Hiraeth

Can you get the shakes at a store? I really need advice on good shakes. 14 pounds?! You go girl!

Thank-you sweetie! I was just talking to the surgeon at my support group this evening, and he said the pre-op diet is one of the hardest parts because our stomachs are so stretched out that it's normal not to be satisfied. Oh my Gosh, you sound like me! I suffer from migraines too, and I usually take Excedrin or ibuprofen for me It is killing me not to give in and take one. I'm hoping losing weight helps decrease my migraines in intensity and frequency. When's your surgery? Good luck!! Sent from my SM-N910P using the BariatricPal App I am just now seeing this response. I don't know why I'm not getting notifications when someone quotes me. Weird. Anyway, you are so welcome! <3 Yeah, my migraines are so bad that they can make me vomit. It's crazy! Why do you have migraines? Mine are from Pseudotumor cerebri. They told me I need to lose weight in order for the condition to go into remission. My surgery is August 4th. I'm so excited!

Thank you so much for such a sweet reply! I will be eating a lot of yogurt and light Protein shakes for sure. For a moment I thought I could only take in 15 grams of carbs a day, but I think it meant per serving, haha. I was like, "How am I going to survive this?!" XD I LOVE Crystal Light. I actually drink it right now even though I'm not on a diet. The lemonade one is so yummy! This week is going to be hard since my stomach is still big. After my surgery, I assume I won't be as hungry as I am now.

Thanks for your response! Unfortunately, this is a liquid diet. I will definitely drink broth. I noticed that, in the past, I got so full from drinking the leftover broth from chicken noodle Soup. I think it's definitely the heat that makes me feel fuller.

At 5 days post-OP, you should already be losing weight. Call your doctor and see if he can see you about this.

First of all, I am so sorry about your dog. I lost my first dog (that I had since I was 4) when I was 19. It was very hard at first, but I got better. So, your problem is that you're worried you'll binge eat when something bad happens in your life, even after your surgery? I would say that makes you an emotional eater. Has your surgeon requested that you see a psychologist?

I love James's suggestion. That might be what's going on. In case it isn't, what do you think about when you're feeling depressed? Did you used to eat when you felt depressed? You could be an emotional eater. And now that you aren't as hungry, the food isn't as good as it used to be. So now you feel as if you have nothing to blanket the depression. I'm thinking, when you say you were already depressed, you probably had a way of numbing the depression with food. Now that you can't eat like that anymore, your depression probably feels worse.

@@8petals That is so sweet of your family to be supportive! You are so lucky to have them! <3 The pre-op diet will probably be the hardest part in this whole thing - it will be for me, at least (besides the CO2 gas pain afterwards). I get migraines when I'm hungry. Excedrin is the only thing that helps my migraines, and I won't be able to take them 2 weeks prior. Thankfully, my pre-op diet will only have to last one week. I honestly am dreading it. The best way for me to deal with this dread is to remember why I'm doing this. I can suffer a little for a few days in order to live the rest of my life healthy and in better shape. You are not a baby at all! Your stomach is angry with you because it is so used to having a large amount of food in it. Since we are overweight, we feel this hunger more aggressively than others. When the stomach empties after the digestion of a meal, its walls come into contact and rub against each other. We have stretched out our stomachs so much, that our stomachs have become irritated. So, when the walls rub against each other, it hurts because of the irritation. We can and will get through this!

I'm just counting down the days until the 18th. That's my last PCP appt. Then I wait for my insurance approval. And in the middle of all of this, we are trying to sell our house. As much as I want to sell it, I sure hope I'm not packing boxes while trying to recover from surgery! Yay! Come on, July 18th! Oh, wow... Selling a house can be stressful. I hope you're not over-working yourself. I'm trying to find a new car. So far, I'm not having very good luck. My tag hasn't come in yet, so Driver's Way won't write be a check for my old car. My blood pressure was 122/86 yesterday, which is good, but it's high for me. My BP is usually between 97/76 - 110-80. So, I know I'm stressed. x_x Nah, I try not to get too stressed. I just try to think ahead to post-surgery day when I will be sipping my meals from the little cups that my salad dressing used to come in! Right?! I can't wait until I'm satisfied by tiny meals, lol! There are times when I see eating as a chore, and then by dinner time, I'm starving! I'm so excited to get this under control!

Do you possibly have PCOS? Or, it could be that you retain Water on your period. Or, maybe it's just our female hormones that love to torture us.

I'm just counting down the days until the 18th. That's my last PCP appt. Then I wait for my insurance approval. And in the middle of all of this, we are trying to sell our house. As much as I want to sell it, I sure hope I'm not packing boxes while trying to recover from surgery! Yay! Come on, July 18th! Oh, wow... Selling a house can be stressful. I hope you're not over-working yourself. I'm trying to find a new car. So far, I'm not having very good luck. My tag hasn't come in yet, so Driver's Way won't write be a check for my old car. My blood pressure was 122/86 yesterday, which is good, but it's high for me. My BP is usually between 97/76 - 110-80. So, I know I'm stressed. x_x

Wow! Look at all these Birmingham peeps! Nice to meet you all. It would be cool if we all kept in touch and were each others' support system. I had my Cardiac Evaluation today. It went very well! I was surprised that the bike test wasn't as hard as I expected. The hardest part is the last 2 minutes. How is everyone in B'ham doing so far?

Where exactly did you feel the gas pain? Mine was in my right arm after my gallbladder removal.

You are losing weight; just not at the rate you want. You've lost 16 pounds in 6 weeks, which means, over 2.5 pounds per week. That's slightly better than normal. I would suggest adding a bit of exercise to your day. Exercise can greatly increase weight loss. Have you been checked for PCOS? It can definitely have an effect on slower weight loss.

So, basically what you're feeling isn't actual physical hunger, but appetite issues? Like mental cravings? If so, that does sound like an emotional problem, which is why most people are overweight; they resort to eating when they get depressed. I'm so sorry this is happening. With me, I hate eating when I'm sad. It almost feels like a chore. I don't even snack, which is why some people wonder how I got this big. (I blame my PCOS) Please reach out to your doctor and keep us updated.

I got the call from my patient advocate 9 days after my consultation. They put a rush on the approval without the approval requirements because of my condition (I have Pseudotumor cerebri). They set up a conference with my insurance (BCBS Federal). My PA worked her butt off, bless her heart. Do you have any health problems from being overweight?

My surgery date is August 8th! I'm so excited! I also found out that I only have to do the liquid diet for a week, instead of 2 weeks. Thank goodness! Now, all I have to worry about is the CO2 gas pain that I'll most likely feel. But I got through it with my gallbladder removal, so I know I can get through it again.

Oh boy, did I hope the CO2 gas wouldn't be an issue... But here it is! I had my gallbladder removed and I have to say, the CO2 gas was the worst thing I experienced with the gallbladder removal. It hurt so badly that it felt like someone was breaking my arm slowly while prying a knife through the join. I don't know if yours is this bad; I surely hope not. I haven't had my GS surgery yet, but I am hoping I don't have to deal with the gas pain like I did a few months ago. Don't worry... The CO2 pain from abdominal surgery is extremely common, and normal. I'm usually an extremely positive person, but it would be wrong of me to tell you the CO2 pain was a piece of cake. I was unable to lay down (even at a reclining angle) for 3 days. I had to sleep sitting at a 90 degree angle. I don't know if it was just my body handling it differently than others, but Lord have mercy! I will say this... They tell you to walk because it really does help. I was like, "Walking to ease the pain? That sounds crazy!" But that was the only thing that made the pain go away completely. I would be on a pain scale of 9 from laying down, but as soon as I stood up and started walking, the pain was completely gone in about 5 seconds. Crazy, right? But, it is a very good sign that you are doing well. Like I said, the gas pain is normal when it comes to any surgery involving the stomach. You did it, girl! You are on your way to good health! Remember to walk if the pain gets bad. Also, the pain should go away in about 2-4 days. That is the average. Some people do well when reclining (I didn't. But that's my luck, lol!).

I know that I will not be able to be off for 6 weeks. I can be off 2 weeks at most. I'm a fast healer. When I had a breast reduction, I was out shopping in 3 days. I'll take things easy. Yeah, I assume even a little bit of alcohol will make someone with a small stomach tipsy. I'm not big on alcohol. It's never really appealed to me like is has to my friends. I guess I'm in the wrong generation sometimes, lol! Thanks so much for your response!

I know. I am going to ask him. I was just extremely curious to see answers from you all. Thank you.

That's great! I sent my weight history, and honestly, I don't think I'll get approved. I haven't had a BMI of 40 for the past 3 years. So now I'm just waiting on my patient advocate to email me back. Sent from my XT1080 using the BariatricPal App How long has your BMI been over 40? Do you have other health issues relating to your weight? And if I may ask, what caused you to gain the weight? A few years ago, I got put on oral steroids for sinus issues. I gained 50 pounds in 3 months. I kept gaining weight from that point.

You are right about that! That 6 month period was a good thing; and a good thing for others. It would probably help me as well, but considering my condition and having a high risk of losing my vision, they felt that it was necessary to go ahead and approve my surgery. When they looked at my optic nerves in the ultrasound, they were shocked to find out that I have 20/15 vision. They said, according to the images, that it looked as if I should be legally blind. I was told that I have the most interesting eyes that clinic has ever seen in a pseudotumor case. With me, even though my vision is so good, I still have temporary blindness at times. Sometimes when I stand up or bend over, I go blind for about 10-20 seconds. Sometimes I go blind for a bit longer than that, and I wonder, "Is this it? Is this the moment where I lose my vision for good?" And thankfully, the blackness fades away. I think I have had enough time to decide that this is what I truly want. If someone told me I would have to give up my favorite food (Mexican cheese dip) for the rest of my life in order to be thin and healthy, I would still give it up without hesitation. Because to me, a lifetime of good health is worth more than a few minutes of pleasurable taste. I have wanted to be thin the moment I reached 150 pounds. I am now 250 pounds and I can honestly say that I have prepared myself for this day out of hopes that one day I would be thin again. I even told my surgeon that if someone told me I would have to lose an arm in order to be thin and healthy, I would accept it. He looked at me and giggled, but for a moment he gave me this look of understanding and compassion. It's like he knew how badly I want this. I am a bit worried about the shock my body will experience on the pre-op diet. I am mostly worried about the migraines and the fact that only Excedrin helps them. Since Excedrin has aspirin in it, I will not be able to take it. Lets all hope that Tylenol works this time, since the migraine won't be pseudotumor triggered. On another note... OMG! Cancer?! Can you tell me more about that? Are you ok? o_o

I don't have any friends here in Florida, I'm trying to meet people and I had the surgery to become healthy and to get rid of diabetes and acid reflux, and those are gone now. I do want to look better but I have a hard time even thinking I look good. Sent from my SM-G360T1 using the BariatricPal App Congrats on getting rid of your diabetes and acid reflux! I bet you feel better about that! I think you may suffer from low self-esteem, though. Why did you move to Florida?

As a doctor, he SHOULD care about you. Doctors cannot be good at what they do unless they are motivated by the well-being of their patients. I recommend seeing another doctor. This one sounds like a jerk. If your bleeding becomes severe, or bad enough to cause you panic, please go to the ER.

@ I am so sorry that you are going through this. I've had anti-depressants stop working for me after a huge event in my life. The only anti-depressant that hasn't stopped, is Lexapro. It's just that Lexapro is a bit more expensive depending on insurance. I wish I could snap my fingers and help you feel better, but all I can do is be here for you and give you some words of comfort. Do you have friends that you can spend time with? I've noticed that spending time with my friends and laughing helps SO much. May I ask, why did you choose to get this surgery? To get healthier? To look better? Both?