Rev Me Up!

A lot of people have problems with relationships after surgery. Friends, husbands, wives, etc. It is good that you are already talking about it with your husband - at least the door is open to talk about the emotions that come up. I have been lucky that my partner has been 100% supportive. Not so much about the weight, but I found I that I was very self-involved after surgery. I am always thinking about what I can eat, when I can eat, if I am uncomfortable, etc. I talked so much about what I was going through and he really has been great through the whole thing. This is a tough journey, but well worth it.

Hi All, I wanted to share some of what I am going through and see if anyone else has had a similar experience. I am over 7 months out from surgery and my weight loss has ben fantastic. Let me start by saying my sleeve REALLY WORKS for me. I don't watch my carbs or cals or fat. I can eat about 5 bites of anything and then that's it. I always eat Protein first because I am afraid I will have bad nutritional repercussions if I don't. The following foods upset my stomach, so I don't eat them: bread, ice cream, alcohol. I rarely have room for any type of vegetable or fruit, but I do eat granola with my yogurt in the morning. I still eat 5 or 6 times a day. I have to or else I don't get enough calories in and I feel weird. I have never been on a workout regimen. Major problem because now I feel quite weak. I can walk at a normal pace for hours (much more than before). But, if I increase my heart rate, I can't do it for more than a couple of minutes. I know I need to work on it and I am slowly getting better. Feel like I am starting from zero... Here's my problem: I don't feel normal at all. If I exert myself, I get shaky. I have a lot of emotional weirdness about food - especially if I am out and about on my own and need to eat something. I can quickly stress out because nothing sounds good or I don't want to spend the money on something I will eat 1/4 of and then throw away. My hormone swings have been crazy too - last 2 months my libido disappeared AND my period changed again. Seems like every 2 months has a hormonal surprise in the form of sex drive or period or hair loss or bad temper. The overall affect is getting me down. Of course, life doesn't stop just because I am going through this. Work is laying people off next month, I am getting married in 3 weeks, the in-laws are already starting drama over Thanksgiving - you know, regular life stuff. I started lifting weights around the house. I figured I will work on one body part at a time and right now it is my arms. Easy to do in the living room. Anyone else feel a little "off"?

SOrry to hear about the after-affects, but thrilled you got that band out. Seriously, those things are horrible. For a quasi-liquid diet, you might want to try New Liefstyles. It is whey based instead of soy based. Medifast used to make me sick too. Good luck!

I chose Dr Aceves because I was a band to sleeve revision and he was the highest recommended by far on either side of the border. It is hard to compare since none of us went to both doctors. I know that Dr Aceves works out of a real hospital - complete with an emergency room, trauma center, other types of patients, etc. You stay all nights in the hospital rather than a house with nurses (not sure what Dr Kelly's post op set up is?). You are not discharged from the hospital until you pass all the leak tests and perform some necessary biological functions. He has had a lot of experience with the revision - that is what sold me. If I was not a revision, I may have considered someone else. You will find that each patient is passionate about their own doctor, no matter who he/she is. We all feel like we made the right choice for us and people get a little territorial about it. All I can say for my experience is that it was better than any US surgery experience I have ever had. I felt well cared for and I have had no complications as a result of the surgery. Good luck with your decision and surgery!

Hello- Congrats on your decision to revise. For me, it was totally worth it. Pain is not really an issue with the sleeve surgery. The drain is the worst of it. I had a residual ache from where the drain was after they took it out. It lasted a couple of weeks, but really only othered me first thing in the morning. I found the recovery with the sleeve much harder. You are very limited in what you can eat / drink because of the trauma to your stomach. Once the first 8 weeks passed, I was much happier. Some people take longer to heal than others. The first several weeks you will eat the smallest little thing and you will have to chew it up to nothing. Also, you will eat 2 bites and be shocked that you can't eat any more. Also, when you eat, it will be a loud, gurgly production. I also found that eating just made me feelweird - as if my body was sending all the blood to my stomach to eat and the rest of me just felt strange. This only lasts a few weeks, but can be a bit discouraging. After the initial shock wears off your body, you start to feel normal again. Personally, this is everything the band promised to be, but was not. It's not always an easy journey because of the emtional issues around food, but it does work. I was so happy to have my band out - the first thing I did after surgery was reach for my port site and smile when there wasn't a chunk of metal under my skin. Also, right before surgery, they unfilled my band. I stood there thinking that this is the LAST TIME someone will stick a giant needle in my stomach - YYAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!! Good luck--

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I had bloodwork at 5 months and everything was fine. I don't take Vitamins - it slipped off the radar around month 4. I'll try adding them back into the routine. Early on I had a Vitamin D deficiency that corrected itself. It's nice to know other people are feeling a bit different. I have to work harder to change up what I am eating I guess. I still can't tolerate Protein drinks - never could - and I know that has limited me quite a bit. I may count my cals / carbs / fat for a few days and see if there are any obvious deficiencies there. THanks again!

sorry to hear about your marriage troubles. these surgeries can't really fix what is going on around us, unfortunately. i wish you luck in working that out. i am in the 7th month and i have lost 57 pounds. still losing about 1/2 a pound a week. i am close to my made up goal, but could probably lose another 10-15 pounds down to the 120's. my body looks pretty natural at a very slim weight. at 138 pounds, i am a size 10 pants and a size small shirt (i carry all my weight in my stomach and boobs). my butt is literally indented :-) good luck---

i still get a bit frustrated. it is awesome when nothing at the drive through is appetizing, but it is also very frustrating when you are in a hurry and really need to eat something. i also get a little emotional sometimes when i see how little i eat. very weird. the plus side is that this really works and if i could eat the same old stuff i ate before i would still be that fat girl. last night we went to red robin. i was less than thrilled because i don't think there is a lot on the menu for me. i asked for the kids portion of chicken on a stick (grilled chicken) without a side dish. they charged me less than the kids meal - amazing! the chicken was good and my family had their burgers and we were all very happy. i am resigned to it now, but i have to admit my reflections on food can be a bit emotional. i am also shocked at how much other people eat. as far as fast food goes: i will eat a taco bell taco (most of it), and you can get a single piece of chicken at el pollo loco asa side dish (i think its $1). i have gotten the small portion of chicken fries at burger king. the smell of mcdonalds and jack in the box make me sick - and i used to love jack in th box. my aversion to bread pretty much kills those options anyway. it is an intresting journey for sure!

i had green poo for a while in the first few months. i was only going every other day - but then again, i was not eating / drinking anything with artificial sweetener. that stuff can really change the poo habits. i would rather eat a little bit of real sugar than consume the fake stuff - just don't like the taste. as long as you aren't having bad diahrea that can dehydrate you, i wouldn't worry about it. i eat much more normal food now and the poo situation is also more normal.

way to get your power back!!!!!!

oh yes! in the beginning, it is very common and very loud. after several months, i find mine really gets loud if i eat Soup or Cereal - something that has a liquid component to it. its like the liquid and solid are fighting each other to see which will be digested first. totally normal.

I thought I would mention that real life is nothing like high school. I was bullied terribly in jr high and high school - not because I was fat, there are lots of reasons people are bullied. The day I left high school was the last day anyone bullied me. Period. In the real world, you just don't run into that problem very much. Take some self defense classes. Or maybe think about relocating if you really live in a place where people can't treat you with respect. I think everything will be OK. You may be a bit awkward getting used to your new body and people's reaction to it - that's OK. good luck--

You are less than 2 weeks out from MAJOR SURGERY. Some people have the surgery and are up and running in no time,but not everyone. I experienced extreme exhaustion for 8 weeks with diziness, etc. You have a major organ healing and you are barely giving your body enough food to survive. Please slow down. Talk to the doc about your concerns, but also get up slower, try to get in a few more Protein calories, and take care of yourself. Good luck---

I could never get through one Protein drink after surgery. Not one. I am not saying this is the best course of action, but as soon as I was able, I was drinking liquid yogurt, kefir, milk - whatever I could get down that had some protein in it. I never really came close to proper protein intake until I was able to eat some meat. I ate cottage cheese, yogurt, cheddar cheese, brie cheese, deli meat, soft cooked white fish, etc. Follow docs orders on what you can eat and try to get all the protein items in up-front. To this day, the smell of any protein drink makes me ill. Weird. Good luck---

The dreaded 3-5 week stall strikes again! There are tons of posts about it if you look back through the threads. Best thing to do is focus on hydration, Protein, and healing. Put the scale away for at least 10 days and you should have a little bit of a loss in a couple of weeks. Don't drive yourself crazy by weighing everyday. Good luck!!

Good luck!!!

My experience with the sleeve was COMPLETELY different than the band. Lost very little weight with the band and then gained most of it back. Had the band for almost 4 years. With the sleeve I have come within 5 pounds of goal within 7 months. No comparison - the sleeve works the way the band promised, but never actually fulfilled. Do lots of reseach - Dr Aceves is the best. I was very happy with my experience and results with him. Good luck-

Yay!!!!! Congrats and here's wishing you a speedy recovery!

I couldn't do the shakes or the Isopure - at all. I couldn't get them down. If you are eating eggs and cottage cheese, you should be fine. Add some yogurt if you can handle it, greek ogurt has the most protein, but is strong in flavor. Make some homemade chicken broth (boil a real chicken, don't use powder) that will have lots of good collagen in it. You can also try to stir a little bit of protein powder into your cottage cheese to give it a boost. Try drinking milk too. Stay hydrated and do the best you can--- Good luck!

What a wonderful feeling!!!!!

OK, so I have a problem that is stressing me out like crazy!!! I put it in the success forum because my problem comes from my weight loss, which is a great thing. However, there is still a problem. I am getting married. The bridal salon said I had to order my dress over a month ago. I did. Luckily it came in early and it was huge so they sent it back and ordered another size down. It is a size 12 and is coming in this week. I stopped by the bridal shop to get my measurements again and my measurements are a solid size 10. So the dress that will be here this week is too big. There are still 2 months before my big day. I know I am going to exchange the 12 for a 10, but now I am freaking out wondering if I should order an 8?!?! I will be more than upset if it is too tight around my hips (that's the largest area on me). I will fit the 10 perfectly today, but I will likely lose another 10 pounds before my wedding day. I am seriously worried, but I know they can alter the size 10. I know this seems trivial in light of the weight loss - I am so happy about it!! But, I want to look good on my wedding day. Not to mention I feel bad for the shop even though I told them when I started that I physically can't stop losing weight and I don't know what size I will be in 2 weeks much less 12 weeks. I must say, though, Davids Bridal has been really fantastic about this. They allow exchanges and I am really testing that policy right now. STRESS!!!!!

Yes, they can alter from a 10 to an 8 and that is likely what I will do. They have been really great and I know I am going to spend a fortune on alterations anyway. It's form fitting on top and then has a slim A line skirt. Not too big on the bottom, just enough to flow off of my stomach. It's also a halter - lots of alterations!! I was talking to my boyfriend about this right after I left the shop. I was stressed and frantic and he starts laughing and says that is the most awesome problem ever. I started laughing too. He really had a way of putting it in perspective. This time last year I was about to walk off a cliff because I gained weight after buying a dress for my brother-in-law's wedding. I ended up throwing the dress away and wearing something less than awesome out of my closet. I was so depressed. So, I am thankful for all I have and grateful for what the sleeve has given me!!

I think after the the first 4 weeks, I didn't weight myself for an entire month. After reading the boards I knew the stall would come in that time and I didn't want to know about it. I lived my life without the scale for teh entire 2nd month. At the end I had only lost a couple of pounds, but I was happy I had some progress through the slump. It is normal to stall in this time. Also, a stall isn't really a stall unless it goes on for more than 2 weeks. There are lots of fluctuations in the meantime. I weigh once a week at the most. Sometimes I wait longer. Don't be a slave to the scale, believe me. you can't help but lose weight with the calorie restriction you will have for the next several months. Good luck!

"Hunger" pangs are usually acid in disguise. If you are not taking daily Omeprazole, start taking it. If you are taking one a day, you might want to take 2 (one in the AM, one in the PM) Make sure you take it on a completely empty stomach and don't eat for an hour after. A lot of us took the acid reducer from day one and continued to take them for months. You can do it!!!!!!!

That is absolutely fantastic!!! Congrats to you on your weight and continued success!!!