ocean_ophelia

I was sleeved 8 days ago. I had an easy recovery. Except for minor nausea and gas for a couple days, I felt fine. I never had any pain. But today my stomach's been upset all day; it's like I'm regressing. I feel worse today than I felt yesterday or the day before or the day before that. What gives? By upset I mean a feeling of bloating and slight cramping, gurgling, and slight gasiness, like things are unsettled in there. Everything pretty much goes right through me, and my stomach's upset before, during, and after eating, literally all day long. I'm still on full liquids. Today I had a Protein shake (that upsets my stomach the worst, always has, even pre-op), some herbal tea with skim milk, two small bowls clear Soup, a couple ounces nectar, and Water mixed with Crystal Light. It's nothing new. Is this pretty typical for this stage? Will it get better when I start purees next week? I really feel crappy.

The skim milk def. made my stomach feel worse, so that's out for now; hopefully, the lactose intolerance will go away. I tried Tums tonight, and it did help some. I guess I'm just wondering if this is something others have experienced? Does it go away with time?

Yes, I'm on an antacid, and, yes, I'm walking a lot. I'm not nauseous and don't have heartburn just that upset stomach.

My surgery is scheduled for next week. I have to make the final payment by end of today. Today is also the last day to get my deposit back. I have been thinking about this for months and have had the date set for many weeks. I have read through many, many posts on this forum and other forums, and I have even participated in discussions like this one where people are freaking out pre-op. And yet here I am, making excuses for why I should back out of this: 1. It's a lot of money. I have young kids. Money could be spent on vacations, etc. The cost is all our savings and then some. 2. My BMI is "only" 31. I should be able to do this on my own, shouldn't I? (Yes, yes, I've lost and gained many times in the past, but this time will be different....). 3. I've been battling a cold and am worried I'll get sicker post-op. 4. I love food. What will happen to my emotions, my coping mechanism once I'm sleeved? 5. I'm anxious about short- and long-term side effects. I have hardly any hair as is and it does NOT grow, no exaggeration. I don't want to be bald! I don't want to deal with reflux. I have great digestion now, no issues - why add problems where none exist? What if I have a leak? My insurance won't cover anything even remotely related to WLS, so we'd be in dyer straights financially. I know these are all excuses, and I know I'm playing head games with myself. Someone slap me, please.

Fantastic loss! Congrats, and I love to hear these kinds of positive updates.

Oh, yes, very true!

I have a couple of their shakes, but they only have 9 grams of protein, which doesn't seem like enough. And more carbs than I want.

My Costco doesn't carry that protein, only Muscle Milk Lite. I loathe protein powder, always have, so I'm a little worried.

I was told it's fine once your tummy is healed three or four weeks later, six to be really conservative. I love coffee, seriously could not give it up. It might have been a deal breaker for me.

I think many (if not most) people who are obese are food addicts. That's what overeating is. It means you can't control what you eat and you eat even when full and even though you understand logically that it's not good for you. It means food controls you in some way; it means you think of food as your friend. I doubt anyone can get to be 100 pounds overweight without a food addiction. I fully acknowledge that some people have slower metabolisms and medical conditions that make it harder for them to lose weight, but the bottom line is that everyone loses with the sleeve just by restricting, which goes to reason they were overeating before. This is just my opinion, of course, but I think someone without an addiction to food on some level could lose the weight and not gain it back.

Many insurance plans don't pay for any WLS; mine is like that. Consider yourself lucky. 10 percent isn't that much. It's all about priorities.

This is a great thread. I am getting sleeved tomorrow and I've been freaking out and mourning food, so it helps to know that while restriction remains, those who are a year or further out can still on occasion have a treat and eat like a normal thin person.

I think he's an experienced surgeon. I originally chose him but decided to go in another direction for a couple reasons: There was a armed robbery at his facility in September (not a rumor - his coordinator verified this for me). He does several surgeries per day, which I didn't feel was optimal for focus and concentration. He doesn't speak English, so it's difficult to communicate your needs/fears, etc. to him. He does the surgeries at a clinic in a strip mall NOT a hospital; heaven forbid, if something were to happen, there's no ICU. You go to a recovery house to recover; it is crowded; sometimes there are up to five people in one room. That did not sound appealing to me. He also uses stitches you have to remove yourself when you get home (or go to a doc to do it for you); I didn't want to deal with that. That being said, most people do well with him and have no issues. Do your research on this forum and others; google his name. There are other doctors in Mexico who are slightly more but have better track records, imo. Just my two cents.

You look great!

Thanks for following up. I am having my surgery with Dr. Kelly this Thursday! My BMI is 30, and I have thought long and hard about this. I have had doubts, and I have had anxiety, but ultimately, I am not happy with my life right now. I have a great husband and kids and job, but I am miserable in my own skin. I have high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol levels, some low back pain, and low energy. This is not the me I know. I don't want to be this person. I have tried and failed to MAINTAIN weight loss on my own. I have done more diets than I can count in the past 25+ years, and I am sick of the lose and gain cycle. I started dieting at the age of 13, and I've yo-yo-ed (more or less) ever since. No more. I am ready to make a change. I'm so glad it worked out for you, and I'm also hoping for an easy recovery.

I'd imagine if you're used to using food as a coping mechanism and turn to it to numb your emotions, and then you lose that tool but don't replace it with another, you would feel depressed. I'd also imagine that losing weight can mess with your hormone levels. Have you tried exercise? That always makes me feel much happier; it releases good endorphins. You might have been depressed before and used food (a drug) to cope; if exercise doesn't help, there's no shame in seeking help and getting on anti-depressants. I doubt the sleeve "caused" this, but it can bring out things that were hidden before.

Plenty of skinny people eat little; it shouldn't be that strange. I tend to be blunt, and if someone were to question me, I'd just repeat myself and be done with the conversation. Really, it's none of their business.

That is good to hear, esp. considering I was at the grocery store yesterday and saw the cover of a magazine (People maybe or something like it) that had two weight loss stories and before/after pics on the cover and the headline (I'm paraphrasing): "Real people lose weight! No weight loss surgery! No gimmicks!" Yeah, because WLS is a "gimmick," and it's so much more "real" if you don't have surgery. I hate, hate that attitude. To go back to the cancer comparison, no one would think less of you if you had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor vs. trying to cure it "on your own," BUT using surgery is cheating somehow, you have no will power, etc.

I like to clean, lol, but not that much. Exercise, I guess. I used to love it; it used to be my good addiction. I want to get that back. I lost no hair with any of my pregnancies or after, but seriously if I lost even a little hair now it would be bad, bad, bad. Most toddlers have thicker hair than me! lol

Yes, exactly! I could have written that myself. I have hypertension, but I had that even when I weighed less as it runs in my family. But other than that, I'm fine. I carry my weight well because I'm tall. Undoubtedly, I am fat. I hate the way I look. I just moved into plus sizes, and I do not want to shop at Lane Bryant for the rest of my life. Partly, this is about vanity. I admit it. I'm still young. I want to look hot. lol But more importantly it's about my health. I don't count on the sleeve to CURE my hypertension, but losing weight WILL help. I want to have more energy. I don't want to shun life or avoid social occasions, which I do all the time now. I want to be free and not a slave to food! I guess we just have to take the plunge!

How great is that! LOVE it.

That's odd because runny cream of wheat is on my post-op full liquids list. I can't imagine why it would have bothered you so much.

Awesome, Tina! Take care. It sounds like you're doing great right now.

I have to do something else while eating unless I'm eating with someone else. Just eating is boring. I know that's bad, but it's true for me. I'm not a very mindful person, I guess. I always multi-task.

So this whole sipping thing - you guys mean sort of like slurping off a spoon, like filling your mouth first and then your throat? I'm not sure I ever sip now?