Ms. Reid

I am two months and two weeks post op. Maybe the fact that I have not been craving chocolate should have been a tip off. Today I had a Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream bar. I bit into the thing and nearly gagged. I pulled the chocolate out of my mouth and tried to scoop out the ice cream inside the bar and eat it. I thought I was going to throw up. I ended up throwing the whole thing in the trash. I guess it's true that the taste buds change.

I'm one of the people who logs everything, everyday. For me it is not about being obsessed with food. It is about having a visual reminder that I am sticking with my program. So many times when I lost weight before I did not keep a food log because I wanted to eat in a more 'natural' way. Now I keep my food journal with me and write down my calories and Protein intake and draw a smiling face at the end of the day when I stick with the program. That string of smiling faces tells me I'm going to make it and to keep going.

I have head hunger all the time. I too crave food I haven't eaten in a long time. That really baffles me. I have given in a couple of times and eaten the food I was craving. I find that the actual eating of the food is anticlimactic. I didn't get such a rush from it that I thought i would. Now I know that what is going to make me feel great is if I go through the day sticking with my program. When it gets to late evening and I add up the calories and Protein in my food journal...I get to draw a happy face next to the total. Day after day of drawing happy faces is going to get me where I want to be.

I would hardly call once a week an addiction? So someone who has a glass of wine or a beer once a week is addicted? Your ignorance and prejudice about Marijuana is showing.... Deal with it babe.

Ewwww....a little defensive? Why did you post if you can't accept that other people have a different view than you do? Pot is a drug plain and simple. And if you need it to relax....well, what do you think an addition is?

Hummm....using pot once a week sounds kind of frequent to me. But then I never smoke pot....why would you want to have surgery to help with an eating addiction and then continue another addiction that is going to make you want to eat?

I remember 4 days post-op. Anything going down my throat felt like it was stuck...even Water. My throat would have a spasm and it felt like I was having a heart attack. I was so depressed because I thought I had screwed myself up but good! I had to sleep propped up on pillows in a near seated position. The slightest twist or turn made my incisions hurt. There was no way in hell I was going to be able to drink the amount of water they wanted me to. I was lucky to get 12 ozs down in a day...swallowing hurt that much. My Protein drinks came right back up no matter how I tried. I ended up having to put Protein Powder in orange juice....forbidden juice....but that was literally the only way I could keep it down. Standing up took a lot of effort and sitting back down hurt. Well, I am 4 weeks post op now and I tell you all that you are feeling right now will improve every day. Every day your throat will hurt a little less. Every day your belly will feel a little better. How did I make it? I brought all 9 seasons of Criminal Minds and spend my days laying on the couch and watching television and napping. By the time I was 7 days post-op I was able to swallow well enough to drop the oj and get with the program. Be as kind to yourself as you can and hold on.

Yep, that's me!

Sounds to me like your husband is getting off on putting you down. You need to get a job and become more independent..get your own insurance and do it anyway. I am almost 4 weeks post-op and there is no way this is the easy way out.

I go back to work tomorrow and have only lost 12 pounds so far, so it won't be terribly obvious at first. After this stall is over and the weight starts coming off again, I know I will get questions. I am a very private person and I really don't want to discuss it. I'm just going to tell people that I am moving a lot more and eating a lot less. More than that is just not their business.

I am right there with you. I am starting my third week and my weight has not budged an bit. I put away my scale and will not weigh myself until my follow-up with the surgeon on the 26th. I hope this will keep me from getting discouraged. I know this will break at some point. I am writing down everything I eat. I get between 800 and 1000 calories a day. I ride my bike at least 45 minutes 6 days a week. There is no way my body can maintain 238 pounds forever. It will break at some point.

I've tried so hard not to weigh myself because I don't want to get discouraged by a stall. I'm 2 weeks post op and have lost 12 pounds. I broke down and weighed myself today. I hope I can handle any stalls that hit without getting too discouraged.

I am 3 days post op and everytime I swallow I get pain in my throat. I also have reflux and heartburn to the point where I have to sleep sitting up. Is this normal? How long does it last. I really feel like I need to start getting some proper nutrition, but how can I when I can't swallow?

I am heading back to work next week. I am wondering how I am going to handle this sort of thing. I work in a restaurant with so many repeat customers who come through sometimes 3 or 4 times a day. A lot of them are doctors and health care workers from the hospitals nearby. I have been working there for 3 years so everyone knows me. I am not to worried about the doctors making comments, but the other customers are going to comment when they see me losing weight. I am not in a position to tell anyone to f**k off. I have not told people at work and took vacation time to recover. I just know it is going to be a big topic. I did want to change jobs anyway.

Ok,I am 9 days post-op, tomorrow I go to the doc for my post-op visit. I have been constipated since my surgery. I have taken laxatives, drank Smooth Move tea, been doing stool softeners since day one, none of this produced anything. This morning I did an enema to get some relief, very little came out. I need suggestions, is there a prescription drug I should ask for that helped? What did you do that worked? Did this problem resolve itself? HELP!!!

I am 6 days post op and sometimes I get nauseous when I smell things that don't agree with me. It also happens if I stand up to fast after sitting for a long time.

I just couldn't do the Protein shakes. I spit it all back up and got nauseous. I got some unflavored Protein powder and blended it into about 8 ounces of oj. I was able to drink it over time. I am only 5 days post op and I know juice is a no no, but I felt like I was getting no nutrition and had to find something that worked for me. So I do a scoop of protein powder in oj for Breakfast, lunch and dinner are a scoop of protein powder in V8 juice.

Christmas?

My hospital won't do it after age 65.