Cherrybomb

I had to buy a new scale when I started this journey. My old one wouldn't weigh me either.

Looking for friends or groups to join to stay motivated. I haven't figured it all out yet since I won't have my fitbit until next week. My name over there is Roberta and I posted a topic under Big Losers in the community section of the forum. Feel free to send me friend requests. Thanks!

I don't know if all surgeons do this, but mine had me getting shots every few hours to prevent blood clots. I also had wraps on my legs whenever I was in bed that massaged to keep circulation going. I was not high risk for clots or anything, these were just standard procedures. The blood thinner shots left bruises all over me that lasted weeks! In today's lawsuit happy society, surgeons don't take chances. They will do everything possible to make sure you are safe and healthy.

I went through the exact same thing about almost 3 weeks out. You are not alone! It was a hard time, but rest assured it gets better very soon.

I copied/pasted the questions from their form here for you. I guess it was more than five. Do you Snore? Have you been told that you hold your breath or stop breathing during sleep? Do you wake up Gasping for Breath? Do you awaken with headaches? Do you fall asleep frequently while reading? Have you fallen asleep while driving or stopped at a light? Do you have jerking movements while sleeping? Do you still feel exhausted after 8 hours of sleep? If you answered YES to more than four of the above questions, you may have sleep apnea and you should talk to your doctor about a sleep study.

My surgeon had five questions to answer to determine if you needed a sleep study. Even though I am a life long insomniac and take Ambien every night, I didn't fit the criteria for sleep apnea so didn't have the study done. If you already suspect that you have it, you should definitely have the sleep study. All patients who have SA were required by my surgeon to bring their cpap to the hospital with them or no surgery so it must be a serious issue.

Awesome! Add me as a friend if you like. http://www.fitbit.com/user/22TYTT

I am almost 2 months out and have never drank a Protein shake. I tried many of them and everyone's tricks during my pre-op diet and decided I would rather have my hair fall out. The smell alone was enough to make me start gagging. No way could I drink that stuff. Since I have been post-op, I have tried about a dozen different Protein Bars, including Quest, and they are all nasty too. I eat my protein and sometimes even manage to get my quota. I started on soft food at one week out just for the protein. I eat tuna, crab, fish, cottage cheese, deli cheese, Beans, fajita steak and chicken strips, nuts, eggs, and have recently discovered beef Jerky. The Jack Link's I bought has 15 grams of protein per serving with only 4 carb and hardly no fat. Better than some Protein drinks and actually edible. Getting your protein in through food only is a challenge, but one I am willing to take on to avoid the devil's drink!

I'm sorry you're feeling depressed. I also had a lot of problems with depression during that time. I felt completely out of control and like my food addiction was actually getting worse! I felt like it was my last time to eat good stuff. The good news is that it gets better post-op. I had a short bout with depression about 3 weeks out when I was on a stall. Since then, I've felt much better. The hunger is gone and my brain is slowly changing. You will no longer want everything that you once did. You will be concentrating on getting your Protein in and then you'll be full. It's amazing how your life and feelings will change. Keep remembering there is an end in sight.

Whoa, that was painful just to look at! I don't have any new suggestions but sorry you are going through this. Hope it gets better soon.

I take Ibuprofen. Are we not supposed to? This past weekend I tried to take an oxycodone and nearly passed out! My head was spinning, stabbing pains in my stomach, and I actually started to black out. I had made sure to eat first and took it right after food. I thought since our intestines are intact that I would absorb it the same way as pre-op. NOT!

Your doctor is being a jerk! You are averaging 4 pounds a week, which is GREAT! Don't be discouraged, maybe he was reading or subtracting numbers wrong. I've had to do the math for my surgeon's nurse before.

The worst part was the pre-op 2 week liquid diet. Hardest 2 weeks of my life. After surgery, it's all good.

It's okay, my imagination has it all worked out. Poor Mr. Happy.

I'm just curious why the soreness is on the underside.

I'm sure you will be fine, but I'll pray for you over the next couple days if you like. Couldn't hurt.

This was my first surgery and I was completely terrified. I was sure that I would either wake up during surgery or not wake up at all. Of course, neither happened. I wish I could comfort everyone who is fearful about this surgery. It was just such an easy thing to recover from and I feel I caused myself much unnecessary stress worrying about it. No surgeon would do elective surgery these days if there was any foreseeable risk. All of our pre-op screening and testing makes sure that we are healthy and our bodies can handle the procedure. You will be fine.

I went in for a bypass and woke up with a sleeve. Prior to that I had done zero research on sleeves. I'm only 7 weeks out and so far very happy with how things turned out. I'm losing, although I would consider it slowly. I am glad to not have to worry about special Vitamins, B-12 shots, and dumping for the rest of my life. If I am not where I think I should be a year from now, I will consider a bypass. My surgeon said once I lose 100 pounds I could get one if I wanted. I have lost 80 pounds now. I honestly don't want to get a bypass so I will be praying that my sleeve continues to work for me.

Agreed! It is a emotional journey, but if I waited on all my mental food problems to be solved first, I would have never had surgery. My brain is healing along with my body. I think it takes something like this to break a food obsession. I disagree with those who will tell you to fix your mentality first. BTW, no way will you be able to eat a donut. Maybe a bite or two, but not a whole donut.

It's true I don't crave carbs or sweets anymore and know for sure I could never eat a donut. But, I don't think surgery itself did that for me (except the donut thing because bread just doesn't fit.) I believe it's just because I don't eat them anymore. I HATE Protein drinks of all kinds - every last one of them - so I have to get all my protein in via food. I plan ahead and carefully track my food on MFP to be sure I get in all my protein. Once I do that, there is just no room for anything else. I will not put anything in my mouth at a meal until the protein is in. Then I'm full. My biggest struggle is not craving bad foods, it's trying to wrap my brain around my new portion size. I'm not used to being a slow learner so I get mad at myself for always taking too much and wasting food. This morning I put one piece of Muenster cheese and two slices of turkey on a plate for Breakfast. I could not eat it all and had to feed one slice of turkey to the dog. At six weeks out, I should know better than to take too much food, yet I consistently do it. I'm getting better, since that wouldn't have begun to cover breakfast pre-op, but I still have a long road before I will feel normal to myself.

I completely understand you. Thinking about what yummy things I was going to eat used to get me out of bed in the morning. Surgery has not helped my head. I am six weeks out and very much struggling mentally. It is getting easier, but is still an everyday problem. My sleeve protects me from myself. I do get angry at it sometimes for not allowing me to eat what my brain wants to eat. But, in the end, I am thankful for my sleeve doing it's job.

This is a big worry of mine. I work my arms & legs every single day to try to at least have them toned. I hope this will help the skin look tighter. I haven't done anything to help my stomach, although that is worse than my arms and legs. I'm just not strong enough yet to work my abdominal muscles. I'm not sure if it would even help much. I'm not holding my breath for my insurance to ever pay for any plastics. It's a scary thought.

You CAN do it! How do I know? Because if I can do it, anyone can! It got easier at Day 4 for me. I had sugar free popsicles, Jello, pudding, sherbet, and Crystal Light by the gallon. My NUT also approved the no-sugar-added Edy's fruit pops that have 9 grams of natural sugar. They are way better than the other popsicles. I wasn't much on Soup broth although lots of people love it. Just try to stay full with flavored Water in between eating. Keep on remembering how nice it will be after surgery when you are "fixed" for life. Your sleeve will save you from yourself as mine has done. It's worth the two weeks of agony beforehand.

I will be six weeks out tomorrow and can sympathize with everything said here. I always eat too fast and I always start with way too much. It makes me feel like such a slow learner that I keep making the same mistakes over and over. One of these days my brain will catch on that I can only eat a couple bites of anything.

Pills from Day 1. They gave them to me at the hospital.