Life Changing Push

[RavensAngel 22]

I am on day 50 post op and about 55lbs down.

I have been struggling with finding foods that I can eat and it was for a while causing me stress and confusion!

My doctor is extrememly patient and reminded me that everyone is different and sometimes you have to extend yourself outside your comfort zone to make it work!

I'm day by day shortly coming to terms with things and working through it.

Yesterday, for my check in Doc walks in and says while handing me a CD is a video copy of your surgery!

I thought WTH I had no idea he did that or how I would feel about it. When I got home I couldn't wait to turn it on and watch what happened. My family on the other hand couldn't watch it as easily or even at all.

I have to admit there were a few times blood went gushing and I was mortified and the poking and pulling and sticking OMG that was hard to watch! NO WONDER you hurt afterwards!

Seeing my crazy huge healthy liver was fun and you could see my heart pumping in the background. There was also some odd organ atop that I couldn't quite make out what that was I look forward to asking him about that.

I also do not know why when he cut off my stomach he attached it to this fatty piece I don't get why he did that I will have to ask him next visit.

Life Changing Push.... OH GOD when I feel like I'm going no where or I'm sad or down or food has me down I will have to watch that video it will be my inspiration! The camera was mostly focused on the upper part of my chest and my organs were surrounded by LOTS and LOTS of FAT it make me extremely sad that I had that much fat in my upper chest area. I was litterally smoothering my organs! How incredibly sad is that! It brought me to tears seeing that around my healthy organs trying to do what they are required to do slowly smoothering I'm sure until the point they would of just quit is horrific.

I really needed to see that video!

Last night I setup my lunchbox bento style for the day...I'm going to attempt to eat all my foods today and sip on Water and get up and walk! I have to get rid of that yucky nasty fat all around my BODY not just in my chest!

[gaudjosl 22]

So kewl.

[HappygoSusan 296]

Wow! I don't know if I could watch that

Susan

[AvaFern 3,516]

That is SO COOL!! I wish someone had taped my surgery!

[RavensAngel 22]

It is crazy cool to have on CD there are bunches of files I need to go figure out what they are! Sadly they were copied on Windows and we use Mac. So some of them I need to figure out how to covert them to something I can view.

[JCP 619]

Oh my! I don't know if I could face that! You are very brave and doing great! I'm sorry you are having a tough time with food. Mine has not been fun either but it is smoothing out. (Day 45) Keep up the great work!

[BitterSweet* 835]

"Odd organ" was your pancreas. The attachment to a fatty piece prevents twisting of the sleeve. It's a technigue they use to anchor the sleeve in place since they remove the heavier, hanging, stretchy part. Anchoring also helps prevent reflux! Pretty cool, huh?!

Congratulations on your surgery and good luck with your weight loss.

Edited October 25, 2014 by BitterSweet*

[RavensAngel 22]

Bittersweet I thought it was my pancreas!!!

I became severely ill with constant pain on my left side. Everyone says nothing there to hurt SO I took up anatomy! Haha

It was totally awesome seeing my organs that way and not on an X-ray!

Do you know where they got the fatty tissue from? That part was really strange. I kept thinking why is he attaching my new stomach to a piece of junk! Haha

I see the reason for it like you said the stomach is so much smaller now it just blows in the wind!

I have/had really bad IBS prior to the surgery and when I eat now I get so nauseated. I can feel my stomach and organs moving like crazy I imagine that piece of tissue is making it a bit more tolerable though. That little stomach could be tossed like its on a fair ride otherwise!

[BitterSweet* 835]

Lol!! It's part of the omentum. Fat that's already there in the abdominal cavity. Not all surgeons use that technique, so you're lucky. You sound like a smart lady. Keep trusting yourself, don't ignore symptoms at all. Are you on med(s) for reflux? A lot of people with nausea are cured with a different or stronger PPI medication.

[RavensAngel 22]

I take a antacid pill and I have an extremely low dose IBS pill but it knocks me out! I notice though when I take it the nausea is not as alarming. Problem is if I took it every meal I would become a zombie!

I may stick to easy swallow foods during day and thicker harder to digest foods when I can take my spasm pill.

It's a real challenge!!

Well that fatty piece I'm glad it is lending a hand to my stomach!

[nune1974 7]

Hi

I had my Surgary 3 months ago and I'm straggling with eating too, I'm stress out a lot, sometimes I'm towing up

I don't know what I need to do

[RavensAngel 22]

Hi

I had my Surgary 3 months ago and I'm straggling with eating too, I'm stress out a lot, sometimes I'm towing up

I don't know what I need to do

Nune I can sympathize!

I finally gave up and now things work. I was stuck in a tunnel of I have to eat this or that and all the "rules". I think because everyone is SO different your really have to find what works for you.

It was strange to me that most things that were "good" for me before surgery I can't handle now and all the "bad" things I could. My doctor was super supportive and thankfully I wasn't just a success number for him.

Example:

My NUT said ABSOLUTELY NO GRAZING!

My DOC said if grazing helped me get things down then I should do it.

My NUT said ABSOLUTELY NO CARBS!

My DOC said if having a bit more carbs for now is okay if I can handle them.

example of that if I eat a piece of roast beef sliced from deli alone I get so nauseated if I put it on a tortilla with cheese I can eat it no problem (who knows why)

I also found an easy go to if all else fails I have cheerios.

The biggest problem for me is I went into a frenzy because I couldn't eat anything. When I gave that up and just try different things and if they work I revisit them often if they are "bad" foods I have those in desperation only.

It's frustrating when you feel like you are at a dead end. I was like OMG I will never be able to be normal again! I think I'm doing pretty good now I don't find it difficult to turn down "bad" foods even though they work better than "good" foods.

I'm okay with that I didn't come all this way to screw up and I'm content with my progress so far. I wanted to loose a bit slower than most to help with my skin retention.

It's a huge mind body game. You go through things that you didn't even realize you could go through or wanted to realize.

Hang in there! You can find your way!

[nune1974 7]

When is was your Surgary ?

And how many pounds you lost?

Before my Surgary my Husbend beg me don't eat now he is so worry about me , now he is begging me to eat

[RavensAngel 22]

I am about 52 or 53 days out. I have lost 54lbs.

This week I'm just feeling good about things. I was weak before not able to take my Vitamins, not able to eat without being sick, not able to move as much as I wanted too even.

This week I'm moving well I graze and eat little bits of stuff at least every two hours or if I feel like I should eat. In small portions (I still can't tell when I'm full so I measure out a bit of food). I walk either out the house or if I don't get out on the treadmill. I'm up to about 2000 steps a day which prior to this I only reached if we were on vacation pushing myself. Now I reach it pretty easily. In the next two weeks I hope to be reaching 3000 steps.

Because I'm a huge foodie and absolutely LOVE to cook this morning I made my GF a Breakfast fit for a queen and I only ate two mushrooms and one Breakfast sausage and felt really good about cooking and that I didn't have to taste it all.

I really believe its mind over matter when you address your challenges the rest falls into place.

[nune1974 7]

First my Doctore visit I was 225 ponds, Surgary day I was 204, now I'm 164 a week I have same wight and its Badring me a lot