Vikingsfan8178

Hi all I haven’t been on this page in a long time but I need some help. I had my sleeve surgery back in 2015 and accomplished every goal I wanted. Great weight loss, improved health, improved vitality, and best of all, I felt great about myself for the first time in years. Here I am in 2019, not far from my annual follow up, and I feel HORRIBLE about myself. I have gained some weight back (not all, but enough to bother me). I feel extremely embarrassed about it and I feel like I have failed myself. I thought I had been feeling tired & down lately because of stress, but I am almost positive I figured it out this weekend. It is my self esteem. Anyone else been at this point and any advice on how to recover?

Hi I have been doing so well that I haven't been back to the forum in quite some time. I am not far from being 2 years out from my sleeve surgery. I have noticed that I seem to be able to eat more and of course, that worries me. I haven't gained any weight back but I know this can be a slippery slope. For those of you that are 18 months to 3-4 years out -- how much can you eat at a given meal? I am trying to get a sense for what is typical.

That is odd -- funny how everyone is different because a salad can fill me up. Not a slider for me! meats cause fullness, which is good. I just remember at one time, the thought of eating a burger sized portion of beef (just the beef, nothing else) would be crazy. Now I can eat that portion. I guess I am just worried that now that I am at a point to where I can eat semi-normal portions that I am going to starting going the wrong way.

Wow...don't really care to talk about it but after what I just went through, I want to know how everyone works to prevent this! What would be your top 3-5 things to do that will help prevent bad constipation. Thank you

i haven't been cleared to eat veggies yet. I need to check when I can start back with those. I think I need to step up my Water intake as well.

I had them two times...the night of my surgery and the day after. They LASTED forever and hurt...and made me feel like crap. Made me feel so bad that I just loaded up on pain meds and knocked myself out. I think mine was a combination of gas and irritation to the diaphragm from surgery. If you are getting them two weeks out, it makes me think it has to do with the speed of drinking -- or -- drinking too much at one time

pretty normal..gets better don't force it

You know what helps to regulate things -- regular (like at least 5 days a week) of at least moderate intensity exercise. That seems to help with fixing sleep patterns and also helps with mild depression symptoms.

6 weeks generally that doesn't mean you can't hit the gym and do some lighter weights. I think at 3 weeks I was cleared to lift no more than 50 pounds.

I'm having the same problem at the present moment... Do you think taking Tums would help? I would not assume that it would be a big deal but you might should check with your physician/nurse first.

I don't mean for this to sound like a dumb question but I have nothing to compare the sleeve surgery recovery too. If I had the surgery and was out of work for a week, and then had a second week off -- would I have any strength or ability to go on a family vacation during that second week? I don't have a ton of paid time off and we already have a vacation scheduled in the early summer. Just wondering if this was feasible at all.

chew eat slow chew eat slow don't over do the amount of food could also be symptom of reflux but my first guess would be chewing, speed of eating, or the amount in one meal.

unless I could find a truly compelling reason NOT to do it at the same time, then I would do it all together. It may not be IDEAL to have your gall bladder & the sleeve done at the same time, but I don't think it is a foolish idea either as long as you trust your surgeon and he has experience doing this. It was not all that long ago that this was fairly common. In my non-physician opinion, I would assume their is more risk from having 2 seperate procedures than there is from having 1 procedure to remove the GB and do the sleeve.

my original post did not come through so here it is again: 3 weeks out from surgery today Been taking meds for acid reflux since the surgery No symptoms until two days ago but then I noticed a sour taste in my mouth a few times during the day. I also work up with it tonight while sleeping. No heartburn. Pretty sure it is acid reflux. I always jump to worse case scenarios and freak myself out. So I figured I would post this and hopefully feel better about it after hearing others' experiences.

oh and one more thing, if you have never tried a medically managed weight loss program (like one your doctor is suggesting) then it surely would not hurt to try. If it succeeds, then great! If not, surgery is always still an option. No need to rush into a decision.

my first thought is that the sleeve should not be considered as a top option for you due to your current issues my understanding is that bypass will often reduce GERD/reflux and so that might be the option to consider

these thoughts are normal and will improve (usually within days). You just went through a traumatic experience and a life changing one. Just remember, this is a day to day process right now and you just need time to recover and to adjust. Also, watch the pain meds, they can make you fee like this as well. I was on Oxycontin and while it worked wonders, it did make me feel sad/emotional while taking it. I stopped taking it on Day 3 because I didn't feel like I truly needed it and all of those symptoms improved. You will be fine. Try to rest.

You sound like a poster boy for Metabolic Syndrome and that's not something you want because it basically leads to all of the other bad stuff (early heart disease, increased risk of various cancers, etc.). I know, because I had the same stats. Increased BP, increased Chol, low T, borderline sleep apnea. It is all due to weight. I would strongly suggest losing weight the old fashioned way and then keeping it off -- but the trick is that we all know how hard it is to lose it (especially when we are talking about anything over 40 or more pounds) and EVEN harder to then keep it off long term. When it comes to family members, here is what you have to remember. #1, it is your life and your decision. Unless you have a wife and kids, and then (my opinion) is that you have to consider their opinions as well. #2 Make sure any advice you listen to is from someone that has done their homework. It is really easy to dismiss WLS when you don't know anything about it. If they have educated themselves and then provided a sound opinion, then I will listen. If not, then I listen, say thank you, and move on.

Follow the rules and do not deviate. Immediately post op -- friend or family support will be helpful, get up and move, focus on your intake, get off pain meds as soon as possible 2 week post op -- follow the rules, get your fluids in to the best of your ability, walk, rest

I just got back to work today...about 12 days after the surgery. I know I have lost weight but I don't have any clue how much. I will find out tomorrow when I go back to the doctors office. Then, I guess I will go out and by a scale so I can check at least once a week. Anyway, I didn't tell anyone exactly what I was doing when going out for surgery. I have never liked any kind of direct "spotlight on me" kind of attention and the surgery was very personal for me anyways. Well, as soon as I come through the door this morning I was greeted by a coworker and their first comment was "You look like you have lost some weight!" Don't get me wrong, I know this is a good thing, but the attention kills me. I guess I better get ready for it though. Did you guys feel the same? Did you have any good things to say back in this situation?

Had my follow up today at 2 weeks post surgery, was cleared for soft foods. I came home and had the one soft food I was craving ---> refried Beans. I don't know why that is what I was wanting, but it is what it is...and that first bite was GREAT. Even being fat free is was still good lol.

for those of you feeling pain and nausea, I wish you the best! watch the meds -- some of them can make the problem worse

just hang in there and do your best to A) Get your liquids in (I am doing 1-2 oz literally every 15 minutes, per doctor's orders). Walking multiple times a day. It seems that most people wake up one day and just seem to start doing better

I feel fortunate compared to some stories I heard. I had mine done on a Thursday morning and went home Friday evening. Friday was not a good day due to nausea and unrelenting HICCUPS that drove me nuts. Fell asleep Friday night sitting up in a recliner (pain meds and exhaustion). I slept through the night and woke up Saturday morning without nausea and without those hiccups. I immediately starting trying to get my liquids in and I forced myself not to take any more pain meds unless I 100% needed them. I have felt good every day since then. No nausea. No gas pain. Some soreness but nothing real bad. I hope I continue to do this well. I wonder if some people take too much pain medicine? I stopped it because I know it can make you nauseous and it also made me want to sleep to much -- both of those are bad for staying hydrated.

It is strange. Even though I have managed to have a decent level of self confidence over the years, my weight has always been something that I have not liked about myself. But then when I start to lose it, I get embarassed by the attention. The mind is a crazy thing.