butterfly23

I still love my 49ers even though it's very painful this year....about as painful as long division!!

Like several others on this site, I had my gallbladder removed a few weeks ago (despite taking the meds to prevent stones) as a complication of WLS. My husband, who is an acupuncturist, tells me that the gallbladder in Chinese medicine represents judgment. I have judged myself harshly my entire life, and it is part of the reason that I got so heavy and struggled to take and keep the weight off. Since the beginning of my WLS journey, I have worked hard to not judge myself when I struggle or have not made the behavior changes as quickly as I feel I should have. How many of us have eaten something, beaten ourselves up for eating and then eaten more to cope with the negative feelings? I know I have. More than ever now I need to pay attention to the "judge" inside of me, and I am making a commitment to let go of self judgment as much as possible and to be compassionate while being accountable. Being accountable to eat healthfully (Protein first), hydrate and move my body is essential to being successful, but for me so is balancing it with being mindful about self-judgment. I posted a bit about mindful self compassion in another thread, but thought I would start a thread about letting go of judgment and self compassion as it is a research-based practice that has been really helpful for me. I read so many posts where people are being so harsh on themselves. Perhaps this works for some, but if it isn't working for you, consider checking out Kristin Neff's work on mindful self-compassion. http://self-compassion.org/category/blog-articles/

@ thanks for your comment - I totally agree. What a challenge to focus on this WLS process to be healthy and yet not overinvest self-worth in our physical image at the same time.

@@stephh thank you for doing this! I'm in and appreciate the motivation. CW 290 Goal: 265 plus increase in exercise (just tracking exercise on my own since regardless of the scale I want to make healthier choices). Thanks again

@RJ'S/beginning congratulations on reaping the benefits of all your hard work! It is amazing to read what you have created in your life and it sounds like it is just the beginning of your journey. Hope the skin removal goes smoothly and that you continue to Celebrate how far you have come.

@@jhclikesshopping@gmail.com thank you for the reminder. I am also having a very tough week and am in crisis mode and was being hard on myself for not getting all the Water I need or exercising. Yet, I have not used food to cope with all the stress which I was reminded of by your post, so thank you. Best of luck to you.

@@Kindle I just had my gallbladder out a few weeks ago (and am 7 months post op VSG). I found the gallbladder surgery much easier to recover from. I went back to work 5 days after, which was too soon but I was back to myself in about 10-1 days. I found sitting to be the hardest because of where the incisions were. I assume it is like VSG in that everyone has a different experience, but I hope you have an easier than expected surgery and recovery as I did. I was in so much pain from my gallbladder beforehand I am relieved to know I won't have attacks again. Best of luck to you!

I took the medication and I just had my gallbladder out three weeks ago. I have never had problems with it before but had a massive infection and was hospitalized for a couple of days and had no choice but to get it out. Good luck @@Kindle with your surgery. I have had no complications thus far.

@@Proud2BMe thank you for posting and asking for what you need, although at least for me the punishment you seek causes more eating. I just read a study that found this too: women ate a donut and then half heard a self compassionate statement and half did not. Next, those that did hear a self compassionate statement ate 1/3 of the amount of candy offered compared to those who did not practice self compassion. There is more and more research about self compassion so I thought I'd share for you or anyone else who struggles with negative self talk during moments like this. I also ate some things over the weekend I regret which is why your post resonated with me. In the past, I'd be flogging myself about how bad I am, how could I sabotage myself this way etc etc. Then usually I'd eat to numb out the feelings that came from being so mean to myself. This time, I tried to be curious instead of judgmental. Huh. Wonder why I ate that? What can I do to minimize the chance of that happening again? What would I say to my best friend if this happened? I would say "this happens to a lot of us struggling with our relationship with food. You are making amazing changes and learning so much...what can you learn from this?" Hope I don't sound to woo woo, but I am finding this mindful self compassion practice really helping me (if you are interested, researcher is Kristin Neff) so thought I would share. If you (or others) prefer harsher punishment, more power to you! Domination and/or submission has its place, just not in my relationship with food.

I was surprised that I wasn't hungry after surgery, but I rarely am (although I will note that I thought I was very hungry for a few weeks afterwards, but it turns out it was extra acid and once I started a PPI it stopped). I was also worried I would not be successful, I think that is normal for many of us as the reason we are getting WLS is that we have not been successful in the past. I personally believe that the emotional work with this surgery is just as hard (or harder) than the physical and eating changes, so I have been doing a lot of work to support my sleeve such as addressing my feelings about food, my body and giving myself compassion during this journey. Thanks for asking, I am well overall - down 125 from my highest yet still so far to go. I had my gallbladder out last week because I lost weight so quickly it went bad (my terms, my surgeon was more technical) so please don't take any GB symptoms lightly as I did because then I was admitted to the hospital for my stubbornness. I think the biggest thing I have learned it to trust this process...you will have stalls, you will have days when you eat more than others and may have days that you wish you had made other choices, but keep coming back to the basics as much as possible: get your Protein in first, drink as many fluids as you can, track your intake, move your body and be kind to yourself, those are my suggestions. I know they sound basic, but when I get back to basics I have found I am most successful - especially when I am struggling with the scale not moving or emotion swings (common after surgery). Good luck, feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

@@Mcgann320 I just had my gallbladder out last week - I am 6 months post-op and 125 down from my highest. I have never ever had GB issues before, the surgeon said it was because of my rapid weight lost. My recommendation is to not wait - I tried to put it off and ended up in hospital with no choice but to have it removed. Best of luck to you, I honestly didn't realize this was a possibility until it happened to me.

@@MzStockton are you craving the bubbly or the sweet or both? If it is the bubbly, that is hard as at least for me, my surgery team says no, although I have had a few sips of diet soda just to check it out....if it is the sweet, I have found a few things that help like Snapple diet raspberry tea - tastes really good and like a treat (and now I found that costco carries snapple diet with variety of flavors). I also used regular tea in fruit flavors, add my own sweetner and ice - that can be really refreshing. Good luck, I know it can be challenging to "surf the urge" (a cool new technique I just heard about)

@@4LoveOfLife Yikes that was a close call! Glad you were able to sort it out, but it is disconcerting that your center lost thier COE status, but if you feel good about your team then I say that is what matters. Best of luck to you!

@@mokt I have already had my surgery (6 months post-op) but I just wanted to say congratulations on getting your date! A month from now you will be in such a different place...best of luck to you on this journey.

Before my pre-op diet, I was a heavy caffeine user (always said coffee was my drug of choice). I had my first cup of coffee at about two months post op because I was working on a deadline and really needed the boost. Now I am 6 months out, and I am thrilled to say I seem to have found a balance with it. Even though my husband makes coffee every morning (oooh the smell) I only have it about once a week in the AM and perhaps once other yime during the week in the afternoon when I have a 14 hour day. I honestly didn't think I could do coffee in moderation and get away from being dependent on it but I have. The two things I most appreciate about this is being more awake in the morning naturally and also really feeling the caffeine boost when I do have it (whereas before I was so addicted I used to just to be normal). Thanks for this topic, it is interesting as it seems different surgeons and NUTs have different guidelines on this - mine says ok as long as doesn't interfere with fluids (I don't count the coffee towards my daily intake) or Protein etc.

Oh Smye, thank you for posting this. I will admit it made me cry, but in a positive powerful way. I have observed your and Mrs. Smye's process from afar, and I've been so impressed with the integrity, honesty and respect that you have for each other and this process. I truly hope that she gets the inclusive love in return that she is putting out to her dad and others as she comes out. Thank you again for sharing, I hope that it's therapeutic for you it definitely has been for me.

Congratulations on your success! I read often that many of us wish we had done it sooner, so it's great that you made this decision early to take care of yourself!

I am reading this thread with envy as I also am nowhere near a Trader Joe's (the closest is actually more than 2000 miles away) but whenever I travel and have access my treat is the thai chili and lime cashews.

You are an inspiration! You have an empowering and wonderful attitude, thank you for sharing and congratulations on all your hard work and success!

@@Kimcamm, thanks for your post, it really resonated with me. Sounds like you are doing the hard work neccessary to make sure you are successful, but I hear you. The struggle is so real to sit in feelings and manage them without using food. I miss the relief that food used to give me, but I am finding I am in my body so much more now and am able to feel and let go of feelings easier and more quickly than when I stuffed them down with food. Congratulations on your success thus far and with your attitude I know you will continue to thrive. Be kind to yourself, you are doing this!

You go @@GigiRH, congratulations!

Thank you for sharing your adventure with essential oils. I am curious as I have had positive experiences with oils in the past and look forward to learning vicarioiusly through your experiment. Good luck!

@@Namaste6, forgive me! Glad you are already through the approval nightmare and are only 3 weeks away from your surgery. I had my gallbladder out on Tuesday (from rapid weight loss) so I am a bit loopy from the anestheisa/meds, although this one is much easier than the VSG. Good luck with all your prep!

@@Whynotnow I had the same fear too and while I did throw up after surgery, they had anti-nausea meds in me so fast I barely remember it and felt better almost immediately....that was 6 months ago. I had surgery again yesterday (gallbladder out - one possible result of losing weight quickly) and same thing happened. I threw up right after surgery but they gave me the meds again and I was fine quickly. I am fine with the pain meds, although I take them sparingly. Good luck with your surgery next week.

@@luckyscheisse that is awsome that you feel so good! Not stressing is probably one of the best things you can do in my experience (besides following my team's plan). Hope you continue to have an easy time of it as you transition through the stages.