McButterpants

Ya gotta poo! Metamucil and a good quality probiotic got things moving for me.

No one at work knows I had surgery - they do know that I've lost a lot of weight...I always get the "you eat like a bird" comments. I just say things like, "I had a late lunch" or "I had a snack"

I had my surgery on an outpatient basis - In at 6:00 am out at about 12:30 pm. (I also just had my gallbladder removed in January and it was done on outpatient as well.) The doctor gave me his cell phone number and the office phone number. We found the nearest emergency room and mapped it out, just in case. We rented a condo so I had all the comforts of home. I was very comfortable and had no complications. I was a bit concerned at first, but when I saw how many surgeries the surgeon completed on a weekly basis, I was more at ease. He performed more surgeries in 2 months than my local doctor performed in a year. The hospital didn't release me until they knew I was OK. I could have stayed longer, but honest, I felt OK and felt I could rest more comfortably in the condo. Do your research on your doctor and hospital. Do what makes you comfortable - if you don't feel comfortable with doing it as an outpatient, find a surgeon who will go with a 1-2 day stay. Be your own best advocate.

I've been overweight my whole adult life. I tried every stupid fad diet (cabbage Soup sucks), supplements, exercise regiment, etc. One day my husband told me about the wife of a friend of his that had the lapland and showed me a picture. I had thought about WLS a few times previous, but this time was different. I did some superficial research and decided that I had to do something and do something now. I had checked out of my life. I really didn't care about much any more. I was becoming more and more disconnected from my family and friends. I was miserable. When I went into this, I hoped my only regret was that I didn't do this sooner (I was 43 when I had surgery). I can say, that is my only regret. It's hard and it's emotional, but looking back at the last 2.5 years, I am amazed - I found out I am stronger emotionally and physically that I knew. I reconnected with friends and I have a better and stronger relationship with my husband and son. I'm more outgoing. I love to exercise. I love to do hot yoga. I go hiking. I have energy to get me thru the day.

Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas.

Do your research on whichever doctor you chose - I chose not to go to Mexico, but to Las Vegas and paid about 30% of what my local hospital was charging. This is a huge decision and it's not to be made on a whim. i probably waffled 100 times after my decision to have surgery. But, I can honestly say - this was the best decision of my life. I look back at all the nervousness, fear, anxiety, etc. and it was wasted energy. You'll know when you're ready. Once you make the decision, commit to it - follow the rules, find a good support system and get yourself prepared. Best of luck to you!

I got rid of clothes in stages, but I did get rid of them. No fall back options were available. I did keep a pair of jeans and a top - I pull them out periodically to remind myself of how big I allowed myself to get. I also have some pictures from the "fat years", like my old drivers license and the pic of me on the plane heading for surgery.

They told me to take mine with me to the hospital - was never instructed to not use it. I wonder why they told you not to use it???

For me, the bypass leads to malabsorption issues - that concerned me a little bit. Also, the sleeve was designed for severely overweight people as a stepping stone to bypass (they would perform the sleeve surgery on a severely obese person who was at risk for bypass - once they lost enough weight they would then have bypass surgery). In my mind, I thought "if the sleeve doesn't work, I could go the bypass route" and had that discussion with my surgeon - he agreed.

What a great problem to have, right? I have the same problem - I wear a smaller band on the outside to keep my engagement ring and eternity band from falling off.

You're going to find a lot of "yeah, I had a cookie 3 days post-op" or "I had three bites of a taco, but was't supposed to" That is not your license to do the same thing. You need to follow your team's instructions - they know best and have the rules there for a reason. My surgeon had a progressive meal plan, allowing things like scrambled egg almost immediately (like 1-2 tablespoons of something). When I got home, my local doc wanted me on a liquid diet. You know what I did? I followed my local doc's directions. Did I want food? Heck yeah. But we made a deal when she signed on to support me when I got back from surgery. You have invested to much in the process - time, money, energy. You've been given a gift, a 2nd chance, if you will. Please don't take that for granted - do the hard work today so tomorrow will be better.

Thanks McButterpants. I definitely understand wanting something I can't have. But I am also terrified of those things that everyone says to avoid like sugar and such. It's always on my mind. One more question, I've have a co work and a guy friend that have both had the surgery and they say that aren't usually hungry but I find myself kind of hungry. Not sure if it's all in my head, actually hungry or so focused on the plan to get enough food/fluids in. Do you find yourself hungry or do you have to try and remind yourself to eat? Sent from my SM-G925P using the BariatricPal App I had head hunger at first - I wanted to chew food. Once that subsided, my hunger did go away. Probably at about 18 months, I noticed my hunger has come back, although it's not to the extent it was prior to surgery. While I feel hunger, I don't have the draw to food that I had pre-op. It's just not that important to me any more.

I think what you're feeling is perfectly normal. There have been times, even newly post-op, where I thought, "What did I do to myself?" Those feelings subsided after the first 6 months or so and at 2.5 years out, I don't have them any more. You can always get support here. Your local hospital may have a support group (even if you didn't get surgery there). You are not alone. Here's what I know 2.5 years out - my life is so much better. I do not regret this decision at all - there were times when I was having an emotional moment that I wished I could sit down to a big bowl of Pasta and go to town. There were times I wanted to eat an entire baguette of bread. There were times I wanted chocolate cake. But my sleeve was there for me - it didn't allow me to sabotage myself. My new normal is splitting a meal with my husband. Eating a hamburger without the bun. I still drink Protein shakes. But, I also allow some treats - a small bowl of ice cream, a cookie, a muffin, etc. But I don't crave them like I used to. I'm OK with my new normal. Hang in there, kid. You're going to be on an emotional roller coaster for the foreseeable future. It's going to be hard. Keep your eye on the prize, though. It will be so worth it!

Ahhhhh...do I remember that well! LOL. I had to be off caffeine prior to surgery. I decided I was going to quit cold turkey - not a good idea. I got sick to my stomach, had a huge headache, and was cranky. I ended up weening myself off over the course of two weeks, slowly cutting down every couple of days. Best of luck!

I took it years before surgery - I didn't take it for long because I felt like I was zoning out a lot.

I am 2.5 years out and can eat 1/2 a bagel shop bagel, but I usually eat 1/4. Breads were a huge problem for me pre-op so I usually stay away from them. I'm not sure I could eat a whole one - and if I did, I can't believe I would feel good. Try having 1/4 and adding an egg.

Hi. I am on Metformin for my PCOS and metabolic syndrome. I'd really like to get off that and my very low dose of Levothyroxine after surgery. Was wondering if anyone out there was on either of these meds prior to surgery, then went off. I'd like to get down to zero prescriptions if possible. Thanks!

I'm over 2 years out…Just had a couple of appointments with my doc. I have gained back 17 pounds and needed to get back on track. She prescribed appetite suppressants - I lost 4 pounds quickly and now that I'm mostly recovered from gall bladder surgery, I've lost another 2 pounds. She wants 80 grams of Protein - I realized, after tracking for a couple of days, I have been slacking on the protein. In order to get to that number, I have 2 shakes. I didn't want to go back to shakes, but I had to. Lastly, "exercise is not an optional activity" - you have to move your body. Basically, it's back to basics. Best of luck to you!

Hello all. I have been absent from this form for a few months - I needed a little break, I've been so busy with work (traveled 10 out of 13 weeks) and, well, life happens. So, I went to my 2 year follow up - a suspected gall bladder issue forced my hand. I was procrastinating going for my follow up because I've gained 17 pounds from my low weight. I was ashamed and didn't want to verbalize what I just wrote here. If I avoid saying it out loud, it's not as real. So I have been experiencing some discomfort when I eat and felt like I had to go in to get the gall bladder checked out. My doc is awesome - I knew this, but I was embarrassed. She made me feel comfortable and I kind of unloaded on what's been going on. I've been snacking/grazing, not exercising like I should and think I have a problem with acid (which leads to more snacking). She ordered an upper GI and an ultrasound which happens next month. She suggested appetite suppressants which alarmed me. My knee jerk reaction was "Really? I thought I wouldn't have to do that ever again!" She said this is "perfectly normal" at this point. We can use it as a jump start to get yourself back on track - it may not be a long term thing. So I came here - my good old support system to ask…Has anyone else been thru this? What are your thoughts on suppressants? I'm researching more on my own, but would like some thoughts from my fellow veterans. What say you?

@@VSGAnn2014, Thanks for checking on me. It's been an interesting few weeks…Had my tests and they found a hernia in my tummy and gall stones. I had surgery 2 weeks ago to remove the gall bladder - doc wouldn't repair the hernia. I had one repaired at the time of my VSG and he said it's recurring and there isn't enough stomach available to fix it. So, we'll live with the hernia and manage symptoms. Gall bladder was very infected by the time I had surgery and he said that once recovered I should feel much, much better. Recovery is much more painful and difficult than I expected. LOL. I overdid it on Sunday by walking 4 miles - it felt so good to walk and I had so much energy…My husband tried to get me to stop, but I told him,"I'm OK, I'm not pushing it." Uhm…yesterday I felt like I had been hit by a truck and today is only marginally better - I actually feel like I did about 3 days post-op. So, for the appetite suppressants…I had a follow up visit last Friday. I lost 4 pounds very quickly when I started taking them, but nothing since then - well, I did have surgery, so I'll cut myself some slack. We talked about my concerns, specifically with the Phentermine. Here's what we decided to do. I will take the phentermine in the morning on days where I feel like things could get out of control - I usually know by 10:00 am if the day is heading in the direction where I could stress eat. The afternoon pill helps me out a lot with those afternoon cravings and snacking. I foresee taking that more often. I have another follow up with her in 2 months to see how things are going. Another thing she said - "get 80 grams of protein"…yeah, yeah, yeah. My mind knows this - "get your Protein in". I'm horrible at tracking on paper or my phone - I've never been good at it. So I started monitoring it and I realized quickly, I'm not getting in anywhere close to 80 grams a day. So, I'm back on 2 shakes a day which gets me an easy 40 grams. I'll get the balance from food. She also said to make sure I'm taking my vitamins…another thing I'm not wonderful at! So that's the McButterpants update! Thanks again for all the great feedback and for checking in with me!

I think I changed my mind back and forth a thousand times…I think that's perfectly normal as this is such a big decision. Your questions and concerns are valid and I suggest you get answers prior to having the surgery. I didn't address my food addiction issues prior to surgery and it was really difficult to work thru them while recovering from surgery. Take your food issues seriously - your sleeve will help you immediately after surgery and for the following 9-12 months. After the first year, you will need to control your impulses to eat, wherever they come from. My sleeve stops me from eating lots at one time, but I found out around 18 months that I can eat often - like every hour if I don't fill up with dense Protein. Your surgeon's office or nutritionist should be able to get you in contact with someone that can help you with your food addiction questions or offer counseling.

All doctor's are different. You can talk to 10 people and all will have different pre-op diets as well as different post-op diets. My instructions pre-op - be caffeine free and 2 weeks prior to surgery, have 3 Protein shakes and 1 meal (4 ounces of protein and a veggie). The night before surgery, the surgeon told my husband and me to go out and have whatever we wanted for dinner. I thought he was joking - he wasn't. He told me I had done great on the pre-op and that the only restriction was "don't go overboard on the red meat and no all you can eat buffets" (we were in Vegas). Post op - my surgeon was very progressive in introducing foods…I could have a couple of tablespoons of "slip and slide" food the day after surgery (scrambled egg, yogurt, anything that would slip off a plate). When I got home from Vegas and had my 2 week follow up with my local doc, I actually regressed to an all liquid diet. You'll do fine - be happy your doc said only 2 days…pre-op diets are very difficult! :-)

Get back to basics. Agree with @@Bufflehead above…Go back to eating your dense Proteins first - measure out 3-4 ounces and chew, chew, chew. If you have room, have a couple of bites of veggies. I found as I was able to introduce more foods, I was losing the "Protein first" rule. I fill up very quickly on dense proteins like chicken, steak, turkey. They also keep me satisfied longer. Also remember - the goal is to not eat until your full. Your goal is to eat until your physical hunger is satisfied. Best of luck to you!

How many people read the original post and said, "That sounds like me?" I did... Weight loss surgery is a huge decision. I got to the point in my life where I started to not care…about anything. It was horrible. I didn't like my life, I didn't like myself, I was starting to check out. What a horrible thing when you have an awesome husband and teenage son. One day I walked into the living room and said to my husband, "I want to have weight loss surgery." He looked at me like I had grown a second head. He didn't understand. The following week I went in for my surgery consult and decided that day to have surgery. Next to marrying my husband and having my son, this was the best decision I have every made. My life today is awesome - I'm active and I try to move my body every day. I actually don't feel good when I don't move. I feel awesome - I'm more confident, I smile a lot, I am happier. I no longer have to take a nap every day. I am finally living the life I was meant to live. I walked down one of the Teton Mountains last summer - a 4 mile hike downhill. I wandered around San Francisco last year - 17 miles in one day. Last summer I went zip-lining and white Water rafting - something I wouldn't have thought to do 70 pounds ago. I can do 90 minutes of hot yoga at 5:30 am and feel great the rest of the day. food no longer rules my universe - I use food to fuel my body for the day. All of the above is really great, but the biggest change and improvement in my life…my relationship with my husband and son. One day after running with my son, we got in the car and I said, "Wow, I couldn't have done that a few years ago, huh?" My son asked me some questions about the surgery - some really thoughtful questions about why I decided to do it and what exactly they did. He eventually said, "I'm really happy you had the surgery, mom." That was a great day. My only regret? That I didn't do it sooner...

Happy birthday to you and congrats on your awesome success!!!!!! You rock!