December Surgery Buddies!

[Courtnay 40]

Hey everyone 👋😊

I hope you all are doing well.

I had my surgery on December, 13th, 2024. I went in expecting the gastric bypass but woke up with the gastric sleeve due to my liver still being a bit too big.

This news has sent me into a spiral of emotions as I wanted the option to reverse the surgery if needed and now I can't, and because I battle GERD so I did not want the sleeve for this reason as I heard it can make it worse.

I already battle IBS before this, but now it seems almost everything I have triggers it. So I am finding less and less things I can have. Even fairlife shakes sets it off. I'm now on the pureed stage and so far everything I've tried has also set it off.

The good news is I've lost 39 pounds. So that has made me happy. Trying to see the positives. To be honest I have been miserable. I hope things get better.

[RonHall908 130]

34 minutes ago, Courtnay said:

Hey everyone 👋😊

I hope you all are doing well.

I had my surgery on December, 13th, 2024. I went in expecting the gastric bypass but woke up with the gastric sleeve due to my liver still being a bit too big.

This news has sent me into a spiral of emotions as I wanted the option to reverse the surgery if needed and now I can't, and because I battle GERD so I did not want the sleeve for this reason as I heard it can make it worse.

I already battle IBS before this, but now it seems almost everything I have triggers it. So I am finding less and less things I can have. Even fairlife shakes sets it off. I'm now on the pureed stage and so far everything I've tried has also set it off.

The good news is I've lost 39 pounds. So that has made me happy. Trying to see the positives. To be honest I have been miserable. I hope things get better.

How long was you pre-op liquid diet? My doctor requires a two week liquid diet prior to surgery so the liver will shrink enough they can work around. I've seen several people say from 2 days up to 2 weeks or more.

Edited January 11 by RonHall908

[MLC3409 41]

My pre-op was 2weeks liquid as well.

[Onwensdaywewearblk 4]

Hey loves checking back in! My surgery was 12/18! Today im down 20lbs im feeling excited about this upcoming month and hope to get down. I downloaded an app thats been very helpful with keeping realistic goals. I been walking and dancing as my workouts. Yesterday was my birthday and I was able to go out fine and order food obviously couldnt eat much and focused more on the meat than anything else but it felt amazing to just feel normal somehow. I do feel like im loosing weight so slowly but im trusting the process and I know iM eating dramatically less than before. Little by little. I want to do some lifting weights but I’m waiting til my month appointment to ask. I’m feeling so much better and almost back to normal. Before surgery 240 12/18

220 as of 1/11

still have one more week til im exactly one month post op.

Edited January 11 by Onwensdaywewearblk

[Christineuk 2]

52 minutes ago, Courtnay said:

Hey everyone 👋😊

I hope you all are doing well.

I had my surgery on December, 13th, 2024. I went in expecting the gastric bypass but woke up with the gastric sleeve due to my liver still being a bit too big.

This news has sent me into a spiral of emotions as I wanted the option to reverse the surgery if needed and now I can't, and because I battle GERD so I did not want the sleeve for this reason as I heard it can make it worse.

I already battle IBS before this, but now it seems almost everything I have triggers it. So I am finding less and less things I can have. Even fairlife shakes sets it off. I'm now on the pureed stage and so far everything I've tried has also set it off.

The good news is I've lost 39 pounds. So that has made me happy. Trying to see the positives. To be honest I have been miserable. I hope things get better.

Hi all..

Am I doing something wrong? I had my surgery on 5th December so am over 4 weeks post op .. I feel awful, I'm struggling to eat any more than ready brek and then it's only 3-4 teaspoons full. I've got no energy and just feel rough

On 1/4/2024 at 8:40 AM, Sergeant said:

I am now 1 month post op. Down 37 lbs. (20 since day of surgery) I feel amazing!! Once I stopped taking my blood thinners, I noticed a lot more energy. My joints don't bother me anymore... my hands, wrists, ankles and feet are no longer swollen. My clothes are becoming loose, and I can't stress enough how happy I am that I finally went for it and had the VSG surgery.

I've noticed everyone's doctor has a different approach on the steps following surgery. I was instructed to stay on a liquid diet 3 weeks post op. Now I'm finally allowed to eat, but ONLY 4 things - eggs, string cheese, cottage cheese & avocados for the next 3 weeks. After that he said I can start to introduce meat and other foods into my diet but to ALWAYS prioritize Protein over anything. I can barely finish 1 egg without feeling uncomfortable... so it'll be interesting in the coming months.

The holidays were hard since my family is full of foodies, so the spreads they created for family gatherings were mouthwatering. I just kept reminding myself that I'm finally headed in the direction, and I don't want to fall back into old habits, so I ask myself, "Do I want this, or do I need this? Will it nourish me or just satisfy a craving?" Changing a relationship with food isn't easy, especially when it's something we HAVE to consume to stay alive and well. To anyone struggling, know you got this!! It might be hard today, but it won't always be that way. You might have a day where you feel you failed yourself. Don't dwell on it just work to be better moving forward. It's a learning curve, you're only human.

Thank you for your post.. a breath of fresh air!

I'm also 1 month post op and feeling pretty amazing. Like you no more pain in my back, my knees don't hurt and I don't walk down stairs like a toddler. I'm 28lb down and was really concerned at the start that I wasn't losing enough weight. But everyones body is different and this is my journey, so I'm trying not to compare against others and just follow the guidance of my dietitian. I got annoyed with myself yesterday cause I ate a choc biscuit 🍪. I'm still on puréed food and don't even know why I ate it but I'm not going to beat myself up about it just try not to do it again. I want this to work for so many reasons so I just need to focus on those x. Well done on your 37lbs!!

On 12/26/2023 at 1:47 PM, MLC3409 said:

I hope I’m not doomed!!!

I ate more than I should have Christmas Day. Got on the scale and it says 2.6 pounds up.

What have I done!! I have been working so hard the last two weeks to get it right!!

Surgery is tomorrow and I don’t want to hear it isn’t happening anymore.

I mostly over ate on meat. However I did have the carbs (in moderation)
I didn’t set myself up better for success and now I am mad at myself.

Good luck for tomorrow x

[Christineuk 2]

Hi all..

Am I doing something wrong? I had my surgery on 5th December so am over 4 weeks post op .. I feel awful, I'm struggling to eat any more than ready brek and then it's only 3-4 teaspoons full. I've got no energy and just feel rough

[Onwensdaywewearblk 4]

1 minute ago, Christineuk said:

Hi all..

Am I doing something wrong? I had my surgery on 5th December so am over 4 weeks post op .. I feel awful, I'm struggling to eat any more than ready brek and then it's only 3-4 teaspoons full. I've got no energy and just feel rough

Take your time, listen to your body. Dont compare your process to anyone else’s. I waa struggling to drink and swallow and I was frustrated and miserable! But i spoke to my sister whos 17 months post op and she said for me to try to be more self aware with my sipping I admitted to gulping lol and being frustrated by it. But once I calmed down, gave my body time. Im able to chew and drink better. But, if i estimate my food intake at a time its prob like. 3oz at a time. Like last night I went out ordered a lamb cut the meat super super small made sure I chewed at least 20 times per bite. I accomplished to eat the tip of one lamb which was very tiny lol but I was satisfied. My point is listen to your body, trust the process. A few tablespoons might be what your body is fine with for now as long as you are satisfied thats all that matters. Another example when I eat yogurt I can only have 2oz at a time. Im 3 weeks post op on soft food diet. Hopefully I helped u a bit and didn’t just rant lol. Sending you good vibes

[Courtnay 40]

1 hour ago, MLC3409 said:

My pre-op was 2weeks liquid as well.

It was 5 weeks on Optifast 4x daily, nothing else besides Water. That said I was honest about not being fully strict on it. I did slip up a few times.

[Courtnay 40]

1 hour ago, RonHall908 said:

How long was you pre-op liquid diet? My doctor requires a two week liquid diet prior to surgery so the liver will shrink enough they can work around. I've seen several people say from 2 days up to 2 weeks or more.

Sorry tech challenged, I meant to answer you lol. I was on a 5 week Optifast pre-op liquid diet only. Also Water of course. I was honest to my team as I wasn't perfect the entire time time. Probably why it didn't shrink enough... I don't know.

[RonHall908 130]

1 hour ago, Courtnay said:

Sorry tech challenged, I meant to answer you lol. I was on a 5 week Optifast pre-op liquid diet only. Also Water of course. I was honest to my team as I wasn't perfect the entire time time. Probably why it didn't shrink enough... I don't know.

My doctor told me that if he gets in there and the liver isn't the size it needs to be he won't continue and would have to reschedule.

[Courtnay 40]

10 minutes ago, RonHall908 said:

My doctor told me that if he gets in there and the liver isn't the size it needs to be he won't continue and would have to reschedule.

They told me they would only give me the sleeve if for emergency reasons like I was in the 1% who could not have the bypass. I didn't fall in that 1% only liver bigger than they wanted so I am not sure why they didn't just close me up until my liver was small enough.. I was adamant I only wanted the bypass. Unfortunately I can't do anything about it now. So I am trying to make it work as I have no choice but to.

[CuteAsDuck 6]

Oof yall. My doctor had me on a pre op, high Protein diet a week before. I started it two weeks to be sure my liver was shrunk enough. But, he also said that IF it wasn't, that he would do a sleeve instead of a roux en y. Then we could do the roux later. I can only see closing you back up if you were even too big for a sleeve. This is a procedure you should talk to him about if you want a roux but may not be able to get it at the time. Oh and I was only full clear liquid the day before surgery.

Edited January 11 by CuteAsDuck
Forgot to add something.

[Courtnay 40]

1 hour ago, CuteAsDuck said:

Oof yall. My doctor had me on a pre op, high Protein diet a week before. I started it two weeks to be sure my liver was shrunk enough. But, he also said that IF it wasn't, that he would do a sleeve instead of a roux en y. Then we could do the roux later. I can only see closing you back up if you were even too big for a sleeve. This is a procedure you should talk to him about if you want a roux but may not be able to get it at the time. Oh and I was only full clear liquid the day before surgery.

I have spoken about it with him while I was recovering in my hospital bed but he wants to see how I do with the sleeve first. He said we can discuss gastric bypass long down the road if I still want it done. Not sure why I was on Optifast for 5 weeks prior since my anesthesiologist told me they didn't really care to have me on it that long anyways. I slipped a few times to which I told them and they seemed rather unbothered by it. So I'm not really sure how my liver had not shrunk enough in all that time. I was 365 going into surgery. Yes heavy, but no health issues thankfully. They knew gastric bypass was all I wanted and not the sleeve due to my gerd. It is what it is, just I now can't have this reversed. My emotions are all over the place which I hear is normal, but I'm feeling really miserable and regretful. I hope this changes for me because I feel like my entire life is now ruined permanently. But I also know that I couldn't keep digging my grave with a fork and spoon either. Hopefully my mind will change as this new lifestyle becomes more second-hand nature. Not sure at this point if I'll go through another surgery at this point unless absolutely needed. The whole experience was traumatic in my opinion. The nurse was mean to me. I was in so much pain and I felt the nurse I was left with was very cold. She kept getting mad at me for asking for help to go to the bathroom. I kept apologizing for bothering her when she rushes in with an ultrasound to look at my bladder. She then says it was not possible I needed to go as my bladder only held so much liquid and she told me not to ask for help again unless my bladder was fuller. Not to mention when she took blood from me she used the same needle twice and dropped it all on the ground. I was so loopy but I saw it happen and was mortified after she left. Thankfully another nicer nurse took her place to help me after. Not saying this would happen again and all the other people were great and so kind to me, but she really made the whole scary and painful experience so much worse. Sorry venting a little.

[ChunkCat 728]

46 minutes ago, Courtnay said:

I have spoken about it with him while I was recovering in my hospital bed but he wants to see how I do with the sleeve first. He said we can discuss gastric bypass long down the road if I still want it done. Not sure why I was on Optifast for 5 weeks prior since my anesthesiologist told me they didn't really care to have me on it that long anyways. I slipped a few times to which I told them and they seemed rather unbothered by it. So I'm not really sure how my liver had not shrunk enough in all that time. I was 365 going into surgery. Yes heavy, but no health issues thankfully. They knew gastric bypass was all I wanted and not the sleeve due to my gerd. It is what it is, just I now can't have this reversed. My emotions are all over the place which I hear is normal, but I'm feeling really miserable and regretful. I hope this changes for me because I feel like my entire life is now ruined permanently. But I also know that I couldn't keep digging my grave with a fork and spoon either. Hopefully my mind will change as this new lifestyle becomes more second-hand nature. Not sure at this point if I'll go through another surgery at this point unless absolutely needed. The whole experience was traumatic in my opinion. The nurse was mean to me. I was in so much pain and I felt the nurse I was left with was very cold. She kept getting mad at me for asking for help to go to the bathroom. I kept apologizing for bothering her when she rushes in with an ultrasound to look at my bladder. She then says it was not possible I needed to go as my bladder only held so much liquid and she told me not to ask for help again unless my bladder was fuller. Not to mention when she took blood from me she used the same needle twice and dropped it all on the ground. I was so loopy but I saw it happen and was mortified after she left. Thankfully another nicer nurse took her place to help me after. Not saying this would happen again and all the other people were great and so kind to me, but she really made the whole scary and painful experience so much worse. Sorry venting a little.

Courtnay, I am so sorry you had such an awful experience... I had some nurses that really irritated me and treated me poorly but an orderly found me crying because I was in so much pain and stressed by the nurse and so she reported the nurse, which was uncomfortable in the moment because I had to talk to a bunch of people, but really made them treat me decently the rest of the time!

You can definitely have the bypass later once the sleeve takes off some weight. This happens sometimes with DS surgeries where they end up doing the sleeve first and then the intestinal part later once some abdominal fat is lost. Livers can be really tricky. Mine was still "plump" during the surgery, I just happen to have an extremely skilled surgeon who was able to work around it, but he told me sometimes that isn't possible. And I really want to say this, what happened to you IS NOT YOUR FAULT!! I'd find a therapist that deals with trauma, specifically medical trauma if possible, to help process this experience. Later down the road if your weight loss isn't stable you can consider converting to bypass or DS, you have options now with the sleeve! I know it isn't what you wanted, and I don't understand why the doctor didn't just close you up and try again later if you felt so strongly about it, but hindsight is always 20/20 and the good thing is that the sleeve DOES take off weight and that weight loss will help you feel a lot better. You should be on a good PPI with your heartburn, twice a day if needed. Omeprazole was always useless to me, so I use pantaprazole in the morning and Dexilant in the evening, both are prescription and they work wonderfully, no food triggers at all. You don't have to suffer with heartburn and reflux, they really should sort your meds out for that. It will make nausea and eating a lot easier.

Oh and a few weeks out my digestive system was very testy. I had IBS before and it was grumpy post surgery. Fairlife shakes make me run to the bathroom for days for some reason! I like the Syntrax Nectar fruit flavors, they are like juice. Seeq is also good, it is like juice too, they are Water based Protein Drinks, not creamy milk ones, and my digestive system handles them both better. You can get samples of Syntrax from Bariatric Pal and samples of Seeq from their website. Sending you lots of love... I hope things ease up soon and those hormones calm down, they are really rough after surgery! ❤️

[Courtnay 40]

49 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

Courtnay, I am so sorry you had such an awful experience... I had some nurses that really irritated me and treated me poorly but an orderly found me crying because I was in so much pain and stressed by the nurse and so she reported the nurse, which was uncomfortable in the moment because I had to talk to a bunch of people, but really made them treat me decently the rest of the time!

You can definitely have the bypass later once the sleeve takes off some weight. This happens sometimes with DS surgeries where they end up doing the sleeve first and then the intestinal part later once some abdominal fat is lost. Livers can be really tricky. Mine was still "plump" during the surgery, I just happen to have an extremely skilled surgeon who was able to work around it, but he told me sometimes that isn't possible. And I really want to say this, what happened to you IS NOT YOUR FAULT!! I'd find a therapist that deals with trauma, specifically medical trauma if possible, to help process this experience. Later down the road if your weight loss isn't stable you can consider converting to bypass or DS, you have options now with the sleeve! I know it isn't what you wanted, and I don't understand why the doctor didn't just close you up and try again later if you felt so strongly about it, but hindsight is always 20/20 and the good thing is that the sleeve DOES take off weight and that weight loss will help you feel a lot better. You should be on a good PPI with your heartburn, twice a day if needed. Omeprazole was always useless to me, so I use pantaprazole in the morning and Dexilant in the evening, both are prescription and they work wonderfully, no food triggers at all. You don't have to suffer with heartburn and reflux, they really should sort your meds out for that. It will make nausea and eating a lot easier.

Oh and a few weeks out my digestive system was very testy. I had IBS before and it was grumpy post surgery. Fairlife shakes make me run to the bathroom for days for some reason! I like the Syntrax Nectar fruit flavors, they are like juice. Seeq is also good, it is like juice too, they are Water based Protein Drinks, not creamy milk ones, and my digestive system handles them both better. You can get samples of Syntrax from Bariatric Pal and samples of Seeq from their website. Sending you lots of love... I hope things ease up soon and those hormones calm down, they are really rough after surgery! ❤️

Thank you so much for your response ChunkCat. Truly you make me feel so much better anytime I read your responses. I truly am sorry that happened to you too, I'm so glad someone stood up for you.

I should of said something, but my anxiety kicked in and so I kept quiet and tried not to bother the nurses.

I guess the surgeon felt I was already open so better something than nothing haha. Least that's what I feel happened when they saw my liver. I'm not mad at them just emotional. The surgeon visited me the next day and expressed he was sorry that he couldn't do the bypass. He also said he was very happy with the results and that he feels I will have just as much success if not more as the bypass.

He also said that once I lose weight my liver should shrink more so we could discuss bypass down the road if I still feel strongly about it. I been on a waitlist for months to see a psychologist actually. This is because I have a lot if underlying trauma, C-PTSD, severe Anxiety, major depression disorder, etc. They also believe I could have more mental health illnesses, so they want to investigate so they can help me more. I think searching for a therapist also would be wise, but I struggle with opening up to people. I am very guarded.

I also don't remember chunks if my past because I believe my mind blocked some out as a defense mechanism. I know there is bad stuff there but I don't remember it all if that makes sense?

Sorry if I'm being a downer. 🖤

Also thanks for the suggestion of trying Protein water!! I heard about those but I was nervous that they may affect my IBS too, but knowing you battle IBS too makes me feel more comfortable giving them a go. My IBS is so painful when it happens. It almost seems more frequent and even more painful now. I hope as my body heals and adjusts that this will not be as much of an issue.

Thanks again for your input. Truly appreciate you.