My Story..The Journey Has Begun!

[berkeleyandbrownie 20]

Hello all,

I had my VSG on May 20 and now 6 weeks and 4 days post-op. After a severe illness as a toddler, I became very obese as a small child. This was partly due to a medication I was taking and prtly due to obese parents with horrible health habits. We were clean plate club members, ate huge portions all of the time, and often ate at restaurants or fast food establishments. I lost a lot of weight in middle scholl and became somewhat normal-sized through college. Gradually, through three pregnancies and the stress of being a mom to 3 kids while working and going to graduate school, I gained up to a heaviest weight of 250 lbs.

Over the last 3 years, I watched several friends and acquaintances lose weight after bariatric surgery. I was intrigued but fearful, and I never got up the courage to talk to my sweet husband about it or talk to my doctor. Then, one more friend had the sleeve done and started losing. Our kids were in the same class at school, and she was very generous with her experiences and information. Her PCP was a big advocate of the procedure and for her during the process of insurance approval, and this as very encouraging since my PCP was the same as hers!!! I finally called the surgeon's office for information back in February during a snow day when I was off from work. When I talked to my husband, he was very supportive after being educated on the procedure, the statistics, and the health benefits. He has never been large, so my experience was foreign to him. However, he sees my mom struggle with chronic illnesses and disabilities that are a direct result of her lifelong obesity and self-neglect. He agreed that I did not need to go down the same road and has been willing to do whatever is needed to support me in my journey.

Fortunately, my insurance covered bariatric surgery since I met the medical criteria. My BMI was over 40, so I did not even have to have a comorbidity to qualify. I had my VSG on May 20, 2014 with a pre-op weight of 250.6, and I was 215.6 this morning. It has been exciting and challenging at the same time. I struggle with eting slowly enough and with eating small bites. Occasionlly I take that extra bite that makes me sick, and I am constantly challenged to get enough fluids. I started doing some cardio and resistance training after 1 month, and it is rewarding but very hard to keep as a priority with small kids at home.

So, that's my story. I am looking forward to learning with each of you as we move into the future.

Peace

[BeagleLover 1,020]

Congratulations on your decision to get healthy for yourself and your family!

[getnhealthyintx 281]

I am happy that you are seeing success.

[jking 1]

Hi I'm a newby, had my surgery on June 23rd.

Feeling some kind of way. Glad I did it, but unsure of what I feel. I feel afraid, of what I'm not sure. Trying to find a balance. My surgery went well, I was up walking around that evening.

Do you really have to purée? I just do soft foods like cottage cheese, cream of chicken Soup ...

Purée makes me nauseated just looking at it.

Did anyone else feel sort of lost.

[berkeleyandbrownie 20]

Hi I'm a newby, had my surgery on June 23rd.

Feeling some kind of way. Glad I did it, but unsure of what I feel. I feel afraid, of what I'm not sure. Trying to find a balance. My surgery went well, I was up walking around that evening.

Do you really have to purée? I just do soft foods like cottage cheese, cream of chicken Soup ...

Purée makes me nauseated just looking at it.

Did anyone else feel sort of lost.

jking,

Those early days are really tough. My surgeon told me that the first month is hell, but after that I would start to feel human again. He was right.

I will tell you about what I did and what I was instructed to do, but you need to clarify your diet questions with your surgeon's office. Surgeons have slightly different guidelines based on their own personal experience and things they have discovered about their patient population. For example, my surgeon has different guidelines for someone who is diabetic, and my friend who is diabetic and had the surgery 4 weeks after I did has a different diet schedule that keeps her on liquids and softs longer than I was. My surgoen does this bc he saw that every one of his patients who had a staple line leak was diabetic and he is taking steps to try to account for a slower wound-healing process in those patients.

My personal instruction were Clear Liquids for a week post-op, then full liquids. I did puree a few things during my full liquid week. I got a chili cheese potato at a fast food joint and pureed it in my blender and added Protein powder and milk, then strained it. I had a very yummy chili cheese potato soup. That met the requirements for full liquid bc I puree, added liquid to the proper consistency and strained it. I checked with the dietician at the office to make sure it was ok and she was very happy that I was being creative with it. I also blended other Soups that had chunks in them.

Then, I was on soft/pureed food for weeks 3-4. I only ate soft foods, which are defined by my surgeon as being able to mash with a fork. The thought of anything pureed besides Soups grossed me out, so I didn't do any of it during my soft/pureed weeks and stuck to cottage cheese, soup, chicken salad, shakes and other liquid stuff I had during the previous 2 weeks.

If you are confused about soft vs pureed and if soft is appropriate, then please check with your surgeon's office. But, if you have a choice between soft and pureed, then you literally have a choice and don't need to feel like you have to puree stuff.

I know that was a long answer. I hope it helped. Don't be afraid to call the surgeon's office for any questions you have. Their ability to continue doing surgeries is based on good outcomes for their patients, and you need to have your questions answered to ensure a good outcome. Plus, you hired them-they work for you:)

Best of luck to you.

Peace