. Keep up the awesome work and that 26 lbs will be doubled in no time!
I too had my surgery on April 15th - had it very late in the day. I had my follow up appointment two weeks ago tomorrow and had lost 28 lbs since surgery and since Christmas a total of 78. I wish I had known you were up and around - I was up walking around early the next morning - slowly - but walking.
It sounds like we had very similar experiences - I could barely stay awake to sip my water and was sore in my abdomen as well. I feel very lucky everything went well and am moving around really well now. I can't believe how far I can move without getting winded now. I started my soft diet this past friday and had my first scrambled egg in AGES and did it ever taste good! And it stayed down! I didn't have a problem so much with the multivitamins but with the calcium supplements - ugh. I wanted to gag - they were huge and tasted absolutely disgusting. Fortunately someone mentioned the liquid calcium from Shoppers - it's a little sweet but so much easier to get down than the giant tablets I had.
I'm meeting with Dr. Rotstein tomorrow for my follow-up appointment. Hoping to get weighed again (I don't have a scale at home). I'm sure I've lost more since two weeks ago! I too was super nervous the last few days before my surgery and in fact, I'm willing to admit, when I lay down on the operating table, I started balling my eyes out I was so scared. But I'm so glad I did it. Even only 5 weeks out, I'm feeling better, and can see results all over. I have shoulders again! Wooo hoo!
