MOMW

I think you need to talk to your Bariatric team. I know that part of your system has to adjust too. But you can get easily dehydrated if not handled correctly.

Welcome! This forum is an excellent source to find support from people who understand what you are going through. But please remember we are not doctors, so always seek their guidance when it comes to your health.

I am 7 months out. I had started to add cherry tomatoes. Taste good but developed a problem with acid reflux. So word of caution-enjoy but not daily. Positive side-stopped eating and a dose of prevecid and all good now.

I am sorry how bad you feel. Defimately go to the hospital if you are that sick. Also does your doctor have an emergency or nurse line? They would be able to direct you better for the next step. I have found that many docs who are not in the Bariatric field are not always well versed in our needs. Finally I am surprised that you are not on a daily b12 dose. My Bariatric team had me start that when I had my surgery.

This feeling can also be a sign that your blood pressure is low. So please take some time and check that out for a few days. Many of us are probably on BP meds so this can also be a sign that it may be a time to change that.

I had the same pain after my sleeve 7 months ago. Bariatric team said was probably due to the work in the abdominal cavity. I noticed the most when I did abdominal exercises for about 2-3 months out (this was my second surgery within 3 months though). I now only notice now if I have stayed out the gym for a few days and still only ab exercises. Don't worry it will get better. But if are concerned don't be afraid to contact your Bariatric team. They are the experts.

You may see weight gain during this phase. You are consuming more calories than you have since your preop phase. Your body is also going throught a lot of changes too, it is trying to keep all the reserves it can. It does not realize you are trying to do it good. Be assured this shall pass, and soon you will see a nice drop when you don't even expect it. The scale can be a blessing and a curse. Try not to obsess over it, don't let the number ruin your day especially during these holiday. Merry Christmas everyone!! Here is to a New Year that is filled with a lot less (weight wise) of each of us.

Just remember everyone's journey is differant, but keep a positve attitude and take one hour at a time if that is what is needed. And remember why your are doing this, and think about how good you will feel and look in a few short months.

During my pureed stage, I found that I did better by pureeing what my family was having for supper. It gave me a tasty meal and I did not feel so bad about pureed foods. I used baby foods when I had my band and that was harder to enjoy. I did not puree just meat, I made sure it had some sort of vegetable to some added to keep it very moist. The other trick I found was to use a regular blender and not a magic bullet type machine. It did a much better job getting the consistency.

I too had hernia repaired that I did not even know about until after my surgery. My doctor said that hernias are very common for people that have bariatric surgery. As far as symtoms, I had none or else I did not recognize them. Preop I had to have an endoscope done, have they done that for you?

The first few days after your sugery you are busy just trying to get in the groove of your eating routine. You will be sore, but force yourself to get up and walk. That really helped my recovery. I would go two times a day, and each day I increased by walk. The first few days, I was just estatic to get to the end of our city block by the end of the week. The most hard part mentally is just the normal nerves before surgery. After surgery your mind is just a buzzing, trying to get through everything you have been given to read, trying to follow your eating plan, getting all the vitamins/meds in, trying to walk and taking naps to let your body start to heal. Good luck, you will do well. Just keep your eye on the prize. It is the start of a new you.

I too am 7 months out and had Christmas with my family last night. It was fabulous to be the smallest woman in the family instead of the largest! This truely is a great Christmas that each of us have given ourselves, our bodies.

Of course it scary because it is surgery, but keep your eye on the end prize. It will be so worth it and your social life will even by enhanced because of it.

Dealing with others can be really hard, especially preop, when you don't have all the answers either. Out of love many are scared that you are making a drastic nonreversable change to your body. I chose to tell only my immediate family before hand. Parents and most people just do understand. They also tend to watch over you and watch every thing you do. The best thing you can do is let your mother read the information presented by your bariatric center on their website. It gives enough medical information so they feel more comfortable about what will be happening. Listen to your mother, but just let her know that you need to listen to what your bariatric center suggests as far as food, weight, exercise, etc. They know you the best for that information, and they are experienced. I am certain that you bariatric team, would gladly talk to her if you wish. I personally wish I stil had a mother that would have been there for me. Mine passed away prior to my surgery and is why I had my surgery, as her death was indirectly related to her own obesity. After surgery as people started noticing, I gladly share the information. They have an easier time understanding when they can see the results. As far as your own sanity and thoughts, talk to your bariatric team psycholiogist. They can help with your confustion. Ultimately this is a gift for yourself and your family. Be proud of your decision and make the most of it.

I wish I was that young when I took control of my obesity. Your body will thank you. Just remember though that it still is a lifetime commmittment to a new lifestyle. It does not end when the weight is gone. Do not be nervous. I know you have a lot of information coming at you and will have for the first 3 months, but don't worry. Take care of yourself, and ask questions. Your bariatric team is your biggest asset at this time and are there to help no matter the question.

It definately was exagerated by the endosope, but that is what acid reflux is. If you are pre op they do this to make sure you have no ulcers that could affect your surgery. I had a lap band for just a little over a year and experienced it more, but now with my sleeve I do not have it very often at all. My bariatric team had me previcid for the first six months after surgery. Hope this helps.

My one daughter and her husband are very supportive, the rest of my immediate family is not supportive or unsupportive. I find my support in places like this, my bariatric team and at my Weight Watchers meeting. They all understand the journey of losing weight. The forums and the bariatric team have the added benefit of understanding my surgery, but I have taken time to also inform my Weight Watcher group to. I too only told those that needed to know. Letting too many people know before is hard because they do not understand and then they watch you with such a critical eye. When people notice and ask, I am always forward about it and provide them with good information. I do eat fruits and vegetables, but my diet is rich and Protein. I do eat some carbs, but they are harder for me to tolerate and overfill me very fast. I wish you luck and wonderful holiday season. Let me know if you have any other questoins.

I decided that Christmas is the best time to treat myself to a new outfit that fits my new size. I also am going to the in-laws and have not seen most of these people in year, so I want to knock their socks off. I knew I wanted something out of my comfort zone, and I did. It was fun to know that I could go into any shop in the mall and find clothes that fit me for the first time in my life. Even though I felt overwhelmed by all the options. I now understand how young girls and thin people can spend so much time shopping for the right outfit. I also know that I have no sense of fashion, so I asked for help. What an eye opening experience. I have not completed by journey but this sure was a fun NSV, and I am going to look fabulous at the in-laws I hope each of you treat yourself to a new Christmas outfit that fits your new thinner you.

Congratulations. That experience is so uplifting. Enjoy it!!

I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would enjoy going to gym or being active. But I am, even though some days it is hard to get there. I have a adjusted well to my new dietary regime. I pretty much eat the same each day, but this helps me stay on track. But each day I know this is all worth it. Living with the small stomach has been a great thing for me. I find that I need to eat about every 2 to 3 hours and have a Protein source at each meal, but a small portion is enough. Even when I cannot control my choices do the circumtantce, I still now I can only a certain about with feeling overstuffed. I have had no pain with stomach after the initial healing. I much prefer the control and lack of side effects than I had with my band. I have lost almost 45 pounds since by sleeve or 65 pounds since I started with my band or 75 pounds from the heaviest. I am a slow loser though. I am now 50 and started at a BMI of 40, so my pace is not as fast as some as my starting weight was not as much as some also. I was at 238 when I had my lapband done in January of 2011. My BMI was just at 40. My insurance required a BMI of 40 or 35 with 2 comodalites such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, etc. But your doctor and insurance will be the judge if you qualify. I understand about the binge and emotional eating. Binge eating will be controled by the volume you can take in, but you still can binge just over a longer period of time, so you still have to be careful. Emotional eating is still and issue, but you need to think of ways to side step that. I know this is hard, but I try my best. I try to cure that mindless eating with swithching my focus to something stress free or uplifting (playing a game on the computer, checking in on these sites, etc.), I will try a bottle of Water then if I am still feeling the need, if that doesn't do it then I try some protein (my favorite is peanut butter) and if this does not cure it then I give in and just enjoy a very small poriton of whatever my mind has it heart set on, This is where I have found Weight Watchers for its accountability and support have really helped. I also have a tattoo that I look at every day to remind of this gift I have and I have taken pictures each month since by sleeve so I can see the progress. These also help keep me on track. Good luck and let me know if you have any further questions. For me, it was the best decision ever made when I decided that I was ready to take on a major lifestyle change.

Welcome!! I am not from Canada but I had my surgery 7 months ago. I had a band first but it slipped after just a year. I had a conversion to a sleeve in May. You came to a good place. Check out these forums and also check out websites of bariatric centers. They offer a lot of good medical advice. I also found a site that compared differant surgery types. Check out the requirements for the type of surgery you are contemplating with your insurance. I know I had to be careful as if I lost too much weight prior to approval that I would not qualify. Do your homework up front. Just remember that you will be embarking on a lifestyle change and this is only a tool. You still have to do the work, it is not a quick fix. Good luck.

My bariatric team siad that it did not need to be crushed if the pill size was the size of a pencil eraser. They crushed all of my mine in the hospital and it was horrible! I could stand taking my one capsule apart, my team said as long as I could take it with no probllems then I was fine.

I too had the headache. It caught me by surprise too. Thankfully mine started when I was in the hospital and stayed an extra day. The one thing they tried was a caffeine pill. It noticed no major difference but they tried as many people can suffer with a headache depending on when they cut their caffeine off. I had been off for a month at that point. They also checked by blood pressure a lot. You may want to try that to see what is going on. In addtion the one thing that helped was a cold wash cloth over my eyes. It was the only way I could sleep for two days. I did take my perscribed pain med too - even though I did not need it for surgery pain, but it did cut the headache. Hope one of these helps. It was no fun!

I am in my pureed stage too. My bariatric team said that it should be pureed to an applesauce consistency. I did baby food pureed with my lap band, but now with my sleeve, I have been using by blender to puree what ever I make for supper for the family, but if it is not enough protein, I will add cottage cheese. This really makes the differance. The taste is still there and is no where near as offensive.

Hello my name is MomW. I am from Janesville, Wisconsin. I am 49 years old (yes actually). I have recently became a stay at home wife after 30 years in the clerical industry. I have 3 children, 2 adult daughters and 1 teenage son. I am also the proud Nana to 3 (and soon to be 4th in August) grandchildren and one granddog. I was banded January 28, 2011. I have lost 45 pounds with my band and am now working on the last 15. After losing my job, I regained 7 so I am now back hard at getting these last pounds off. I like many of struggled with weight my whole life. I would love to help anyone who would like to share, and I look forward to learning and being enriched by your story.