What's the Hardest Part?

[DonRodolfo 1,416]

Those of you who've already had surgery, what period of time do you think has been the most difficult so far and why? Was it the pre-op diet? The gas pains after surgery? The fourth week post-op?

Thanks!

For me, it was definitely the first four days of the preop liquid diet.

[ebonisekim 1,713]

Yes' date=' I hear bug meat can be quite addictive.[/quote']

I don't eat bug meat it was a typo I meant to say I was a big meat eater before surgery sorry for the miss understanding

[Canary Diamond 186]

Who is Miss Understanding? I don't believe we've been introduced. And what has she done to make you feel the need to apologize for her? (Can anyone tell yet I'm an English teacher?)

[ebonisekim 1,713]

Who is Miss Understanding? I don't believe we've been introduced. And what has she done to make you feel the need to apologize for her? (Can anyone tell yet I'm an English teacher?)

Okay what ever lady or man

[ebonisekim 1,713]

What that has to w anything .. I'm a nurse ( so) I was responding to a statement u quoted me on .. Don't be rude lady or man maybe

[Canary Diamond 186]

Only teasing. Perhaps if you reread your second post you'll get the joke.

[ebonisekim 1,713]

Okay good enough

[Chelenka 827]

I am very glad that I had the surgery it has changed my life for the better in many ways. There's a lot thats difficult though. The first five days of the two-week pre-op liquid diet was hell for me but day 6 to the day before surgery weren't bad. Guess I went thru sugar withdrawal, LOL! The first night after the surgery was also not fun because I was so nauseous. But the hardest part for me is now that I'm four months out my old demons are working on me and I'm really struggling with my desire to eat. I still have cravings sometimes and want to eat but it's all head-hunger. The surgery doesn't change your brain when it comes to dealing with emotional eating. You still have to work at it but the surgery gives you a big advantage since you can't eat a large volume of food.

pre-surgery weight 325; surgery date 2/28/2013; surgery weight 307; 8 weeks past-op weight 281.4; 12 weeks post-op 274

[steelersgyrl 19]

In response to CLKs wonderful post. I have not had surgery yet - just starting on this journey. However, the one great thing I can say is that I have been in a group for disordered eating for the past 2 years. While I haven't lost any/too much weight, I have learned about the behaviors, triggers, emotionals, thoughts, mindfulness/mindless eating, mindful mediation which I am hoping will make this journey alot easier. I still fall off but not like I used to and when I do I recognize what or who was the cause.

My only concern is that I hope during the Psych Eval they don't question me too much since it's in my medical record as an eating disorder....

thanks again for your great post!

[luckysmomma 407]

Hardest part - mental & emotional part of all this...I regret having it. I am 14 weeks out, no complications. It changes your entire life.

2nd hardest part - the 1st month out is hell (excuse my language!)...

Best of luck to you!

[Olivia23 68]

Those of you who've already had surgery, what period of time do you think has been the most difficult so far and why? Was it the pre-op diet? The gas pains after surgery? The fourth week post-op?

Thanks!

Definitely the day of surgery and the day after. I was in so much pain! I wished I had never done it, but now I am on day 5 and I feel much better.

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

Cheri - that's very informative and insightful! I have never explored the idea of why I indulged in food so much and never made good choices (more so when I travel but I travel for work so it's a frequent thing).

Since I am only 25 days out' date=' I can say my waking up from anesthesia was horrific. I was tied down at ankles and wrists, had a breathing tube in and some type of clamp in my mouth that didn't allow me bite threw the breathing tube HOWEVER, that clamp thing was down my throat and I immediately begin to heave hard and uncontrollably and then started throwing up while laying down (just liquid and foam). While all this is happening, the post op recovery person is screaming at me "calm down and stop doing that or you are going to DIE! All the while, as I am pushing the clamp out with my tongue and heaving violently, he's trying to tape the clamp to my face! I can't speak can't move and was terrified! The respitory therapist came over and took out the clamp but I had aspirated liquid into my breathing tube and was choking still but he suctioned it out and then I was settled down. Breathing tube stayed in 20 minutes and came out. The gas is surprisingly terrible and painful and from all the heaving, my stomach was so sore but they refused to give me pain medication for over two hours until I got a hospital room. Pain meds helped though but the first three days were pretty rough. I don't want to scare you but I did have an unpleasant experience. But now, all the pain is gone and I am feeling so much better and looking forward to mt transformation.[/quote']

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry you went through that! Where did you get sleeved that they did all that to you?!?!

[KickRocks 163]

Mine was the pre-op! That was the hardest thing i ever have done! LOL, i kept thinking if i am struggling this much with pre-op how am i going to do after surgery! Thankfully it was not the case! I had no issues after surgery and have become a different person. I have to set my clock just to remind myself to EAT because i am Never hungry.

[KatInFL 216]

Those of you who've already had surgery, what period of time do you think has been the most difficult so far and why? Was it the pre-op diet? The gas pains after surgery? The fourth week post-op?

Thanks!

I think what's tough changes, depending on the stage you're in. I'm sure when I get to maintenance, I'll agree with Cheri!

I think what's been the biggest adjustment for me, as of this moment, is how consumed my world is by food and nutrition. I'm certain my boyfriend is sick to death of me hearing how many grams of Protein I've had today, what Snacks I've found that work, logging into MyFitnessPal to enter food everywhere and anywhere...restaurants, lying in bed, at social functions. I know I've had disordered eating. I've known it for years...I had a therapist first call it compulsive overeating when I was 17. I had a lot of varying trauma growing up and some of it involved food or the lack of it, so I developed a crazy relationship with it. I don't know that the sleeve has made that relationship any healthier, per se, I think it just fulfills that relationship in a different way. I get to exert control in that relationship by controlling what I eat, when I eat, logging, and the other details that come post-op. I'm not obsessed, but I'm a planner and all about logisitcs just naturally, so that tends to spill over.

I also spent a LOT of years and money in therapy, through most of my late teens and twenties. I felt like I'd done the work to have a better relationship with food but just needed a better tool. As cliche as it might seem because it's said so often, I really do feel like this has been a tool. I still actively choose, at every meal and every day, to eat what is better for me vs what I want. Tonight, I made chicken breast, macaroni and cheese, and corn for dinner. I could have chosen to eat the mac and cheese until I was full...but I didn't, knowing that my body needs the Protein and it's a better choice. That doesn't mean I'm perfect because I'm certainly not. It's just to say we all actively choose how we are going to work the tool, every day. It's so common for WLS patients to slip and slide, post-op. I think there's an element of being realistic that has to be involved. To avoid that slipping, especially so early post-op for me, it works to let me world be consumed by food and nutrition. I don't know what it will look like next week or month or in 6 months, but it works today, even if it's been a big adjustment.

~Kat

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

Other than robbing my savings for self pay.. I have no other. Absolutely no hard part in regards to my VSG. I'm very fortunate.