CarpeDiem129

Just wanted to share my story. I havent been on here in a while, but I had my surgery on Nov. 8th of last year (2017), so I’m almost 4 months post-op now. I used to be fairly average sized, but never really thin despite being the “thinnest” in my family. Then, after having kids and and an under active thyroid, the weight kept piling on. I was always depressed about my appearance to the point that it hindered me from living a “full” life. I happened to see some photos of an old friend on Facebook who had lost a lot of weight and looked amazing so decided to send her a message to ask her how she did it. I had tried everything! She told me about her sleeve so I decided to learn more and my journey began. I’ve always been a worrier and somewhat of a hypochondriac. It took everything in me to go through with this surgery, that is not an exaggeration. I was about to back out the day before and I’m so glad I didn’t!!! I even had a small internal bleed afterwards that resulted in me passing out and getting a blood transfusion and I’m still so glad I did it. Since then, I have gone from 242lbs to 186 and I haven’t felt this confident in a long time (though I still have a way to go). This lifestyle is my new normal and I am comfortable with it. It definitely took some getting used to, but I’d never want to go back to my old ways. I still can eat mostly what I want (although I don’t eat anything fried, breaded, or drink soda). I even enjoy Starbucks (my vice!), but now I get my drink skinny and with almond milk. I don’t really crave sweets at all and even some bad foods that I used to like taste gross to me now (a good thing). Also, my resting heart rate used to be high and now it’s it isn’t. So if you’re having doubts, do that research, but go ahead and push through. You will be so glad you did! I hope I will always look back on this and say it was one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself.

@nh-vsgirl @fruitandveggies Thank you both! I'm wondering if it could be from constipation? Maybe gas/indigestion. I hope I haven't developed gallstones this quickly. I had an ultrasound done pre-op and didn't have any.

Anyone else have lower belly pain particularly on my right side where I sleep? It's mainly a soreness. I generally just have it upon waking for a little while. Could it be from incisions still or just a combo of the incisions and sleeping on that side. How long for everything to heal internally? I guess the scariest thing it could be is an internal hernia or something.

I'm about 4 weeks post-op now and badly constipated. I was having the opposite issue the first 2 weeks. What do/did you take for this? I called my nurse and she suggested Miralax, but I hate the bottle says it takes a few days to work. I don't want to wind up in the ER over this. TMI: It's been like a week and a half since I had a normal bathroom trip. The other day I went a little and it was hard and a little painful.

@dr3am3rstarz Bless your heart! I know, it's terrible. This has been my first real experience with it. I hope your meds are giving you some relief. So sorry it's been an ongoing issue for you.

I took a glycerin suppository last night and finally went some. I'm going to continue on the Miralax and hopefully it regulates me. I will try the prunes! I just hate the taste of them.

I'm starting my 3rd week post-op and I still can't suck in my tummy. My jeans still feel snug around it even though I've lost like 25lbs. How long does this last? I know my muscles are still healing. Also, when's it safe to wear shape wear again?

So, I'll be a little over 2 weeks post-op on Thanksgiving Day. My surgery was 11/8. My Dr. said I could start trying soft/mushy foods this week. My family is going to our extended family's big dinner(s). It will be interesting trying to hide the fact that I'm not eating. I plan to use my 10 month old and just hold her and feed her "off my plate." Oh, I guess I should mention, I have kept my surgery a secret. No one knows but my husband. How did everyone do/doing with soft foods? What about like a bite of mashed potatoes? Pumpkin? Are these typically well tolerated? I know everyone is different, but just getting an idea. Anything that I should totally not try? I definitely don't plan on eating much at all. I don't have an appetite. Just wondering what everyone else is doing. Anyone in the same shoes?

Glad to know I'm not alone!

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!🍁🦃

Thank you ALL so much for the comments! They are so helpful!! I find I can still only eat about 1/4 cup of food at one sitting. I guess this is normal? I don't really feel "full" after, but I feel satisfied. I haven't tried meats yet. I think I'm going to have some potatoes, maybe green beans (hopefully they go down okay), and a little pumpkin or sweet potato. I would love to try a deviled egg.

I'm interested to hear about long term sleevers (5+ years). Do you have any regrets? How has your journey been? Have you maintained? Most importantly, have you had any medical issues that could be contributed to your sleeve? I hate there's not a lot of long term data on this yet.

Pretty rough. But much better today. Yesterday early morning my BP plummeted and I fainted (never fainted before in my life). So the Dr. said I had some internal bleeding that looks like it healed itself. After I got some blood and more IV fluids, I started to feel better. Now I think I'm just experiencing regular surgery aches and pains. My heart rate has been high, but other that everything looks a lot better.

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@jess9395Yes! Just interested to hear. Hopefully it's all or mostly positives! @temkinsI'm currently waiting to go back for surgery, so yeah. Lol. But I did post it a few days ago.

About to head back for surgery. I almost talked myself out of it, but I'm here. Praying this is the best decision of my life! Prayers appreciated. Still so nervous.

I've had GERD symptoms the past year since my last pregnancy. My throat always feels tight and I get reflux and a cough occasionally, especially after coffee. Surgeon said I had a small hiatal hernia he'd repair during surgery. Just wondering if anyone had this done and if it made your symptoms disappear?

That's awesome!! Thank you so much!

So this is my first main post although I've been "creeping" these forums for quite a while now. I'm scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, Nov. 8th. I know my surgeon uses a 36f bougie and I am also having a small hiatal hernia repaired. I have some reflux issues now, but other than that and my weight along with suffering from hypothyroidism, my health is fine. I have researched this for many months, went through the whole process, and now that it's happening, I'm so worried. I keep thinking about my husband and my babies and if anything goes wrong now or later regarding the surgery. Anywho, I don't know what I'm really looking for by posting this. Maybe some words of wisdom or a swift kick in the booty to get over myself. Really, I would love to hear about experiences who have gone through the exact same thing, surgery with the same bougie size as it seems like there may be some merit to bougie size and recovery and hiatal hernia repair. How are you doing? How was your recovery? Any advice at all? Just feeling a little overwhelmed.😩

For some reason, I'm so worried about getting a stricture and dysphagia (painful swallowing). I read a study that there are some risk factors linked to post-op dysphagia and some of these included GERD and hypothyroidism and I have both. "As shown in Table Table2,2, there is increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus in those individuals who develop postoperative dysphagia compared to individuals with no dysphagia (P < 0.01). Patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (P < 0.0001) show an increased risk toward the development of postoperative dysphagia. There is also a statistically significant relationship between postoperative dysphagia and low whole blood thiamine levels (P = 0.008), low thyroid blood test (P= 0.003), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use at 6 wk post-operatively (P = 0.018), and opioid narcotic use at 6 wk post-operatively (P = 0.05) as determined through stepwise logistic regression (summarized in Tables Tables22 and and3).3). No statistical correlation between age, gender, body mass index, abnormal vitamin B12 level, abnormal folic acid level, or abnormal magnesium level and post-operative dysphagia is seen." The study consisted of 352 patients up to 2 years post-op and 80 of those presented with dysphagia symptoms. 33 were found to have narrowing of the sleeve. Just wondering if anyone had any research, experience, wisdom on the subject? I'm trying to put my mind at ease over it.

@GassyGurl that's great! How was your recovery?

Thank you @Sosewsue61, I actually think I needed that little kick in the butt. I need to stop obsessing over what can go wrong and start being excited about what can go right! With surgery 2 days away, my anxiety is just really getting the best of me. In life there are times where one has to just take a leap of faith... I think this is one of those times for me.

Thank you @Bj49, my surgeon said he expected it would as well and that weight loss would be a major factor in that. I just wanted some real experiences, so thank you for responding. I hope my symptoms dissipate as well.

@AprilO74I know the feeling! I'm scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, the 8th and I keep second-guessing myself. One minute I'm confident in my decision and the next, I'm like "ehh I don't know" or I see some study or negative comment or something. However, the vast majority of experiences seem to be positive. I think I'm going to kick myself in the butt if I don't go through with it. I think the permanence is what scares me the most and the "unknown." I think it's somewhat normal to be anxious and to have worries and concerns though. Some people's are just more extreme than others.