Merydia710

I had several bruises on my stomach from the heprin shots they gave me. Which is a blood thinner. If they gave you a blood thinner before surgery and I think most surgeons do that may be why. Some of my bruises didn't show up for 2 weeks and they are just starting to fade I am 5 weeks out. Also some were huge like at least as big as my hand and others the size of golf balls. I would call your Dr. just to be safe. Just wanted to share my experience to give you a little piece of mind. How far out from surgery are you?

DO NOT DO IT!!.. It may help a little with weight loss but the side effects are horrible it will cause crazy mood swings, raise your blood pressure give you heart palpitations and can cause heart attacks and is also very very addictive and many many other things. I had a friend who had to go to rehab because he was so addicted to ephedrine. Please just give yourself sometime to adjust to your new stomach and focus on getting in Water and Protein. The weight will come off. It took some time to gain the weight and it will take time for it to come off.

Thanks J. Fabulous.. wow 46lbs is pretty dang amazing.Congrats.

I kinda felt the same. But everyday get easier.. Seriously. It is a learning process. You will have ups and downs. Just try to take it one little day at a time. I do miss being able to just eat whatever I want. I do not miss feeling horrible because I am so big. I know I will be healthy and live a long life. So even when I have a bad day (like yesterday) and all I want to do is go grab some fast food and make all my hurt, anger, and anxiety go away. I can't! And I am GLAD that this sleeve keeps me from doing that. Maybe not when I'm in the moment I might cuss about it for awhile. lol But when I get on the scale and keep losing and when I have to get new clothes because my old ones don't fit I know its worth it. It will get easier. Just learn as much as you can and ask as many questions as you need to. This place is so full of people who really care and are here to help you..

The first week or 2 after surgery I had these crazy hunger pains. Or what I thought were hunger pains. But it turns out it was acid in my stomach so I had to change my acid reducing meds to something with a stronger dose. Are you taking anything to reduce stomach acid? Oh and I cried A lot over food the first 2 weeks. It's a learning process and honestly I think it's ok to cry and be upset because it's emotional as well as physical to make all these changes. I crunched on ice when I felt like I needed to really chew something. You can do this! Maybe change up your Soups or create your own I had to really get creative. Once I chewed something I had made for my family to eat and spit it out because I knew i couldn't swallow it. But i wanted to eat it so bad. That was gross and I don't recommend doing it. Just take it one day at a time. That's all any of us can do.

Wow !! You look amazing. Way to go! 131 lbs in 6 months is awesome. Actually it's beyond awesome. I hope I'm doing half as good as you 6 mths out.

You sound like your doing awesome.. It is amazing how fast some people heal from having major surgery. I'm 3 weeks out and I feel totally back to normal.. As for your sense of smell, mine was the exact same way I came home from the hospital and made my boyfriend take out the trash and clean everything. It was like I had super smell. I could smell people from way far away. The smell of my boyfriend was the worst..lol and I loved his smell before. It has gotten better everyday and now it's pretty much back to normal. I just don't like strong smelling perfumes. Congrats on the beginning of the rest of your life..

Oh it was. It was like a home made deli sandwich. I'm a self taught chef. So I don't make anything half assed...

Technically it's not Friday anymore but I have a little confession to make to.. I decided to start mushies 2 weeks early on my own. I couldn't stand anymore soups/Full liquids. So far everything has gone down perfect I chew it well and I try to be very careful about what I am eating and I chew it until it's liquid so I'm hoping it's ok :/ And I cheated big time on my pre op diet... I feel horrible about it still. I was doing ok for the first week but the day of my pre op appt. I was so nervous and freaked out. Once i got home I ate a big ass sandwich.. with all kinds of meat and cheese.. and then I ate some valentines candy :/ I got myself back on track thankfully but I felt and still do feel so guilty. I can honestly say I was so worried I would fall into the same bad habits after surgery but so far I have no desire to eat crap like I used to. And I love that I can't eat very much at a time. I have never felt so good!!!

Maybe try almond milk. It tastes great and works just like regular milk and soy milk.. Even better I think!

Yay for you!!!! I love reading stories like yours. It is a lot of hard work mentally and physically to get to where you are. I am only a few weeks out and feeling better than I have in years. I hope I am where you are in a year.. Great Job!!!

Hey Ohjilliankay, Congrats on your surgery!! I am from Orlando also. Who is your Dr? Mine is Jawad. I was sleeved 2-15-12.. So I'm 2 weeks out today. I'm not sure about the hiccups. I've gotten them a few times for no reason at all. My problem has been burping.. a lot and loudly. I'm hoping this goes away with time. You'll learn your body's new signals for things with time. It's like starting all over again. Everyday gets a little better and easier. I feel almost back to normal now except I can't eat a ton of food anymore. but that's a good thing!

My boss was using it because he works out a lot. I read the package and it fits all the guidelines that my dr wants for a protien supplement. It comes in a tube 3.8 floz which is considered one serving it had 42 grams of protein!!! It is lactose, gluten, caffeine, sugar, and fat free. 180 calories 2 g carbs I got it at the Vitamin shoppe After ordering a bunch of stuff from Bariatric Advantage 2 weeks ago before my surgery and still not having it. I needed my stuff and I was out. Has anyone else had issues with them I am so so dissapointed. Anyway I just wanted to let people know about this I added a picture I found online of what it looks like it comes in a bunch of different flavors and doesn't taste bad at all. This is way better to me than a Protein shake. It was insane trying to get all those shakes in to get enough protein.

So I had my surgery yay! Recovery in the hospital was hard I'm not gonna lie I was not prepared. I was sleeved 2,15,1012 It say fast but really it has been a lifetime in the making. I have been over weight my whole life. Starting around 6 years old with not much success at losing. I tried and tried but it seems like it would all come back and then some more. I had my daughter 3yrs ago and while I was preggo with her lost 30 lbs because I took such good care of myself while pregnant. Then I gained it all back. I had a trainer and lost about 30 more lbs but then was attacked outside my apt last year and gained all 30 back plus 30 more. On a side note on being attacked. It was an eye opening experience for me. I ALWAYS thought because I am bigger no one would mess with me. In school no one did in life no one had. But I was so so wrong I was only a bigger and much weaker target. This guy came out of nowhere and had me on my back against my stairs punching me in the face in less than 15 seconds and there was nothing I could do. He didn't get anythng but my lunch bag but it was a horrible experience. I couldn't defend myself all I could do was scream and thats what saved me. I met my boyfriend about 2 years ago. he is an amazing person and has been there for me from day one. I wasn't sure I would ever meet someone who could love me for me but he does. He prefers bigger girls but wants me to be healthy and happy more than anything else so he supports me losing weight. Around mid January at my highest weight ever 320 I was miserable to the point of just beyond help. My weight was effecting me in every aspect of my life. I talked with my awesome amazing man and we decided that Weight loss surgery was the best option for me. So I started checking things out. I found this site and it was awesome. I learned a lot very quickly and decided this was the procedure for me. I found a surgeon in my area who happens to be one of the top 3 in the US. I am self pay so we had to get a loan but we did and got the ball rolling. I made and appt for the following week with my Dr on 1-27-2012. That day I scheduled surgery for 2-15-2012. I was like what this is crazy. No way is this going to happen so fast but it did I met with the nutritionist had blood work done had gallbladder scans and I was ready to go. When I went into the hospital I was nervous and excited. Things moved fast from there. I went to pre-op first. They started my IV's one in each hand, cleaned up my belly had me change clothes, gave me a heprin shot, and stuff for anxiety and antibiotics in my IV. I started feeling pretty good after that. I remember them talking to me a lot and taking me back to the operating room and seeing the big over head lights and wondering why it was so freaking bright. I also saw on a shelf the alligator staple thing they use they had a bunch of them in boxes and I remember thinking they shouldn't just leave those things around..lol.. Then a guy was like ok I'm giving you some more of the stuff that will make you relax.... The next thing I know I'm waking up in the recovery area and my mom is there. She said (and I do not remember this) that I woke up and told her to take a picture of me which she did..lol and then I asked her if I was skinny yet...lol sounds like me. It was hard to open my eyes and swallow but they gave me ice chips that helped.. I also made sure before surgery I had lots of chap stick on my lips. I knew they would be dry and I'm glad I did that. They also let me swab my mouth with those swab things. I had a NG tube down my throat into my stomach which I HATED!! But in reality it helped me and once it was removed I threw up several times. Mostly blood or whatever I had tried to put in my stomach. Ice, Water, meds, saliva... gross. I'm not sure how long I was in there awhile it seemed but finally they took me to my room. I had a hard time recovering from anesthesia and the pain meds seem to make it worse. I was so nauseous even with the anti nausea medication I was still throwing up. I was in and out most of that first night and not really able to get around but in the morning I felt better. I always liked t6he way pain meds made me feel before but now no freaking way I hate it. So they took out my NG tube around 6 am and that's when I started to vomit. I tried so hard not to and the nurses were really nice and trying to help but nothing helped. I found that if I spit out all the saliva I was making instead of swallowing it that helped. I had to drink this blue stuff to see if I was leaking and I wasn't but I threw that up also. They took out the cathater around 10 and took me for my x-ray leak test. I had to drink the contrast stuff so they could see my stomach and if it was working. AND guess what I threw that up too...lol.. I came back to my room and they said I could start my Clear liquids so I tried some beef broth and water just a little and it comes up. I walk around some and I am in pain so I get more meds. The dr comes in and says I can go home. I choose to stay because I felt like crap and wasn't sure I wanted to go home vomiting like I was. The nurses suggested I try the oral liquid pain meds so I did and of course it came back up. I had one more dose of pain meds through IV and one more dose of Anti nausea meds and that was it around 9pm. After that I decided I wasn't going to put anything in my mouth until the morning. I was on IV so I was hydrated. So I slept well that night and woke up in the morning early and feeling so so so much better. I was able to keep down water and was home that day by noon. I'm pretty sure my extra day in the hospital is gonna cost me big since I am self pay but it was worth it. Since I have been home I have felt better by the hour. I am able to keep down all clear liquids that I have tried. Today I started full liquids for 4 weeks. I had a protien shake and some creamy organic tomato Soup it was soooooo unbelievably awesome. I also was able to have some apple sauce and creamy potato soup. It was funny to me to open up the can of soup today and realize how long this will last me! Seriously I could only eat about 2 tablespoons. I am so glad I am feeling so good about food now. My boyfriend even had pizza delivered for dinner and made brownies! I told him to since I wasn't up for cooking yet and I was fine with it. No desire at all to have that stuff. Of course he can eat anything and he is still the same weight.., with about 14 BMI!!!! he has no fat on him at all except maybe his butt...even that has muscle though. I slept in my own bed the first night home! My butt was so numb from being in the same position for so long there was no way I was sleeping on the recliner. I have lots of burping I mean manly burps that can put some of the best to shame..lol it's kinda funny though. I have been able to poo (sorry if thats TMI) with no problems at all. I have very little pain and havent had ANY pain meds since the night before I left he hospital. My big incision is a little tender but nothing I can't handle and my belly is pretty bruised and banged up. My sense of smell has gone crazy. I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem before but everything stinks to me. I walked in my house from the hospital and was like nope that trash needs to go out this house smells gross. I can smell everything and things I used to like really are bothering me now. like the smell of my boyfriend is grossing me out, I feel so bad and I'm hoping that changes. I won't tell him though I don't want to hurt his feelings. I spent today doing some light laundry and cleaning up the kitchen and airing out the house(hoping it would smell better) It does. Oh and just for kicks I got on the scale expecting to weigh more because of all the fluids and swelling from surgery and I'm down 13 lbs since the day of surgery. 22 lbs since pre op!! I no longer snore!! I was a bad bad snorer before my boyfriend had to wear earplugs and he says I make no sound now.. HOW awesome... My daughter was a little weird around me at first I think she wasnt sure what to think she is only 3 but she has been with my parents and today they came over for a visit and she was touching my tummy and asking if it hurt and what did they do. :wub: She is a sweet girl. The pic is of me pre op before meds.. So that Is my story. It started out rough but I'm doing great now. And well on my way to needing smaller sized clothes.

Good Luck You can do this!! Look at how far you've already come. I see you as an inspiration. When I looked at your before and after photos I couldn't tell which one was you!! I think you look amazing. I think you have the right frame of mind to get it done. I've always loved to cook. I even have my own cook book of my own recipes. So cooking will be hard for me because I loved food and loved to taste all the way through and then eat a big meal and dessert after. Cooking and eating have always been a huge part of my life... And don't even get me started on the joy of making a big meal and seeing others enjoy it! So far I haven't had any issues but the further along I go I know I will be tempted. I just hope I can keep strong How far do you have to reach goal?

I bought one of the Fruit punch ones it was awesome and I drank about half and I'm having the rest later. I'll be going back in the morning to get a case. I'm so excited to be able to get all my protein in. The shakes were so filling it was hard to get more than 1 in.. I'm 1 week post op now. I also found all of the vitamins I needed in liquid form there!

Thanks everyone! It feels good to share. I've not always been open about my weight and how it has effected my life. I feel comfortable here though. Thanks

I am thankful for feeling good enough today that I cooked dinner for my family 5 days post op!!