I am one who's always worn girdles or wraps to try and control the buldge, so I was wondering if anyone knows if they can can or should be worn after surgery and if so how long after?
I am one who's always worn girdles or wraps to try and control the buldge, so I was wondering if anyone knows if they can can or should be worn after surgery and if so how long after?
Highest Weight: 232- BMI 42.4
Pre-Op Weight: 226- BMI 41.3
Day of Surgery: 216- BMI 39.5
1st Week Post-Op: 215- BMI 39.3
6 weeks Post-Op: 198- BMI 36.2
2 months Post-Op:
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
I'd like to know this too, how soon it is safe to wear them. If someone can pass that along to me, I'd appreciate it.
Also, what did you guys do to deal with incisions that split or infect? I have the biggest one that is wide opne and deep and rather green.
How much importance is the 64 oz of water daily? I'm not close, maybe 1 cup tea. 3 cups water, and a slushy I make with gatorade and ice. If I don't feel dehydrated does it matter or is the amount that high for a reason?
I'm really new, just had surgery last week, so any help would be great. thanks!
Water is vitally important. Dehydration causes weakness, headaches, depression, and fatigue. The bariatric doctors will also tell you that when people feel "hungry", 80% of the time you are actually dehydrated. If your body lacks hydration, everything is concentrated. I am a nurse (RN) and some of the problems are concentrated blood = risk of clots, concentrated respiratory secretions = potential for lung infections and thick mucous. Dry skin and dry hair which becomes dry and brittle. You body will also start conserving anything that it is deprived of. If you do not eat feed your body (what is allowed at the time) a little bit every couple of hours when you are dieting, you body goes into crisis mode and locks down fat and holds calories. If you eat or feed your body every couple of hours it is not in shock mode and will release fat, utilize calories in place of storing, and your metabolism functions efficiently. Most starvation diets, go no where, except up. The body will continue to hold and hold and eventually builds up to where you gain weight. Water is a key to life. You will also release toxins from your body through your liver, kidneys, and bladder. If you get a massage, they tell you afterwards to drink, drink, drink. The reason is the massaging of the body releases toxins from the skin and fat cells and they are free floating in your system waiting to be expelled. If not expelled you will develop aches, pain, headache, nausea, etc.....so as you can see you must hold a drink, bottle or glass in your hand at all time and sip, sip, sip. Drinking 2 or 3 drinks a day and struggling with it just doesn't cut it. After my band surgery, I thought the same thing, but after advice from all the nurses I worked with at the bariatric hospital, they made sure that I was sip, sip, sipping all the time. 24 of the nurses there have all had the sleeve/band/RNY. It becomes a habit to sip, sip, sip, and it gets easier. Another point, when you drink any liquid there is a technique to it. You do not hold it in the back of your mouth and then swallow hard or gulp. It takes 22 muscles to swallow water. It is the hardest for many people, but juices, broths, etc...have a different consistency and do not take so much effort to swallow. The technique to practice is sip a small amount and let it slide down the back of your throat. It is hard to do at first, but if you do it enough, it becomes habit and you unconsciously will begin swallowing your liquids much easier. Gulping and using all 22 muscles causes pain, and inflammation to the esophagus. No wonder so many have problems with the liquids. You also sip because your pouch is small, initially, swollen and the capacity is limited. If you are trying to swallow liquids and are pushing for quantity, you will overload the pouch. The pouch has to have time to drain. The sip, sip, sipping allows you to ingest only a small quantity and it has time to exit the pouch before the next sip. The repeated sipping will build up in quantity and you will also be meeting the 64 ounces of liquid a day. Initially I went to Walmart and bought one of the large drink bottles that has the snap up and down flip cap like some of the water bottles. I looked at all of them and actually found one that was 64 ounces. I filled it in the morning and I always knew at what level I was at and since it was clear and see through would sip more often as I realized I was getting behind. I also kept Crystal Light packets and MIO with me at work and if you get tired of the water or tea or whatever liquid, you could add the powder and now you have a new and different drink and you will find that you will drink more if you have a variety. I also kept gatorade and propel (especially grape) at work, at home and in the car/truck. White and Purple Grape juices come in small containers or boxes and are a nice trade off to just drinking one or two things all day. If you need any additional "Nurse" advice, just ask. There is a science and reason for everything that is on your bariatric instructions. Everything from what to eat, not eat, drink, not drink, not to pick on lap holes, keep lap holes and incisions clean and dry. Moist and wet environment is the best site for bacteria to grow. That is why they culture bacteria on wet petri dishes with wet agar (jello like) and put it in a warm oven for 24 hours. Bacteria will go wild in that environment. A dry wound that scabs is a seal to keep bacteria out. Protein is a major requirement for healing, especially after surgery. Protein also gives you energy. We don't add foods until about 6 weeks, reason it that over 35 years of nursing I see that any surgery takes about 6 weeks to heal and recover from. We don't stretch and expand the pouch doing the wrong thing unless we want to get a leak or a perforation of our gastrointestinal system. So..................back to the hydration status.........YES you do need to consume a MINIMUM of 64 ounces per day and more if you want to stay healthy and well. I have found that those of us who have been/or are overweight or obese have a limited self control and it has become a habit to not follow the plan. We will just do it our way, but has our way really worked for us ??? I keep addressing these issues over and over on here because people verbalize they don't want the laxative, they don't want the protein powder, they don't want the liquids, etc...........but they do talk an awful lot about wanting hamburgers, cokes, ice cream, alcohol, steaks, etc.......We all have to break that mold and commit to ourselves that we are going to stick to the orders, rules, and plan that has been established by our doctors, surgeons, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, etc.......These plans have been tested and are tried and true for our success with our band, sleeve, and RNY tools that are there to assist us to do the right thing, but if we don't follow the plan and we abuse our selves, our tools will fail. It seems being the RN who has worked bariatric surgery, bariatric pre op, bariatric recovery, and been a bariatric patient myself, it has become my place on this forum to "SPANK EVERYONE WHEN THEY NEED IT". Everyone on here is the best support you can get. Read, Read, Read. You will get valuable information that even all of your practitioners can't understand because they have not had a bariatric surgery, have not been overweight or obese, have not experienced our lives, but all of us on here can say: Good Job, We are proud of you, Stop that, Quit whining, Keep it up, because we have "BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT" and many of us over and over. Example: I am having my lap band out and a sleeve done and my gallbladder out all at one time on April 5th by Dr. Almanza. The lap band was great at the time, but I didn't quite get there for me. The sleeve was not available as an option 6 years ago, so I had to go with the sleeve. My 34 year old daughter got her sleeve 2 weeks ago. She is doing great. I only have about another 25-30 pounds to go, but I need that extra boost. If you need advice or need to talk, come to Pappa !!!! I am old enough to be most of you guys father and some, you guys grandfather. I will be 60 in September. If you see my picture on my profile, I don't look near 60, but that is because I have had 11 plastic surgeries in the last 5 1/2 years and that isn't easy either. I am getting off my pulpit now as I need to sip, sip, sip, sip, sip, sip !!!! You too !!!!
Wonderful post!!!
309 lbs before pre-op diet.
297 lbs day of surgery.
275 lbs 2/19/13 1 month post 34 lbs less!
265 3/15/13 2 months post 44 lbs less!
253 4/15/13 3 months post 56 lbs less!
246 5/15/13 4 months post 63 lbs less!
238 6/15/13 5 months post 71 lbs less!
231 7/15/13 6 months post 78 lbs less!
222 8/15/13 7 months post 87 lbs less!
Thanks for the spanking! I have learned my bougie is quite a bit smaller than others because I had a leak following surgery and my doctor did an oversew technique. So I'm basically dealing with a 30. It will make that six week healing process possibly longer. Thank you for the pep talk about water - you make very good points, I never knew why they picked such a large quantity but what you say makes sense. I do hold water in the back of my throat, always have so I will try to learn the technique you spoke of. I have been sipping instead of 'drinking' but not nearly enough. So, I've got to work on that!
Its funny what you say about foods and self-discipline - I have six healthy kids at home as well as a non-dieting husband. None are overweight. I have to cook for them and then for myself, but so far I have needed that discipline and keeping things separate. In time I'm sure I'll be able to deal with temptations better and maybe cook something similar for myself, or come up with recipes we all like that are healthier, but for now I don't eat when they do and I don't think of it as depriving myself. Its just what I need right now.
Back to the girdle issue - I plan on wearing one at all times as soon as my incisions heal. I have one that is not healing up the way the rest are! Its getting there, though. As soon as I feel comfortable I'll be girdling my days away
you can wear one as soon as your incisions heal. the pressure actually feels good on the tummy in the beginning. kind of like when we hug pillows or support the belly. until you are three months or so out, don't order or buy and expensive one. you will drop a lot in those first few months then should settle down to a slow drop. I did buy an expensive one but it was too small. its the right size for me, but i cannot get it over my fat belly to pull it up yet. maybe in ten or fifteen more pounds. i use the tank and panties combo which i HATE. the top rolls up and bottoms roll down. I'll be glad when i can get into the one piece!
Pounds LOST since surgery 111
Finally reached Onderland 3/1/2013
Height 5'3" Small frame
Starting BMI day of surgery : 45.7 MORBIDLY OBESE CLASS 3
BMI current 26.0 OVERWEIGHT
my first goal is to get to 141pounds, that will put me in the NORMAL range bmi. My second goal is 120, which is thin and healthy.
OMG Lisal I'm laughing so hard right now at your tank/panties combo. Laughing because I have been there w/my belly, top rolls up, bottom rolls down, belly just sits there all fat and sassy! I gave up for a while!!!
I was placed in abdominal binder directly after surgery. I was told to wear it 24/7 except for bathing for the first 2 weeks after surgery. It was annoying but it also gave me a sense of security.
Thanks very much! I think Dr. Kelly reports EVERY complication, he told us right away and didn't need to, but he wants you to have a clear pic of what he did in there. It made me feel he had integrity to be honest.
I can't speak to the others you know who also had leaks. He staples, then layers fat around the staples and if necessary he does the overstitch.
Anyhow, thanks for the well wishes, I just have to be patient and follow protocol. my only fear is that it will always feel like this in my chest when I eat and drink but it sounds like this does happen and also goes away, so I'm trying to stay calm about it.
Stacey,
I am glad you posted about the girdle/binders the other day. After I had my lap band 6 years ago, I did wear a wrap-around-the-middle, wide elastic binder, but it had the long vertical velco strips and they were uncomfortable no matter where you positioned it. The velcro would also come undone often and it sounded like someone tearing sheets............lol............I would have to go to the bathroom and take off everything and fix the binder and then put it all back on. I then started wearing a tee shirt under the binder and then my scrub clothes over all of it. I am RN and work on my feet on dead heat run for 12 1/2 hours. I will be off 1 week after my surgery. I did file FMLA just in case I can't return on the 13th after my surgery on the 5th. I got on ebay and looked up mens binders and found some really cool ones. They are like long tank tops and they have heavier elastic panels on the sides from armpits to hips. They have heavy reinforced large panel in the front from the nipple line to the hips. Really supportive to the belly and also reshapes and looks nice. The cost was only $12.99, but it is coming from China, so I paid the expedited shipping and it cost me about $32.00 total. It should be here before the 1st. I order from China all the time for one of my businesses and have never had a problem and the quality is so much better and so much cheaper. Look on ebay. The binders are based in size (s,m,l,xl,2xl), etc... based on your chest measurement. They have graphs to compare your measurements for a good fit. One of the sellers suggested that if you are like 42" to 50" in the chest and that is a large, to go to the next size lower to a medium. That is what I did. I do remember that the binder did really help as I was losing weight fast and I remember that when I got home and took it off, I felt all floppy. I gradually was able to wean away from it and frankly I don't even know what I did with it. Being a nurse, I must say, you should wait until your puncture holes and incisions are clear and dried up before you use a binder. You would also need to keep clean bandages over the puncture and incision sites while wearing the binder or the friction will pull on the scabs and make it hurt. A little drainage from a couple of puncture sites would be o.k. if they have a large bandaid or dressing covering them. Hope this helps. Oh yes, they were not only men's binders, but women's, kids, etc.......Most of them come in white, gray and black as a choice. They also carry a wide range of sizes from xs to 4x.
How are you doing. You are just 19 days after mine. I am excited for the 5th. Lap Band out, Gallbladder out and Sleeve all at the same time. I bet I will be sore, but I always have a high tolerance for pain and usually don't require pain meds. I also am Type A and can't sit still for longer than about 15 minutes. When they did my Lap Band, I went to pre-op at 5:30, to Surgery at 07:15, to recovery at 08:00 and to my room at 11:00. Since I worked in administration at the bariatric hospital, I was in my office working in my pajamas from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. My doctor called my office and said if I didn't get back to my patient room stat, he would not discharge me. I was home by 7:00 pm and watched t.v. most of the night. The next day I realized that I did a bit too much and was really sore. Just like after you workout too hard and then the next day you can't move you are so sore. That was when I got the binder and rested a bit more and took it a little easier. My Lap Band was on a Thursday and I was back to work on Monday full days. I told my doctor that my kids had caused me more pain than the lap band surgery............LOL...........I healed great and I did exactly as I was told. I think keeping up and active, taking liquid vitamins, lots of fluids and a positive attitude made it go very well. I plan to do the same this time. Keep in touch and let me know how you are doing. Positive or Negative. Smile........................Dennis
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