wannalise

My doc found a hernia while in there and quickly repaired it. I honestly didn't notice pain after the surgery. Hope these responses avail some of your fears.

Hi all! It is exciting to see how well everyone is doing. I am down 82 lbs and feel amazing. There are still things I learn everyday. Now I am trying not to be too neurotic and be overly focused on how many calories I am burning. I went to the opera the other night and go every summer. Part way through I realized that my hips weren't hitting both arm rests. New feeling! Thanks to all of you for the support and encouragement. There were times were this sight was a lifeline to me.

Crazy!!! This happens to me ALL THE TIME. I have never fully passed out, but when I stand from laying I am super dizzy and off balanced and have run into the wall and almost fallen down. I'm going to try these tips. Thanks!

Why would you sacrifice your health or happiness for ANYONE else. It is not selfish, in fact what is being asked of you is. If it is just fear, then take him to your surgeons seminars, if it his insecurity then there will be no changing that. Good luck.

I'm guessing you are there now! I hope all went very well and your walking and sipping are going very well. Welcome aboard, you really will learn to love this new life. Anna

Many of us have had the post op panic post. You are totally normal. The stuck feeling really won't be helped by Water because you are just stacking something more in your already full body. I (this will sound crazy) used to walk around with my arms above my head and that seemed to elongate things and help me out. You will take a while to learn how to eat with the sleeve. There are loads of new sensations, listen carefully to your body and you really will get there. I was worried I would never be able to eat or be hydrated because I found it really tricky. As for the lightheadedness I get it when I am underhydrated which is really common in the first few weeks. If you are experiencing low blood sugar try a Protein source. Drinking apple juice will cause your sugar to spike and then crash. Protein should keep you pretty level. Keep posting, odds are great that whatever thing you are experiencing someone else has too!

I had a similar experience. One of the most frustrating things for me was Not staying hydrated causes nausea, but with all my nausea I could not stay hydrated. I stayed on really basic foods liquids and mushies longer than most because they would sit better with me, but liquids were my main issue. I'm so sorry this has lasted so long for you. Focus hard on hydration and protein. Best of luck!

I found these as well: Pimp My Protein Shake Good luck!

So I know that taking a PPI helps w/false hunger, that I can't eat spicy stuff like I used to (at all) what happens with stomach acid that changes these things? I know a lot of docs only keep people on ppi's for the first 3 months, are things supposed to change back at a certain point? Thanks ya'll

This one is controversial! I am sure you will get multiple answers. Some surgeons absoluetly say no, but there are some who say the sleeve is very difficult to stretch compared to other surgeries. I've chosen not to but my reason is because I was uber addicted to diet coke and for me I associated it with the kinds of food that would cause weight gain, and secondly I had loads of tummy problems had to get an endoscopy and was told I needed to be on SIX presciptions (at 28) but before I started them my dr wanted me to try a week without soda and all my symptoms went away. This is not a common occurence but was enough to keep me away. After all my jabber, it ultimately comes down to what you are comfortable with, and your surgeon and NUT's advice is probably more valuable then what your internet pals can give you. Anna

Yay!!! That less than 100lb mark seems like something you can actually wrap your head around. How exciting for you. Thanks for being a support to the rest of us.

Awesome!!!! What are you doing for workouts? I am still struggling to make exercise a habit and I know from past experience that for my long term success exercise is key for me. You are rocking this!!!

How exciting! Be patient with your body this first little while and let yourself heal. This is such an exciting first step on an improved life. Good for you!

Hang on to this and really feel it, right it down if you must. These are the things that can keep us going and can help us want to stay healthy. I am so excited for you!!!!

What a great blessing that you were able to survive cancer, the sleeve is going to give you the opportunity to THRIVE! The anxiety preop is not only normal, but in my opinion healthy. You will have some the first few weeks post op as you learn to use your new tool. Keep posting!!! Anna

Thank you all so much! It is true that sometimes we are going to do things differently then planned or we may over indulge (I hear even skinny people do that, who can say?) I need to learn how to deal. There is always that voice in the back of my mind telling me that even if I can lose all this weight, I can't keep it off. After having the chance to look and feel so much better it terrifies me to lose this awesome gift. Thank you all for your support and encouagement. It means the world to me.

I adore this thread! Thanks Tiff.

It has been ongoing for me, I used to work in nursing homes and constipation is common among the patients, aside from the medical reasons, many of them don't get enough activity and hydration. I have found that if I drink lots of water and walk lots it really helps. Good luck!

I have been very focused since surgery and I feel like I have done well. Mostly it feels good to not feel like I don't have control of my own body. This weekend was my birthday and my mom's birthday. Three days where I didn't count calories/carbs but made sure I got my Protein in. Today was my back in the wagon day and it was so hard. I felt compulsive about food, still had a calorie deficit, but ate more food today then I had in 4 months. Believe what you will about carbs and weight loss, but for me I can tell a difference in both appetite and craving after I have had higher carb days. I am very frustrated and having a difficult time not blowing this out of proportion. I am such a perfectionist that a big part of me wants to just do Protein shakes the rest of the week and make sure I lose plenty of weight. I still lost weight after this weekend, I'm still on track, so why did today bother me so much????

I've been mixing it up a lot lately to find foods that I can get Protein sources from, then I do one biggie Protein Shake for Breakfast. I have never been a breakfast girl and it really helps me. Just some additional protein ideas: 1 c. cottage cheese 1%-28g (I add a few Tablespoons of lemon juice) Greek Yogurt-1c 23-g tuna (canned in water)-3 oz-20g extra lean ground turkey-4oz-28g (I put taco seasoning in it.) I don't do well with chicken it just doesn't go down well. I have made cube steak w/cooking spray and it goes down really well. So much of this is just trial and error, I am 4 mos out and am still learning new things every week. Good luck finding what works best for you. Anna

Deb, The chicken thing is pretty common, it doesn't work for me either, I've crock potted it, grilled it and it just doesn't work for me. There are several sites to track your food, lots of people like the daily plate.com My fave is obesityhelp.com Tracking really helps keep me aware and I think not being aware was one of the ways I gained weight. As for protein I try to do a minimum of 70g of protein. I try to keep my carbs below 30. I keep my calories between 600-800 calories daily. For each pound you want to lose you need to have a deficit of 3500 calories. Even if you only maintain a deficit of 500 calories daily you will lose a pound per week. Keep it up you can get there!

Hey just a side note, our bodies will never become deficient in calcium because it has a set point it always has to be and if you aren't consuming enough it will leach calcium from bones and teeth. So....often when we present with Vitamin d deficiency it also means we are low on calcium. I think that it is important to help educate your doctor, not in a confrontational way, but to help him understand why you made the choice you did. My doctor's reaction was more positive, but she was very unfamiliar with how the sleeve works. (but we all know it does) Results may be the thing that sells your doc on the procedure.

You are doing great, the coolest part of this journey, though not one that others see is the changes that go on within you. To become obese I had to physically and spiritually check out from what I was doing to my body. You have checked back in, your posts really show that you are growing and learning to take care of you! That is bigger and better than any weight loss. If we lost know weight at all, but were able to rediscover what it feels like to be kind to our bodies we should be very proud of ourselves. That being said....isn't it cool to have lost 22 lbs and see the changes in your body!!! Hang on, your pace might be different than others, but this is YOUR journey. And you are rocking it!!!

So I don't know how to explain this correctly but post op I have had probably 5 nights where I can't fall asleep because when I go to swallow (just the saliva you swallow) it takes real effort and it feels like my throat has LOADS of restiction. But I can get up and drink Water with no effort. Anyone experience this or know what it would be? I find it SUPER frustrating. Thanks!

I'm so sorry Kathy.