LittleLizzieLilliput

Rapid weight loss causes the gallbladder to form gallstones. Happened to me after my liquid diet where I lost 150 lbs. 2 years later I was in ICU cause my gallbladder threw a stone, go caught in the duct between the stomach and pancreas, caused my pancreas to back-up, start digesting itself, caused me to permanently diabetic (type 1 now folks, on insulin 3 times a day. yay...) put me into Ketoacidosis and I almost died. And the STILL didn't know what was wrong. I had to have a cup in my car for when I just started puking while driving. Finally had an endoscopy done and they found out my gallbladder was FUBAR'd. Doc said "Let me take out your gallbladder, give you the VGS and within a year your life will be 100% better and you'll be thin." She was correct on all accounts. To me, from just your basic symptoms, I'd say you probably are having gallbladder issues. Good luck, I had a CT scan that confirmed the gallstones and my Endoscopy confirmed Gallbladder disease. After my surgery the doctor said "You were a VERY sick young lady. It took us 4 hours to separate your gallbladder from all the organs and tissues around it because it was so diseased." Part of why my recovery was so long was because my gallbladder had adhered to everything around it...including my ORGANS. I had part of my liver removed as it was connected to the gallbladder (when the gallbladder goes bad it secretes enzymes and proteins much like a scab and then forms scar tissue connecting it to things around it. I didn't know how sick I was obviously, I'm glad you are getting on top of this now!!). Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know how horrible the constant nausea is, I was vomiting and sick for a year.

TIL: Smurfs have genitalia.

There are so many possible side effects. But the most important one? Getting super f**king healthy. Sure, I can only eat Pork, Chicken and seafood now, can barely eat vegetables, can't eat super rich foods without getting super sick. Let's see, I can only eat 1/4 a cut at a time, I can't guzzle water, post surgery I had lots of issues. But most went away with healing. You are asking a lot of us to tell you what all the side effects are, there are medical sites that can probably tell you more. But what you REALLY want to know is, did it work for most of us? If you are dedicated to the process and committed to follow the protocol, you have a pretty high chance of being at your goal weight within 12-18 months of the surgery depending on how much you have to lose.

I landed my ass in ICU, my insurance company basically asked me to have the surgery. lol!

Fake a stomach flu. Look, if you don’t want to tell the truth than commit to a good, feesable lie. You’re sick, not feeling well and we just drinking broth.

I love everything you wrote!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a contingent of very nasty people on here, just steer clear and put them on mute if possible. I am so proud of you for going back to your doctor and discussing this with him!! I am sure it's hard, life happens and what we do with it, how we handle it, is where our success lies. Getting back onto the protocol is the best thing for you, focus on 64oz water, 90g protein (Or whatever your protocol states), getting in your vitamins and then getting back to your 10K steps per day. Follow that and it WILL Happen for you again! You are amazing for going to your doctor and being proactive about this. It's OK to fall as long as you pick yourself back up and get moving again. Good luck love and have a WONDERFUL holiday knowing you are getting back on track!

I had to shrink my liver as well. I went off of all meds during that stage as I kept getting really low numbers. But I'm type 2 bordering on type 1 due to pancreatic complications. I was able to go through the process well. I have been on so many different medications through this process. I was able to get off of insulin but now that I'm getting close to my goal weight my numbers are increasing again and I'll probably be back on insulin in a few months, sadly. But I'm doing so well otherwise I can't complain. I mean I can, I sometimes do, but I try not too. lol!!!!

Ok, so are Mashed Potatoes on your approved list? Cause that is what I tried as my first "approved" comfort food and it was the first thing I ate that tasted great. lol! I just remember that moment vividly because I was in total misery before then. Go to http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/p/links-resources.html This is a great place, she has some amazing recepies. Try the Ricotta bake for the pureed stage, it's pretty awesome!

Give yourself about 4-6 months to get your tastebuds back. My surgeon was pretty clear on this, my body has a new stomach and things are gonna be different. First there is going to be 6 months of healing. That means that for the first 6 months things are going to be changing all the time. I wasn't able to eat any veggies for the first 8 months. Everytime I tried I'd feel sick. Then one day I had a bit of salad and everything went great! Also, when we severely restrict our diet and flavors our tongues get an opportunity to change as well. Flavors become more intense, things that once tasted great may taste horrible, other things that tasted horrible are now tastey. That is not totally unusual as well. But this could very well be an issue of a lack of appetite rather than a lack of things tasting well. When 80% of your stomach was removed part of what they removed is what produces the hormone that let's us know we are hungry, this also effects our drive or desire to eat things. (This hormone will eventually be reproduced elsewhere and your hunger will return after about 6 months up to a year). Also, you are so close to your surgery date, I basically forced myself to eat for the first 4 months. I had no desire to eat. I loved that time. lol!

I was a reluctant sleever, It wasn't being done voluntarily really, it was a "Do this or die in 18 months". I was SOO SCARED! I was changing my body and relationship with food permanently. It was very rough. I kept wanting to cancel my surgery. Up until the day before. But I knew I had to do this if I wanted to live to see my family grow up. So I did it. And then I was miserable for the first 4 weeks. Well, the first 2 were a blur of recovery and focus. But then week 3 & 4 were rough. I had an adjustment stage. Once I got past that....holy cow!!! The whole WORLD opened up for me!! I weighed 375 lbs when I started this process years ago, I did 16 MONTHS on a liquid diet and lost 125 lbs. I then gained 40% of that back, destroyed my gallbladder and almost died when my gallbladder threw a gallstone, cause a pancreatic attack and I ended up in ICU. I am now able to run, I am working on doing a marathon. A f**king MARATHON! I weighed 375 lbs, I am 5' 1", I wore a size 36 pants. I now wear a size 8. I regretted my decisions for about 10 days. I would NEVER GO BACK to where I was. Yes, I had regrets, and then I worked through them. And I just kept focusing on the Protocol numbers, My protein, My Water, My vitamins, My 10K steps. Those were my daily priorities. By 6 months in I was jogging. I was dating, I was doing things I hadn't done in 2 decades. Now?? OMG I'm planning on traveling next year! I've never traveled outside the US! I'm gonna go on a ZIP LINE!! OMG! I'm gonna ride rollercoasters, I went Ice Skating, I did a wall climb, I am doing bootcamp Yoga daily, I feel AMAZING. I walk past a window and LOVE what I see! OMG I'm so happy. I constantly turn to my side in the mirror and pull up my shirt, astonished to see all my muscles under that skin. I"M SO PROUD!!! And let's talk loose skin. Ok, so what it looks ugly, I'll tell you the real truth, I was far less attractive and felt far less sexy when I was fat but didn't have lose skin. Now I feel like a model that just has some extra skin. I am so PROUD of that skin! Everytime I look at my hanging stomach I do NOT get discouraged, I get so amazing. That portion of hanging skin used to stick out so far I couldn't see my feet. It would sit on my legs and take up all the space to my knees. Now? I can put a laptop on my lap and work. I don't' have 80lbs of stomach fat sitting on my legs. Do I have arm wings? Yes - and I don't care ONE BIT! I thought I would, at first I did, now I look at it and I think "Damn!! It's all my hard work that has my muscles sticking out more than the hanging skin." It's all about how you look at it. Sure, I could be miserable cause I have loose skin, but when I look at it I see all my hours and hours of dedication and hard work. I see it as a sign I've done everything I can to turn my life around. There are always ways you can talk yourself out of something. I always say that people have NO IDEA what they are talking about when they say this surgery is the "easy way out". It's the opposite of that. It's a forever commitment to altering your body. And what makes us heroes, what makes us so god damn badass is that WE DO IT ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!! We are terrified, but we do it anyway. We are scared, but we do it anyway. We want to quit, but we do it anyway. We want to cancel, BUT WE DO IT ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!! Why?? Because we are the heroes of our own story, we are our own saviors, we are the ones on the white horse saving ourselves. I don't care what anyone says, this is the opposite of the Easy Way Out. This is a permanent solution that changes our lives. We are warriors, we are the biggest badasses around. You are going to do AMAZING at this, even though you're scared, even though you are ready to change your mind. I believe in you. I believe in all of us.

I am so sorry!!!!! I hope these issues are resolved soon. I had a really rough 12 weeks. But I’m now 14 months out and happier than I ever have been in my entire life. For the first four weeks I cried every day, I was in pain I was scared, I was miserable. I’m not in your situation, don’t know how you’re feeling, I don’t know all that you’re struggling with I can’t tell you with 100 percent certainty that you’re going to be OK. But I will tell you for most of us who had a really rough first few months, most of us have gotten past it and are happier than ever. Sending you the biggest hug and a ton of support. I wish I could be there right with you and help.

After I recovered, 12 weeks, I began working towards walking my 10K steps a day. That is my goal every day. Then I also work out an hour a day doing bootcamp yoga and I try to do that 5 times a week. I run around, lift things and have a very busy life. As I said, for the first 6 months I only focused on getting in my 10K steps a day. Then 6 months in I ADDED in Yoga daily, beginners yoga. 6 months in on that and I've worked my way up to bootcamp type yoga. IMO, yes, if I were you I would be trying to get in my steps every day and then trying to work in another work-out. These first 18 months are where all the changes happen, where all the hard work pays off. These are the months we need to fully dedicate to to this process. It's not easy, I hated it some days. But now I'm about to start wearing a size 8, I'm feeling better than ever have in my life, I more fit than ever and I feel like I'm ready to start training for American Ninja Warrior! lol! I LOVE where I am at and part of that is because I put in the hard work and sacrifice each day in the past 14 months and will continue to till I've hit "goal". And then it's time to focus on maintaining and learning what THAT life is like. Good Luck! I am sure you will do great no matter what avenue you take!!! Congratulations on doing so well!!!

I had 4 weeks between seeing my first doc and my surgery. I was not a voluntary patient, it was medically required or I'd die. I went through a lot of emotions and regrets right after because it was a reluctant process for me. Now? I regret not being able to do it 20 years ago. 3 Months post surgery? I was skipping around singing everyday, over the moon happy. I think you'll do GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh no!! Its called "Staying on top of the pain". It's an actual term used in medical practices and what it means is that if you allow the pain meds to wear off and pain to really settle in, it's hard to block it again without heavier drugs. Good luck, I am so sorry you went through so much trauma!!! I had the Hiatal hernia repair as well (and my gallbladder out too) I was in pain for 3 weeks. It takes a while for some of us. Others? They don't ever need the pain meds. lol! Good luck!! I hope this process goes more smoothly for you from here on out. With the Hiatal hernia repair I felt like I had an alien at the bottom of my throat for about 6 weeks. Also, I had hiccups a lot if I ate/drank too fast. That was very painful. OH! And mix benefiber or miralax in your water - for at LEAST 6 months. The LAST Thing you want is to be constipated. Just do it, trust me. I ended up so injured I couldn't walk for 3 days after being constipated and then taking a laxative. I reinjured myself and it was ugly.

Switch PCP ASAP. She's not up on the current information it seems and might have a bias against anyone doing anything surgical about weight loss. She is going to be a barrier to your success.

I can’t eat beef, I’m 14 months out and I still can’t eat beef. I believe I’ll never be able to eat beef or I’ll have to give it a couple more years. It’s still way too dense. I eat mostly chicken and pork. Also shrimp and fish go down like a breeze. I can eat some nuts but not all nuts, believe it or not I can eat almonds but Walnuts give me problems. Which I think is hilarious. Somethings don’t ever get better, I can’t eat rich cheeses very well. I don’t know if that’s cause my stomach or my lack of a gallbladder now. Who knows

I ate bacon after 15 weeks.

I think you are on solids WAY too soon. My doc had me on liquid for the 1st 14 days and his rule was always this "If you have discomfort or issues, go back to the previous stage for 24 hours and then try again. Your new tummy just might not be past the New Born stage yet. When your baby needed to move from milk to solids it was touch and go, same with us. And if you are experiencing this kind of discomfort, put away the solids for 24 hours. It's OK to go slowly. This isn't a race. You are doing amazing!!!! Hang in there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's what my advice would be, increase your exercise, get you 10k steps a day in, or begin working up to it. Get in your 64 Oz water and get in all of your protein. I am extremely diabetic. I wake up with 140-160 and I'm still trying to fix it with meds. I eat almost zero carbs and I've been very successful in this journey. I eat bacon and cheese for breakfast - 6 slices pre-cooked hormel black label bacon, zapped for 28 -30 seconds, once slice Deli Deluxe american cheese (Yeah, it's fake food but I dig it. lol!) and then I have my one major indulgence in the day (and in the AM) of putting that on a blueberry or raisin cinnamon english muffin. For lunch and dinner I have grilled chicken. For Lunch I go to a local place and get their delicious grilled chicken and a few slices of grilled Zucchini. For snack I have 1/4 cup dried fruit and nuts (Omega -3 costco blend) For dinner I have KFC GRILLED Chicken. Leg and Thigh. The meat on those fill me up. Then I have my vitamins for the day, the chewable kind. I eat those as my dessert. I can't eat a bunch of differnt things, I get dumping syndrome, or something like it, off of most foods it seems. So I stick with these really clean foods and I'm melting away.

Could be due to healing, your blood is focused on your midsection, could be due to not moving around as much, etc. Try to get up and walk every hour to keep the blood flowing. Other than that I'd try to make sure I either turn on a heating blanket or toss socks and mittens into the dryer and put them on nice and toasty warm. It could also have nothing to do with your surgery. Just try to deal with the symptoms, note anything you think could be a contributing factor and then if it's super annoying or becomes a bigger issue you have some data points to discuss with your doc.

#1 - absolutely allow yourself to feel that sense of loss. You need to deal with it, get to a place of acceptance. So it's totally OK to feel that way. #2 - you need to create a list of all the things you CAN do now and that you will be able to do. For me my list looks a little like this: Don't need seat belt extender on an airplane anymore Can ride a rollercoaster with ease can walk past a mirror or window and like/love what I see Can shop at the mall in a regular store I can buy that novelty T-shirt all my friends have as well I can run, jump, leap, move with ease and joy I hug so many of my friends and loved ones now because I am not embarrassed by my body I say YES to many social activities now. I used to say no all the time cause of I was mortified of my own body I can ice skate now. and ski, an rollerskate, all the activities I was way too big for before I can wrap my hands around my own wrist and have extra room I wear a size 10 about to be a size 8 I look f**king fabulous in tight jeans, a cute tight top and sandals You might not be able to eat that stuffed potato skin, you might not be able to eat all those chips and dips with your friends, but you know what you can do with them? EVERYTHING ELSE. You are amazing, you are so strong and courageous to do this. It is TOTALLY normal to feel sad and left out, but please remember that this is a trade off, you are giving up one thing you love, food, for ALL the other things that will help you build an amazing, wonderful and FREE life. Free from all the pains and sorrows a life being overweight brings. You are too young to know this but many of us wasted entire lives waiting to be this free, you have a gift in front of you, it's hard to fully appreciate it at the beginning. You are gonna do wonderful, Little One, just absolutely wonderfully.

Hi Sweetie!! Oh yes this is normal, absolutely normal! I had multiple meltdowns. lol! I cried so many times I was pretty sure I might dehydrate. lol! I called my surgeon's office so many times I was sure they would kick me out, lol! I was so scared of everything, of drinking too much, of drinking too little, of getting the hiccups, of getting constipated, I called them on everything, I cried several times while talking to the coordinator. I cried at work. lol! The first 6 months are full of tears for some of us. And then there are others who the whole thing is a breeze. *shrugs shoulders* I wasn't that lucky. lol! You are only 6 days in, your tummy is like a newborn baby right now, so tears are totally normal. It took me WEEKS to hit my goals. My doctor's office said just just keep sipping, Sipping sipping sipping. And then walking, slowly walking to work the air out that they blew into your system to do the surgery. The liquid and pureed stages are really rough, so tears are totally normal. Once you get past these stages things get a little easier!!

I LOVE your fire and energy!! You are 100% RIGHT!!!!!! WE ARE WARRIORS!! People have no idea just how hard this is and the amount of determination it takes, I think your drive and enthusiasm is exactly the engine fuel you need. YOU GOT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so proud of you for doing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I totally agree with this. I tend to wait till I don't feel full anymore before drinking. It's kind of like traffic, you can follow the posted speed but you really need to drive with the flow of traffic. And those two things can be different. lol! So situational.