Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!
$99 Yearly Supply Alert! 🌈 "1 per Day!" Bariatric Multivitamins

Blogs

My journey
 

Bit of a rant: Pissed off - upset - depressed

OK, here is a bit of a rant. Lately, it seems that everyone has the opinion that I have lost too much weight and need to stop. I currently weigh 186 lbs, just at the top of the 'normal' range for my height. I don't want to look sickly, and don't think that I do, but my image of myself is distorted, and I know that. My mind hasn't caught up with the rapid weight loss yet. It is starting to piss me off how everyone is insisting that I need to stop losing weight. I know that, and plan to, but don't even know how to at this point. I can't eat more than I do now. Yesterday, my family and I went to a 50th anniversary party. We saw my stepmother, who I haven't seen in about a month or so. She kept telling me I was done and needed to stop. I kind of snapped back at her, which is out of character for me, and I'm sure threw her off guard. I said that I wished people were this concerned for me when I weighed 274 (and growing) and had ACTUAL health issues because of it. Her reply was that I was more open to talking about it now, since I was so open to talking about the surgery. I guess that's a fair point, but still annoys me. When we got home, my wife told me that my stepmother told her that I looked like a little old man, and that the surgery made me look 15 years older. This REALLY hurt and upset me. I told my wife that I wished she hadn't told me that. She couldn't understand why it upset me. She said that my stepmom was just stating her opinion, and that she was concerned about me. I said that I was upset because I didn't go through all of this to look like a little old man. While I had the surgery for health reasons and not vanity reasons, I still wouldn't like to look older. I'm 42, and don't want to look like a little old man. My wife also said that it could have been what I was wearing. I had on a polo shirt that was kind of long and made me look taller and thinner than I really am. My wife agrees that I'm getting too thin, but doesn't agree with the little old man comment. My wife also had the surgery, and looks amazing. She is 40, and could pass for 25 now. She is not yet to goal, so who knows how she'll look if she also gets 'too skinny'. I told my wife I don't want to look like the old man dating the model. I'm not even rich! LOL I was really depressed by the whole thing last night. I'm a little better about it today. The whole process has been an emotional roller coaster. I really think they need to strengthen the psychological requirements for weight loss surgery, and have mandatory psych follow-ups AFTER surgery. This site is what has kept me sane, just knowing there are other people who have had similar thoughts/experiences as me. I've attached a before and after photo of myself to this blog post. I'd love opinions about whether I look 'too skinny' or 15 years older. Thanks.
BigDaddyJoe

BigDaddyJoe

24
3-Sibe-Mom's Blog
 

Will the Hunger go away?

I feel misserable. I am so hungry that it is making me ill. My head hurts, I am nauseated, and light headed. I have always had this problem as far back as I can remember. In the past I resolved it by eating. I can't do that anymore. Although it has only been 3 days of feeling like this, I am misserable.   About 12 years ago I starved myself and lost over 100 pounds. I only allowed myself veggies and chicken. Approx 300 calories a day. One of the reasons I regained all the weight plus 70 pounds was because of the frequent nagging hungar that caused health problems from the starvation. I promised myself that I would never do that again as well as live so misserably. I was told with the band you will not feel hungry all the time execpt briefly between meals. Ok it has been 3 days and I feel very ill from being hungry.   This feeling brings back awful memories for me. I just want to know if it will go away. All I have done is cry tonight. I feel like such poo that nothing distracts me from the ill feeling.
3-Sibe-Mom

3-Sibe-Mom

1
Fibro Diva's Bariatric Blog
 

Going To Emergency Room

Every day that goes by the amount of liquid I can hold down gets less and less. Today I could not keep anything down and vomited and dry heaved all day. My son is on his way home and is taking me to the ER, Hopefully I will get some IV fluids and get back to square one.
FibroDiva

FibroDiva

2
Kel1016's Blog
 

Having a hard time accepting my decision to get banded

I am sure that the subject of this blog sounds funny. Yes, I have made the decision to get banded. I have been in the program for about 4 months now. I have my surgery date but even now, as I type this, I am still having a hard time accepting my decision.   Let me explain. I grew up fat. I was a fat kid, I was a fat teenager and I am now a fat adult. If you had talked to me about the word fat maybe 15-20 years ago, I would have been super offended. Now, it’s just a word. Yes, I am fat.   In my childhood and teenage years, I was your “typical” fat kid. I was offended by the word fat that I was constantly called. I was always self-conscious and picked on for my weight. I was ashamed. I can recall a time in 7th grade when a class mate complimented me on my jeans. I was questioning why she was even talking to me since she and I were in completely different cliques – she was one of the “cool kids” while I was the new girl – or better yet, the fat new girl – at the school. Alas, when she asked me where I got my “so cute” jeans (and they were) I replied, “Sixteen Plus”. The next thing I heard were snickers and laughs because I was clearly shopping in a store for “plus sized” people. From that moment on, I vowed NEVER to mention store names again. I would shop at stores that had both junior and plus sizes so I never had to bear that “shame” again.   This is how much of my adolescence and teenaged years were. Never had a boyfriend – sure, I had plenty boy friends but never a “boyfriend”. I had one such friend who, when we were alone, would confide in me and once even told me he loved me (oh, middle school love…LOL) but would not be seen talking to me in school. High school and college were filled with more of the same. Boy friends – some of whom I liked more than a friend but I would NEVER tell them because they would NEVER “like” the chubby chick as more than just a friend.   Enter my early 20’s: I’m not sure when the realization came but I found myself developing a confidence that I had never had before. I had never considered myself ugly, after all I’ve been told “You have such a pretty face” for so long that I knew that if I weren’t fat, I’d be “so pretty”. (That is another blog post in itself.) However, I was dressing better. I was putting more effort in to my appearance. I was deciding that I was worth something. I was approached by a male colleague (whom had no romantic interest) who handed me a newspaper article on plus sized modeling. He suggested it was something I look into. He told me that I was a beautiful girl and should really give it some thought. I was BESIDE myself. A compliment without the caveat that all I had going for me was my “pretty face”. As the time went on, my confidence improved. I began to get attention from the opposite sex. I was complimented and asked on dates, left and right – granted some of these dudes were on the sketchy side – but when a random stranger tells you that you are the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen in his life, it’s always nice no matter what. My dating life ramped up and I found myself eventually in relationships with people who were attracted to me – fat and all.   It was then, that I decided to take back the word fat in my life. I was no longer going to look at it as a bad word. Yes, I was fat. So, what?!? I was otherwise healthy and happy. Things were going in the right direction for my life. I accepted myself. I would proudly admit that I bought my “so cute” shirt or pants at Lane Bryant or Fashion Bug Plus! Yep, that’s where I shop and I love my clothes. Yes, I am fat but that’s OK with me. Here I am, a confident fat woman. Take that, society!!!   Over the years, I have maintained that attitude. Of course, I have areas of my body that I hate – boobs are for the chest, not the back! LOL But, I always looked at it as I have the ability to change the things about my body that I hate, if I put my mind to it. Enter the current time. I am still that confident woman who accepts the word fat. However, about 3 years ago, I was officially diagnosed with diabetes. Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with this wretched disease as my family is laden with it. I have watched it reach havoc on my Mom as she has had many years where she did not properly take care of herself and this disease. I have done well over the years keeping my diabetes at bay. My A1C is almost always good. Unfortunately, this success comes with medications that I hate and the knowledge that it is only a matter of time before this disease will reap havoc on me, if I do not get rid of it once and for all. The only sure-fire way for me to do that is to get myself to a healthy weight.   My husband and I have been married for 5 years this October. It was when he underwent his lap band surgery last year that I began thinking about having the surgery myself. He’s had amazing success that he has worked very hard for. I feel that with him at my side, I can have a similar success. However, I can’t get past the feeling that I am going against “my morals” with this surgery. I feel like I’m taking all that confidence that I worked very hard at and saying “society wins”. It’s silly, I know, because I know I’m not doing this to be skinny – I’m doing this to be healthy. I just still feel like I’m doing something wrong. I have been SUPER hesitant to tell anyone about this choice. Any one I have told has been supportive but I am still uneasy. I don’t know why…..   If you have managed to stay with me and read all this, thank you. I know this is super long – especially for my first blog post to the site.
Kelli1016

Kelli1016

11
My New Life
 

It's Surgery Eve

Tomorrow is my surgery. I feel like I'm going to wake up and it's Christmas. The future is bright! I can envision a HEALTHIER me now - being more active, less self-conscious about how I look, how I'm always the biggest in the room, etc. People keep asking me if I'm scared or nervous. I can honestly say I'm not. I've put a ton of thought and planning in to this. I've followed my Center's directions. I've lost weight pre-surgery. I have amazing support. And I want this BADLY. 99% of weight loss is MENTAL. I've got this and I will be successful. I'm excited to fit into smaller clothes, shop for amazing jeans at The Gap or Levis (no offense Lane Bryant and Macy's Plus Size, but this girl's MOVING ON), walk up a flight of stairs without feeling like I will fall over, tie my shoes with ease, use a smaller bath towel and have it wrap around me, sit in an airplane seat without the buckle being all the way extended, go sideways to fit around people and not worry about bumping in to them...I could go on and on. Wheels up - let's do this!
smryan

smryan

3
Gamergirl's Blog
 

Home-made Garam Masala Recipe

Recipe adapted from my favorite Indian cookbook, Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries. If you love to cook and are willing to spend a little extra time to make sure everything is made fresh and authentically, this is the one to choose.   Best places to get all the spices are either whole foods, central market, or other stores that have spice bins, or an indian grocery store.   Ingredientss 2 tbsp Coriander seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp whole black cloves 1/2 tsp cardomom seeds from green/white pods 2 dried bay leaves 3 dried red chiles or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or red chile flakes (the kind you put on pizza) 1 2-3 inch piece cinnamon   Method   1.Put all ingredients into a clean coffee grinder and grind until it's a coarse-fine powder. I use a this type of coffee grinder. Shake it about as it's being ground so all the seeds and bits get under the blades.   2. When you're finished, unplug the grinder, and turn it upside down. You want all the spice to collect into the lid so you can easily scoop it out without cutting yourself playing about around the blades.   3. Finished! Use in the palak paneer recipe I have posted as well as the chicken curry recipe.
gamergirl

gamergirl

2
Gamergirl's Blog
 

Soft Foods Halibut & Vegetables in Parchment 19 gms protein

Ingredients 8 oz halibut steak 1 carrot, peeled & julienned 1/2 Leek (I know, what will you do with the rest?? I will come up with a diff recipe for it) peeled & julienned 1/2 Red pepper, peeled & julienned 2 sprigs fresh tarragon or 1 tsp dried tarragon 1.5 tsp butter 1 tbsp vermouth (option) Salt Pepper   Method 1. Saute vegetables in 1 tsp of butter. Don't brown them, just soften 2. Place halibut on parchment paper 3. Place sauteed vegetables on top. 4. Cut up the remaining half tbsp of butter into little pats and place them over the fish and vegetables. 5. Sprinkle with vermouth if using, salt and pepper. 6. Seal parchment paper into a bundle as shown in the picture and curl up the edges 7. Put on a cookie sheet and bake in 400 degree for 15 minutes. 8. Let the fish rest for 5 minutes. Make a big deal of opening the packet on the table and inhale in the wonderful aromas.   In my house, this feed two new sleevers and a 90-year old---with leftovers! Probably feeds 2 adult sleevers and a child is my guess.
gamergirl

gamergirl

1
JourneyToLife's Blog
 

Food dictates my life

It is sad how food dictates my life. Whether I am happy, sad, mad, or angry I always resort to food. People who have real high metabolisms don’t seem to understand why I’m so fat. I eat as much as they do or even less and I gain the weight more than they would. I haven't had my surgery yet but just trying to leave a little on my plate is getting easier. I have even been doing portion control and leaving a bite or two. It feels good when my stomach signals to my brain that I have had enough to eat and it’s time to put the plate away. And then I start to wonder what if I can do this w/o the surgery? I’m losing weight by eating less and feeling content with such small amounts. But, then it hits me. I’ve been on this trail before. I have lost weight by portion control alone, and I felt great and had the momentum going like a train, and then one day I derail off the tracks. I’ve had a bad day at work or something to that effect and all of a sudden I want to eat!!! I want the carbs, sweet and salty and the whole nine yards. So I start stuffing my mouth and stomach with satisfying mood food to the point of no return. And when the dust clears I feel so stuffed and miserable, regretting ever taking the first bite. Other times after work or on days I am off, I am bored and have nothing to do, there’s nothing good on TV, I don’t feel like going anywhere, so I sit and eat a bag of chips or cookies and milk. That seemed to have passed some time away. Eating those so-called foods while not being active is what has packed on my pounds over the years. That pretty much is who I am before I started this journey to the weight-loss surgery. After many months of thinking about it and researching along the way, I have decided that this is what I will do. I have seen a couple of people that I know have success with it and so here I am. I feel it will be a great tool to help me in those times of boredom. I will have to diligently follow a nutrition program that cannot just throw my arms in the air and give up. I look at it as a strong way to keep me on the straight and narrow. As if I’m in jail and can only eat what is given to me. I am so ready for this surgery on the 25th of September, exactly one month from now. I still have to do my pre-op blood work, chest x-ray, EKG, and my endoscopy. Get my PCP to sign off and hope that the money we are expecting on the day of my pre-op doctor visit will be in the bank as I have to pay them for the program fee. When all that is complete I will be ready for the next chapter of my life.
JourneyToLife

JourneyToLife

0
KatCan333's Blog
 

First blog, 3.5 weeks post surgery

I had my surgery 7/30. I am an amputee (cancer, 1992) and need knee replacement, so I could not get up or transfer after surgery. I went to rehab for a week, so my immediate post-op surgical experience was overlaid by this confusion and improper diet, bad nursing, etc. I got home finally and started to normalize. I had terrible "buyer's remorse" for the first 3 weeks and only in the last few days have I felt glad to have done this. Amazingly I have had no stomach problems unless I ate too fast, when I felt terrible for an hour or so. Luckily this has only happened a couple of times.   I was on full liquid for 2 weeks before and after surgery. I feel like if I ever have to eat another protein shake I will go mad, though my partner made one for my niece out of rice protein and fruits and almond milk and it was delightful. I think I am sick of whey. I get a runny nose when I eat a lot of dairy and eventually the snot goes from clear to green, and then I know I need to back off.   I have not followed the injunction to eat pureed food in weeks 3, 4 & 5. It doesn't feel necessary. I am chewing everything to a pulp, mostly to make it all last longer, and I have had no problems with this. My friends & family are horrified by this but it seems to be working for me. My stomach seems to be in good shape and pretty happy. I can eat slightly more than 1/2 cup of food at a time.   I forgot to say, my top weight was 350, though I was slightly under than by the time I went in for my first surgery consult. The full liquid diet took me down to 327, but surgery brought me up to 339, which I have to attribute to water retention, because it certainly wasn't food!! It took me a week or two to lose that, and 3 weeks post sleeve gastrectomy I weighed 323. I have a small skin infection in the site of a vertical scar (they had to open me up rather than full laparoscopy). I'm seeing my doctor weekly because of that and using the scale in the bariatric surgery center to weigh myself.   I'm open to questions and comments.
KatCan333

KatCan333

1
vsginkc's Blog
 

Day 2 post-op report

Today has been pretty uneventful. I slept all day. Literally. I got up every 4 hours to walk a little and drink a little and do some deep breathing. Then...back to bed. I got in 32oz of fluids (and I'm sure I can get in another 10 or 15 oz). As far as I'm concerned, this is pretty amazing.   I thought very seriously about going to my kids' soccer games this morning -- that's how ok I feel. I ended up staying home just because it is Africa hot here and I knew I could sleep.   My tummy is still swollen - I look fatter than I was when I went in for surgery. That said, some of the fluid has started to drain off. I was 230 on DOS. I came home at 237. Today, I'm back to 230. So that is very encouraging. (I'm not concerned about the weight loss right now - but it is nice to have the swelling go down).   I took a shower today - I highly recommend it. It made me feel more human. After the shower, I changed my dressings. I wasn't prepared for these big honkin' staples. They are sore and itchy.   Burping remains an issue. But it is way easier to drink today as compared with yesterday.   Tomorrow is my 8 yr old son's birthday. My BFF is hosting a party for him so all I have to do is show up with the little birthday boy. I'm confident I can do it. While napping today, I had a dream that I freaked out and went inside and ate all the icing off the red velvet cake. Total reminder of my "old" self. Eating in secrecy, feeling guilty, etc. Soooooo glad I don't have to do that anymore.   Finally, I know it is too early to say, but I can't imagine that I won't be ready to go back to work at the end of week 1. If I absolutely had to, I think I could go back Monday (I have a desk job). Don't get me wrong....it wouldn't be easy, but it could be done. I say that just because I know there are lots of people out there wondering about work. My advice: take off as much time as you can but don't let a lack of time off prevent you from having this surgery.   Okay...I'm about ready for bed again...hahaha! Tomorrow - FULL LIQUIDS HERE I COME!!! (Not a moment too soon!)   Love to all, Angela
vsginkc

vsginkc

0
Patty's WLS Blog
 

First Outing Post Op [where I could eat]

Spent the day with a friend & her extended family.....people I have seen off and on over the last 30+ years....they are all slim, but they have huge appetites.....I swear I was born into the wrong family, because even when I was a size 6, I couldn't eat the way they do.....but they do, and after all these years, they are still slim.   I'm on pureed foods, so I packed a shake, just in case there wasn't anything appropriate.....they do not know about my surgery...I'm one of "those" who has kept it rather private, but my friend is used to seeing drink the RTD shakes.   They had the usual trays of ziti, eggplant, and my fave chicken francaise.......plus all the mayo loaded salads, rolls, and don't even get me started on the desserts.   I ended up having a slice of deli turkey, a very slim slice of hard boiled egg, and a bite of chicken.....literally a very small bite.....and slowly chewed my food until it was the pureed consistency.......a little scary that it all went down so easily.   They gave me a hard time about using a small plate.....but I told them if I didn't, I'd overeat.......they didn't mention it again, and no one noticed what I did or did not eat......   I was afraid this was going to be very hard, but it was quite doable.....just wish I could have measured/weighed what I ate LOL It was so nice not to want to sample every food that was set out...what a wonderful change.
PGee

PGee

3
dmlang's Blog
 

I'm a newbie here at gastric sleeve and at blogging

My surgery is in 13 days and I created a ticker. I've read a few blogs and am following the forums about protein shakes and vitamins trying to get ready for my pre-op liquid diet as well as have all the chewable vitamins and post-op diet foods on hand. It's a bit overwhelming but I guess I'm plodding along ok. I intend to keep track of my experience.   It was difficult to come to this decision about having the surgery because I felt like I should have been able to diet on my own and deal with the weight without surgery. However, there is a point when you are so overweight that you cannot even bring yourself to exercise.   I know that after I lose some weight I will feel like moving more and be able to exercise. I am also suppose to come up with an "exercise program". For me, right now, that will be walking (probably very slowly at first). Any chair exercisers?
DonnaLang

DonnaLang

0
DebDUtah's Blog
 

Taking Matters Into My Own Hands......again

Ok, so it has been awhile since I have been here as I have had a "setback". My insurance advocate (oh and boy do I use that title with lots of anger) finally got my paperwork submitted and we got an answer in less than 36 hrs! They wanted two more things a chest xray/sleep study (opted for chest xray) and a final visit with my PCP. So I did this and sent this to my "advocate" over a week ago. I had not heard so I called and guess what she didn't even know she had the information from me!! WTF, ok I didn't lose my temper as I didn't want her to hate me and never send my paperwork, I just asked when she was going to get the 6 pg fax to my insurance company. She said by the end of next week! REALLY, if I handled my job that way I would be fired. So since I couldn't stand her lack of desire to get my approval, I called my insurance and faxed it myself. Now I will probably have my approval on monday (fingers crossed), and I wonder if she will call me and say yeah we have approval, acting like she did me a favor. Whatever!   It then was like someone slapped me upside the head, this is my fight, this is my road to follow, so this is my responsibility to get this done on my time frame. I don't want anyone to tell me I could have done something I didn't do. But now I wait. My best guess is surgery sometime in September. We will see, hopefully it will be earlier rather than later. Keep good thoughts coming my way and I hope this "advocate" wakes up and realize she is dealing with people with feelings and that this isn't easy to do.   If I have any advice my advice to you is to take matters into your own hands. This is your decision don't let anyone especially someone who has no interest in your well being determine your outcome.   Now I wait..............and i hate waiting I have waited way too long to do this so hurry up already!!
DebDUtah

DebDUtah

1
Travelbug1955's Blog
 

Lump Crab Artichoke Bake/Dip

I was having a tough time coming up with foods that would sit well in my stomach when soft foods were introduced. I found something that works well with me and tastes so good! Lump Crab Artichoke Dip warmed up feels so good! 1-8 oz can Lump Crab Meat, 1 cup of Chopped Artichoke Hearts (canned or frozen), 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, 1/2 cup light Daisy Sour Cream, 1/2 cup Dukes Mayonaise, Juice of 1 Lemon, 1 tbsp of Fresh Parsley, chopped, 1 Clove of Minced Garlic, Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Pepper to taste. Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Add the Crab, chopped Artichoke Hearts, Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, Sour Cream, Mayonaise, Lemon Juice, and minced Garlic together in a bowl. Season with Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Pepper, to taste. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Enjoy!
Travelbug1955

Travelbug1955

2
Musings on the journey
 

Judgment Day

Lately, I’ve been thinking about judgments & why people feel compelled to judge others. People post a lot here about feeling judged by friends and family members for deciding to have surgery, or feeling judged by skinny people for being fat in the first place. Personally, I have been fortunate that not one single negative word has been said to me with regards to having surgery. My family and friends have all been very supportive. Intellectually, I know I am (or have been) judged negatively by other people for my weight, but I honestly don’t usually notice those judgments. If I do happen to notice or feel judged by somebody, I don’t generally internalize the judgment and allow it to continue to affect me.   But it seems to me that there is also a fair amount of judgment happening among members of the WLS community. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it quite overt, but it’s all judgmental bulls**t that says more about the person making the judgment than it does about the person being judged. Here are just a few judgments I have observed being made here and elsewhere among members of the WLS community. Some of these judgments have been directed at me, some I’ve observed in others, and one or two I am guilty of making.   Everyone who needs/wants WLS has a food addiction or depression or very low self-esteem. If you say you don’t, then you are either lying or in denial.   People who go to Mexico for surgery are less prepared mentally and emotionally than those who have surgery in the US.   My surgeon does things the “right” way. If your surgeon tells you something different, he/she is wrong and I am justified in telling you to ignore your surgeon’s instructions.   People who slip up on the preop diet are not ready for surgery and will likely fail.   People who do not follow instructions to the letter in the first couple of months post-op are not committed to the process and will likely fail.   People who do not commit wholeheartedly to an exercise plan postop are not committed to the process and will likely fail.   People who drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or smoke weed postop are not committed to the process and will likely fail.   People who come here posting questions without first searching for the answer are dumb or lazy.   People who credit their faith with helping them get through this process are annoying and should not talk about their faith in relation to WLS.   People who are atheist or agnostic are missing the most important part of life and should be pitied.   People who have plastics after WLS are vain.   People who struggle to put their own needs ahead of others aren't trying hard enough or valuing themselves enough.     I’m sure other folks can think of more, and there is also a whole raft of judgments that we frequently make against ourselves. The point is that none of these judgments are true and none of these judgments are supportive or helpful in any way. We all have our own path to travel, and I believe we each generally do the best we can at any given time. At various times, my “best” will be better than some and not nearly as good as others, and that’s true for everybody. I don’t know if judging others is a way to feel better about ourselves, or just a bad habit we fall into, but it certainly does seem to come naturally to us. In my opinion, reaching out for support is a healthy, intelligent, and wise thing to do. Let’s try to respect the courage it takes to be here, and check our judgments at the door.
southernsoul

southernsoul

1
vsginkc's Blog
 

Report on surgery!

Day of surgery: I pop out of bed at 6:30 am because I am SO excited to get this over with. My sister drives me to the surgery center. I ask my surgeon again what are the chances that I'm going to die. My surgeon smiles and says he has done over 5,000 of these and he's never lost a patient. That helps some. I still beg for some "chill out" meds. They give me some and all seems okay. Then, the mask and that's all I remember until waking up in recovery.   Recovery: I woke up feeling very sore where the biggest incision is. I had to move from the surgery bed to a wheel chair to get me down to the outpatient recovery center. That sucked. I remember thinking, "This is not do-able." But it passed. I was ready to walk pretty quickly.   Nighttime: I got no sleep, but it wasn't bad. The nurse kept coming in to check my vital signs and I was vigilant about pressing my morphine button. I feel about morphine about the same way I felt about the epidural when my kids were born. They don't give out a medal for extra suffering...!   Day one post-op: The soreness increases some but it is manageable. Also, I am drinking water and ice chips at a quicker rate than I should be. Nurse tells me to slow down. The dreaded pulling out of the drain turns out to be not that big of a deal. At this point, before leaving the hospital, I feel pretty darn good.   Day one post-op once I get home. Things get a little dicey here. I find I can't hardly drink any water and I'm burping all the time. I vomit once. Then I crawl back in bed. Later, went to Target just to walk around some. Now, trying to get some more water in (I should say Crystal Light). Also, I'm on psych meds (Celexa and Lamictal). Doc says I can start taking them right away when I get home. I crush them and take them. I think it added some to my upset stomach, but for me it's totally worth it because I can't imagine having a full blown panic attack at this juncture!   Also, I'll add this because I worried whether it was normal: My stomach is WAY swollen. I look like I am 6 mos pregnant. I haven't lost any weight since I got home. From what I hear, this is fairly normal so I'm not going to freak out about it. I mean, seriously, I just had 80% of my stomach removed - my body has to be in shock. Still... the bloating/swollen feeling is yucky (I'm way less concerned with the weight loss at this point - the weight will come off -- it has to given what I'm (not) eating!   My biggest complaint: the burping, which makes me feel like I might vomit. Also, the soreness. The best way to describe it is like the pain you would get after doing a million sit ups. But, again, all-in-all, not too bad.   IF I CAN DO THIS, YOU GUYS CAN DO THIS TOO!!!!   I'll check in with Day 2 post-op tomorrow!
vsginkc

vsginkc

4
LadyDiva618's Blog
 

I am so ready for this month to be over with!

I know my past couple of post I have been so sad but I promise this will be my last one for this month. Yesterday was another sad day for me. First let me say my co worker is fine and he moved into his apartment today. I was on my way to my support group and I stop by the day care to say Hi to the kids. When my sister pulled me to the side and told me one of our kids mother died will giving birth. This news hurt my heart so bad. All I could think about was those poor babies. I was upset I came home and put on my workout clothes and ran 3 miles. It was a great run but I didn't make it to group. It sucked tho because we were having a potluck called "Taste of Success!" Everyone was supposed to make bariatric friendly food then walk it off after the meeting. I hate that I missed it but I didn't want to be such a downer at our event.   Moving forward I will spend this last 8 days doing things that makes me happy... So what makes me happy? Taking care of others. I am thinking about taking the day care kids out for ice cream next Friday (since that is pay day). And I am going to bake my co workers something because they supported me during my incident last week. Don't worry guys I won't over do it with the sweets and if I do I will run 3 more miles!   Anyway God is good and the Devil is a liar!   Thanks for Reading
LadyDiva618

LadyDiva618

0
My New Life
 

Last weekend of my old life

This is the last weekend of my current life as I know it. No remorse, no regrets, just an urge to get a move on with surgery. I'm going to enjoy these last 2 days of actually being able to eat and chew food for a few weeks, but stick to my low carb, high protein ways as I've become very accustomed to it. Sunday is liquids only, no shakes, just WATER. Monday is NOTHING by mouth and a check-in time of 1:00. I'm more nervous about not being able to drink anything for a half a day than I am about surgery. I've grown so used to drinking approx. 64 oz. of water a day that I find I can't go long without sipping. I'm hoping the next 2 days will fly by, filled with fun activities with great friends. I find that with a bit of pre-planning I can go just about anywhere now. I make sure I have a shake with me, some water, a cheese stick, etc. with me to snack on. This will be my new way of life.
smryan

smryan

2
journey to the centre of blackfalls
 

Countdown to Surgery - 18 days to go

Today is my fourth day of my 3 week pre-op diet. My diet is supposed to consist of a protein shake for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch, a protein food source and salad for dinner, and a third protein shake before bed if needed. It hasn't been too difficult although I have to admit that I have cheated. Here is a list of my sins:   1st day - for dinner I had egg salad which I ate with bell peppers as a scoop. When I ran out of my serving of bell peppers I used a few rice crackers to finish up the egg salad. 2nd day - same as 1st day 3rd day - instead of egg salad for dinner I had cod. Instead of 1 serving/fillet, I had 2. But three-quarters of the way into it I realized it was too much. I ate with my eyes, not my stomach.   Overeating because the food is there is something I am working on. When I have the sleeve I will not be able to stuff myself like I used to. One extra bite could mean terrible side-affects. I will really have to listen to my body.   Although I called it cheating and "sinning" I don't feel bad about what I have done. This is a practice run for after the surgery and it is hard not to make a mistake after all my years of making mistakes constantly in regards to eating. You can't unlearn habits in 3 days. But I am trying. You better believe it. I know I will be successful with the sleeve. There's no other option. But my degree and speed of success depends on my ability to unlearn ingrained habits. And I WILL unlearn those dastardly ways. Enough is enough. I am worth every step of this journey. I am worth all the struggles ahead and I will come out at the end a healthier me.
blackfalls

blackfalls

0
SillyAuntDi's Ramblings
 

My First Blog (EVER...Yikes!)

I'm so glad I found this group. I'm excited and scared as hell about my upcoming surgery date (11SEP13). I've found comfort here...as well as uncomfortable truths.   I am not very open with the people that know me. I have issues...I have a counselor who is helping me with those issues. Progress is being made So, you all have been my peeps...I've come to you (whether you know it or not) for answers, encouragement, and truth. I've posted a few times. I've shared some of my story. I want to share more. And I want you to respond...with truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.   So, here is my promise. I promise not to be offended when you tell me the uncomfortable truth about my ramblings. I won't get all moody and start calling names. I will value your opinions and your experiences. I may pout in front of my computer screen...but not on here where you can see it.   I also promise to share...the comfy and the uncomfy parts. I know it's not going to be a bed of roses, or an instant fix. It's going to be hard work and require a full committment on my part. There is no miracle weight loss. I know people have complications. I want to learn from them. I promise to take responsibility for my actions on here. If I screw up...I'm going to own it. And I ask you to remind me of that I know there are consequences for when I make mistakes. And I accept that you are going to let me know about them!   I write this because I've seen a few posts lately where the initial poster gets offended when the comments aren't all "warm and fuzzy." Well...as some of you have pointed out...truth isn't always warm and fuzzy.   So, thank you for letting me learn from you.   Thank you for being that shoulder I may need to lean on.   And thank you for keeping me in check.
SillyAuntDi

SillyAuntDi

5

PatchAid Vitamin Patches

Bariatric Forums

For Patients

Health Professionals

Search Surgeons

Bariatric Surgeons: Want to research a weight loss surgery surgeon? Enter their last name below to start!

×