My own "What have I done?" moment has come.. please help

[sleevegenie 0]

thanks so much, best thing i ever did, you're doing great too, what a gift this is, yah for all of us, we rock !!

[Juani 1]

Only good things will come after this sirgury.

This is the best thing we can do for ourselves!!!

No going back !!!!!!!!

[TwoStepsBack 15]

Thanks everyone for the messages of support.

Today is the first day I have actually felt really very good. I went to the Doc and had my stitches out, have been cleared to have a bath (oh how I miss my long soaks!), and have been walking approx 40 mins every day around the local park and back.

I no longer feel the need to sleep most of the day, and definitely feel more normal.

food wise I am preparing two tablespoons of food per meal and sometimes finishing it, sometimes not, but never wanting more than that.

I'm down 10lb since surgery, so approx 1lb a day. I'm very happy with that considering my relatively low BMI. Clothes are starting to feel loose and I've had to throw a couple of vest tops away already because the straps kept falling down! :biggrin2:

I visited my Gran yesterday where a large number of my family gather for a cup of tea and a chat on a Sunday afternoon. They all said that they can see a huge difference in me already, especially in my face. And they are all very happy to see me looking so well.

It's my birthday in a couple of weeks, and I can't wait to get dolled up and hit the town. Even if I am only going to have a bowl of Soup and one glass of wine! :wink1:

You were all right, it does get better, and quite quickly. Thanks for giving me a push in the right direction everyone! xxxx

[schaf921 0]

well I hit that last night! Almost 3 months in - we were in Kennesaw yesterday and found a Bugaboo Creek (where the animals talk and move on the walls and stuff). Anyway, first steakhouse I have been to since the surgery - sweet tea, oops cant drink and eat, lumberjack fries - nope, smashed potatoes with mushrooms - gotta have Protein. In the end, the wife and I split a fish/shrimp/crabcake combo platter. I ate some shrimp and bits of fish. a few small bites of kids steak and one got the potatoes for me and had a few bites. yea it was allright but not the 'satisfaction' I remembered. they also got a big chocolate chip cookie made in a skillet with ice cream on top and I had a couple of bites of that and that was stupendous!!!

anyway, I got the bill and it was probably $20-$25 less than normal (would have gotten and appetizer, drink and entree on top of other stuff we got). That was nice!! Kids reminded me of all the weight lost already - yea that was worth it!! Been playing tennis nearly every night for the past few weeks and could never do that before - also actually winning again at a high level!!

So is it worth it - absolutely - my meal would have been long gone but the weight would be added, money down the drain, and if I played tennis twice a week I would be in pain somewhere and have done terrible.....

[ouroborous 519]

Look, here are the cold facts (I'm not so good with being comforting, but I can sling science at you all day long!)

If you are obese or morbidly obese and don't lose the weight, your odds of significant health issues up to and including death are very high, statistically speaking. Meaning that it's far riskier to stay heavy than to have this surgery.

The long-term effects of the sleeve are unknown, however the likely risks are perioperative (things that happen during surgery) and diet. The perioperative risks are extremely low, and at five days out, you've already dodged most of them. Once you get to two weeks out, you can pretty much ignore that.

The diet risks are unknown, but low considering that we have five years of data now. Think about that; choose one macro or micronutrient -- Protein, carbs, Iron -- and think about if you could NOT eat it for five years without serious health problems. Without Iron you would quickly become anemic. Without Protein you would have serious muscle wasting and other issues. In short, you simply can't go more than a few months without any other major health issues if your diet is significantly deficient.

What this means is that with five years of safety data on the sleeve, we can be pretty confident that the dietary risk factors are a known quantity. Yes, there are some things you'll likely have to monitor forever, one of them being acid. But this is no different than diabetes, which many -- most? -- of us were heading for anyway.

Now that we've established that QUANTITY of life shouldn't be shortened by the sleeve -- if anything, statistically, you'll have many more years on this planet -- let's talk about QUALITY of life. In this, there's no contest -- we all know how miserable it is being obese. Not just psychologically from rejection and mockery, but from little things like never feeling like your clothes fit properly, possibly avoiding social situations, and so on. Would you want your future children to know a version of you that is always obsessed with food and ashamed of her body, or to know a you that eats carefully, is happy with her body, and knows and is proud of a hard choice that she made in the past to live a healthy life? Which do you think sets a better example for your family?

Finally, let's talk about this "be strong" and lose the weight through diet and exercise thing. This really annoys me because it's simply not true. Yes, of course, you can lose tremendous amounts of weight through willpower. I'd wager we've all done it. But the problem is that you have to keep up that level of dedication and willpower for the rest of your life. In short, you have to fight against one of your most primal urges -- to eat -- FOREVER. Every single day, your body would tell you "help! I'm starving!" and instead of lying down to rest and eating calorie-rich food like it wants, you'd have to say "no, I'm going to eat a stick of celery and go to the gym!" Sure, you might be able to maintain this for a month or six months or even a year. But for 5 years? 10? 20? 50? I doubt it.

And the numbers back me up; the last study I read indicated that only roughly 5% of people were able to lose weight through diet and exercise and keep it off for more than a year. Most very quickly fell off the wagon and gained back all the weight lost and more. The studies are there (in the research and studies section), go read them. The bottom line is that the odds just aren't in your favor.

And while you're doing this yo-yo dieting, time is ticking. You're getting older, your body is slowing down, and precious days that you could spend focusing on something BESIDES being overweight are slipping by. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to lose the weight, and the less your body will "snap back."

In comparison, the last studies I read showed that at 2 years, over 70% of people with VSG had maintained at least a 50-60% EWL (excess weight loss). This is huge. This means that not only does lap sleeve make you lose weight, according to the research, it makes you keep it off. This is what made me decide to do it -- when you add "and keep it off" to losing weight, the fact of the matter is that diet and exercise alone simply do not work. Look around you and find a single person who has lost 50-100 pounds or more through diet and exercise alone (and make sure they're not lying; there are a lot of people who get bariatric surgery and then claim that they did all the work!), and has kept it off for more than a year. Go ahead. I'll wait.

As to the "no data" issue with sleeve, it's actually not as bad as you think. We have 5 years of studies now, and all of them show it in a positive light. I still think, after reading all of the studies that a layman like me can get his hands on, that VSG is the best surgical procedure out there. New surgeries like gastric plication and "super sleeve" are mostly marketing gimmics. Yes, it's possible that something new and better will come along in ten years, but do you really want to wait ten more years while obese?

The bottom line is that right now, bariatric surgery is the smart choice, and in my opinion, lap sleeve is the best bariatric surgery around (for a lot of reasons). You are feeling buyer's remorse and anxiety about the future.

Trust us, however, once the weight starts dropping off, once you go to the doctor and he/she is amazed at how ALL of your health indicators have improved so dramatically, you'll learn to stop being afraid and love the sleeve.

[wannalise 16]

Hi I am going to pipe in and add to what ouroborous said (mostly cuz I am a fan of his posts) but not only do we have the 5 years of studies on this surgery used as a stand alone, there are the years prior where this surgery was used as a first step to those too obese to have bypass. This is also almost identical to the surgery that patients who have stomach cancer get and there are stats out there (look it up in the search, most posted by tiffykins) about their quality of life and health. Health wise you are dodging a bullet. Honest!

The health changes I have experienced have been amazing. (within the first three months my cholestoral went from 249 to 181) and that is one of many examples. Good luck, the emotional stuff can be hard sometimes, but hang in there!

[Bornagainbabe 4]

Yup, I went through it too. But you know deep down in your heart that you would never have lost weight without surgery as none of us take the decision lightly and you would surely have been facing diabetes etc. etc. if you hadn't done it. The advantages all outweigh the disadvantages in my opinion. You will be fine

[TwoStepsBack 15]

Oh, what it is to have a no-nonsense man about the place! :lol0:

Seriously though, the hard facts are reassuring. There's no arguing with that. Huge thank you Ouroboros for the informative post.

Now I am at 13 days out I am starting to see the weight coming off and I feel great. I have energy returning and no longer feel so fragile and like something could go wrong at any moment.

Anyone just out of surgery and experiencing the feelings I was having last week could do a lot worse than digesting the wealth of support and statistics this thread holds.

[AniO 0]

TwoStepsBack,

Just read this whole thread from the beginning to the end. I'm so glad that your spirits are up!

I was really down for the first week. It was hard being around my family at mealtimes. My mom was here taking care of me and my children while my husband worked. She was cooking some really delicious meals for them. At dinner time I'd go upstairs and fold laundry or something. I'm 5 weeks post-op now. My blues are long gone and I'm feeling great. Seems like you're already there. I look forward to cheering you on as you continue to be successful!

A few days after surgery, I remembered that as I was waking up from surgery my first words were, "What have I done to myself?" and "But I'm still hungry!" I can't help but laugh now when I think about it, everyone in recovery that day must've thought I was nuts.

[Jane_J 117]

It's early days and post op many people feel depressed and negative whatever the operation. Just keep calm and hold your nerve, it will work out well and you will look back on this soon and not understand what the problem was. Be kind to yourself, you have been through a lot and are trying to do your best for yourself and your loved ones. You would not have done this if you could have lost it any other way. We all have done diets and put it all back on time after time. You have bravely cut through that circular behaviour and sorted it once and for all. At your age you have a fantastic future ahead of you with kids and energy to deal with them. It's all good, you just don't realise it yet. Be steady and hold on.

Jane x

[Jane_J 117]

Orobourous that was a fantastic post, well done you.

Jane x

PS Where is the underpants pic??

[TwoStepsBack 15]

PS Where is the underpants pic??

LOL am I missing something? What underpants pic? :laugh0:

[Jane_J 117]

LOL am I missing something? What underpants pic?

http://verticalsleevetalk.com/vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy-surgery-vsg-success-stories/8336-minor-mileston-things-ive-noticed.html

LOL :laugh0:

Jane x

[TwoStepsBack 15]

TwoStepsBack,

Just read this whole thread from the beginning to the end. I'm so glad that your spirits are up!

I was really down for the first week. It was hard being around my family at mealtimes. My mom was here taking care of me and my children while my husband worked. She was cooking some really delicious meals for them. At dinner time I'd go upstairs and fold laundry or something. I'm 5 weeks post-op now. My blues are long gone and I'm feeling great. Seems like you're already there. I look forward to cheering you on as you continue to be successful!

Thanks AniO!! :001_smile:

[maybesleever 1]

Look, here are the cold facts (I'm not so good with being comforting, but I can sling science at you all day long!)

If you are obese or morbidly obese and don't lose the weight, your odds of significant health issues up to and including death are very high, statistically speaking. Meaning that it's far riskier to stay heavy than to have this surgery.

The long-term effects of the sleeve are unknown, however the likely risks are perioperative (things that happen during surgery) and diet. The perioperative risks are extremely low, and at five days out, you've already dodged most of them. Once you get to two weeks out, you can pretty much ignore that.

The diet risks are unknown, but low considering that we have five years of data now. Think about that; choose one macro or micronutrient -- Protein, carbs, Iron -- and think about if you could NOT eat it for five years without serious health problems. Without Iron you would quickly become anemic. Without Protein you would have serious muscle wasting and other issues. In short, you simply can't go more than a few months without any other major health issues if your diet is significantly deficient.

What this means is that with five years of safety data on the sleeve, we can be pretty confident that the dietary risk factors are a known quantity. Yes, there are some things you'll likely have to monitor forever, one of them being acid. But this is no different than diabetes, which many -- most? -- of us were heading for anyway.

Now that we've established that QUANTITY of life shouldn't be shortened by the sleeve -- if anything, statistically, you'll have many more years on this planet -- let's talk about QUALITY of life. In this, there's no contest -- we all know how miserable it is being obese. Not just psychologically from rejection and mockery, but from little things like never feeling like your clothes fit properly, possibly avoiding social situations, and so on. Would you want your future children to know a version of you that is always obsessed with food and ashamed of her body, or to know a you that eats carefully, is happy with her body, and knows and is proud of a hard choice that she made in the past to live a healthy life? Which do you think sets a better example for your family?

Finally, let's talk about this "be strong" and lose the weight through diet and exercise thing. This really annoys me because it's simply not true. Yes, of course, you can lose tremendous amounts of weight through willpower. I'd wager we've all done it. But the problem is that you have to keep up that level of dedication and willpower for the rest of your life. In short, you have to fight against one of your most primal urges -- to eat -- FOREVER. Every single day, your body would tell you "help! I'm starving!" and instead of lying down to rest and eating calorie-rich food like it wants, you'd have to say "no, I'm going to eat a stick of celery and go to the gym!" Sure, you might be able to maintain this for a month or six months or even a year. But for 5 years? 10? 20? 50? I doubt it.

And the numbers back me up; the last study I read indicated that only roughly 5% of people were able to lose weight through diet and exercise and keep it off for more than a year. Most very quickly fell off the wagon and gained back all the weight lost and more. The studies are there (in the research and studies section), go read them. The bottom line is that the odds just aren't in your favor.

And while you're doing this yo-yo dieting, time is ticking. You're getting older, your body is slowing down, and precious days that you could spend focusing on something BESIDES being overweight are slipping by. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to lose the weight, and the less your body will "snap back."

In comparison, the last studies I read showed that at 2 years, over 70% of people with VSG had maintained at least a 50-60% EWL (excess weight loss). This is huge. This means that not only does lap sleeve make you lose weight, according to the research, it makes you keep it off. This is what made me decide to do it -- when you add "and keep it off" to losing weight, the fact of the matter is that diet and exercise alone simply do not work. Look around you and find a single person who has lost 50-100 pounds or more through diet and exercise alone (and make sure they're not lying; there are a lot of people who get bariatric surgery and then claim that they did all the work!), and has kept it off for more than a year. Go ahead. I'll wait.

As to the "no data" issue with sleeve, it's actually not as bad as you think. We have 5 years of studies now, and all of them show it in a positive light. I still think, after reading all of the studies that a layman like me can get his hands on, that VSG is the best surgical procedure out there. New surgeries like gastric plication and "super sleeve" are mostly marketing gimmics. Yes, it's possible that something new and better will come along in ten years, but do you really want to wait ten more years while obese?

The bottom line is that right now, bariatric surgery is the smart choice, and in my opinion, lap sleeve is the best bariatric surgery around (for a lot of reasons). You are feeling buyer's remorse and anxiety about the future.

Trust us, however, once the weight starts dropping off, once you go to the doctor and he/she is amazed at how ALL of your health indicators have improved so dramatically, you'll learn to stop being afraid and love the sleeve.