Cervidae

I'm in the process of getting therapy for these very issues! It's not easy to learn to be objective and realistic about yourself when you have an eating disorder because your reasoning is flawed, and thoughts that you feel are valid and logical are often completely skewed by the disorder. If anyone reading this has noticed these problems... get help! We didn't go through a life-threatening, life-altering surgery only to keep treating our bodies poorly. You deserve to take fantastic care of yourself, and if you need help to do that, there's no shame in it. Thanks for the post. It was a good read and a reminder that this is always going to be a journey of health, not a destination.

This is happening to me as we speak! I'm 6 months post-rny today and nothing is sitting well. I'm betting by tomorrow I'll feel fine. The body is weird.

Hey all. In 6 days, I will reach my 6-month post-RNY date. So far, while it certainly has been an emotional roller coaster, I haven't really had one of "those days" - you know those days. The ones when you wake up and it seems like one crappy thing after another is happening, and nothing is going right, and everything is falling apart. Well, today, I had one of those days. I won't get into it but suffice it to say I'm worried about my future, I'm frustrated with the physical and mental health monsters that still plague me, and, as a nice little rotten cherry on top of the rancid melted sundae, I got snubbed by a prospective client (I'm a freelance photographer and artist) and I'm generally feeling like the most useless, untalented, and hopeless lump of poop ever. Well, these days happen. But my question for you all is how do you soothe your emotional aches and pains and anxiety after weight loss surgery? If I'm not willing to go eat something delicious and unhealthy, but I'm in desperate need of comfort, what can I do? What helps you? Are there bariatric-friendly foods that have been successful replacements for comfort foods for you? Exercise makes me feel incredible, though exhausted (physically) but does very little in the way of making me feel better emotionally. Sex is great, but for various reasons not always readily available. I've realized since starting this journey that I am an extremely sense-oriented person. I'm tactile in the way a lot of little kids are. If it feels good, I'm going to touch it, or do it, or possibly rub it against my face (sorry, kitties). It's certainly a contributing factor to my binge-eating before surgery, I know. Any help would be very, very much appreciated.

@@thebynum79 I use regular baby powder sometimes too. The gold bond is sort of tingly because it's medicated to help raw skin, and the baby powder is just soft and is more to help prevent issues, from my experience. Any powder will work, it's sort of personal preference.

gold bond powder! Also I take a shower once a day. I can't stand feeling dirty, even just imagined dirt.

http://imgur.com/WSAQfM1 I made this just for you. The left is me at 402 pounds, and the right is me at 277 pounds, taken 2 days ago. I'd really like to see yours!

talk to your doctor about it, because if it is acid reflux (that's EXACTLY how it feels to me) it's pretty easily medicated, and when I went on meds eating and drinking became much easier. Hope you feel better!

if you have a strong "need to burp" feeling but don't actually burp, it may be acid reflux. Does it feel like something is stuck just past your throat and is trying to get out?

Here in the US they will give you free shipping if you go over a certain amount.. I think it's $59 usd. Is there no deal like that for you? That's really unfortunate. :/

I would definitely ask your doctor. Most stimulants also dehydrate you, which is a huge no no right now because I can bet you're already having trouble getting in all your Water.

I was on clear liquids for less than 24 hours after surgery. They gave me a shake before I left the hospital to make sure I felt okay while drinking it. I started on puree a week after surgery, after my first check-up with them.

I stay very hydrated and my bloodwork is perfect... and I've been experiencing this as well. It was always a joke between me and my boyfriend that I should "just carry a towel around with me" Tomorrow will be 6 months post op from my RNY, and I'm unfortunately still having dryness issues. This is a whole lot of tmi but since we're on the subject I may as well explain what my gyno said about it. I find that even if I can "get going", if I have an orgasm mid-sex, I immediately get dry again. This is an indication that it's a hormonal thing, given my age and the deviation from my normal. She has had other patients with this exact issue, and said it usually eventually returns to normal. It may also be something as simple as a hydration issue, as others have said. Your body is using a lot of Water to lose weight so it may be hesitant to "waste water" on lubrication, as she put it. Being a female sure is fun, eh? XD

@@Yazan Masa you only had surgery a few months ago. In another 6 months you're going to have serious health issues and malnutrition if you go on taking no Vitamins and not getting enough Protein. You can die that way. @ I take a supplement that is iron/b12/folic acid all in one, in one capsule, twice a day. It's prescribed by my doctor and covered by basically all insurances. Taking this allows me to reduce my necessary daily regimen to: a Multivitamin, a calcium+D3, and my Iron supplement. That's a LOT more manageable now. Eventually I may add back in Biotin and fish oil, in which case I will probably get a second pill holder. One for meds, ones for supplements. Hope you're healing well.

I'm in a sort of odd situation now. I've lost 110 pounds since surgery 6 months ago, and 165 since my highest weight two years ago. It's a LOT of weight that's just gone forever and a freaking enormous, life-altering change for the better. And yet, I'm still 277 pounds. This is a weight that many people start the surgery process at. It's weird to have done so, so much and come so far and also know that there are people at this weight who call themselves names and feel huge. I'm finally starting to feel like a person again but if I tried to measure my success based on the understanding and experience of others, I think I would be feeling pretty bad about myself. It's true that no one could possibly truly understand the difficulties of being over 300, over 400 pounds (and up) unless they have experienced it themselves. In a way, that makes me feel a little lonely, and like I need to defend and explain myself to others. But in the end, even if you could magically make a person spend a day in your body, they still wouldn't understand what it's like to be you and to have lived your life as you. You've gotta just know who you are and know your value and strength completely separate from the opinions and judgments of others.

I think most or all of us have been there. It seems scary and impossible but you'll be surprised how much you won't miss a lot of these terribly unhealthy (though delicious) foods. Some of the stuff I used to really like now honestly repulses me... it just looks so greasy and fatty and unappetizing, like it would make me feel gross after eating it. Good luck! You'll do great.

I just put a large squirt of it into my protein broth... heaven! I eat it on everything too.

at three weeks, my pain had all but disappeared, but I was so incredibly drained and tired that I know for me there would have been no way I could have gone out and had a whole day of activity. You may be different; some people feel great by three weeks and have a decent amount of energy. I'm almost 6 months post-op and I'm STILL tired, despite having normal blood work. It's a tale of caution: your body will decide what it wants and what it is ready for. So be careful and don't overdo it but hope for the best.

Scary! Glad it's resolved and you're feeling better. I think most of us have or will eventually do some silly thing like this. It's a learning process.

my bariatric team makes it standard to take out gall bladders during surgery, as the incidence of stones and other issues after surgery is so high and it can cause serious health problems while you're healing. I'd also say go for it. No point in going under the knife and risking your life more than necessary. I had mine out about a year before I had surgery and have noticed no difference whatsoever. Though, to be fair, I never ate much of a high fat diet to begin with. Most people in my family develop gallstones before age 25 regardless of diet of health status, for some odd reason.

I second everything @@jdc121975 said. Carbs aren't the devil but in the beginning they are kind of terrible for you. Especially if that is the majority of food you're eating. You can sabotage yourself very easily this way - it's a slippery slope. How about yogurt? Has pureeing meat with maybe some cottage cheese worked for you? How about refried Beans (yes, these are a carb too, but also full of Fiber and protein)? Have you tried different kinds of cheese? I had similar problems in the beginning. Not much of my food came back up but almost all food items made me feel sick and full and they say strangely and uncomfortably in my stomach. It's much, much better now.

I second @@terrydumont46 - my roommate the day of surgery was a good 100 pounds less than me and she's lost almost as much as I have. I've lost significantly more than some people who were the same or heavier than me. There's really no way to guess, unfortunately. Also, if your bmi is what it says in your info, you're not super heavy to begin with so it's certainly possible it will come off a LOT slower than most other people, but don't let that discourage you.

Happy Valentine's Day @@Alex Brecher and the rest of you here on BP.

It may not be called a "liver shrinking diet" but pretty much everyone eats the same diet in the months leading up to surgery. high Protein low carb is a healthy diet for pretty much everyone and it's the first thing a dietitian or nutritionist will implement anyway. I did it for almost 7 months, not at any insurance requirement or anything, but because that's what the nut instructed.