CowgirlJane

I am so sorry for your loss. It is a sad day when someone trying to improve her health doesn't make it. Words can't express. I was so afraid of WLS because of all the stories of people's passing. A young woman - 41 - I know died in her sleep 4 years after Gastric Bypass. It turns out she was type I diabetic and had become alcoholic - that is what really killed her, but it is still a very sobering thought because in a way it was related to her WLS.

I am 3 weeks out and still on pureed food so I kinda know what you mean. I have some of the same fears, that I won't be able to change. Here are a couple of things I am doing. -I am tracking food and exercise to increase self awareness -I am getting junk food out of the house, to the extent possible. Hubby is a real snacker, which is my downfall.. I just have sad "no cheetos" and don't get near the bag. If I lived alone, I would make sure that that stuff wasn't even around. -I just started upping my activity level. This is helping with my mood -I realize that when I am busy, I am not really hungry. Sitting around gives me too much time to think about food. I feel hungry but I think it is more head hunger During recovery, there was more sitting around then moving around so my focus going forward is on staying busy. There are closets to clean, friends to visit, window shopping to do... you know... anything that gets me away from the TV and old habits. -Take your PPI and drink your fluids. Acid and thirst can both feel like hunger! -I too was panicked about how easy it was for me to consume fluids (and even liquidy pureed things). The NUT assured me that will change as I start eating thicker food. Today i had some ricotta cheese flavored with sugar free vanilla flavoring and I feel quite content on a small portion. I do think that more solid food will help with this. also, remember not to drink 30 min before or after consuming pureed or solid foods. I am scared I won't be able to change, so I am trying to pick one habit at a time. I am now focused on eliminating the eating after dinner habit. It is an ingrained habit, i have done it for years and it hasn't served me well. I am working on changing it. 3 days in a row now - if I can make it more like 3 weeks, then hopefully i have changed that habit. Maybe you can choose one small bad eating habit to work on rather then trying to change everything overnight and feeling overwhelmed.

For as long as I can remember, eating late in the day has always been my downfall. IT didn't matter if i ate plenty earlier in the day, typically I could eat another day's worth of food dinner and after. Many years ago, I would wake up in the middle of the night and if I didn't eat a bowl of Cereal or something i couldn't get back to sleep. I broke that habit by toughing it out, and a week of sleepless nights and haven't done that in ages. I figured I could do it again with the after dinner habit. The first few weeks with the sleeve the focus was on getting enough Protein and fluids so I didn't worry too much about the time of day thing, but i am 3 weeks out now, on pureed food and couldn't help but notice that the only time of day I really feel hungry is the evening AFTER dinner. So, for the last two evenings, I have decided to simply not consume anything after the dinner meal (no calorie fluids and Vitamins being the exception). Yesterday, I didn't quite get all my protein in, but i figure one day of missing that target is okay, and today I will plan better. It wasn't as bad as I expected, I slept okay and I didn't wake up starving. I think this really is head hunger. I hope that if I can identify and tackle these small bad habits one at a time, I can make permanent changes.

Do you think they might be able to make an exception based on doctors orders? It is hard to get all the fluids in post surgery since you can't just chug 16 ounces on a short break. I am 3 weeks out, and can drink no problem, but still not chugging and don't plan to anytime soon....

I guess food has always been part of my evening routine too. Hubby sits there and Snacks on and off for hours. Difference is, he doesn't get fat so for me, right now, it is just better to end the habit as I can see that it will interfere with my success. Back when i did Weight Watchers I used to eat lots of veggies, low fat popcorn etc... just to be eating something without lots of calories. Now that I am sleeved, I hope i can just change the habit. 3 nights in a row - so far so good!

I think this is one of those "it depends" subjects. I am 47, well over 100# to lose and my family and friends have watched me try every diet under the sun. I lose... and then regain plus some. They know that doing the activities I love have been getting harder and harder. I have sleep apnea and really bad arthritis in my knees. When I announced my surgery plans I got 100% enthusiastic, support - they want me to live long, and live healthy and they know I have tried everything else to get the weight off. It is going to be embarrasing if I don't do well or if I regain, but hey, I am only human and am loved even with my flaws. All that weight is there for everybody to see anyway - not like it is some big secret.

90% coverage is pretty good... I don't know of any insurance to cover 100%. I would start saving money everywhere I could and set it aside!

Okay, I am now 3 weeks post op and my liquid MV and Calcium have been working out fine. I am using celebrate chewable Iron with C and then the sublingual B12. When the liquids are gone, i want to replace with lower carb/lower calorie choices. The liquid calcium is especially high calorie. I find this to be a bit challenging as I have always used lower quality Vitamins - calcium carbonate whereas now i need the high quality stuff. By the time you add it up, it is alot of money ordering from Bariatric Advantage or Celebrate, but i don't want brittle bones and I can't take pills yet so I am thinking of trying the celebrate calcium plus 500 chews next. That is fairly low carb/low calorie and hopefully tastes decent.

Maybe it is because my age (47) or my impressive resume of trying EVERY diet with at least temporary success, but I have never seen this as the easy way out. For me, it is the ONLY way out. I am only 3 weeks post op, so of course cannot really claim to be a success story, but I am hoping and praying that I can finally get my weight permanently under control. I was not able to do that in a lifetime of dieting, although in my younger years I was more successful at keeping my weight more in the overweight or first stage of obesity by dieting. Although I would LOVE to be "trim" and a normal weight, but reality of it is that I started this journey at over 300#. If I can get under 200#, although still overweight, it would be a MAJOR victory and improvement in my life.

5Dogma, I am with you - I was sleeved 12/12 and really really wanting more energy. I am eating right around 600 calories, but i have started to allow myself more carbs. I was staying in the 20-30G a day but i could barely scrape myself up off the floor. I am now having 40-50 total carbs a day and feeling a bit more energetic. I am taking all my Vitamins, getting in 60g of Protein and the Water too. I meet with the nutritionalist on Jan 10th and I really want to figure out a livable calorie/carb zone because I love being active but don't want to do anything more then sit around when my energy level is so low.

Happy New Year December Sleevers! Here is a really nice little summary of why pretty much EVERYONE stalls a few weeks after surgery. It has helped bolster my spirits since I have been stalled for a week! Yes, this is a different kind of surgery, but the info about stalls applies to all! http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html As far as soreness, I too had it more in my abs and it was a lot more severe then i expected. You are right, it is such an individual journey, you can't compare yourself to someone else. I try to remind myself that on the weight loss too - I am really really happy with my progress so far until I start comparing myself to some of the super losers on the forums. I am happy for them, and have to remind myself that to stay focused on my own journey. I guess sometimes I feel that sense of wanting to be sure I am fully taking advantage of that magical first year and get off as much weight as possible. I consider myself in the doldrums right now. I am feeling okay, but not great as I am still tired. I lost some good weight early on, but have been in a stall for nearly a week. I have lost enough that I am fitting back into some pants that I had "grown out of" but not enough for others to notice. I have faith that another 30-60 days I will have sailed out of the doldrums and I will be really noticing a difference! It is very exciting to imagine that in 2012 I have a good chance of moving from being obese to just "overweight" which i consider a major victory! I am really hoping that a year from now I am out of the plus sizes and shopping int he normal sizes! My BMI has already gone from 51 presurgery, 49 the day of surgery to 46 now!

Honestly, I noticed I was treated differently more when I decided to start wearing makeup, fixing up my hair and dressing nicer even though i haven't lost much weight. My personal opinion is that at least some of how you are treated is a reflection of how you treat yourself, carry yourself and show your own self confidence. I too would be willing to participate, but I am only a few weeks out from surgery.

I was told 400-600 calories, but that is rough guidance not hard and fast. I am in the pureed food stage and i am not sure how you are getting enough protein with so low of calories, but i guess most of it is coming in the isopure? How are eggs going down, NUT told me not to try them just yet as people often have problems with them.

I wasn't prescribed this - thinking I should ask about it!

I think that is a major accomplishment!!!! Congratulations!

happy, thanks for updating us. Glad to hear you are doing okay. I am still in shock about your friend... I can't figure out why they did the gastric bypass when they realized she had a failing liver. My continued prayers for her recovery. I am at about 2.5 weeks out and while I am doing good, my energy is still low. I am learning to adapt to pureed food. The biggest challenge is getting in enough protein. After a day I realized that I still need to use the protein drinks for some of my meals. IT is wonderful to eat something food like again, but, it is also a little scary in the sense of worrying about old bad habits. I did mess up yesterday and had a small serving of ice cream. It was there and I just had some, it wasn't like I had been craving it or anything. I didn't have much and it didn't ruin my day or anything, so i am not getting too upset about it, it just isn't how I want to be eating. One day at a time, as the saying goes.

I know that at 2 weeks post op I am moving further away from the highest risk period. I start pureed foods on Wednesday, and resolve to continue being careful. My surgeon told me that they think most leaks actually happen in the first two weeks, but we all know that many are discovered weeks later. I have an optimistic view, I feel like I am recovering fine, but there is this little niggling worry since revision patients have a much higher risk of leak. Just curious if any of my fellow revision patients were told anything in particular about this - what to watch for, when they can consider themselves "out of the woods" for a leak.

ok, i was surprized that my doc did not do a leak test before discharge. There reason is what you said, not likely to detect until swelling goes down.

Yeah, PDXMan that is where I am at - low energy. I realize that I am still fairly early on in my recovery, but i also suspect low carbs since low energy started during my low carb preop diet. I am hesitant to use you as an example though - i am not a runner and I know that men's bodies just seem to function differently then women. I started out at 49 BMI so i feel very aware of needing to really lose that weight the first year - that golden window. Right now, I am getting about 20-25 carbs a day. As I am moving into pureed diet, I am going to start adding back carbs via veggies and see what happens. I have no intentions of eating high carb food no matter what as I know that I have a bit of a carb addiction and it is easy for me to go from Pasta to sweets. I was just curious about actual studies showing actual differences in results between people that stay under 40 carbs a day versus people that don't restrict it post weight loss surgery.

I hadn't seen that study. My understanding that 32-38 is the range of "standard" sizes that are used. Presumably better weight loss, but higher risk of complications the smaller it is. I am pretty sure I got a 38, so time will tell...

Pat, that was a very insightful and terrific post. I guess alot of us "failed" with the band, or it failed us, or some combination thereof. I think to be fully honest, i could have done better with the band if I had been able to continuously muster the strength to not eat even though i felt hunger. If i had better aftercare. Maybe if I had better access to support. But reality of the situation was that it was so hard to live with. I lost about 30 pounds on the liquid diet (full month!) and then over the next year lost an additional 40 pounds.... by dieting and exercising. I got nowhere near goal and really just couldn't sustain it better then any other diet. Then the reflux and all started hitting.... But what i also know is that even if i had done "better" it is still a very flawed solution. I keep saying this over and over again - but back in 2001, in Europe where I was banded, the brochure they gave me indicated that it should NOT be considered permanent and would most likely need to be removed. I didn't really understand it at the time - I saw that as a feature, easily reversible - but that isn't what it meant at all! It meant that most everyone will need to get rid of the damn thing sooner or later. I am trying to learn from my mistakes, hoping like mad the sleeve really is a better solution (2 weeks post sleeve so it is a little early to tell) and making the best of it. No use wasting energy over the past - all there is left is the here and know and what tomorrow brings.

Don't be discouraged. I wonder if you aren't also comparing yourself with people who are higher BMI? Higher weight/BMI means more weight loss in terms of # of pounds. Have you also measured so you can track your losses by the tape measure even when the scale isn't cooperating? I have been tracking my food using myfitnesspal.com and I feel like that is helping me ensure that i am getting enough Protein, Water and keeping the carbs and calories low. It is just a suggestion to see if it helps. You have lost 8.4% of your body weight. I have lost 9.4% of my starting bodyweight, which isn't much more then you, and I think I am doing AWESOME. I have lost 28 pounds, counting the 8 pounds preop and the 21# since my surgery on 12/12 but I started my preop diet at 308. I met with the NUT today and she said I am right on track, I suspect you are too you just can't compare yourself to heavier people (and definately NOT to men who lose so fast). This is an individual journey.

I am so sorry these serious problems have happened! On the one hand, having WLS actually found a deadly cancer for one person and perhaps saved her. On the liver problem - what a tragedy to have it compounded by a leak. I have to say the story gave me "pause" in that i would hope that my surgeon would NOT go ahead with WLS if he found my liver was dying. It seems so strange that didn't show up in the pre-op blood work. I am not a medical person, so what do I know, but it is shocking. You have my prayers for your friends recovery. Keep us posted.

Why do you think people with BMI over 50 have higher risk? I had never heard that one before. Other then that, I have pretty much been told the same thing. The thing to add is that for revisions, the risk of leaks is higher due to the scar tissue as that kind of tissue is thick and does not "knit" like normal tissue.

I had my 2 week post op appointment with the nutritionalist. It was a good visit and confirmed that i am right on track! I start pureed foods tomorrow and who would ever imagine that the idea of pureed food could be so exciting???? Soup with some substance, cottage cheese, even some of the recipes off eggface's blog - i am so ready to be eating something that is actually like food!