castiel

I'm 21 and I was just sleeved a few days ago. I felt very conflicted about this surgery. I've spent the last 2 years navigating the world of feminism and the whole fat acceptance/body positivity movement. I felt that I was finally starting say that it's okay to be fat. And to me, IT STILL IS! There really is proof out there you can be fat and healthy. You just have to eat very well and exercise... and you don't have to lose weight in the process. However, my beliefs about the HAES movement and fat people do not change the social stigma about fat people. YES, THERE ARE MANY UNHEALTHY FAT PEOPLE OUT THERE because they don't eat right. But there are plenty of healthy fat people out there too. My choice was mobility and health. I have PCOS and diabetes runs in my family. Despite exercising, I have high cholesterol. I remember being in high school having a blood test and my doctor said I would need to be on medication to control it if I didn't lower it. Well, I never went on medication nor did I do anything to help it. I've been active since I was a child. I was on the soccer team in high school and in recreational leagues growing up. I've reached this point where I want to help my PCOS, I want to help my heart, and prevent diabetes (if possible) and I want to physically change my body. I also have a hard time not eating a lot and feeling full. The whole stomach being smaller sounded excellent compared to gastric bypass which may experience stretching. There are so many things I want to do with my body that I just can't at this weight. I bicycle, but I want to get into legitimate cycling and do races. I used to run, but now I can barely make it down a street. Hills kill me and so do stairs. I want to run a 5K and eventually do a triathlon. I want to do rock wall climbing and not have to worry about weight limits and the harness not fitting. I want to go kayaking and not worry about my hips not fitting. I'd like to go to a theme park and fit in ALL of the rides. And for once, I'd like the buy clothes that I love because the world of fashion is so crappy at making cute fashionable inexpensive clothing for young plus size men and women as well as older women. We live in a thin privileged society, and for once I'd like to live that privilege and examine its effects on me!

Hi Everyone! I haven't formally introduced myself here. My name is Gabriela. I'm a 21 year old college student. I was approved a few weeks ago for surgery. I'm having surgery on Monday (12/17)! I'm really nervous, but working on research papers right up until the morning of surgery will hopefully keep me distracted. Today I had my final meeting with my surgeon and nutritionist before surgery. I'm 5'6" and 271lbs. She said "By October, you'll be down to 150lbs, no problem!" I asked her "Really? Doesn't that seem a little fast?" and she said no. Maybe I'm just being pessimistic? But 120 pounds in 10 months seems really fast! And I've seen that not everyone loses weight so rapidly. I was thinking a year and a half to get to goal weight. I guess what I'm wondering is, have any of your surgeons or nuts set a goal for you that you thought was a little too much?

Congratulations on your sleeve! How are you feeling today? I also had to stay an extra night in the hospital due to extreme nausea and not keeping the pain meds down, but I WALKED A LOT! I couldn't imagine doing the liquid diet before surgery; my surgeon only required one day of clear liquids. But you're already down so much! I'm just catching up to you lol. I like to think my liver is shrinking now instead of before surgery. I was also dealing with headaches for a few days, but today I didn't have any. I'm just totally exhausted and felt so weak I wanted to cry. Keep sipping! And I wish you the best of luck as well :]

Oh man! I haven't dreamt about food yet, but I know one night it's gonna happen. Thank you!

Best of luck to both of you! See you on the loser's bench

The only suggestion I was given was to walk. I was walking about 6-7 hours after surgery, and walked about every 2 hours for about 10-15 minutes. I think it helped me a lot in moving the gas around. Also elevating and de-elevating my hospital bed helped provide relief. Sometimes I would lay completely flat and the pain would go away. Other times I had to sit almost straight up to get relief. Just a suggestion! I try to walk around my neighborhood every day despite feeling exhausted. Unfortunately, pain medicine won't do anything for gas pain, but just incision pains. So tell your hubby to walk when he's ready!

I'm only 3 days post op, and I'm having major pain in my teeth! I don't really know what's causing it :[ Sorry I can't be of more help when it comes to solid foods, but I definitely feel your pain

I have told my closest friends at home and at college. i tried to hide it from the majority of my family, but despite pleading with my mother to not tell anyone (our family gossips and talks so much smack about one another) she has told a lot of my extended family and her friends. I guess for me, if people ask, I'm just going to tell them I had surgery. It really is a personal choice, but if people want to tell me "I cheated" or "That's dangerous" I just can't be bothered because if they can't support me or at least be nice about it, then I don't need them in my life. Just consider carefully who you tell, and even if people don't support you, you know you did this for a reason and that's all that matters

Thank you all for the good luck wishes. I was a rough 2 days. But I can say that about 7 hours after surgery, I was up and walking. The nurses were amazed and the doctors joked that I must want to get out of there fast. However, I didn't see a lot of other bariatric patients walking around like I did. I couldn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time, but I would just walk circles around the surgery floor. I think that's what saved me from having gas pain in my chest and shoulders. [TMI] It's all coming out the other end hahah

I'm so nervous! I think I'm worried about the pain and the fact that part of my body will be gone than the actual procedure itself. I keep thinking: what if this is a mistake? but then I think about how long this journey has been and how much I've wanted this, and I just want it to be done in over with. I was lucky that I only had to fast for 24 hours and I couldn't drink anything in the last 8. I can't wait to meet everyone on the losers bench! Here's to an amazing journey. xx Gabby

Please let us know how everything went!

I had to stay an extra night because I couldn't keep the tylenol codeine down. vomiting wasn't very fun :[ I was released today and I'm feeling much better. I keep drinking liquids, but I'm doing a bad job at pacing myself. I get really full, and I'm worried I might cause myself to have a leak or something. How are you feeling today? Can you keep your liquids down? REMEMBER TO WALK!!!

wow that's amazing! i hope i can do as much as you when i'm 3 days out. i would definitely try to take it easy and listen to your body when you feel tired or any pain. as for feeling full, i've read/heard that the mushie stage helps you feel more full. just follow the diet your nut/surgeon gave you and you should be fine. best of luck and speedy recovery!

Thank you everyone for the great advice and support! I wish everyone great success on their journey

Yes, I'm definitely hoping I will see a size/measurement difference versus numbers! This is going to be a long journey. Congrats on the 26%!

Thank you! I'm worried that setting goals will make me disappointed. I have a goal weight, but I feel that slow and steady while getting in Protein, Water, and exercise will help me in the long run

I'm sorry to hear you're having troubles. Getting in enough Fluid is also a worry of mine. My nut told me popsicles will be my new best friend. Maybe those would be worth a try? But I'm hoping tea will work too! For the tv issues, do you have access to Netflix? What about renting/downloading movies instead?

definitely don't do it! I would think it would burn so bad, especially if your stomach is being held together by staples or sutures! my surgeon said no alcohol for at least 6 months. I've heard others say 1 year.

This is an important time in your life health-wise, and you need to focus on yourself. You know what you need to do; the next step is doing it! It's nerve-wracking and scary, but you'll be better off not being around someone who can't treat you well. You're a strong person. You can do this. I wish you the best of luck :]

I've read that milk only provides temporary relief, but there may be acid rebound due to fat. So maybe skim milk might be the better option for temporary relief?

It could possibly be water retention. Have you had anything with a lot of sodium? Broths, canned veggies, etc.? Also do you weigh in the morning after going to the bathroom? a little tmi... but that's the best time to weigh after bowels/bladder has been emptied. If you do it at night, you could still have stuff inside you which makes the scale go up! 1.5 pounds is not something too major especially if you're exercising. If the scale keeps going up and up, then you should talk to a doctor/dietician