Tramalam

I'm 8 weeks post-op and down 23 lbs since surgery (11/26/12). I know that's not a lot compared to others but I weighed 199 lbs on the day of surgery and have heard that the less weight you need to lose the slower it comes off. I've only been to the gym once since the surgery which I know doesn't help. My work keeps me moving and with the help of a pedometer I was able to determine that I walk about 6 or 7 miles in a work day. By the time I get home my feet and back hurt so much that the last thing I want to do is work out some more at the gym but I'm going to try and workout on my days off at least. My doctor said 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of liquid a day but I don't seem to get all the liquid and somedays I skip the protein shakes. It seems I'm eating everything I was eating before the surgery but losing weight because I'm having smaller portions. Soda was a big part of my day to try and keep my energy up and now I don't have that and there have been days I felt like I hit a brick wall, very tired and weak. My first week back to work I broke down and cried because I felt so bad but the next week went better and now I feel pretty good most of the time. I still get dizzy when I bend down and try and stand up. I don't know when or if that will ever go away or why it happens. I try to make sure I get a drink or eat something, even at work, every 2 hours which helps the energy level.

I would love to hear more about this topic. I've been feeling so down because I wasn't reaching higher numbers. I was sleeved 11/26/12 and at 6 wks out I'm only down 19 lbs since surgery. I saw others listing numbers in the 40's which blows my mind. Of course I'm not doing the walking or the calorie counting but still I would think with as little as I eat that there would by less of me. Now yesterday was my first day back at work and I got an amazing reception by everyone who hasn't seen me in 6 wks. Before the surgery I had already lost 36 lbs so all together it's 55 lbs lost in 7 mths. Those numbers make me feel better. I'm 47 yrs , 5'4 and was 199lbs on the day of surgery. I was wearing 2X tops and 18W jeans and now I'm wearing misses XL tops and size 14 jeans. I would love to hit 135 lbs before the end of this year. My husband and I joined a gym and hopefully with being back at work I'll begin to see better results. I don't recall anyone telling me where I should be month to month or even what weight I should be for my age and height. I pretty much go by the BMI listing online. If anyone knows a good website let me know. Tram

The only pain I had was with the incision where the doctor removed my stomach. He looked at it the next day and said he may have stitched the muscles back together a little too tight but that he wouldn't really be able to tell until all the swelling when down. The indentation in my abdomen is awful and I can't bend down or turn sideways, forget about trying to lay down in a bed. I've had to sleep in a chair for 5 days. It hurts only in that one spot but after doing a little research I discovered that others have also had this problem after surgery and they say it usually goes away after 2 weeks. I do notice all the stiffness elsewhere has gone and I'm feeling much better. I was drinking all the necessary Water and Protein the first day home. My daughter is a nurse and doesn't go easy on me. She makes sure when I complain that she reminds me that I'm the one that choose to do this to myself so I have no one else to blame. I do feel a little depression that it's Christmas and I can't eat all the wonderful food that they keep showing on the Food Network. My husband suggested I watch CNN instead, that should change my appetite. Co workers have called asking how I feel which is so nice. They all seem excited at the thought of seeing me thin but I keep repeating that this is about extending my life and being healthier and not about how I look. I just got to keep telling myself when it's all said and done I'll be able to take my grandchildren to Disney World and ride all the rides with them without feeling like I'm going to pass out. I don't have grandchildren yet but again I'm looking towards the future. I bought the Isopure Zero Carb drinks which helped alot the first couple of days but then I started feeling like I needed something else. I added broth and powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken protein and sipped that on the third day. By that evening i started to have like a panic attack because I felt like I couldn't breathe. I realized I was so busy working on drinking that I didn't use my incentive spirometer to strengthen my lungs and was coughing so hard I was worried I'd get pneumonia and have to check back into the hospital. I used it a couple of times and in a few hours the breathing issue went away. I'm still having problems moving around because of the indentation so I spend my time sitting in my chair watching TV or reading. I do get up and clean up a little where I can but I can't bend down to load the dishwasher or pick up laundry. I started taking my Vitamins today and actually put on clothes instead of my comfy robes. I thought my family may have been tired of looking at me in them. The one thing I notice is that my husband seems to be uncomfortable talking about my sleeve or any of the issues I'm dealing with. He comes home and avoids being in the same room with me but says that's because he doesn't want to disturb me. He was against me doing this in the begining but said it was my body and if this is what I wanted to do then he was fine with it but he sure doesn't act like he's ok with it. Thanks for letting me post and I'd love to read any of your thoughts regarding it. Tram

Hi I'm Tram, Decided to get the sleeve done after I went to visit my parents for a mini vacation. I came home feeling like I had to change my life or I was going to destroy my family. My father was I big guy when I was a kid, not fat but had a beer gut and he would eat the most outrageous things. I learned that he had high blood pressure since he was in his 20's and then when he was about 48 yrs old he developed diabetes. He didn't do anything about his weight until he was 65 and had his first heart attack. Within the last 10 yrs my father has developed vascular dementia which puts such stress on my mother. I was never skinny but I did have a nice figure which did wonders for my self esteem growing up. I didn't worry about the extra pounds I put on after each kid because my husband didn't care. So I kept telling myself that as long as it didn't bother him it didn't bother me. After I turned 40 I started to really feel the extra pounds so I tried all those diets but nothing made me motivated enough to change until I saw my father and realized I was going down the same path as him. I can't do that to the people I love. I'm 5'4 and 215 lbs. My doctor told me I don't need to do any pre op diet, just stay low fat. I'm also having my gallbladder taken out. I haven't decided which Vitamins to buy and I haven't bought any Protein shakes. Pre Op date is 11/6 so I better get my stuff together by then. I'm really confused why the doctor said I don't need to diet before hand. Has anyone else heard of that? Thanx, Tram

I work at a major dept store unloading merchandise all day. The doctor said because of the type of work I do it would be best to take the full 6 weeks off to recover from the sleeve and gallbladder surgery. It just happens that my last day is the day after Black Friday which is always a manditory work day for anyone in retail. But then I don't return until after Jan 1st and I was afraid my boss would freak out and try and come up with a way fire me. I made sure that I filed for Short Term Disability and that the FMLA runs with it to protect me from losing my pay and my job. I told my boss that the insurance company waited to approve the surgery and then the doctor had to work me into his schedule, I had no control over the surgery date. So if the worst thing that can happen is they fire me, then they fire me. I'm one of those people that believes that everything happens for a reason.