LivingFree!

Really sounds like classic low blood sugar. I got those exact symptoms between 1-4 mo post-op. For me, I just had to make sure I had at least 5-10gm of Protein of any kind every 3 hours and it helped make it go away. Well, since you've ruled that out--what about low blood pressure??? Whatever it is, it's sure not normal. And, you're right--it's a horrible feeling! I'm sure you know to be very careful to be meeting protein and Water goals one way or the other because if it's way below what you should be getting at this stage, THAT could be contributing to what's going on with you. Take care and I hope you get to the bottom of this soon. Keep doing the best you can so you can keep your strength up and get your body healed ASAP.

Some WLS patients have this, especially soon after surgery. I definitely experienced the (sometimes embarrassing) gurgling for probably close to a year post-op. It has calmed down a lot, but even at three years post-op now, it does still happen occasionally. (No esophagus sensation, just stomach gurgling.) If it is just stomach gurgling, I would not be concerned that anything is wrong, but I don't have any medical knowledge to help you understand WHY this happens. Since you talk of a sensation in your esophagus though, that sounds more like you could be having some acid reflux going on. I would definitely mention it in our F/U appt if I was in your position. Glad you're doing well otherwise, and hope this annoyance clears itself up soon. . .

Yep, it is true. WE are the ones who have to learn to CONTROL our cravings. The purpose of the sleever or any other WLS has never been to make cravings go away. It's really sad if some medical professionals are telling patients that they won't have to worry about cravings any more and can eat whatever they want and not worry about weight gain anymore because nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the sleeve works really well, but WE are the ones that have to make the sleeve work. It is also very true that the more processed, starchy carbs we consume (bread, Pasta, tortillas, chips, fries, Cookies, cake,candy, etc, etc etc), the more our bodies crave them and want more and more. If we eliminate those foods from our diets and replace them with lean Proteins and fresh fruits and veggies, our bodies quit craving carbs with that obsessive force. Sorry this isn't what you want to hear, but it really is science, and not "filthy liars" (LOL) saying this. Experiment with it. I didn't believe it either at first. I was the queen of junk food. I eat sooo clean now compared to how I used to be. And what is so cool is that I don't miss the junk. It feels good to put healthy food in my body that nourishes me. If you are interested in trying to learn how to get some control over cravings a good place to start is to google "mindful eating." Good luck. You can change this. We always have choices. Even if it seem like we don't--WE DO!

I have no experience with the hernia issue, but it sounds extremely dangerous to me for ANY WLS patient to not be getting any Protein in the first critical 3-4 weeks post-op. Antonia_megan, if I read your post right and you are not getting ANY PROTEIN down, please call back your surgeon's office. You have to have protein to survive and heal. Take good care and keep us posted how you are doing.

You are my inspiration today. I am so sorry that you lost your mom, and I am so proud of you for honoring her in this lovingly brave way by taking charge of your health and having your surgery. I will be sooo thinking about you on June 2. You deserve all the very best life can bring you, and it will be yours. Take good care and be well. Please update us and let us know how you are doing.

Congratulations to you! And how exciting! It is such a huge, life-changing decision to make but one that you, most assuredly, will not regret. Yes, you have found a great site in Bariatric Pal. There is a wealth of information here, as well as so many supportive and caring people who are traveling the same road you are. There is such power in that. The other thing I really appreciate about these forums is that people are most often very respectful of each other. Psych/nutrition consults are standard procedure. It is really important (obviously) that you are deemed emotionally capable of coping with the dramatic lifestyle changes that are required as a result of WLS. Be sure to inquire about their aftercare program. More and more studies are showing that attending post-surgery support groups are beneficial in long-term WLS success. I know that has been the case for me. I am three years post-op and have attended weekly groups the whole time. It keeps me accountable and remembering that I am a WLS patient FOREVER. Best wishes as you head off on your new adventure. Have fun. Take it one step at a time. It can seem overwhelming at times. Just remember to pause and breathe, and you will do fine. Keep us all posted. . .

You are three months+ post-surgery. Your body is definitely not finished losing weight. It knows what to do. It is not programmed to lose the number of pounds that WE think we should be losing each week! If you continue to follow your Bariatric Eating program, and work on building those new lifetime habits, your results will be what is to be expected of WLS. After so many years of battling our weight, of course it's natural for us to want to see those pounds drop off "overnight." But, we all would be doing ourselves a huge favor by focusing less on that number on the scale and worrying so much about STALLS, and instead focusing more on how we are doing day-to-day on getting ourselves into the habit of eating healthy and ditching our wants and needs for all those unhealthy foods that got us in this mess in the first place. Yes? Keep up the good work. . .

When was the last time you spoke with your surgeon? Severe nausea and lightheadness at one month post surgery would concern me if I was you. Every bari program is different, but it seems that you would/should be consuming more than 25 gm of water/day by now and more than one 20-30gm? of protein (shake) a day. Please call your surgeon again if you are not getting the help you need. That's what they're getting paid for. Ask that you be given something for nausea and find out why you are lightheaded all the time. If you are driving, you could even be in danger of passing out, so please be safe. Hope you feel better soon.

Sure, it's something that most of us go through. Kinda in the category called "head hunger." Have you ever thought about WHY you don't make a good choice when you're reaching for the fries, muffin, anything in the house not nailed down , etc, etc? Just a fun little experiment--next time you reach for something--just say the word STOP to yourself before you eat it. It gives you time to pause and THINK about what you're doing. It's a first step in learning how to build a new relationship with food that we all need to do in order to be successful with WLS long-term. May I also suggest Googling "mindful eating" for some ideas on learning new eating habits. There's tons of good info out there. It's helped me a lot in these last three years in changing from someone who always scarffed down my food like there was no tomorrow, to now having a "respect" for it as fuel and medicine for my body and something good for me. Food doesn't equal shame to me any more, and that feels good.

You are on your way! Congratulations and best wishes to you!

You definitely might have just solved your own problem. IF you are consuming liquids with your meals, that can definitely be the source of your problem. I am three years post op and it is just a fact of life forever. NO DRINKING ANY liquid AT LEAST 1/2 HOUR BEFORE OR AFTER MEALS OR Snacks. Where possible, I even try to keep a 1 hour margin (especially after meals) because it SEEMS (for me at least) that I stay fuller longer if I don't start drinking within a half hour of eating. That could all just be in my head though:>). That "rule" is probably one of the biggest that my bariatric program stressed. I kinda took it as a pretty important issue. Anyhow, it would be great if something this simple could be the answer to relief for you. Fingers crossed for you! (Well, actually, for me this has not been a SIMPLE thing to adjust to--probably one of the toughest habits to change. Especially when eating out. Worth the price to pay??? You bet!!) Good luck. Hope you feel better soon.

This is not a STALL. It is how WLS bodies loses weight. You will not lose weight every week or sometimes not even for two or three weeks. Sometimes it might even be a month. It's all NORMAL. There is no need to worry. If you start eating foods that are not on your eating plan--then you need to worry. That would be the only time. The sleeve absolutely works if you work your sleeve. Your body knows what to do. Trust it!

So many of us do this--- It is just a little number on a scale. Compare that to your brand new lease on life--the high-quality life you most likely had lost due to your obesity. If we all gave ourselves a mini-challenge to eliminate the word 'STALL' from our vocabularies for just ONE MONTH--what a wonderful world it would be !!! Hang in there. Celebrate the great and wonderful you have done.

Nice to see your positive and uplifting 5-month story. Congratulations on your decision, your surgery, and your new lifestyle! Certainly much credit goes to your surgeon; however, due credit belongs to YOU as well. YOU are the one that makes the sleeve work by your compliance to all the changes in your eating habits and the choices you make every day for the rest of your life. I hope you continue to follow Bariatric Pal and update with your progress. There's an amazing community of caring people here. It is comprehensive resource for answering your questions, learning new information and WLS lifestyle ideas, gathering opinions, and being surrounded by people who really "get it." Take care.

The power of positive thinking and "being!"

What is most important your first month is healing your body from the major surgery it just went through. As long as you're giving it the Protein and Water it so desperately needs these first few weeks, and it sounds like you are--you do not need to worry about how much or how little weight is coming off, or if you are "average." You are YOU and not anyone else to compare to. Your sleeve will work just fine if YOU work your sleeve like it is designed to work! Congrats on your surgery! Heal well. . .

Depends of course how far post-op you are, what stage of eating you're at, and what your program's recommendations/restrictions are. I think the concern is portions of kernels becoming lodged in places not totally healed within the sleeve and surrounding tissue (kinda like all the nooks and crannies in there), and the potential to cause complications (maybe infections, or ???). My program strongly discouraged it until one year post-op.

I am 3 years post-op but am unable to start new posts or reply to any posts in the Veterans Forum. Can you please help fix this for me. Thank you for your help!

Aha--Mystery Solved! Guess I best get busy posting this weekend! Thanks for taking time to answer me PdxMan! I've read many of your posts over the years--you've got lots of good stuff to say!

Your doc is right--the emotional roller coaster IS very normal. Some people don't have it at all; others have it big-time. I was (and still am) someone who has it big-time. Is there a therapist that is connected with the bariatric program you're in that you could see? It might help a lot. I know it has for me. Also if you have access to bariatric support groups (in person ones), they can be very helpful. Body image is a huge adjustment for a lot of us and has many layers that can surface. Maybe you can do some online searching (WLS body image; WLS self confidence). Also, if you haven't ever tried journaling, maybe you might want to look into doing that. Really think about all the progress you've made, and that you don't want to allow yourself to do these "cheat meals/days." You are better than that, and you deserve better than that for yourself. Stay on your program, because cheating eating is going to send you down the road to weight gain and we all know how depressing that can be. Try not to be too hard on yourself. Sometimes we just have to let our feelings sit there for awhile while our brains catch up. It sounds like you've accomplished a lot in a short 7 months. This is a big life-changing event. Right up there with graduations, marriage, having kids, etc. There's a lot of learning, growing, and adjusting to go. Just go with the flow. Take care.

I think we all can relate to that one! I'm sure you've heard all the "tips." Try eating slower. Chew each bit 20-30 times. Use a smaller plate--it looks like you have more food. Lean Protein fills you up faster. If you are eating a lot of the unhealthy carbs (like bread, crackers, chips, Cookies, etc), they give you MORE of an appetite. The more you eat of them, the hungrier they make you. Meanwhile, the better you can follow whatever eating plan you have been given to follow before surgery, the easier everything will go for you. A lot of your "hunger" could be what is called "head hunger." (Your brain tells you you're hungry, but your stomach is full). You might want to do some searches about that (if you haven't already). People still have head hunger after the sleeve. Ask your surgeon too why you're hungry ALL THE TIME. His/her answer most likely will be the same as it is for all of us--we just have big appetites! But if there is any medical condition, they will do all the tests necessary before your surgery to be sure you are healthy to undergo the operation. Good luck.

I think many of us become so focused on that number on the scale that we lose track of what is, as what cowgirljane said so perfectly, our "ticket to success." You have reached the toughest reality that we all face; some sooner, some later-- "Life" and all its stressors continue to happen after WLS, and unless we have planned and strategized how we are going to handle all those stressors that life deals us as WLSers, we are going to struggle, kinda like you're describing. It's a whole new game when we're dealing with big-time life stress AND are now a WLS person! You still are early enough after your surgery to take some time to reevaluate your eating habits and your lifestyle habits and make adjustments as needed that will serve you better to set yourself up to grab and hold on to that long-term "ticket." Only YOU know what those need to be. I reached my surgeon's goal of 150# at 10 months. I worked really hard in year 2 and 3 on changing my lifestyle and my relationship with food(had lots of simple carb demons!). I have studied nutrition considerably, and it is important to me to now use food as fuel/medicine for my body and think of processed food as sludge that I don't want in my body. My diet consists of lean Protein and fresh veggies/fruits. My ability to exercise vigorously is limited due to hip problems, but I move 30 minutes every day without fail. It's all been a lot of hard work, but so worth it. I feel so much more in control of myself and my eating than I ever have in my entire life. The sleeve HELPED me achieve that, but I (we, all of us) are the ones who have to do the work! You will find your way. But please try to remember. There is no "finish line." This is for the rest of your life.

I have always been one of those "rules players" in life that a lot of people hate. I personally am glad that I have followed my bariatric program very carefully over these last three years. Would I have been as successful if I'd "broken the rules" a little or a lot??? Who knows, but I am rockin' my sleeve and living the healthy life! So I'm glad I'm playing by the rules. . . I even think it's FUN!!!

Just the fact that you are recognizing that you are having "head hunger" is a great accomplishment! We do not learn all of our new habits overnight. It is all part of the process, but you will begin to learn what works best for you in handling your head hunger vs. your true hunger. Great info above from the others and dsmith_rn too. One other comment I would like to make that helps me a lot--When I'm feeling that head hunger and wantingto eat something that is not the best/healthiest choice, I say the word STOP in my head and then have this mini-conversation with myself. It not that I CAN'T HAVE this (fill in the blank), I CHOOSE not to have it (I am in control of my choices always). That short pause forces my thinking back to using food as fuel for my body, not as comfort for my mind. Just remember for now--one day at a time. You do not have to be perfect. You are just learning a whole new world, and you will do just fine!

Yes, I agree with the other posters. It is really important to be following the eating plan with the kinds of foods and the portions that have been outlined for you, especially as you are healing from the surgery. If you're not sure about which eating stage you're supposed to be in, check with your surgeon's office. That's what they're there for. They would much rather be answering many questions from you than having to see you/treat you for post-surgery complications. Hang in there-- you'll be back to solid foods stage again before you know it.