Laney

Hello, I recently had the verticle sleeve done last Thursday with Dr. Cirangle. he also found a hernia I didnt know I had. My stomach was in my chest cavity - he corrected this and I'm very grateful it was found. But this has made my recovery a bit more complicated. I am extremly emotional. I am at home crying all the time. I have been doing better with Protein and fluids but it's very difficult. I still had a cup of regular coffee this morning as it makes me feel calmer, believe it or not. I am reaching out to you because I have not shared this surgery with my family. Only one sibling and a friend who have been very supportive. I'm hoping to find comfort, advice and support through this forum. So happy I came across it. I am a female, 5'4 - 176lbs and although i know i will eventually love my new figure, i am very sad and dont see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. thanks for listening. T

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there! I am 10 days post-op from my VS and have to be on a 600 calorie/ high Protein shake for almost 2 weeks. I find myself cheating and feeling terrible about it. I reason with myself on why i can have regular sugar free pudding or plain yogurt. I even take spoonfuls of hummus. I ask myself, "Why is that bad? All of these things are soft". Well, today I had 3 small crackers with bri cheese and just made sure to chew the cracker very fine before swallowing. I loved it. It made me feel normal again. My sister is concerned this will pop a staple in my stomach but I don’t think it will. I guess i just needed to confess my sins and see what other people think. Am I going to ruin my surgery and pop a staple? Will i not lose weight? Will Dr. Cirangle find out? Should I tell him? And most importantly, Should I continue to eat this way? I am still having my Protein shakes, sipping Water and taking it easy. I just need some normalcy again. Thanks for letting me vent and please let me know your thoughts. Best, T

Hi All, I went to my surgeon's office today and talked to the nut and surgical nurse. The cheese and crackers luckily, did not do any harm. I am totally fine. So, now i am happily sticking to my Protein shakes and Water. I graduate to cottage cheese, soft eggs and yogurt on Thursday, which I'm excited for. They recommended I join an in-person support group to help me with my struggle. The issue with me is not that I am taking my surgery for granted but that I have trouble remaining consistent and adhering to structure. I have always disliked structure and discipline. It’s just part of my make-up. Even when I go on vacation, I love to wing it and travel around until I find something that interests me. So... now that I'm having to be so disciplined and structured, I’m fighting it and having a hard time. I didn't realize how emotional and difficult this was going to be. I was somewhat flippant about the hard work this takes. I cry everyday mourning food and am realizing what a hold it had on my life. I am so bored now without the food I used to enjoy. I’m happy, angry, frustrated and excited for my future – it’s such a weird string of emotions. I need to to learn to fill my time with others things, like dating, exercising, reading.. and so on. I am very grateful/fortunate that I was able to have this surgery and I know that all of my feelings are normal and will pass in time. Thank you to everyone for your postings and support. Now, I’m off to eat my dinner.. tacos and rice crispy treats for dessert! ** KIDDING!!

Thank you everyone for your responses. I don't want to jeapordize my surgery and my health. I think that my head is not in the right place and I will certainly take the time to talk to a therapist. This is not an easy road to go down, so I do appreciate your perspective. Best to you, T

Wow, I never thought about a leak or staple lining. That sounds scary and I dont want to jeapordize my healing process or end up back in the hospital. Thanks for scaring me straight. A visit to a therapist will help me, I'm sure. But how will I know if I am now leaking or caused any problem with my staple lining? I pray i didnt do any damage but how would I know? thanks for taking the time to reply. It was helpful. T

Thank you all for replying. I really appreciate it and because of you, I'm excited to log on and share my experience, as well as try to help others. How fortunate I am.